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Could indigo light prevent nearsightedness in children?
Study of tree shrews points to specific wavelengths of light that might help stave off myopia
GLP-1 receptor agonists for Alzheimer's disease: Lessons from trials and translational challenges
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial disorder that requires combined therapeutic strategies beyond amyloid clearance. Although GLP-1 receptor agonists show strong mechanistic rationale and supportive epidemiological signals for neuroprotection, large randomized trials in symptomatic AD have yielded negative clinical outcomes and do not support the therapeutic use in AD.
The Nutrition-Sleep-Circadian Axis in Age-Related Neurodegeneration: Cellular Mechanisms, Metabolic Dysfunction, and Neuroprotective Interventions
Advanced age is accompanied by progressive metabolic, nutritional, mitochondrial, and neuroimmune dysregulation, which may increase susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), highlighting the need to identify modifiable mechanisms that influence disease initiation and progression. Increasing evidence indicates that nutrition, sleep, and circadian rhythms function as an interconnected biological network regulating metabolic...
Autophagy as a mechanistic link between physical exercise and Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's Disease (AD), the most prevalent cause of dementia worldwide, is a neurodegenerative disorder that currently has no cure. A growing body of evidence suggests that physical exercise is a potential non-pharmacological strategy in the treatment of AD. Recent findings highlight the involvement of autophagy in the modulatory actions of physical exercise for AD. Here, we present a narrative review of the current knowledge on how exercise impacts AD, specifically focusing on its regulation...
Translating cellular aging clocks into disease risk prediction
Ding et al. mapped over 7,000 plasma proteins to more than 40 cell types and developed machine learning aging clocks across 60,000 individuals, demonstrating that cell-type-specific biological aging is heterogeneous, measurable from blood alone, and powerfully predictive of neurodegenerative disease, cancer, and mortality up to 15 years before clinical onset.¹.
Multimodal brain cell atlas across the adult macaque lifespan
High-throughput single-cell omics of non-human primate brain tissue provides a powerful platform to investigate the molecular basis of brain aging. Here, we present a comprehensive transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility atlas of 2,955,873 nuclei from eight brain regions of 23 female cynomolgus macaques spanning the adult lifespan, including exceptionally old individuals. Our analyses reveal dynamic, cell-subtype- and region-specific age-related changes in core brain functions, including...
Biological aging and the hidden architecture of early-onset cancer risk
In a Nature Medicine study, Tian et al. identify larger biological age gaps associated with early-onset lung, colorectal, and uterine cancers across birth cohorts. These findings position biological age as an integrative marker of physiological dysregulation. Future work combining aging clocks and mutational signatures could distinguish tumor-promoting states from tumor-initiating exposures.
The Nutrition-Sleep-Circadian Axis in Age-Related Neurodegeneration: Cellular Mechanisms, Metabolic Dysfunction, and Neuroprotective Interventions
Advanced age is accompanied by progressive metabolic, nutritional, mitochondrial, and neuroimmune dysregulation, which may increase susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), highlighting the need to identify modifiable mechanisms that influence disease initiation and progression. Increasing evidence indicates that nutrition, sleep, and circadian rhythms function as an interconnected biological network regulating metabolic...
The Paradox of Long Life: Art, Literature, and the Meaning of Aging
No abstract
Impaired brain-gut circuit for gut motility dysfunction in mouse models of Parkinson's disease
Gut motility dysfunction is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), but its central mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we utilize multiple mouse models, which mimic both genetic and sporadic PD, to reproduce PD-related gut motility dysfunction. We find that α-synuclein pathology significantly impairs the excitability of cholinergic neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV). Chemogenetic activation of these neurons effectively restores gut motility in PD models, revealing a...
Effects of Behaviour Change Interventions Combined With Exercise on Device-Measured Physical Activity in People With Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) are recommended as core components of physical activity (PA) interventions for people with lower limb osteoarthritis (OA), and identifying effective BCTs is an emerging research priority. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of combined behaviour change and exercise interventions on objectively measured total PA (primary outcome) and other device-measured activity behaviours, including moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), steps and...
AK050834 Deficiency Prevents Vascular Aging via Opposite Regulation of Two Senescence-Sensitive Genes ATF3 and p21
Vascular aging, not only a victim of vascular cell senescence but also a driving hub of systemic aging, is a complex process in which both anti-aging and pro-aging proteins are involved. Thus, the ideal anti-aging medication should have multiple protein targets; in this case, an lncRNA might be a good choice. AK050834 is a conserved lncRNA, but its roles in vascular biology and vascular aging are currently unknown. Here, we identified that AK050834 was highly expressed in vascular walls and in...
NatA complex is a leaf-intrinsic brake on systemic responses induced by root endophytic fungi
Root-associated beneficial microbes prime host plants for induced systemic resistance (ISR) in leaves. Although continuous immune activation triggered by root endophytic fungi would impair leaf growth, how host plants avoid autoimmunity during endophytic fungi-mediated ISR priming is unknown. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis NatA N-terminal-acetyltransferase complex acts as a leaf-intrinsic brake on these root-to-leaf systemic responses. Impairment of the NatA subunit SUF1 (also named HYPK) or...
Microglia activation by derepression of endogenous retroviruses drives inflammation and cellular senescence
Aging-associated loss of chromatin compaction is linked to derepression of retrotransposable elements (RTEs) in mouse and human tissues. Whether such RTE transcription contributes to the microglia activation that is common in aged brains is unknown. Here, we show that DAXX, a histone chaperone and RTE repressor, is downregulated during aging, preserves microglia homeostasis and inhibits cellular senescence. Loss of Daxx in young-adult microglia drives a reactive phenotype marked by chromatin...
The GLP-1-Mitochondria Axis in Metabolic Aging
Metabolic aging underlies a cluster of chronic conditions-type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia, and neurodegeneration-that account for a substantial share of global morbidity and mortality. A common feature is progressive mitochondrial dysfunction: impaired bioenergetics, disrupted quality control, and loss of metabolic resilience. Reduced mitochondrial DNA copy number in peripheral blood leukocytes is associated with cardiometabolic disease and mortality, but pre-analytical...
Non-cell autonomous control of presynaptic remodeling by the hypothalamic autophagy-NPY axis
Macroautophagy/autophagy is a critical cellular degradation pathway essential for neuronal proteostasis and synaptic function. Its decline with aging is associated with synaptic dysfunction and reduced circuit resilience. NPY (neuropeptide Y), a highly abundant brain neuropeptide, has emerged as an important regulator of autophagy and aging-related processes. In Drosophila, the NPY-family peptide sNPF modulates age-related changes in presynaptic architecture via non-cell autonomous mechanisms....
A locus coeruleus-centric framework for novelty, salience, and gamma oscillations: implications for neurostimulation, aging, and disease
Neuromodulation techniques in the gamma frequency range, such as chronic 40 Hz sensory stimulation, have gained attention for their potential to impact and preserve cognitive function in the context of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). This hypothesis and theory article aims to examine the overlap in biological phenotypes between gamma stimulation techniques and to propose a theoretical mechanism of action that may help to inform future empirical investigations. In...
Stereological sampling-based estimates of dopaminergic and cholinergic neuron numbers in young adult and aged male and female Fischer 344 × Brown Norway F1 hybrid rats
Age is the primary risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, which are characterized by profound loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, respectively. In addition, loss of these neurons can occur even in "normal" (i.e., non-pathological) aging, and as a result there is growing recognition of the value of aged animals in studying both normal aging and age-related neurodegenerative disease. The Fischer...
Role of Sociodemographic Variables in the Association Between Physical Performance and Balance Disorders in Older Adults
CONCLUSION: Physical performance impairment is strongly associated with balance disorders among older adults, and this relationship is influenced by sociodemographic factors. These findings suggest that sociodemographic characteristics should be considered when evaluating the relationship between physical performance and balance disorders in older adults.