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A 47-year study has uncovered a surprising turning point in physical aging: fitness and strength begin declining around age 35, even among people who exercise regularly. Researchers found that this decline accelerates as people get older, but starting to exercise in adulthood can still improve physical performance.

A major study found that several cancers are rising faster among younger adults in England, even as smoking, diet, and other established risk factors have generally improved. Excess weight explains only part of the increase, leaving scientists searching for other possible causes, including changes in the gut microbiome and early-life exposures.

Ice baths, massages, compression garments, and recovery supplements promise faster muscle recovery, but research suggests their benefits are often overstated, and some techniques may even undermine long-term gains. Scientists say the most effective recovery methods are far simpler and cheaper: getting enough sleep, eating well, and giving muscles time to rebuild.

Two unusually long-legged cats have helped scientists uncover the first genetically confirmed cases of Marfan syndrome in domestic felines. Researchers at Cornell University discovered that the brothers carried two altered copies of a gene linked to the rare connective tissue disorder, which can affect the eyes, heart, and blood vessels. Surprisingly, the cats survived into adulthood because their genetic mutation still allowed some normal function.

Exercise during childhood could have a surprising lifelong benefit, potentially making physical activity less exhausting in adulthood. In a study involving guinea fowl, researchers discovered that birds accustomed to carrying weights while growing up could carry those weights as adults without using extra energy, while untrained birds burned 23% more.

For decades, scientists have focused on amyloid beta as a major culprit behind Alzheimer’s disease, spending billions of dollars developing treatments that have often delivered disappointing results. Now, researchers at UC Santa Cruz are drawing attention to a largely overlooked peptide called P3 that could also play a role in the disease. Previously believed to be harmless, P3 can form harmful-looking protein clumps even faster than amyloid beta and may also damage brain cells.

Amid a U.S. push for “deprescribing,” researchers are finding new ways to match patients to their optimal treatment

Scientists have discovered a protein that may help harmful aging cells hide from the immune system, allowing them to accumulate and fuel age-related health problems. Blocking the protein in mice reduced these cells and inflammation while improving blood sugar regulation and strength, offering a promising new direction for anti-aging research.

Single-cell resolution spatial transcriptomics provides a great opportunity to explore the complex cellular contents in different tissues. Here we introduce SpatialZoomer, a spectral graph-based method that applies a set of low-pass filters to efficiently extract spatial molecular features from spatial transcriptomics data at multiple resolutions or scales, including the single cell scale, the niche scale with dozens of closely interacting cells and the domain scale with spatially organized cell...

An elevated NADH/NAD^(+) ratio (NADH-reductive stress) is a hallmark of mitochondrial dysfunction, yet how it drives pathologies ranging from primary mitochondrial disorders to ageing remains poorly understood^(1,2). Here, we show that mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibition in primary human fibroblasts induces NADH-reductive stress that coexists with profound NADPH depletion. Using the Escherichia coli soluble transhydrogenase (EcSTH)³ to model this redox coupling in cells with intact...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease marked by joint and systemic inflammation. Anticitrullinated protein antibodies identify an at-risk stage that precedes clinical RA, yet the mechanisms driving disease progression remain poorly understood. Here we show that anticitrullinated-protein-antibody-positive individuals who progressed to RA exhibited a marked expansion of CXCR5^(+)CD69^(+)-activated naive B cells (aNAVs) before disease onset. These cells displayed inflammatory and...

Age-related cognitive decline is associated with altered inhibitory signaling in hippocampal circuits, but the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction remain incompletely understood. Neural stem cells (NSCs) persist in the adult hippocampus and influence brain function beyond generating new neurons, although the molecular signals involved remain unclear. Here we show that phospholipase A2 group VII (PLA2G7), a secreted lipid-metabolizing enzyme expressed in NSCs, negatively regulates inhibitory...

Aging is characterized by progressive functional decline accompanied by distinct transcriptomic and epigenetic alterations. Although partial reprogramming via Yamanaka factors can reverse these signatures and improve cell function, toxicity and efficacy concerns limit their in vivo application, necessitating alternative geroprotective interventions. Here we develop an interpretable transcriptomic age predictor in human fibroblasts and perform a cDNA overexpression screen to identify factors that...

Population aging has accelerated globally, making successful aging a key public health priority. Zhuang and Gao address the prospective association between cumulative average grip strength and successful aging using three international cohorts. While their multi-cohort design offers valuable cross-population insights, several methodological choices warrant consideration. Grip strength may not fully capture functional determinants of successful aging. Self-reported chronic disease introduces...

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Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a heparin-binding growth factor that plays a pivotal role in neurodevelopment, neuroplasticity, and neuroinflammation. PTN signals through a multi-receptor network involving protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type ζ (PTPRZ1), syndecans (particularly syndecan-3), integrins, nucleolin, and neuropilin-1. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has also been functionally linked to PTN signaling, although whether PTN directly binds and activates it remains debated. This review...

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a medical condition that is present in approximately 2.5% of adults worldwide and manifests in a variety of different ways across the lifespan. Adults with ADHD often have coexisting psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, mood, sleep, substance use, and personality disorders and are at increased risk for coexisting somatic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and immune and...

Senescent cells develop a persistent inflammatory signature with broad consequences for tissue function and disease. Martini et al.¹ show that mitochondrial citrate metabolism drives inflammation through a pathway that acts independently of mitochondrial DNA-driven immune signaling yet cooperates with it to amplify the inflammatory response.

Loss of skeletal muscle mass is a major driver of frailty and disability, yet how systemic metabolic cues protect muscle integrity remains unclear. We identify Serpina3n, an adipose-derived adipokine, as a key mediator of the protective effects of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD^(+)) supplementation against muscle atrophy. Elevation of NAD^(+) in adipose tissue activates signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1-dependent transcription of Serpina3n, leading to its systemic...