Aggregator
This simple house may help prevent multiple fatal diseases in African children
Randomized controlled trial shows the $8800 design can reduce cases of malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory infection
Cocaine pollution gives salmon wanderlust
First study of how drugs affect behavior of fish in the wild adds to concerns about chemical exposure
This disabled parrot has become king by learning to ‘joust’
Despite missing his entire upper beak, Bruce the kea is winning at life
Cohort profile Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative DAC Egypt Cohort
The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC) Egypt Cohort (DAC-Egypt) is a newly established longitudinal study of cognitive aging in a community-based convenience sample of older Egyptian adults. The cohort's purpose is to characterize trajectories of cognitive decline and dementia risk factors in an understudied population, filling a critical gap in aging research in the Middle East. Participants (n = 1,530) aged 55 and above were recruited via regionally diverse convenience sampling, with...
Microbiome signature of Parkinson's disease in healthy and genetically at-risk individuals
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major cause of disability. GBA1 variants are the most common genetic risk factor for PD and increase the risk up to 30-fold. Why only approximately 20% of GBA1 variant carriers develop PD remains unknown. Here, by combining clinical and fecal metagenomics data from 271 patients with PD, from 43 carriers of GBA1 variants not manifesting PD symptoms (GBA-NMC) and from 150 healthy controls, and using an innovative microbiome analysis, combining differential abundance...
Ageing was never a singular problem in biology: implications for mechanisms, measurements and interventions
Biological ageing is often approached through its underlying mechanisms and their therapeutic potential. Yet age-related decline arises from multiple processes shaped by evolutionary constraints and finite investment in somatic maintenance. Coupling among these processes is heterogeneous: some are tightly linked through shared signalling networks, others are indirectly related and some retain substantial autonomy. Interventions that modulate biomarkers of biological age or individual hallmarks...
Lycium barbarum polysaccharides promote longevity and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans via insulin/IGF-1 signalling and lipid metabolic remodelling
Lycium barbarum (goji berry) has long been consumed as a food, and its water-soluble polysaccharides (LBPs) are proposed as key bioactive constituents. Here, we evaluated three L. barbarum fractions in Caenorhabditis elegans and subsequently focused on purified LBPs, which showed the most consistent pro-longevity phenotype in preliminary screening. LBPs (700 μg/mL) increased mean lifespan by 20.67% (p < 0.01) and improved multiple healthspan-related outcomes, including locomotion, resistance to...
Cohort profile Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative DAC Egypt Cohort
The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC) Egypt Cohort (DAC-Egypt) is a newly established longitudinal study of cognitive aging in a community-based convenience sample of older Egyptian adults. The cohort's purpose is to characterize trajectories of cognitive decline and dementia risk factors in an understudied population, filling a critical gap in aging research in the Middle East. Participants (n = 1,530) aged 55 and above were recruited via regionally diverse convenience sampling, with...
Prevailing views of cell senescence overlook its biological complexity
No abstract
Cryo-EM structures of anti Z-DNA antibodies in complex with antigen reveal distinct recognition modes of a left-handed geometry
Double-stranded nucleic acids can undergo transitions from canonical B/A-forms to alternate left-handed Z-DNA/Z-RNA (Z-NAs). Z-NAs are implicated in processes such as neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease, Lupus Erythematosus, microbial biofilms, and type I interferon-mediated human pathologies. Since endogenous Z-NA sensors like the Zα domain can induce B-to-Z transitions, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) Z-D11 and Z22 have been regarded as conformation-specific tools to confirm Z-NA in situ,...
The pleiotropic impact of chaperone-mediated autophagy on skeletal muscle integrity
Skeletal muscle is a fundamental tissue as it is found throughout the body, sustains posture, and produces movement. Yet, skeletal muscle disorders, such as myopathies, affect a large percentage of the population, degrading an individual's quality of life. A recent study links myopathy progression to the decline in chaperone-mediated autophagy that occurs during aging. Underscoring the importance of a balanced CMA pathway in maintaining skeletal muscle function and integrity, the study also...
Age differences in socio-emotional feedback processing during learning: an ERP study
In an ever-changing environment, the ability to adapt behavior based on feedback is a crucial skill. Although this process is assumed to decline with age, initial evidence suggests that emotional information processing may help buffer against these age-related impairments. We therefore conducted a probabilistic learning task with emotional faces in two varying emotional intensities (weak vs. strong) to investigate whether healthy younger and older adults would benefit from strong emotional...
Neuroanatomical patterns of dementia risk in autism spectrum disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. While previous studies have reported a high prevalence of dementia diagnoses in the ASD population, the risk of dementia-related neurodegeneration remains poorly understood. This study aimed to assess dementia-sensitive composite measures of brain structure and brain age across the lifespan in an ASD cohort (ages 7-73) to investigate neuroanatomical features linked to neurodegenerative vulnerability. The composite score and brain...
Genetic, Socioecological, and Health Research on Extreme Longevity in Semisupercentenarians and Supercentenarians: A Scoping Review
CONCLUSION: We propose a comprehensive framework comprising three components: cohort setting, measuring contributing factors, and full assessment. This framework sets the stage for a unified, supranational protocol that harmonizes survey methods across countries, integrates multidisciplinary perspectives, and adopts a longitudinal approach. It would enable larger sample sizes and more robust statistical analyses, allowing researchers to explore complex relationships and derive more accurate...
Perceptions of Aging in the Hispanic Community Members in South Central United States: A Descriptive and Exploratory Analysis
The aim of this study is to investigate perceptions of aging among Hispanic adults. Fifty participants in Texas and Arkansas were asked to take a short questionnaire including multiple-choice and Likert scale format questions. Individuals 18 and older who identified as Hispanic were included in the study. Counts and frequencies for each response were obtained. Furthermore, an exploratory comparison of responses between younger and middle-aged/older respondents was conducted. According to the...
Maladaptive Inflammatory Signaling in Old Mice Impairs Colonic Regeneration by Promoting a Sustained Fetal-Like Epithelial State
Aging is associated with a decline in the regenerative capacity of many tissues. Central to this decline is a complex interplay between inflammation and stem cell function. How these two processes are linked and influence regenerative capacity remains unclear. Here, we undertake a comprehensive assessment of age-related changes in the mouse colon at single-cell resolution. A survey of immune and epithelial compartments revealed a hyperactivated inflammatory state in the colon of old mice...
ACRC/GCNA is an essential protease that repairs DNA-protein crosslinks during vertebrate development
DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) are toxic DNA lesions that block all DNA transactions including replication and transcription, and the consequences of impaired DNA-protein crosslink repair (DPCR) are severe. At the cellular level, impaired DPCR leads to the formation of double strand breaks, genomic instability, and cell death, while at the organismal level, it is associated with cancer, aging, and neurodegeneration. Despite its importance, the mechanisms of DPCR at the organismal level are...