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POPSDrug for Longer Life The other drug is a small synthetic chemical that is a thousand times as potent as resveratrol in activating sirtuin and can be given at a much smaller dose. Safety tests in people have just started, with no adverse effects so far. The hope is that activating sirtuins in people would, like a calorically restricted diet in mice, avert degenerative diseases of aging like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. There is no Food and Drug Administration category for longevity drugs, so if the company is to submit a drug for approval, it needs to be for a specific disease. Nonetheless, longevity is what has motivated the researchers and what makes the drugs potentially so appealing.
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POPSChurches suffering from "spiritual Alzheimers" Is it just the interesting expression that makes me want to blog about this? It's certainly not the first time the phrase "spiritual Alzheimer's" has been used, but it remains a vivid expression nonetheless.
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POPSExercise Not Proved to Help Dementia Both of the remaining studies were small and only included Alzheimer disease patients. One looked at 11 patients; the other examined 134 but many of those didn't complete the exercise regimens. However, the researchers in the latter study found that those who did exercise seemed to do better at handling the tasks of daily living.
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POPSMyriad Genetics Rebounds This speaks volumes about the way many investors felt about Myriad's Alzheimer's drug development program. The drug, Flurizan, failed yesterday. Shares dutifully fell. But today they ramped up to a level before the failure. This makes sense, because the drug development program was high risk, and was a drag on the company's genetic testing business. Now, investors can bet on a genomics and diagnostics company without worrying that a risky Alzheimer's drug is about to fail.
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POPSGood cholesterol may protect memory There is good and bad cholesterol. They sum it up by saying, what is good for the heart, is good for the brain. Certain changes in lifestyle can have a positive impact on raising HDL levels: Aerobic exercise, Weight loss, Smoking cessation. Removing trans fatty acids from the diet One to two drinks of alcohol a day - HDL transports cholesterol to the liver and cholesterol is known to have a protective effect on the cell membrane. It is likely that this reflects the liver's need for more cholesterol to protect itself from the alcohol. Adding monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats to the diet, and reducing or eliminating saturated fats. Adding soluble fiber to diet. Oats are a prime source. Taking Omega 3 fatty acids such as in tuna, or sardines, or suppliments. Limiting intake of dietary fat to 30–35% of total calories Taking Niacin aka Vitamin B3
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POPSMyriad's Flurizan Fails There were plenty of reasons to be skeptical, so this doesn't neccesarily dent the amyloid hypothesis. Still a disappointment. Myriad's diagnostic test business is cushioning the blow. Click on the article to read a nice take from Adam Feuerstein over at TheStreet.com.
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POPSHow to fold Proteins Proteins are complex molecules, and understanding the way they can fold using distributed computing, in the unused cpu load of home computers, can spread the load and research in more detail , both the way proteins fold, and the effects of incorrect folding. A prime example of such an instance in in the proteins known as prions, which with a wrong fold can be one of the contributing factors in Alzheimer's disease. The foldingathome network is the biggest computer in the world, with calculations done by the petaflop
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POPSOlder Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain The prospect of getting older doesn't look nearly as bleak, now that we're finding that exercise helps keep people strong and boosts balancing ability, and that mental decline is not an inevitable part of aging. And a good thing, too. As my mother used to say, "You don't like getting older? Consider the alternative!"
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