Longevity science

Daily supplements of curcumin – the natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow color – may support healthy aging, with two new studies indicating benefits for arterial aging and cognition.

An international team of scientists has recently reported success in the first phase of clinical trials in which MS victims’ immune systems were conditioned to become much more tolerant of myelin.\

 

In the study, white blood cells were obtained from nine MS-afflicted test subjects. These cells were specially processed, coupled with myelin antigens, and then injected intravenously back into their respective donors – up to 3 billion of these dead, treated cells were injected into each person.

 

When they entered the spleen, which filters dead cells from the bloodstream, both the white blood cells themselves and their myelin antigen payloads were identified by the body as being innocuous. This caused the immune system to become 50 to 75 percent less reactive to myelin, depending on the person and the number of cells injected.

 

 

New “blood pressure watch” relies on a wristband made from piezo-resistive fibers developed at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA). These fibers measure the contact pressure of the device on the skin to overcome the problem of the device slipping on the wrist or muscle tension that can affect the measurements.

 

 

The National Park Service last week introduced new food standards that will eventually require concessionaires at all national parks, from the Statue of Liberty to Denali, to offer healthy food options, including fruits and vegetables, low-sodium and low-fat meals, reduced portion sizes, and non-sugary drinks.

 

 

Omega-3s moderate blood levels of triglycerides and inflammation – two key drivers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) – and exert beneficial effects on blood pressure and heart rhythms. In addition, it’s likely that omega-3s exert as yet unknown “nutrigenomic” effects on people’s genes. Until now, no one had ever examined the ways in which omega-3s might moderate people’s physiological reactions to stress … some of which promote CVD or are or suspected of doing that.

 

 

A solar-powered wheelchair designed by students at the University of Virginia has won first prize in a competition, Change My Life in One Minute, to mark World Cerebral Palsy Day. Entrants to the competition were asked to come up with an innovation that could make a significant difference to a person with a disability. The solar-powered wheelchair can run continuously powered only by the sun.

 

 

One point increase in better score was linked to 8 percent lower risk of stroke. Those with optimum scores had a 48 percent less stroke and the risk factor dropped to 27 percent with average scores.

The identity of the 15 experts who will frame the 2015 dietary guidelines for Americans has been announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Ryon Lane wanted to run to yoga class. There was just one problem with that plan: his mat. A three-mile jog from Capitol Hill to Dupont Circle with a rolled-up piece of rubber resting on his shoulder wasn’t particularly appealing. So the lawyer hopped online to shop for a mat he could fold up and stash in a backpack.

Lane couldn’t find one, which is why people searching for a similar product today are stumbling across his Kickstarter campaign for the YogoMat. The lightweight design — with attached straps that allow for easy cleaning and drying in the shower — was something the 36-year-old developed for his own practice. When fellow students started asking about where they could buy one, Lane realized he had a business plan.

 

 

The early success of a new class of cancer drugs, revealed in test results released here over the last several days, has raised hope among the world’s top cancer specialists that they may be on the verge of an important milestone in the fight against the disease.

 

 

MIT engineer Sangeeta Bhatia and colleagues have have identified a dozen chemical compounds that can help liver cells maintain their normal function while grown in a lab dish and also multiply to produce new tissue.

 

Cells grown this way could help researchers develop engineered tissue to treat many of the 500 million people suffering from chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis C, according to the researchers.

 

 

If physicians have a sufficiently-early warning that a patient’s body is rejecting a transplanted organ, then there’s a good chance that they can stop the process via medication. Implanted electronic sensors could serve to provide that warning as early as possible, and thanks to new research, they’re coming a step closer to practical use.

 

 

In a first of its kind ruling on human genes, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday decided that synthetically produced genetic material can be patented but naturally occurring DNA extracted from the human body cannot.

 

 

Middle-of-the-night awakenings are common for many people, and how we deal with this habit is key to getting a good sleep, says sleep expert Michael Grandner, a psychologist at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

 

After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, men who eat a diet high in vegetable fats, such as those in nuts and olive oil, may be less likely to have their disease spread, a new study suggests.

 

 

Researchers have reported the discovery of a crucial part of the biological clock in the brain: wiring that sets its accuracy to within a few minutes out of the 1440 minutes per day. This wiring uses the GABA (γ-amino-butyric acid) neurotransmitter to connect the individual cells of the biological clock in a fast network that changes strength with time of day.

 

 

The OrCam is a small camera linked to a very powerful wearable computer. It sees what you see and through your finger-pointing understands what information you seek, relaying auditory feedback through a bone conduction earpiece. Using an intuitive user interface, the device can read text, recognize faces, identify objects and places, locate bus numbers and even monitor traffic lights.

Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration granted clearance to a new device that could be of considerable aid to stroke victims or people with partial spinal cord injuries. Created by Dr. Paul Cordo of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in collaboration with OHSU spinoff company AMES, the "AMES device" reportedly helps the brain get paralyzed muscles moving again.

 

 

A new method of manufacturing short, single-stranded DNA molecules can solve many of the problems associated with current production methods.

 

The new method can be of value to development of drugs consisting of DNA fragments and to DNA nanotechnology research.

 

The novel technique for manufacturing short, single-stranded DNA molecules — or oligonucleotides — has been developed by researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Harvard University.

 

 

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have produced a new kind of paper that repels a range of liquids, including water and oil. The new paper shows significant promise as an affordable and recyclable packaging material, but it's the paper’s potential as an inexpensive biomedical diagnostic tool that has really got the researchers excited.

 

By applying a chemical coating and creating new surface patterns at the nanometer and micron-scale, the researchers are able to reproduce the same repellent effect in the paper that is observed in the leaves of the lotus plant. This changes the paper from an absorbent material to one which repels all fluids.