Abstract: Increasing evidence suggests an important role for programmed cell death (PCD) pathways in aging phenotypes across species. PCD is critical to the homeostasis of tissues maintained by cell division, for example, the blood and the lining of the gut. During aging, accumulated cellular damage and non-optimal systemic signaling can cause too little cell death (hyperproliferation and cancer), or too much cell death (tissue atrophy and ectopic cell death), thereby limiting tissue function and life span. For these reasons PCD pathways are promising targets for interventions in aging and aging-related diseases: reactivation of PCD may be beneficial in clearing cancerous and senescent cells, whereas inhibiting PCD may help prevent muscle atrophy and nervous system degeneration. ... Read more

Abstract: Cancer incidence rate was observed to be accelerating or even paradoxically declining among the oldest ages. This seemingly unlikely and contradictory phenomenon is possibly due to the "somatic aging" process. Aging slows down the rates of metabolism, cell proliferation, and so on. The slower-than-normal pace of accumulation of mutations and slower rate of blood-vessel formation (angiogenesis) reduce the occurrence and growth of cancer. ... Read more

Abstract: A higher metabolic rate and elevated oxidative stress levels have been thought of as the primary factors in the aging process. Authors described a new hypothesis for determining longevity - the metabolic stability theory, which states that the extent of the fluctuation in the metabolic rate and how quickly a species returns to the "normal" metabolic rate after extraordinary events affects the organism's longevity the most. ... Read more

Abstract: Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays a key role in the development, execution, and maintenance of immune functions. The dynamics of survival of subsets of T lymphocytes with the backdrop of human aging is discussed. ... Read more

Abstract: Typical cells are subject to the fate of replicative senescence -- a key mechanism of our aging process. Cancer cells and, to a certain extent, immune cells have a mechanism to replenish the lost sequence of the telomere and allow them to divide without the usual constraints of replicative senescence. ... Read more

Abstract: Severe obesity cuts one's life expectancy short by 5-20 years. If left unperturbed, the rising prevalence of obesity in the United States will reduce longevity in the U.S., in absolute terms, some time in the first half of this century, negating any positive factors so far known that increase longevity. ... Read more

“Angiogenesis inhibitors do far more than simply ‘deprive a tumor of oxygen.’ They inhibit vascular leakage in a tumor, inhibit endothelial nitric oxide synthase, downregulate expression of HIF-1α, upregulate expression of an inhibitor of HIF-1α, upregulate thrombospondin and downregulate plasmin production, to name just a few activities.”

Mark W. Kieran, Judah Folkman, and John Heymach in correspondence to Nature Medicine (9:1104, 2003), in response to a question that angiogenesis inhibitors might promote cancer metastasis.

“The digital information in genomes operates across three diverse time spans: evolution (tens to millions of years), development (hours to tens of years), and physiology (milliseconds to weeks). ... Read more

Dr. David Sinclair and his colleagues at BIOMOL Research Labs, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, PA and the Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA have identified several naturally occurring compounds which can extend the life of yeast cells by 70% and protect, to certain extent, cultured human cells exposed to radiation (Howitz, K.T. et al., Nature 425:191-196, Sep. 11, 2003).

These compounds belong to a chemical group called polyphenols, known for their presence in grapes and red wine. Researchers screened several libraries of compounds and found 17 that could enhance the activity of SIRT1, a human deacetylase that enhances cell survival by deacetylating the ... Read more

Dr. Richard M. Cawthon and colleagues from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT have found for the first time in humans that the length of the telomere is related to longevity (Lancet 361:393-395, Feb. 1, 2003).

The researchers studied the telomere length from 143 individuals and their longevity. Study subjects of ages between 60 and 97 were generally healthy, unrelated individuals who donated their blood between 1982 and 1986.

They found that elderly individuals with longer telomeres lived five to six years longer than individuals with shorter telomeres. Those with shorter telomeres in blood DNA had a 3.18-fold higher mortality ... Read more

Researchers are zooming in on the molecules that dictate longevity. Longevity is more than the issue that people want to live longer, it is also for the fact that many diseases are related to the aging process such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoporosis, to name a few. In recent years, a molecule (DAF-2) that is similar to the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) has been discovered capable of influencing lifespan in the microscopic worm C. elegans and fruitfly D. melanogaster. Dr. Martin Holzenberger and colleagues (Institut National de la Sante, Paris, France) have found that reducing the levels of ... Read more