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    Category Health/Medical

    Scientists discover Genetic Timetable of Brain’s Aging Process

    September 14, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Trajectories and turning points characterise brain age. (a) Percentage of TTTPs at each age of human lifespan. Mean age is 26.0 years for males and 27.5 years for females. (b) Percentage of TTTPs at each age of human lifespan using three different methods for fitting splines. Mean age is 31.3 years using cubic splines with 3 degrees of freedom, 21.6 years using cubic splines with 4 degrees of freedom and 25.2 years using Loess regression. (c) Percentage of TTTPs at each age of mouse. Mean age is 156 days for males and 165 days for females. (d) Cumulative sum of TTTP scores for every year of life in the Braincloud dataset. (e) Cumulative sum of TTTP scores for every year of life in the mouse hippocampus dataset. (f) The TTTPs for genes with the greatest expression changes prior to the TTTP (ΔE) were concentrated around the late-twenties. (g) Percentage of probes associated with TTTPs that up- or down-regulate prior to turning. (h) Percentage of probes with TTTPs which plateau or reverse after turning. (i) and (j). Age of individual mice and humans can be accurately predicted using a Support Vector Machine trained on the expression data. Individual points represent each mRNA sample.

    Trajectories and turning points characterise brain age. (a) Percentage of TTTPs at each age of human lifespan. Mean age is 26.0 years for males and 27.5 years for females. (b) Percentage of TTTPs at each age of human lifespan using three different methods for fitting splines. Mean age is 31.3 years using cubic splines with 3 degrees of freedom, 21.6 years using cubic splines with 4 degrees of freedom and 25.2 years using Loess regression. (c) Percentage of TTTPs at each age of mouse. Mean age is 156 days for males and 165 days for females. (d) Cumulative sum of TTTP scores for every year of life in the Braincloud dataset. (e) Cumulative sum of TTTP scores for every year of life in the mouse hippocampus dataset...

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    ‘Missing link’ explains how Viruses Trigger Immunity

    September 13, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Highlights •SIDT2 is in endo-lysosomes and interacts with internalized double-stranded RNA •SIDT2 promotes escape of endosomal dsRNA and cytoplasmic RLR signaling •During HSV-1 infection, RLR signaling in bystander cells requires SIDT2 •Loss of SIDT2 impairs IFN-β production and survival after HSV-1 and EMCV infection

    Highlights
    •SIDT2 is in endo-lysosomes and interacts with internalized double-stranded RNA
    •SIDT2 promotes escape of endosomal dsRNA and cytoplasmic RLR signaling
    •During HSV-1 infection, RLR signaling in bystander cells requires SIDT2
    •Loss of SIDT2 impairs IFN-β production and survival after HSV-1 and EMCV infection

    A discovery by Melbourne researchers has solved a longstanding mystery of how viruses trigger protective immunity within our body. A protein SIDT2 was crucial for cells to detect viral components in their environment, and initiate an immune response to reduce the virus’ spread...

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    Health Benefits of Olives and Olive Oil

    September 13, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    oleuropein promotes glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in β-cells. The effect is dose-dependent and stimulates the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway. We further demonstrated that oleuropein inhibits the cytotoxicity induced by amylin amyloids, a hallmark feature of type 2 diabetes.

    Oleuropein promotes glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in β-cells. The effect is dose-dependent and stimulates the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway. We further demonstrated that oleuropein inhibits the cytotoxicity induced by amylin amyloids, a hallmark feature of type 2 diabetes.

    A Virginia Tech team discovered that oleuropein from olive leaves helps the body secrete more insulin. The same compound also detoxifies another signaling molecule called amylin that over-produces and forms harmful aggregates in type 2 diabetes. In these two distinct ways, oleuropein helps prevent the onset of disease.

    “Our work provides new mechanistic insights into the long-standing question of why olive products can be anti-diabetic,” said Bin Xu, assistant professor of biochemistry in the College of Agric...

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    Astronauts don’t develop Anemia during spaceflight, NASA study suggests

    September 12, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Blood collection onboard the ISS. Astronaut Nicole Stott performs phlebotomy on the ISS. Samples were collected ~10 h prior to return vehicle undocking (Space Shuttle or Soyuz). Blood samples were returned to the laboratory for analysis within 48 h of collection

    Blood collection onboard the ISS. Astronaut Nicole Stott performs phlebotomy on the ISS. Samples were collected ~10 h prior to return vehicle undocking (Space Shuttle or Soyuz). Blood samples were returned to the laboratory for analysis within 48 h of collection

    Space flight anemia is an established phenomenon, but it may not be a major concern during long-duration space missions, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Hematology. Dr Richard Simpson; associate professor at The University of Arizona and the University of Houston said: “There is an idea of ‘space anemia’ that is associated with space flight...

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