ageing Archives

The cataract epidemic

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Cataract is an eye disease that affects an increasing number of people.

Cataracts are caused by lifetime exposure to solar radiation affecting the eye lens and compromising visual ability and everyday activities. It can be treated with surgery; however, due to the increasing number of cataract cases, it is becoming a serious burden in healthcare systems worldwide. Dr Konstantin Galichanin at Uppsala University, Sweden has been studying how ultraviolet radiation leads to […]

Race against dementia: Join the drive to eradicate the disease

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Dementia is the umbrella term for a wide range of conditions that affect the brain and cause symptoms such as memory loss, cognitive impairment, and impaired decision-making. More than 55 million people live with dementia globally; the most common form is Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there is no cure – only treatment to slow the progression of symptoms. A charity founded […]

Is the magic in the muscle? Targeting skeletal muscle to improve cardiometabolic function in ageing

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The Butcher Lab investigates the interplay of muscle mass and skeletal muscle on cardiovascular disease, obesity and ageing.

Dr Joshua T Butcher and his team from the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine, USA, investigate the similarities between the co-morbidities associated with obesity and ageing, and specifically how skeletal muscle mass and function can be used to uncouple diseases from accompanying pathology. While we all know that exercise is beneficial for weight loss, an important underlying benefit […]

Moving closer to ideal care for heart failure patients using eHealth and Artificial Intelligence

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DoctorME provides individualised medical advice.

Heart failure (HF) is a growing challenge which imposes unsustainable demands on healthcare systems worldwide. Professor Hans-Peter Brunner-La Rocca and Hesam Amin from Maastricht University Medical Center, are leading the international PASSION-HF project, which is developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven eHealth system that enables self-care for patients with chronic HF. AI, personalised coaching, and serious gaming are included, providing […]

Cointegration of causes of mortality as a possible measure of human ageing

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Many of us can expect to live longer than previous generations. We might also surmise that one of the top five causes of mortality will prove our demise. Ultimately, however, most causes of death are linked to ageing, an inevitable process for which we have no direct measurement. Professor Séverine Arnold, of the University of Lausanne, has provided a potential […]

Metadichol® a novel nano lipid formulation

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Many drugs target individual actions of a specific virus or bacteria. However, development and application of a broad-spectrum compound which targets the whole immune response would allow one therapy to have a global application for human disease. Dr P. R. Raghavan, CEO of Nanorx Inc, has invented one such dietary supplement, Metadichol®, which is thought to act via vitamin D […]

Frailty screening: Doing good and avoiding harm

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Worldwide, the number and proportion of older people in the population is increasing.

Ageing populations bring both opportunities and challenges for the economy, services and society. Screening for frailty aims to match the healthcare offered with a person’s needs, circumstances and capacity to benefit. Professors Mary McNally, Lynette Reid and William Lahey from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, explore the legal and ethical implications of frailty screening to ensure concerns with both doing […]

How does age change sport performance? Master athletes have the answer

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We all grow older, but the ageing process affects us differently. Many master, or veteran, athletes are examples of “successful ageing”. Their physical fitness is often recorded in sport performance records over a long period of time, making them ideal for studying the effects of ageing. Professor Emeritus Michael Stones, of Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada, used a statistical method called […]

The untold stories of age-related macular degeneration

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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide. It goes without saying there is a need for early diagnosis of this devastating disease and to provide patients with effective treatment. Professor Christine Curcio from the University of Alabama at Birmingham has been working on exactly that. Professor Curcio and her team aim to reveal […]

RNA sequencing reveals secrets of skin aging

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As we age, so does our skin. One of the factors that affects how quickly skin appears to age is exposure to UV light. Dr Jeong-Sun Seo of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Republic of Korea, is investigating how UV light affects skin aging at the genetic level. Using RNA sequencing data, Dr Seo and his team demonstrate that some […]