Anti-Aging  

Science and technology (and soon possibly politics) are increasingly providing anti-aging benefits.  Here are a few examples of ways to counter some of the signs of aging now.

Everyone wants to look, feel and act young for as long as they can. Although scientists haven't yet discovered the Fountain of Youth they have made progress in defeating many of the signs and symptoms of aging.

1. Fractional Laser Resurfacing

Gentle laser treatments have rapidly become the gold standard way to defeat visible signs of aging. Older laser resurfacing treatments burned off the outer layer of skin, triggering a healing response; while effective in erasing signs of aging, they were painful and had a fairly long recovery time. Fractional laser resurfacing triggers the same healing process without damaging the outer surface of the skin. There may be some minor reddening that lasts for a day or two.

2. Wrinkle Fillers

The FDA approved four new injectable wrinkle fillers last year. Unlike a facelift that just stretches the skin, wrinkle fillers plump up the skin from underneath, creating a more natural, youthful look. Most current fillers last for over a year and some are essentially permanent.

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3. Antioxidants

Antioxidants fight aging by mopping up damaging free radicals that are created by sunlight, oxygen and exposure to toxins. Antioxidants can and should both be eaten and applied to the face. A number of cosmetic companies are coming out with products to be applied to the face that are loaded with powerful antioxidants to stop the aging process in its tracks.

4. Peptides

Small peptides are very exciting in the field of aging because they can easily enter the skin from a topical preparation. Various small peptides that promote collagen formation, inhibit the formation of wrinkles, and promote skin growth have been discovered and are being released commercially in various serum and cream preparations.

5. Statins

Although statins have been around for some time and aren't usually thought of as "anti-aging" technology, they actually do act to prevent many age-related conditions. Statins help prevent arteries from being clogged up. Clogged arteries have been implicated in causing many age-related conditions, such as reduced energy, impaired cognition and even dementia. More recently, statins have been shown to increase bone growth and they may stave off another common condition of aging, osteoporosis.

6. Bioidentical Hormone Replacement

Many natural hormones- DHEA, human growth hormone, melatonin- decline slowly as we age. The various sex hormones- testosterone, estrogen and progesterone- also tend to decline after middle-age. Although supplementing with bioidentical hormones can produce almost miraculous results, the Genemedics Health Institute reminds us that it is important the process be individualized to balance the hormonal levels in each individual only after testing in order to avoid side effects.

Science hasn't yet found the Fountain of Youth, but it has discovered ways to look and feel more youthful.

By Karleia Steiner

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NIH researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers.

By using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers.

The work, appearing in the journal Nature, provides a possible explanation for how one type of DNA damage may lead to cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Time-lapse crystallography was used by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) researchers to determine that DNA polymerase, the enzyme responsible for assembling the nucleotides or building blocks of DNA, incorporates nucleotides with a specific kind of damage into the DNA strand. Time-lapse crystallography is a technique that takes snapshots of biochemical reactions occurring in cells.

Samuel Wilson, M.D., senior NIEHS researcher on the team, explained that the damage is caused by oxidative stress, or the generation of free oxygen molecules, in response to environmental factors, such as ultraviolet exposure, diet, and chemical compounds in paints, plastics, and other consumer products. He said scientists suspected that the DNA polymerase was inserting nucleotides that were damaged by carrying an additional oxygen atom.

“When one of these oxidized nucleotides is placed into the DNA strand, it can’t pair with the opposing nucleotide as usual, which leaves a gap in the DNA,” Wilson said. “Until this paper, no one had actually seen how the polymerase did it or understood the downstream implications.”

"Until this paper, no one had actually seen how the polymerase did it or understood the downstream implications."

Wilson and his colleagues saw the process in real time, by forming crystal complexes made of DNA, polymerase, and oxidized nucleotides, and capturing snapshots at different time points through time-lapse crystallography. The procedure not only uncovered the stages of nucleotide insertion, but indicated that the new DNA stopped the DNA repair machinery from sealing the gap. This fissure in the DNA prevented further DNA repair and replication, or caused an immediate double-strand break.

“The damaged nucleotide site is akin to a missing plank in a train track,” Wilson said. “When the engine hits it, the train jumps the track, and all of the box cars collide.”

Large numbers of these pileups and double-strand breaks are lethal to the cell, serving as a jumping off point for the development of disease. However, it can be a good thing if you are a researcher trying to destroy a cancer cell.

“One of the characteristics of cancer cells is that they tend to have more oxidative stress than normal cells,” said Bret Freudenthal, Ph.D., lead author of the paper and postdoctoral fellow in Wilson’s group. “Cancer cells address the issue by using an enzyme that removes oxidized nucleotides that otherwise would be inserted into the genome by DNA polymerases. Research performed by other groups determined if you inhibit this enzyme, you can preferentially kill cancer cells.”

Wilson and Freudenthal stressed that the quantities of oxidized nucleotides in the nucleotide pool are usually under tight control, but if they accumulate and start to outnumber undamaged nucleotides, the DNA polymerase adds more of them to the strand.

Molecules that inhibit oxidation, known as antioxidants, reduce the level of oxidized nucleotides, and may help prevent some diseases.



SOURCE  NIH

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