Issue 3, 2005

By the abstracts:

"A New Tool in the Battle Against Alzheimer's Disease and Aging: Ex Vivo Gene Therapy". Analysis of a phase 1 trial of using ex-vivo gene therapy to somehow pump nerve growth factor to the basal forebrain of people with Alzheimer's, results of which are seen as mildly beneficial. I can't tell how they got the cells to go into the brain. More interesting from the gene therapy side than from the Alzheimer's side.

"H₂S-Induced Ectothermy: Relevance to Aging". Look at the use of hydrogen sulfide as a suspended-animation conduit to extend lifespan of currently living till engineered negligible senescence arrives.

"Oxidative Stress and Aging: Catalase Is a Longevity Determinant Enzyme". Analysis of result where catalase was upregulated in cardiac mitochondria and skeletal muscle in mice, which led to lifespan increase of 20%. Famous result. I should have a look at it, and maybe find the original research by Schriner too.

"Ontogenetic Decline of Regenerative Ability and the Stimulation of Human Regeneration". Description of the problem of in-situ tissue regeneration, and on getting useful information from salamanders on how they do it. Two steps to tissue regeneration in salamanders, the first, which we are not capable of, is formation of a regeneration blastema, while he claims we are capable of the second step. Fibroblasts drive the first step by dedifferentiating into the blastema. Interesting.

"The Concept of Telomeric Non-Reciprocal Recombination (TENOR) Applied to Human Fibroblasts Grown in Serial Cultures: Concordance with Genealogical Data". Review of what is currently known about telomere-shortening triggering senescence in fibroblasts, and how those telomeres are sometimes elongated by telomeric non-reciprocal recombination. I should have a look.

"Mitochondrial Microheteroplasmy and a Theory of Aging and Age-Related Disease". The majority of mitochondria contain mutations, but each specific mutation is rare (1-2%). Theorising from that. Should read.