Related Science News

December 7, 2021

Oral Bacteria and Age-Related Airway Inflammation

Researchers have in the past proposed links between oral bacteria and chronic inflammation, particularly in the heart and brain, proposing that bacterial toxins and bacteria themselves enter the bloodstream via damaged gums. This undoubtedly happens, but supporting data is mixed when it comes to the question of whether or not […]
December 6, 2021

Senolytic Treatment Minimizes the Contribution of Excess Fat Tissue to Insulin Resistance in Mice

Senescent cells accumulate with age throughout the body, and contribute directly to the onset and progression of a wide range of age-related conditions. While never present in large numbers in comparison to normal somatic cells, senescent cells are metabolically active, secreting signals that provoke chronic inflammation, altered cell behavior, and […]
December 5, 2021

Heart Rate Variability, Aging, and Cardiovascular Fitness

Heart rate variability is an increasingly popular measure of cardiovascular health. Heart rate variability is known to decline with age, but to what degree is this a reflection of processes of cardiovascular aging versus the loss of physical fitness that is a feature of old age in our present, overly […]
December 4, 2021

The Continued Quest for Pluripotent Adult Stem Cells

Does the adult mammalian body contain naturally pluripotent stem cells, capable for forming any other cell type, given the right stimuli? Over the past twenty years various groups have argued that it does, but none of those scientists have produced evidence that is both compelling and easily replicated. If they […]
December 3, 2021

Microglia as Mediators of the Link Between Psychological Stress and Cognitive Aging

Psychological stress appears to modestly accelerate some measures of aging, though most of the evidence for this correlation comes from animal studies. Evidence points to chronic inflammation, and the immune system in general, as an important factor in this correlation. Separately, chronic inflammation in brain tissue is known to be important in neurodegenerative conditions, and […]