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Chromosome Study Links Telomere Length to Survival

LONDON (Reuters) - Could extending telomeres, those bits of DNA at the ends of chromosomes in cells, prolong lives?

Some scientists think so.

Researchers in the United States, who discovered that elderly people with longer telomeres lived five to six years longer than people with shorter ones, think increasing the length of telomeres could be a possible key to a longer life.

"This is the first research study showing that telomere length is predictive of survival in humans," said Dr Richard Cawthon, of the University of Utah, who headed the research team.

Telomeres are similar to the plastic caps on the end of shoe laces that prevent fraying. The bits of DNA wear down and get shorter as cells divide, which scientists believe is a natural process of aging.

Cells from people with a variety of diseases have been found to have shortened telomeres.

Cawthon and his colleagues measured and ranked the telomere length in blood samples of 143 people over the age of 60 and compared their cause and age of death.

In a research letter published in The Lancet medical journal, they reported that people with the longest telomeres lived up to five years longer than those with shorter telomeres, who had higher rates of death from heart disease and infectious illnesses.

Cawthon believes the results of his research support the hypothesis that telomere shortening is a natural aging process which may contribute to deaths from a variety of age-related diseases.

"If this is correct, then it may be possible to extend the duration of healthy adult life using medical interventions that maintain telomere length," he added in a statement.

Research into telomeres is still in its early phases but scientists believe that increased understanding about telomeres and telomerase, an enzyme that strengthens and lengthens them, will improve understanding of age-related diseases and the aging process itself.

posted by West 7:48 AM

 

10.20GHz Intel Nehalem slated for 2005
Future Desktop Roadmaps Tejas to reach 9.20GHz, Prescott 5.20GHz
By Mike Magee: µ The Inquirer Wednesday 29 January 2003
INCLEMENT WEATHER ON this side of the Atlantic ocean threw a turquoise parakeet off course today and a note it was holding in its beak fell into the INQUIRER's back garden. The contents of the note appear to reveal future plans for future Intel desktop processors right up until 2005. By then, according to the note, Intel will be able to deliver 10.20GHz desktop CPUs codenamed "Nehalem" and produced using 65 nanometer technology. If Intel manages to migrate away from the 90 nanometer technology it will introduce towards the end of this year, by then the "Prescott" core will deliver at least 5.20GHz using the 800MHz system bus. The immediate successor to Prescott after it tops out at 5.20GHz will be the "Tejas" core, also produced on a 90 nanometer process and delivering 5.60GHz using a 1066MHz system bus. That's slated to start appearing towards the end of 2004. Tejas will increase in steady increments which appear to be 6GHz, 6.40GHz, 6.80GHz, 7.20GHz, 7.60GHz, 7GHz, 8.40GHz, 8.80GHz and topping out at 9.20GHz. The first Nehalem is supposed to appear at 9.60GHz before Intel succeeds in its goal to produce a 10GHz+ chip, the Nehalem, and using a 1200MHz front side bus.

posted by A Curmudgeon 5:59 AM

 

Protesting is good for you, say psychologists
(sussex.ac.uk, 16 December 2002)
A study by psychologists at the University of Sussex has found that as well as potentially changing the world, participation in protests and demonstrations is actually good for you. . . . The range of events described by interviewees included traditional marches, fox-hunt sabotages, anti-capitalist street parties, environmental direct actions, and industrial mass pickets. . . . "The main factors contributing to a sense of empowerment were the realization of the collective identity, the sense of movement potential, unity and mutual support within a crowd," says Dr Drury. . . . Empowering events were almost without exception described as joyous occasions. Participants experienced a deep sense of happiness and even euphoria in being involved in protest events. . . . Uplifting experiences are associated with a variety of indicators of well-being, such as speed of physiological recovery; ability to cope with physical stressors; and the reduction of pain, anxiety and depression. . . . "The take-home message from this research therefore might be that people should get more involved in campaigns, struggles and social movements, not only in the wider interest of social change, but also for their own personal good."

posted by Lorenzo 10:41 AM

 

Bush Administration Removes Health Info from Federal Websites
(The Memory Hole)
US Rep. Henry Waxman and several of his colleagues have written a letter, dated 21 Oct 2002, to Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, to complain about info-cleansing on federal Websites. Specifically, they charge that controversial health information is being erased because it conflicts with the Bush Administration's moral stances. . . . On the NIH website, information has been removed discussing scientific findings of the National Cancer Institute that, contrary to popular myth, abortions do not increase the risk of breast cancer. . . . In at least two cases, scientific information has also been removed from the CDC website. . . . fact sheets regarding the effectiveness of condoms have been removed from your [CDC] website. These fact sheets which were based on an NIH working group report stated the following: "Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly are highly effective in preventing transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In addition, consistent and correct use of latex condoms can reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted diseases...[and]...has been associated with reduction in risk of HPV-associated diseases, such as cervical cancer." Having evidence-based information on preventing pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases is critical to the health of our young people. Removal of this information from the website strongly strongly suggests an ideological, rather than scientific, agenda at work.

posted by Lorenzo 10:59 AM

 

Don't Fear a Smallpox Outbreak
(Sherri Tenpenny, chetday.com)
Myth 1: Smallpox Is Highly Contagious . . . “Smallpox has a slow transmission and is not highly contagious,” stated Joel Kuritsky, MD, director of the National Immunization Program and Early Smallpox Response and Planning at the CDC. . . . Myth 2: Smallpox Is Easily Spread by Casual Contact with an Infected Person . . . Smallpox will not rapidly disseminate throughout the community. Even after the development of the rash, the infection is slow to spread. “The infection is spread by droplet contamination and coughing or sneezing are not generally part of the infection. . . . Smallpox will not spread like wildfire,” said Orenstein. He stated that the spread of smallpox to casual contacts is the “exception to the rule.” Only 8% of cases in Africa were contracted by accidental contact. . . . Myth 3: The Death Rate From Smallpox Is 30% . . . Mack stated that even with poor medical care, the case fatality rate in adults was “much lower than is generally advertised” and thought to be 10-15%. He said that the statistics were “loaded with children that had a much higher fatality,” making the average death rate reported to be much higher. Amazingly, he revealed his opinion that even without mass vaccination, “smallpox would have died out anyway. It just would have taken longer.” . . . Myth 4: There Is No Treatment For Smallpox . . . A more accurate statement is “there are no pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment for smallpox.” . . . For mild cases of smallpox, adequate hydration and anti-fever products are essential for comfort and maintaining a temperature below 102ºF. Keeping the skin clean to prevent secondary bacterial infections is also important. . . . Myth 5: The Vaccine Will Keep Me from Getting the Infection . . . What most people do not know is that vaccines have never been proven to protect them from getting the infection. . . . This little known fact is not only true for all vaccines, it is also true for the smallpox vaccine. . . . Take Home Points:1. Smallpox is NOT highly contagious. You have time. Don’t panic. . . . 2. Smallpox is only spread by close contact of less than 6 feet for at least 6-7 days. You aren’t that close to coworkers or commuters. . . . 3. Treatment for smallpox should be surveillance and containment, without vaccination. . . . 4. Smallpox is not highly fatal. There are treatments for smallpox. . . . 5. The vaccine will not protect you from getting the infection. The vaccine has high complication rates, is an experimental drug and there are many contraindications.

posted by Lorenzo 4:00 PM