COMBATING AGING

SCRIPPS FLORIDA SCIENTISTS IDENTIFY GENE THAT PLAYS A SURPRISING ROLE IN COMBATING AGING

From the FMS Global News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Released: 17-Jul-2014 10:50 AM EDT
Source Newsroom: Scripps Research Institute Citations PLOS Genetics

 

Newswise — JUPITER, FL, July 17, 2014 – It is something of an eternal question: Can we slow or even reverse the aging process? Even though genetic manipulations can, in fact, alter some cellular dynamics, little is known about the mechanisms of the aging process in living organisms.

Now scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found in animal models that a single gene plays a surprising role in aging that can be detected early on in development, a discovery that could point toward the possibility of one day using therapeutics, even some commonly used ones, to manipulate the aging process itself.

“We believe that a previously uncharacterized developmental gene known as Spns1 may mediate the aging process,” said Shuji Kishi, a TSRI assistant professor who led the study, published recently by the journal PLOS Genetics.

“Even a partial loss of Spns1 function can speed aging.”

Using various genetic approaches to disturb Spns1 during the embryonic and/or larval stages of zebrafish—which have emerged as a powerful system to study diseases associated with development and aging—the scientists were able to produce some models with a shortened life span, others that lived long lives.

While most studies of “senescence”—declines in a cell’s power of division and growth—have focused on later stages of life, the study is intriguing in exploring this phenomenon in early stages. “Mutations to Spns1 both disturbs developmental senescence and badly affects the long-term bio-chronological aging process,” Kishi said.

The new study shows that Spns1, in conjunction with another pair of tumor suppressor genes, beclin 1 and p53 can, influences developmental senescence through two differential mechanisms: the Spns1 defect was enhanced by Beclin 1 but suppressed by ‘basal p53.’

In addition to affecting senescence, Spns1 impedes autophagy, the process whereby cells remove unwanted or destructive proteins and balance energy needs during various life stages.

Building on their insights from the study, Kishi and his colleagues noted in the future therapeutics might be able to influence aging through Spns1. He noted one commonly used antacid, Prilosec, has been shown to temporarily suppress autophagic abnormality and senescence observed in the Spns1 deficiency.

The first author of the study, “Aberrant Autolysosomal Regulation Is Linked to The Induction of Embryonic Senescence: Differential Roles of Beclin 1 and p53 in Vertebrate Spns1 Deficiency,” is Tomoyuki Sasaki of TSRI.

Other authors include Shanshan Lian, Jie Qi, Sujay Guha, Jennifer L. Johnson, Sergio D. Catz and Matthew Gill of TSRI; Peter E. Bayliss of the University Health Network, Toronto, Canada; Christopher E. Carr of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Patrick Kobler and Kailiang Jia of Florida Atlantic University; and Daniel J. Klionsky of the University of Michigan.

The work was supported by The Ellison Medical Foundation, Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the A-T Children’s Project, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Aging (AG022641) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM053396, GM101508).

About The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the world’s largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs about 3,000 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists—including three Nobel laureates—work toward their next discoveries. The institute’s graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation.

 

SHORT SMARTPHONE BREAK IMPROVES EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING

From the FMS Global News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Released: 7-Jul-2014 9:40 AM EDT
Source Newsroom: Kansas State University Citations 29th annual Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

Newswise — MANHATTAN, KAN. — Want to be more productive and happier during the workday? Try taking a short break to text a friend, play “Angry Birds” or check Facebook on your smartphone, according to Kansas State University research.

In his latest research, Sooyeol Kim, doctoral student in psychological sciences, found that allowing employees to take smartphone microbreaks may be a benefit — rather than a disruption — for businesses. Microbreaks are nonworking-related behaviors during working hours.

Through a study of 72 full-time workers from various industries, Kim discovered that employees only spend an average of 22 minutes out of an eight-hour workday playing on their smartphones. He also found that employees who take smartphone breaks throughout the day are happier at the end of the workday.

“A smartphone microbreak can be beneficial for both the employee and the organization,” Kim said. “For example, if I would play a game for an hour during my working hours, it would definitely hurt my work performance. But if I take short breaks of one or two minutes throughout the day, it could provide me with refreshment to do my job.”

To study smartphone usage, Kim and collaborators developed an application that the 72 study participants installed on their smartphones. The app privately and securely measured the employees’ smartphone usage during work hours. The app also divided the employees’ smartphone usage into categories such as entertainment, which included games such as “Angry Birds” or “Candy Crush,” or social media, which included Facebook and Twitter.

At the end of each workday, the participants recorded their perceived well-being.

“By interacting with friends or family members through a smartphone or by playing a short game, we found that employees can recover from some of their stress to refresh their minds and take a break,” Kim said.

Taking a break throughout the workday is important because it is difficult — and nearly impossible — for an employee to concentrate for eight straight hours a day without a break, Kim said. Smartphone microbreaks are similar to other microbreaks throughout the workday: chatting with coworkers, walking around the hallway or getting a cup of coffee. Such breaks are important because they can help employees cope with the demands of the workplace.

“These days, people struggle with a lot of different types of stressors, such as work demands, time scheduling, family issues or personal life issues,” Kim said. “We need to understand how we can help people recover and cope with stressors. Smartphones might help and that is really important not only for individuals, but for an organization, too.”

The smartphone research is part of Kim’s overall research that focuses on workplace microbreaks. His adviser is YoungAh Park, assistant professor of psychological sciences. Kim presented the research at the 29th annual Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference in May.

 

I am just having 5 minutes on my mobile running up  bill.   Back tomorrow Jeanne

 

Does a Google-Twitter Acquisition Threaten Microsoft, Yahoo?

From the FMS Global and UK News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Courtesy of  eWeek.europe.co.uk

By Nicholas Kolakowski  – 2009-04-04 

 

 

Google’s rumored possible interest in acquiring Twitter has the online world buzzing, and such a deal would have advantages for both companies. One big question, however, is how a Google acquisition of Twitter would affect Google rivals Microsoft and Yahoo as they attempt to gain market share in the search and online advertising arenas.

The online world has been positively abuzz with news of a potential Google acquisition of Twitter. While the blog TechCrunch has quoted sources as saying such a deal is imminent, others, such as BoomTown, say such talk is the purest speculation.

In either case, however, a big question presents itself: how an acquisition of Twitter by Google would affect Google’s competitors in the search space and online advertising market, most notably Microsoft and Yahoo.

Twitter has been boosting its search capabilities, including transferring its search bar from search.twitter.com to its main website and establishing a “Trends” menu to allow users to see in real time the most talked-about subjects on the site. Any deal between Twitter and Google would bring these capabilities under the search giant’s roof.

At the same time, Google could potentially make use of AdSense on Twitter users’ pages, exposing Twitter users to contextual ads multiple times per day. Twitter’s monetization potential would expand, as the company could receive a substantial percentage of the revenue generated from such ad placements; recently, Twitter has been experimenting with sponsored sites and commercial accounts as ways to generate cash flow. 

But what would such a merger do to Microsoft and Yahoo?

“I would certainly see it as a threat to Microsoft, which really needs to provide a boost to its search engine,” John Byrne, an analyst at Technology Business Research, wrote in an e-mail. “Differentiating by offering superior search around user-generated content and specifically microblogging could be one way for Microsoft to differentiate its search engine and unlock Google’s grip on search.”

Were Twitter already bought, obviously, Microsoft would have to look for another company to fill that void; given Twitter’s current momentum in the microblogging space, that task could present a substantial challenge.

Acquiring Twitter would also help Google’s bottom line (and hurt its competitors) by adding “tremendous stickiness and traffic,” according to Karsten Weide, an analyst with IDC.

“Microblogging is becoming an accepted new channel of online communications in addition to e-mail and instant messaging, and it is here to stay,” Weide said.

“Does [a Twitter acquisition] make sense for Google? They do not really need more audience reach than they already have. But they might need to keep that audience reach out of others’ hands. Microsoft and Yahoo come to mind.”

Given the relatively low amount of revenue that Twitter generates at this point, however, Weide said he feels it would be prudent for Google to pay as little as it possibly can. 

“I think an acquisition would make sense, and if they can get it for less than [$1 billion], the better it is,” Weide said.

This contrasts with the view of a number of business pundits online, who have been urging Google to snatch up Twitter no matter the dollar amount required.

As for the potential success of AdSense placed on Twitter feeds, Weide pointed to the former’s presence on MySpace, which generates substantial guaranteed revenues for the social networking site but has not been contributing mightily to Google’s bottom line. 

“I doubt [ads on Twitter] would do any better than on MySpace,” Weide said. 

In other words, although Yahoo and Microsoft could certainly use a microblogging aspect to gain a search advantage, acquiring Twitter might not be the coup de grace that Google needs in order to establish search engine dominance.

Microsoft’s deal with ExecTweets, though, shows that Microsoft has an interest in engaging with microblogging as a tool in its online strategy. And should that interest allow Twitter to lever a few more dollars out of Google in any possible deal, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer probably would not complain.

 

Copyright ©1996-2009 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved.

(http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Does-a-Google-Twitter-Acquisition-Threaten-Microsoft-Yahoo-596423/)

 

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The Brassage for Wellness?

From the FMS Global & UK News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Courtesy of WebMD.com

By Kathleen Doheny – WebMD Guest Blogger Posted March 30, 2009

Any woman who has ever shopped for a bra would probably think it sounds too good to be true, but perhaps be interested anyway. So, there is a bra that looks sexy, lifts, and claims to massage you and improve breast health by flushing away toxins? Never mind the $59 price tag, where is it?
That was the promise, anyway, behind The Brassage–the brainchild of Christina Erteszek, daughter of the famed Olga Erteszek, the lingerie maker. She appeared on television’s “Good Morning America” Monday to talk about her bra. But when the questioning turned tough, she got up and abruptly walked off. She returned to finish the interview, emphasizing that she is making no medical claims.

Later Monday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the bra-under-fire had been taken off the market. That could not be confirmed, though, because the telephone number for the company’s North Carolina headquarters, Intimate Health, now carries a recording that the number has been disconnected.

The Federal Trade Commission, as is its policy, refused to comment.

“The Federal Trade Commission has not concluded any investigations against the marketers of the Brassage,” says press officer Betsy Lordan. As a matter of policy, however, FTC does not comment on ongoing investigations, she says.

Meanwhile, what about the claims that the bra is massaging bumps sewn into the side “stimulate lymphatic flow,” which promotes healthy breast tissue, according to the company’s website.

Erteszek is also quoted in other media outlets as saying the “wellness bra” helps to prevent breast disease.

Not so fast, says an expert from the American Cancer Society. “There is no credible evidence to suggest that local accumulation of toxins has a role in breast cancer risk,” Ted Gansler, MD, director of medical content for the American Cancer Society, tells WebMD.

“And there is no scientific evidence that this type of bra or any other has any impact of women’s risk of developing breast cancer.”

What about the bra’s claim of stimulating lymphatic flow? “Unless you have had surgery or a treatment that damages lymphatic vessels, your lymphatic flow will be just fine, regardless of what bra you wear or even if you wear no bra,” Gansler says.

On its website, the American Cancer Society also addresses the topic of bras and breast cancer, posting information in response to a previous email rumor that claims wearing a bra for the entire day compresses the breast’s lymphatic system, resulting in toxin accumulation that cause breast cancer.

In respond, the ACS says: “There are no scientifically valid studies that show wearing bras of any type causes breast cancer.” 

Debating whether to buy a $59 bra that bills itself as the “wellness bra” is distracting and takes attention away from productive measures to maintain breast health, Gansler says.

“It’s important for women not to be distracted by unsubstantiated claims and to learn about things they can do to lower breast cancer risk and to find it early,” he says. Among the ways to lower breast cancer risk: maintain a healthy weight, get regular exercise, drink alcohol in moderation or not at all, get regular mammograms, be aware of breast changes and seek medical help if they occur.”

 

Comments:

Anonymous said…

The Brassage may or may not help lymph flow. Research is needed. But the link between bras and breast cancer is real. The ACS (American Cancer Society) is covering-up this important information, and refuses to do follow-up research into the bra/cancer issue. It is an embarassment to the medical industry that they have ignored the bra in their research into breast disease. It is like ignoring tight shoes when researching foot disease. The ACS is also interested in treating this disease, not in preventing it, which makes no money for the medical/cancer industry. 
As for the bra/cancer link, medical anthropologist researchers Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer have conducted groundbreaking research, discussed in their book Dressed To Kill, showing that constriction from bras is the leading cause of breast cancer. Essentially, bra-free women have about the same incidence of breast cancer as men. And a Harvard study in 1991 found bra-free women had a much lower incidence of breast cancer as bra wearing women. 
More research is needed, but the medical industry is avoiding and suppressing the issue. Women should try going bra-free to see for themselves what effect it has on their breast health. Unfortunately, you cannot trust the medical industry to admit that they have ignored the major cause of breast cancer, as well as of fibrocystic breast disease.    

Comment:

I am stunned to find there is a link between bras and breast cancer. I am a 73 yr old woman and have worn a bra since youth. I do know a man must have invented them as they are the most uncomfortable item of clothing you can wear. Fortunately, I have not had breast cancer but I do have ten grand-daughters who will immediately receive this information.

“And there is no scientific evidence that this type of bra or any other has any impact of women’s risk of developing breast cancer.”

Read it again! There is no evidence of a link between bras and breast cancer!!!!

And anyone who thinks the American Cancer Society is in it for the money should be ashamed of themselves. I have volunteered for several years for the ACS. The staff is overwhelmingly supportive and energetic, doing all they can to help people who are dealing with cancer (their own or a loved one), to provide FREE OF CHARGE cancer prevention education, and to fund cancer research. They give away their money – they are not getting rich from their work. What kind of sad mindset does it take to come up with this kind of c–p?

I have been wearing a bra for 65 years and would have a broken back if I did not. God in his infinite wisdom endowed the women in my family with huge breasts. I think Olga’s daughter is full of b— s—.

Comment:

I have not read the specific book you refer to, but how can you be sure the research takes into account the fact that small breasted women are more likely to not wear a bra at all, while large breasted women (who are already at higher risk, regardless of bra wearing) probably will. In other words it may be true that bra wearing women have more incidences of cancer but it is due to their breast size not the bra. Also the types of people who go bra-less might generally lead healthier lifestyles ie eat healthier or live in rural areas where fashion is not a priority as much as hard work, which goes hand in hand with a healthier diet and regular exercise.

 

2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. (http://blogs.webmd.com/breaking-news/2009/03/brassage-for-wellness.html)

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY replies:

Bras and Breast Cancer

Email:   This email rumor states that wearing a bra for the whole day compresses the lymphatic system of the breast, resulting in accumulation of toxins that cause breast cancer. It says “Bra-burning is no longer a feminist issue…it is now a battle between life and death.” Fact: There are no scientifically valid studies that show wearing bras of any type causes breast cancer. The email appears to be based on the writings of a husband and wife team of medical anthropologists who link breast cancer to wearing a bra. The two anthropologists suggested this association in a book called Dressed to Kill. Their study was not conducted according to standard principles of epidemiological research and did not take into consideration other variables, including known risk factors for breast cancer. We know of only one scientifically-conducted epidemiologic study that investigated a possible link between bra use and breast cancer. This study suggested that breast cancer might be less common among women who do not wear bras than among bra wearers. However, breast cancer risk in the two groups was not significantly different, according to standard statistical criteria, and the researchers themselves expressed uncertainty regarding this correlation. They also noted that if there is any connection, it would most likely have occurred indirectly, because women who are obese or have larger breasts are less likely to go braless. Obesity has been identified by numerous studies as a breast cancer risk factor, and having large breasts has been suggested in some studies as increasing breast cancer risk for young women who are not overweight. We do not know of any epidemiologic studies published in scientific journals that suggest bras directly contribute to breast cancer risk or that lymphatic compression by bras might cause breast cancer. Regardless of the size of a woman’s breast and whether she is slim or heavy, there is no convincing epidemiologic evidence that her choices regarding bra use will influence her breast cancer risk. Furthermore, the alleged mechanism suggested in the book and in chain e-mails (blocked lymphatic vessels causing toxins to accumulate) is inconsistent with scientific concepts of breast physiology and pathology.

 

 

 

(http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MED/content/MED_6_1x_Underwire_Bras.asp?sitearea=MED)

 

EDITOR’S NOTE:  According to the company’s website (http://intimatehealth.net/b.html) the new Brassage is a bra that massages while you wear it, with gentle micro-massage  stimulating lymphatic flow, promoting healthy breast tissue, and  Brassage ‘cushions’ that elminates tight-fitting side panels and relieves pressure from the underwire.  The company also offers a panty of unparalleled Intimate Health comfort that helps to prevent infection. Femmy Award winner  in 1989 Christina Erteszek  has been designing  women’s products for 25 years and her creations are well known for their fit,performance, good looks and quality.