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Slowing down the aging process might be possible one day with supplements derived from gut bacteria. Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have identified bacterial genes and compounds that extend the life of and also slow down the progression of tumors and the accumulation of amyloid-beta, a compound associated with Alzheimer’s disease, in the laboratory worm C. elegans.

Stroke patients who learned to use their minds to open and close a plastic brace fitted over their paralyzed hands gained some ability to control their own hands when they were not wearing the brace, according to a new study. The participants, all of whom had moderate to severe paralysis, showed significant improvement in grasping objects.

A small and preliminary clinical trial has found that injecting a common cold-like virus into the eyes of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients - one of the leading causes of blindness in the US - can halt and even reverse the progression of the disease.

A new technology can monitor and maintain the level of drug in the bloodstream of animals. If it works in people, it could deliver the optimal dose of life-saving drugs and prevent harmful over- or underdosing.

Visualization of stem cells and description for each type

A new study reveals that a small molecule produced by a fungus may stimulate the regeneration of axons - the slender, "thread-like projections that carry electrical signals" between nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The researchers believe that the discovery could lead to much needed new drugs that repair damage to the central nervous system.

In a recent study, Rochester scientists made two important contributions to DNA damage research. First, though scientists could previously point to an association between DNA damage and aging, the Rochester group has demonstrated a causal relationship between reduced DNA damage and extended lifespan. Second, the researchers have identified a cellular factor—an enzyme called topoisomerase 2, or Top2, implicated in DNA damage—that can be targeted to reduce that damage. The findings are published...

A confounding aspect of biological ageing is the nature and role of senescent cells. It is unclear whether the three major types of cellular senescence, namely replicative senescence, oncogene-induced senescence and DNA damage-induced senescence are descriptions of the same phenomenon instigated by different sources, or if each of these is distinct, and how they are associated with ageing.

Scientists have discovered more than 200 genes linked to ageing and have found switching them off extends life Switching off parts of the genetic code could help people live longer, scientists believe

Text-mining analysis finds that studies fall short of best practice — despite guidelines introduced in 2010. The largest-ever analysis of the quality of mouse studies reveals that as recently as 2014, only around 50% of research papers recorded both the sex and age of the animals used — key details needed for others to assess and reproduce the research1.