Laboratory Equipment

A review of published research has found no evidence that drugs, herbal products or vitamin supplements help prevent cognitive decline in healthy older adults. The review, conducted at St. Michael’s Hospital, found some evidence that mental exercises, such as computerized memory training programs, might help.

“This review provides some evidence to help clinicians and their patients address what strategies might prevent cognitive decline,” says Raza Naqvi, a Univ. of Toronto resident and lead author of the review.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/no-evidence-drugs-supplements-prevent-cognitive-decline

A staggering one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, says a new report that highlights the impact the mind-destroying disease is having on the rapidly aging population.

Dying with Alzheimer’s is not the same as dying from it. But even when dementia isn’t the direct cause of death, it can be the final blow — speeding someone’s decline by interfering with their care for heart disease, cancer or other serious illnesses. That’s the assessment of the report released today by the Alzheimer’s Association, which advocates for more research and support for families afflicted by it.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/one-three-seniors-dies-not-dementia

Want to know your chances of dying in the next 10 years? Here are some bad signs: getting winded walking several blocks, smoking, and having trouble pushing a chair across the room.

That’s according to a “mortality index” developed by San Francisco researchers for people older than 50. The test scores may satisfy people’s morbid curiosity, but the researchers say their 12-item index is mostly for use by doctors. It can help them decide whether costly health screenings or medical procedures are worth the risk for patients unlikely to live 10 more years.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/mortality-index-predicts-lifespan-next-10-years

The future of keeping ageing-related diseases at bay lies with the supercomputer according to scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at the Univ. of Sydney.

The research, led by Prof. Leo Radom from the university’s School of Chemistry, and Amir Karton, Univ. of Western Australia, has used sophisticated quantum chemistry and powerful supercomputers to design improved antioxidants that will help stave off ageing-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/02/supercomputers-design-super-charged-antioxidants

People tend to lose muscle mass as they age; researchers are investigating ways to delay or counteract age-related muscle loss. A study conducted by the Exercise Metabolism Research Group at McMaster Univ. suggests that current guidelines for meat consumption are based on the protein needed to prevent deficiency without consideration for preservation of muscle mass, particularly for older individuals who are looking to maintain their muscle as they age.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/02/middle-aged-men-need-more-meat-maintain-muscles

Older adults can improve their decision making and working memory simply by putting on a happy face, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that easy mood-boosters – like giving people a small bag of candy – helped seniors do significantly better on tests of decision-making and working memory. This is the first study to show the power of positive moods in helping older people with these brain tasks.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/01/good-mood-boosts-older-people%E2%80%99s-brain-power

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) may play a wide-ranging role in staving off aging, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. In this review article, a team from China explores the compound’s plethora of potential anti-aging pathways.

“H2S has been gaining increasing attention as an important endogenous signaling molecule because of its significant effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems,” the team writes. The evidence is mounting that hydrogen sulfide slows aging by inhibiting free-radical reactions, by activating SIRT1 — an enzyme believed to be a regulator of lifespan — and through its interactions with a gene, klotho, which appears to have its own market basket of anti-aging activity.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/01/hydrogen-sulfide-may-fight-aging

A new review by International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group examines role of nutrition in sarcopenia, with focus on protein, vitamins D and B, and acid-based diet. Sarcopenia, or the gradual loss of muscle mass, is a common consequence of aging, and poses a significant risk factor for disability in older adults. As muscle strength plays an important role in the tendency to fall, sarcopenia leads to an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group has published a new review that identifies nutritional factors that contribute to loss of muscle mass, or conversely, are beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass. The Group reviewed evidence from worldwide studies on the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, specifically looking at protein, acid–base balance, vitamin D/calcium and other minor nutrients like B vitamins.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/01/nutrition-plays-huge-role-seniors-preserving-muscle