General

A range of convincing data shows correlations between the presence of airborne particulates, such as those in wood smoke, and raised late-life mortality due to cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease. The likely mediating mechanism is an increased burden of chronic inflammation, due to the effects of particulates on lung tissue. […]

TLR4 is one of a number of cell surface receptors that mediate innate immune cell reactions to molecules indicative of damage in the body. Some fraction of the chronic inflammation of aging is caused by increases in damage-associated molecular patterns that trigger receptors of this nature, and consequent maladaptive reactions […]

Investigation reveals unknown changes in nerve tissue of patients. What changes occur in parts of the brain affected by neurodegenerative disease? How does the structure of the neurons change? Some pathological changes in the tissue are easy to identify using standard microscopy. For example, the protein deposits known as “plaques”, […]

Senescent cell accumulation is an important contributing cause of aging. Senescent cells secrete a mix of signals that provokes growth and inflammation, useful in the short term in circumstances such as wound healing and cancer suppression, but damaging to tissue function and health when sustained over the long term. Senolytic […]

Asking whether an age-associated disease is a part of normal aging is an exercise in boundary drawing. The very definition of an age-related disease as something distinct from aging is the result of past boundary drawing. Many of these boundaries are quite arbitrary. Aging is a complex phenomenon, and people […]