While wandering through the open access papers of PubMed Central - which are starting to accumulate more rapidly now - I noticed a readable item on stem cells and aging. You should take a look:

If many adult tissues and organs are continuously replenished by cells derived from stem cells, then why do they show signs of aging? One possibility is that stem cells themselves age and senesce, resulting in a decreased ability to replace worn-out progeny and/or the fact that they pass on aged phenotypes to their progeny.

Missing in this discussion until now is the effect of the cellular and molecular environment on stem cell properties, although the molecular re-programming of epithelial cells into pluripotent stem cells demonstrates the importance of the intracellular environment. Indeed, ample evidence exists showing that intrinsic and extrinsic regulators are inextricably linked in determining stem cell functional properties. Of special current interest is the extracellular stem cell environment, commonly referred to as the stem cell ‘niche’, as originally coined for hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow.

The paper starts with a good review of present thinking on the role of stem cells and their niches in aging. It then moves into the interest of the authors in latexin and modulation of the size of stem cell populations:

The qualitative changes in stem cells and the composition of the stem cell population with respect to qualitatively distinct subclasses is an important factor in stem cell aging. We have shown that amongst mouse strains there is a strong correlation between the rate of early hematopoietic progenitor proliferation and mouse lifespan. Moreover, we and others have observed large strain-specific differences in the maintenance of the [hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)] population during aging, thus suggesting that genetic regulation plays an important role in the way aging affects HSCs.

Using forward genetics, we recently identified a protein, latexin, whose differential expression in stem cells accounts for at least part of these differences in young murine hematopoiesis. We have showed that latexin is a negative regulator of stem cell number and acts through at least two mechanisms to modulate stem cell pool size: a) it decreases HSC cell replication and b) it increases HSC apoptosis. Therefore, in the hematopoietic system, and perhaps other organs, latexin influences aging and perhaps lifespan through its action on stem cells.

You'll recall the ongoing debate on decline in stem cell function: is it fewer stem cells, or is it that the stem cells are less active? Evidence exists to support both sides, but with all the work on age-related changes in stem cell niches over the past couple of years, things seemed to be swinging towards less active stem cells as the dominant explanation. Biology is always more complex than we'd like it to be, however, and the debate continues.

In an effort to give a shout out to our own fragrance blog, The Scented Life, I was asked to list my top five fragrances. Here are my five favorites:

1. Kiehl’s Original Musk
2. LAVANILA Vanilla Coconut
3. Philosophy Amazing Grace
4. YSL Opium
5. Aquolina Pink Sugar

What is your favorite fragrance?

image (c) Kiehls.com and Sephora.com

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Chris Patil at Ouroboros has dropped two sets of recent research into our laps for consideration, with a focus on continuing efforts to understand the intricacies of human biochemistry as it relates to longevity and aging.

• Keeping up with IGF-I and FOXO
• No end to telomeres

I find most of the work on insulin metabolism and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) somewhat heavy going. It's very much down in the depths of metabolic mechanisms, for all that it's related to straightforward demonstrations of single gene longevity mutations in lower animals. It's somewhat analogous to work on calorie restriction mechanisms - in that it draws together energy from food and longevity to a mysterious biochemical middle - but perhaps more opaque because practical applications aren't as advanced at this stage.

Telomeres are more intuitive, however:

Telomeres - the structures at the end of chromosomes - have a long history in biogerontology. Telomeres shorten with every cell division, essentially providing a 'clock' that ticks down until reaching some critical length, at which point the cell will undergo the permanent growth arrest known as senescence. Even though this clock is an important tumor suppression checkpoint (because it prevents cells that have divided many times from continuing to proliferate), senescent cells themselves contribute both directly and indirectly to aging (by diminishing regenerative capacity and secreting deleterious signaling molecules, respectively). Telomere length is also a useful biomarker: it is positively correlated with life expectancy, and appears to respond to environmental influences including chronic infection and psychological stress.

One item of note in the list is that telomerase appears to have other roles beyond lengthening telomeres:

recent studies have led some investigators to suggest novel biochemical properties of telomerase in several essential cell signaling pathways without apparent involvement of its well established function in telomere maintenance. … This review will provide an update on the extracurricular activities of telomerase in apoptosis, DNA repair, stem cell function, and in the regulation of gene expression.

This is important for those groups working on telomerase-based therapies, and has implications for the viability of the proposed WILT strategy that would disable telomerase in order to eliminate cancer. As always, it's a challenge to interfere precisely in human biochemistry when every component has multiple important functions.

In case you haven’t read about my contest for a 6 month supply of Sensa, you can check out my post below. And in case you have not entered, be sure to do so and soon. The contest will end tomorrow night at 11:59 PM est, so enter now.

image credit: Sensa 

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Who isn’t crunched for time? Crunched for money? In this day and age of there not being enough hours in the day or money to make ends meet, everyone is searching for easier solutions. Many of us are giving up our little luxuries, and pampering is certainly going to the wayside. I have found that by doing things at home not only saves me time and gas money, I am actually finding myself relaxing a bit doing my own facials and skin care treatments.

Doing this at home can be done using things that you have - no need to buy expensive kits or at-home facial products. Look through you beauty cabinet (or closet, as in my case) to find something that might work as a facial. I selected two products from Renee Rouleau to do my own little at-home facial.

I first used the Micro Crystal Cream ($37.50) to wash my face.

I warmed my face with a warm wash cloth and then applied a generous amount of the cream to my hands and slowly massaged my face. While I was doing this, I leaned over the sink with hot water running to help get some of the steam benefits. The cream says to massage for 60 seconds, but I took my time and did it for about three or four minutes. My skin immediately felt smooth as the Aluminum Oxide-micro fine crystals helped to smooth my skin. What I really liked about this was how my face felt after using it. I rinsed the cleanser off and then opened another almost hot washcloth and let it sit on my face until it felt cool.

Next, I opened a jar that contained the Vitamin C Mask ($36.50).

This is a clay based almost thick feeling cream that glides over skin. It smells nice and starts to tighten as it dries, which takes about a half an hour to be fully dried. I took yet another washcloth and ran it under hot water and placed it over my face to loosen the mask. As it started to cool, I massaged the mask off of my face and then rinsed until it was clear of the mask. My skin looked instantly brighter and whiter with it’s powerful yet stable form of Vitamin C and the melanin suppressing properties for lightening skin discolorations.

I am so impressed and will be making this mini-facial a once or twice a week habit. For a total of $74 and never leaving the house, I am sure to have a few months worth of mini-facials with using just these products alone.

To find out more about Renee Rouleau and her products, be sure to visit her online.

images credit: Renee Rouleau

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Molecular biologist Attila Chordash recently conducted a short interview with Dave Gobel, co-founder of the Methuselah Foundation. He's been determinedly working away to make this thing a success since the beginning. You can find the interview over at Pimm. His thoughts on the Mprize for longevity research caught my eye:

You put up the money and tell competitors what they need to do. The larger the prize, the more competitors. It's like an inexpensive way of being able to put chips on every single spot on a roulette table. The best way to find a solution to unknown problems is to generate high motivation among the greatest number of thinkers/actors without too much regard to reputation of the competitors - let the best outcome win - I don’t care how they dress.

Incentives make the world go round, which is why research prizes are so effective. The prospect of money and fame are wonderful motivators, as is demonstrated in the business community each and every day. It's a pity that this obvious truth is so often forgotten when it comes to the highly regulated field of medical research and development.

Besides the great contest I am running here on Aging Fabulous - you entered to win the Sensa 6-month program already, right? - a few of my other beauty & style friends have some great contests of their own going on. I know you will want to check them out to see what you can possibly win.

Just a Formality is giving away The Dermelect Skin Solutions Trio.

Glamour Gift Guide has a Y.E.S. Young Essential Skincare Dynamic Duo Set up for grabs.

Style It Less is celebrating her 1st Anniversary and has two Nomination Necklaces to give away.

Good Luck!

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*Please remember to enter my contest for a Six Month Supply of Sensa - a Revolutionary New Approach to Weight Loss, worth $354. The contest ends Thursday night at 11:59 PM est.*

With an oxygen infused complex, Simply Flawless O2 is said to improve your skins overall quality by up to 40% in just 28 days. You can expect increased moisturization; added elasticity; restores skin metabolism; conditions; lubricates and repairs scars; and tighten and soothes the skin.

There are three products in the complete line up.

UnderEye Gel - This helps to even the skin tone under the eye area to eliminate dark circles while reducing puffiness. The increased oxygen really helps my eye look and feel brighter.

Lift Serum - This lubricates and softens the skin, helping it retain moisture and look more smooth and even. When used with the Moisturizing Creme below, my face feels very soft as it melts into my skin. It also makes for easier makeup application.

Moisturizing Creme - The high concentration of oxygen with the unique oxygen complex visibly tightens the skin while keeping it still moist. My only complaint about this is the lack of SPF, which is a must-have in daytime products.

You can purchase them right on their website where you can also learn more about these unique skin products. I suggest you purchase all three together as they work best and the price is just $89.95 for all of them. Individually, they are $49.95 each so the savings is obvious.

images credit: simplyflawless02.com

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It's a shame that the people most harmed by the existence of the FDA - and the culture of "I have power over you and you shall do as I say" that supports it - are not up in arms. The most vocal opponents of the FDA over the past decade or so are probably folk in the supplement industry. They, despite the threat of jail, losses, and other indignities for doing no more than providing a desired and responsible commercial service, are by no means the most harmed. No, the most harmed are the dying, and we are all counted in that group while the FDA continues in its position that potential longevity therapies will not be approved. No approval means no funds for development, and hence little evidence to show in support of radical change.

The cancer patients, the Alzheimer's sufferers, and all those with other named medical conditions suffer as well: the FDA and associated regulatory bodies form a huge ball and chain that slows progress in science to a fraction of what it might be. When medical development costs much more due to regulation, you will see fewer new medicines. When government employees have greater incentive to deny than approve, you will see fewer new medicines. This is exactly what happens, and the cost is measured in lives.

Back to the supplement industry. One of their voices can be found at the Consumers Against High Drug Prices site, an earnest place that nonetheless seems to me to be missing the real point of the exercise. But it is a supplement industry effort, and that narrows their focus to bottles and herbs - the here and now, rather than what could be, and what might have been in medical research. They would like to largely dismantle the FDA in their neck of the woods - but that sort of renegotiation of the contract with government employees never really works. When was the last time you recall government employees giving up the option to interfere in a given area of commerce? That option to interfere - and cause destruction and mayhem - is how politicians maintain their influence. It's the rule of the sword for a modern age.

You have to keep the incentives in mind. Politicians and government employees have no incentive to play nice and leave you be, no matter what the paper says. So they won't. Trying to redirect or reclassify the power held by others to your benefit is a form of self-delusion: once you're set on that course, the politicians already own your mind. It's a shell game, slightly more complicated and obscure than the voting shell game, but really no different in essence. The only solution to government abuse of power is the absence of that power.

Centralization of power - the state and regulation, in other words - is a form of age-related damage for human societies. It accumulates, piling ever deeper and broader, and leads to degeneration and disease. Look no further than the Soviet Union for an example of where it all leads in the end, but the place we are now is a far cry from the best of all worlds. If you have an interest in a long, healthy life, then you should also have an interest in why modern democracies are greatly slowing progress to that end.

So, are you excited about this revolutionary new way to lose weight? Did you read my post on Sensa - the new approach to weight loss? Do you want to have a chance at trying Sensa with me?

I have a six-month Sensa program (a $354 value) to give away to one lucky reader. In the hopes that you really want to try this and give me some feedback about the program, I need to know the following: I need to know that you need to lose weight, at least 30 pounds. I need to know that you will commit to this new program. I need to know that you will send me monthly updates. I need to know that you want to make this work as much for you as much as I want it to work for me.

In the six month program:

• Sensa Months 1 through 6 – Up to a 180-day supply of Sensa Tastants - each month contains two .70 oz. shakers
• How-to guide with usage instructions and tips for best results!
• Getting Started DVD featuring in-depth product demonstrations, answers to commonly asked questions, and an interview with Sensa creator Dr. Alan Hirsch

If you agree to what I set forth above, then I need you to tell me in the comments if you are male or female, how much weight you need to lose, how much weight you want to lose, and why. Each entry that answers these questions in the comments on this post - truthfully - will be entered into the drawing to win. One winner will be chosen randomly amongst all qualified entries. Only one entry per e-mail address, and you must be over 18 years old to enter. This contest is only open to those who live in the United States and Canada. The contest begins as soon as this post is published and will end this Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 11:59 PM est.

Good Luck! I hope to find many of you who are as excited about this as I am.

image credit: Sensa

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