StemCell Therapy

JEDDAH: Just 30 percent of women worldwide work in science, but Saudis are challenging this long-standing trend.Women represent 58 percent of university students in Saudi Arabia, with many studying in science, technology and engineering and furthering their careers with studies overseas.In a report by the Saudi Education Ministry, women outnumbered men in graduating with a bachelors in biology, information technology, mathematics, statistics, and physics.Universities and research centers have adopted measures to support the inclusion of female scientists.Ambitious, driven and facing challenges along the way to their success, here are the Saudi women scientists who have made a mark in the field for their extraordinary work.Suha KayumResearch engineerWith a career spanning 10 years, Kayum a research engineer with Saudi Aramcos EXPEC Advanced Research Center was tasked with accelerating the evolution of software algorithms to enhance Aramcos reservoir simulator, which helped the company cut costs.Kayum was a developer for the companys in-house basin and seismic simulators. In 2016, she designed and received a patent for an algorithm that enabled the first 1-billion cell basin simulation run.

Dr. Elaf AhmedLab scientistWith a keen research interest in nano-organisms, Ahmeds main focus while conducting postdoctoral work at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology was synthesis of environmental nano materials using electrochemically active biofilms.She later joined the companys Oil and Gas Treatment Division at Aramcos Research and Development Center.Her main focus at the division is to conduct research projects for water treatment technologies and find new ways to treat water found in oil and gas reservoirs.

Dr. Ilham AbuljadayelImmunologistIn what could be one of the most profound achievements by a Saudi scientist, Dr. Ilham discovered the process of retrodifferentiation, a method also known as retrograde differentiation that treats blood diseases.A common process for the maintenance of cell integrity against damaging agents, Dr. Ilham applied her findings in the first preclinical study in 2000 in collaboration with George Washington Medical Center, US, in two animal models of human diseases to study the utility of retrodifferentiated stem cells.Her research has helped treat 390 patients with diseases ranging from sickle cell anaemia, multiple sclerosis, thalassaemia, and hepatitis C among others.Dr. Abeer Al-OlayanPetroleum scientistWith an academic and industrial background in various fields of chemistry spanning over 20 years, Dr. Abeer is a research scientist at Saudi Aramcos EXPEC Advanced Research Center and is responsible for leading its chemicals development initiative.As a fellow at MIT, she submitted a fellowship research abstract that focuses on reducing dependency on food-based chemicals to tackle drilling and subsurface challenges. She has 10 registered patents with the US Patent Office for the development of methods, materials and compositions in drilling and fluid transfer.

Dr. Malak Abed AlthagafiPhysician-scientistDiagnosed with a rare genetic disease at a young age, Althagafi got a first glimpse of what her future could be during her treatment. Her educational path started with the study of genetic diseases in children and led to molecular pathology before she focused on surgical oncology, molecular genetics and neuropathology.Dr. Malak is one of the few American board-certified molecular neuropathologists in the world and has conducted research that focuses on decoding genetic mutations in tumors, specifically brain tumors in children.She became part of the Saudi Human Genome Program in 2014. Her clinical and research interests are mainly in surgical oncology, pathology, molecular genetics pathology and neuropathology, especially its application for treating brain cancers.

Dr. Hind Al-JohaniScientist of physical chemistryHer research interest is in nano-catalysis. In 2017, this Saudi scientist discovered that by using the simple molecule of citrate ions (from citric acid) you could stabilize and control the structure of gold nanoparticles.Using this new discovery, the findings showed that gold can carry drugs through the body without chemical side effects. Attaching antibodies can guide the nanoparticles to specific cells that need treatment. Her findings have had an impact on environmental chemistry where it may also be used for water purification or methods for capturing CO2 emissions.

Dr. Nouf Al-NumairMolecular bioinformatics scientistDubbed the DNA decoder, her research focuses on predicting the early emergence of diseases through genetic mutations.She has achieved this by merging molecular genetics and computer programming to predict the effects of mutations and provide patients with a personalized medical approach to treatment.Using more than seven programming languages to analyze human genes, she has successfully published a number of papers with the findings.Dr. Nouf pursued her career in STEM and is the first Saudi scientist to major in molecular genetics and programming biological information.

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Saudi women making their mark in science - Arab News

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avellino Lab announced today that the company performed over 1 million AvellinoCoV2 COVID-19 tests since March 2020, and has further expanded the companys executive team to drive additional development and commercial growth in 2021. Chief Scientific Officer, Nazneen Aziz, PhD; and Global Head of Sales and Marketing, Joseph Boyd have joined the growing precision medicine company adding additional scientific and commercial expertise.

Nazneen Aziz, PhD; Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Aziz will lead the Avellino team in product development and the implementation of new generations of gene sequencing technologies. She brings a wealth of expertise to the Chief Scientific Officer role, including work in clinical medicine, clinical research, and product biotech/biopharma product discovery and development.

Prior to joining Avellino, Dr. Aziz served as the Executive Director of the Kaiser Permanente Research Bank, Senior Vice President and Chief Research Officer at Phoenix Childrens Hospital, and the Director of Molecular Medicine at the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Dr. Aziz led the initiative while at CAP to develop clinical lab standards and proficiency testing for conducting next-generation sequencing tests. She is also a co-author on a highly cited (>9,255) guidance document jointly developed by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, Association of Molecular Pathology and CAP on the interpretation of sequence variants.

In her industry career, Dr. Aziz focused on personalized medicine, biomarkers, genetic tests, and development of drugs for cancer and diabetes. Prior to her work in the biotechnology industry, Dr. Aziz was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, where she discovered new genes and their role in polycystic kidney disease.

Dr. Aziz earned a PhD in molecular genetics and MS in biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She received a BA in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College.

Avellino Group Chairman Gene Lee said, Dr. Aziz is highly regarded in her career across genetic and biotechnology fields as a professor, researcher, and leader. We are honored to have Dr. Aziz join our team and look forward to the growth in our genetic diagnostic testing and therapy portfolio under her leadership.

Joseph Boyd, Global Head, Sales and Marketing

Mr. Boyd will lead Avellinos sales and marketing efforts on a global basis, with an initial emphasis on expanding commercialization in the United States. Joe has over 20 years of global marketing, strategy, product development and general management expertise in biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. Most recently, Mr. Boyd was the Executive Director and Xiidra Market Development Lead at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where he successfully led the market development team for the ophthalmic business unit, a key driver of the rapid growth of the Xiidra product after a successful market launch. He also has extensive functional experience in commercial planning, operations, ethics, compliance, and sales leadership.

Avellino CEO and Board Member Jim Mazzo said, I could not be more excited or feel more fortunate to welcome Joe to our executive team. His analytical and strategic thinking, combined with experience in leading cross-functional teams and the extensive relationships he has built with ophthalmologists and optometrists, will be very critical as our company executes on our technical, clinical, and relational innovations.

About Avellino

Avellino Lab USA, Inc. is a global leader in gene therapy and molecular diagnostics and is at the forefront of precision medicine for eye care. The company is a member of the California State COVID-19 Testing Taskforce, which is focused on the expansion of CoV2 testing and the reduction of testing turn-around times (TAT). Beyond the AvellinoCoV2 test and AvellinoCoV2 Respiratory tests, Avellino recently will relaunch AvaGen in 2021, the worlds first DNA test to confirm the presence of genetic indicators that are positively associated with corneal dystrophies and keratoconus genetic risk-factors. The company is also developing a broader portfolio of infectious disease diagnostic tests. In addition, the company is also pioneering CRISPR gene editing to manage and potentially cure inherited diseases. Avellino is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, with operations in Korea, Japan, China, and the UK.

To learn more about Avellino, please visit http://www.avellino.com.

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Avellino Exceeds 1 Million COVID-19 Tests in 2020 and Welcomes New Executive Team Hires In 2021 - Business Wire

Dundee, UK, 14th January 2021 Ubiquigent Limited (Ubiquigent) and the Mottram Laboratory at the University of York today announced a collaboration to investigate the inhibition of deubiquitylase (DUB) enzymes expressed by the protozoan Leishmania mexicana for the treatment of leishmaniasis. The collaboration will be supported by aGlobal Challenges Research Fundgrant, awarded byUK Research and Innovation, as part of A Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases; a research consortium involving 13 universities across South America, Asia and the UK.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania. It predominantly affects poor communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America, with around 1.0 million new cases arising annually, and can result in serious illness or death. Current treatments are problematic due to high toxicity and emerging drug resistance, meaning there is an unmet need to develop new therapies.

The potential druggability of the ubiquitin system in Leishmania has previously been demonstrated through parasite-specific proteasomal inhibition being shown to reduce parasite burden in animal models of both visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. The initial objective of this collaboration will be to screen one of Ubiquigents proprietary compound libraries against selected L. mexicana DUBs to identify novel inhibitors that will then be used to seed a full drug discovery programme.

Ubiquigenthas established itself as a respected partner in the DUB field with a strong track record in the development of DUB inhibitors both through supporting the drug discovery efforts of its partners and by the strengthening of its own portfolio of novel DUB inhibitors. TheMottram Laboratoryunder the direction of Professor Jeremy Mottram, works on the molecular genetics, cell biology and biochemistry of parasitic protozoa that cause neglected tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis. This collaboration will combine the strengths of both teams to support the rapid exploitation of this opportunity for novel drug discovery.

Professor Jeremy Mottram, Professor of Pathogen Biology at the University of York and Director of the York Biomedical Research Institute (YBRI) commented: "Ubiquigents expertise in the design and development of novel DUB inhibitors and their understanding of the ubiquitin system will add tremendous value to our drug discovery efforts."

Ubiquigents Managing Director, Mr. Jason Mundin commented: "This collaboration with Professor Mottram and his team is an exciting opportunity for us to explore new applications for our DUB inhibitors with the potential of addressing an area of unmet medical need."

Ubiquigent LtdJason MundinManaging Director, Ubiquigent Ltd.E-mail:jason.mundin@ubiquigent.comPhone: +44 (0) 7976 000683

University of YorkJulie GatenbyPress OfficerEmail:julie.gatenby@york.ac.ukPhone: +44 (0)1904 322029

About UbiquigentUbiquigent Limited enables and supports protein degradation focused drug discovery via modulation and exploitation of the ubiquitin system. Our chemistry and biology platforms allow us to design and develop novel compounds as part of strategic partnerships. In parallel we also provide access to our platforms and capabilities for the evaluation of our partners compounds.

For more information please visitwww.ubiquigent.com.

About the University of YorkThe University of York is a high-performance, research-intensive Russell Group university and one of the worlds premier institutions for inspirational and life-changing research. The Universitys focus on teaching and research excellence has resulted in consistently high rankings in the UK and a first-class reputation across the globe.

For more information please visitwww.york.ac.uk.

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Ubiquigent and the University of York Awarded a Grant to Explore the Potential of Deubiquitylase (DUB) Enzyme Inhibitors to Address Neglected Tropical...

A unique new study suggests that the behavior public officials are now mandating or recommending unequivocally to slow the spread of surging COVID-19 wearing a face covering should come with a caveat. If not accompanied by proper public education, the practice could lead to more infections.

The finding is part of a unique study, just published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, that was conducted by a team of health economists and public health faculty at the University of Vermonts Larner College of Medicine in partnership with public health officials for the state of Vermont.

The study combines survey data gathered from adults living in northwestern Vermont with test results that showed whether a subset of them had contracted COVID-19, a dual research approach that few COVID studies have employed. By correlating the two data sets, researchers were able to determine what behaviors and circumstances increased respondents risk of becoming sick.

The key risk factor driving transmission of the disease, the study found, was the number of daily contacts participants had with other adults and seniors.

That had relevance for two other findings.

Those who wore masks had more of these daily contacts compared with those who didnt, and a higher proportion contracted the virus as a result.

A unique new study suggests that the behavior public officials are now mandating or recommending unequivocally to slow the spread of surging COVID-19 wearing a face covering should come with a caveat. If not accompanied by proper public education, the practice could lead to more infections. Credit: Joshua Brown

Basic human psychology could be at work, said Eline van den Broek-Altenburg, an assistant professor and vice chair for Population Health Science in the Department of Radiology at the Larner College of Medicine and the studys principal investigator.

When you wear a mask, you may have a deceptive sense of being protected and have more interactions with other people, she said.

The public health implications are clear. Messaging that people need to wear a mask is essential, but insufficient, she said. It should go hand in hand with education that masks dont give you a free pass to see as many people as you want. You still need to strictly limit your contacts.

Public education messaging should make clear how to wear a mask safely to limit infection, van den Broek-Altenburg added.

The study also found that participants living environment determined how many contacts they had and affected their probability of becoming infected. A higher proportion of those living in apartments were infected with the virus compared with those who lived in single-family homes.

If you live in an apartment, youre going to see more people on a daily basis than if you live in a single-family home, so you need to be as vigilant about social distancing, van den Broek-Altenburg said.

The study controlled for profession to prevent essential workers, who by definition have more contacts and are usually required to wear masks, from skewing the results.

Its generally known that essential workers are at higher risk, and our study bore that out, van den Broek-Altenburg said. We wanted to see what else predicted that people were going to get sick, she said.

The study provides the first estimate of unreported cases in Vermonts Chittenden County, where most study participants live. The survey found that 2.2 percent of the survey group had contracted the virus, suggesting that an estimated 3,621 Chittenden County residents were likely to have become ill, compared with just 662 reported cases, just 18%.

That figure translates to a hospitalization rate of 1.2% and adjusted infection fatality rate of 0.55%.

This finding is important for policy-makers, van den Broek-Altenburg said, in and out of Vermont.

If you know how many people are sick or have been sick, youre much better equipped to make precise predictions of will happen in the future and fashion the appropriate policies, she said.

It also shows the importance of serologic and PCR testing of the general population, she said.

If you only test symptomatic patients, youll never be able to find out how many people have already had the virus. With our random sample study we were able to show that Vermont has so far only tested less than one-fifth of the people who have likely had the virus. To capture the larger population, random samples of the population are needed so we can also capture asymptomatic patients, which appears to be the majority of COVID-19 cases.

The study, among other things, is a proof of concept, van den Broek-Altenburg said.

I hope it leads to other, larger studies that combine survey data with widespread testing. This approach is essential to both understanding the dynamics of this pandemic and planning our response to futures ones.

Ten of the 454 survey respondents who took the serologic test had antibodies for Covid-19, and one tested positive for the virus. Given the small number, researchers simplified their models and were able to reach a high confidence level in the two key findings.

We tested our models and found that the results were robust through several different model specifications, van den Broek-Altenburg said.

To create the study group, the researchers sent a survey to 12,000 randomly selected people between the ages 18 and 70 who had at least one primary care visit at the University of Vermont Medical Center, which services primarily northwestern Vermont, in the past three years.

Reference: Jobs, Housing, and Mask Wearing: Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors for COVID-19 by Eline M van den Broek-Altenburg, MA, MSc, PhD; Adam J Atherly; Sean A Diehl, PhD; Kelsey M Gleason, DrSc; Victoria C Hart, PhD; Charles D MacLean, MD; Daniel A Barkhuff, MD; Mark A Levine, MD and Jan K Carney, MD, 11 January 2021, JMIR Public Health and Surveillance.DOI: 10.2196/24320

Coauthors on the study include Eline van den Broek-Altenburg, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Department of Radiology; Adam Atherly, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Center for Health Services Research; Sean Diehl, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics; Kelsey Gleason University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine; Victoria Hart, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine; Charles MacLean, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine; Daniel Barkhuff, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Emergency Department; Mark Levine, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Department of Medicine; Jan Carney, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Department of Medicine.

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Surprising New Study Finds That People Who Wear Masks Are More Likely to Become Infected With COVID-19 Than Those Who Don't - SciTechDaily

Identical twins Stella and Desiree Vignes were born in 1938 in a Louisiana town so small that it wasnt on any maps. Light-skinned Blacks, the girls left town together at the age of 16 to head to New Orleans to work and escape a bleak future. Stella was mistaken for White at a job interview and continued the deception to get the position, eventually marrying her boss and leaving her sister behind. Stella experienced adulthood as White, Desiree as Black.

The Vignes sisters were born in the imagination of Brit Bennett, an extraordinary young writer. Her bestseller The Vanishing Half, traces the experiences of the twins in a world where what happens to them depends upon how others perceive them as Black or White. Of course, they go on to live starkly different lives, Stella in wealthy Brentwood, California, and Desiree back in her hometown waitressing in a diner. The drama intensifies when their grown daughters meet, one a pale blonde, the other a dark girl black as ebony.

Identical twins and higher multiples are, indeed, fascinating. The 2018 film Three Identical Strangerstells the tale of triplet brothers who met by chance at age 19 in 1980. It echoes the fictional filmThe Parent Trap, from 1961 with Hayley Mills and reborn in 1998 with Lindsay Lohan, each in dual roles.

Twins have for decades provided a handy tool in genetics research. Its straightforward. Characteristics more often shared between identical twins than between fraternal twins are presumed to have a greater inherited component. The flip side is that differences between identical twins are assumed to have arisen from environmental factors.

Twin studies are often used to scrutinize the underpinnings of behavioral traits, including conditions such as anxiety and depression. But the approach is also applied to less-well-defined characteristics, such as the ability to make wise investment decisions, altruism, trust, and evencell phone call and texting frequencies.

An entire literature is devoted to what twin studies reveal about the inheritance of political persuasion. The investigations are rigorous I cant follow the math but explaining how, exactly, a gene-encoded protein causes a trait like loyalty seems elusive.

The Heritability of Duty and Voter Turnout,for example, considersbelief that voting is a dutyas a trait that a gene or genes influence. (Heritabilityis a measure of the proportion of a traits variance that is inherited,not the degree that the trait itself is inherited.) Im more comfortable with traits that arise from abnormal or missing proteins like clotting factors and enzymes, rather than from harder-to-define feelings and beliefs.

Fraternal twins result from two sperm fertilizing two eggs. The twins share a uterus, but are no more closely related genetically than are any two full siblings. Fraternal twins are termed dizygotic, or DZ two zygotes, aka fertilized ova.

For identical, or monozygotic (MZ), twins, a single sperm fertilizes a single egg, which then splits. But that can happen at different points very early in development, leading to different types of identical twins.

The split may occur as soon as the fertilized ovum divides, or over the first three days and resulting, eventually, in development of separate placentas. But if an initial collection of cells (the inner cell mass) chugs along until day 7 before separating into two clumps, then the resulting twins may share a placenta and possibly their amniotic sac too. Examining these structures reveals when the twinning took place.

The timing of twinning is important because as cells divide, DNA replicates (copies itself), and thats when mutations can occur, like cutting and pasting an error in a document and then making many copies. A mutation that happens beforethe inner cell mass has sorted itself into two clumps will persist in both twins. But a mutation happeningafter the split results in discordance that is, a mutation in one twin but not the other, even though they are called identical.

A team from deCODE geneticsin Iceland has cleverly identified a few mutations that distinguish supposedly genetically identical twins. They deduced events in development by comparing genome sequences of living individuals,notby harming embryos. The findings are published in a recentNature Genetics.

(deCODE is the company founded in 1996 that established the first national biobank. It caused quite a fuss then, when genome projects were launching, about government control of genetic information. But deCODE went on to become and remain a leader in identifying genetic risk factors. Today deCODE is a subsidiary of Amgen.)

The researchers used the formation of identical twins as a unique window into early embryonic development, they write. Explained first author Hkon Jnsson, Mutations can be formed when cells divide and the daughter cells may carry a mutation that marks the descendants of the mutated cell within an individual. Mutations that are present in only one of the twins allow us therefore to backtrack to the cell divisions that lead to the development of the twins.

To find the mutations, the team compared full genome sequences from fat cells, white blood cells, and cheek lining cells among 387 pairs of identical twins and their parents, offspring, and spouses to identify twins that arent exact clones. Comparison to spouses enabled elimination of mutations inherited from that parent, and comparison to a twins offspring made it possible to infer the gene variants that passed from the twins sperm or egg.

The degree to which the identical twin pairs differ varied quite a lot, with some twins by more than 100 mutations, yet others, none at all. In about 15% of the pairs, one twin had many mutations that the other didnt. The average is 5.2 mutations.

The mutations that distinguish identical twins occurred during the first days of development that explains why the mutations tend to be in large percentages of the sampled cells from an individual. These two groups of monozygotic twins give insight into development of the embryo only a few divisions after conception, when the embryo consists of several cells, said Kari Stefansson, CEO and founder of deCODE genetics.

The finding may be important in understanding the origin of conditions such as autism and developmental disorders that are assumed to be due to an environmental factor if only one identical twin is affected. The conditions may instead be due to genetic differences between the twins, perhaps suggesting novel treatment approaches.

The new view of identical twins illustrates the fundamental changeability of the informational molecules that are genetic material, DNA and RNA.

DNA changes, mutates, because it is an informational molecule. Triplets of the building blocks A, C, T, and G are transcribed into a molecule of RNA, which is then translated into sequences of 20 types of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Traits come from the proteins. Thats molecular biology in a nutshell.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has RNA. And the sequence of that RNAs building blocks changes, as does the genetic material within our own cells. That is, mutation is part of nature, lying at the intersection of chemistry and biology.

If a mutation leads to a new characteristic, or modifies an existing one, in a way that benefits the organism or virus, the change will persist. This is natural selection, aka survival of the fittest. The word fittest in the context of evolution means reproductive success, not physical fitness. And thats why certain new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are potentially worrisome.

The new variantsare actually asetof genetic changes. Because they enable SARS-CoV-2 to spread more readily, which in turn increases the reproduction number (R naught) of how many people an infected person in turn infects, the mutants will take over the population of viruses I think, no matter what we do.

Because new variants are present before were aware of them, and because some countries have prioritized sequencing viral genomes while others, like the U.S., have not, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. Efforts to block the spread of new viral variants by restricting human travel are almost without doubt too little too late.

Resistance may indeed be futile. For mutations will continue to happen. Thats what nucleic acids RNA and DNA do.

Adam Lauring, MD, PhD, from the University of Michigan Division of Infectious Diseases and an expert in the evolutionary biology of RNA viruses, put the new mutations into practical perspective in a JAMA audioclinical review on January 2 and published a relatedViewpointinJAMA, Genetic Variants of SARS-CoV-2What Do They Mean? with Emma B. Hodcroft, PhD. Said he:

Lots of mutations have happened around the world that havent affected transmissibility. We dont have evidence that they are more virulent and cause more severe disease or death. Mutation happens. Some are important and help the virus do what viruses do spread. The trick is figuring out which of these mutations are important and which ones arent. What is allowing it to spread and how do we get on top of that? Im optimistic mutations wont affect vaccinations, but there will be a lot of work over the next weeks and months and in the future, because well have more mutations to contend with.

Ricki Lewis has a PhD in genetics and is a science writer and author of several human genetics books.She is an adjunct professor for the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College.Follow her at herwebsiteor Twitter@rickilewis

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What do 'non-identical identical twins' have to do with COVID-19? Mutations! - Genetic Literacy Project

Thanks to our new, 20-second hand-washing practices, our hands got a lot of attention this year. But while most of us know how important it is to keep them clean (cough, cough: very), you may not realize that its also important to keep them strong using hand exercises. In fact, it could even help you live longer.

According to research, grip strength might be an indicator of longevity. A 2018 study found that there is clear evidence that shows low grip strength is associated with a range of poorer health outcomes, and authors told Reuters that grip strength showed a stronger association with cardiovascular disease than blood pressure and physical activity. According to Phaeleau Cunneen, CPT, this is likely attributed to the fact that people with high grip strength lead a generally more active lifestyle, but theres still value in integrating grip-strengthening hand exercises into your routine.

For those of us working from home, our hands have likely started to suffer due to less-than-ideal work setups. A poor home ergonomic set up can contribute to repetitive stress injuries, muscle imbalances, and pain, says Cunneen, which could explain why your fingers are suddenly cramping after a long day of typing on your laptop. This is where hand exercises come in.

Any exercises that increase grip strength, like strength training, will help engage, activate and improve your hand muscles, says Cunneen. Thats important because you want your hand muscles to function optimally so that you can perform day-to-day movements. When you grip heavy objects essentially you are training the muscles in your hands, adds Katie Kollath, ACE, CPT and co-founder of Barpath Fitness. If your grip strength becomes weak, you are setting yourself up for risk of injury and worst-case scenario arthritis in the hands and wrists down the line.

If youre already lifting weights as a part of your regular routine, theres good news: That process, in itself, helps to strengthen your hands because it requires you to hold onto a few extra pounds (think: swinging a kettlebell or curling a dumbbell). And in fact, even doing bodyweight exercises, like planks, can aid in making your grip stronger. Just holding external loadsincluding your body weightwill improve your grip strength and will carry over to most exercises you do in your programming, says Kollath.

If you still find your hands feeling weak or like your muscles are cramping, try putting them through one of the targeted hand exercises below.

To build strength and mobility in your hands, touch your thumb to the tip of each of the four other fingers on the same hand, moving from your pointer to your pinkie and back again.

If you want to increase the range of motion in your hands, put them through a small strength-training circuit. Start with your palm flat, then curl all five of your fingers down at the knuckle. Next, extend your fingers out at a 90-degree angle from your palm, and finally squeeze them into a fist (the harder you squeeze, the better it is for your grip strength). Repeat the process in reverse, then start again from the beginning of the circuit.

Think of this as a resistance band workout for your hands. Place a rubber band around the backs of your fingers, and open your palm as far as you can to try to stretch it out. The added resistance that the band provides will help to strengthen your phalanges.

You know that stress ball you received at the company holiday party last year thats been sitting in your top drawer ever since? Well, its finally going to come in handy. Place it in the palm of your hand, squeeze as hard as you can, and hold for a few seconds before releasing.

To strengthen your hands during your regular workout routine, youll just need to make one tiny tweak to the moves youre likely already doing. Instead of placing your hands flat on the floor during high planks and push-ups, place your fingers in a tented position so that theres a small space between your palms and the ground. This will require your fingers to do the brunt of the work and will build strength in them in the process.

This weighted move will work your hands, wrists, and forearms. Grab a five- to 10-pound dumbbell and hold it vertically in one hand. Seated in a chair, place your forearm on top of one thigh with your wrist and hand out slightly past your knee. Move your wrist up and down slightly, gripping the weight as you move, and try to cycle through three sets of 20 reps on each side.

This move is similar to the lateral wrist extension but challenges your hands in a different way. Staying seated with the same five- to 10-pound weight in your hand, place the back of your forearm against your thigh with your wrist three to four inches over your knee. Flex and extend your wrist to curl the weight (the motion is similar to your usual bicep and tricep curls), and be sure to work through the full range of motion.

Flip your seated dumbbell wrist curl in reverse for this forearm, wrist, and hand strengthener. Place the inside of your forearm on top of your thigh with your wrist three-to-four inches over your knee. Use your wrist to curl the weight up and down (ideally for three sets of 20 reps), which will help you prevent future injury in the areas youre working.

From the same starting position as the seated dumbbell reverse wrist curl, hold a weight in your hand with your palm facing up toward the sky. Allow the weight to roll down to the tips of your fingers (but stop it before it rolls off of your hands and onto the floor), then grab it with the tips of your fingers and curl it back up to start.

Another spot youre probably not giving the love it needs? Your feet. Follow along with this stretch sequence, below.

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Grip Strength Is a Good Indicator of LongevityHere Are 9 Hand Exercises to Keep Yours Strong - Well+Good

THE relentless pursuit of the elixir of youth has spurred anti-ageing research in attempts to achieve the triple goals of life extension, namely, the triumvirate of healthy lifespan, rejuvenation and longevity.

Sirtuins are a family of cellular enzymes that are powered by a chemical compound called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). They play an important role in preventing diseases and even reversing some aspects of ageing.

Studies have shown that increased sirtuin activity in mammals has been associated with a delayed onset of age-related diseases and increased longevity.

Increased sirtuin activity appears to inhibit nerve degeneration and reduces the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (such as diabetes mellitus and abnormal lipid levels).

Hence, if sirtuin activity can be increased using compounds that can boost its activity (STACs or Sirtuin Activating Compounds), the use of STACs can potentially help a person stay healthy longer, even if longevity is not affected.

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Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a natural plant phenol STAC found in the skin of red grapes and other fruits such as blueberries and cranberries. Contrary to common belief, red wine contains very little of it. Resveratrol has been shown to have life-extending properties in studies on lower-order species such as yeast and nematodes, but this effect has marginal reliability in higher-order species. Nevertheless, it has been shown to have potentially beneficial effects.

Before you start taking large doses of resveratrol, you may be surprised to know that it is a Janus-faced compound. Low dietary doses may suffice to elicit the biological responses required to optimise the body's defence mechanisms against incipient disease. But at high doses, it behaves in a contrarian manner.

At low doses, resveratrol induces responses that overlap with the female hormone oestradiol. Low-dose effects seen in animal and human studies include beneficial metabolic effects such as more efficient glucose reduction in diabetics, reducing the development of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, protecting against arterial degeneration, delaying development of neurodegeneration, and improving motor and cognitive functions.

At high doses, resveratrol has an anti-oestrogen effect which suggests that it may reduce the risk of oestrogen-dependent cancers. This Janus-faced hormetic effects of resveratrol may partly explain the French paradox, where there is a reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer in some populations despite their consumption of high-fat diets.

NAD

NAD is an important molecule that is essential for over 500 enzyme reactions in the body which impact metabolism, ageing, cell death, DNA repair, and gene expression. Hence, NAD plays a pivotal role in human health span and longevity and is a necessary substrate for sirtuin enzymatic activity.

In mammalian cells, NAD is mainly generated by the conversion of nicotinamide (a soluble form of Vitamin B3) into nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) followed by its combination with another molecule to form NAD. There is also another precursor, nicotinamide riboside (NR), that is converted by enzymes to NMN in the cells. As this pathway is safe and also the most efficient route for production of NAD, NMN or NR supplementation has been used to increase NAD levels.

Animal studies have shown that NMN supplementation can ameliorate the age-related reduction in NAD production in cells and improve the body's cardiovascular response to ageing. Age-related decrease in arterial elasticity means that the aorta is less able to expand and buffer the increased blood pressure generated each time the heart pumps. With ageing, the production of a pressure-bearing protein, type 1 collagen, in the arterial wall increases, whereas the main protein responsible for the structural integrity and elastic properties of the arterial wall, elastin, decreases. Studies in mice have shown that NMN supplementation was able to reduce stiffness in large arteries by reversing the accumulation of type 1 collagen in arterial walls and improving elastin content.

From the age of 40 years onwards, there is a gradual decline in perfusion of the body tissues resulting in gradual deterioration in body function towards the last decades of life. A consequence of this is cognitive decline.

Optimal brain function is dependent on adequate oxygen and nutrient delivery via minute brain blood vessels (cerebral microvascular circulation). This modulation of brain blood flow in response to increased brain activity is impaired with age, contributing to age-related cognitive impairment. Studies in aged mice given NMN have demonstrated an improvement in the modulation of cerebral microvascular circulation. Animal studies have also shown that NMN can prevent age-related cognitive decline by reducing cell death in areas of the brain that control short- and long-term memory.

Use of NMN was also associated with decrease in the neurodegenerative changes seen in Alzheimer's disease and age-related retinal changes. This age-related decrease in the production of new vessels and a gradual decrease of blood vessels in the microcirculation also result in reduction in muscle mass and diminishing exercise capacity with age. Mice given NMN were able to demonstrate an increase in the production of new vessels in the muscle and an increase in density of small vessels, thereby improving exercise capacity.

Caloric restriction

Caloric restriction (CR) which involves calorie reduction without causing malnutrition, has been associated with an increase in lifespan in some animal studies. In these studies, dietary CR was associated with increased lifespan and reduced disease incidence, especially cancers. However, some studies did not show benefit and, in some mouse strains, CR was associated with shortened lifespan.

Observational studies on humans who have practised extreme CR over many years showed low levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Similarly, a human study on CR, the CALERIE study, found that CR participants had lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

The study was too short to examine the impact of CR on lifespan. The current conclusion from the National Institute of Aging in the United States is that there is not enough evidence to recommend CR as a therapeutic measure for life extension. Although CR was associated with lower risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, caution is urged as in a study using mouse lemurs on prolonged CR, MRI studies showed that there was more widespread age-related grey matter atrophy in CR animals while only a few regions in the brain showed atrophy in those not on CR.

Life extension

Globally, heart disease and stroke are the two main causes of death in most high-middle and high-income countries. Hence, the first cardinal principle in life extension is to control the risk factors such as blood pressure elevation, cholesterol elevation, sugar elevation and smoking.

The second principle is to have a healthy lifestyle such as keeping the weight within the healthy range and exercising regularly. Both physical exercise and dietary CR result in a significant increase in NAD production and increase sirtuin activity. CR may be an option as part of a weight-reduction regime to keep the weight optimal.

The third principle is to see your doctor regularly to control risk factors.

Finally, among the supplement options, scientific studies favour the use of low-dose resveratrol or NMN as they may potentially provide many health benefits via increased sirtuin activity, although more studies will be required to understand their efficacy in human life extension.

Originally posted here:
Life extension health, rejuvenation and longevity - The Business Times

#PopVultures Ep 39: GOT7 and longevity of pop idol groups

34:01 mins

Synopsis: The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood industries.

In their first episode of 2021, #PopVultures Jan Lee and Sam Jo discuss some K-pop news - the exodus of GOT7 members from their management agency JYP Entertainment. They recap the details of the GOT7 exit, discuss the social media shadiness that went down, and ponder the future of GOT7.

Covering the examples of J-pop boy band Arashi, the changing cast of UK girl group Sugababes, the not-so-harmonious Fifth Harmony, the tragic tale of TLC, and the reunion of Taiwanese boy band 5566, the #PopVultures examine the longevity of pop idol groups, the factors crucial for groups with staying power and reasons for an early demise.

Produced by: Jan Lee (janlee@sph.com.sg)& Yeo Sam Jo (yeosamjo@sph.com.sg)

Edited by: Muhammad Firmann

Subscribe to #PopVultures Podcast series and rate us on your favourite audio apps:

Channel:https://str.sg/JWad

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Feedback to:podcast@sph.com.sg

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#PopVultures Podcast: GOT7 and longevity of pop idol groups - The Straits Times

A new, large-cohort study led by the University of Oxford used accelerometers (wrist-worn devices) to accurately record the activity of more than 90,000 participants over a five year period.

The researchers on the study found that physical activity is not only associated with lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but the greatest benefit is seen for those who are active at the highest level.

Over the five-year follow up period, 3,617 of the participants were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (3,305 nonfatal and 312 fatal).

This included 2,220 men and 1,397 women. In the participants, as the amount of moderate and vigorous physical activity increased, cases of cardiovascular disease decreased, with no threshold where the effects of exercise stopped improving cardiovascular health.

READ MORE:How to live longer: Drinking too much can cut your life short by 28 years

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How to live longer: The duration and intensity of exercise that best promotes longevity - Express

Aley: We don't see uncertainty denting demand

Pension risk transfer volumes this year will look similar to those in 2020 as market volatility creates opportunities for schemes able to act fast, according to Willis Towers Watson.

In its annual de-risking report, published today (19 January), the consultancy predicted that buy-in and buyout volumes would top 30bn in 2021, while longevity swap deals would approach 25bn.

Around 24.2bn of bulk annuity deals for 2020 have so far been announced, although Willis Towers Watson said it was aware of at least 26bn announced or that it had advised on, while another 4bn are set to be confirmed within the coming weeks.

Willis Towers Watson said market volatility seen in 2020, which led to "incredibly attractive" insurer pricing as credit spreads widened, could be repeated in 2021 amid continuing pressures from the pandemic and Brexit.

On a similar note, lower than expected rates of mortality improvement in the years to 2020, as well as a growth in the number of reinsures in the market, has contributed to reduced costs of pensioner longevity swap pricing, a trend the consultancy expected to continue.

Managing director in transactions Ian Aley commented: "The pensions de-risking market has proved itself to be incredibly resilient and, while uncertainty will remain in 2021, we don't see this denting the desire and ability for pension schemes to complete risk management transactions.

"It remains to be seen what impact Covid-19 will have on longer-term expectations for mortality rates. For many schemes, the market pricing of longevity will currently look very attractive relative to their funding reserves.

"We therefore expect schemes will continue to look to lock into assumptions which are affordable against their current funding target to reduce future uncertainty as part of their wider hedging programmes."

Willis Towers Watson also predicted an "acceleration" in the superfund or defined benefit consolidation market following the introduction of an interim regulatory regime last year, particularly as Covid-19 financial support unwinds and corporates enter distressed scenarios.

Originally posted here:
Exclusive: Market volatility to spur 30bn of buy-ins and buyouts in 2021 - http://www.professionalpensions.com

A new health book is expected to reveal evidence supporting that Greek Australians are among those living longest lives on the planet.

Author Dr Norman Swan brought up the example speaking about the upcoming publication to 9 Channels Today show.

I started writing this book for millennials because they have a lot of questions to ask about their health[] theyre really interested in nutrition, Dr Swan said before revealing that first generation Greek Australians are the second longest lived people in the world after the Japanese.

But he says the reasons go beyond the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, speaking of a package of stuff.

They have their own herb garden and vegetable garden, theyre cooking fresh and cooking turns out to be really important because its a chemistry set to actually make you fell healthier.

READ MORE: Foraging Greek grandparents gardens for good health

Religion also plays a role, he contends in influencing diet.

What elderly Greek Australians do is they fast about a 100 days a year, but its a vegan fast no meat, or eggs, or dairy and they do live a long time.

Marketed as the ultimate health guide from Australias most trusted doctor, his upcoming book covers a wide range of health topics including nutrition and sex, with the aim of debunking common myths and making it easier for people to lead a healthy living.

Our minds have been filled with things to worry about from insomnia, to screen addiction, to guilt about not eating a paleo diet, to when will my eggs clap out and when will his sperm, to what really can make us live longer better? My aim is to get you to worry less and give you the information thatll allow you to make sensible decisions, whether youre 25 or 75, the author promises.

Dr Swan is a doctor and award-winning journalist with nearly four decades of experience in reporting medical news in Australia.

In the past year, his voice became familiar to millions as the host of the ABCs Coronacast, a podcast breaking down latest news and research on the novel coronavirus, reaching up to 3 million downloads monthly.

READ MORE: Adding life to years: Cooking in Ikaria, the Greek island of longevity

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Greek Australians have second highest longevity in the world, says Dr Norman Swan - Neos Kosmos

Chris Horsley explores the longevity of thermal fluid heaters

For a process heating equipment manufacturer, you might just say thermal fluid heaters are bad for business.They just go on and on and on, and maintenance and service requirements are low, in fact a fraction of the cost of maintaining an equivalent heat output steam plant.Wheres the repeat business?Wheres the big service contracts and money to be made replacing worn parts?Of course, for a customer, this is music to your ears!

Thermal fluid heaters frequently run for 20 years and often longer.Even when the heaters themselves might be at the end of their working life, the pipe work system and other plant is often as good as new, so upgrades are simple and cost effective to implement at any time.

Thermal fluid heating is based on a similar principle to a simple hot water system. It consists of a heater connected to carbon steel flow and return pipework that can provide heat to one or more users or systems.Instead of water running through the pipework, a thermal fluid typically a specialist mineral oil or synthetic based fluid is used as the heat transfer medium.Different fluids can be used to meet specific process heating requirements including high temperature operations and processes requiring heating and cooling thereby making it a very flexible system.

Thermal fluid heaters typically operate at up to 350C at atmospheric pressure and remain pumpable down to minus 20C and lower with special fluids, which makes it a solution suitable for a multitude of applications.

Thermal fluid heaters have rapidly grown in popularity across all industry sectors over the years.This is mainly due to their far-ranging benefits which include their ease of use, compact size, safer operation when compared to steam generators, precise heat control, low exhaust emissions and their energy efficiency.They also operate outside the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations as the fluid is not maintained in the liquid phase by pressure, so statutory inspections are eliminated.This further reduces operating costs and increases plant availability.

When it comes to flexibility in use, thermal fluid heaters often work at high temperatures in a simple closed loop.Compared to a steam system this means no change of state of the fluid, so no condensate and therefore no flash steam losses, no blow down losses or make up water required, no effluent discharge and completely corrosion free operation without the need for expensive chemical treatment.The savings thermal fluid heaters bring are very significant, often up to 50% of the overall cost of running a process heating system.

But one aspect that frequently gets overlooked is the longevity thermal fluid heaters enjoy, which should be a major point when deciding how to heat a process, especially in these uncertain times when many businesses are having to buckle belts that much tighter. With sustainability a key issue, plant longevity is not only about reducing capex, but also reducing wastage and equipment redundancy.

As mentioned, a thermal fluid system should easily serve you 20 or more years without any reduction in productivity as it ages.It would be difficult to find any equipment, process or otherwise, that can match this level of service.Take a car, for example.Assuming the car runs at an average 30mph and covers 200,000 miles before being scrapped it will operate for about 6000 hours in its total life.A Babcock Wanson thermal fluid heater, on the other hand, will usually run for more than 100,000 hours - or the equivalent of 3,000,000 miles with the minimum of service requirements! And thats just looking at heaters with a typical lifespan; Babcock Wanson is still servicing heaters that are more than 40 years old and working away every day quite happily!

Theres no secret elixir for long life when it comes to thermal fluid heaters.Their exceptional longevity is a direct result from their passive nature (there are very few moving parts) and the swapping out of water for a thermal fluid as the heat transfer medium.Unlike water and steam based systems, thermal fluid heaters are unaffected by corrosion caused by water over time, or by ambient temperature where water freezing within pipes leads to costly failures.In fact, most thermal fluids are mineral oil based so are effectively lubricants that help keep the system components protected in use.

However, not all thermal fluid heaters are equal, so it pays to do your homework.Heaters that will best stand the test of time are mostly designed for a downward fired configuration which ensures stress free and unrestricted expansion of the heater coils during normal operation.Also look for a heater that has been designed with a barrier between the hot combustion gases and the outer structure, as this will help provide long heater life as the higher pressure and cooler outer air helps prevent any escape of combustion gases as the plant ages over time.Babcock Wansons TPC and EPC range of thermal fluid heaters, for example, come with an integral, air-cooled outer case that provides this barrier, as well as acting as both a combustion air pre-heater/economiser.Lastly, ensure the heater is fully integrated and has a factory tested control system.

Another key factor is overall emissions. With higher process operating efficiency comes lower total emissions which provides savings in operating costs whilst being much better for the environment.

Its also vital that the thermal fluid heater you decide upon is correctly installed, commissioned and maintained.Thermal Fluid Systems - A Practical Guide for Safe Design, Operation and Maintenancefrom the Combustion Engineering Association (CEA) proffers excellent advice for designers, owners, managers and operators of new and existing thermal fluid heating systems to operate safe and efficient installations. It addresses system design considerations such as choice of fluid, heat source, expansion and deaeration, pumps and pipework, to installation and commissioning and operation and maintenance. Its important to understand how thermal fluid heaters work to ensure you get the most out of your investment, including long life.

With careful system design and careful choice of heater design a thermal fluid system will provide many years of trouble-free ownership, allowing the operator to concentrate on their process needs in the sure knowledge they are getting the best from their process heating investment.

Chris Horsley, is Process Engineering Director at Babcock Wanson

Link:
Longevity of thermal fluid heaters - Engineer Live

COVID-19 has shaken the entire world, causing far and wide social and monetary havoc all over. The most evident and distressing thing is the huge number of lives lost to the pandemic, yet it keeps taking more and more. As authorities keep on trying to wrestle with controlling the pandemic, the lasting effects from this deadly virus still cause irreparable damage to the livelihood of everyone.

Without a doubt, the financial slump is unusual for anything the economy has ever experienced. Over the initial three months of the pandemic, a huge case of joblessness was reported. As the pandemic spreads, a complete shutdown of the economy can be expected.

As agonizing as this scene has been for everyone, it has been particularly going after the older population. While seniors profit through the basic help given through retirement plans, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented uncommon difficulties for this gathering. The most harmful component has been the radically higher fatality for retirement-age people.

Heres how older people have faced higher levels of difficulty and displacement in the face of this pandemic and recession.

Since COVID-19 has affected all different areas of the world, it has gotten to the retirement and nursing homes as well; because of the pandemic related death in these institutions, older people are opting out of this life. Moreover, most nursing homes are not equipped well enough to deal with the pandemic and dont have enough resources available on hand.

People are choosing to stay home and quarantine with their family members instead of spending this difficult time at a care home. The elderly were locked away in senior living centers before this and didnt have any emotional support from the outside, so aging at home will increase interaction between the younger and older generations.

As there has been an increase in the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in nursing homes, this can prove to be a good thing as age segregation is not likely favored by most retirees.

The pandemic is also disrupting our entire lifestyles as we cant socialize or engage in any activities outside the confines of our home. A healthy amount of physical and social activities is responsible for healthy mental and physical health.

Due to being confined to our homes, studies have shown how loneliness is related to causing a decline in our health, leading to depression, heart diseases, and overall cognitive decline; this is especially hard on the older population and can decrease life expectancy.

Most new technology discoveries are meant to be endorsed by the younger generations. That said, the pandemic has caused most tech entrepreneurs to think about the needs of older people at home as well.

There has been a wave of innovation in the tech field, aimed specifically at the needs of the older generation. Telemedicine has made it possible for people to have appointments with their doctors virtually and keep their health in check.

For example, wearable health devices and diagnostic tests have been very helpful in checking blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs and have made it easier for baby boomers to combat the effects of this pandemic.

Its inevitable to spend all your time at home, stuck in one place, not allowed to go anywhere, and not re-evaluate the life choices you have made. Due to all this free time at hand, the older generation is opting for a healthier lifestyle. They are making the most of all the idle time they have on their hands.

It has proven that life is short, and we have to make the most of our limited time on this planet. This has caused a lot of people to reassess how they spend their time and explore new and exciting hobbies.

On the other hand, some senior citizens are also feeling closer to nature, religion, and spirituality. They have more time on their hands, so prayer times have increased and people are reflecting more on morality, happiness, and connectedness.

After the re-evaluation of your life choices, its almost impossible not to think about death and make an end of life plans. Older people have been shown a reminder that they are not going to live forever. This has caused them to kick-start, making retirement and aging life plans.

However, this might be a difficult topic for most of us; its a smart choice to analyze all the expenses needed for your after-care and end of life planning. Theres a lot of helpful material online.

As mentioned above, this pandemic has practically forced us to reassess our life choices; it has also stirred up a lot of mixed feelings about retirement plans in the older generation. In fact, both younger and older members of society have started saving up for when they retire.

Due to the major decline in our economy, it has been made clear that its important to cut out extra costs and expenses. Its also best to have a proper budget and savings dedicated to retirement. Moreover, one needs to work longer and smarter, to be prepared for difficult times. Companies have also adapted to remote working and schedules, so its easier for older people.

The pandemic has been responsible for causing intergenerational conflicts among different societies. Its also affected how people belonging to different ages are dealing with this abrupt change of lifestyles.

This has caused us to think about aging from a different perspective. This is because older people have experienced times like this much longer than the rest of us; it has forced us to see how older people are more resilient in times of crisis.

The pandemic has brought people together. This is because, in times of distress and uncertainty, we are reminded of how much we need to stick together. Coronavirus has also helped remove the gap between generations. Its brought everyone closer together, regardless of age, as we are all in this together.

Arslan Hassan is an electrical engineer with a passion for writing, designing, and anything tech-related. His educational background in the technical field has given him the edge to write on many topics.

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How Covid-19 Has Changed Aging and Retirement - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE

Grapefruit is a citrus fruit thats rich in the powerful antioxidant lycopene, revealed dietitian Juliette Kellow and nutritionist Dr Sarah Brewer.

Regularly eating red grapefruit, specifically, could reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your body, they said.

Everyone should aim to eat a portion of citrus fruits every single day to increase their lifespan, they added.

Best known for containing vitamin C, which supports the immune system, citrus fruits do far more than just fight infections, they said in their book Eat Better Live Longer Understand What Your Body Needs To Stay Healthy.

They are linked tight everything from protection against heart disease and cancer to slowing down cataract development.

Grapefruit help to lower cholesterol levels. [They] come in pink, red, and blond varieties. Pink and red are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.

READ MORE:How to live longer: Five habits to adopt into your life to increase life expectancy

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Taylor Wilderecently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about her return to wrestling and took some time to reflect on the opportunities afforded to womens wrestlers and how things are moving forward. The Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament will conclude this Saturday at Hard To Kill, and while we know both teams in the final match, Wildesaid she was also excited for the opportunity thatHavok and Nevaeh have with a potential title win.

Im excited to see Havok and Nevaeh. Nevaehs always been someone who has strengths in tag team wrestling and tag divisions havent really existed for women exclusively outside of IMPACT really, so its interesting to see the angle she takes because from what I know about her on the independents, [Nevaeh] and Havok are real talent enhancers and theyve really helped change the trajectory of womens wrestling on the independents. Im excited to see what they can do with up-and-comers and the staples of the company. I love seeing whats old is new again and whats new is old because its very reminiscent of when I was last there, Wilde explained, and the Knockouts had a very important role on the show. It feels like were getting closer and closer to where we were before the Hogan invasion. [laughs]

Wilde also added that the continued push and diversification of womens wrestling opens up more opportunities once talent steps out of the ring. Wilde pointed to how women used to be aged out of the ring in the past, but new roles and being introduced its an exciting prospect.

Itd be wonderful and it just adds to that diversification of the Knockouts and womens wrestling because thats what weve moved to. Were way out of the Divas era and these women have substance, characters, and adding diversification also adds to the longevity of a womens career whereas before, once you hit the 35-40 range, Wilde said, youre [at a new stage in life], you know, and its a really great time [now] for womens wrestling.

You have Madison Rayne and Renee Young, who have been doing the ringside commentary and the backstage interviews, as well as Gail Kim being an agent. All of these things are really new in the last 5-10 years, but its very inspirational and motivating for not only someone like myself, Wilde said, who is in their golden years as far as wrestling goes, but for all of the up-and-comers, their careers wont be stunted by the time they are 35 or 40. They have much more to look forward to.

Check out what Taylor has been up to onher podcast,Wilde On. Season 2 premieres on Wednesday with Trish Stratus as her first guest.

Read More: Yes, Nevaeh Is Heaven Spelled Backward, But Her Inspiration For It Is Heartwarming

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Taylor Wilde Is Inspired By Renee Young And Gail Kim, Says Diversification Adds Longevity To Womens Careers - Wrestlezone

Thats right, the new generation 500 cannot be bought with an internal combustion engine. Instead its been completely reinvented with new underpinnings and a new look. As an urban car, on paper, the 500 is the perfect model for electrification, so lets find out if it stacks up.

Pretty much everything except for the name is new. Its the first Fiat Chrysler Automobiles model to be built from the ground up as an electric vehicle, so its perhaps unsurprising that it has led with its most iconic car.

That makes it wider and longer than the outgoing model, gets level-two autonomous driving features, a futuristic twist on the classic 500 styling, and two battery size choices with fast charging up to 85kW. Its also offered as both a hatchback and convertible.

Whats under the bonnet?

The powertrain is impressively compact to maximise space in the cabin. Under the bonnet, where an engine would typically live, is a power electronic bay, which incorporates various aspects of the powertrain such as the charger module and power inverter. Beneath it sits the electric drive module, which has the motor and differential. Its output is 115bhp (or 94bhp on the smaller battery version) and 220Nm of torque.

Beneath the cabin sits the battery pack, which is available in 42kWh or 23.7kWh capacities, providing up to 199 and 115 miles of range respectively. The smaller battery can charge at a maximum rate of 50kW, which takes 30 minutes to get to 80% of charge, while the larger one can take up to 85kW, which takes 35 minutes to reach 80%.

Whats it like to drive?

In previous generations, the 500s trump card has always been its style, and while it hasnt been bad to drive, its far from class leading. However, the new 500 feels like a massive step up. Electric powertrains suit city cars down to the ground and this Fiat is no different.

The electric motor doesnt quite have the immediate kick of acceleration of some EVs, but its much more sprightly than a petrol car when driving around town. Its comfortable, too, without suffering from the overly harsh ride some rivals struggle with.

The 500 could have been the worst car ever made and it would still sell by the boatload because Fiat absolutely nailed the retro-modern styling. This new model has seen the most dramatic change yet, because although its unmistakably a 500, its got an ultra-modern edge that would be well-suited to a concept car.

Despite being larger now, its retained the charming dinky proportions we know and love. It has a solid front grille with a prominent 500 logo that should be tacky but has been implemented in a classy way, while the ring light around the oval headlights is a simple, modern yet characterful touch.

Again, the interior feels like its moved up a level. This is partly because the starting price is higher, as is the case with all EVs, so they tend to get more premium materials and style to help justify it. However, while the Fiat doesnt necessarily feel more premium, gone is the clunky, fussy interior of old and in its place is a sleek minimalist dashboard.

It has a simplified oval instrument binnacle design, which is about the only similarity with its predecessor. Now, the centre console is simply a prominent screen on the dashboard where most features are controlled from, as well as a few physical buttons below for the air conditioning and gear selection.

Prices start at 22,495 for the hatchback. There are four trim levels on the hatchback, while the drop-top goes without the entry-level Action trim, which is only available with the smaller battery. Standard equipment includes rear parking sensors, 15-inch alloy wheels, halogen headlights, air conditioning and digital instruments. However, theres no infotainment screen you get a smartphone cradle instead.

Step up to Passion and you get the larger battery, cruise control, automatic air conditioning and a seven-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. After this, Icon models get a leather steering wheel, passive entry with a wearable key, 16-inch alloy wheels, and 10.25-inch infotainment screen with sat-nav.

Finally, the top-spec La Prima trim gets extensive extra equipment, including wireless phone charging, leather seats, 360-degree parking sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and a six-speaker sound system.

Reinventing the Fiat 500 was a big ask. But you have to say fair play to the Italians, because they have managed to find everything thats loved about the previous 500 and packaged it up in a modern-looking car with a future-proof electric powertrain.

Theres now more substance to the 500s style, because its great to drive, more spacious and has ultra-low running costs too. Its safe to say this city cars reign of success is likely to continue for a good while yet.

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First Drive: The Fiat 500 EV proves this supermini's unrivalled longevity - Jersey Evening Post

An analysis of a large nationally representative longitudinal study by University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science report that starting tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, before the age of 18 is a major risk factor for people becoming daily cigarette smokers.

Reporting in the January 11, 2021 online edition of Pediatrics, researchers found that in 2014 people age 12 to 24 who used e-cigarettes were three times as likely to become daily cigarette smokers in the future. Among those who reported using a tobacco product, daily use increased with age through age 28. Daily cigarette smoking nearly doubled between 18 to 21 year olds (12 percent) and 25 to 28 year olds (21 percent).

This is the first paper that actually looks at progression to dependent cigarette smoking among young adults. In these data, e-cigarettes are a gateway for those who become daily cigarette smokers, said the studys first author, John P. Pierce, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. The start product has changed from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, but the end product has stayed the same. When users become dependent on nicotine, they are converting to cigarette smoking.

Researchers used data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a longitudinal study of tobacco use and its effect on the health of people in the United States. The PATH Study, undertaken by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products under contract to Westat, enrolled a nationally representative sample of 12 to 24 year olds between in 2013 and 2014 and re-interviewed them annually for four years to explore progression to daily use among experimenters of 12 tobacco products.

In the first year, 45 percent of study participants reported using at least one tobacco product in their lifetime. By the fourth year, as participants aged, 62 percent reported some tobacco experimentation. Among those who have ever experimented with tobacco, 73 percent had tried cigarettes and 72 percent had tried e-cigarettes. Further, more than half tried hookahs and cigarillos. Traditional cigars, filtered cigars, smokeless products, pipes and snus were each tried by more than10 percent of study participants.

The analyses revealed that, by year four, 12 percent of participants were using tobacco products daily half of whom became daily users after the first year. Seventy percent of daily users smoked cigarettes and most of them (63 percent) used cigarettes exclusively. Of those who smoked cigarettes and used another tobacco product, half vaped e-cigarettes on a non-daily basis.

Among the 17 percent of daily users who were vaping every day, almost half were also non-daily cigarette smokers. Further follow-up will determine whether these young daily tobacco users continue to use both products or whether they settle on a single product, said Pierce.

What were seeing is that the proportion who are daily e-cigarette users did not increase with age. Whereas with cigarettes the number of users jumps up rapidly with age, said Pierce. This rapid increase with age only occurred with cigarettes, not with any other tobacco products.

Less than 1 percent of study participants who experimented with just one tobacco product progressed to daily cigarette smoking. People who had tried five or more products increased their risk of becoming daily cigarette smokers by 15 percentage points.

Trying e-cigarettes and multiple other tobacco products before the age of 18 is also strongly associated with becoming daily cigarette smoking, said senior author Karen Messer, Ph.D., professor at UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and director of biostatics at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

We know that e-cigarette use among high school seniors, most under the age of 18, increased from 38 percent in 2016 to 45 percent in 2019. These results suggest that recent rapid growth in adolescent e-cigarette use will lead to increased daily cigarette smoking among young adults in the United States, reversing decades of decline in cigarette smoking.

Co-authors include: Ruifeng Chen, Eric C. Leas, Martha M. White, Sheila Kealey, Matthew D. Stone, Tarik Benmarhnia, Dennis R. Trinidad and David R. Strong, all of UC San Diego.

This research was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health (1R01CA234539) and by the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program of the University of California Office of the President (28IR-0066).

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Youth using e-cigarettes 3 times as likely to become daily cigarette smokers - University of California

Older consumers are a benefit to the economy rather than a drain on resources, according to new research.

The over 50s will spend 63p in every 1 in the UK by 2040 rising from 54p in the 1 in 2018.

And the money is spent across the board rather than on specific goods and services,

However, think-tank the International Longevity Centre (ILC) believes the country could benefit even more if the government looked at lifting barriers to spending by older people.

The ILC reportMaximising the longevity dividendreveals spending by the over 50s has dominated the UK economy since 2013 and will rise over the coming decades, from 54% (319 billion) of total consumer spending in 2018 to 63% by 2040 (550 billion).

According to the report, lifting barriers to spending by the over 75s could add 2% (47 billion) to GDP a year by 2040 and supporting the over 50s to remain in the workforce could add an another 1.3% to GDP a year by 2040.

David Sinclair, Director of the ILC, said: As the population ages there are enormous economic opportunities, but these are currently being neglected.

There are enormous gains to be made by individual businesses and for the economy if we can unlock the spending and earning power of older adults.

But too many people face barriers to working and spending in later life issues like inaccessible high streets, poorly designed products, and age discriminatory attitudes require a serious response.

Weve become accustomed to hearing our ageing population talked about as a bad thing but the reality is it could be an opportunity.

However, we wont realise this longevity dividend through blind optimism about ageing. Instead, we need concerted action to tackle the barriers to spending and working in later life.

We need action to make sure our extra years are healthy years, we need accessible high streets and workplaces that are free from age discrimination and we need continued action to ensure that people have access to decent pensions in later life.

Realising the longevity dividend will require decisive action of the kind weve yet to see from either business or government. For all the talk of baby boomers dominating politics, weve yet to see a serious response to the opportunities and this needs to change.

Further related information and articles can be found following the links below

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Over 50s Spending Spree Boosts Economy By Billions - Money International

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Global Longevity Biotech Industry Market 2021 Insights Business Opportunities, Current Trends And Restraints Forecast 2027:Juvenescence, Unity...

Its ironic that people have never been this anxious and stressed in a world that has never seen so much comfort, technological, and medical advancement. As if the more artificial certainty we create for ourselves through medicine, perfectly coordinated schedules, and effortless processes thanks to technology, we have become more afraid of the uncertainty of life.

Acceptance of this uncertainty is the first step to easing stress and anxiety. After all, the unknown is such a massive part of our life whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. After that, we can try to ease stress and anxiety with other healthy habits. Reducing the amount of sugar and exercising more outside are two excellent ways of bringing more peace into our life.

There is another natural way to ease stress and anxiety a natural compound that has been around for thousands of years known as CBD.

Short for cannabinol, CBD is the second most predominant active ingredient in the cannabis plant. CBD is derived from the hemp plant, and as a result, it contains a low level of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The latter is a considerable component of marijuana it is the reason users become high. However, in hemp-derived CBD, the THC level is less than 0.3 percent, so users are at no risk of becoming high or overdosing.

This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed CBD a safe, natural compound. Its low THC content is also the reason countries such as the US have legalized CBD. Although research on this natural compound is limited, researchers have noted the significant potential CBD has for a list of chronic and mental health issues such as diabetes, depression, insomnia, PTSD, and more.

Thanks to its positive attributes, some of the worlds top CBD oil brands have made this natural compound more accessible and safer to buy, whether online or in a brick-and-mortar store. CBD oil is easy to ingest. You can take it sublingually by placing a drop under your tongue for it to be absorbed quickly, or you can add it to anything from your morning smoothie, coffee, cereal, or salad dressing.

Chemical imbalances in our brain and hormone imbalance in the body are the leading causes of stress and anxiety once we face stressful situations, whether they are real or imagined. Treating stress and anxiety with CBD is possible and safe. The following are three ways CBD oil can help.

For those who are chronically stressed and anxious, taking something that will make you feel you have lost control isnt a good idea. This is why anxious people who take marijuana do not enjoy the experience. Its because the high THC content and the mind-altering effects it brings makes them feel more anxious and paranoid.

This is not an issue with CBD. Since this natural compound causes no mind-altering effects, you will not experience more anxiety and stress caused by the fear of getting high and losing control. Researchers have noted no harmful side effects of CBD, and unlike some medications, it is gentle on the organs. The only known side effects some CBD users have experienced include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Cortisol is a critical hormone that helps us determine whether we fight or flight during an emergency. But when you suffer from chronic stress and cortisol is released continuously in the body, it leads to adverse effects. High levels of cortisol lead to a weak immune system, weight gain, and chronic fatigue. All of these factors can cause more stress.

CBD can help ease stress by balancing cortisol levels in the body. When you take CBD oil, the cannabinoids interact with the receptors running through the body. Although researchers have yet to understand how CBD interacts with the receptors, they know that it can signal to them and trigger change. Here, the change comes as more balanced cortisol levels in the body.

CBD can also trigger the release of more serotonin and GABA in the mind and body. Serotonin is a critical neurotransmitter that infuses us with the sense of well-being we need to feel less anxious. Located in the brain region, GABA helps ease anxiety by signaling to the body to be more relaxed. In both cases, CBD can interact with the receptors to trigger changes and encourage the body to increase serotonin and GABA levels.

Stress and anxiety are part of life, but they do not need to rule our days. Healthily dealing with them is better than avoiding these negative traits, as we would be allowing them to become worse. When you feel overwhelmed, it is best to turn to someone you can trust. They will remind you that although you may feel like it, you are not alone. You can get through this.

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3 Benefits Of CBD Oil To Manage Anxiety And Stress - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE