New screen offers hope for copper deficiency sufferers - Science Daily, 8/17/10 - "Copper deficiency diseases can be devastating. Symptoms can range from crippling neurological degeneration in Menkes disease -- a classic copper deficiency disease -- to brittle bones, anaemia and defective skin pigmentation in gastric bypass patients"

Marriage and committed romance reduce stress-related hormone production - Science Daily, 8/17/10 - "We found that unpaired individuals of both sexes had higher cortisol levels than married individuals"

B vitamins and the aging brain examined - Science Daily, 8/17/10 - "An analysis of volunteers' blood samples showed that lower levels of one B vitamin, folate, were associated with symptoms of dementia and poor brain function, also called "cognitive decline," ... In women, but not men, low levels of folate were associated with symptoms of depression. In fact, female volunteers whose plasma folate levels were in the lowest third were more than twice as likely to have symptoms of depression as volunteers in the highest third ... In research with vitamin B-12, the SALSA team determined that a protein known as holoTC, short for holotranscobalamin, might be key to a new approach for detecting cognitive decline earlier and more accurately"

Vitamin D may treat or prevent allergy to common mold - Science Daily, 8/16/10 - "The environmental mold, Aspergillus fumigatus, is one of the most prevalent fungal organisms inhaled by people. In the vast majority, it is not associated with disease. However, in asthmatics and in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), it can cause significant allergic symptoms. Up to 15% of CF patients develop a severe allergic response called Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) ... adding vitamin D not only substantially reduced the production of the protein driving an allergic response, but it also increased production of the proteins that promote tolerance" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Green tea extract appears to keep cancer in check in majority of CLL patients - Science Daily, 6/4/10 - "the blood lymphocyte (leukemia cell) count was reduced in one-third of participants, and that the majority of patients who entered the study with enlarged lymph nodes due to involvement by CLL saw a 50 percent or greater reduction in their lymph node size ... 31 percent of patients had a 20 percent or greater sustained reduction in blood leukemia count, and 69 percent of patients with enlarged lymph nodes saw a reduction of node size of 50 percent or greater" - It says 6/4/10 but it just showed up.  I think it's a misprint.  See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Trusting people make better lie detectors - Science Daily, 8/13/10 - "People high in trust were more accurate at detecting the liars -- the more people showed trust in others, the more able they were to distinguish a lie from the truth. The more faith in their fellow humans they had, the more they wanted to hire the honest interviewees and to avoid the lying ones. Contrary to the stereotype, people who were low in trust were more willing to hire liars and they were also less likely to be aware that they were liars ... Although people seem to believe that low trusters are better lie detectors and less gullible than high trusters, these results suggest that the reverse is true ... Contrary to the stereotype, people who were low in trust were more willing to hire liars and they were also less likely to be aware that they were liars ... High trusters were better lie detectors than were low trusters; they also formed more appropriate impressions and hiring intentions" - Not related to anti-aging but an interesting psychology issue.

More support for vitamin D’s colorectal protection - Nutra USA, 8/12/10 - "In people using NSAIDs, the potential risk reduction of higher vitamin D levels was increased to 66 per cent" - [Abstract] - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Lonza’s L-carnitine may boost exercise recovery: Study - Nutra USA, 8/12/10 - "Blood samples showed that L-carnitine supplementation significantly improved a range of biochemical markers, including purine metabolism, free radical formation, and muscle tissue disruption ... The l-carnitine l-tartrate supplementation therefore reduced both myoglobin and creatine kinase concentrations, providing additional evidence that LCLT reduces post-exercise muscle disruption ... Such findings support the additional findings that l-carnitine l-tartrate significantly reduced muscle soreness immediately after the exercise workout and at 24 and 48 hours postexercise when compared with the placebo condition" - [Abstract] - See GPLC at Amazon.com.

Elevated heart rate over time linked to significant risk of death - Science Daily, 8/12/10 - "development of a heart rate of 84 beats per minute or greater that either developed or persisted in patients during the study's average five-year time span was linked to a 55 percent greater risk of cardiovascular death and a 79 percent greater risk of death from all causes ... A healthy heart rate is between 60 and 80 beats per minute ... every extra 10 beats per minute higher than a normal resting pulse was associated with a 16 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 25 percent greater risk of all-cause death ... To date, no medication has been approved in the United States that can reduce heart rate without side effects, although a drug (ivabradine) is being tested"

Pomegranate compounds show skin health potential - Nutra USA, 8/10/10 - "ellagic acid may prevent the degradation of collagen in human skin cells, which would maintain skin structure and slow the formation of wrinkles ... Topical or dietary interventions with berries and pomegranate rich in ellagic acid and ellagitannins are promising strategies in curtailing skin wrinkling and cutaneous inflammation associated with chronic UV exposure leading to photoageing" - [Abstract] - See pomegranate at Amazon.com.

Astaxanthin’s heart benefits get human data support - Nutra USA, 8/9/10 - "Daily supplements of the carotenoid astaxanthin may improve HDL ‘good’ cholesterol levels in people with mildly abnormal blood lipid levels ... participants receiving the two highest doses experienced significant reductions in their triglyceride levels, of 25 and 24 percent, respectively, compared to baseline. Furthermore, people receiving 6 or 12 mg per day experienced significant increases in their HDL-cholesterol levels of 10 and 15 percent, respectively ... Additionally, adiponectin levels increased in the two highest dose groups, with increases over 20 percent in the 12 mg per day group, and between 15 and 20 percent in the 18 percent group" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL, Mixed Carotenoid Complex at Amazon.comor astaxanthin products at iHerb.

T3 affects expression of collagen I and collagen cross-linking in bone cell cultures - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Aug 10 - "T3 increased mRNA expressions of procollagen-lysine-1,2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 (Plod2) and of lysyloxidase (Lox), both genes involved in post-translational modification of collagen. Moreover, it stimulated mRNA expression of BMP-1, the processing enzyme of the lysyloxidase-precursor and of procollagen. An increase in the collagen cross-link-ratio Pyr/deDHLNL indicates, that T3 modulated cross-link maturation in the MC3T3-E1 culture system. These results demonstrate that T3 directly regulates collagen synthesis and collagen cross-linking by up-regulating gene expression of the specific cross-link related enzymes, and underlines the importance of a well-balanced concentration of thyroid hormones for maintenance of bone quality" - See T3 at International Anti-aging Systems.

The effects of vitamin C supplementation on incident and progressive knee osteoarthritis: a longitudinal study - Public Health Nutr. 2010 Aug 16:1-7 - "In the present prospective cohort study, we found no evidence to support a protective role of vitamin C in the progression of knee OA. However, after controlling for confounding variables, these data suggest that vitamin C supplementation may indeed be beneficial in preventing incident knee OA. Given the massive public health burden of OA, the use of a simple, widely available and inexpensive supplement to potentially reduce the impact of this disease merits further consideration"

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids early supplementation improves ultrasound indices of endothelial function, but not through NO inhibitors in patients with acute myocardial infarction N-3 PUFA supplementation in acute myocardial infarction - Clin Nutr. 2010 Aug 11 - "the study group (group P; n = 20; standard therapy + n-3 PUFA 1g daily) or the control group (group C; n = 20; standard therapy) ... There was a significant difference between both groups in mean delta (baseline/after one month) FMD (P: 8.1 +/- 12.6% vs C: -2.2 +/- 11.8%; p = 0.02) with no difference in mean delta NMD (P: 3.3 +/- 11.9% vs 0.66 +/- 14.3%; p = 0.53). We found also a significant increase in mean FMD (7.4 +/- 6.4 to 15.5 +/- 10.5%; p = 0.02) with a nonsignificant change in mean NMD values (26.9 +/- 12.1 to 30.2 +/- 14.0%; p = 0.24) after 1-month therapy with n-3 PUFA. FMD and NMD mean values did not change in control patients (FMD: 11.6 +/- 6.1% to 9.4 +/- 8.0%; p = 0.5 NMD: 25.1 +/- 11.4% to 25.8 +/- 14.0%; p = 0.84). The comparison of mean delta ADMA values for both groups revealed no differences (P: 6.2 +/- 9.7 mumol/l vs C: 3.6 +/- 9.5 mumol/l; p = 0.43). Mean serum ADMA concentrations were significantly increased after 1-month therapy in the group P (P: 2.1 +/- 1.8 to 8.3 +/- 9.7 mumol/l; p = 0.001; C: 4.5 +/- 7.1 to 8.1 +/- 9.5 mumol/l; p = 0.09). However, there was a nonsignificant difference in mean baseline serum ADMA levels between both groups (P: 2.1 +/- 1.8 mumol/l vs C: 4.5 +/- 7.1 mumol/l; p = 0.32). There were no significant correlations between FMD, NMD, ADMA levels and demographic, clinical or biochemical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Early and short-term n-3 PUFA supplementation improved ultrasound indices of endothelial function without affecting serum ADMA levels in patients with AMI and successful primary PCI" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation Confers Long-Term Neuroprotection Against Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury Through Anti-Inflammatory Actions - Stroke. 2010 Aug 12 - "neonatal hypoxia/ischemia (H/I) ... : Female rats were treated with or without an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids-enriched diet from the second day of pregnancy until 14 days after parturition ... Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation significantly reduced brain damage and improved long-term neurological outcomes up to 5 weeks after neonatal H/I injury. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids exerted an anti-inflammatory effect in microglia both in an in vivo model of H/I and in in vitro microglial cultures subjected to inflammatory stimuli by inhibiting NF-kappaB activation and subsequent release of inflammatory mediators. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids confer potent neuroprotection against neonatal H/I brain injury through, at least partially, suppressing a microglial-mediated inflammatory response" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Cabergoline monotherapy in the long-term treatment of Cushing's disease - Eur J Endocrinol. 2010 Aug 11 - "Within 3-6 months, complete response was achieved in 11 patients (36.6%) and partial response in 4 (13.3%). After longer term therapy, 9 patients (30%) remain with a complete response after a mean of 37 months (range from 12-60 months) with a mean dose of 2.1 mg/wk of cabergoline. Two patients escaped after 2 and 5 years of complete response, but one transiently renormalized UFC after an increase in cabergoline dosage. No long-term response was maintained in 4 initial partial responders. Conclusions: Cabergoline monotherapy can provide an effective long-term medical therapy for selected patients with CD, but requires close follow-up for dose adjustments"

Luteolin Inhibits Microglia and Alters Hippocampal-Dependent Spatial Working Memory in Aged Mice - J Nutr. 2010 Aug 4 - "Taken together, the current findings suggest dietary luteolin enhanced spatial working memory by mitigating microglial-associated inflammation in the hippocampus. Therefore, luteolin consumption may be beneficial in preventing or treating conditions involving increased microglial cell activity and inflammation" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL, Mixed Carotenoid Complex at Amazon.com.

Adherence to an (n-3) Fatty Acid/Fish Intake Pattern Is Inversely Associated with Metabolic Syndrome among Puerto Rican Adults in the Greater Boston Area - J Nutr. 2010 Aug 11 - "The (n-3) fatty acid/fish factor was associated with a lower likelihood of metabolic syndrome (Q5 vs. Q1: odds ratio: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.86)"

Dietary Antioxidant and Mineral Intake in Humans Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma but Not Reflux Esophagitis or Barrett' Esophagus - J Nutr. 2010 Aug 11 - "We found that overall antioxidant index, a measure of the combined intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, total carotenoids, and selenium, was associated with a reduced risk of EAC [odds ratio (OR) = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.33-0.98], but not BE (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.53-1.71) or RE (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 0.86-2.98), for those in the highest compared with lowest category of intake. Those in the highest category of vitamin C intake had a lower risk of EAC (OR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.21-0.66; P-trend = 0.001) and RE (OR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.24-0.90; P-trend = 0.03) compared with those in the lowest category. Vitamin C intake was not associated with BE, and intake of vitamin E, total carotenoids, zinc, copper, or selenium was not associated with EAC, BE, or RE. In conclusion, the overall antioxidant index was associated with a reduced risk of EAC. Higher dietary intake of vitamin C was associated with a reduced risk of EAC and RE. These results suggest that antioxidants may play a role in the pathogenesis of RE and EAC and may be more important in terms of progression rather than initiation of the disease process"

Administration of natural astaxanthin increases serum HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin in subjects with mild hyperlipidemia - Atherosclerosis. 2010 Apr;209(2):520-3 - "Multiple comparison tests showed that 12 and 18 mg/day doses significantly reduced triglyceride, and 6 and 12 mg doses significantly increased HDL-cholesterol. Serum adiponectin was increased by astaxanthin (12 and 18 mg/day), and changes of adiponectin correlated positively with HDL-cholesterol changes independent of age and BMI" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL, Mixed Carotenoid Complex at Amazon.comor astaxanthin products at iHerb.

The Use of Probiotics in Healthy Volunteers With Evacuation Disorders and Hard Stools: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study/a> - J Clin Gastroenterol. 2010 Aug 6 - "Subjects treated with the mixed probiotic strains L. plantarum LP01 and B. breve BR03 or B. animalis subsp. lactis BS01 reported a significant improvement in the number of weekly bowel movements and in the main troubles associated with evacuations, particularly consistency of feces and ease of expulsion. Discomfort items such as abdominal bloating and anal itching, burning, or pain also registered a relevant improvement in the active groups receiving probiotics" - See probiotics at Amazon.com.

Blood 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Concentrations and Incident Sporadic Colorectal Adenoma Risk: A Pooled Case-Control Study - Am J Epidemiol. 2010 Jul 22 - "In the pooled analysis, higher circulating 25(OH)D(3) concentrations were statistically significantly associated with decreased colorectal adenoma risk (highest vs. lowest quartile odds ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.41, 0.84). The observed inverse association was stronger among participants who used nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs regularly (highest vs. lowest quartile odds ratio = 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.19, 0.56). Inverse associations between 25(OH)D(3) and colorectal adenoma did not differ substantially by other risk factors or by adenoma characteristics. These findings support the hypothesis that greater vitamin D exposure may reduce the risk of colorectal adenoma and suggest that it may do so more strongly in combination with antiinflammatory agents" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

l-Carnitine l-artrate supplementation favorably affects biochemical markers of recovery from physical exertion in middle-aged men and women - Metabolism. 2010 Aug;59(8):1190-9 - "Two grams of l-carnitine supplementation had positive effects and significantly (P < or = .05) attenuated biochemical markers of purine metabolism (ie, hypoxanthine, xanthine oxidase), free radical formation (malondialdehyde), muscle tissue disruption (myoglobin, creatine kinase), and muscle soreness after physical exertion. However, markers of physical performance (ie, strength, power, get up and go) were not affected by supplementation. These findings support our previous findings of l-carnitine in younger people that such supplementation can reduce chemical damage to tissues after exercise and optimize the processes of muscle tissue repair and remodeling" - See l-carnitine at Amazon.com.

Dietary compound ellagic acid alleviates skin wrinkle and inflammation induced by UV-B irradiation - Exp Dermatol. 2010 Aug;19(8):e182-90 - "Ellagic acid, a polyphenol compound present in berries and pomegranate, has received attention as an agent that may have potential bioactivities preventing chronic diseases ... These results demonstrate that ellagic acid prevented collagen destruction and inflammatory responses caused by UV-B. Therefore, dietary and pharmacological interventions with berries rich in ellagic acid may be promising treatment strategies interrupting skin wrinkle and inflammation associated with chronic UV exposure leading to photoageing" - See pomegranate at Amazon.com.

Vitamin D status and measures of cognitive function in healthy older European adults - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Aug 11 - "Serum 25(OH)D was significantly and inversely correlated with four assessments within the spatial working memory (SWM) test parameter (SWM between errors (r=-0.166; P=0.003); SWM between errors 8 boxes (r=-0.134; P=0.038); SWM strategy (r=-0.246; P<0.0001); and SWM total errors (r=-0.174; P<0.003)). When subjects were stratified on the basis of tertiles (T) of serum 25(OH)D (<47.6 (T(1)); 47.6-85.8 (T(2)); and >85.8 (T(3)) nmol/l), fewer errors in SWM test scores occurred in subjects in the third T when compared with the first T (P<0.05-0.084). Stratification by sex showed that these differences between tertiles strengthened (P<0.001-0.043) in the females, but the differences were not significant (P>0.6) in males. Conclusions: Vitamin D insufficiency, but not deficiency, is widespread in the older population of several European countries. Low vitamin D status was associated with a reduced capacity for SWM, particularly in women" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

• Many Americans are still clueless on how to save energy - Science Daily, 8/17/10 - "The largest group, nearly 20 percent, cited turning off lights as the best approach -- an action that affects energy budgets relatively little. Very few cited buying decisions that experts say would cut U.S. energy consumption dramatically, such as more efficient cars (cited by only 2.8 percent), more efficient appliances (cited by 3.2 percent) or weatherizing homes (cited by 2.1 percent)"
• Logitech USB Desktop Microphone (Black/Silver) - I bought one of these.  4.5 stars with over 300 reviews for a $20 computer microphone is a good deal.