Recent Longevity News for the week ending 2/16/22

YouTube disclaimer: There's a lot of BS on YouTube but that's where the money is. I lose money every month with my website while I see the YouTubers making six figures putting out information that's inaccurate and/or outright bogus. Like the chiropractor or the elderly male Ph.D. nurse with dementia from England who puts out misinformation like promoting ivermectin and gets a million views with a couple days. An example is his recent video implying that vaccines aren't that effective and we should go with natural immunity. I don't agree with everything Dr. Stanfield says such as taking finasteride and estrogen (I think he saw what happened to Opie Taylor on Andy Griffith) but he's one of the better ones. Look at the number of views (Stanfield doesn't get that many). The more views, it seems like the more inaccurate the information is. Just like politics. They feed on peoples' ignorance for money and/or power while throwing America under the bus. An honest politician would never get to first base. There’s an up and coming new doctor pushing things like ivermectin that’s also doing well. Shameful. See Freedom of misinformation: Dr. John Campbell's misuse and manipulation of Covid-19 deaths - "As a (retired) physician with both clinical and medical microbiology training I thought you did a great job not only explaining in one of your other videos the papers that Campbell misinterpreted".

According to Wikipedia, Dr. Campbell is 63 or 64 years old. He looks like he's 85. Whatever he's doing isn't working. Recently he's been interviewing people who got sick from the Covid vaccine. Why doesn't he interview the people who lost loved ones because of people who did not get the vaccine and that number is exponentially higher? He's up there with the Joe Rogan's of the world that made their name by feeding on peoples' ignorance at the cost of peoples' lives. The guy is pure evil plus he's senile yet he's a social media darling. What's become of the world? Why do people go gaga over this clown?

I actually know people who use the argument that they know someone that got the vaccine and still contracted Covid so why should they get the vaccine. I don’t doubt that that’s true but the chances of dying for Covid are 80 to 100 times higher if you’re not vaccinated compared to being fully vaccinated, including the booster. There’s also transmission. If a fully vaccinated person does contract Covid, chances are that person will have a lower odds of transmission plus if they do transmit it, chances are the person who receives it will not get as sick. It has to do with viral load. A simple way to explain viral load is that if a person receives just one Covid virus cell, for the most part your immune system will be able to keep up with fighting it. If you receive millions of Covid virus cells at one time, there’s the opposite effect. Dr. John Campbell should be explaining that, not feeding on peoples’ ignorance and getting people killed in the process.

I’m a Republican that’s been doing write-ins for the last six years, but Fox News is another example of how lies and distortions will get you to the top. He’s some examples: How Murdoch’s Fox News allowed Trump's propaganda to destabilize democracy ...Fox and the Big Lie: Trump returns to campaign trail amid 'stolen election' lawsuits ...  Fox & Fiends

“I can’t teach anyone anything, I can only make them think” – Socrates. People these days aren’t thinking. They’re the zombie audience in the 1984 Apple commercial. I'm sure my comments will bring my Amazon commission from $13 per month to $6 but that extra $7 lose per month will be worth it just to get it off my chest.

They say shy people can spot con-artists immediately because they have an uncanny ability to read faces which is the reason they're shy but here's my take on  why people can't see through the U.K. nurse:

• Why older adults become fraud victims more often - Science Daily, 12/3/12 - "an important clue may lie in a particular region of the brain that influences the ability to discern who is honest and who is trying to deceive us ... Older people, more than younger adults, may fail to interpret an untrustworthy face as potentially dishonest ... a brain region called the anterior insula, which is linked to disgust and is important for discerning untrustworthy faces, is less active in older adults"
• Low scam awareness in old age may be an early sign of impending cognitive decline and dementia - Science Daily, 4/15/19 - "Older adults frequently are targeted by con-artists and are highly vulnerable to scams and fraud, particularly those that are financial in nature. However, little is known about whether scam awareness predicts transitions from normality to mild cognitive impairment and dementia ... low scam awareness was a harbinger of adverse cognitive outcomes. Low scam awareness was also associated with Alzheimer disease pathology in the brain. According to the researchers, these findings suggest that low scam awareness is an early sign of impending mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Further, they conclude that evaluation of behaviors such as scam awareness may help to identify individuals at risk for dementia before cognitive symptoms manifest."

The following graph is from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/briefing/boosters-cdc-covid-effectiveness.html. So simple that even a Dr. Campbell cult member and/or anti-vaxxer might understand it. I'm just tired of hearing the argument: "Oh, I know someone that got the vaccine and they still contracted Covid, so why get the vaccine" or that I'm judging people because their ignorance kills. They think their discomfort from the vaccine is more important than saving other peoples’ lives.

My LONGEVITY Predictions 2022 (full list) - Dr Brad Stanfield, YouTube

Booster Effectiveness Wanes After 4 Months, Study Shows - WebMD, 2/14/22 - "During the time when the Omicron variant dominated, the vaccines provided 87% effectiveness against emergency room visits and 91% effectiveness against hospitalizations two months after the booster, the study showed. Four months after the booster shot, effectiveness dropped to 66% against ER visits and 78% against hospitalizations"

Reusable plastic bottles release hundreds of chemicals - Science Daily, 2/11/22 - "Professor Christensen and fellow researcher Selina Tisler detected more than 400 different substances from the bottle plastic and over 3,500 substances derived from dishwasher soap. A large portion of these are unknown substances that the researchers have yet to identify. But even of the identified chemicals, the toxicity of at least 70 % remains unknown ... The most toxic substances that we identified actually came after the bottle had been in the dishwasher -- presumably because washing wears down the plastic and thereby increases leaching"

Calorie restriction trial reveals key factors in extending human health - Science Daily, 2/10/22 - "Because we know that chronic low-grade inflammation in humans is a major trigger of many chronic diseases and, therefore, has a negative effect on life span ... Here we're asking: What is calorie restriction doing to the immune and metabolic systems and if it is indeed beneficial, how can we harness the endogenous pathways that mimic its effects in humans? ... As we get older, we begin to feel the absence of new T cells because the ones we have left aren't great at fighting new pathogens ... That's one of the reasons why elderly people are at greater risk for illness ... They found that the thymus glands in participants with limited calorie intake had less fat and greater functional volume after two years of calorie restriction, meaning they were producing more T cells than they were at the start of the study. But participants who weren't restricting their calories had no change in functional volume ... They honed in on the gene for PLA2G7 -- or group VII A platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase -- which was one of the genes significantly inhibited following calorie restriction. PLA2G7 is a protein produced by immune cells known as macrophages ... These findings demonstrate that PLA2G7 is one of the drivers of the effects of calorie restriction ... Identifying these drivers helps us understand how the metabolic system and the immune system talk to each other, which can point us to potential targets that can improve immune function, reduce inflammation, and potentially even enhance healthy lifespan ... it might be possible to manipulate PLA2G7 and get the benefits of calorie restriction without having to actually restrict calories"

How does cannabis use affect brain health? Caution advised, more research needed - AHA, 2/10/22 - "Animal studies indicate that marijuana’s psychoactive component, THC, may lead to behavioral and cognitive abnormalities"

How Best to Fight Hair Loss in Men - WebMD, 2/10/22 - "The top-ranking treatment was dutasteride (Avodart) capsules, at a dose of 0.5 milligrams a day. On average, it produced the biggest increase in total hair count after six months of use. That means men who use it can expect more hair to crop up where there was none, though that includes smaller, "peach fuzz" hairs"

Gum Disease Linked to Colorectal Cancer: COLDENT Study - Medscape, 2/10/22 - "Periodontal disease (PD) ... The rate of new CRC diagnoses among individuals in the study who had a history of PD was nearly 50% higher than in those with no such history"

• How to Prevent or Get Rid of Gum Disease Naturally - Erskine Family Dentistry - "Xylitol is anti-bacterial and will help to make the harmful bacteria disappear and over time the pockets that you've developed in your gum line will heal and recede back to their normal condition"

Chewing Xylitol Gum May Modestly Reduce Preterm Birth - Medscape, 2/4/22 - "Aagaard's team decided to test the effectiveness of xylitol – a natural prebiotic found in fruits, vegetables, and bran – because harmful oral bacteria cannot metabolize the substance, and regular use of xylitol reduces the number of harmful mouth bacteria while increasing the number of good microbes in the mouth. In addition, a study in 2006 found that children up to 4 years old had fewer cavities and ear infections when their mothers chewed gum containing xylitol and other compounds. Aagaard noted that gums without xylitol do not appear to produce the same improvements in oral health ... Of the 4,349 women who chewed xylitol gum, 12.6% gave birth before 37 weeks, compared with 16.5% preterm births among the 5,321 women in the control group – a 24% reduction" - Note: In recipes requiring table sugar such as pumpkin pie, I've been replacing the sugar with a third inulin, a third xylitol and a third trehalose. The xylitol is a larger grain. I make the pie mix in a blend which refines it. See xylitol gum at Amazon.com.

• Effects of xylitol on metabolic parameters and visceral fat accumulation J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2011 Jul - "After the 8-week feeding period, visceral fat mass and plasma insulin and lipid concentrations were significantly lower in xylitol-fed rats ... In conclusion, intake of xylitol may be beneficial in preventing the development of obesity and metabolic abnormalities in rats with diet-induced obesity"
• Effects of lifelong intervention with an oligofructose-enriched inulin in rats on general health and lifespan - Br J Nutr. 2008 Apr 11;:1-8 - "a diet with 10 % of an oligofructose-enriched inulin (Synergy1) ... During the whole intervention period, male rats receiving Synergy1 (SYN1-M) displayed lower body weight, cholesterol and plasma triacylglycerolaemia compared with the controls (Cont-M). The survival rate at 24 months of age of SYN1-M rats was 35.3 % greater than that of Cont-M rats. In female rats, the Synergy1 supplementation (SYN1-F) group also reduced body weight, cholesterol and triacylglycerolaemia levels, but results were less consistent over the experiment. The survival rate at 24 months of age in SYN1-F rats was 33.3 % greater compared with that of the control (Cont-F) group. To conclude, lifelong intervention with Synergy1 improved biological markers during ageing and survival rate (lifespan) of rats"
• Natural sugar may treat fatty liver disease - Science Daily, 2/23/16 - "a natural sugar called trehalose prevents the sugar fructose -- thought to be a major contributor to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease -- from entering the liver and triggers a cellular housekeeping process that cleans up excess fat buildup inside liver cells ... In general, if you feed a mouse a high-sugar diet, it gets a fatty liver ... We found that if you feed a mouse a diet high in fructose plus provide drinking water that contains three percent trehalose, you completely block the development of a fatty liver. Those mice also had lower body weights at the end of the study and lower levels of circulating cholesterol, fatty acids and triglycerides ... Trehalose is a natural sugar found in plants and insects ... We know the mice that received drinking water with three percent trehalose lost weight, and we suspect that weight loss was due to loss of fat, but we can't be certain that's the only effect"

Dairy a Risk Factor for Parkinson's? - Medscape, 2/9/22 - "The approach uncovered a significant association between rs4988235 and Parkinson's disease, with a 70% increase in disease risk per one serving of dairy per day (odds ratio, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-2.60; P = .013). Further analysis revealed that this finding was driven by men, who had a 2.5-fold increased risk of Parkinson's disease per one serving per day (OR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.37-4.56; P = .003) versus women, among whom there was no significant association (OR, 1.04 ... From a clinical point of view, I suggest to limit dairy intake to a moderate amount" -

SGLT2 in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Lowers Risk of Gout - Medscape, 2/8/22 - "During a median 5.6-year follow-up, treatment with an SGLT2 inhibitor was associated with a 54% (P < .0001) lower rate of incident gout and a 62% (P < .0001) lower rate of all-cause mortality compared with DDP4 inhibitors in propensity-score matched groups in a multivariable Cox analysis, after adjustment for significant demographics, past comorbidities, other drug use, and subclinical biomarkers" -  See empagliflozin at ihouseepharmacy (no affiliation).

Chronic Marijuana Use Linked to Recurrent Stroke - Medscape, 2/8/22 - "cannabis use disorder (CUD) ... patients with CUD were 48% more likely to be hospitalized for recurrent stroke than those without CUD"

Marijuana Use Linked to Nausea, Vomiting of Pregnancy - Medscape, 2/7/22 - "Overall, 15.8% of participants reported moderate to severe nausea and 38.2% reported mild nausea. A total of 5.8% of participants tested positive for marijuana use based on THC levels in urine. Those with incrementally higher levels of THC, at least 500 ng/mg of creatinine, were 1.6 times more likely to report moderate to severe nausea"

Pre-infection deficiency of vitamin D is associated with increased disease severity and mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients - Science Daily, 2/6/22 - "Patients with vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/mL) were 14 times more likely to have severe or critical case of COVID than those with more than 40 ng/mL ... Strikingly, mortality among patients with sufficient vitamin D levels was 2.3%, in contrast to 25.6% in the vitamin D deficient group" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Study shows life-saving benefit of baricitinib for ventilated COVID patients - Science Daily, 2/7/22 - "Critically ill COVID-19 patients on a mechanical ventilator or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) lived more often when randomized to receive baricitinib. Doctors call this drug 'bari,' and receiving the pill once a day for up to 14 days yielded one of the largest a survival advantages seen yet in the COVID pandemic ... At 60 days, 62% of patients given placebo had died versus only 45% of those receiving bari ... Baricitinib is an oral, selective Janus kinase (JAK) 1,2 inhibitor used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis"

Ivermectin: New study didn't, in fact, find it was effective against omicron - CNET, 10/6/21 - "An Iraq study saw a quicker recovery time with using ivermectin, but the test was done on only 70 patients. In a small double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial in Israel with a group of 89 patients, those taking ivermectin saw lower viral loads than those who didn't receive the drug ... There are also studies that show otherwise. A clinical trial of 476 patients found ivermectin didn't improve the recovery time in patients who had COVID-19. A review of 10 random clinical trials, with more than 1,000 participants, also didn't find improvements with ivermectin. One Egyptian study claimed to show positive results, but it's since been redacted over ethical concerns. Another study, of 1,500 patients, found that ivermectin had "no effect whatsoever."" - Note: My philosophy over the years has always been to eyeball the average of all the studies. Ivermectin doesn't pass that parameter. There's a lot of everyday common supplements that show more promise. I don't get the intrigue. It just seems like some people think if the governments for it, you have to do the opposite because it's all a government conspiracy.

Efficacy and Safety of a Hyaluronic Acid–Containing Cream in the Treatment of Chronic, Venous, or Mixed-Origin Leg Ulcers - Medscape, 2/4/22 - "Treatment of subjects with chronic leg ulcers of venous or mixed origin with HA cream is safe, well tolerated, and results in a higher rate of healing than a neutral comparator cream" - See hyaluronic acid cream at Amazon.com.

Lockdowns Prevent Only .2% of COVID Deaths: Study - Medscape, 2/4/22 - "The study was written by economists, not epidemiologists, and was based on a review of 34 other studies published by July 1, 2020, during the early part of the global pandemic. They looked at mortality rates but didn't consider how lockdowns might have affected the number of infections or virus-related hospitalizations. They also didn't use studies that forecast deaths ... Mask mandates were not factored in because they found only one study on universal mask mandates done at that time ... The findings conflict with previous studies that found lockdowns worked ... One published in July 2020 in the British journal BMJ, for example, found that lockdowns helped reduce the number of COVID-19 cases ... And a May 2020 study out of Columbia University found nearly that 36,000 American lives would have been spared if strict social distancing measures had been enacted across the country just 1 week earlier than they were"

How long-term cannabis use can damage lungs - Science Daily, 2/3/22 - "prolonged cannabis use led to over-inflated lungs and increased the resistance to airflow to a greater extent than tobacco ... cannabis use may also impair the ability of the lungs to extract oxygen from the breath. This is a known consequence of smoking tobacco, but has not been demonstrated with cannabis until now ... Respiratory doctors recognise that some patients who smoke a lot of cannabis have a distinct form of lung damage -- a very severe form of emphysema that is sometimes called bong lung -- but little is actually known about this condition ... The latest findings that heavy cannabis use leads to over-inflated lungs, increased airway resistance and impaired oxygen extraction may reflect the early signs of this disease"

Men With Sex Addiction Have Overload of 'Love Hormone' Oxytocin - Medscape, 2/3/22 - "Oxytocin, secreted by the pituitary gland, is known to play a role in sexual behavior, but has not been examined in HD men, the researchers said. At baseline, the mean plasma oxytocin was 31.0 pM in the HD patients, which was significantly higher than the mean 16.9 pM in healthy controls (P < .001). However, the 30 HD men who underwent CBT showed significant improvement in oxytocin levels, from a mean pretreatment level of 30.5 to a mean posttreatment level of 20.2 pM"

Greater body fat a risk factor for reduced thinking and memory ability - Science Daily, 2/1/22 - "strategies to prevent or reduce having too much body fat may preserve cognitive function"

How Low Testosterone Affects Your ‘New Year, New Me’ Goals - WebMD, 2/1/22 - "Low T also plays a role in lowering your body’s metabolism ... Testosterone makes it easier for you to put on muscle when you exercise ... so just by having muscle, you burn more calories and your baseline metabolism goes up"

Abstracts from this week:

Lycopene Supplementation and Blood Pressure: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized trials - J Herbal Med, Feb 22 - "lycopene supplementation significantly decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) (weighted mean differences (WMD): − 2.63 mmHg; 95% CI: − 5.17, − 0.09; P = 0.042). Greater effects on SBP were observed in subjects with a baseline SBP≥ 130 mmHg, at the lycopene dosages of ≥ 15 mg, duration≥ 8 weeks, and in hypertensive subjects. The changes observed in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (WMD: −1.02 mmHg; 95% CI: −2.51, 0.46; P = 0.179) were not statistically significant. However, subgroup analysis showed that DBP decreased significantly in studies that enrolled hypertensive subjects or with elevated DBP (>80 mmHg). Lycopene supplementation reduced SBP in non-linear fashion based on dosage" - [Nutra USA] - See lycopene at Amazon.com.

Intake of Flavonoids and Flavonoid-Rich Foods, and Mortality Risk Among Individuals With Parkinson Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study - Neurology 2022 Jan 26 - "Although flavonoids have the potential to exert neuroprotective benefits, evidence of their role in improving survival rates among individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) remains lacking. We aimed to prospectively study the association between pre- and post-diagnosis flavonoid intakes and risk of mortality among individuals with PD identified from two large ongoing cohorts of US men and women ... Among individuals with PD, higher consumption of flavonoids, especially anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols, and flavonoid-rich food such as berries and red wine, was likely to be associated with a lower risk of mortality" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com.

Dietary blueberry ameliorates vascular complications in diabetic mice possibly through NOX4 and modulates composition and functional diversity of gut microbes - Mol Nutr Food Res 2022 Feb 4 - "Dietary blueberry suppresses vascular inflammation, attenuates arterial endothelial dysfunction and supports the growth of commensal microbes in diabetic mice. The endothelial specific vascular benefits of blueberries are mediated through NOX4 signaling" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com.

Metformin alleviates the depression-like behaviors of elderly apoE4 mice via improving glucose metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis - Behav Brain Res 2022 Jan 25 - "Apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) is closely related to late-onset depression (LOD). In addition, the benefits of metformin treatment of depression have been documented in a range of rodent studies and human trials, but few studies have probed into the effect of metformin on and the related mechanism in depressed elderly mice, especially in those APOE4 carriers ... These data suggest that metformin ameliorates the depression-like behaviors probably by improving glucose metabolism and mitochondria biogenesis in the hippocampus of aged apoE4 mice. These findings imply that chronic metformin treatment can improve apoE4-mediated LOD, providing mechanistic insights for apoE4- and age-based depression prevention and therapy" - See metformin at ReliableRX.

Hyperuricaemia is an important risk factor of the erectile dysfunction: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Andrologia 2022 Feb 7 - "Serum uric acid can affect endothelial function, and hyperuricaemia-induced endothelial dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. As endothelial dysfunction is also a main pathogenic mechanism of erectile dysfunction (ED), the present study aims to evaluate the relationship between hyperuricaemia and ED via systemic review and meta-analysis ... In the patients with hyperuricaemia, the risk of ED was 1.59-fold higher than (pooled OR = 1.59, 95% CI [1.29, 1.97]) the non-hyperuricaemia counterparts. Urate-lowing therapy (ULT) in these hyperuricaemia patients reduced the risk of ED by 27% (OR = 1.27, 95% CI [1.14, 1.41]). After subgroup analysis, the association between hyperuricaemia and ED remained significant apart from the >60 years subgroup. Hyperuricaemia is an important risk factor of ED, while ULT can reduce the risk of ED in hyperuricaemia. This study suggests that hyperuricaemia-associated endothelial dysfunction may also underlie the pathogenesis of ED in these patients"

Increased Impact of Serum Uric Acid on Arterial Stiffness and Atherosclerosis in Females - J Atheroscler Thromb 2022 Feb 3 - "Serum uric acid increases with metabolic disorders; however, whether the effects of uric acid on atherosclerosis are different in females and males has not been sufficiently evaluated. Therefore, this study compared the impact of uric acid on arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis between females and males ... cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) ... Serum uric acid was significantly associated with the CAVI in both sexes, but the interaction of sex was confirmed and associated with a carotid plaque only in females. These findings support the increased impact of serum uric acid on arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis in females"

Association of plasma uric acid levels with cognitive function among non-hyperuricemia adults: A prospective study - Clin Nutr 2022 Jan 1 - "The neuroprotective roles of uric acid are still controversial. One possible explanation is that previous studies included participants with hyperuricemia, which might interfere with clarifying the association. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prospective association between plasma uric acid levels and cognitive function among non-hyperuricemia adults ... Our study supports a potential detrimental role of low levels of plasma uric acid on cognitive function among Chinese adults without hyperuricemia. More research is warranted to confirm this finding and identify the optimal plasma uric acid level for cognitive benefits"

Predictors of pregnancy and time to pregnancy in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia pre- and post-coenzyme Q10 therapy - Andrologia 2022 Feb 1 - "Different antioxidants including coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have been tried to treat idiopathic male infertility (IMI) with variable results. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the clinical and biochemical predictors of pregnancy outcome and time to pregnancy (TTP) in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia (OA) pre- and post-CoQ10 therapy ... CoQ10 therapy of 6 months is a potential treatment for men with idiopathic OA. CoQ10 level, male age, semen parameters, ROS and GPx could potentially be used as diagnostic biomarkers for male fertility and predictors for pregnancy outcome and TTP in these patients" - See ubiquinol products at Amazon.com.

POTENTIAL PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS BY OLIVE POLYPHENOLS AND HYDROX - Mech Ageing Dev 2022 Feb 2 - "Most chronic illnesses are caused by the biological reaction to an injury, rather than the initial injury or the injurious agent itselves as in neurodegeneration. With respect to this, notable attention is emerging on the therapeutic effects of dietary polyphenols for human health, able to counteract and neutralize oxidative stress and inflammatory processes involved in the etiopathogenesis of major neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The acquired concept that cellular stress at low doses induces neuroprotective responses against degenerative processes is a frontier area of the neurobiological research focusing on the development of novel preventive and therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative disorders ... In this paper we discuss the concept of cellular stress response and hormesis and its applications to the field of neuroprotection and the potential therapeutic support provided by olive polyphenols, in particular hydroxytyrosol (HT)-rich aqueous olive pulp extract (Hidrox), as a pivotal activator of Nrf2 pathway and related vitagenes, and inhibitor of Keap1-Nrf2 interaction.Olive polyphenols are considered potential pharmacological modulators of neuroinflammation by upregulation of the Keap1/Nfr2/ARE pathway thus providing a strong rationale for treating neurodegenerative disorders" - See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.

Ginsenoside Rg2 Ameliorating CDAHFD-Induced Hepatic Fibrosis by Regulating AKT/mTOR-Mediated Autophagy - J Agric Food Chem 2022 Feb 1 - "Ginsenoside Rg2 (G-Rg2) in the rhizome of Panax ginseng can modify lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in the liver induced by a high-fat diet ... G-Rg2 ameliorates CDAHFD-induced liver fibrosis and lipopolysaccharide-induced HSC-T6 cell activation by inhibiting AKT/mTOR-mediated autophagy" -

SGLT2 Inhibitors in Older Adults with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction - Drugs Aging 2022 Feb 4 - "Until now, empagliflozin is the first therapy that has convincingly been shown to improve clinical outcome in HFpEF. Importantly, some key points should be considered to better understand the impact of empagliflozin on the patient trajectory, particularly in older adults with HFpEF. In this current opinion article, we have therefore provided more information on how to translate the findings of the EMPEROR-Preserved trial to the setting of older adults, with a focus on the impact of empagliflozin on hospitalizations, both heart failure-related and all-cause. To better understand the importance of EMPEROR-Preserved findings, we compared these findings with previous relevant HFpEF and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) trials and provided information on ongoing trials in the HFpEF setting" -  See empagliflozin at ihouseepharmacy.

Comparison of renal outcomes between sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists - Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2022 Feb 4 - "This study aimed to clarify the differences in how sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1Ra) influence kidney function in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) ... Renal composite outcome incidence was lower in SGLT2i-treated patients than in GLP1Ra-treated patients" -

Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists and Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Risk of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes Care 2022 Feb 1 - "To determine whether glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, separately, are associated with a decreased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) compared with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors among patients with type 2 diabetes ... SGLT-2 inhibitors, and possibly GLP-1 RA, may be associated with a decreased incidence of NAFLD and hepatic transaminase elevation among patients with type 2 diabetes" -

Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular and Heart Failure Events With SGLT2 Inhibitors, GLP-1 Receptor Agonists, and Their Combination in Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes Care 2022 Jan 31 - "major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and heart failure (HF) ... SGLT2i and SGLT2i/GLP-1RA combination regimens may be beneficial in primary prevention of MACCE and HF and GLP-1RA for HF" -

Elevated coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of elevated liver fibrosis biomarkers in patients treated for chronic hepatitis B (ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort) - Clin Nutr 2022 Jan 24 - "Patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are at high risk of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, despite recent therapeutic advances. It is therefore crucial to find non-pharmaceutical options for liver fibrosis prevention in this population ... Elevated coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of significant liver fibrosis, as assessed by three non-invasive markers in treated chronic HBV patients. This result can be immediately used in real-world situations, as increasing coffee consumption may be beneficial for patients at risk of advanced liver disease"

Association of fish oil supplementation with risk of incident dementia: A prospective study of 215,083 older adults - Clin Nutr 2022 Jan 11 - "Intake of fish oil supplements was associated with lower risk of all-cause dementia among 60-73 y elders. Our findings provide new population-based evidence for linking fish oil supplement use with dementia prevention" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

U-Shaped Relationship of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Incidence of Total, Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study - Stroke 2022 Jan 28 - "Both low and high cumulatively averaged HDL-C were associated with an increased risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes"

Chlorogenic acid improves diabetic retinopathy by alleviating blood-retinal-barrier dysfunction via inducing Nrf2 activation - Phytother Res 2022 Feb 8 - "As one of the major diabetic microvascular complications, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is mainly initiated by the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) dysfunction. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a natural polyphenolic compound in Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, which traditionally has the beneficial function for eyes and is commonly included in many anti-diabetic formulas ... All results suggest that CGA improves DR through attenuating BRB injury by reducing microglia-initiated inflammation and preventing TNFα-induced EndoMT/EMT and oxidative injury via inducing Nrf2 activation" - See chlorogenic acid at Amazon.com.

Garlic-derived organosulfur compounds regulate metabolic and immune pathways in macrophages and attenuate intestinal inflammation in mice - Mol Nutr Food Res 2022 Feb 2 - "Garlic-derived organosulfur compounds exert anti-inflammatory effects in macrophages and IEC, and regulate gene expression during intestinal infection. These compounds and related organic molecules may thus hold potential as functional food components to improve gut health in humans and animals" - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.

Curcumin Alleviates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-induced Colitis in Mice Through Regulating Gut Microbiota - Mol Nutr Food Res 2022 Feb 2 - "Curcumin is a natural polyphenol compound with multiple pharmacologic activities. The present study aims to explore the potential therapeutic properties of curcumin on intestinal inflammatory diseases, including its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties, as well as their associations with altered intestinal microbiome ... curcumin shows therapeutic potential against colitis. It may be served as alternative medicine or adjuvant therapy in the treatment of colitis" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Curcumin alleviates hepatic steatosis by improving mitochondrial function in postnatal overfed rats and fatty L02 cells through the SIRT3 pathway - Food Funct 2022 Feb 3 - "Postnatal overfeeding could increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adulthood. This study investigated the effects of curcumin (CUR) on hepatic steatosis in postnatal overfed rats and elucidated potential mechanisms in mitochondrial function ... (normal litter, NL) or three (small litter, SL) ... normal diet (NL) or a high-fat diet (NH) ... At week 13, compared with NL rats, SL and NH rats showed increased body weight, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and hepatic lipid accumulation, and these changes were more obvious in SH rats. The opposite trends were observed in SL-CUR and SH-CUR rats. Moreover, CUR could preserve mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant response in postnatal overfed rats, and upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of SIRT3. In vitro, L02 cells were exposed to free fatty acids and/or CUR. CUR decreased the levels of cellular lipids and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, and increased the mitochondrial DNA copy number and superoxide dismutase activity in fatty L02 cells. However, these effects were blocked after SIRT3 silencing. It was concluded that postnatal overfeeding damaged mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant response, and increased hepatic lipids and the severity of high-fat-induced NAFLD, while CUR alleviated hepatic steatosis, at least partially, by enhancing mitochondrial function through SIRT3" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Higher free triiodothyronine is associated with higher HDL particle concentration and smaller HDL particle size - J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022 Feb 2 - "In euthyroid individuals, higher FT3 is cross-sectionally associated with higher total HDL particle concentration and with lower HDL particle size. These associations may be relevant to better understand the role of HDL in thyroid function-associated atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease"

Protective Effects of Quercetin on Clothianidin-Induced Liver Damage in the Rat Model - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Jan 18 - "Clothianidin (CTD) is a member of the neonicotinoid group of insecticides ... Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) ... A significant increase in ALT and AST enzyme activity was observed in the CTD group in comparison with that of the control groups. In the clothianidin + quercetin (10 mg/kg) group, the ALT and AST enzyme levels decreased compared to the clothianidin control group significantly ... Quercetin significantly raised the level of TAC in the liver tissue of the clothianidin + quercetin (10 mg/kg) treated group compared to that of the clothianidin control group ... Nitrate-nitrite level in the liver was decreased in clothianidin + quercetin (10 mg/kg) compared to that of the clothianidin control group significantly" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.

Polyphenol-rich tart cherries ( Prunus Cerasus, cv Montmorency) improve sustained attention, feelings of alertness and mental fatigue and influence the plasma metabolome in middle-aged adults: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial - Br J Nutr 2022 Feb 3 - "Tart Montmorency cherries (MC) are a particularly rich source of anthocyanins and other polyphenols that have been shown to elicit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasomodulatory actions. This study aimed to determine the influence of chronic MC supplementation on cognitive function and mood. In a 3-month double-blinded, placebo-controlled parallel study, middle-aged adults (mean ± SD: 48 ± 6 years) were randomly assigned to either 30 ml twice daily of MC (n = 25) or the same amount of an isocaloric placebo ... After 3 months, the MC resulted in higher accuracy in digit vigilance (mean difference: 3.3, 95%CI: 0.2, 6.4%) with lower number of false alarms (mean difference: -1.2, 95%CI: -2.0, -0.4) compared to the placebo. There was also a treatment effect for higher alertness (mean difference: 5.9, 95%CI: 1.3, 10.5%) and lower mental fatigue ratings (mean difference -9.5, 95%CI: -16.5, -2.5%) with MC. Plasma metabolomics revealed an increase in a number of amino acids in response to MC intake, but not placebo. These data suggest an anti-fatiguing effect of MC supplementation as well as the ability to improve sustained attention during times of high cognitive demand, this might be related to changes in amino acid metabolism" - See tart cherry extract at Amazon.com.

A Proprietary Herbal Blend Containing Extracts of Punica granatum Fruit Rind and Theobroma cocoa Seeds Increases Serum Testosterone Level in Healthy Young Males: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study - J Diet Suppl 2022 Feb 6 - "LN18178 is a proprietary herbal blend containing extracts of Punica granatum fruit rind and Theobroma cocoa seeds ... One hundred and twenty male volunteers (age 21-35 years) were randomized into three groups. Each group (n = 40) received a daily dose of either placebo or 200 or 400 mg LN18178 for fifty-six days. An increase in serum testosterone (free and total) was the primary efficacy measure of the study. The secondary measures included dihydrotestosterone (DHT), cortisol, Luteinizing hormone (LH), 17β-Estradiol (E2), hand grip strength, and the mid-upper arm circumferences (MUAC)" - [Nutra USA] - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com and Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark Squares, Midnight Reverie, 4.12 oz., 86% Cacao (Pack of 6) at Amazon.com.

• Pomegranate - Wikipedia - "The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between 5 and 10 m (16 and 33 ft) tall"
• Theobroma cacao - Wikipedia - "Theobroma cacao, also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small (4–8 m (13–26 ft) tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae"

Vitamin B6 Supplementation Reduces Symptoms of Depression in College Women Taking Oral Contraceptives: A Randomized, Double-Blind Crossover Trial - J Diet Suppl 2022 Feb 2 - "Oral contraceptive (OC) users have a heightened risk of low plasma concentrations of vitamin B6, a cofactor in the tryptophan-serotonin pathway critical to mood regulation ... During the 12-week, randomized, double-blind crossover trial (4-week treatment periods [100 mg vitamin B6 daily or placebo] separated by a 4-week washout) participants (n = 8) maintained normal exercise and eating patterns and recorded tablet consumption daily. The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Profile of Mood States (POMS) were used to assess mental health before and after each 4-week treatment period. Average dietary vitamin B6 intakes did not vary during the trial (1.2-1.4 mg/d), whereas vitamin B6 status rose significantly following the B6 supplementation period compared to the other three time points. BDI-II scores were reduced 20% by vitamin B6 supplementation in comparison to an 11% rise with placebo ingestion (p = 0.046). POMS scores were not significantly impacted by vitamin B6 supplementation. These preliminary data support a growing literature suggesting the benefits of B6 supplementation for reducing symptoms of depression in young women using OC" - See vitamin B6 at Amazon.com.

Association Between Ginkgo Biloba Extract Prescriptions and Dementia Incidence in Outpatients with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Germany: A Retrospective Cohort Study - J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Feb 3 - "Overall, 24,483 MCI patients (mean age: 77.0 years, 56.3% women) were included. It was found that > 2 prescriptions of Ginkgo biloba were significantly associated with a reduced dementia incidence (HR: 0.71 (95% CI: 0.55-0.91), p = 0.007), as compared with no Ginkgo biloba prescription. The effect of receiving > 3 Ginkgo biloba prescriptions was even stronger, with an HR of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.48-0.86), p = 0.003), while for > 4 prescriptions the HR was 0.58" - See Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com.

Dietary fiber intake and risk of incident disabling dementia: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study - Nutr Neurosci 2022 Feb 6 - "Dietary fiber intake, especially soluble fiber, was inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia in a general Japanese population"

Health effects of high serum calcium levels: Updated phenome-wide Mendelian randomisation investigation and review of Mendelian randomisation studies - EBioMedicine 2022 Feb 5 - "Higher genetically predicted calcium levels were associated with decreased risk of 5 diseases in dermatologic and musculoskeletal systems and increased risk of 17 diseases in circulatory, digestive, endocrine, genitourinary and immune systems. Eight associations were replicated in two-sample MR analysis. These included decreased risk of osteoarthritis and increased risk of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, coronary atherosclerosis, hyperparathyroidism, disorder of parathyroid gland, gout, and calculus of kidney and ureter with increased serum calcium. Systematic review of 25 MR studies provided supporting evidence on five out of the eight disease outcomes, while the increased risk of gout, hyperparathyroidism and disorder of parathyroid gland were novel findings"

Insights into the neuroprotective effects of Salvia officinalis L. and Salvia microphylla Kunth in the memory impairment rat model - Food Funct 2022 Feb 9 - "Salvia species have a longstanding traditional culinary use, mostly being consumed in the Mediterranean diet as a common herb added to food. Salvia is commonly consumed as a herbal tea for memory enhancement. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia affecting people worldwide ... Salvia officinalis (SOL) cultivated in Jordan and Salvia microphylla (SML) cultivated in Egypt ... scopolamine (1.14 mg kg-1, i.p.) was administered for 7 consecutive days to induce memory impairment in rats. SML and SOL (150 and 300 mg kg-1, p.o.) were tested for their effects to reduce the scopolamine-induced deficits. Donepezil (0.5 mg kg-1, i.p.) was used as a positive control. Scopolamine induced histopathological changes in rats' prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in addition to β-amyloid plaque deposition. Furthermore, scopolamine treatment promoted oxidative stress and acetylcholinesterase activity. On the other hand, treatment with Salvia extracts corrected the histological changes induced by scopolamine and significantly reduced β-amyloid deposition. Moreover, both oxidative stress markers and acetylcholinesterase activity were ameliorated by Salvia treatment. Using virtual docking to the active sites of the human acetylcholinesterase crystal structure, salvianolic acid K, rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid C showed the best fitting binding modes to active sites of acetylcholinesterase. Accordingly, the present study demonstrates the beneficial effects of Salvia species from Egypt and Jordan against scopolamine-induced AD-like disorder" - See sage at Amazon.com.

• Salvia officinalis - Wikipedia - "Salvia officinalis, the common sage or just sage, is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and native to the Mediterranean region, though it has been naturalized in many places throughout the world"
• Salvia microphylla - Wikipedia - "Salvia microphylla, the baby sage, Graham's sage, or blackcurrant sage, is an evergreen shrub found in the wild in southeastern Arizona and the mountains of eastern, western, and southern Mexico. It is a very complex species which easily hybridizes, resulting in numerous hybrids and cultivars brought into horticulture since the 1990s"

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

The Air Pods Pro is on sale until March 6th. To use them on your PC for things like Zoom or medical video visits, you have to go into Setting > Bluetooth & Devices > Add device and follow the menus. You also have the press the white button on the Air Pods with the earphones in the case to pair it. In Zoom or other video conferencing, you have to select the Air Pods from the speaker and microphone menus. Otherwise, it will default the to webcam's speaker and microphone which could cause crosstalk if two people are talking at once.

Grab the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro for the lowest prices out there - CNET, 2/7/22 - "Now through March 6, you can pick up both the AirPods Pro and the new generation AirPods 3 for the lowest prices currently available ... Save $74 vs. Apple" - See Apple AirPods Pro at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Alpha Lipoic Acid):