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Recent Longevity News for the week ending 11/2/22

First-in-Class Device for Facial Wrinkles Hits the Market - Medscape, 10/28/22 - "It doesn't do anything equivalent to a facelift, but the concept is a facelift by thousands of micro-punch excisions," said Avram, director of laser, cosmetics, and dermatologic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Rather than pulling up the skin and lifting it and cutting the excess skin like we do with a facelift, we are creating thousands of smaller-scale tissue removals with immediate closures to do the same thing. The micro-cores are about the size of a 22-gauge needle and there is no scarring due to the small size of these tissue extractions. ... In a pivotal trial of the device, 51 patients with mid to lower face wrinkles (moderately deep or deep wrinkles with well-defined edges) were treated 2-3 times with 7%-8% skin removal and up to a 5-mm needle coring depth). The investigators found that 40% of study participants achieved an improvement of 2 grades on the Lemperle Wrinkle Severity Scale and that the rate of overall satisfaction (slightly, somewhat, and extremely satisfied) was 86% ... In addition, 90% showed improvement of treated sites on the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale, and 70% were comfortable enough to go out in public or return to work 3 days after treatment. Common side effects that can occur immediately post treatment include redness, swelling, and pinpoint bleeding, which typically clear in a few days"

IV Potassium and Magnesium an Acute Treatment for AF? - Medscape, 10/27/22 - "Suppose I cut my finger while slicing bread. I put a Band-Aid on the cut. That doesn't mean I have fixed it, it means I've helped it temporarily. Atrial fibrillation in this paper is very analogous," he said. "The patient may have episodes, goes to the emergency room, you give them medication, and temporarily alleviate the situation so that the patient does not have to be admitted. It's simple, inexpensive, you make the heart rate go back to normal, not permanently, with few side effects, except perhaps for some pain at the injection site, but that doesn't mean you have fixed the AFib permanently. But for someone who has had a first incidence, or doesn't want to stay in the hospital because it's the weekend, yes, you can use this as a Band-Aid,"

Adults With Chronic Acid Reflux Rarely Get Recommended Test - WebMD, 10/27/22 - "About 20% of people in the United States have GERD, which happens when stomach acid repeatedly flows back into the esophagus, the tube connecting the mouth and stomach. This backflow (acid reflux) can irritate the lining of the esophagus ... About 1 in 10 adults with chronic GERD symptoms will develop Barrett’s esophagus – a condition in which the lining of the esophagus becomes damaged by acid reflux. Barrett's esophagus is associated with a small increased risk of developing cancer of the esophagus" - Note: I had this done last week. It was painless plus I enjoy being put to sleep. In addition to the endoscopy, they glued a capsule to my esophagus that measures the pH for four days. You have to carry a monitor for that period. The capsule eventually falls off and you poop it out and it gets flushed down the toilet. A biopsy came back normal.

Four Commonly Abused Drugs Linked With Atrial Fibrillation - Medscape, 10/26/22 - "cannabis (HR, 1.35)"

Serum Uric Acid Lowering With Empagliflozin in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction - Medscape, 10/26/22 - "SUA was reduced by an average of 1.12 mg/dL (66.2 μmol/L) with empagliflozin vs. placebo in this study, a relatively modest reduction compared with that achievable with xanthine oxidase inhibitors such as allopurinol.[12] However, the modest reduction in urate in EMPEROR-Reduced was associated with a significant 32% reduction in adverse gout outcomes. This is important because hyperuricaemia, and also clinical gout, often co-exist with heart failure, and this causes difficulties with therapeutic choices in the management of patients, particularly with diuretics that can worsen hyperuricaemia. Empagliflozin treatment in EMPEROR-Reduced was also associated with an impressive 30% reduction in hospitalizations for heart failure, which was the main driver of the 25% reduction in the primary outcome of first hospitalization for heart failure or cardiovascular death. However, interestingly, this finding was independent of the decrease in SUA observed with empagliflozin therapy" - See empagliflozin inhousepharmacy.vu.

Abstracts from this week:

Habitual fish oil supplementation and incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Data from a prospective cohort study - Clin Nutr 2022 Oct 8 - "Habitual fish oil supplementation was significantly associated with a lower risk of incident COPD (adjusted HR: 0.88" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

Boswellia serrata Extract, 5-Loxin®, Prevents Joint Pain and Cartilage Degeneration in a Rat Model of Osteoarthritis through Inhibition of Inflammatory Responses and Restoration of Matrix Homeostasis - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Oct 19 - "Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, progressive joint disease associated with pain, functional impairment, and diminished quality of life in affected individuals. At a societal level, it also has a high economic burden. Boswellia serrata has been reported to have potent anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, and analgesic effects ... Results indicated that administration of 5-Loxin® can relieve OA joint pain through inhibition of both inflammatory processes and cartilage degeneration. In the group of rats treated with 5-Loxin®, the suppression of inflammatory enzymes such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) resulted in a significant reduction in the prostaglandin (PG) E2 and leukotriene (LT) B4 levels. Moreover, 5-Loxin® ameliorated the deterioration of the main components of the articular extracellular matrix (ECM), such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and aggrecan, through the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). These findings suggest that 5-Loxin® may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of OA" - See 5-Loxin at Amazon.com.

Fisetin Attenuates Arsenic-Induced Hepatic Damage by Improving Biochemical, Inflammatory, Apoptotic, and Histological Profile: In Vivo and In Silico Approach - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Oct 20 - "In vivo and in silico outcomes of the current study demonstrated that fisetin could potentially ameliorate As-instigated hepatotoxicity" - See fisetin at Amazon.com.

Efficacy and Variability in Plasma Nitrite Levels during Long-Term Supplementation with Nitrate Containing Beetroot Juice - J Diet Suppl 2022 Oct 30;1-26 - "Long-term consumption of nitrate containing beetroot juice increased fasting nitrate and nitrite plasma levels compared to baseline" - See beet root capsules at Amazon.com.

• 5 Ways to Increase Nitric Oxide Naturally - Healthline - "Nitrate is a compound found in beetroot and dark leafy greens like spinach and arugula. When you consume nitrate, your body converts it to nitric oxide, which in turn causes blood vessels to relax and dilate, lowering blood pressure."

Caffeine intake improves the cognitive performance of patients with chronic kidney disease - Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 Oct - "The recommended dose of caffeine intake to improve the cognitive function of CKD patients is ≤279 mg/day"

Benefits and harms of oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation in nursing home residents with advanced dementia - J Am Geriatr Soc 2022 Oct 30 - "In the study sample, 72.0% were female, 82.7% were aged ≥80 years, and 13.5% were nonwhite. Mean CHA2 DS2 VASC score was 6.19 ± 1.58. In multivariable survival analysis, anticoagulation was associated with decreased risk of death (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.67-0.75) and increased bleeding risk (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.29); the association with stroke risk was not significant (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.80-1.46). Results were similar in models with IPT weighting. While >50% of patients in both groups died within a year, median weighted survival was 76 days longer for anticoagulated individuals ... Persons with advanced dementia and AF derive clinically modest life prolongation from anticoagulation, at the cost of elevated risk of bleeding. The relevance of this benefit is unclear in a group with high dementia-related mortality and for whom the primary goal is often comfort"

Effect of supplemental vitamin D3 on bone mineral density: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Nutr Rev 2022 Oct 29 - "Results of meta-analysis showed a beneficial effect of vitamin D3 at the lumbar spine (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.06; 95%CI, 0.01-0.12) and femoral neck (SMD = 0.25; 95%CI, 0.09-0.41). Dose-response analysis revealed a linear relationship between vitamin D3 supplementation doses and BMD at the femoral neck, lumbar spine, and total hip sites. No significant effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on whole-body or total hip BMD was observed (P > 0.05). Vitamin D3 supplementation significantly decreased BMD at both proximal and distal forearm (SMD = -0.16; 95%CI, -0.26 to -0.06). The variables of ethnicity, age, baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), menopause status, vitamin D3 dosing frequency, and bone health status (P interaction = 0.02) altered the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on BMD. Additionally, a nonlinear relationship between vitamin D3 supplement doses and markers of bone turnover was found" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Saturated fat from dairy sources is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in the Framingham Offspring Study - Am J Clin Nutr 2022 Oct 28 - "Males with higher intakes of dairy-derived saturated fats had a less atherogenic profile than males with lower intakes of these fats. These effects were weaker in females. Nondairy saturated fats were not associated with these cardiometabolic outcomes"

Curcumin alleviates LPS-induced intestinal homeostatic imbalance through reshaping gut microbiota structure and regulating group 3 innate lymphoid cells in chickens - Food Funct 2022 Oct 28 -"Gastrointestinal dysfunction is associated with a disturbance of immune homeostasis, changes in the intestinal microbiome, alteration of the composition of the bile acid pool, and dynamic imbalance of group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s). Curcumin (CUR), a polyphenolic compound isolated from turmeric, has been known to attenuate intestinal inflammation in potential therapies for gastrointestinal disease ... Dietary supplementation of CUR increased the prevalence of Butyricicoccus and Enterococcus and enhanced the tricarboxylic acid cycle of intestinal epithelial cells. In addition, curcumin supplementation significantly increased sirtuin 1 and sirtuin 5 transcription and protein expression, which contributes to regulating mitochondrial metabolic and oxidative stress responses to alleviate LPS-induced enteritis. Our findings demonstrated that curcumin played a pivotal role in regulating the structure of the intestinal microbiome for health promotion and the treatment of intestinal dysbiosis. The beneficial effects of CUR may be attributed to the modulation of the BA-FXR pathway and inhibition of inflammation that induces IL-22 secretion by ILC3s in the intestinal lamina propria" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Does Single or Combined Caffeine and Taurine Supplementation Improve Athletic and Cognitive Performance without Affecting Fatigue Level in Elite Boxers? A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study - Nutrients 2022 Oct 20 - "co-ingestion of CAF*TAU, improved peak (W/kg), average (W), minimum (W) power, time to reach (s), and RPE performances compared to the PLA group significantly (p < 0.05). Similarly, it was determined that a single dose of TAU, created a significant difference (p < 0.05) in peak power (W/kg), and average and minimum power (W) values compared to the CAF group. According to the balance and agility tests performed after the Wingate test, co-ingestion of CAF*TAU revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05) compared to the PLA group. In terms of cognitive performance, co-ingestion of CAF*TAU significantly improved the neutral reaction time (ms) compared to the TAU, CAF and PLA groups. As a result, elite male boxers performed better in terms of agility, balance and cognitive function when they consumed a combination of 6 mg/kg CAF and 3 g TAU. It has been determined that the combined use of these supplements is more effective than their single use" - See taurine at Amazon.com.

Effects of L-Citrulline Supplementation on Endothelial Function and Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Postmenopausal Women - Nutrients 2022 Oct 20 - "Aging and menopause are associated with decreased nitric oxide bioavailability due to reduced L-arginine (L-ARG) levels contributing to endothelial dysfunction (ED). ED precedes arterial stiffness and hypertension development, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the effects of L-citrulline (L-CIT) on endothelial function, aortic stiffness, and resting brachial and aortic blood pressures (BP) in hypertensive postmenopausal women. Twenty-five postmenopausal women were randomized to 4 weeks of L-CIT (10 g) or placebo (PL). Serum L-ARG, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), aortic stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, cfPWV), and resting brachial and aortic BP were assessed at 0 and 4 weeks. L-CIT supplementation increased L-ARG levels (Δ13 ± 2 vs. Δ-2 ± 2 µmol/L, p < 0.01) and FMD (Δ1.4 ± 2.0% vs. Δ-0.5 ± 1.7%, p = 0.03) compared to PL. Resting aortic diastolic BP (Δ-2 ± 4 vs. Δ2 ± 5 mmHg, p = 0.01) and mean arterial pressure (Δ-2 ± 4 vs. Δ2 ± 6 mmHg, p = 0.04) were significantly decreased after 4 weeks of L-CIT compared to PL. Although not statistically significant (p = 0.07), cfPWV decreased after L-CIT supplementation by ~0.66 m/s. These findings suggest that L-CIT supplementation improves endothelial function and aortic BP via increased L-ARG availability" - See L-citrulline at Amazon.com.

Ginsenoside Rc Modulates SIRT6-NRF2 Interaction to Alleviate Alcoholic Liver Disease - J Agric Food Chem 2022 Oct 27 - "Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a serious worldwide health problem. Ginsenoside Rc is a major active ingredient isolated from Panax ginseng, whose pharmacological effects counteract oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid accumulation ... Our results showed that ginsenoside Rc attenuated alcohol-induced liver injury by regulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid accumulation both in vivo and in vitro. Ginsenoside Rc did increase the deacetylase activity of SIRT6, thereby lowering acetylated NRF2 levels, which elevated NRF2's stability, and subsequently exerting an antioxidant effect. In keeping with this, the hepatic knockout of SIRT6 almost abolished the hepatoprotective effects of ginsenoside Rc against ALD. Therefore, our results suggest that ginsenoside Rc attenuated hepatocytes' damage and oxidative stress in ALD by up-regulating the SIRT6/NRF2 pathway. Hence, ginsenoside Rc may be a promising drug to treat or relieve ALD" - See Panax ginseng at Amazon.com.

Association of Egg Consumption Frequency and Quantity with Dyslipidemia in Chinese Rural Adults - J Am Nutr Assoc 2022 Oct 27 - "Increment of 25 g/d was associated with 15% (OR: 0.85, (0.71-1.00)) lower risk of dyslipidemia ... Egg consumption was associated with decreased risk of dyslipidemia among Chinese women but not men. Additionally, the beneficial effect tended to be stronger at 20-50 g egg per day"

Eggs and the heart - Eur Heart J. 2022 Oct 25 - "However, eggs are a conspicuous source of dietary cholesterol, containing more than 200 mg per large egg. Not surprisingly therefore, health benefits have been debated, and the association between egg intake and risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be scrutinized. A thorough meta-analysis, published recently, of 28 prospective studies provocatively suggested that associations between egg consumption and CVD risk were population-specific: in Asian cohorts only, but not in Western cohorts, an inverse association was observed.2 ... We decided to scrutinize the egg consumption pattern in the three continents by analyzing on Google the first consecutive 20 images of the traditional Asian or European or American egg breakfast (accessed June 22. 2022). The egg images were subdivided into four categories (Table 1):" - Note: I've said for years that it's the way it's processed. In America, it's the thousand-calorie meal at Denny's, fried in saturated fat with bacon, and white toast with butter. In Asia, it's hard-boiled without all the bad stuff. I have two eggs fried in avocado oil every day along with whole wheat toast and olive oil margarine.

Iron deficiency and cardiovascular disease - Eur Heart J 2022 Oct 25 - "Iron deficiency (ID) is common in patients with cardiovascular disease. Up to 60% of patients with coronary artery disease, and an even higher proportion of those with heart failure (HF) or pulmonary hypertension have ID; the evidence for cerebrovascular disease, aortic stenosis and atrial fibrillation is less robust. The prevalence of ID increases with the severity of cardiac and renal dysfunction and is probably more common amongst women. Insufficient dietary iron, reduced iron absorption due to increases in hepcidin secondary to the low-grade inflammation associated with atherosclerosis and congestion or reduced gastric acidity, and increased blood loss due to anti-thrombotic therapy or gastro-intestinal or renal disease may all cause ID. For older people in the general population and patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), both anaemia and ID are associated with a poor prognosis; each may confer independent risk. There is growing evidence that ID is an important therapeutic target for patients with HFrEF, even if they do not have anaemia. Whether this is also true for other HF phenotypes or patients with cardiovascular disease in general is currently unknown. Randomized trials showed that intravenous ferric carboxymaltose improved symptoms, health-related quality of life and exercise capacity and reduced hospitalizations for worsening HF in patients with HFrEF and mildly reduced ejection fraction (<50%). Since ID is easy to treat and is effective for patients with HFrEF, such patients should be investigated for possible ID" - See iron supplements at Amazon.com.

Impact of Inpatient Initiation of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors on Prescription Rates in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction - Am J Cardiol 2022 Oct 22 - "The heart failure readmission rate in the first 30 days was significantly lower in those with inpatient initiation of SGLT2i compared with those who did not start during hospitalization. (9.3% vs 22.7%, p = 0.04). Cardiovascular mortality was numerically, but not significantly, different between groups (4% vs 10.7%, p = 0.21). Inpatient initiation of an SGLT2i was associated with a significantly higher postdischarge rate of SGLT2i prescriptions and significantly lower heart failure readmission rates at 30 days. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of initiating SGLT2i during inpatient hospitalization to improve the quality of care in patients with HFrEF" - See empagliflozin inhousepharmacy.vu.

The SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin reduces tissue sodium content in patients with chronic heart failure: results from a placebo-controlled randomised trial - Clin Res Cardiol 2022 Oct 26 - "This trial showed a significant decrease in skin sodium content after 1 and 3 months of treatment with empagliflozin. The decrease in skin sodium content may reflect a decrease in subclinical micro-oedema or/and in non-osmotic bound tissue sodium, both reported to impair left ventricular function" - See empagliflozin inhousepharmacy.vu.

Astaxanthin attenuates irradiation-induced osteoporosis in mice by inhibiting oxidative stress, osteocyte senescence, and SASP - Food Funct 2022 Oct 26 - "Radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial part of many treatment plans for cancer patients. However, major undesired side effects are associated with this treatment, including impaired bone remodeling and bone loss. Irradiation induces bone loss due to promoted osteoclastic bone resorption and reduced osteoblastic bone formation. Astaxanthin (AST) is a natural antioxidant with anti-oxidative and anti-aging properties ... Reduced BMD, bone biomechanical strength, bone formation, elevated oxidative stress, and osteoclast activity with microarchitectural deterioration of trabecular and cortical bones were observed in IR mice. Supplementation with AST corrected these osteoporotic phenotypes, caused by IR, by inhibiting oxidative stress, DNA damage, osteocyte senescence, and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), subsequently promoting osteoblastic bone formation and inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption. The results from our study provide experimental evidence for the clinical use of AST to prevent IR-induced osteoporosis in cancer patients" - See astaxanthin at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Surgery):