2017.04.09 21:42
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/opinion/sunday/to-be-a-genius-think-like-a-94-year-old.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad
We assume that creativity and innovation belong to the young. We’re wrong.
2017.04.10 02:04
2017.04.11 00:30
The above stories are indeed inspirations for the elderly folks.
It's been said and demonstrated in neuroscience in the past that the brains of the elderly
continue to make new neurons.
Dr. Goodenough certainly is a living proof for that.
2017.04.11 00:48
Can we, as adults, grow new nerve cells? There's still some confusion about that question, as this is a fairly new field of research. For example, I was talking to one of my colleagues, Robert, who is an oncologist, and he was telling me, "Sandrine, this is puzzling. Some of my patients that have been told they are cured of their cancer still develop symptoms of depression." And I responded to him, "Well, from my point of view that makes sense. The drug you give to your patients that stops the cancer cells multiplying also stops the newborn neurons being generated in their brain." And then Robert looked at me like I was crazy and said, "But Sandrine, these are adult patients —adults do not grow new nerve cells." And much to his surprise, I said, "Well actually, we do." And this is a phenomenon that we call neurogenesis.
1:12[Neurogenesis]
1:14Now Robert is not a neuroscientist, and when he went to medical school he was not taught what we know now — that the adult brain can generate new nerve cells. So Robert, you know, being the good doctor that he is, wanted to come to my lab to understand the topic a little bit better. And I took him for a tour of one of the most exciting parts of the brain when it comes to neurogenesis — and this is the hippocampus. So this is this gray structure in the center of the brain. And what we've known already for very long, is that this is important for learning, memory, mood and emotion. However, what we have learned more recently is that this is one of the unique structures of the adult brain where new neurons can be generated. And if we slice through the hippocampus and zoom in, what you actually see here in blue is a newborn neuron in an adult mouse brain. So when it comes to the human brain — my colleague Jonas Frisén from the Karolinska Institutet, has estimated that we produce 700 new neurons per day in the hippocampus. You might think this is not much, compared to the billions of neurons we have. But by the time we turn 50, we will have all exchanged the neurons we were born with in that structure with adult-born neurons.
2:54So why are these new neurons important and what are their functions? First, we know that they're important for learning and memory. And in the lab we have shown that if we block the ability of the adult brain to produce new neurons in the hippocampus, then we block certain memory abilities. And this is especially new and true for spatial recognition — so like, how you navigate your way in the city.
3:25We are still learning a lot, and neurons are not only important for memory capacity, but also for the quality of the memory. And they will have been helpful to add time to our memory and they will help differentiate very similar memories, like: how do you find your bike that you park at the station every day in the same area, but in a slightly different position?
3:51And more interesting to my colleague Robert is the research we have been doing on neurogenesis and depression. So in an animal model of depression, we have seen that we have a lower level of neurogenesis. And if we give antidepressants, then we increase the production of these newborn neurons, and we decrease the symptoms of depression, establishing a clear link between neurogenesis and depression. But moreover, if you just block neurogenesis, then you block the efficacy of the antidepressant. So by then, Robert had understood that very likely his patients were suffering from depression even after being cured of their cancer, because the cancer drug had stopped newborn neurons from being generated. And it will take time to generate new neurons that reach normal functions.
4:48So, collectively, now we think we have enough evidence to say that neurogenesis is a target of choice if we want to improve memory formation or mood, or even prevent the decline associated with aging, or associated with stress.
5:07So the next question is: can we control neurogenesis? The answer is yes. And we are now going to do a little quiz. I'm going to give you a set of behaviors and activities, and you tell me if you think they will increase neurogenesis or if they will decrease neurogenesis. Are we ready? OK, let's go.
5:31So what about learning? Increasing? Yes. Learning will increase the production of these new neurons.
5:39How about stress? Yes, stress will decrease the production of new neurons in the hippocampus.
5:47How about sleep deprivation? Indeed, it will decrease neurogenesis.
5:53How about sex? Oh, wow!
5:56(Laughter)
5:57Yes, you are right, it will increase the production of new neurons. However, it's all about balance here. We don't want to fall in a situation —
6:06(Laughter)
6:08about too much sex leading to sleep deprivation.
6:10(Laughter)
6:13How about getting older? So the neurogenesis rate will decrease as we get older, but it is still occurring.
6:25And then finally, how about running? I will let you judge that one by yourself.
6:32So this is one of the first studies that was carried out by one of my mentors, Rusty Gage from the Salk Institute, showing that the environment can have an impact on the production of new neurons. And here you see a section of the hippocampus of a mousethat had no running wheel in its cage. And the little black dots you see are actually newborn neurons-to-be. And now, you see a section of the hippocampus of a mousethat had a running wheel in its cage. So you see the massive increase of the black dots representing the new neurons-to-be.
7:07So activity impacts neurogenesis, but that's not all. What you eat will have an effect on the production of new neurons in the hippocampus. So here we have a sample of diet —of nutrients that have been shown to have efficacy. And I'm just going to point a few out to you: Calorie restriction of 20 to 30 percent will increase neurogenesis. Intermittent fasting — spacing the time between your meals — will increase neurogenesis. Intake of flavonoids, which are contained in dark chocolate or blueberries, will increase neurogenesis. Omega-3 fatty acids, present in fatty fish, like salmon, will increase the production of these new neurons. Conversely, a diet rich in high saturated fat will have a negative impact on neurogenesis. Ethanol — intake of alcohol — will decrease neurogenesis. However, not everything is lost; resveratrol, which is contained in red wine,has been shown to promote the survival of these new neurons. So next time you are at a dinner party, you might want to reach for this possibly "neurogenesis-neutral" drink.
8:20(Laughter)
8:23And then finally, let me point out the last one — a quirky one. So Japanese groups are fascinated with food textures, and they have shown that actually soft diet impairs neurogenesis, as opposed to food that requires mastication — chewing — or crunchy food.
8:41So all of this data, where we need to look at the cellular level, has been generated using animal models. But this diet has also been given to human participants, and what we could see is that the diet modulates memory and mood in the same direction as it modulates neurogenesis, such as: calorie restriction will improve memory capacity,whereas a high-fat diet will exacerbate symptoms of depression — as opposed to omega-3 fatty acids, which increase neurogenesis, and also help to decrease the symptoms of depression. So we think that the effect of diet on mental health, on memory and mood, is actually mediated by the production of the new neurons in the hippocampus. And it's not only what you eat, but it's also the texture of the food, when you eat it and how much of it you eat.
9:44On our side — neuroscientists interested in neurogenesis — we need to understand better the function of these new neurons, and how we can control their survival and their production. We also need to find a way to protect the neurogenesis of Robert's patients.And on your side — I leave you in charge of your neurogenesis.
10:06Thank you.
10:07(Applause)
10:13Margaret Heffernan: Fantastic research, Sandrine. Now, I told you you changed my life —I now eat a lot of blueberries.
10:20Sandrine Thuret: Very good.
10:22MH: I'm really interested in the running thing. Do I have to run? Or is it really just about aerobic exercise, getting oxygen to the brain? Could it be any kind of vigorous exercise?
10:35ST: So for the moment, we can't really say if it's just the running itself, but we think that anything that indeed will increase the production — or moving the blood flow to the brain, should be beneficial.
10:50MH: So I don't have to get a running wheel in my office?
10:53ST: No, you don't!
10:54MH: Oh, what a relief! That's wonderful. Sandrine Thuret, thank you so much.
10:58ST: Thank you, Margaret.
10:59(Applause)(from Internet)
2017.04.11 01:21
Aeschylus 525BC - 456BC
It is always the season for the old to learn.
Amos Bronson Alcott 1799 - 1888
While one finds company in himself and his pursuits, he cannot feel old, no matter what his years may be.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich 1836 - 1907
To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent... that is to triumph over old age.
Muhammad Ali 1942 - 2016
Age is whatever you think it is.
You are as old as you think you are.
A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty, has wasted thirty years of his life.
Elizabeth Arden 1884 - 1966
I'm not interested in age. People who tell me their age are silly, you're as old as you feel.
Aristotle 384BC - 322BC
Education is the best provision for old age.
Decimius Magnus Ausonius 310 - 195
Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years.
2017.04.11 11:10
Chronologic age age doesn't seem to count very much these days.
Probably, Physiologic, Psychologic ages are important but we do not have good rulers
to measure those. Previous web I wrote on this concern.
http://www.snuma.net/xe/index.php?mid=freeboard&search_keyword=%ED%98%B8%EC%8A%A4%ED%94%BC%EC%8A%A4&search_target=title&document_srl=29805
2017.04.11 13:21
Thank you, Dr. Choh, for letting us read again your remarkable story of a sort of medical triumph.
I certainly enjoyed reading it especially because your detailed story rings so much of my professional
life as a cardiologist. All I can say is that this feisty old lady was lucky to have found a thinking,
thoughtful, experienced, more than a capable heart surgeon like you.
There is an old cliche among some heart surgeons I used to deal with when a patient refuses
heart surgery recommended, just as your patient refused the first time, which is,
she or he just has to suffer more, as your patient did, before they beg for it.
I can't help thinking of my dear older sister as I'm writing, who died at our SNU Hospital in1978 or thereabout
after mitral valve replacement surgery for severe mitral stenosis, calcific.
It was the early days of heart surgery at our alma mater.
Heart surgery at our SNU Hospital indeed has come a long way.
As your story illustrates, you certainly have made a great contribution to its advancement.
Incidentally, the oldest patient I subjected to AVR for calcific AS and CABG was 90,
who lived to be over 100.
The oldest patient I subjected to PTCA was 97, who lived to be over 100.
The oldest male patient I took care of was 107, Italian, and died of pneumonia.
The. oldest female patient I took care of was 106 and also died of pneumonia.
My associate had a 110 year old patient who was a retired physician and died at 110 of cause unknown to me.
Currently one of my associates, 85, is still practicing, the second oldest practicing MD
in Detroit Metro.
The oldest practicing MD in Detroit Metro is a 90 year old internist.
You and I agree what matters to physicians more is physiologic age, not chronologic age.
2017.04.13 02:00
Over the years, I have 5-6 nonagenerian(90 +) whom I did heart surgery on.
All of them had aortic valve replacement +/- 1-2 CABG and did well.
But these are highly selected patients,well preserved and active, non-obese------
With recent maturation of catheter valve technology(TAVR), more of these patients have new options.
Dr.DeBakey himself underwent Repair of dissection of Thoracic aorta as 90 +,after much controversy.
Lithium-Ion Battery Inventor Introduces New Technology for Fast-Charging, Noncombustible Batteries
Feb. 28, 2017
The University of Texas at Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — A team of engineers led by 94-year-old John Goodenough, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery, has developed the first all-solid-state battery cells that could lead to safer, faster-charging, longer-lasting rechargeable batteries for handheld mobile devices, electric cars and stationary energy storage.
Pictured: Maria Helena Braga.
Goodenough’s latest breakthrough, completed with Cockrell School senior research fellow Maria Helena Braga, is a low-cost all-solid-state battery that is noncombustible and has a long cycle life (battery life) with a high volumetric energy density and fast rates of charge and discharge. The engineers describe their new technology in a recent paper published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.
“Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted. We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries,” Goodenough said.
The researchers demonstrated that their new battery cells have at least three times as much energy density as today’s lithium-ion batteries. A battery cell’s energy density gives an electric vehicle its driving range, so a higher energy density means that a car can drive more miles between charges. The UT Austin battery formulation also allows for a greater number of charging and discharging cycles, which equates to longer-lasting batteries, as well as a faster rate of recharge (minutes rather than hours).
Today’s lithium-ion batteries use liquid electrolytes to transport the lithium ions between the anode (the negative side of the battery) and the cathode (the positive side of the battery). If a battery cell is charged too quickly, it can cause dendrites or “metal whiskers” to form and cross through the liquid electrolytes, causing a short circuit that can lead to explosions and fires. Instead of liquid electrolytes, the researchers rely on glass electrolytes that enable the use of an alkali-metal anode without the formation of dendrites.
The use of an alkali-metal anode (lithium, sodium or potassium) — which isn’t possible with conventional batteries — increases the energy density of a cathode and delivers a long cycle life. In experiments, the researchers’ cells have demonstrated more than 1,200 cycles with low cell resistance.
Additionally, because the solid-glass electrolytes can operate, or have high conductivity, at -20 degrees Celsius, this type of battery in a car could perform well in subzero degree weather. This is the first all-solid-state battery cell that can operate under 60 degree Celsius.
Braga began developing solid-glass electrolytes with colleagues while she was at the University of Porto in Portugal. About two years ago, she began collaborating with Goodenough and researcher Andrew J. Murchison at UT Austin. Braga said that Goodenough brought an understanding of the composition and properties of the solid-glass electrolytes that resulted in a new version of the electrolytes that is now patented through the UT Austin Office of Technology Commercialization.
The engineers’ glass electrolytes allow them to plate and strip alkali metals on both the cathode and the anode side without dendrites, which simplifies battery cell fabrication.
Another advantage is that the battery cells can be made from earth-friendly materials.
“The glass electrolytes allow for the substitution of low-cost sodium for lithium. Sodium is extracted from seawater that is widely available,” Braga said.
Goodenough and Braga are continuing to advance their battery-related research and are working on several patents. In the short term, they hope to work with battery makers to develop and test their new materials in electric vehicles and energy storage devices.
This research is supported by UT Austin, but there are no grants associated with this work. The UT Austin Office of Technology Commercialization is actively negotiating license agreements with multiple companies engaged in a variety of battery-related industry segments.