15 Animals That You Never Would Have Guessed Actually Exist. #10 Is Totally Ridiculous!

Venezuelan poodle moth

Blobfish

                                                   Tufted deer

                                              Tube-nosed fruit bat

                                              Lion’s mane-jellyfish

                                                      Snub-nosed monkey

                                                  Frilled shark

                                                              Wolf fish

                                                 Aye-aye lemur

  
                                                 Barreleye fish

                                                 Cyclops shark

                                                      Banded piglet squid

                                                   
                                                           Giant isopod

                                                           
                                                    Yeti crab

                                               Star-nosed mole

Gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease identified

Scientists have identified a gene thought to play a causal role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. 

The gene, identified by researchers including one from Simon Fraser University in Canada, affects accumulation of amyloid-beta, a protein believed to be one of the main causes of the damage that underpins this brain disease in humans. 

The gene encodes a protein that is important for intracellular transportation. 

Each brain cell relies on an internal highway system that transports molecular signals needed for the development, communication, and survival of the cell. 

This system's impairment can disrupt amyloid-beta processing, causing its eventual accumulation. This contributes to the development of amyloid plaques, which are a key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. 

"Alzheimer's is a multifactorial disease where a build-up of subtle problems develops in the nervous system over a span of decades," said Michael Silverman, an SFU biology associate professor who worked on the study with a team of Japanese scientists led by Dr Takashi Morihara at Osaka University. 

"Alzheimer's, like many human disorders, has a genetic component, yet many environmental and lifestyle factors contribute to the disease as well," said Silverman. 

"In a sense, it is like looking for a needle in a complex genetic haystack," he added. 

The gene discovery could open new avenues for the design of therapeutics and pave the way for early detection by helping healthcare professionals identify those who are predisposed to the disease, researchers said. 

"One possibility is that a genetic test for a particular variant of this newly discovered gene, along with other variants of genes that contribute to Alzheimer's, will help to give a person their overall risk for the disease," said Silverman. 

"Lifestyle changes, such as improved diet, exercise, and an increase in cognitive stimulation may then help to slow the progression of Alzheimer's," he said. 

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Secret to longer life could be in this new pill

WASHINGTON: A new pill that prevents ageing and keeps people healthier for longer may be a step closer, scientists say. 

Activating a protein called sirtuin 1 extends lifespan, delays the onset of age-related metabolic diseases, and improves general health in mice, a new study has found. 

The findings point to a potentially promising strategy for improving health and longevity. 

Sirtuin 1, or SIRT1, is known to play an important role in maintaining metabolic balance in multiple tissues, and studies in various organisms have shown that activating the protein can lead to many health benefits. 

Also, drugs that increase SIRT1 activity have been found to slow the onset of ageing and delay age-associated diseases in several animal models. 

Researchers led by Dr Rafael de Cabo of the National Institute on Ageing at the National Institutes of Health tested the effects of a small molecule that activates SIRT1, called SIRT1720, on the health and lifespan of mice. 

The animals were fed a standard diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg SRT1720 beginning at 6 months of age for the remainder of their lives. 

Researchers found that SRT1720 significantly extended the average lifespan of mice by 8.8 per cent. Supplementation also reduced body weight and fat percentage, and it improved muscle function and motor coordination throughout the animals' lives. 

In additional studies focused on the effects of SRT1720 on various metabolic variables, researchers found that SRT1720 supplementation led to decreases in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels, which might help protect against heart disease, and improvements in insulin sensitivity, which could help prevent diabetes, researchers said. 

Supplementation also had anti-inflammatory effects in various tissues, an important finding because low-grade chronic inflammation is thought to contribute to ageing and age-related diseases, they said. 

"Here, we show for the first time that a synthetic SIRT1 activator extends lifespan and improves healthspan of mice fed a standard diet," said de Cabo. 

"It illustrates that we can develop molecules that ameliorate the burden of metabolic and chronic diseases associated with ageing," said de Cab. 

The study appears in the journal Cell Reports.