Tag Archives: scientists

Scientists create human sperm

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Newcastle: British scientists created human sperm from stem cells for the first time in a bid to better understand the causes of male infertility.

The researchers, led by Karim Nayernia from Newcastle University, developed a technique to turn stem cells with male chromosomes from human embryos into reproductive cells, known as germline, and prompt them to divide, they said in a study published in the journal Stem Cells and Development today. The divided cells produced functional sperm, the scientists said.

The new technique “will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men,” Professor Nayernia said in a statement released with the study. “This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own.”

The research may also help scientists understand how genetic diseases are passed on, according to the statement.

The lab-created sperm won’t be used for “fertilization of human eggs and implantation of embryos,” the researchers said. “While we can understand that some people may have concerns, this does not mean that humans can be produced ‘in a dish’ and we have no intention of doing this,” they wrote.

Stem cells, which have the power to become any type of cell in the body, are controversial when research involves human embryos, which are killed when the cells are harvested.

In another medical journal last week, more than 40 scientists, bio-ethicists, lawyers and science journal editors called on their colleagues and policy makers to develop guidelines for the research and reproductive use of stem cell- derived eggs and sperm.

Diet for your age and gender, say food scientists

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London: A healthy diet is eating the right food for your age and gender.That is the advice from one of the UK’s leading food scientists, Dr Sian Astley, who belives that in the future food will be formulated for different ages and sexes.

She said the same diet is not for everyone that the sensible approach is best. Young women, for example, who those hoping to become pregnant should eat foods with folic acid such as green leafy vegtables, asparagas, citrus fruit, wholemeal breads and cereals. This form of vitamin B helps prevent defects such as brain and spinal impairments.
At the samt time they should also have an adequate intake of iron, as many women of child-bearing age do not eat enough red meat.

But as people age the body’s food requirements change. Busy people and mothers need to keep energy levels up therefore its wise to eat complex carbohydrates to provide a slow steady release of energy.

And in old age we need to prevent some of the common diseases such as osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s by eating calcium rich goods, vitamin B and plenty of oily fish.

Dr Astley, of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich speaking at the British Association Festival of Science, said: ‘The way we process vitamin B, for example, changes dramatically as we reach old age. Our body can still process it but really struggles to extract it from the food we eat. There might be an argument for a fortified food or there may be a reason for taking a supplement.’

Men becoming increasingly at risk of prostate cancer as they age so they should boost their intake of anti-oxidants that boost the immune system such as tomatoes.These foods may also help women who may be at risk from herediary cancers.

This new study is the latest to support the growing body of evidence that eating healthily is the biggest contributor to longevity.

Comments Dr Astley: “As we get older, our bodies are less effective at avoiding disease; our immune systems are less able to detect and mount a defence. This results in an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cataract and arthritis.

‘Poor diet can accelerate this process whilst 80 per cent of casecontrolled studies support the hypothesis that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of age-related illness.’ She cautioned-however, that there is no guarantee that even the healthiest of diets will be able to ward off illness.

For instance, cereal manufacturers may provide versions fortified with particular age-groups or sexes in mind. ‘We are not expecting 500 types of Weetabix for every type of person, but perhaps five that are formulated differently for different types of diet or age,’ said Dr Astley.

Body cells younger than our years, say Swedish researchers

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Parts of the body regenerate in days and others in years. This means that our bodies are younger than our birth certificate, according to Swedish scientists who have used carbon dating to make their findings.

Our bodies are weeks, years and even decades younger than our chronological age because cells and tissue regenerate, they say in a report in the New Scientist magazine.

The technique uses levels of a radioactive form of carbon called carbon-14 to gauge the age of objects.

Usually accurate only to between 30 and 100 years, carbon-14 dating has been refined by researchers at Sweden’s prestigious Karolinska Institute to be able to pinpoint the age of parts of the human body.

The team compared levels of the element in the human body with those in the atmosphere when nuclear weapons testing was at its height 50 years ago.

Factoring the length of time it takes carbon-14 to decay allowed them to accurately date various body parts.

They found the hardest-working cells had the shortest life, with some wearing out and being replaced within days.

Eyelashes and eyebrows are renewed in eight weeks, tastebuds every 10 days.

The lining of the gut has a lifespan of just five days, but muscles are much older – those of someone in their late 30s have an average of 15.1 years.

Professor Jonas Fisen has also been able to age some brain cells, revealing that those in the cerebellum, which co-ordinates movement, are about three years younger than we are.

Anti-ageing specialist Joe Kosterich said as we got older, our ability to regenerate became less efficient.

Dr Kosterich said: “It’s like taking a copy of a copy. Enzymes that work on our DNA become less effective as we age so you start to replace pristine healthy cells with ones not quite as good. The whole ageing process is very likely linked to the breakdown of restorative and repairing mechanisms in the body.”

The Swedish research suggests – if averaged out, someone in their late 30s would have a body just 15 1/2 years old.

They hope the research will help shed light on degenerative conditions linked to cell death, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Dr Kosterich said in the meantime, the best defence against ageing and to promote healthy cell regeneration was exercise and anti-oxidants.

“Although exercise actually causes the body to regenerate and repair more, it keeps our regenerative system ticking over so you are making a better copy of yourself, so to speak,” he said.

Dr Kosterich said the enzymes which assisted the regeneration of tissue and cells were adversely affected by toxins and anti-oxidants could help promote healthy tissue repair.

“In this case, it’s exercise first, anti-oxidants second, but you also have to live a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and weight maintenance,” he said.

Different body parts age at varying rates.These figures show the average age of the body parts of someone in their late 30s

Cerebellum 2.9 years

Eyelashes 2 months

Tastebuds 10 days

Bones 10 years

Surface of skin 2 weeks

Rib muscles 15.1 years

Gut 15.9 years

Gut lining 5 days

Red blood cells 4 months

Largest gathering of anti-ageing experts in London later this year

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London: The world’s top anti-ageing experts are to gather in London later this year.

Anti-Ageing Conference London’s speaker programme is the largest gathering of the world’s pre-eminent medical speakers on the subject of anti-ageing health and regenerative medicine ever to be assembled in London.

The 3rd Anti-Ageing Conference (AACL), will be held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London from the 15-17 September 2006. This event offers a unique opportunity to learn from scientists and physicians about the latest medical advances from what some may consider controversial, to the proven and new treatments for the diseases of ageing.

This event is of importance to all medical professionals who wish to be cognisant on the latest medical and scientific developments in anti-ageing and rejuvenatory medicine from around globe. It is of particular importance to scientists, nutritionists, gerontologists, chiropractors, pharmacists, pharmaceutical chemists and research specialists, nursing practitioners, naturopathic doctors, dentists, bariatricians and weight management specialists.

Among the speakers are world-renowned experts who have driven the global debate on anti-ageing medicine including Dr Robert Goldman, Chairman, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and Dr Ronald Klatz, Founding President, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine; Professor Imre Zs-Nagy, Professor John Ionescu, Dr Michael Klentze, Mr Robert Klein and Professor Irving Weissman. The keynote speaker on Sunday is Deepak Chopra, one of the world’s leaders in the field of mind body medicine and Auvyredic medicine.

As well as the opportunity to hear from these world experts and put questions to our speaker panel, this event provides a unique networking opportunity for healthcare professionals. All delegates receive a high-quality bound conference manual including speaker presentations and biographical materials. The fee also includes a buffet lunch, on all three days, refreshments and an invitation to the conference cocktail reception. In addition the latest anti-ageing products from around the world will be on show in the exhibition hall.

This prestigious scientific event will be introduced by Heather Bird-Tchenguiz MBA, Chairperson, AACL; Founder and President of HB Health; Director of the World Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine; Board Member, European Society of Anti-Aging Medicine and Director, British Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine.

Heather Bird-Tchenguiz comments: “In most societies around the globe people are living longer so the importance of healthy ageing has never been greater. It is possible for older people to live full and healthy lives well into the latter part of their years but in most cases this does not happen because they and the medical professional are not always aware of the new opportunities that are available to them through anti-ageing medicine. That is what this conference is all about and why this knowledge is so vital.”

The speaker programme for Anti-Ageing London 2006 is as follows:
Friday, 15 September – Regenerative and Preventative Medicine
Prof Larry Benowitz – (TBA)
Prof Geoffrey Raisman: Spinal cord injury
Prof David Naor PhD: Involvement of CD 44 in stem cell differentiation
Prof Stephen Minger – (TBA)
Prof Stefan Krauss PhD: Neural Cell Damage
Dr Dasa Ciscova PhD: The efficacy of stem cell therapy in animal models of autoimmune diseases
Prof Tomas Ekstrom: Karolinska Institutet Sweden: Epigentics principles
Dr Tony Pellet: Umbilical Cord stem cells
Dr Miomir Knecevic – (TBA)
Dr Ralf Toenjes PhD: Paul-Ehrlich –Institut: Stem Cell signatures as a tool for quality control of
Innovative medicinal products
Andreas Junge MBA: Knowledge Management
Dr Octavi Quintana Trias: EU politics
Dr Marco Traub: Symposium Overview
Saturday, 16 September
Professor Dr Imre Zs-Nazy: The Theories of Ageing
Dr Ben Pfeifer MD Ph.D: Prostate Cancer – Unique Protocols featuring Photonutrients and the Immounomodulator
Dr Mark Babizayev: Human Cataracts – the role of Lipid Peroxidation and the efficacy of N-acetylcarnosine as a treatment
Phil Micans PharmB: Biological Age Measurement – Practicalities and Issues
Dr Jennifer Krup MD ABAAM:HRT in Women : Questions. answers and more questions
Dr Brian Halvosen: Dentistry – Advances with an emphasis on chelation and preventative health care
Dr Robert Goldman MD PhD FAASP DO FAOASM:
Prof Alfred Wolf: Chronic stress,burn-out and CFS, A new insight and preventive options
Patrick Holford BSc DipION FBant- Nutrition and Ageing
Sunday, 17 September
Dr Deepak Chopra
Dr Julian Kenyon: Photodynamic and Sonodynamic Therapy
Professor John Ionescu PhD: New Strategies to slow skin photoageing
Sarah Noble: Advances in Spa Medicine
Dr Eric Braverman, MD: Subclinical Hyperparathyroidism: A precursor of Osteoporosis and Dementia?
Dr Michael Klentze MD PhD ABAAM: Male Hormone Replacement
Dr Paul Clayton: Alzheimer’s Disease: Pharmaco-nutritional strategies to maintain the ageing brain
Dr Ron Klatz The Conference Overview
The programme may be subject to change
Full details of the speaker programme and speaker biographies can be viewed at www.antiageingconference.com
There are various categories of registration for this event:
Full registration £350;
Day 1 Only £200;
Day 2 only £200;
Day 3 £200.
Book on-line on the registration page at www.antiageingconference.com Membership of certain medical societies may qualify for a discount. Further information may also be requested from conference@antiageingconference.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 2075816962

The events sponsors and supporters include HB Health, the British Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine; the European Society of Anti-Aging Medicine; the World Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and The Trans European Stem Cell Therapy Consortium.

Anti Ageing Conference London
PO Box 50622
London SW6 2YP
United Kingdom
Tel : +44 (0) 20 7581 6962
Fax : +44 (0) 20 7589 1273