BrianA Posted January 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Large Study Finds Link Between Viral Infections and Future Brain Illness https://gizmodo.com/viral-infections-brain-illness-dementia-alzheimers-1850026437 Virus exposure and neurodegenerative disease risk across national biobanks https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(22)01147-3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianA Posted February 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Here's a fascinating hypothesis that aging itself evolved as a reaction to infection and parasites. Species that evolved to limit lifespan to a certain level, dependent on the particular typical infectious diseases of their particular environment, would tend to survive better than ones that had individuals that could live "too long" and collect too many sterilizing diseases. The paper walks through several examples of various animals that traditional aging explanations fail to account properly for, and the authors also run their own simulations to show how their model plays out under various starting conditions. In regards to human aging: "The pathogen control hypothesis predicts a conditional lifespan shortening by immune activation to be an adaptive mechanism of lifespan management, protecting an individual’s kin". So in other words, when we experience infections, we would expect our lifespan to shorten based on this hypothesis. Is Aging an Inevitable Characteristic of Organic Life or an Evolutionary Adaptation? https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0006297922120021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianA Posted February 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Random new virus fact I learned today: There is a virus that can make you fat, and it may work in part by forcing stem cells to differentiate into extra fat cells. A study from Australia apparently showed 20% of adults tested were positive for antibodies for this virus. Is it part of the fat epidemic? Human adenovirus 36: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenovirus_serotype_36 Here's a study showing that earlier enrollment in daycare (in other words, more likely to be exposed to the virus) and having antibodies of this virus was associated with becoming obese: Adenovirus 36 infection and daycare starting age are associated with adiposity in children and adolescentshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002175572030200X and here's a study that indicates this virus can cause stem cells to differentiate into extra fat cells. The positive side effect of this extra fat is you have better blood sugar handling/insulin sensitivity. The downside is higher fatty acid/triglyceride synthesis. Adenovirus type 36 regulates adipose stem cell differentiation and glucolipid metabolism through the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1/PPARγ signaling pathwayhttps://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12944-019-1004-9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianA Posted April 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2023 Avoid getting infected if you like staying mentally sharp. "The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that infections in mid- and late-life can worsen cognitive performance and may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias." Common infections linked to poorer cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230420110130.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Posted April 21, 2023 Report Share Posted April 21, 2023 Interesting. One paragraph: The pathogens assessed in the study are often encountered in childhood and are either cleared or turned into suppressed, latent infections. As such, the researchers considered significant levels of antibodies against them in the middle-aged and older study participants as likely indicators of their reactivation due to immune system weakening with age. -- Saul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianA Posted August 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2023 You have to wonder now, how many heart attacks and strokes that come "out of the blue" are actually linked to infections like this? Common cold virus linked to potentially fatal blood clotting disorder https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230810110315.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianA Posted January 11 Author Report Share Posted January 11 RSV shown to infect nerve cells, cause inflammation and damage https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240109170510.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianA Posted February 10 Author Report Share Posted February 10 "scientists theorize the cause could be a previous viral infection" Immune genes are altered in Alzheimer's patients' blood https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240209163442.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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