Groundbreaking research uncovers what protects us from heart disease

Good news!

"... the research found that endothelial progenitor cells – which help repair the inner lining of a blood vessel following vascular injury – as well as telomere length, may play a critical role in preventing heart disease. The results of the study were recently published in the Coronary Artery Disease medical journal. ...

the research set out to uncover why some people never develop heart disease despite having high-risk profiles (diabetes, smoking, excess cholesterol, etc.), while others do. ...
Researchers found that patients with a high risk for coronary artery disease but with healthy arteries had greater endothelial progenitor cell function than patients with existing heart disease. In addition, they also discovered that these cells had longer telomeres (which indicate a cell’s lifespan) in individuals with normal arteries. Telomere length has previously been shown to be correlated with overall cell health. ..."

From the abstract:

"Background 

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have an important role in repair following vascular injury. Telomere length has been shown to be correlated with genome stability and overall cell health. We hypothesized that both EPCs and telomere size are related to protective mechanisms against coronary artery disease. Our aim was to evaluate the level and function of circulating EPCs and telomere length in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors and anatomically normal coronary arteries vs. matched controls.

Methods 

We included 24 patients, with coronary CTA demonstrating normal coronaries and a high risk of CAD of >10% by ASCVD risk estimator. Control groups included 17 patients with similar cardiovascular profiles but with established CAD and a group of 20 healthy volunteers. ...

Results 

Patients with high risk for CVD and normal coronaries had augmented EPCs function, compared with the CAD group (1.1 vs. 0.22 CFU/f; P = 0.04) and longer telomeres compared with the CAD group (10.7 kb vs. 2.8 kb P = 0.015). These patients displayed a similar profile to the healthy group.

Conclusion 

Patients with a high risk for CAD, but normal coronary arteries have EPCs function and telomere length which resemble healthy volunteers, and augmented compared with patients with established CAD, which could serve as a protective mechanism against atherosclerosis development in these high-risk patients."

Groundbreaking research uncovers what protects us from heart disease - The Jerusalem Post Assuta Ashdod-led study finds protective biological factors that prevent the development of atherosclerosis in high-risk individuals.

Identification of protective biologic factors in patients with high cardiovascular risk, but normal coronary arteries (NormCorn) (no public access)

Assuta Ashdod's Dr. Einat Shaked, who led the research with her hands deep in her pants pockets 😊

T Cells Ward Off Aging with Help from Their Friends

Recommendable!

"... an interaction between T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs) early in the immune response to viruses may determine how fast T cells decline. ...
The new study finds that after infection, APCs, the cells that initially kickstart T cells’ immune response by presenting them with a foreign antigen, chop off and deliver their telomeres to T cells, the white blood cells that fight viruses. ...
The researchers found that when APCSs deliver their telomeres to T cells, the latter shift into stem cell-like configuration, which delays their senescence. The researchers also found that this interaction boosts long-term immunity in mice ..."

From the abstract:

"The common view is that T lymphocytes activate telomerase to delay senescence. Here we show that some T cells (primarily naïve and central memory cells) elongated telomeres by acquiring telomere vesicles from antigen-presenting cells (APCs) independently of telomerase action. Upon contact with these T cells, APCs degraded shelterin to donate telomeres, which were cleaved by the telomere trimming factor TZAP, and then transferred in extracellular vesicles at the immunological synapse. Telomere vesicles retained the Rad51 recombination factor that enabled telomere fusion with T-cell chromosome ends lengthening them by an average of ~3,000 base pairs. Thus, there are antigen-specific populations of T cells whose ageing fate decisions are based on telomere vesicle transfer upon initial contact with APCs. These telomere-acquiring T cells are protected from senescence before clonal division begins, conferring long-lasting immune protection."

T Cells Ward Off Aging with Help from Their Friends | The Scientist Magazine® Immune cells deliver packages of telomeres to T cells, helping them retain their virus-fighting function over time, research suggests.

An intercellular transfer of telomeres rescues T cells from senescence and promotes long-term immunological memory (no public access, but article above contains link to PDF file)

Study shows hyperbaric oxygen can reverse the aging process

Updated on 1/6/2021

"... Efrati’s team at Shamir Medical Center’s Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research — one of the largest hyperbaric medicine clinics in the world – has found HBOT can improve brain function in some stroke, fibromyalgia and Alzheimer’s patients. ..."

Here is a new article about this subject from the same source:

From aging to chronic wounds, is hyperbaric oxygen a cure-all? High-pressure oxygen treatment can help heal any wound, whether on your skin or in your brain. Israeli experts explain its benefits and limitations.

This is an extended article, but still based on same research paper!

 

Original as of 11/25/2020

Are we to believe the good news? Is this just another of many claims over history to stop or even reverse the aging process? This hyperbaric oxygen treatment seems to make sense. Further research would not hurt! 

However, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has a long and successful history of treating e.g. "carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, stubborn wounds, and infections in which tissues are starved for oxygen" (see e.g. Johns Hopkins article)

"Hyperbaric oxygen treatments can stop the aging of blood cells and even reverse the aging process in healthy aging adults, according to a recently published study from scientists at Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Shamir Medical Center.

The researchers found that a unique protocol of high-pressure oxygen treatments in a pressure chamber can reverse two major processes associated with aging: the shortening of telomeres (protective regions at both ends of every chromosome) and the accumulation of old, malfunctioning (senescent) cells. ..."

Study shows hyperbaric oxygen can reverse the aging process - ISRAEL21c High-pressure oxygen treatments are found to reverse two major cellular processes associated with aging and its illnesses.

Age-Related Cognitive and Functional Decline and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

Here is the respective research paper:

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells : a prospective trial