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Study with Round Worms Suggests Memory
Can Be Preserved by Dietary RestrictionScientist hope to use the system to identify new drugs and treatments for age-related cognitive decline
May 25, 2010 - If you lived longer, would you still remember everything? It depends. Two methods of extending life span have very different effects on memory performance and decline with age, researchers at Princeton University have shown in a study publishing next week in the online, open-access journal PLoS Biology.
While the nematode C. elegans (round worm) is already well known for its utility in longevity research, previously it was not known how the memory of C. elegans compares with that of other animals, or whether longevity treatments could improve learning and memory.
To answer these questions, Amanda Kauffman and colleagues, of Coleen Murphy's lab at Princeton, designed new tests of learning and memory in C. elegans, then used these tests to identify the necessary components of learning, short-term memory, and long-term memory.They found that the molecules required for learning and memory appear to be conserved from C. elegans to mammals, suggesting that the basic mechanisms underlying learning and memory are ancient.
The authors also determined how each of the behaviors declines with age, and tested the effects of two known regulators of longevity - dietary restriction and reduced Insulin/IGF-1 signaling - on these declines.
Surprisingly, very different effects on memory were achieved with the two longevity treatments: dietary restriction impaired memory in early adulthood but maintained memory with age, while reduced Insulin/IGF-1 signaling improved early adult memory performance but failed to preserve it with age.
These results suggest not only that longevity treatment could help preserve cognitive function with age, but also that different longevity treatments might have very different effects on such declines.
"Since one of the most devastating age-related declines is the loss of memory, it is exciting that we now can use C. elegans as a model to understand not only longevity but also memory function," says Murphy.
"We hope to use the system now to identify new drugs and treatments for age-related cognitive decline. Maybe targeting more than one longevity pathway would be the right approach."
This work was supported by the Sloan Fellows Program; Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences; Keck Scholars Program; McKnight Scholars Program; and National Institutes of Health R01 grant. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Social Security Can Be Fixed with Just
Modest Changes: Senate Committee on AgingChairman Kohl sends to Congress various options committee found for consideration
May 18, 2010 – Making the future of Social Security financially secure is not as difficult as many have made it seem, according to Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. The committee released a report today that includes various options for making Social Security more secure through “modest changes” to the program.
"This report shows that, contrary to popular belief, the sky is absolutely not falling for Social Security. By implementing one or more of these modest changes, we can ensure solvency and even strengthen benefits for those who count on their monthly check the most," said Chairman Kohl.
The report outlines the challenges currently facing America's retirement program and highlights options for addressing program solvency, benefit adequacy, and retirement income security for economically-vulnerable groups, according to a news release from Kohl’s office.
“Emphasizing that a majority of America's seniors rely on Social Security as their primary source of income, the report calls on Congress to enact modest changes to Social Security in the near future to bring its long-term financing into balance and improve benefits for those who need them most,” says the release.
Copies of the report were delivered to all fourteen members of President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Many of the Commission's members have publicly mentioned their interest in addressing Social Security as part of their work to reduce the federal deficit.
"Social Security has never been responsible for one penny of the federal deficit, and by law is barred from doing so. In fact, it has had a surplus every year since its inception (click to Trustees Report 2009). If the Commission chooses to take a look at the program, it is my hope that they find our Aging Committee report of use," Kohl said.
The report points out that the nation's demographics have changed significantly since the Social Security program began in 1935. Americans are living longer, women's participation in the labor force has significantly increased, and with a rise in the divorce rate, household composition has changed.
The labor force is also growing more slowly and with fewer companies offering pensions, the nature of work and compensation has altered in ways that affect workers' ability to save for retirement. Therefore, in addition to improving solvency, any future reforms to the program should take into account America's evolving demographics in order to ensure that benefits are adequate and equitable for generations to come.
The report includes an important disclaimer that the options laid out represent a range of commonly-considered proposals, and that none of them should be construed as having been endorsed by the Committee or its members.
In the foreword, Chairman Kohl asserts:
"Many members of the Committee, including myself, do not support and actively oppose many of the options. However, a full and informed debate begins with the collection of research and information, and it is our hope that this report will serve as a resource to Congress and policymakers as they discuss ways to ensure that Social Security will remain strong for another 75 years."
A link to the Committee report is below.
http://aging.senate.gov/letters/ssreport2010.pdf
Aging Committee Website - http://aging.senate.gov/
The Elders on Equality for Women & GirlsThe Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.
Equality for Women & Girls
"Religion and tradition are a great force for peace and progress around the world.
However, as Elders, we believe that the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a higher authority, is unacceptable.
We believe that women and girls share equal rights with men and boys in all aspects of life.
We call upon all leaders to promote and protect equal rights for women and girls.
We especially call on religious and traditional leaders to set an example and change all discriminatory practices within their own religions and traditions.
The Elders are fully committed to the realisation of equality and empowerment of all women and girls."
The Elders, 2 July 2009.
The dignity of all, regardless of gender or background, is a common thread in our great faiths and cultures. This powerful concept also provided the foundation for the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Religious values and teachings, along with traditional customs, have provided comfort to hundreds of millions of people, stability for societies and have been a major force for good in our world and in our history.
Sadly, they have also been used throughout the centuries to justify and entrench inequality and discrimination against women and girls. These teachings and practices have been abused by men to give them power over the female members of their families and women across their communities. As a result, women have lost control of their bodies and their lives. In many societies, women only gain freedom from the wishes of their fathers when power over them is handed to their husbands.
Over the next pages, we chart how this deep-rooted belief that women are worth less than men has infected every aspect of our societies. It has led to women suffering brutal violence and mistreatment. It has denied girls and women fair access to education, health, employment, property and influence within their own communities. It is not just women who are paying an enormous price for this cultural and religious prejudice. We all suffer when women and girls are abused and their needs are neglected. By denying them security and opportunity, we embed unfairness in our societies and fail to make the most of the talents of half the population.
But there are, too, signs of hope. We want to point to the progress that is being made to lift this inequality and the impressive results such action brings. During the lifetimes of the Elders, in almost every society and in every area, women are breaking down the barriers which have held them and their daughters back for so long.
There remains, however, a long way to go until we reach true equality of opportunity. And this is not a fight which should be left to women and girls alone. It is up to all our leaders, particularly male political, religious and civil leaders, to challenge and change those practices and attitudes, however long-established, which allow and foster discrimination and unfair treatment.
We also call on all men and boys to throw their weight behind the campaign for equality and to challenge those who oppose women's rights and equality. The complementary skills and qualities of both men and women are needed to tackle the enormous challenges we face. This will not be easy. Men and boys will have to change their behaviour and thinking. Some women will too. But we will all gain from such changes. Societies with greater equality between men and women, girls and boys, are healthier, safer and more prosperous.
Husbands should join with their wives, brothers with their sisters and sons with their mothers. We know what needs to be done. There is widespread agreement on the steps which must be taken. We now have to show the courage and determination to root out discrimination and change our world for the better
For more on this subject: http://www.theelders.org/womens-initiatives/cultural-and-religious-discrimination
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