Weekly news from the realm of medicine

From Ouroboros, a look at research into internal changes in T cells with aging, some the mechanisms driving the ongoing depletion of the naive T cell population, some not: ''The adaptive immune response requires waves of T-cell clonal expansion on contact with altered self and contraction after elimination of antigen. In the case of persisting ...

Beyond the reduction in number of naive T cells, the immune system also ages through an accumulation of senescent T cells that behave in suboptimal or damaging ways. Via Ouroboros, a look at the science of doing something about the latter problem: ''Cultures of senescent CD8 T cells show altered cytokine patterns, resistance to apoptosis, and ...

More good news for calorie restriction (CR) practitioners via The Scientist: ''The link between caloric restriction and longevity may be mediated by reduced susceptibility to disease ... scientists found that calorie-restricted older adult rhesus monkeys have at least 30% more naive T cells than controls. ... Some people said there's something ...

Being fit is good for the healthy longevity of components and systems within your body. Via the open journal Immunity & Aging, here is a look at fitness and the aging immune system: ''Highly conditioned elderly men seem to have relatively better preserved immune system than the sedentary elderly men. Long-term endurance training has the potential ...