Cellular homeostasis declines with age due to the declining fidelity of biosynthetic processes and the accumulation of molecular damage. Yet, it remains largely elusive how individual processes are affected during aging and what their specific contribution to age-related functional decline is. This review discusses a series of recent publications that has shown that transcription elongation is compromised during aging due to increasing DNA damage, stalling of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), erroneous transcription initiation in gene bodies, and accelerated RNAPII elongation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpilepsy is a common neurological condition that arises from dysfunctional neuronal circuit control due to either acquired or innate disorders. Autophagy is an essential neuronal housekeeping mechanism, which causes severe proteotoxic stress when impaired. Autophagy impairment has been associated to epileptogenesis through a variety of molecular mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemperature is a critical environmental cue that controls the development and lifespan of many animal species; however, mechanisms underlying low-temperature adaptation are poorly understood. Here, we describe cold-inducible diapause (CID), another type of diapause induced by low temperatures in Caenorhabditis elegans. A premature stop codon in heat shock factor 1 (hsf-1) triggers entry into CID at 9 °C, whereas wild-type animals enter CID at 4 °C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe demographic profile of patients transitioning from chronic kidney disease to kidney replacement therapy is changing, with a higher prevalence of aging patients with multiple comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and heart failure. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in this population, exacerbated by the cardiovascular stress imposed by the HD procedure. The first year after transitioning to hemodialysis is associated with increased risks of hospitalization and mortality, particularly within the first 90-120 days, with greater vulnerability observed among the elderly.
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