Evidence that S6K1, but not 4E-BP1, mediates skeletal muscle pathology associated with loss of A-type lamins.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a central role in aging and a number of different disease states. Rapamycin, which suppresses activity of the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), shows preclinical (and sometimes clinical) efficacy in a number of disease models. Among these are mice, which serve as a mouse model for dystrophy-associated laminopathies.

A novel system to generate WTC dust particles for inhalation exposures.

First responders (FRs) present at Ground Zero within the critical first 72 h after the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse have progressively exhibited significant respiratory injury. The majority (>96%) of WTC dusts were >10 μm and no studies have examined potential health effects of this size fraction. This study sought to develop a system to generate and deliver supercoarse (10-53 μm) WTC particles to a rat model in a manner that mimicked FR exposure scenarios.

Late-life rapamycin treatment reverses age-related heart dysfunction.

Rapamycin has been shown to extend lifespan in numerous model organisms including mice, with the most dramatic longevity effects reported in females. However, little is known about the functional ramifications of this longevity-enhancing paradigm in mammalian tissues. We treated 24-month-old female C57BL/6J mice with rapamycin for 3 months and determined health outcomes via a variety of noninvasive measures of cardiovascular, skeletal, and metabolic health for individual mice.