Taurine may help slow the aging process, new animal study shows

Health Advice

June 21, 2023admin

Taurine may help slow the aging process, new animal study shows

Cows on top of a hill at sunset — Taurine is a compound found in dairy products as well as some energy drinks. Kevin Day/Getty Images

Taurine is a compound found in humans as well as dairy products and some energy drinks.
In a study, researchers say taurine was effective as an anti-aging agent that promoted longevity in mice.
Experts say the findings are promising, but more research needs to be done humans.

A deficiency in the nutrient taurine appears to drive aging in animals, but experts say more research is needed to determine if the same effect is found in humans.

A study published today in the journal Science reports that supplements of taurine slowed the aging process in monkeys, mice and worms and extended the healthy lifespan of mice in middle age by up to 12%.

“For the last 25 years, scientists have been trying to find factors that not only let us live longer, but also increase health span, the time we remain healthy in our old age,” Vijay Yadav, PhD, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of genetics & development at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, said in a press statement.

“This study suggests that taurine could be an elixir of life within us that helps us live longer and healthier lives,” Dr. Yadav added.

In undertaking their study, the researchers first examined the levels of taurine in the blood of monkeys, mice and people and discovered that levels decrease significantly with age.

In humans, they found that taurine levels in 60-year-olds were only a third of those found in 5-year-olds.

“That’s when we started to ask if taurine deficiency is a driver of the aging process, and we set up a large experiment with mice,” Yadav said.

The researchers examined

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Department Health

April 21, 2023admin

Nearly half of Quebec private seniors’ homes lack generators, Health Ministry data shows

Seniors at Manoir de Casson, a private seniors’ residence in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough, had to wait 28 hours to have their power restored during this month's ice storm. (Rowan Kennedy/CBC - image credit) — Seniors at Manoir de Casson, a private seniors’ residence in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough, had to wait 28 hours to have their power restored during this month’s ice storm. (Rowan Kennedy/CBC – image credit)

Quebec is considering making generators mandatory in private seniors’ homes, more than a week after an ice storm plunged the province in the dark.

Forty-seven per cent of Quebec’s private seniors’ residences (RPAs) don’t have an emergency generator, Radio-Canada is reporting. Unlike hospitals and CHSLDs, RPAs are not required to have generators.

A spokesperson for Premier François Legault’s office, Ewan Sauvé, told Radio-Canada the Quebec government is gathering information before taking action but is “not ruling anything out at this stage.”

The government is currently looking into which of the province’s RPAs lost power during the storm and are without generators, according to Sarah Bigras, a spokesperson for Quebec’s minister responsible for seniors Sonia Bélanger.

Data Radio-Canada gleaned from the Ministry of Health and Social Services shows the shares of RPAs without generators: Montreal (30 per cent), Laval (33 per cent), Montérégie (37 per cent), Laurentians (40 per cent) and the Eastern Townships (41 per cent).

The percentage of residences without emergency power climbs to 70 in the region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and 77 per cent in the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands.

When the ice storm hit Quebec earlier this month, cutting power to millions of people, the Manoir de Casson, a private seniors’ residence in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough, lost electricity for over a day.

Kira McGee, the residence’s general manager, was grateful to have a backup plan.

“When we saw it was getting critical, the generator kicked right in,” she said. She said the residence was fortunate enough to have electricity in the common areas, which allowed staff to provide hot food.

For McGee,

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Health Advice

April 18, 2023admin

‘Euphoria Fashion’: Secrets of the show’s costume design

In “Euphoria,” storytelling doesn’t just happen through writing, music and cinematography, but through its characters’ clothes.

“You can take the opportunity to address every single aspect of a costume to communicate,” Heidi Bivens, the show’s head costume designer, explained over the phone to CNN. “That’s the color, texture, shape, silhouette … how new something looks versus how worn in. You can reveal or conceal someone’s mental state. The nonverbal clues create a mood.”

“Euphoria,” the award-winning HBO show created and principally written by Sam Levinson, unflinchingly portrays an ensemble cast of teenagers grappling with drugs, sexuality and relational hardships in today’s age of social media and perpetual anxiety.

(HBO is owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

Its representation of youth culture — of which fashion is a key identifier — has made “a lot of people (feel) seen through the show in a way that they maybe haven’t in others,” Bivens said.

In a new book, “Euphoria Fashion,” the costume designer reveals her process. Its pages include behind-the-scenes breakdowns to conversations with the show’s cast members; there are also Q&As with fashion designers including Coperni’s Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, as well as historical essays on staples worn by the cast, such as Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars.

Bivens’ “Euphoria Fashion” features many never-before-seen photos. Credit: Courtesy A24

Bivens’ work on “Euphoria” has deeply resonated among the show’s fans.

The hashtag #euphoriaoutfits features in thousands of videos shared on TikTok, and accounts for 28.3 million views on the social media platform. Some of these videos show outfit recreations, while others are of young people adopting a character’s style habits, or what they’d wear if they went to “Euphoria High.” Sleuthing viewers have also identified key pieces worn by the cast, and share where people can buy them —

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Department Health

April 15, 2023admin

Blood Tribe Department of Health shows off its Lethbridge shelter operations

The Blood Tribe Department of Health opened the doors at the Lethbridge Shelter and Stabilization Unit to show off its operation to the public this week. Throughout the day on April 12, groups walked through the shelter and had a chance to ask questions about the transition of operators and day-to-day operations. The department took over operation of the shelter from Alpha House in January and Chief Operating Officer Kash Shade said he wanted to showcase what he and his staff have been working on.

“The previous operator didn’t do a lot of that work and the biggest piece with today is we wanted to reduce that stigma of what shelter operations look like, what the homeless population have to deal with so today was really about recognizing not just the partnerships involved with shelter operations, but also recognizing the shelter guests as we refer to them — letting them know that we are here to help them and we are always looking to improve,” Shade said.

A focus for the operator is the separation between emergency shelter and stabilization. From the common area of the emergency shelter, there is a secure door that leads to a separate section of the building, specifically for detox and recovery.

Guests can stay in the stabilization centre for as long as they need, so long as they are progressing in their recovery. The health department works with local pharmacies to provide withdrawal support, such as methadone and those who want to detox are kept away from temptation by being in the designated area, according to Shilpa Stocker, a consultant with the Blood tribe Department of Health who hosted the tour for media.

“The majority of the building is for the emergency shelter side of the operations, so anybody is welcome to come in.

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Department Health

February 3, 2023admin

Government data shows 8 deaths from COVID-19 and 14 hospitalizations in latest N.L. update

COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing Clinic sign — Eight people in Newfoundland and Labrador died of COVID-19 from Jan. 15-28, according to new numbers released by the provincial government Wednesday. (Paul Daly/CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador had 14 hospitalizations for COVID-19 from Jan. 15 to Jan. 28, according to new numbers released Wednesday by the provincial Health Department.

Of the 14 hospitalizations from Jan. 15 to Jan. 28, two cases required critical care. The first two weeks of 2023 saw 25 hospitalizations, including three in critical care.

The provincial government’s COVID-19 data hub also says there were seven new deaths due to COVID-19 over the two weeks, but according to the hub’s regional and age breakdowns, there were actually eight deaths.

According to the age breakdown, four of the deaths were people who were 80 or older, three were people in their 70s, and one was a person in their 60s. According to the breakdown by regional health authority, there were three deaths apiece in Eastern Health and Western Health, and one each in Labrador-Grenfell Health and Central Health.

It’s the second update in a row in which the number of new deaths announced by the provincial government has not matched the number of new deaths indicated by the age and regional breakdowns. Two weeks ago, the department announced two new deaths, while the breakdowns indicated four new deaths. Despite repeated requests for clarification from CBC News, the department has not explained the discrepancies.

The data hub also says 23.7 per cent of the province’s population is up to date on vaccinations, defined as having had their first two doses or a booster shot within the last six months.

Residents between 70 and 79 have the highest up-to-date vaccination rate, at 55.8 per cent, while children aged five to 11 have the lowest vaccination rate, at seven per cent.

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Tag: shows