Whilst cruising the net looking for environmental news, I stumbled across some items that I figured would be of interest to at least some. So, without further ado ---
First an article covering some work indicating that a particular cancer drug can help with spinal injuries.
Injured spinal cord: Regeneration possible with epothilone? -- ScienceDaily The gist of it is:
Damage to the spinal cord rarely heals because the injured nerve cells fail to regenerate. The regrowth of their long nerve fibers is hindered by scar tissue and molecular processes inside the nerves. An international team of researchers led by DZNE scientists in Bonn now reports in Science that help might be on the way from an unexpected quarter: in animal studies, the cancer drug epothilone reduced the formation of scar tissue in injuries to the spinal cord and stimulated growth in damaged nerve cells. Both promoted neuronal regeneration and improved the animals' motor skills.
more below --
Another item dealing with healing is broader and more general, but also potentially more potent and important
Why do cells rush to heal a wound? Mysteries of wound healing unlocked -- ScienceDaily The basics:
A multidisciplinary research team has discovered how cells know to rush to a wound and heal it -- opening the door to new treatments for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The findings shed light on the mechanisms of cell migration, particularly in the wound-healing process. The results represent a major advancement for regenerative medicine, in which biomedical engineers and other researchers manipulate cells' form and function to create new tissues, and even organs, to repair, restore or replace those damaged by injury or disease.
Living longer, whether gracefully or not, may be aided by a new class of drugs.
New class of drugs dramatically increases healthy lifespan, mouse study suggests -- ScienceDaily Summarily:
Scientists have identified a new class of drugs that in animal models dramatically slows the aging process -- alleviating symptoms of frailty, improving cardiac function and extending a healthy lifespan.
But, that heart function improvement can maybe be obtained without the evils of drugs.
You are when you eat: Limiting flies to specific eating hours protects their hearts against aging, study finds -- ScienceDaily Interested in an ageless heart? Perhaps eating early is the key -
Limiting flies to specific eating hours protected their hearts against aging, a study has demonstrated. Previous research has found that people who tend to eat later in the day and into the night have a higher chance of developing heart disease than people who cut off their food consumption earlier. "So what's happening when people eat late?" asked a biologist whose research focuses on cardiovascular physiology. "They're not changing their diet, just the time."