Aging Revised Edition Aging Modern Theories and Therapies Revised Edition Joseph pANNo, ph.D. AGING: Modern Theories and Therapies, Revised Edition Copyright © 2011, 2005 by Joseph Panno, Ph.D. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Panno, Joseph. Aging: modern theories and therapies / Joseph Panno.—Rev. ed. p. cm.—(The new biology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8160-6846-3 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4381-3364-5 (e-book) 1. Aging. 2. Longevity. I. Title. QP86.P33 2001 612.6'7—dc22 2009047717 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Excerpts included herewith have been reprinted by permission of the copyright holders; the author has made every effort to contact copyright holders. The publishers will be glad to rectify, in future editions, any errors or omissions brought to their notice. Text design by Erik Lindstrom Composition by Hermitage Publishing Services Illustrations by the author Photo research by Diane K. French Cover printed by Bang Printing, Brainerd, Minn. Book printed and bound by Bang Printing, Brainerd, Minn. Date printed: October 2010 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. CCoonntteennttss Preface ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xiv  1 The Quest for Immortality  1 One Hour Upon the Stage 6 Growing Younger 12 The Road Ahead 13  2 The History of Gerontology  14 The Early Years 15 DNA Structure Inspires New Theories 17 Biotechnology Revolutionizes the Field 20 The Post-Genomic Era 26  3 Aging Characteristics  29 Classical Aging 30 Modern Aging 30 Aging Mosaics 34  4 Aging Theories  36 Error Catastrophe Theory 36 Genes and Programmed Aging 38 Telomeres 39 Rate-of-Living Theory 41 Free Radicals 42 Neuroendocrine Theory 43 Concluding Remarks 53  5 Longevity Genes  55 Yeast 56 Nematode 60 Fruit Fly 61 Mouse 64 Human 65 Summary 66  6 Age-Related Diseases  68 Alzheimer’s Disease 68 Arthritis 82 Cancer 85 Cardiovascular Disease 92 Diabetes 98 Osteoporosis 100  7 Geriatrics  108 Our Aging Society 109 Evaluating the Geriatric Patient 110 Managing Age-Related Disorders 112 Drug Therapy 115 Nursing Homes 116 Ethical Issues 117  8 Rejuvenation  120 Turning Back the Clock 122 DNA Microarray Analysis 123 Nuclear Transfer Technology 125 Cell Fusion Technology 128 Stem Cell Analysis 128 Gene Therapy 131 The Final Package 132  9 Clinical Trials  134 Alzheimer’s Disease 135 Cardiovascular Disease 139 Hormone Replacement Therapy 142 Nutrition and Lifestyle 145 Osteoporosis 148 Parkinson’s Disease 149 10 Resource Center  151 Cell Biology 151 Biotechnology 174 Gene Therapy 182 The Human Genome Project 187 Understanding Clinical Trials 190 Gene and Protein Nomenclature 192 Weights and Measures 193 Glossary 194 Further Resources 223 Index 236 Preface W hen the first edition of this set was being written, the new biology was just beginning to come into its potential and to experience some of its first failures. Dolly the sheep was alive and well and had just celebrated her fifth birthday. Stem cell researchers, working 12-hour days, were giddy with the prospect of curing every disease known to humankind, but were frustrated by inconsistent results and the limited availability of human embryonic stem cells. Gene therapists, still reeling from the disastrous Gelsinger trial of 1998, were busy trying to figure out what had gone wrong and how to improve the safety of a procedure that many believed would revo- lutionize medical science. And cancer researchers, while experienc- ing many successes, hit their own speed bump when a major survey showed only modest improvements in the prognosis for all of the deadliest cancers. ix