The Laboratory of Endocrinology, Aging and Disease

Saturday, April 01, 2006

From the webmaster: quick access to news and journals

Below is a list of sites you can use for access to the latest news in science and technology. Please add to it as you find more, especially ones specific to endocrinology, aging and disease. Send your new findings here: webmaster.

www.sciencemag.org
www.newscientist.com
www.seedmagazine.com
www.discover.com
www.nature.com
content.nejm.org
merck.micromedex.com
www.genome.gov
web.mit.edu
www.endo-society.org
www.hhmi.org/
www.bio-itworld.com
jama.ama-assn.org
www.the-scientist.com
wired.com

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

from the webmaster: why blog?

Blogging has come a long way and is now a highly cultivated tool that has gained prominence both in academia and business. Here are some good resources on academic blogging:

science hall computing, geography dept., uw-madison
apple
crookedtimber.org
ucla law professor
phdweblogs.net
scienceblogs.com
usc interactive media division at the usc campus
academic prize for blogging in norway

Monday, March 27, 2006

From the webmaster: redesign

The LEAD site is currently being redesigned. The site is fully linked, only the design and layout will be changing (the front page being the model layout). So check back often for updates.

Latest Headlines

Check out our Headlines and Presentations page. LEAD's most recent media exposure (09.17.05, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel): "A case of raging hormones? UW scientist's theory on diseases of aging being put to test."

From the webmaster: cache files

Please remember to empty the cache file of your browser if you are having problems viewing the graphics of this site properly. Graphics (especially the main menu) are from time to time replaced with newer versions, and since your browser is relying on stored images (cache file) to increase download speed, that would be the reason for distorted images. Cache files are safe to completely empty manually. Or, you can change the setting in your browser preferences to 'update pages always'.

About Us

Name:
The Laboratory of Endocrinology, Aging and Disease (LEAD) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The research:
Dr. Craig Atwood is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin and an investigator with the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the William S. Middleton memorial Veterans Administration Hospital in Madison. Dr. Atwood and a colleague (Dr. Bowen) have proposed a novel theory of aging based on the modulation of cell cycle signaling by reproductive hormones. The basic premise behind the research is that hormones that regulate reproduction in mammals act in an antagonistic pleiotrophic manner to control aging via cell cycle signaling; promoting growth and development early in life in order to achieve reproduction, but later in life, in a futile attempt to maintain reproduction, become dysregulated and drive senescence. In essence, this theory proposes that reproductive hormones regulate our aging by modulating the life cycle of cells. With regard to this theory, Dr. Atwood's laboratory examines two major research themes. The first research theme examines the modulation of healthy aging and lifespan. Current research projects include understanding the role of reproductive hormones in modulating healthy aging and lifespan, with an emphasis on linking reproduction to aging using gene expression and pituitary hormone lowering drugs to dissect hormonal pathways that promote longevity and their mechanism of action. A number of different in vivo (from C. elegans to humans) and in vitro (cell lines and primary cells) models are used to address how the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis during menopause/andropause drives both aging and age-related diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease. Recent experimental work has been instrumental in showing that leuprolide acetate, currently used for the treatment of prostate cancer, may be effective in reversing Alzheimer's disease pathology. The second theme is to examine the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis in neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease (i.e. in synaptic and neuronal loss, amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangle formation). Current research projects in this area include investigation of the hormonal regulation of neuronal: 1). gene/protein expression with aging and in particular following menopause/andropause, 2). APP processing and amyloid deposition, 3). cell proliferation and re-entry of differentiated neurons into the cell cycle, 4). oxidative stress and 5). metal ion homeostases.