24 Friday, September 11, 1982 Music by THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Sam Barnett Technion Researchers Seek Cause of Aging ] By PAUL HIRSHHORN Big or small, we custom the music to.your needs. (Copyright 1982, JTA, Inc.) (Editor's note: Paul Hirshhorn is the chief staff writer for Technion - Israel Institute of 968-2563 A professional plan makes an ordinary home A standout - can reduce maintenance to a minimum! Wood Decks Designing & Building Pool Landscaping Planting Lawn Maintenance Retaining Walls Interiorscape Brick Patios Commercial Residential Industrial 476 1735 Full Maintenance Service • 100% Full Year Guarantee - Hans 0. Hansen Mark J. Cetnor since 1955 skandia . i Olcindscaping cind * garden service 71Z1t2 mato sew rirt; mann, 015V Our best wishes for a year of abundance, peace 5743 and prosperity HORDES AGENCY INSURANCE TRAVELERS TOWER 26555 EVERGREEN Suite 515 Southfield 353-2300 Technology.) Israel may have more than its share of disagree- ments with the United Na- tions. But when the UN de- clares "the year of the woman" or "the year of the ehild," Israel's participation is enthusiastic. The UN's focus for this new year, aging, is no ex- ception. As scientists from around the globe meet in conferences to discuss ag- ing, Israel will be well re- presented. And this Rosh Hashana, the year of the aging, Israeli researchers are hard at work in their laboratories, studying aging, in hopes of improving the quality-of- life in the later years. This research is espe- cially important these days, when we all have at least a fighting chance of living a bit longer, on av- erage, than earlier gen- erations. The average life span has increased from about 47 to 70 years. In the U.S. and in Israel, more than 11 percent of the population can ex- pect to live past 65 — a figure that is expected to rise to 15 percent by 2000. In order to make old age more comfortable and prod- uctive, scientists must first unravel the secrets of the process of growing old. What is aging? Prof. David Gershon, head of the department of biology of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, and its lab- oratory on aging, has studied the problem for years: "Biological aging, in my definition, is the process of diminished capacity to environmental conditions, which means, really, di- minished capacity to endure stress," explains Gershon. "For _ example, the capacity to adapt to low temperatures is very much impaired with aging, as is the ability to adjust to blood loss, lack of food, infection. All the mechanisms that enable the body to rapidly adapt to challenges to its well-being, deteriorate with age." For more than 16 years, Prof. Gershon and his colleagues in the Techn- ion Aging Laboratory, have been searching lo find the reasons why this deterioration occurs. "If we find the mechanisms of aging, we could slow down the proc- esses and could devise means of keeping people in a functional state much longer," he explains. "Now that medical de- velopments have managed to keep people alive longer, the next stage is to improve their health in later years." Prof. Gershon said he be- lieves that the key factor in aging is damage caused by oxygen. "We consume oxy- gen to produce energy in the body. This is obligatory. But oxygen also has damaging forms, called 'oxygen free radicals,' a form of oxygen containing an extra elec- tron. "This electron attacks other components, start- ing a chain of electron transfer which causes chemical damage to biological molecules. These free-radicals are caused in the normal processes of respiration and by other body mechanism, radiation in the environment, X-rays, etc. "This damage accumu- lates with age. Our research has shown, in recent years, that enzymatic mechanisms in the body, designated to protect against such dam- age, have a reduced capacity in aging. "The body has several ways to prevent free-radical damage: first, to remove them before they do dam- age, and second, by replac- ing damaged components. But both these protective devices are themselves damaged with age. The body also has the ability to dismutate, or change back the altered oxygen. A Technion team has established in the lab- oratory for the first time, that the enzyme responsible for this dismutation also wears out. Prof. Gershon has re- cently been invited to pre- sent the results of their studies at an international conference in New York. Zionist Congress The World Zionist Con- gress is a unique gathering of Jews from all over the world who meet, generally every four years, to set pol- icy for the World Zionist Organization and elect offi- cers to run it. The next congress will open in Jerusalem on Dec. 7. DESIGN-I Laminated Tables Residential & Commercial Graphic Wall Design KEITH SCHARE besigner 569-2462 543-020a. $$X$$$$$$$$$ SAVE $100 !Ii! 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