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The following appeared in New Scientist 30th Nov: Everyone wants to prolong active life, but a North American company now claims to have found a way to do it, and is filing patent applications around the world to protect the process (EP 732 101). Deprenyl Animal Health of Lawrence, Kansas, claims that the treatment works on animals, but admits that it has no idea how. The same process, it suggests should work with humans. The Company's researchers have found that l-deprenyl which is used to treat Parkinson's Disease, retards the effects of aging in animals. The patent cites a string of references that associate aging with thyroid deficiency, decreased ability to cope with stress, loss of body protein and kidney failure. Tests show that l-deprenyl slows these processes. The dose is 0.1 milligrams per kilogram body weight taken on alternate days - around half that used to treat Parkinson's disease in people. Rats that had been given the drug had better cognitive ability than untreated rats. According to the Company, rats on l-deorenyl were better at swimming through a maze and remembering how they did it. The amount of urea in their blood dropped, signifying better renal function. Beagles on the drug coped better with the stress of noise and exposure to cold. ............................... ends -------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail [log in to unmask] Mail 59 Norley Road, Cuddington, Northwich, CW8 2JY, UK Telephone (44) 1606 882150 --------------------------------------------------------------