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Study finds no damaging role for microglia during retinal prion disease in mice

National Institutes of Health scientists studying the progression of inherited and infectious eye diseases that can cause blindness have found that microglia, a type of nervous system cell suspected to cause retinal damage, surprisingly had no damaging role during prion disease in mice.

28 Mar 2019

Hemoglobin A1c blood test does not detect diabetes in most patients, shows study

The hemoglobin A1c blood test is widely used to diagnose type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but it is actually unable to detect the disease in most patients, according to a new study presented Saturday, March 23, at a news conference at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans, La.

25 Mar 2019

Study provides new understanding of how the brain recovers from damage caused by stroke

Each year, approximately 265,000 Americans have a stroke that causes visual impairment. New research, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, sheds light on how the damage in the brain caused by a stroke can lead to permanent vision impairment.

21 Mar 2019

Gene editing and designer babies experiments face global moratorium

Powerful gene editing tools could soon face a global regulations on their use on human embryos, sperms or eggs.

20 Mar 2019

Call for halt to human gene editing and designer babies experiments

Powerful gene editing tools could soon face a global regulations on their use on human embryos, sperms or eggs.

18 Mar 2019

Promising gene therapy could restore vision in humans

It was surprisingly simple. University of California, Berkeley, scientists inserted a gene for a green-light receptor into the eyes of blind mice and, a month later, they were navigating around obstacles as easily as mice with no vision problems.

15 Mar 2019

New therapy could help prolong useful vision and delay total blindness

Millions of Americans are progressively losing their sight as cells in their eyes deteriorate, but a new therapy developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, could help prolong useful vision and delay total blindness.

14 Mar 2019

Simple urine test can rapidly detect preeclampsia

Researchers with The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital have found that a simple urine test can rapidly detect one of the world's deadliest pregnancy-related conditions, which could have a major impact on global health.

13 Mar 2019

Alzheimer’s and brain health could soon be detected using an eye exam

Soon, an eye examination may be all that is needed to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Duke's Health.

12 Mar 2019

$2.7 million grant supports UIC researchers to study role of arsenic in development of diabetes

A five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will help researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago answer basic questions about the role of arsenic in the development of diabetes and examine the mechanisms by which selenoproteins – found in the human body in 25 different forms – counter the effects of arsenic.

11 Mar 2019

Tiny implantable 'tea bag' senses glucose levels and automatically releases insulin

Children with Type 1 diabetes have only one option to control their blood sugar: insulin treatment. Ravaged by an autoimmune disease that attacks their own pancreas and islets -- microscopic clusters of cells that sense blood sugar and produce insulin -- patients are forced to rely on insulin from an external source.

11 Mar 2019

Ebola survivors in Liberia have higher prevalence of health issues, study shows

Survivors of Ebola virus disease in Liberia had a higher prevalence of certain health issues--including uveitis (eye redness and pain), abdominal, chest, neurologic, and musculoskeletal abnormalities upon physical exam--when compared to a control group of household and community members who did not have a history of EVD, according to findings from an ongoing study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

8 Mar 2019

Laser-based technique allows doctors to image the whole eye in 3D

Scientists have developed a laser-based technique that can produce a full 3D image of all the layers of the retina, allowing doctors to better diagnose and treat eye diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and cancer.

6 Mar 2019

Researchers are developing and testing novel gene therapy to cure Crigler-Najjar syndrome

Crigler-Najjar syndrome affects about one in a million people at birth. Because of a defective gene, these individuals lack an essential enzyme in their liver to eliminate bilirubin, a toxic bile pigment that accumulates in all body tissues causing jaundice and potentially leading to irreversible and lethal neurological damage.

28 Feb 2019

UVA expands telehealth capacity to better prevent or manage chronic conditions

The University of Virginia Health System is expanding its telehealth capacity to help patients across Virginia better prevent or manage chronic conditions that include diabetes, prediabetes and heart disease.

27 Feb 2019

New cellular atlas could provide a deeper insight into blinding diseases

When it comes to understanding how neurons connect to form circuits in the brain, scientists for decades have turned to the retina of the humble laboratory mouse as an ideal model organism. But as a model for vision and vision-related diseases, mice simply aren't equipped.

22 Feb 2019

Innovative compound offers a new therapeutic approach to treat multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. This debilitating condition periodically shutters communication between the brain and other parts of the body, resulting in symptoms that range from numbness and tingling in the arms and legs to blindness and paralysis.