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New study identifies novel target for treatment of Graves' disease and other scarring eye conditions

A new class of therapies may be on the horizon for thyroid eye disease (TED) and other destructive scarring conditions.

11 Nov 2016

Researchers map two gene mutations that trigger retinal disease leading to macular degeneration

Two gene mutations that trigger a retinal disease that causes blindness in one in 5,000 males have been mapped, leading to the potential for new therapeutic treatments.

7 Nov 2016

Scientists develop new molecular method for detecting parasite in ham that causes toxoplasmosis

Scientists from the universities of Granada and Valencia have developed a new molecular method for determining the presence of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, in samples of ham.

7 Nov 2016

Scientists develop new model to provide predictions linking brain circuits to brain activity

For as long as scientists have been listening in on the activity of the brain, they have been trying to understand the source of its noisy, apparently random, activity.

1 Nov 2016

Natural compound slows typical signs of aging in mice

Much of human health hinges on how well the body manufactures and uses energy. For reasons that remain unclear, cells' ability to produce energy declines with age, prompting scientists to suspect that the steady loss of efficiency in the body's energy supply chain is a key driver of the aging process.

27 Oct 2016

Vitamin A-biofortified orange maize improves visual functions in kids

A new study has found that vitamin A-biofortified orange maize significantly improves visual functions in children.

24 Oct 2016

Healthy fruit-rich Mediterranean diet may help protect against macular degeneration

People who closely follow the Mediterranean diet - -especially by eating fruit -- may be more than a third less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness, according to a study presented today at AAO 2016, the 120th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

17 Oct 2016

Mount Sinai researchers use OCT angiography to identify early stages of glaucoma

In a first of its kind study, Mount Sinai researchers are using optimal coherence tomography (OCT) angiography to look at the earliest stages of glaucoma and identify characteristic patterns of different forms of glaucoma based on their vascular patterns.

15 Oct 2016

Vula Mobile awarded inaugural Clearly Vision Prize for helping tackle global problem of poor vision

A revolutionary app connecting primary healthcare workers in remote areas with on-call specialists has been awarded the inaugural Clearly Vision Prize, a competition to accelerate the ventures tackling the number one unaddressed disability in the world – poor vision.

14 Oct 2016

Four CGIAR researchers win World Food Prize for improving nutrition and health

Four CGIAR scientists, Dr. Howarth Bouis (HarvestPlus), Dr. Jan Low (CIP), Maria Andrade (CIP), and Robert Mwanga (CIP) will be awarded the World Food Prize tonight for their combined success in improving nutrition and health through biofortified crops.

14 Oct 2016

Study offers promise for therapeutic management of fetal and congenital genetic diseases in utero

A breakthrough study by research teams at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and Oregon Health & Science University offers promise for therapeutic management of congenital diseases in utero using designer nucleotide sequences that can simply be injected into the fluid surrounding the developing fetus to potentially treat disabling-to-lethal genetic defects.

7 Oct 2016

UEF research shows retinal changes may be detected earlier than brain changes

Diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) may manifest as pathological changes in the retina of the eye.

3 Oct 2016

Difficulty to understand speech in noisy environments linked to hidden hearing loss in young adults

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear have, for the first time, linked symptoms of difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments with evidence of cochlear synaptopathy, a condition known as "hidden hearing loss," in college-age human subjects with normal hearing sensitivity.

3 Oct 2016

Region of the Americas becomes first in world to eradicate measles

The Region of the Americas is the first in the world to have eliminated measles, a viral disease that can cause severe health problems, including pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and even death. This achievement culminates a 22-year effort involving mass vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella throughout the Americas.

30 Sep 2016

X-ray laser-based technology enables faster structural analysis of receptor proteins

An international team of scientists has learnt how to determine the spatial structure of a protein obtained with an X-ray laser using the sulfur atoms it contains. This development is the next stage in the project of a group led by Vadim Cherezov to create an effective method of studying receptor proteins.

30 Sep 2016

Researchers uncover key factor for promoting wound healing after corneal injuries

In cases of severe ocular trauma involving the cornea, wound healing occurs following intervention, but at the cost of opaque scar tissue formation and damaged vision. Recent research has shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) — which can differentiate into a variety of cells, including bone, cartilage, muscle and fat cells — are capable of returning clarity to scarred corneas; however, the mechanisms by which this happens remained a mystery — until now.

29 Sep 2016

Research findings offer promising treatment target for blinding diseases

New research published in Cell Reports identifies a potential treatment target for blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and advanced dry age-related macular degeneration.

28 Sep 2016

Research shows degenerative diseases affecting the retina may be treatable with gene therapy

Researchers have demonstrated the ability to deliver a fully functional copy of the CLN3 gene to stem cells of patients with juvenile NCL, an inherited neurodegenerative disease in which a mutation in the CLN3 gene causes early-onset severe central vision loss.

26 Sep 2016

Smoke from indoor biomass fuel linked to COPD among rural women in Bangladesh

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death in the world.