Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Weekly aspirin may increase AMD risk

People who take aspirin more than once per week may be at increased risk for developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration, a prospective study has found.

25 Jan 2013

Extramacular scanning shows promise in uveitic disorders

New optical coherence tomography scanning protocols offer enhanced characterization of patients with birdshot chorioretinopathy, UK researchers report.

25 Jan 2013

House GOP seeks steep spending cuts, but postpones moment of reckoning

In the next budget battle chapter, House Republicans plan to demand spending cuts that would balance the budget in 10 years and require significant changes to Medicare and other safety-net programs.

25 Jan 2013

Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) reversal

General anesthesia is made up of three components: hypnotic medicines, to induce sleep; analgesics, or medicines to inhibit pain; and NMB agents that induce muscle relaxation. Anesthesiology professionals use NMB to relax a patient’s muscles and prevent involuntary movement that could impact surgery.

24 Jan 2013

New computing system determines age and sex of a corpse with reliability of 95%

Researchers at the University of Granada, Spain, have designed a new computing system that determines the age and sex of a corpse with a reliability of 95%. This system is based on free software called Image and a free DICOM displayer called K-Pacs.

24 Jan 2013

Researchers discover unique hairpin-like structure that facilitates Abeta clumping

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of late-life dementia. The disorder is thought to be caused by a protein known as the amyloid-beta protein, or Abeta, which clumps together in the brain, forming plaques that are thought to destroy neurons. This destruction starts early, too, and can presage clinical signs of the disease by up to 20 years.

24 Jan 2013

Study identifies how astrocytes regulate a neurotransmitter involved in sleep

Neuroscience researchers from Tufts University have found that our star-shaped brain cells, called astrocytes, may be responsible for the rapid improvement in mood in depressed patients after acute sleep deprivation. This in vivo study, published in the current issue of Translational Psychiatry, identified how astrocytes regulate a neurotransmitter involved in sleep.

23 Jan 2013

Researchers pinpoint several inherited mutations in autism

While autism clearly runs in some families, few inherited genetic causes have been found. A major reason is that these causes are so varied that it's hard to find enough people with a given mutation to establish a clear pattern. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have pinpointed several inherited mutations—among the first to be identified—through an unusual approach: using whole-exome sequencing to study large Middle Eastern families with autism.

23 Jan 2013

Gene therapy does not slow or halt progression of cell loss in Leber congenital amaurosis

Independent clinical trials, including one conducted at the Scheie Eye Institute at the Perelman School of Medicine, have reported safety and efficacy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a congenital form of blindness caused by mutations in a gene (RPE65) required for recycling vitamin A in the retina. Inherited retinal degenerative diseases were previously considered untreatable and incurable.

23 Jan 2013

Insight into mechanical properties that break the outer segment of photoreceptors

Light-sensing cells in the eye rely on their outer segment to convert light into neural signals that allow us to see. But because of its unique cylindrical shape, the outer segment is prone to breakage, which can cause blindness in humans. A study published by Cell Press on January 22nd in the Biophysical Journal provides new insight into the mechanical properties that cause the outer segment to snap under pressure.

23 Jan 2013

FDA approves Ampio’s IND for Optina for treatment of diabetic macular edema

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the FDA has accepted the Company's IND for Optina™ for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Ampio plans to commence enrollment in a clinical trial in the first quarter of 2013. The FDA granted Optina™ 505(b)(2) status in July, 2012. Drugs designated under this pathway can be approved on a single trial.

22 Jan 2013

Chemical sensitivity of TRPA1 ion channel may boost melanin production

Last year, a team of researchers at Brown University discovered that certain skin cells use a light-sensitive receptor found outside of the eye to sense ultraviolet light and quickly begin pumping out melanin to protect against DNA damage.

22 Jan 2013

Gene therapy improves vision but does not halt progression of cell loss

22 Jan 2013

Regular aspirin use appears to be associated with increased risk of neovascular AMD

Regular aspirin use appears to be associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of blindness in older people, and it appears to be independent of a history of cardiovascular disease and smoking, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

22 Jan 2013

Macular pigment screening: an interview with Jaquie Finn, Product Line Manager at Elektron Technology

AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in anyone over 50 and globally in 2010 it was estimated to cost $340 billion to treat AMD. The costs are set to spiral over the next 20 years and really over burden the healthcare system unless people start to take preventative action.

18 Jan 2013

Rochester scientists propose new reason why acute myeloid leukemia is so difficult to cure

University of Rochester Medical Center scientists have proposed a new reason why acute myeloid leukemia, one of the most aggressive cancers, is so difficult to cure: a subset of cells that drive the disease appear to have a much slower metabolism than most other tumors cells.

18 Jan 2013

Spain approves pSivida’s ILUVIEN to treat chronic diabetic macular edema

pSivida Corp., a leader in developing sustained release, drug delivery products for treatment of back-of-the-eye diseases, announced today that the Spanish Agency of Drugs and Medical Devices (Agencia Espanola de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios) granted marketing authorization to ILUVIEN for the treatment of vision impairment associated with chronic diabetic macular edema (DME) considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies.

18 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Obama 'wise' to add mental health focus to gun initiative; Calif. considers giving localities responsibility for expanded Medicaid

President Obama's sweeping proposals to combat gun violence represent a sound response to the mass shootings that have horrified the country. In his legislative proposals and executive actions announced Wednesday, the president and Vice President Biden showed a willingness to confront a difficult problem head-on -- a problem that is not only about laws but also about culture and mental-health care.

17 Jan 2013

Study identifies genes for central corneal thickness that may cause eye conditions

Scientists at Singapore Eye Research Institute and A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore have succeeded in identifying genes for central corneal thickness that may cause potentially blinding eye conditions. These eye conditions include glaucoma, as well as the progressive thinning of the cornea, which may eventually lead to a need for corneal transplantation.

17 Jan 2013

Jersey Shore University Medical Center launches Meridian Executive Health program

Jersey Shore University Medical Center announces the launch of the Meridian Executive Health program, a health care pilot initiative designed for busy individuals whose schedule demands a streamlined but high quality experience.

17 Jan 2013

Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Weekly aspirin may increase AMD risk

Extramacular scanning shows promise in uveitic disorders

House GOP seeks steep spending cuts, but postpones moment of reckoning

Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) reversal

New computing system determines age and sex of a corpse with reliability of 95%

Researchers discover unique hairpin-like structure that facilitates Abeta clumping

Study identifies how astrocytes regulate a neurotransmitter involved in sleep

Researchers pinpoint several inherited mutations in autism

Gene therapy does not slow or halt progression of cell loss in Leber congenital amaurosis

Insight into mechanical properties that break the outer segment of photoreceptors

FDA approves Ampio’s IND for Optina for treatment of diabetic macular edema

Chemical sensitivity of TRPA1 ion channel may boost melanin production

Gene therapy improves vision but does not halt progression of cell loss

Regular aspirin use appears to be associated with increased risk of neovascular AMD

Macular pigment screening: an interview with Jaquie Finn, Product Line Manager at Elektron Technology

Rochester scientists propose new reason why acute myeloid leukemia is so difficult to cure

Spain approves pSivida’s ILUVIEN to treat chronic diabetic macular edema

Viewpoints: Obama 'wise' to add mental health focus to gun initiative; Calif. considers giving localities responsibility for expanded Medicaid

Study identifies genes for central corneal thickness that may cause eye conditions

Jersey Shore University Medical Center launches Meridian Executive Health program

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Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Industry Focus eBook: Oncology eBook

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

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