Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Powerful brain chemical systems work together to paralyze skeletal muscles during REM sleep

Two powerful brain chemical systems work together to paralyze skeletal muscles during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, according to new research in the July 11 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The finding may help scientists better understand and treat sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, tooth grinding, and REM sleep behavior disorder.

12 Jul 2012

Corneal graft survival better after ALK than PK

Patients treated with anterior lamellar keratoplasty for tectonic indications have better physiologic graft survival outcomes than their counterparts treated with penetrating keratoplasty, despite the former procedure raising the risk for anatomic failure, report researchers.

11 Jul 2012

Common barnyard chicken might offer new ways to attack cancer

The common barnyard chicken could provide some very un-common clues for fighting off diseases and might even offer new ways to attack cancer, according to a team of international researchers that includes a Texas A&M University professor.

11 Jul 2012

Daily IOP changes undermine measurement, medication

Day-to-day variability significantly undermines the precision of intraocular pressure measurement and the estimation of medication effectiveness in glaucoma patients, report researchers.

10 Jul 2012

ACADI’s pimavanserin may have therapeutic benefits in treatment of ADP

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative treatments that address unmet medical needs in neurological and related central nervous system disorders, today announced results of preclinical studies, which suggest that pimavanserin, ACADIA's proprietary product candidate currently in Phase III development for Parkinson's disease psychosis, also may have therapeutic benefits in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease psychosis (ADP).

10 Jul 2012

Researchers develop new silk-based stabilizer for vaccines and antibiotics

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a new silk-based stabilizer that, in the laboratory, kept some vaccines and antibiotics stable up to temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

10 Jul 2012

SUNY Downstate receives PCORI award to develop mobile phone apps for stroke patients

SUNY Downstate Medical Center has received an award to develop mobile phone applications for stroke patients and their caregivers. Steven R. Levine, MD, professor of neurology and emergency medicine and vice chair of neurology at SUNY Downstate, is scientific principal investigator on the $500,000 award, which is from the federally funded Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

10 Jul 2012

ASM’s mBio achieves significant increase in impact factor

Less than two years after publishing its first issue, the online open-access journal mBio- is now ranked among the top 20 highest-impact microbiology journals according to Thomson Reuters, which has just released its Journal Citation Reports for 2011.

10 Jul 2012

Maternal antiviral suppressive therapy may not be as effective as thought

Maternal antiviral suppressive therapy does not necessarily prevent the development of neonatal herpes simplex virus disease, warn researchers in The Journal of Pediatrics.

9 Jul 2012

Enrollment complete in Lux Biosciences Luveniq Phase 3 study for non-infectious uveitis

Lux Biosciences, Inc. today announced the completion of patient enrollment in its Phase 3 clinical study of Luveniq (oral voclosporin) for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis. Lux Biosciences anticipates that data from the Phase 3 study will be available early in the first quarter of 2013.

9 Jul 2012

Health law debate returns to center stage in House

With lawmakers returning to Washington this week after the July 4 break, Republican leaders in the House have scheduled a vote -- the 31st such attempt -- to repeal the health law. The effort is unexpected to get any traction in the Democrat-led Senate.

9 Jul 2012

Ampio announces results from Optina trial on DME

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative proprietary drugs for inflammation, eye disease, kidney disease, CNS disease, metabolic disease and male sexual dysfunction and conducting clinical trials on its three lead drugs (Ampion, Optina & Zertane), announced the significant results from their further analysis of its Optina trial on DME.

9 Jul 2012

Does alcohol kill brain cells?

Several origins have been suggested for the idea that alcohol kills brain cells. Some link it to the temperance movement, which called for prohibition of alcohol.

9 Jul 2012

UNN, UM establish firm foundation for mutual collaborations

A delegation from the University of Nigeria (UNN) has just completed a week in key laboratories and boardrooms at the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus exploring educational exchanges between the two universities.

8 Jul 2012

Employers eye defined contribution health coverage

In other news on health care marketplace issues, TriWest loses its challenge to the Pentagon's new contract for military health care, and researchers find prices increasing for children's care.

6 Jul 2012

Prescription drug warning labels fail to capture patients' attention

Many patients seem to ignore prescription drug warning labels with instructions that are critical for safe and effective use, according to a study by a Kansas State University researcher working with scientists at Michigan State University.

6 Jul 2012

Exercise-based treatment effective in treating persistent dizziness

A professor from the University of Southampton has called on doctors around the world to give patients with persistent dizziness a booklet of simple exercises, after new research has shown that it is a very cost effective treatment for common causes of the condition.

5 Jul 2012

Tips to help keep safe while celebrating Independence Day

As the Fourth of July approaches, emergency departments across the country are already beginning to treat patients injured by fireworks. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, hand and finger damage are the most common injuries caused by fireworks and account for 32 percent of all injuries reported.

4 Jul 2012

Early childhood adversity linked with depression and inflammation

When a person injures their knee, it becomes inflamed. When a person has a cold, their throat becomes inflamed. This type of inflammation is the body's natural and protective response to injury. Interestingly, there is growing evidence that a similar process happens when a person experiences psychological trauma. Unfortunately, this type of inflammation can be destructive.

4 Jul 2012

Physicists develop new nanoscale materials using moth eyes

Using the compound eyes of the humble moth as their inspiration, an international team of physicists has developed new nanoscale materials that could someday reduce the radiation dosages received by patients getting X-rayed, while improving the resolution of the resulting images.

4 Jul 2012