Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

First Edition: September 25, 2012

Today's headlines headlines include reports about a study that details accelerating health care spending.

25 Sep 2012

Lack of cytokeratin 6A may lead to eye infections

Exposed tissue surfaces, including skin and mucous membranes, are under constant threat of attack by microorganisms in the environment. The layer of cells that line these areas, known as epithelial cells, are the first line of defense against these pathogens, but the underlying molecular mechanisms that allow them to repel microbes are unknown.

25 Sep 2012

Tips for health care providers when communicating with deaf or hearing impaired

This week is the International Week of the Deaf, held to draw attention to deaf and hearing-impaired people, their accomplishments and challenges they face. One health care issue is a potential communication barrier between medical providers and deaf or hard-of-hearing patients.

25 Sep 2012

Small fragments of keratin protein in the eye play a key role in warding off pathogens

When it comes to germ-busting power, the eyes have it, according to a discovery by University of California, Berkeley, researchers that could lead to new, inexpensive antimicrobial drugs.

25 Sep 2012

New nanotechnology detects micrometastases in mouse models of breast cancer

Malignant cells that leave a primary tumor, travel the bloodstream and grow out of control in new locations cause the vast majority of cancer deaths. New nanotechnology developed at Case Western Reserve University detects these metastases in mouse models of breast cancer far earlier than current methods, a step toward earlier, life-saving diagnosis and treatment.

25 Sep 2012

pSivida reports revenues of $699,000 for fourth quarter 2012

pSivida Corp., a leader in developing sustained release, drug delivery products for treatment of back-of-the-eye diseases, today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

25 Sep 2012

Lawmakers spar on Medicare Advantage plans

In a Capitol Hill hearing Friday, Republicans challenged the Obama administration's so-called Medicare Advantage "bonuses."

24 Sep 2012

The positive or negative impact of health law is in eye of beholder

Some businesses are taking advantage of the health law's requirements as states prepare to implement it.

24 Sep 2012

Advanced optics system noninvasively maps out network of tiny blood vessels beneath the skin

The trained eye of a dermatologist can identify many types of skin lesions, but human sight only goes so far. Now an international team of researchers has developed an advanced optics system to noninvasively map out the network of tiny blood vessels beneath the outer layer of patients' skin, potentially revealing telltale signs of disease.

24 Sep 2012

Ohr commences Phase II clinical trial of Squalamine for wet-AMD

Ohr Pharmaceutical today announced the initiation of a Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Squalamine Eye Drops for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration.

24 Sep 2012

Valeant purchases QLT’s Visudyne

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Visudyne, used to treat abnormal growth of leaky blood vessels in the eye caused by wet age-related macular degeneration, from QLT Inc.

24 Sep 2012

New technique allows cells to make terpenes

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown how to synthesize in the laboratory an important set of natural compounds known as terpenes. The largest class of chemicals made by living organisms, terpenes are made within cells by some of the most complex chemical reactions found in biology.

24 Sep 2012

UCSD Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center receives 2012 Modern Healthcare Design Award

UC San Diego Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center has received Modern Healthcare's highest design honor, the 2012 Modern Healthcare Design Award. Out of more than one hundred entries, only one other project received this honor in 2012.

24 Sep 2012

REM sleep behavior disorder more common than reported

A troubling sleep disorder that causes sleepers to physically act out their dreams by kicking, screaming or falling out of bed may be more common than reported, according to Loyola University Medical Center sleep specialist Dr. Nabeela Nasir.

21 Sep 2012

Structure and function combined is best for detecting, discriminating glaucoma

An index that combines structure and function measurements can detect perimetric and preperimetric glaucoma more accurately, and can differentiate early, moderate, and advanced disease more successfully than systems that consider either variable alone, report researchers.

21 Sep 2012

Weill Cornell to purchase innovative equipment to help detect and treat diabetic retinopathy

Weill Cornell Medical College's ophthalmology services for diabetic patients received a boost last month, courtesy of a grant from the New York City Council secured by Councilwoman Jessica Lappin.

21 Sep 2012

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease experience poor sleep quality

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience poorer sleep quality than people of a similar age without COPD, according to research published in the journal Respirology.

21 Sep 2012

Longer looks: A 'renegade' Bill Frist?; The pharmacist's expanding role

Meet former Sen. Bill Frist, a renegade "Obamacare"-loving Republican who is in the mood for some real bipartisanship. Yes, the same Frist who as Senate majority leader led an army into the culture wars over Terri Schiavo and whose efforts in 2004 to unseat his then-rival, Minority Leader Tom Daschle, led to a nasty - and personal - Washington battle royal. Now, Frist is pushing for a national conversation on end-of-life care and dismissing "caricatured" talk of death panels.

21 Sep 2012

Mathematical modeling can help treat several diseases

Mathematical modeling being tested by researchers at the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the IU School of Medicine has the potential to impact the knowledge and treatment of several diseases that continue to challenge scientists across the world.

21 Sep 2012

FDA approves Acton’s AEROSPAN sNDA to treat asthma

Acton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sNDA (Supplemental New Drug Application) for AEROSPAN (flunisolide HFA, 80 mcg) Inhalation Aerosol, a hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) orally inhaled corticosteroid indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as a prophylactic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older.

21 Sep 2012