Glaucoma Mystery/Prosthetic eye implants, et al

[Guest guest]

Dr. Walter is one good gumshoe. The University of Alberta medical

geneticist has cracked the case of WDR36, a gene linked to glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in which cells in the optic nerve die,

preventing the brain from understanding what patients see. Scientists have long

suspected a link between WDR36 and glaucoma, but have been unable to figure out

what the gene does and why some people with variations of the gene get glaucoma

while others don't. Walter unravels this mystery in an article, published in the

April 1, 2009 print edition of the journal, Human Molecular Genetics, based in

Oxford, England.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com:80/articles/143231.php

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Blindness in millions of people with diseases that starve eye tissue and nerves

of oxygen might be averted with a procedure being developed by researchers at

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Southern California and the

University of Tennessee. The technique uses a new class of smart prosthetic

implants to provide oxygen to retinal tissue being deprived of oxygen because of

restricted blood flow. This condition occurs predominantly in patients with

diabetic retinopathy (http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/retinopathy.asp),

which affects an estimated 5.5 million people each year. Elias Greenbaum of the

Department of Energy's ORNL noted that this research builds upon the highly

successful artificial retina project (http://artificialretina.energy.gov/)

officially kicked off in 2004. For this project, Greenbaum and colleagues at

ORNL are joined by Mark Humayun of the Doheny Eye Institute and Keck School of

Medicine at the University of Southern California and Dan Close of the

University of Tennessee.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com:80/articles/143073.php

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A new study from Australia suggests that eating lots of red meat is linked to a

higher risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading

cause of blindness in old age. The study was the work of first author Dr Elaine

Chong, who is from the Centre for Eye Research Australia based at the University

of Melbourne, and colleagues, and is published on 1 April in the advance access

issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. Chong and colleagues found that

compared to those who ate it less than five times a week, people who ate red

meat 10 times a week were nearly 50 per cent more likely to develop AMD in old

age.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com:80/articles/142993.php

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Optelec US Inc., a world leader in innovative and life-changing assistive

technologies for the visually impaired and blind, is revealing the FarView,

ClearView+ G2 and ClearNote Portable, which are three revolutionary

electronic solutions that bring life back into focus for those living with low

vision. All three products are currently on display, booth #323, at the 24th

Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities conference,

sponsored by California State University Northridge's (CSUN) Center on

Disabilities, March 18 - 21, 2009, Los Angeles Airport Marriott. The Optelec low

vision solutions continue to improve the quality of life for every user, from

the student unable to see the whiteboard to the business executive who struggles

to view the color contrast on an important document. Below are two life stories

of how Optelec's technology is changing lives:

-- Ali Reshamwalla, a 72 year old with only 5 percent of his eye sight remaining

after a tragic car accident, is an active member of the Southern California

community through his Saddleback Memorial Hospital volunteer work and training

at the Braille Institute and Irvine Valley College. Optelec keeps him involved

as he enjoys reading and taking classes daily.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com:80/articles/142917.php

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Deafness affects more than 250 million people worldwide. It typically involves

the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their " tufts " of hair-like

protrusions, and their associated neurons. The transplantation of stem cells

that are capable of producing functional cell types might be a promising

treatment for hearing impairment, but no human candidate cell type has been

available to develop this technology. A new study led by Dr. Marcelo N. Rivolta

of the University of Sheffield has successfully isolated human auditory stem

cells from fetal cochleae (the auditory portion of the inner ear) and found they

had the capacity to differentiate into sensory hair cells and neurons. The study

is published in the April issue of STEM CELLS.

The researchers painstakingly dissected and cultured cochlear cells from 9-11

week-old human fetuses. The cells were expanded and maintained in vitro for up

to one year, with continued division for the first 7 to 8 months and up to 30

population doublings, which is similar to other non-embryonic stem cell

populations, such as bone marrow. Gene expression analysis showed that all cell

lines expressed otic markers that lead to the development of the inner ear as

well as markers expressed by pluripotent embryonic stem cells, from which all

tissues and organs develop.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/143312.php

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Good Reading and a g'day,

Lottie