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Number of blind persons decline in Germany

The numbers of people in Germany who are blind or visually impaired is going down. Robert P. Finger and his co-authors present their findings in the current edition of Deutsches -rzteblatt International.

21 Jul 2012

RPB awards $110,000 grant to Mass. Eye and Ear and HMS for research into blinding diseases

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded a grant of $110,000 to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases. The research will be directed by Joan W. Miller, M.D., Chief of the Mass. Eye and Ear and Mass. General Hospital's Departments of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

21 Jul 2012

Vitamin D might modify damaging effects of smoking on lung function

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with worse lung function and more rapid decline in lung function over time in smokers, suggesting that vitamin D may have a protective effect against the effects of smoking on lung function, according to a new study from researchers in Boston.

21 Jul 2012

Choir participation improves quality of life factors for cancer survivors and their carers

The Welsh cancer charity Tenovus and Cardiff University, both based in the UK, have reported that participation in a choir improves a number of quality of life factors for cancer survivors and their carers.

20 Jul 2012

New class of chemically produced antimicrobial agents could become future infection treatment alternative

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named antimicrobial resistance one of the most important threats to human health. We therefore need to find new compounds that can be used as future alternatives to conventional antibiotics.

20 Jul 2012

A world of consequences due to physical inactivity

Physical inactivity accounted for an estimated 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths in 2008, a report shows.

20 Jul 2012

CPAP benefits extend to mild OSA patients

The use of continuous positive airway pressure treatment, an effective option for severe obstructive sleep apnea, should be extended to sleepy patients with milder OSA, say US researchers.

20 Jul 2012

Mechanism of CSF drainage benefits unclear in normal pressure hydrocephalus

The beneficial effect of removing cerebrospinal fluid from patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus is not mediated by reduction of ventricle volume, research suggests.

20 Jul 2012

Knee surgery blood loss reduced with single tranexamic acid dose

A single intraoperative dose of tranexamic acid is effective at reducing blood loss in patients undergoing minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty, research suggests.

20 Jul 2012

Allergy to deamidated gluten a separate phenotype to wheat allergy

Severe allergic reactions to deamidated gluten in individuals tolerant to wheat are linked to a separate phenotype of wheat allergy, suggest study findings.

20 Jul 2012

Unsuccessful fertility treatment reduces young-onset breast cancer risk

Women who are treated unsuccessfully with fertility drugs have a significantly reduced risk for developing young-onset breast cancer, compared with nonusers of such drugs, show the results of a sister-matched case-control study.

20 Jul 2012

Breast-conserving surgery carries high reoperation risk

Women who undergo breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer may be at an increased risk for reoperation, research suggests.

20 Jul 2012

Cannabis use linked to cognitive performance in bipolar patients

Results from a US study suggest that bipolar I disorder patients with a history of cannabis use have better neurocognitive function than those who have not used cannabis.

20 Jul 2012

Injury risk increased in patients with serious mental illnesses

People with serious mental illnesses are significantly more likely to experience injuries than the general population, US study results show.

20 Jul 2012

Alcohol abuse spills over into critical care resources

A quarter of patients admitted to intensive care units in Scotland have alcohol problems, while a fifth have chronic alcohol disease, a survey finds.

20 Jul 2012

Ablation technique destroys eye of the storm

Researchers have developed a new technology that could significantly improve the success rate of procedures to treat atrial fibrillation.

20 Jul 2012

Maternal fat indicates birthweight

Measuring hip circumference during pregnancy may help to predict a child’s size at birth, report Canadian researchers.

20 Jul 2012

VDR polymorphisms may predict vitiligo in Chinese individuals

Polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene may be involved in the etiology of vitiligo, suggest study findings from a population of Chinese individuals.

20 Jul 2012

Risk factors defined for retinal detachment after cataract surgery

Study results spanning 22 years show that the risk for retinal detachment after undergoing phacoemulsification for cataracts has fallen dramatically, but that younger, and male patients are more at risk for this adverse outcome than their older, female peers.

20 Jul 2012

Unexplained fatigue in women: start iron supplements

Iron deficiency may be underdiagnosed in women of child-bearing age who report considerable fatigue, say researchers whose randomized controlled trial results show a significant reduction in fatigue after women took iron supplements.

20 Jul 2012