Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Super committee may delay tax details

As the panel's Nov. 23 deadline approaches and doubts about its ability for success persist, a new approach is emerging in which the panel may opt to postpone politically difficult decisions by deciding the amount of new revenue their deficit-reduction plan would require, but leaving specifics to Congress' tax-writing committees to fill in next year.

14 Nov 2011

Luminescent upconversion nanocrystals can detect cancer cells

Upconversion emission materials are ideal for bioimaging due to its effectiveness as contrast agents for the detection of cancer cells, more so when the background emission of non-cancerous tissues can be minimised. These materials could be used as biomarkers for luminescent labeling of cancerous cells. Opaque tissues can be turned into glassy, transparent substances by using these biomarkers which rely on near-infrared excitation.

14 Nov 2011

Senior UK Parliamentarians visit Bangladesh to see full impact of pneumonia on children

To mark World Pneumonia Day, a senior UK parliamentary delegation travelled to Dhaka this week to see firsthand the full impact of pneumonia on Bangladeshi children.

14 Nov 2011

Novel gene mutation may increase risk of inherited and sporadic cases of MM

A major international study has identified a novel gene mutation that appears to increase the risk of both inherited and sporadic cases of malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

14 Nov 2011

Super committee may push some tax decisions to next year

In an effort to avoid stark failure, a fallback plan is emerging that would push tough decisions on taxes to next year, perhaps into a lame-duck session after the election, according to officials familiar with the panel's discussions. Under this scenario, the two sides would agree now to a level of revenue from new taxes. They would direct the congressional tax-writing committees to revamp the tax code with fixed dates and goals. The object would be to generate new revenue while lowering corporate rates and keeping the top individual bracket no higher than the current 35%.

14 Nov 2011

Study: Primary visual cortex is modulated only by attention

In everyday life, attention and awareness appear tightly interwoven. Attending to the scissors on the rinumber of behavioural observations have recently led scientists to postulate that attention and awareness are fundamentally different processes and not necessarily connected.ght side of your desk, you become aware of their attributes, for example the red handles. Vice versa, the red handles could attract your attention to the scissors.

11 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: The role of IT in transforming health care; the GOP raises super committee stakes

Why can't Americans tap into the ingenuity that put men on the moon, created the Internet and sequenced the human genome to revitalize our economy? I'm convinced we can. We are in the early phases of the next big technology-driven revolution, which I call "consumer health." When fully unleashed, it could radically cut health care costs and become a huge global growth market.

11 Nov 2011

Researchers uncover mechanism that governs cell specialization

Researchers at then Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have uncovered a mechanism that governs how cells become specialized during development.

10 Nov 2011

Mathematical model accurately predicts horizontal gaze movements of eye

In one respect, handling a computer mouse is just like looking in the rearview mirror: well established movements help the brain to concentrate on the essentials. But just a simple gaze shift to a new target bears the possibility of an almost infinite number of combinations of eye and head movement: how fast do we move eye and head? How much does the eye rotate, how much the head? Until now, it was unclear why the brain chooses a particular movement option from the set of all possible combinations.

10 Nov 2011

Laser therapy to turn brown eyes blue

A laser treatment developed by Stroma Medical's Dr. Gregg Homer takes only 20 seconds to perform but can turn brown eyes into blue ones permanently.

8 Nov 2011

Abbott announces results from HUMIRA Phase 3 study on axSpA

Abbott today announced results from the Phase 3 ABILITY-1 study of HUMIRA (adalimumab) in patients with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

7 Nov 2011

Respiratory problems in homes on the rise due to air freshners

Sales of home air fresheners and scented candles are on the rise and so are respiratory problems in homes where these products are used, according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston, Nov 3-8.

7 Nov 2011

Mouse anti-aging study generates expert commentary

Age related changes like wrinkles, muscle wasting and cataracts could be delayed in mice, say researchers in the US. They achieved the feat by removing old cells that had stopped dividing. These accumulate naturally with age. The scientists believe their findings could eventually “really have an impact” in the care of the elderly. Experts said the results were “fascinating”, but should be taken with a bit of caution.

6 Nov 2011

Researchers develop new image sensors for 3-D endoscopes

The surgeon carefully guides the endoscope through the patient's nasal cavity to the operation zone. It is a delicate procedure for which the surgeon has to prepare in detail before commencing the actual intervention.

5 Nov 2011

NCQA recognizes three additional MetCare centers as PPC-PCMH

Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc., a leading provider of health care services in Florida, today announced that an additional three of its centers have been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as Physician Practice Connections - Patient-Centered Medical Homes.

5 Nov 2011

Positive data from RegeneRx RGN-259 Phase 2 trial on dry eye syndrome

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive data from its 72-patient, Phase 2 clinical trial with RGN-259, a sterile, preservative-free eye drop, to evaluate its safety and efficacy for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome over a treatment period of 30 days using the Controlled Adverse Environment (CAE) model.

5 Nov 2011