Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Biological mechanism associated with remission during pregnancy

During pregnancy, many women experience remission of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and uveitis. Now, scientists have described a biological mechanism responsible for changes in the immune system that helps to explain the remission.

17 Jun 2010

Study: Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others

Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others, according to a study by a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences food scientist. The research indicates that genetics influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat.

17 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 17, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports on states' progress with high-risk pools created as part of the health reform law: "The program, one of the highest profile provisions of the law, is designed to provide health insurance to people who have been denied coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition and have been without coverage for at least six months.

17 Jun 2010

CINJ researchers combine series of vaccination injections to treat prostate cancer

Looking to harness the body's own immune system to target prostate cancer that has spread to the bones (metastatic) and is unresponsive to standard treatment, investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey have just launched a clinical trial focusing on a combination of vaccine and radiation drug therapy.

17 Jun 2010

Gabapentin shows effective in patients with locked-in syndrome, opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome

For patients with quadriplegia, mutism and lower cranial nerve paralysis (locked-in syndrome), their only means of interacting with others is through vertical gaze and upper eyelid movements, using eye-coded communication strategies.

17 Jun 2010

Rand Paul, who opposed federal 'handouts,' is criticized for taking Medicare patients; Other health politics news

Rand Paul, a Kentucky GOP Senate candidate, sees Medicare and Medicaid patients, even as he opposes federal "handouts" and is facing criticism from his Democratic opponent for not releasing his Medicare billing records, The Associated Press reported.

17 Jun 2010

Xacore signs agreement with ESSE to tackle challenge of military hearing loss

Xacore announces today that they have entered into an agreement with Ellis Services and Solutions Enterprises, LLC headed by retired US Army Four-Star General Larry R. Ellis and his group of experienced professionals to tackle the challenge of military hearing loss. This agreement joins Xacore's leading edge noise protection DSP radio headset technology with the strengths of ESSE's experience in marketing and solutions with the military and government.

17 Jun 2010

OXiGENE completes enrollment in ZYBRESTAT Phase 2 FALCON trial for NSCLC

OXiGENE, Inc., a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases, announced today that it has completed its targeted enrollment of 60 patients in the FALCON trial, a randomized, controlled Phase 2 study of ZYBRESTAT™ in patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

16 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 16, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on the latest Senate developments regarding the Medicare 'doc fix' as well as continuing health reform implementation news.

16 Jun 2010

Study validates Grm1 protein as target for melanoma treatment

Research by investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is showing new promise in the treatment of melanoma, the most serious of skin cancers. The findings, published in the May 27, 2010, online edition of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology further validate the team's clinical and pre-clinical findings that blocking the signaling normally activated by a receptor called Grm1 results in decreased cell growth and decreased migration of melanoma cells, confirming that Grm1 is a potential target for the treatment of melanoma.

16 Jun 2010

Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation to present 2010 Neuroscience Prize to Robert H. Wurtz

Robert H. Wurtz, PhD, a pioneer and leader in the field of neurophysiology, is the recipient of the 2010 Neuroscience Prize of The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. His discoveries of how the brain processes visual information and controls eye movements laid the groundwork for subsequent research into the neurophysiology of visual cognition. This research has led scientists to a deeper understanding of how the brain is organized to produce behavior.

15 Jun 2010

UH, AOA partner to get the word out about summer eye care, protection against UVR

As summer approaches, most people step up skin protection from harmful ultraviolet rays, yet aren't as vigilant about their eyes. Optometrists at the University of Houston are involved in a campaign to change this way of thinking.

15 Jun 2010

Free clinics across the U.S. care for 1.8M uninsured patients annually: Survey

Free clinics across the U.S. provide care to about 1.8 million mostly uninsured patients annually and the majority of clinics receive no government support, according to the first comprehensive survey of all known free clinics since the 1960s.

15 Jun 2010

Texas prepares for health reform's changes despite opposition to new law; Other states brace for federal funding cuts

When Congress approved the sweeping federal health care overhaul in March, Texas Governor Rick Perry was one of the loudest critics. He blasted the initiative as unconstitutional, a government takeover of health care and an unfunded federal mandate on the states. … That sentiment remains widespread in Texas, which has joined with 20 other states in suing to block the law from taking effect.

15 Jun 2010

States, Feds look to expand ACOs and medical homes

Crain's New York Business, on ACOs in New York: "Authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Barack Obama in March, ACOs are intended to reward providers that shift their focus to preventive care and presumably reduce the need for expensive procedures.

15 Jun 2010

Fluorescent cancerous tumors for early detection

Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique F-d-rale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have established a procedure where cancerous tumors in the bladder become fluorescent and are more easily discoverable under blue light. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the technique- already in practice in Europe - for the American market. Under the name Cysview-, the product is commercialized by Photocure and GE Healthcare as the most efficient detection technique for early stage bladder cancer.

14 Jun 2010

WoundVision launches bedside thermographic imaging system

WoundVision™, the healthcare industry pioneer in advanced wound detection technology, is introducing today a revolutionary predictive bedside thermographic imaging system. The WoundVision system brings knowledge bedside by acquiring, analyzing and applying essential patient data to inform healthcare providers in the development of effective treatment and care plans.

14 Jun 2010

Researchers show how tiny insect brain uses multiple brain pathways to judge motion

Insects may have tiny brains the size of a pinhead, but the latest research from the University of Adelaide shows just how clever they really are. For the first time, researchers from the University's Discipline of Physiology have worked out how insects judge the speed of moving objects.

14 Jun 2010

Dysfunctional magno cells in eyes associated with learning disabilities

Problems with math? And perhaps with handwriting - and motor skills? Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) believe that the explanation for your troubles may be that not all of the cells in your eyes work the way they should.

14 Jun 2010

Researchers find new way to prevent blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a radical new type of gene therapy to prevent blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa, giving hope to the estimated 100,000 Americans who suffer from this debilitating disease.

14 Jun 2010