Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Study reveals dangerous mutations in H5N1 bird flu

One of the earliest strains of bird flu isolated from a human in Texas shows a unique constellation of mutations that enable it to more easily replicate in human cells and cause more severe disease in mice compared to a strain found in dairy cattle, researchers from Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) report in Emerging Microbes & Infections.

16 Jan 2025

CGM data offers superior insights into diabetes complications

Data from continuous glucose monitors can predict nerve, eye and kidney damage caused by type 1 diabetes, University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology researchers have found. That suggests doctors may be able to use data from the devices to help save patients from blindness, diabetic neuropathy and other life-changing diabetes complications.

16 Jan 2025

Xenon gas offers potential neuroprotective effects for Alzheimer's patients

Most treatments being pursued today to protect against Alzheimer's disease focus on amyloid plaques and tau tangles that accumulate in the brain, but new research from Mass General Brigham and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis points to a novel-and noble-approach: using Xenon gas.

16 Jan 2025

New compounds show promise in treating retinitis pigmentosa

Two new compounds may be able to treat retinitis pigmentosa, a group of inherited eye diseases that cause blindness.

15 Jan 2025

I’m moving forward and facing the uncertainty of aging

It takes a lot of courage to grow old. I've come to appreciate this after conversations with hundreds of older adults over the past eight years for nearly 200 "Navigating Aging" columns.

15 Jan 2025

Retina vascular fingerprint offers non-invasive way to predict stroke risk

A vascular 'fingerprint' on the light sensitive tissue layer at the back of the eye-the retina-can predict a person's risk of stroke as accurately as traditional risk factors alone, but without the need for multiple invasive lab tests, finds research published online in the journal Heart.

13 Jan 2025

Inflammasome protects stem cells from becoming cancerous

A group of immune proteins called the inflammasome can help prevent blood stem cells from becoming malignant by removing certain receptors from their surfaces and blocking cancer gene activity, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

13 Jan 2025

Sleep loss triggers intrusive memories by disrupting REM sleep

Sleep deprivation affects the brain's memory control, with REM sleep essential for effective suppression of intrusive memories and cognitive function.

13 Jan 2025

Teacher donates liver to save former student's life

When 5-year-old Ezra Toczek from Alden, New York, faced complications of progressive liver disease, his former daycare teacher, Carissa Fisher, became an unexpected hero.

11 Jan 2025

Doctors, nurses press ahead as wildfires strain Los Angeles’ health care

The rapidly spreading wildfires that have transformed much of Los Angeles County into a raging hellscape are not only upending the lives of tens of thousands of residents and business owners, but also stressing the region's hospitals, health clinics, first responders, and nursing homes.

10 Jan 2025

Most disease-causing mutations that swap amino acids do so by making proteins less stable

Research shows 60% of missense mutations destabilize proteins, linking protein folding to genetic diseases, including cataracts and neurological disorders.

10 Jan 2025

AI-enhanced algorithm improves diagnosis of REM sleep behavior disorder

A Mount Sinai-led team of researchers has enhanced an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithm to analyze video recordings of clinical sleep tests, ultimately improving accurate diagnosis of a common sleep disorder affecting more than 80 million people worldwide.

9 Jan 2025

Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of disease-causing mutations

Most mutations which cause disease by swapping one amino acid out for another do so by making the protein less stable, according to a massive study of human protein variants published today in the journal Nature. Unstable proteins are more likely to misfold and degrade, causing them to stop working or accumulate in harmful amounts inside cells.

9 Jan 2025

Sleep deprivation inhibits the brain's ability to suppress unwanted memories

A new study has shown that sleep deprivation can inhibit the brain's ability to suppress unwanted memories and intrusive thoughts.

8 Jan 2025

AI analysis reveals optimal follicle sizes for IVF success

During IVF treatment, doctors use ultrasound scans to monitor the size of follicles - small sacs in the ovaries containing eggs - to decide when to give a hormone injection known as the 'trigger' to prepare the eggs for collection and ensure that they are ready to be fertilised with sperm to create embryos.

8 Jan 2025

UCD researchers discover gene mutation linked to vision problems in zebrafish

Researchers in University College Dublin (UCD) have discovered that a mutation in a gene called emc1 causes major vision problems in zebrafish.

8 Jan 2025

AI-based tool identifies subtypes of Type 2 diabetes using glucose monitors

Diabetes has long been lumped into two categories - Type 1, which often appears in childhood, or Type 2, which is associated with obesity and typically develops later in life. But scientists have learned that not all patients with Type 2 diabetes are the same, with some patients varying in body weight, age of onset and other characteristics.

7 Jan 2025