New clues to hereditary blinding disease found
...eeking a cure for an inherited disease that causes blindness in over one million people worldwide, Dartmouth Medical School researchers have discovered a critical role for zinc in retinitis pigmentosa. The amount of zinc, a trace metal naturally absorbed by the body, can determine whether a key protein for vis...New diagnostic technology helps justify earlier cataract surgery
...t Cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, and cataract surgery is among the most ...f light passing through the lens, which results in blindness if not treated. In the U.S., Medicare, the federal government's health insurance program for the el...Growing new breed of vaccine-producing plants to fight human diseases worldwide
...e discoveries produced Golden Rice to combat human blindness and other afflictions, Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Gordon Conway, and U.S. Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO). ...The blind really do hear better
...of the research team, explained that the idea that blindness can aid musical development is an old one. However, previous studies have not been able to quantify this possibly because they did not take into account the age at which subjects went blind. In the present study, researchers at McGill and at Univers...Molecular motor shuttles key protein in response to light
... the researchers proposed, helps prevent temporary blindness that would otherwise be caused by a sudden increase in light intensity, such as occurs when stepping from a dark movie theater into the bright afternoon sunshine. "We knew that arrestin was transported, but we didn't know how this occurred," says Cr...Research to Prevent Blindness awards $4.8 million
...ere and chronic form of ocular allergy that causes blindness in 70% of those who suffer from it); the study of possible relationships between optic nerve size, eyeball shape and focus error and the development of amblyopia (lazy eye); and an attempt to create three-dimensional imaging of retinal cells in the l......n humans, such as cancer, heart disease, deafness, blindness and autoimmune disorders. In addition, the dog is an important model for the genetics of behavior and is used extensively in pharmaceutical research. To best characterize disease in dogs, it is important to have a sufficient number of markers in the ...Discovery in parasite movement may offer insights into malaria
...e in Toxoplasma gondii, an organism that can cause blindness and brain damage in people with an impaired immune system and can cause severe disease in first trimester fetuses. In addition, the organism is used as a model experimental system for studying the closely related mosquito-borne malaria parasite Plasm...Many scientists believe the dog genome holds information that will benefit human health
... cancer, the Ostrander lab is studying genetics of blindness and soon will begin a study on genetics of obsessive-compulsive disease. "What is so great about this study to date is that it's been a real community effort," Ostrander said. "We could not have done the work without the involvement of pet owners, ...First genetic comparison of purebred domestic dogs produces surprises
...orders, including cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, blindness and deafness, which affect dogs. In analyzing and carefully comparing the genetic information from dogs representing 85 breeds, the researchers were surprised to discover previously unappreciated relationships between existing breeds and new details ...Motion that powers sperm provides key to unravelling rare genetic disorder
...f health problems such as obesity, kidney disease, blindness and mental retardation." "The way some cilia work is akin to trying to surf a crowd at a concert. If everyone works together, supports you and pushes you in the same direction you can sail across on top of the crowd. If they don't you soon come down ...Biologists uncover genetic links to broad range of human disorders resulting from cilia dysfunctions
...ticles into the throat, and the vision problems or blindness due to defective cilia in the eye's photoreceptors. In recent years, that list has grown as medical researchers discovered that many human genetic ailments affecting multiple organs have their origin in the absence and dysfunction of cilia. These in...Research on inherited eye disorders uncovers new information about blood-vessel formation
...e gene for the protein Norrin, produces congenital blindness and a progressive deafness due to blood vessel malformation in the inner ear. "Almost certainly the sequence of events within the eye is that there is a problem in vascular development, a compensatory growth of blood vessels, and a leakiness in those...Imaging technique reveals new structure in retinal cells
...the retinoid cycle. Since many types of congenital blindness are caused by defects in the retinoid cycle, the researchers hope their findings could one day help in clinical applications. ...Study finds huge variability in vitamin E absorption
...ciencies of vitamin D led to rickets, vitamin A to blindness and the B-vitamin niacin to pellagra. In the developed world those diseases are now largely a thing of the past. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that prevents oxidation of polyunsaturated fats in membranes and lipoproteins, including the LDL ...Purdue researchers create templates on retinal tissues
...incurable eye disease that is the leading cause of blindness for people 55 and older in the United States, affecting more than 10 million Americans. Retinal pigment epithelial cells deliver nutrients to the retina and remove waste products. Macular degeneration is caused by a deterioration of these cells. ...Daily vitamins could prevent vision loss among thousands
...anced AMD in one eye. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. The original AREDS investi...at high risk for late-stage AMD and central vision blindness in both eyes, a dietary supplement of vitamins C, E and beta carotene along with zinc lowered the ri...Stem cells delivered into back of eye hold promise for people with retinitis pigmentosa
...blindness. The disease starts as progressive night blindness and the gradual loss of peripheral vision, and it ...n mice, Friendlander and his colleagues found that blindness can be prevented by injecting adult bone marrow-derived stem cells into the back of the eye. A New...Few Filipino farmers know of the benefits of golden rice
...Asia, where it is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. Today there are more than 100 million vitamin A-deficient children around the world, according to WHO. It is estimated that 250,000 to 500,000 of these children become blind every year, and about 50 percent of those die within a year. In......mark of diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among young people in developed countries. It's also believed that VEGF contributes to abnormal blood vessel growth from the choroid layer of the eye into the retina, similar to what occurs during the wet or neovascular form of age-related macular d...