StemCell Therapy

ATLANTA - If you have arthritis, you know all about the pain, swelling, and stiffness that the disease brings on.

"We're seeing arthritis at an earlier age, not only in the knees, but shoulders, really everywhere," said Dr. Mathew Pombo of Emory Orthopedics & Spine Center. "It's becoming an epidemic of sorts."

But did you know certain habits can make your symptoms worse? Staying still is the first mistake that can intensify your pain. Regular physical activity makes your joints more flexible, but too much exercise can also be a bad thing.

"We also have a lot of younger people participating in sports, and we know that prior injury leads to post-traumatic arthritis," Pombo continued.

Try swimming, biking or walking for about 30 minutes a day. Ignoring your dental health may also lead to worse problems. One study found the bacterium that causes periodontal disease increases the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

The wrong foods can also cause inflammation in the body and trigger symptoms. Some ingredients to avoid: sugar, saturated fats, refined carbs, omega-six fatty acids, MSG, gluten, aspartame, and alcohol.

Lastly, stress could make your symptoms worse. A trauma or stressful situation can actually trigger the development of certain types of arthritis. Yoga, meditation, and getting enough sleep can help you manage your stress levels.

Smoking is another bad move. Recent research shows both current and past smokers with arthritis had worse symptoms and more joint damage than those who never smoked.

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Health Beat: 5 things that make arthritis more painful - WFMZ Allentown

Scientists have discovered an unusual link between the severity of arthritis-related pain and weather.

For years, health experts have suspected that weather may play a key role in the severity of arthritic symptoms.

The BBCsays that hearing someone say their knee is playing up because of the weather is pretty common - usually because of the cold, adding thatsome say they can even predict the weather based on how their joints feel. However, there has been no scientific consensus on the subject.

But this week, the University of Manchester published a study of around 2,500 people suffering from arthritis in all 124 postcode areas of the UK, which asked them to record their levels of distress on a daily basis using their smartphone, The Telegraph says.

To their surprise, the researchers found that sufferers were 20% more likely to be in pain on days that were humid and windy with low atmospheric pressure than they were on days with average weather.

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The BBC reports that if someoneschances of a painful day with average weather were five in 100, they would increase to six in 100 on a damp and windy day.

However, the researchers were also keen to stress that they found no link between temperature and pain, or rain and pain, but that a mixture of factors such as wind, humidity and low atmospheric pressure did have an effect.

The study, called Cloudy with a Chance of Pain, was funded by the charity Versus Arthritis and ran from January 2016 to April 2017.There were more than five million pieces of data submitted.

Professor Will Dixon, who led the study, said that weather has been thought to affect symptoms in patients with arthritis since Hippocrates and added that around three quarters of people living with arthritis believe their pain is affected by the weather.

The analysis showed that on damp and windy days with low pressure the chances of experiencing more pain, compared to an average day, was around 20%.

He also suggested that the findings mightallow people who suffer from chronic pain to plan their activities, completing harder tasks on days predicted to have lower levels of pain.

Dr Stephen Simpson, director of research at Versus Arthritis, said: We know that of the 10 million people in the UK with arthritis, over half experience life-altering pain every day.

Supporting effective ways of self-managing pain can make all the difference for people with arthritis, helping them to get and stay in work, to be full members of the community and simply to belong.

This research will help us understand the bigger picture of the complexity of pain caused by arthritis and how people with the condition can take control of it.

Original post:
Arthritis: whats the weather got to do with it? - The Week UK

People with painful chronic conditions such as arthritis tend to experience more pain on humid days than on dry ones, according to a British study published Thursday in the journal NPJ Digital Medicine.

When days are windy and have low atmospheric pressure, pain is also more likely to increase, although to a lesser extent than when the humidity is high, the study also reports.

No evidence was found linking cold days with more pain unless those days were also damp and windy.

The results of this study could be important for patients in the future for two reasons, said William Dixon, the lead author of the research and an epidemiologist at the University of Manchester, in a released statement. Given we can forecast the weather, it may be possible to develop a pain forecast knowing the relationship between weather and pain. This would allow people who suffer from chronic pain to plan their activities, completing harder tasks on days predicted to have lower levels of pain.

The dataset will also provide information to scientists interested in understanding the mechanisms of pain, which could ultimately open the door to new treatments, he adds.

As Dixon and his co-authors point out in their paper, people with arthritis have blamed weather for worsening their symptoms since at least the fifth century BCE, when the Greek physician Hippocrates was writing his medical treatises. Today, about three-quarters of individuals living with arthritis believe weather affects their pain.

Past studies have investigated these claims, but with conflicting results most likely because such studies have tended to involve a small number of people (fewer than 100) and/or a short time frame (a month or less).

The current study, according to its authors, is the first to use a large dataset one collected from smartphones to look at the relationship between local weather and daily pain among people with chronic conditions over a long period of time.

For the study, Dixon and his colleagues analyzed data collected from 2,658 people, aged 17 and older, from across the United Kingdom. All had a painful, chronic medical condition, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine or neuropathy. Most, however, had arthritis.

At the start of the study, participants were asked to download a smartphone app, which asked them each evening to answer a series of questions about symptoms they had experienced that day. The participants did so on most days for about six months.

The researchers used the smartphones GPS to determine the local weather for each patient on each day. They then looked for correlations between various weather factors and the patients reported symptoms.

High humidity had the strongest link with increased pain, although high wind and low atmospheric pressure also showed significant associations.

And when all three of those weather elements occurred together, there was a kind of pain trifecta, the data revealed.

The analysis showed that on damp and windy days with low pressure the chances of experiencing more pain, compared to an average day, was around 20 percent, says Dixon. This would mean that, if your chances of a painful day on an average weather day were 5 in 100, they would increase to 6 in 100 on a damp and windy day.

That may seem like a small increase, but, as Dixon and his colleagues note, it could be a meaningful change for many people living with chronic pain.

The study found no link between temperature alone and pain symptoms.

And although weather is known to affect day-to-day mood and physical activity, those factors were not found to have much of an impact on the studys findings.

The research comes with caveats. Most notably, it involved only people living in the United Kingdom, so its findings may not be applicable to other populations. In addition, the study began with about 10,000 participants, but most failed to complete enough of the daily questionnaires to be included in the final analysis. There may be something different between the people who stayed in the study and those who dropped out a difference that may make the studys results less reliable.

Still, the findings are intriguing. They may also offer some reassurance to people who struggle with controlling chronic pain.

So many people live with chronic pain, affecting their work, family life and their mental health. Even when weve followed the best pain management advice, we often still experience daily pain, says Carolyn Gamble, one of the authors of the study and a graduate student at the University of Manchester, in a released statement. Gamble has a form of arthritis known as ankylosing spondylitis.

Knowing how the weather impacts on our pain can enable us to accept that the pain is out of our control, it is not something we have done, or could have done differently in our own self-management, she adds.

FMI: You can read the study in full on NPJ Digital Medicines website. The study was funded by Versus Arthritis, a British nonprofit.

The rest is here:
Weather, or not? Study finds chronic pain tends to be worse on humid, but not cold, days - MinnPost

The CDC estimates that more than 1 in 4 adults age 65 or older will fall each year. Out of these falls, 1 in 5 will result in serious injury, such as broken bones and head injuries.

In addition, the Arthritis Foundation estimates that over 50 million adults suffer from one of the many forms of arthritis resulting in pain, stiffness, swelling and decreased ability to perform normal daily tasks.

The "Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention" is an evidence-based program recommended by both the Arthritis Foundation and the National Council on Aging to manage arthritis and reduce fall risk, increase balance and flexibility, and decrease stress.

The program was developed by Dr. Paul Lam, a family physician in Sydney, Australia who developed arthritis while still in his teens due to the malnutrition he experienced while growing up in China. Dr. Lam used tai chi to manage his own arthritis and eventually worked with tai chi, medical and education experts to create this program.

The Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention program uses the Sun style of tai chi which has been modified to make it gentle on the joints, easy to learn, and significantly safer for older adults than other forms of tai chi. Often described as "meditation in motion," it consists of slow, continuous movements with a focus on body awareness, posture, weight shifting, and calming the mind. While the movements appear gentle and graceful, they contain a surprising internal power. Dr. Lam describes it as being like a calm, flowing river that has the power and strength to reshape the earth under its surface.

The power of the "Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention" program has been demonstrated in numerous medical studies by showing a significant decrease both in falls and in the pain and stiffness of arthritis.

It is performed using a higher stance than most other forms of tai chi and martial arts moves with higher risk have been modified or replaced with safer alternatives. This makes it both easier and safer for arthritis sufferers and those at risk for falls.

Instructor Diana Nielsen, certified teacher of the "Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention" program, says, "I love introducing people to this program and watching their balance and confidence improve. I have practiced other styles of tai chi for years but find this form is best for my own arthritis."

Each class consists of warm up and cool down exercises, a review of previously learned moves, and the learning of one or two new moves in a positive learning atmosphere. Over the course of the program, participants will build the balance and muscular strength that is important in both preventing falls and in stabilizing and protecting arthritic joints. The slow movement against gentle resistance also develops strength in the body's core stabilizer muscles which is critical to good posture and back health.

One does not need to have arthritis or a history of falls to benefit from this program. It is geared toward adults age 55 and older who would like a gentle, low-impact program that will increase their balance, mobility, flexibility, and lower body strength while decreasing stress.

Tai chi student Beverly Adams of Elk Grove Village states that this program has been "very rewarding" and that the "classes have been extremely helpful in my rehabilitation from knee and hip replacement surgery."

The Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention program is being offered at the Amita Health Alexian Rehabilitation Hospital, 935 Beisner Road in Elk Grove Village.

It consists of 6 one-hour class sessions and is taught by Diana Nielsen, a licensed occupational therapy assistant and a certified instructor of the Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention program.

A new class will be starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5. Register in advance by calling (847) 981-5556, option 2. All participants for this program must be able to walk unassisted for at least 100 feet for safety.

For questions on this program including additional class times and locations, please email TCAFP.DN@gmail.com.

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Learn how to curb the pain, stop the falls with tai chi program this fall - Chicago Daily Herald

People with arthritis are more likely to feel pain on humid, windy days, new research suggests.

Scientists from the University of Manchester found sufferers were 20% more likely to be in pain on days that are humid and windy with low atmospheric pressure than on days with average weather.

The study, funded by the charity Versus Arthritis, examined data from 2,658 people, who provided daily data on pain levels on most days for around six months via their smartphones.

The group had a range of different health issues, predominantly arthritis, but also including fibromyalgia, migraine and neuropathic pain.

According to the research, humid days were the most likely to be painful, whereas dry days were the least likely.

Low pressure and higher wind speed were also linked to more painful days, although to a lesser extent than humidity.

The researchers found no solid link with changing temperature or rainfall, although cold days that were also damp and windy could be more painful.

As part of the study, participants used a dedicated smartphone app to record daily symptoms which were then compared with local weather reports based on the phone's GPS.

Professor Will Dixon, from the University of Manchester, who led the study, said: "Weather has been thought to affect symptoms in patients with arthritis since Hippocrates.

"Around three quarters of people living with arthritis believe their pain is affected by the weather.

"Yet, despite much research examining the existence and nature of this relationship, there remains no scientific consensus.

"Our analysis showed that on damp and windy days with low pressure the chances of experiencing more pain, compared to an average day, was around 20%.

"Given we can forecast the weather, it may be possible to develop a pain forecast knowing the relationship between weather and pain.

"This would allow people who suffer from chronic pain to plan their activities, completing harder tasks on days predicted to have lower levels of pain."

Dr Stephen Simpson, director of research at Versus Arthritis, said: "We know that of the 10 million people in the UK with arthritis, over half experience life-altering pain every day.

"Supporting effective ways of self-managing pain can make all the difference for people with arthritis, helping them to get and stay in work, to be full members of the community and simply to belong.

"This research will help us understand the bigger picture of the complexity of pain caused by arthritis and how people with the condition can take control of it."

Continue reading here:
Arthritis pain is linked to the weather, new study confirms - Gloucestershire Live

Early treatment with infliximab sold under the brand name Remicade, among others leads to lower inflammation and fewer joints showing active disease over 12 months in children and adolescents with polyarticular idiopathic arthritis (pJIA), a single center study in China suggests.

But to be effective for a full year, treatment soon after disease onset seems essential, its researchers wrote.

The study, Infliximab therapy and outcomes in patients with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a single-center study in China, was published in the World Journal of Pediatrics.

Advances in the development and approval of biologic therapies over the last two decades have had a significant impact on the outcome of children with pJIA.

Compared to other disease types, pJIA patients are more likely tofail to respond to initial treatment withdisease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). But biologic DMARDs have helped to manage disease activity and lessen symptoms.

Among JIA patients, pJIA patients especially those withhigh risk factors [that include]arthritis of the hip or cervical spine, and radiographic damage have more aggressive disease and worse functional outcomes, the team wrote.

Infliximabis a biologic DMARD designed to specifically target and block TNF-alpha, a protein that promotes inflammation and is involved in autoimmunity. This type of therapy has shown efficacy in people with pJIA, but differences exist as to an optimal treatment regimen, the researches noted.

The teamreviewed the long-term impact of treatment with infliximab in 40 children (ages 2 to 13 at diagnosis) with pJIA. All were treated and followed at ChildrensHospital of Chongqing Medical University over an eight year-period starting in January 2010.

Patients were divided into three groups based on their disease course and when they started on infliximab. Nine (group A) started treatment within three months of disease onset, 13 (group B) between three months and one year of onset, while the remaining 18 (group C) initiated treatment more than one year after disease onset.

All patients were given at least four doses of infliximab (36 mg/kg) over three months. Twenty-six received six doses (over six months), and eight patients had nine doses of infliximab, which corresponds to a 12-month treatment period.

Results showed that the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) an indicator of active inflammation was significantly lower in all groups after three and six months of therapy, compared to pre-treatment values. But this benefit, after 12 months, was only maintained in patients with early treatment (group A).

Children in group A were also the only ones to show stable decreases over 12 months in the number of joints with active disease defined as joints that were tender or painful to move, were swollen, or had limited motion. Also used was the 27-point juvenile arthritis disease activity score (JADAS-27), which includes a physician assessment, a parent/patient global evaluation, ESR rates, and an active joint count.

Patients in groups B and C alsoshowed fewer joints with active disease and a lower JADAS-27 score up to six months of treatment, but experienced increases in both assessments at 12 months. These increases were statistically significant when treatment was started more a year after disease onset (group C).

Overall, infliximab can dramatically improve the outcomes in polyarticular JIA patients, and it should be introduced early during the clinical course, the team wrote.

Total Posts: 11

Jos is a science news writer with a PhD in Neuroscience from Universidade of Porto, in Portugal. He has also studied Biochemistry at Universidade do Porto and was a postdoctoral associate at Weill Cornell Medicine, in New York, and at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. His work has ranged from the association of central cardiovascular and pain control to the neurobiological basis of hypertension, and the molecular pathways driving Alzheimers disease.

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Polyarticular JIA Patients Show Lesser Inflammation, Affected Joints with Early Use of Infliximab, Study Says - Juvenile Arthritis News

Aplastic anemia is a medical condition that damages stem cells in a person's bone marrow. These cells are responsible for making red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which are vital to human health.

Doctors believe various conditions can cause aplastic anemia, while the disease itself ranges in severity from mild to life threatening.

Medical advancements mean that aplastic anemia is more treatable than ever. In this article, learn more about this rare medical disorder.

When a person has aplastic anemia, their bone marrow does not create the blood cells it needs. This causes them to feel ill and increases their risk of getting infections.

Doctors also call aplastic anemia bone marrow failure.

Doctors do not know exactly how many people in the United States have aplastic anemia.

According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), doctors diagnose approximately 500 to 1,000 cases every year. It is most common in older children, teenagers, and young adults.

Researchers believe that most cases of aplastic anemia are due to the immune system attacking healthy bone marrow cells, according to NORD.

Doctors have also identified some of the possible causes of this immune system response, including:

However, doctors usually cannot pinpoint the underlying cause in most aplastic anemia cases.

When the cause is unknown, doctors refer to the condition as idiopathic aplastic anemia.

Symptoms of aplastic anemia include:

These symptoms may be severe. Some people may have heart-related symptoms, such as chest pain.

A doctor will start by asking about a person's symptoms and their medical history.

They will usually use a blood test known as a complete blood count (CBC) to evaluate a person's red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. If all three of these components are low, a person has pancytopenia.

A doctor may also recommend taking a sample of bone marrow, which comes from a person's pelvis or hip.

A laboratory technician will examine the bone marrow. If a person has aplastic anemia, the bone marrow will not have typical stem cells.

Aplastic anemia can also have similar symptoms as other medical conditions, such as myelodysplastic syndrome and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. A doctor will want to rule out these conditions.

Sometimes, a person with other medical conditions can develop aplastic anemia. These conditions include:

If a person has these conditions, a doctor will recognize that they are more likely to get aplastic anemia.

Doctors usually have two goals when treating aplastic anemia. The first is to reduce the person's symptoms, and the second is to stimulate the bone marrow to create new blood cells.

People with aplastic anemia can receive blood and platelet transfusions to correct low blood counts.

A doctor may also prescribe antibiotics as a person needs white blood cells to fight infections. Ideally, these drugs will prevent infections until a person can build more new white blood cells.

Doctors usually recommend a bone marrow transplant to stimulate new cell growth in the long term.

For this, a doctor may first prescribe chemotherapy medications to kill off abnormal bone marrow cells that are affecting a person's overall bone marrow function.

Next, a doctor performs a bone marrow transplant by injecting the bone marrow into a patient's body.

Ideally, the individual will receive bone marrow from a close family member. However, even a sibling donor is only a match in 2030% of cases.

People can also receive bone marrow from someone who is not related to them if doctors can find a compatible donor.

Some people cannot tolerate bone marrow transplants, especially older adults, and those having difficulty recovering from chemotherapy. Others may not be able to find a donor that matches their bone marrow. In these instances, a doctor can prescribe immunosuppressive therapy.

Immunosuppressive medicines suppress the immune system, which ideally stops it from attacking healthy bone marrow cells. Examples of these medications include antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine.

According to NORD, an estimated one-third of people with aplastic anemia do not respond to immunosuppressive drugs.

If this is the case, doctors may consider other treatments, such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and a medication called eltrombopag (Promacta).

Those with aplastic anemia may face complications due to their disease as well as their treatment.

Sometimes, a person's body rejects a bone marrow transplant. Doctors call this graft-versus-host disease or GVHD.

GVHD can make a person feel extremely ill and can cause symptoms that include:

According to 2015 research, about 15% of aplastic anemia patients who receive immunosuppressive therapy will develop myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia.

These conditions can develop years after a person's initial diagnosis.

Some people do not respond to aplastic anemia treatments. When this is the case, they are more vulnerable to infections that can be life threatening.

The outlook for a person with aplastic anemia depends on many factors, including:

A doctor will discuss a person's treatment outlook when considering the various therapies.

Aplastic anemia damages stem cells in a person's bone marrow. The bone marrow makes red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which are all essential for the body.

A person with aplastic anemia may experience severe anemia symptoms. Treatment may include chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, and immunotherapy.

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What is aplastic anemia? Symptoms, causes, and treatment - Medical News Today

Coming to terms with my [end stage kidney failure] has been one of the hardest things I have had to accept. The mental turmoil and anxiety replay daily in my mind, over and over. Naomi Adams, a British-Caribbean mother of two, was diagnosed with the critical condition just before her birthday last year. As her health continues to deteriorate, the nurse in her thirties knows she needs an organ transplant sooner rather than later.

For Naomi, the risks are much higher if she fails to get a kidney transplant. One in five people who died last year while waiting for an organ transplant came from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background (BAME), according to 2018 statistics from NHS Blood and Transplant.

Naomi still remembers being told the news. As the doctor informed her of the diagnosis, her mind drifted back to the life she had. It was one of the most devastating events of my life The future lacked clarity, certainty. Hopes and dreams crushed, she says. I was devastated, in total shock. End-stage renal failure is a life-changing condition. The impact it had on my mental and physical well-being has been enormous for such a short amount of time.

She is just one of the hundreds of patients who belongs to an ethnic minority group in the UK. In total, more than a quarter of those on the transplant waiting list are from BAME communities, despite representing around 11 percent of the UK population.

Different blood and tissue types across racial groups means that finding a donor from a similar ethnic background could be a matter of life or death for those in need, especially since BAME patients are more vulnerable to developing particular illnesses that can lead to organ failure (such as high blood pressure and diabetes). That makes it much harder to match patients and donors who are genetically similar.

Given the circumstances, many have described the problem as a silent crisis that has reached a tipping point. In 2018, Labour MP Eleanor Smith led a review into the situation. The resulting report, titled Ending the Silent Crisis, published a series of recommendations to help tackle the low number of ethnic minority donors.

About her review, Smith wrote: Everyone has a role to play, whether that be the Government, NHS Blood and Transplant, the community itself, or MPs. We need to foster more superheroes in our community, who selflessly donate blood.

Without a doubt, greater community participation is urgently needed. According to the report, fewer than 5 percent of donors who gave blood in the last year, alongside 7 percent of deceased organ donors, were from BAME communities. Only 61 percent of BAME patients in need of a stem cell transplant find a suitably matched donor, in comparison with 96 percent of white patients.

For patients such as Naomi, a lack of dialogue surrounding donation within her community means that she not only had to adjust to a life-changing condition, but also needed to have difficult conversations with her family about the possibility of donating one kidney to help save her. She asked, but to no avail.

In my case, my family has not been forthcoming in being tested [and] a friend who stepped forward to be tested wasn't a blood match. It's quite difficult to put into words the emotions I felt. It's bittersweet.

But there is still a glimmer of hope. A new organ donation system comes into effect next year in England to help reduce the number of people waiting for a life-saving transplant. Currently, there is a voluntary opt-in system, but under the new legislation, known as Max and Keiras Law, consent will be presumed for adults unless they opt out. (Family members can still block the donation if relatives did not give explicit consent or if the donation will cause distress to their family.)

Orin Lewis OBE, the co-founder of the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, said the new opt-out scheme could break down the present status quo. Max and Keiras Law gives hope to patients [from minority groups] waiting for a transplant, he tells VICE. But in terms of turning that into more supply of donors, I'm hoping for a positive change [in the number of donors].

But hes fearful there will be an initial backlash of people opting out, due to an expected influx of damaging social media messages that will spread fear and misinformation. Over the last several years the number of BAME patients in need of blood, stem cell and organ transplants has risen, while the number of eligible donors from minority groups has remained alarmingly low. This disparity between patients and donors has no doubt led to BAME communities making up 35 percent of those waiting for a kidney transplant.

Among those waiting is Faizan Azwan, 33, who has suffered from renal complications since birth. As a newborn, he was fed by tube and tasted solid food for the first time at the age of three.

Faizan was saved by a transplant twice in the last three decades and is now facing the same fate for a third time. Five years ago, he began to feel unwell and was rushed to a hospital by his parents only to find out that the kidney his father donated had failed.

His five-year wait for a transplant reflects the small pool of donors Azwan has to choose from as a British-Pakistani patient. The average waiting time for a kidney transplant is two years for European patients, in comparison to two and a half for those from minority ethnic groups.

He said: [Renal failure] has affected me, as with most BAME patients waiting for a transplant. On average we have to wait approximately six months to a year longer than our European counterparts, and that is simply because our communities do not tend to donate.

Lewis sees the new opt-out scheme as an opportunity to remind those who come from communities that do not donate, that they are needed. We need those individuals to realise their ethnicity counts, and get the message across that we need everyone, but actually we need you the most.

He adds: If we don't step forward as donors, we are self discriminating against our own.

@Zahra_ZW

Original post:
Not White? You Might Struggle to Find an Organ Donor - VICE UK

Clinical exome sequencing has revolutionized genetic testing for children with inherited disorders, and Baylor College of Medicine researchers have led efforts to apply these DNA methods in the clinic. Nevertheless, in more than two-thirds of cases, the underlying genetic changes in children who undergo sequencing are unknown. Researchers everywhere are looking to new methods to analyze exome sequencing data to look for new associations between specific genes and those rare genetic diseases called Mendelian disorders. Investigators at theHuman Genome Sequencing Centerhave developed new approaches for large-scale analysis of Mendelian disorders, published today in theAmerican Journal of Human Genetics.

The investigators used an Apache Hadoop data lake, a data management platform, to aggregate the exome sequencing data from approximately 19,000 individuals from different sources. Using information from previously solved disease cases, they established methods to rapidly select candidates for Mendelian disease. They found 154 candidate disease-associating genes, which previously had no known association between mutation and rare genetic disease, according toAdam Hansen, lead author of the study and graduate student inmolecular and human geneticsat Baylor.

We found at least five people for each of these 154 genes that have very rare genetic mutations that we suspect might be causing disease, Hansen said. This shows the power of big data approaches toward accelerating the rate of discovery of associations between genes and rare diseases.

These computational methods solve the dual problems of large-scale data management and careful management of data access permission. saidDr. Richard Gibbs, study author and professor of molecular and human genetics and director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor. They are perfect for outward display of data from the Baylor College of Medicine programs.

Exome sequencing currently only diagnoses 30 to 40% of patients, Hansen said. He hopes that diagnosis rate will increase with the discovery of new associations between mutations in certain genes and rare diseases.

The genetics community can now focus on genetic mutations in these genes when they see undiagnosed patients, Hansen said. Since our initial analysis, 19 of these genes have already been confirmed as disease-associating by independent researchers. The collective effort of the genetics community will advance our understanding of these genes and provide further evidence for their potential role in disease.

Other researchers at the Human Genome Sequencing Center who were involved in the study included Mullai Muragan, Donna Muzny, Fritz Sedlazeck, Aniko Sabo, Shalini Jhangiani, Kim Andrews, Michael Khayat, and Liwen Wang.

This work was supported in part by grants UM1 HG008898 from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHBLI) to the Baylor College of Medicine Center for Common Disease Genetics; UM1 HG006542 from the NHGRI/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to the Baylor Hopkins Center for Mendelian Genomics; R01 NS058529 and R35 NS105078 (J.R.L.) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); and P50 DK096415 (N.K.) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

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Connecting gene mutations, rare genetic diseases - Baylor College of Medicine News

Humans, the latest tally suggests, have approximately 21,000 genes in our genome, the set of genetic information in an organism. But do we really need every gene we have? What if we lost three or four? What if we lost 3,000 or 4,000? Could we still function? Humans have variation in their genomes, but the overall size does not vary dramatically among individuals, with the exception of certain genetic disorders like Downs syndrome, which is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 and all the genes that it carries.

Each gene in a genome provides the code for a protein which affects our lives, from the growth of our hair to allowing us to digest certain foods. Most of the genes found in the human genome are probably safe for now, but there are some organisms which, over time, have cut down their genome to live in various habitats.

Scientists previously thought that every gene in an organisms genome was essential for survival because humans have little variation in our genome sizes from person to person. However, studies using animals with smaller, streamlined genomes have proven this untrue.

What does it take to streamline a genome? Does the organism just cut genes over time and hope for the best, or are there a series of processes that compensate for the loss of these genes? If researchers can understand how some of these small genomes work so efficiently, we can better understand how human genomes function as well. We, Amey Redkar, Alison Gerken and Jessica Velez, are a team of biologists with diverse backgrounds, all associated with the Genetics Society of America. We are interested in understanding how diverse genetic processes work in a variety of organisms and strive to communicate these exciting facts about genetics to a broad audience.

Genomes can change in a variety of ways. Changes can be slight, involving just a single DNA building block, or large-scale, such as the duplication or loss of a large chunk of DNA. It is even possible to lose entire gene pathways groups of genes acting together. Large losses in DNA over time are known as genome streamlining.

Every organism is adapted to their environment, and some have achieved this through the process of genome streamlining. During this process the genome is rearranged as the species adapt to their environment. Genome streamlining enables organisms to thrive in challenging environments, such as low-nutrient ocean sites, or adapt to unique evolutionary challenges, such as those posed by flight.

Researchers explore these adaptations by studying the streamlined genomes of specific species, known as model species, to uncover what genetic material is excessive and if there is an optimum number of genes needed for an organism to survive.

A striking example of genome streamlining is seen in hummingbirds, in which the main drivers of genome size adaptations are thought to be flight and metabolic demands. These birds developed the ability to fly as well as a high-energy lifestyle, which are both reflected in their genetic code. Hummingbirds possess the smallest and least variable genome within bird species at around 900,000,000 units of DNA. The genes that encode proteins are, on average, between 27% and 50% shorter than those in mammalian genomes. These adaptations arose through the process of genome streamlining. DNA and genes which did not actively contribute to hummingbirds living at higher altitudes and having an extremely active, high-energy lifestyle were lost through adaptive mutations.

Fast-moving birds are only one of the more energetically complex species which have undergone genome streamlining. In the plant kingdom, the tiny, rootless aquatic bladderwort plant, Utricularia gibba, captures insect prey in miniature traps using vacuum suction. This plant is adapted to a predatory lifestyle through evolutionary selection of genes that allow the bladderwort to break down complex molecules using special enzymes and retain the plants structural integrity in water environments. Redundant, less important and unnecessary genes were lost.

The previous examples of reduced genome sizes raise a fundamental question: Just how streamlined can a genome be? As the genome of a species shrinks, scientists can explore how many genes a species can lose before an organism can no longer survive.

One such organism used in these studies, Prochlorococcus marinus, is a single-celled cyanobacterium living in the open ocean. At 1,800,000 units of DNA, P. marinus is known for having the smallest genome of any known photosynthetic organism.

These cyanobacteria can no longer create many essential molecules needed for survival. They have lost entire gene pathways used for the creation of amino acids, which are necessary to build proteins. As a result, P. marinus is no longer able to survive in its natural environment without the assistance of symbiotic or beneficial species which provide the amino acids P. marinus needs. In a laboratory, researchers cannot grow P. marinus without the presence of these helper species, or by directly adding the necessary amino acids P. marinus needs.

Similar symbiotic relationships exist inside of insects. Some species of the bacterial pathogen Nardonella have undergone genome streamlining to a genome size as small as 230,000 units of DNA, shedding all genes except those necessary for DNA synthesis and the gene pathway for manufacturing tyrosine, an amino acid for building proteins.

These bacteria derive almost all of their metabolic requirements from the weevil in which they live. The bacteria, in turn, provide the final building block for the pathway in order for the weevil to generate the amino acid tyrosine that builds a darker, harder exoskeleton for the weevil which protects the insect from predators and from drying out. As a result, Nardonella both relies on and provides a benefit to the host weevil in exchange for this reliance.

Like humans, these species all have structured genetic information, but studies in these animals, plants, and bacteria have revealed that not every gene was essential to survive in their environments. As researchers continue to explore genome streamlining, we move closer to understanding how genetic adaptations arise, how the loss of genetic information affects the genomes of species, and just how few genes a species must have in order to survive in unique, challenging environments.

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Read more here:
Not all genes are necessary for survival these species dropped extra genetic baggage - The Conversation US

Although the gut microbiome remains relatively stable throughout adulthood, various environmental factors such as disease, and diet have been reported to affect the gut microbiota composition. Although host genotype may influence relative abundance of microbial taxa, only few associations between host genetics and gut microbiota diversity have been found. Thus, inter-individual gut microbiome variation remains largely unexplained.

Researchers from different institutions from Switzerland, France, Sweden and the US investigated the role various socio-demographic and environmental factors play in inter-individual gut microbiome variation from 858 healthy adults of French descent from the Milieu intrieur cohort. They did this by analyzing stool samples via 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing, genetic variation via a genome-wide association study (GWAS), as well as 110 different non-genetic factors that included demographic, behavioral, nutritional, and medical data. These participants were living in the same region and only 1% of the individuals were on over the counter medication throughout the duration of the study in order to eliminate possible variables that might affect the gut microbiome.

In total, all non-genetic factors explained 16.4% of the variance, and out of the more than 5 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analyzed, no significant genome wide associations were found in relation to fecal microbiome diversity. On the other hand, age along with the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glomerular filtration rate, having breakfast and eating in fast-food restaurants were variables that significantly affected all -diversity models whereas sex and BMI did not show any consistent association. Moreover, increased -diversity was associated with foods generally considered as healthy (fruits, fish), while a decrease was associated with foods generally considered unhealthy such as fried foods.

In agreement with previous studies, sex and age had the most significant effects on all -diversity indexes. Other factors that had mild yet significant correlations with -diversity in this cohort include medical history (especially chickenpox vaccination and teeth extraction), blood measurements (ALT levels and diastolic blood pressure), and lifestyle (such as tendency to have breakfast or lunch as well as appetite).

Finally, while exploring how certain factors affect the gut microbiome on a taxonomic level, Scepanovic and colleagues found an association between age and the Comamonadaceae family and the Schlegelella genus. They also discovered a correlation between oral mineral supplement consumption and the Clostridium papyrosolvens species, though the clinical relevance of these findings is currently unknown.

In conclusion, host genetics appears to play a minor role in shaping the gut microbiome while various non-genetic factors, primarily demographic and environmental, were associated with individual taxa in healthy individuals.

Although this study was comprehensive in its evaluation of several host variables, longitudinal studies of larger cohorts are needed in addition to more diverse genotyping arrays that evaluate rare genetic variants. Furthermore, shotgun sequencing is preferable to 16S rRNA genotyping which provides a narrower picture of the overall gut microbiome diversity and variability. Hopefully in the near future metagenomic and genomic data can be pooled across cohorts to gain a broader understanding of how host environmental factors and genetics shape the gut microbiome.

Reference:

Scepanovic P, Hodel F, Mondot S, et al. A comprehensive assessment of demographic, environmental, and host genetic associations with gut microbiome diversity in healthy individuals. Microbiome, 2019. doi: 10.1186/s40168-019-0747-x.

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Demographic, environmental, and host genetics and the gut microbiome in healthy individuals - Gut Microbiota for Health

By Harold Watters, Ohio State University Extension agronomist

I have conducted a number of trials and comparisons over the years and generally have concluded that new is better when it comes to choosing a hybrid or variety. One such comparison I have been making over several years now is of a modern hybrid to open pollinated corn varieties. This may be used as a comparison for those who grow open pollinated corn for sale as organic, although I used herbicides here for weed control. For 2019, I compared a modern traited hybrid, an early modern traited hybrid, a modern open pollinated variety and several older open pollinated varieties.

Reids yellow dent has a history with Ohio and has played a significant role in modern corn breeding. Green Field and Krug are selections from Reid yellow dent. They were all tall, and had some leaning problems, so looked like Reid across the board. I planted all the treatments at 28,000 seeds per acre. I got 90% plus germination on the modern genetics and about 65% stand on the older varieties. And this year with no derechos at South Charleston, they all stood reasonably well.

Typically when I make this comparison between my modern hybrid and Reids yellow dent, I have about a 100-bushel advantage for the modern hybrid. This year, the differences were a bit more at 175 bushels per acre. I use this information when talking with consumers about the value of modern technology in plant breeding. As to why the Rea Hybrid did so poorly raccoons love this stuff and took about 75% of the ears at roasting ear stage.

Economics? I think you can do the math. Put in $4 per bushel and maybe $10 for the open pollinated varieties if sold as certified organic.

See the rest here:
Are modern genetics worth the money? Ohio Ag Net - Ohio's Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net

A two-time cancer survivor learns more about pancreatic cysts and discusses the value and cautions of genetic testing.

Barbara Tako is a breast cancer survivor (2010), melanoma survivor (2014) and author of Cancer Survivorship Coping ToolsWe'll Get You Through This. She is a cancer coping advocate, speaker and published writer for television, radio and other venues across the country. She lives, survives, and thrives in Minnesota with her husband, children and dog. See more at http://www.cancersurvivorshipcopingtools.com,or http://www.clutterclearingchoices.com.

Intraductal Papillary Mucosal Neoplasms in my pancreas are the latest "lovely" thing that cancer has brought into my life. Well, it is not my first time around - I have already had breast cancer and melanoma. My particular IPMNs may not be or ever become cancer, and yet they subject me to play the "wait and watch game" with one more cancer-type thing.

If you are a cancer survivor, you know how that gameworks - try to move forward with life while not pre-worrying too much. How were my IPMNs found? I had a screening MRI because of my PALB2 genetic cancer mutation. Sometimes IPMNs are found by accident when having an MRI for an unrelated reason. Gotta love technology!

The way one doctor worded it, I was fortunate to have the PALB2 genetic mutation that prompted the MRI that caught these three IPMNs so early and will result in continued monitoring. Cancer survivors all learn that cancers caught early often have better outcomes than cancers that have already grown and spread. Pancreatic cancer has a poor survival ratebecause it is often caught too late. There is a moral to that story that I want to shout from the rooftops: Please, please see a geneticist and have genetic testing done!

Still, there is a potential dark side to genetic testing. It sounds like if a person has a genetic finding and wants to have children, they may be able to screen out embryos that get the mutation before implanting them. Hm. Hey wait a minute:I would have been one of those screened-out embryos if the technology had existed back in that day and my parents had chosen that route. So, yes, genetic testing is a choice,but meeting with a genetic counselor before the testing is decided upon is also very important.

There are many questions to consider before even getting testing done. To test or not to test? How much do you want to know? What happens once that knowledge is out there?A person can't be discriminated against for health care due to genetic test results, but life or disability insurancecoverage, among others, may be a different story. Also, if you choose genetic testing, how often do you go back and get re-tested? Exciting advances are happening rapidly in this field. When I first got tested nine years ago, they only tested a couple of breast cancer genetic mutations. My latest genetic test looked for nineteen mutations - and found my PALB2!

Of course in my case, I GoogledIPMNs and learned lots of frightening stuff before I met with the pancreas specialist. For IPMNs, location and size matter, and I am fortunate that mine are very small and not in worrisome locations. They are also too small for fine needle aspiration or surgery. I will have another MRI in about a year to watch for changes. This means that if they do start to appear cancerous, I may have surgical options to consider which might, in my case, provide a better prognosis than usual for pancreatic cancer.

Genetic testing leaves me optimistic, grateful, and yes, cautious. Please be careful out there, make thoughtful choices, and be sure your sources of information are reliable.

Link:
Things to Consider in Genetic Testing - Curetoday.com

Theres a new frontier in medicine that seeks to cure not just treat symptoms by regenerating healthy tissue destroyed by disease.

In the firing line are currently incurable diseases that impose enormous suffering, debilitation and costs. This includes the muscle wasting inflicted by muscular dystrophy, for example, or the loss of brain neural cells in the case of Parkinsons disease.

Its the latter that the startup Convalesce Inc is primarily targeting, based on the development of a self-assembling and self-repairing material called AmGel. It contains nanofibres capable of nurturing stem cells to replace damaged nerves a function that can make or break the use of stem cells therapeutically.

To get all the interacting factors right meant drawing on nanotechnology, bioengineering, cell biology, developmental biology and material science super-advanced stuff.

AmGels development and commercialisation, however, owes a great deal to a new model for producing the next generation of innovators in this case, Convalesces co-founder, Dr Subhadeep Das.

He graduated with a PhD in 2017 from an academy specifically established to use advanced multidisciplinary research techniques to address critical global challenges, including in energy, infrastructure and manufacturing. Called the IITB-Monash Research Academy, its a joint venture between the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) and Monash University.

Speaking from the prestigious IndieBio accelerator program in San Francisco, Das explains that stem cell technology perfectly fits the academys mission. These are cells that are potentially game-changing for medicine, yet their use is held back by the cells complex relationship to its molecular, cellular and extra-cellular environment.

You cant just inject stem cells into inflamed and damaged tissue. They dont survive in that micro environment, Das says. The solution requires drawing on multiple disciplines like having smaller pieces for a jigsaw puzzle.

For Parkinsons disease, that involves understanding the biophysicality of the brain and the dimensions and topography of its subcellular structures. This has led to the designing of nanofibres that form a scaffold for stem cells to attach and grow into. This matrix also cues stem cell growth and development into functioning nerve cells.

To get all the interacting factors right meant drawing on nanotechnology, bioengineering, cell biology, developmental biology and material science super-advanced stuff, Das says.

The science, however, is just the first step towards a cure. Convalesce constitutes the second phase meeting the testing, regulatory and commercialisation hurdles needed to get a viable therapy to patients.

Das admits the learning curve has been steep in the segue from research to commercialisation. Working alone, he might not have succeeded.

Instead, he took advantage of ongoing support provided by the IITB-Monash Research Academy, including the provision of exclusive rights to the intellectual property for AmGel, and mentoring from across both universities, especially from the academys CEO, Professor Murali Sastry.

He discovered that while starting a company is tough, there are people who are willing to help if you reach out. Its making the connections in the first place that matters.

On that score, the Monash alumni office do a great job. They provided us with introductions to alumni that included highly successful entrepreneurs and heads of venture firms. These are people who are willing to help because of the connection with Monash University.

Continue reading here:
Repairing the brain through stem cell therapy - Monash Lens

MIAMI, Oct. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The AASCP has recently created guidelines thatare current safety recommendations given to physicians who are using biologics in their medical practice. A highly anticipated and sought after Safety StandardsPanel session, hosted by AASCP on Nov. 2, 2019, will be moderated by The Alliance for Cell Therapy Now,with President Ms. Janet Marchbrody.The sessions normally are closed to the public but this particular SafetyStandard Panel discussion will be open to the public, covering the growing safety concerns of the industry.

Alliance for Cell Therapy Now is a coalition of organizations representing patients, health care providers and the academic and scientific community, who are working together to advance safe and effective regenerative cell therapies. The mission is to advance the development, manufacturing and delivery of safe and effective regenerative cell therapies through policy development, consensus and advocacy. Alliance for Cell Therapy Now is bringing together experts and stakeholders to gain consensus on and advocate for policies that will advance the science and the field, including those focused on promoting clinical research, assuring the adoption of consensus standards to promote safety and quality, building capacity and expertise within the workforce, and establishing a national outcomes database to advance the science, promote improvements in quality and safety, and inform regulatory, paymentand patient decision-making.

Alliance for Cell Therapy Now is guided by an Advisory Board comprised of leaders in the scientific, academicand patient communities; Ms.Janet M. MarchibrodaPresident, Alliance for Cell Therapy Now Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Vice President, Health Policy, Bockorny Group, has agreed to join theAASCP as a moderator for their SafetyPanelat The Hyatt Regency in Miami. This particular coveted safetypanel session will be open to the public and broadcast live on YouTube at 3:00 p.m. on Nov. 2, 2019.

According to AASCP, if you are using biologics in your practice, whether you are using SVF, PRP, bone marrow, UCB, amniotic products,exosomes,xenografts, or peptides, there are key considerations to take into account to achieve the best safety for your patients. The AASCP also recommends communication with the Chief Scientific Officer from the laboratory you work with.AASCP advises that just talking to a sales agent is not sufficient enough when determining the quality of products for your patients. Sales agents typically do not have a medical or scientific background.

The spokesman for the AASCP, Dr. AJFarshchian,said earlier: "The American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians is a group of physicians, scientists and researchers who collectively represent the most authoritativenon-federal group advocating for guidelines and education on stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine. AASCP members are experts within all fields of stem cell therapy from: SVF, BM, UCB, Exosomes, Peptides, Xenografts, Allografts and Amniotic Fluids and are considered the most experienced leaders for proper advocacy in the field. The AASCP is involved directly with other authorities within the field and seeks only to bring knowledge and awareness for the ever growing regenerative medicine industry.My hope is that the SafetyPanel discussion on Nov.2, 2019, is to help get rid of the bad actors that are damaging the field for everyone."

AASCP is hosting their medical conference in Miami on Nov. 1-3 , 2019. Sessions are normally closed to the public and, therefore, require registration. The conference is taking place at the downtown MiamiHyatt Regency, located at 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131.Becauseof limited seating, we encourage everyone to please RSVP ataascp.net andto register.

The American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians (AASCP) is an organization created to advance research and the development of therapeutics in regenerative medicine, including diagnosis, treatmentand prevention of disease related to or occurring within the human body. Secondarily, the AASCP aims to serve as an educational resource for physicians, scientistsand the public in diseases that can be caused by physiological dysfunction that areameliorableto medical treatment.

For further information, please contact Marie Barbaat AASCP 305-891-4686 and you can also visit us at http://www.aascp.net.

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dr-farshchian-teaching-at-aaoscp.jpeg Dr. Farshchian teaching at AAOSCP workshop Dr. Alimorad Farshchian speaking at AASCP

Related Links

AASCP Safety guidelines

AASCP website / registration

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SOURCE The American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians

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American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians Announced Today That Their Safety Panel Session is Open and Free to the Public - P&T Community

Winter is a lot of things: cold, icy and dark, just to name a few. Its not typically the time of year for Northeastern Minnesotans to try to initiate lifestyle changes that can lead to improved health. Most people would prefer to layer up and hunker in for the cold months ahead.

However, the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce is looking to change that with their inaugural Health and Wellness Fair. The free event is slated to run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hibbing Memorial Building on Saturday, Oct. 26. The idea is to help area residents take charge of all aspects of their health before the winter doldrums can strike.

Local business owner, Paula VanBaalen is the chair of the Hibbing Health and Wellness committee and serves as a board member for the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce. She also owns Ohana Therapeutic Massage in downtown Hibbing.

VanBaalen said that an event like this has been on her mind for quite some time and that she found support for the idea with the Chambers Board of Directors. We field questions all the time about other health and wellness resources around, VanBaalen said. Many people dont seem to know the options available to them on the Range.

Billed as a bi-annual event, organizers are planning to host another similar event in the spring and are happy with the communitys response so far. Eighteen area health and wellness businesses are scheduled to participate. Event goers will find everything from traditional care providers, such as Essentia Health, St. Lukes and Choice Therapy, as well as coaches, trainers and mediation services. There will also be products to support healthy lifestyles, and more.

Plus there will be surprises. Well be giving out about 20-plus door prizes throughout the day, VanBaalen said.

Breakout sessions throughout the day will focus on a variety of wellness issues, ranging from movement to mental health. Its an opportunity for the community to learn more about options for all aspects of your health and wellness, said Hibbing Area of Commerce Sales and Event Coordinator Maegan Hoshal.

VanBaalen agreed, saying, Our goal is to have an event thats educational and engaging. There will be interactive demos and lots of information about all aspects of health and wellness physical, mental, community, environmental, etc.

One issue VanBaalen is passionate about is getting ahead of Seasonal Affective Disorder. She noted that its a common condition thats exacerbated by the decrease in Vitamin D and increase in holiday stress, which can lead to decreased activity, weight gain and various types of pain. Many people seem to fall into more unhealthy habits during the fall and winter months, VanBaalen said. If we can help expose them to different resources, we can give them a better opportunity for healthier, happier life.

Hibbing Health & Wellness Fair

Breakout Sessions

9:30 a.m. Healthy aging

10 a.m. Four steps to better posture

10:30 a.m. Mediation: an alternative way to cope with conflict

11 a.m. Movement, fuel, recovery: Roadblocks and simple ways to get started

11:30 a.m. Pilates is for every body

Noon Postpartum fitness: How to jump back into fitness

12:30 p.m. Detoxing: what it can do for you

1 p.m. Stem Cell Therapy-fact or fiction

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Gettin' fit this fall | Free Press - Hibbing Daily Tribune

A family members visual fitness to drive can become an elephant in the room within individual households. On a national level, the issue has traditionally fallen within a political blind spot.

But a sign that this may be set to change came with the Road Safety Statement 2019, which saw the launch of a government research programme and literature review to assess the impact of vision on road safety.

The reality is that a lot of drivers do not consider their vision or are poor judges of the quality of their vision

At present, the only visual check for drivers in the UK is an individuals ability to read a licence plate from a distance of 20m.

Dr Julie-Anne Little

The AOP has campaigned for drivers to undergo regular vision checks as part of licensing requirements.

Its Dont swerve at sight test campaign received 159 broadcast hits and reached 111 million listeners in 2017.

AOP Councillor, Dr Julie-Anne Little, told OT that it is heartening that the Government has listened to conversations occurring within the profession.

Optometrists know how important good vision is for driving, she shared.

We see people who we may have concerns about in practice and know that tragic situations do occur. Anything that we can do to prevent needless accidents is important, Dr Little highlighted.

The latest figures from the Department of Transport reveal that there were three fatal accidents in 2018 where uncorrected, defective eyesight was recorded as a contributory factor.

Anything that we can do to prevent needless accidents is important

The reality is that a lot of drivers do not consider their vision or are poor judges of the quality of their vision. If vision gradually declines over a number of years then it is a very difficult call for any individual to make, Dr Little said.

The inadequacies of the UK system were brought home to Dr Little when she led work by the European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) comparing vision standards for driving across different European nations.

It really made me realise how the UK is out of step. Hanging on to the number plate test is unusual when compared to other countries, Dr Little said.

She highlighted that the Governments commitment to undertaking further research in vision and driving is also valuable.

At the moment visual acuity is the core standard when it comes to vision and driving, but Dr Little shared that there are other factors at play.

We recognise that visual acuity is a fairly blunt tool when it comes to trying to measure how someones vision is for driving, Dr Little observed.

If we can modernise the test, and if any research can shed light on what the most critical components for driving are, that would be so valuable, she added.

Twilight vision, visual fields and colour vision are among different aspects of sight that are assessed in other European nations.

The enhanced focus on vision and driving is also welcome in the context of an ageing population, where conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration will become more common.

We are going to have more and more people with those conditions in the next 20 years and these ocular conditions will affect visual performance, Dr Little said.

Dr Little believes that optometrists can play a key role in assessing vision for driving.

We are easily accessible on the High Street and we can see people on any day of the week. We have the appropriate skills, training and equipment to effectively measure and correct visual acuity and also to measure visual fields and other aspects of vision, she shared.

She emphasised the importance of conveying a positive message to patients so that they see their optometrist as someone who is helping them to meet the standard for driving.

We have to get past that barrier of people being worried that If I go to the optometrist, I will be found out. It is about encouraging people to come in to a practice. In the vast majority of cases, we are able to correct vision so that patients can drive safely, she said.

ECOO president Dr Cindy Tromans highlighted that the issue of vision and driving is one that is important for optical professionals across Europe.

ECOO represents optometrist and optician associations in 24 countries across Europe.

We listen to our members and over the years many members have flagged that driving and vision is a really important topic in their country, she shared.

When vision isnt at a good standard, not only is the driver putting themselves at risk of harm but they are also putting other people at risk, she said.

ECOO is calling for clarity on the visual standards for driving as well as the way that those standards are measured.

Dr Cindy Tromans

Reading a number plate if it is dark, raining or a dirty plate is not an accurate assessment of visual acuity, she emphasised.

Many countries, including the UK, have failed to fully implement a directive that aimed to improve consistency in the vision standards for driving across Europe.

Dr Tromans puts forward Ireland and Switzerland as examples of countries that have implemented adequate standards.

They do very thorough and comprehensive eye tests before issuing statements that the patient is fit to drive, she said.

At the moment the directive states that only a competent medical authority should assess vision for driving, which has been interpreted narrowly to exclude optometrists in some countries.

The way vision is assessed really needs to be strengthened by using a standardised method

Optometrists are one of the few professions that actually measure vision and provide corrective appliances to enhance vision. We are ideally placed to ensure that patients have the correct standard of vision for driving, Dr Tromans said.

Like Dr Little, Dr Tromans welcomes the UK Governments consideration of a vision check as part of licence renewal for those aged 70 and above.

At the moment it is just a self-declaration on your health and vision but you dont need to have an eye test. That would absolutely be a start and a step in the right direction, she emphasised.

Image credit: Helen Musselwhite

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Eyes on the road - AOP

News Release

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

NIH-funded study finds therapy for convergence insufficiency is no better at improving reading than placebo.

Results from a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) show that while vision therapy can successfully treat convergence insufficiency (CI) in children, it fails to improve their reading test scores. Investigators from the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Attention and Reading Trial (CITT-ART) published the results online today in Optometry and Vision Science. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

CI is a common childhood vision disorder in which the eyes are unable to work together when looking at nearby objects, and the condition can make tasks like reading difficult. Eye care providers who treat CI have assumed that successful vergence/accommodative therapy, often called vision therapy, would lead to better reading fluency and comprehension.

While in-office vision therapy can improve visual function for children with CI, this trial indicates that clinicians should not suggest that it will lead to increased reading performance, said lead study author Mitchell Scheiman, O.D., Ph.D., Salus University, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

When reading or performing other close work, the eyes must turn inward to converge. For children with CI, the eyes have difficulty converging accurately, which can lead to blur or double vision, causing symptoms like discomfort and difficulty maintaining concentration when reading. Results from the earlier Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT), published in Ophthalmology in 2008, showed office-based vision therapy to be the most effective treatment for improving convergence and ameliorating symptoms, and that treatment effects were long-lasting. This new clinical trial, CITT-ART, was designed to determine whether treating symptomatic CI would improve reading skills.

The study enrolled 310 children with symptomatic CI, ages 9 to 14 years, and randomly assigned them to two groups. About two-thirds (206) received in-office vision therapy for 16 weeks, and the remainder (104) received in-office placebo therapy for 16 weeks. The in-office vision therapy was designed to improve accommodation (focusing) and vergence (eye teaming, meaning the ability of the eyes to work together), while the placebo therapy procedures were designed to have no effect on CI.

The childrens reading performance and clinical signs of CI were measured when the study began and again after completing 16 weeks of therapy. Reading comprehension was assessed using the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test- Version 3 (WIAT-III). Additional assessments included word reading and pseudoword decoding (sounding out fake words), as well as oral and silent reading fluency. Clinical signs included measures of how well the eyes work together to converge on near objects. Symptoms were measured using the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey.

While all children showed improved reading comprehension on the WIAT after 16 weeks, there was statistically no difference between average reading improvement for the CI treatment group (3.68 points) and placebo group (3.80 points). Nor was in-office vision therapy better than the placebo therapy on other standardized reading tests. Meanwhile, 75-80% of children in the vision therapy group had shown significant improvement and fell into the normal range for clinical signs, compared with approximately 30% in the placebo group. These results are similar to the original CITT study. However, the latest findings show no significant difference in symptoms, with 62% of children in the vision therapy group versus 58% of children in the placebo therapy group reporting significant symptom improvement. These findings suggest that clinical measures, rather than self-reported symptoms, are critical for assessing CI severity and improvement in children.

The study was supported by National Eye Institute grant U10-EY022599. More information about the clinical trial (NCT 02207517) can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02207517.

For more information about convergence insufficiency, visit: https://nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/convergence-insufficiency.

NEI leads the federal governments research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and address special needs of people with vision loss. For more information, visit https://www.nei.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Scheiman M, Cotter S, Kulp M, Mitchell L, Jones-Jordan L, Gallaway M, Borsting E, Hertle R, Chase C, Schulman E, Tamkins S, Hopkins K, Coulter S, Lorenzana I, Arnold E, Sinnott L, and Denton C. A Randomized Clinical Trial of Treatment for Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Children (CITT-ART). Oct 22, 2019. Optometry and Vision Science.

Scheiman M, Cotter S, Kulp M, Mitchell L, Jones-Jordan L, Gallaway M, Borsting E, Hertle R, Chase C, Schulman E, Tamkins S, Hopkins K, Coulter S, Lorenzana I, Roberts T, Arnold E, Sinnott L, and Denton C. Treatment of Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Children enrolled in the CITT-ART Randomized Clinical Trial. Oct 22, 2019. Optometry and Vision Science.

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Continue reading here:
Treatment for common vision disorder does not improve children's reading skills - National Institutes of Health

When benign or malignant tumours grow, they can cause the pressure inside the skull to increase. This can cause brain damage and it can be life-threatening. Symptoms of brain tumours depend on the location and size of the tumour. Some tumours cause direct damage by invading brain tissue and some tumours cause pressure on the surrounding brain. Headaches are a common symptom of a brain tumour, as well as vomiting, blurred vision, confusion, seizures, weakness of a limb or part of the face and a change in mental function. But other symptoms of the condition may be detected in a person's eyes.

Evidence suggests that eye health isnt something one pays close enough attention to as a quarter say they dont have a check every two years.

However, having the eyes tested does not just check for changes in vision but can help prevent sight loss through early detection of conditions and even spot other health concerns such as brain tumours or problems with circulation, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Brain tumour symptoms can include changes to vision, such as blurred or double vision, abnormal eye movements, restricted field of view or other symptoms.

Dr Nigel Best, Specsavers clinical spokesperson said: Many people dont realise that a sight test can check for more than just your vision and that it can pick up other health concerns, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and brain tumours.

In fact, only 61 per cent of people are aware that an optician can detect some types of brain tumours.

That is why ensuring you have regular eye checks - at least once every two years or more often if recommended by your optician - is so important.

The changes in vision from a brain tumour can be due to the optic disc at the back of the eye becoming swollen as a result of increased pressure in the skull.

The optic disc is the point on the retina where the optic nerve enters the eye from the brain.

The brain tumour charity said: As the tumour grows, or there is a build-up of fluid in the brain, it can squeeze normal healthy brain tissue including the main cranial nerves within the brain.

The eyes can reveal a lot about a persons health so its really important to have regular eye tests at least once every two years.

If you suspect you may have any of these symptoms its important to speak to either your optometrist or your GP.

Originally posted here:
Brain tumour symptoms: The signs in the eyes that could signal the deadly condition - Express

By TOM CASKA

The beauty of the fall here in the Upper Delaware Valley is undeniable, and we will have only a short time left to absorb the pallet of colors that surrounds us. As a student of art, I was always impressed by the paintings of Claude Monet. One of my favorites reminds me of the fall: Garden Path at Giverny, painted in 1902. Monet used his impressionist style to create a scene much reminiscent of how the sunlight spills through the trees of our hills. Early mornings are my favorite when the steam is coming off the lakes, as the rising sun lights up the trees and landscape across the still water. Many a morning the water is still, reflecting like a mirror the hues of the leaves on the trees. The reflection is a mere impression of reds, orange, yellow and green, only a mild wind will disrupt the image on the water. If you can squint your eyes you can see what Monet might have seen.

Recovering from a recent injury had me going to Catskill Regional Hospital for treatment in their hyperbaric chamber. The staff there is fantastic and made the experience much easier. The chamber is what divers use to help to recover from the bends. During treatment you are breathing 100% oxygen under pressure, your vitals are taken before and after treatment, which normally lasts about two hours on a daily basis. The beds are comfortable, and during the treatment you can nap, watch TV, or select a favorite movie DVD to watch. I enjoyed watching the traffic flow out the window, wondering where all those cars were going on Route 17. Time passes quickly; the change of seasons became evident as the weeks rolled on.

There are not many side effects to this treatment; as the pressure is raised and lowered in the chamber, you will get the same feeling of pressure on your ears much like taking off or landing on an airplane. I experienced something that is not the same for everyone. My eyesight did a switch, normally I need glasses to read but have no problem with distance. Over time, I could read with no problem but my distance sight changed so everything was slightly out of focus, it was like looking with the soft lens of a camera. The fall colors were amazing, and although my sight has returned to normal, many a morning I would stop driving long enough to enjoy the view, especially the fall colors in their entire splendor.

In 1902, Claude Monet was 62; his eyes were showing the first signs of cataracts, which affected his interpretation of color. His paintings at this time would have had a more reddish tone, which is a condition of the vision of cataract victims. Monet eventually had surgery, after which he was able to see certain ultraviolet light that can be seen in his work thereafter. He also went back and repainted some of his older paintings with more of a bluer hue than before.

I can never claim that I will know what Monet really saw through his eyes, but his paintings are there for all of us to enjoy. What I can say is that for a brief time this year I was looking through the lens of an impressionist. In the meantime, if I want to see through the eyes of Monet all I need to do is just squint my eyes and enjoy the view.

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Through the eyes of Monet - The River Reporter