Women's Health | 5 Unexpected Things That Can Make You Go Blind Women's Health You might be surprised to learn that blindness has a gender bias. Most people aren't aware that two-thirds of people who are blind are women, says Assumpta Madu, M.D., an ophthalmologist at NYU Langone. There's a much larger preponderance to ... |
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5 Unexpected Things That Can Make You Go Blind - Women's Health
The FDA designates Orphan Drug-tagged ProQR Therapeutics' (NASDAQ:PRQR) QR-110 for Fast Track review for the treatment of Leber's Congenital Amaurosis Type 10 (LCA 10), a genetic disorder characterized by the progressive loss of vision in the first few years of life. It is caused by a mutation that results in abnormal splicing of messenger RNA (mRNA) which results in the non-functioning of a key protein called CEP920.
QR-110, an RNA-based oligonucleotide, is designed to restore the normal splicing of messenger RNA to enable fully functioning CEP920 to be produced. It is administered via intravitreal injections in the eye.
Fast Track status provides for more frequent interactions with the FDA review team and a rolling review of the New Drug Application (NDA).
Top-line results from an early-stage, open-label study, PQ-110-001, should be available next year.
Shares are up3%premarket but only on 70 shares.
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ProQR's QR-110 Fast Track'd for rare pediatric blindness; shares ahead 3% premarket - Seeking Alpha
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The exact nature of the link between sea temperature and blindness in salmon has been established by scientists at Norways National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES).
Farmed salmon often lose their sight in summer, when rising temperatures cause cataracts that make their eyes opaque, which is a serious welfare problem.
These are permanent damages to the lens. The worst case scenario is that the vision is so impaired that the fish cannot see the feed, stop eating and stop growing, said Sofie Rem, scientist at NIFES.
Since salmon is cold-blooded, the body temperature is the same as the temperature of the water. The optimal temperature for Atlantic salmon is about 13 degrees. If it gets warmer than that, the salmon will not perform as well and be at greater risk of developing cataracts, she added. In nature, wild salmon can move to deeper and colder waters when temperatures rise, but that is not a possibility in sea cages. The past summers have seen periods of high seawater temperatures in Norway, and Rem says that many fish farmers contact NIFES with questions about cataracts during such periods.
Summer is the cataracts season. Since we are facing climate changes, the ocean temperatures will become even warmer, which makes it important to have knowledge about what happens to fish when the temperature rises so that we can safeguard their health and welfare, she explained.
Oxidative and osmotic stress
The NIFES study demonstrates that several changes take place in the lens when water temperatures rise. - not least that the lens runs out of antioxidants. The antioxidants protect the lens from damage, and when there is not enough of them, the proteins are destroyed and white spots form in the lens. This is called oxidative stress.
The lens is a small sphere of transparent protein. It is a little like egg white, which also consists of transparent protein. When the egg is cooked, the proteins are destroyed and turn white. Something similar happens in the eye of a salmon when the proteins are destroyed, and they are no longer transparent, said Rem.
At the same time, the lens changes in a way that resembles the changes seen in people who develop cataracts due to diabetes. The blood sugar levels of salmon living in the warmest water increased, and this had consequences for the lens.
When the blood sugar level rises, there is an overload of sugar in the lens, and we see an accumulation of sugar alcohol, Rem reflected. This causes problems with the water balance in the lens.
The lens must contain the correct amount of water in order to remain transparent. If it swells up or dries out, this could damage the cells and result in cataract formation. Scientists call this osmotic stress.
The scientists noticed that the lenses of salmon living in the warmest water had a lower ability to regulate this balance because they had less osmolytes, whose function is to transport water out of the cells.
Increasing prevalence
Cataracts have only been a major problem in aquaculture the past 20 years. Before that, animal by-products such as blood meal were used in fish feed, but this practice was discontinued in the 1990s due to the perceived risk of transferring BSE. Without the blood meal, and with less fishmeal in the feed, farmed salmon lost an important source of histidine.
Histidine is an essential amino acid, which makes it an important building block in proteins. In addition, this amino acid can function as an antioxidant and osmolyte. This means that histidine can both protect the cells from oxidative stress and help maintain the water balance in the lens, which is why histidine can protect against cataract development.
The salmon has to get all the histidine it needs to cover the nutritional requirement through the feed. However, not all of the raw materials used in feed production contain enough histidine, and therefore it is common practice to add synthetic histidine to the feed. The scientists at NIFES have previously found that Atlantic salmon need almost twice as much histidine to minimize cataracts, as it needs to sustain growth. This is particularly important right after the smolt are transferred to sea cages and when the temperature rises. However, this is not always enough to eliminate cataracts.
We have identified the underlying causes of why salmon are more susceptible to cataracts during the summer. This will form the basis for further work to increase robustness of the fish when facing environmental changes, Rem concluded.
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Secrets of summer blindness in salmon revealed - TheFishSite.com
Prana Biotechnology Limited (PRAN) Earns News Impact Rating of 0.17 The Cerbat Gem Prana Biotechnology Limited logo Media headlines about Prana Biotechnology Limited (NASDAQ:PRAN) have trended somewhat positive this week, Alpha One reports. The research firm, a service of Accern, ranks the sentiment of press coverage by ... A Keen Look at Prana Biotechnology Limited (NASDAQ:PRAN) Shares |
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Prana Biotechnology Limited (PRAN) Earns News Impact Rating of 0.17 - The Cerbat Gem
Soccer standout Benny Waida isnt allowing juvenile arthritis kick him around.
In fact, the 14-year-old athlete from Mentor who previously traveled around the country playing his favorite sport is facing the challenge head on.
He recently was chosen as the youth honoree at the Arthritis Foundations 2017 Walk to Cure Arthritis at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and thus far Benny, along with his teammates Waidas Wolf Warriors, have raised approximately $14,000 for the cause.
While at the May 13 event he bravely coped with the pain and swelling affecting his joints and managed to walk about a mile before needing to finish the remainder of the 5K distance in a wheelchair.
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Wheelchairs were the last thing on the active boys mind a few years ago prior to his diagnosis of enthesitis , a form of arthritis affecting the points connecting tendons and ligaments to bones.
At a young age his soccer skills had led him to several tournaments and championships. Shannon Waida, Bennys mother, had even heard buzz about potential scholarships.
But one day in the spring of 2014 after playing three full games his right heel began to hurt causing his leg to drag. At first the pain was chalked up to overuse. When it wouldnt stop Shannon took him to several doctors who diagnosed it as Severs disease, a common heel injury occurring in children. After treatment proved ineffective, additional testing revealed severe arthritis.
Over the next months the pain became progressively worse, spreading to the left foot as well as his ankles, knees and legs. Swelling prevented him from wearing shoes and use of a wheelchair became a common occurrence.
Shannon noted that staff members at Mentor Shore Middle School where Benny attends have been remarkable in their efforts to educate students about the disease and the challenges Benny faces.
In a matter of 15 minutes I can go from walking around to needing a wheelchair and thats what people dont understand, Benny said.
Others becoming aware of the diseases effects has helped him.
However, arthritis isnt the only illness with which Benny must cope. In 2015 he was diagnosed with Crohns, an inflammatory bowel disease. And recently an esophageal condition causing severe vomiting has surfaced.
Regardless of the trials the teen now faces, including a vast void that not playing soccer has created, he manages to keep an upbeat attitude and continues to raise awareness of arthritis.
Last year he attended a Juvenile Arthritis Conference where he mentored younger children learning how to deal with the disease. He has also created videos on YouTube, some of which have been used to spread awareness by the Arthritis Foundation.
Everything happens for a reason, Benny said. The fact that Im meeting new people, going to Juvenile Arthritis conferences, those kinds of experiences Im having a lot ofI think its going to be a good thing for as much as its bad. If I get through this Ill look back at it and Ill still be fundraising for arthritis.
Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the U.S., affecting more than 50 million people. The Arthritis Foundation is committed to finding a cure for the millions of people who suffer from arthritis pain, including 300,000 children and their families.
For more information, visit http://www.arthritis.org.
1 in 3 Adults in Rural Areas Have Arthritis SurfKY News (registration) (blog) arthritis pain FRANKFORT, Ky. (5/31/17) As part of its 52 Weeks of Public Health campaign, the Kentucky Department of Public Health within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services is emphasizing the negative impact of arthritis on people that live ... CDC: Prevalence of Arthritis 31.8% in Most Rural Areas of US 11 foods that help your joints |
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1 in 3 Adults in Rural Areas Have Arthritis - SurfKY News (registration) (blog)
STOCKBRIDGE Success is sweet just ask the physicians and staff at OrthoAtlanta in Stockbridge who recently broke their own company fundraising record with contributions to the annual Arthritis Foundation of Georgia Walk to Cure Arthritis. Their efforts raised awareness and funds for arthritis, the No. 1 cause of disability in the United States. Add in a few pies, and success was even sweeter.
The annual Atlanta Walk to Cure Arthritis is a top charitable event for OrthoAtlanta, the second largest orthopedic and sports medicine practice in Atlanta. With 13 offices across the metropolitan area, including Stockbridge, Newnan, Fayetteville, and new Peachtree City, each OrthoAtlanta office raises funds at the local level, combined into a group donation to the Arthritis Foundation of Georgia.
In spirited competition extending into the community including Clayton State University Athletics, the OrthoAtlanta Stockbridge office donated nearly $6,000 to the 2017 Atlanta Walk to Cure Arthritis, achieving bragging rights as the second-highest fundraiser for the entire Atlanta metropolitan area. Company-wide, the combined OrthoAtlanta donation of nearly $15,700 more than doubled its 2016 contribution and secured OrthoAtlanta recognition as the third-highest group donation and top company donation for the 2017 Walk, the signature event of the Arthritis Foundation.
The most popular fundraising effort initiated by the Stockbridge team, an infamous Pie in the Face promotion, clearly caught the attention of the community. Participants included Todd A. Schmidt, MD, known in the Stockbridge area for his sports medicine, joint preservation and reconstruction skills, and Timothy Ghattas, MD, orthopedic surgeon at OrthoAtlanta Stockbridge. Ghattas also serves as the team physician for Clayton State University Athletics, prompting four members of Clayton State Athletics, including Director of Athletics Tim Duncan, and the university president, Dr. Thomas Tim Hynes Jr., to also take part in the pie-in-the-face fundraiser
Asked about facing a pie in the face, Schmidt explained it simply. OrthoAtlanta physicians and staff treat thousands of patients each year who are suffering from some form of painful arthritis. Treatments range from non-surgical to surgical, including joint repair and joint replacement, known as arthroplasty. We are pleased that this years pie event brought awareness of this dreaded disease and to the excellent work done by the Arthritis Foundation as they seek to conquer arthritis with research, training, advocacy and more.
The 2017 Atlanta Walk to Cure Arthritis raised $300,000 from teams across the metropolitan area.
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Pie-in-the-Face promotion raises funds for Arthritis Foundation - News-Daily.com
"At StemGenex, we are committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells," said Alexander. "Specifically, we use adipose-derived adult stem cell therapy for patients battling conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, COPD, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis. We are also committed to the science of stem cell therapy and sponsor five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institute of Health (NIH) for these diseases."
"What I personally witnessed before the start of StemGenex were patients who had exhausted conventional medical treatments but wanted to try alternative therapies. I was one of them, suffering from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Ihad only three options; I could seek a clinical trial, travel to outside of the U.S. to try alternative therapies such as stem cell treatment or petition the FDA for access to drugs under the agency's "expanded access," or "compassionate use" program. Now, new state laws, built on model legislation from the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, will potentially allow doctors and patients to make their own informed decisions on treatments that have cleared the safety phase of FDA testing."
Last year, in a move that was seen by some as a response to Right to Try laws, the 21st Century Cures Act, a landmark piece of legislation focused on medical innovation and medical research, was signed into law by President Obama. This Act provides the FDA with the flexibility to accelerate how it evaluates regenerative medicine treatments, such as stem cell therapies, while maintaining its high standards of safety and efficacy.
"We're on the cusp of a major change on how patients can access stem cell therapy," saidAlexander. "Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by a wide range of autoimmune and degenerative illnesses," she said. "StemGenex Medical Group is proud to offer the highest quality of care and to potentially help those with unmet clinical needs improve their quality of life."
ABOUT StemGenex Medical Group StemGenex Medical Group is committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells. StemGenex provides stem cell therapy options for individuals suffering with inflammatory and degenerative illnesses. Committed to the science and innovation of stem cell treatment,StemGenex sponsors five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institutes of Health ("NIH") for Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ("COPD") and Osteoarthritis. These have been established to formally document and evaluate the quality of life changes in individuals following adipose-derived stem cell treatment.
Contact: Jamie Schubert, Director of Media & Community Relations jschubert@StemGenex.com, (858) 242-4243
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patient-centered-stem-cell-therapy-bill-passed-by-texas-legislature-300465987.html
SOURCE StemGenex Medical Group
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Patient-Centered Stem Cell Therapy Bill Passed by Texas Legislature - PR Newswire (press release)
Until now, researchers thought that the development of the human brain's visual-processing center stopped in the first few years of life. But a new study challenges this belief, instead suggesting that vision develops until midlife. This may have a significant impact on people with amblyopia, which is an eye disorder that causes what is commonly known as a "lazy eye."
A new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that human vision might take longer to develop than previously thought.
A team of researchers led by Kathryn Murphy, a professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, set out to examine the evolution of the primary visual cortex in the human brain by analyzing the postmortem brain tissue of 30 people, ranging in age from 20 days to 80 years.
Until now, the accepted view has been that in humans, the maturation of the primary visual cortex is completed in the first few years of life.
This traditional belief was based on anatomical studies of how the synapses are formed, as well as how connections within the cortex and between the cortex and other brain regions occur.
However, Murphy and colleagues have previously discovered that there are some proteins in the primary visual cortex that continue to develop well beyond the first years of life.
Their new study confirms these preliminary findings.
In their previous research, Murphy and colleagues looked at the so-called GABAergic activity in the brain. GABA stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid, and "GABAergic" refers to the brain's ability to produce it.
GABA is a neurotransmitter whose main function is to inhibit the action of another neurotransmitter called glutamate.
Their former study looked at the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, and how it is linked to the plasticity and aging of the visual cortex. The researchers followed the maturation of this brain region and showed how these GABAergic mechanisms change across the human lifespan.
This previous research showed that the GABA-producing mechanisms continue to mature until quite late in life. However, it still was not clear whether all of the mechanisms that regulate the plasticity of the synapses behaved in the same way. GABA is inhibitory, but what about the excitatory neurotransmitters and synapses?
As Murphy and colleagues explain in their new paper, over 80 percent of synapses in the primary visual cortex are excitatory.
So, to answer this question, the scientists looked at the postmortem tissue of 30 people, of whom 12 were females and 18 were males. They examined their brain tissue using Western blotting - a technique commonly used in molecular biology to separate and identify specific proteins from the mixture of proteins that has been extracted from cells.
The researchers found that some of the glutamatergic proteins - that is, the ones that produce the excitatory glutamate - develop until late childhood, but others develop until around the age of 40.
According to the new research, the visual-processing part of the brain matures until a person reaches 36 years of age, plus or minus around 4.5 years.
This was surprising, as the consensus is that the primary visual cortex stops developing at around the age of 5 or 6 years.
Additionally, the researchers found that the primary visual cortex develops gradually across five stages, which reflect "life-long changes in human visual perception."
"There's a big gap in our understanding of how our brains function. Our idea of sensory areas developing in childhood and then being static is part of the challenge. It's not correct."
Prof. Kathryn Murphy
These findings may have significant implications for conditions such as amblyopia, which is more popularly known as "lazy eye." Currently, medical professionals only prescribe corrective therapies to children who have amblyopia. It is currently estimated that "approximately 2 to 3 out of every 100 children" are affected by amblyopia in the United States.
Treating adults is considered futile, as their visual cortex is thought not to be plastic or respond to treatment anymore. However, Murphy says that their research suggests that more brain areas are more flexible and responsive to experience-dependent plasticity than previously thought.
Learn how blind people's brains rewire to improve other senses.
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Eyesight continues to develop until your 40s, new study finds - Medical News Today
Stanford University has announced the establishment of the new Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research thanks to a generous gift pledged by Mary Spencer in honor of her late husband, Sash. The new center, at the renowned Byers Eye Institute, will support innovative vision research and interdisciplinary collaborations across the Stanford campus.
Sash and Mary Spencer (Image credit: Courtesy Mary Spencer)
The new Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research at Stanford is at the heart of an ambitious vision for advancing research and creating new diagnostics and therapeutics that will change patient care. The goal of the center is to develop new cures and treatments for the most challenging eye diseases, such as macular degeneration and glaucoma, which impact the lives of millions of people often leaving them partially or wholly without sight. The center will be at the forefront of the search for new diagnostics and therapies, both to prevent vision loss and to restore sight, while offering patients access to the latest research, technologies, clinical trials and treatments. It will build on the Byers Eye Institutes reputation for innovation and patient-centered care.
Lloyd B. Minor, the Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the School of Medicine, said, We are optimistic that with the establishment of this new center, significant advances in vision science will be translated into improved patient care, transforming the lives of millions suffering from eye disease the world over. Of Mary Spencers gift he added, This will create a remarkable legacy for Sash and Mary Spencer for generations to come. We are incredibly grateful for her trust and generosity.
According to Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD, Stanfords chair of ophthalmology and director of the new center, Many diseases of the eye still lack clear and effective methods of prevention, treatment or cure. Although much research is underway, bridging the chasm from the lab to clinical testing and ultimately to proven therapies remains the core challenge to making real progress. He added, Our goal for this new center is to bring together teams of interdisciplinary experts in genetics, imaging, stem cell and neurobiology with leaders in vision science. By harnessing the combined talents and energy available at Stanford and beyond, we can uncover novel therapies and bring them more rapidly to human trials to real patients so that others can benefit in the nearer term. The center will also work toward the development of new diagnostics and methods to help predict eye diseases before they occur, leading to preventive and more personalized care the foundation of Stanfords focus on Precision Health.
Mary Spencer, who suffers from the early effects of macular degeneration herself, believes this new center at Stanford will bring the brightest scientists together at the right place to make a lasting impact on the field of vision science. With the help of her philanthropic commitment, she hopes to witness in her lifetime the discovery of treatments for some of the worst eye diseases and also to create a legacy of excellence that honors her late husbands memory. Dr. Goldberg and the early promise shown by his work using magnetic nanoparticles to promote regenerative therapies for the eye was a major factor in Spencers decision to support the establishment of the new research center. I hope that Jeffs vision for this center will be realized and it will become a place where leading vision scientists from across the country and the world will come together and share their knowledge, she said.
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New Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for vision research established at Stanford - Stanford University News
Summers almost here, so beware the brightest of sunlight! To protect your eyesight, the most important recommendation you need to follow is to wear sunglasses that block ultraviolet radiation whenever you go outside during daylight hours, according to the National Eye Institute. This is true for everyone, no matter what age, year round.
Ultraviolet radiation is the energy radiated by the sun that arrives on Earth in wavelengths too short for us to see. Both UVA (waves that are 320 to 400 nanometers long) and UVB radiation (290 to 320 nanometers long) can be harmful to your eyes. The fix, though, is simple.
The recommendations are that eyeglasses should block UVA and UVB radiation, said Dr. Andrea Thau, president of the American Optometric Association. When shopping for sunglasses, look for a tag or label that says 100 percent protection against both UVA and UVB or 100 percent protection against UV 400.
The UV 400 designation simply means the lenses will block radiation equal to or shorter than 400 nanometers, which covers both UVA and UVB rays, Thau said.
Thau and Dr. Justin Bazan, a doctor of optometry and medical adviser to The Vision Council, a nonprofit trade organization for optical industry manufacturers and suppliers, recommend purchasing sunglasses from a reputable retailer.
These include eyecare provider offices, or brick-and-mortar and online department stores and sunglass specialty shops as they offer sunglasses that meet the necessary standards for proper UV protection, Bazan wrote in an email. He adds that shoppers should be wary when purchasing sunglasses from online auction sites, street vendors and flea markets, as sunglasses available at these locations may not meet the necessary standards for proper UV protection.
Thats all good, but does UV protection wear off over time?
It doesnt, says Dr. Jeff Pettey, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Moran Center University of Utah and a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
The UV protection is embedded, Pettey said, explaining both the technology and the process have changed over time, advancing far enough that routinely, even on the cheapest pair of glasses, the protection is built in for life.
In the testing weve done, weve never had a pair of sunglasses that didnt meet that UV protection, Pettey said.
He acknowledges that in the early 1990s, tests on childrens sunglasses showed that not all lived up to their UV protection claims, but more recently, we just have not seen that.
Still, he suggests buying from a reputable retailer just to be safe.
Theres no guarantee, because you cant say for certain where your glasses are coming from, Pettey said, adding that theres a test you yourself can perform at any local optical shop that has a UV light meter.
You can take your glasses in and have them tested, said Pettey. This is a handy test for when you doubt your sunglasses have the UV protection claimed by a retail tag or if theyre simply old and you want to make sure.
As far as a hard requirement, UV protection is it, he said. Tint doesnt matter, polarization doesnt matter, and although bigger is always better, UV protection is the essential piece.
The inessentials, though, may also play a role in eye health.
Beyond UV rays
Thau says there are two parts to sunglass protection: One is non-visible radiation, and the second has to do with visible light how much brightness they block.
When youre in the bright sun, like the beach, you do want something 75% or darker to block you from visible light, Thau said. Too much exposure to visible light does bleach your receptors, and some studies have indicated it can impair your night vision and your color vision perception.
Yet blocking visible light has a downside if your sunglasses are not up to UV snuff, suggests Dr. James H. Diaz, an environmental medicine specialist and anesthesiologist.
The darker the sunglass lenses, the more the pupils will dilate and allow more UV light to enter the eye, Diaz wrote in an email. This is true of blue light, which ranges in length from 400 to 440 nanometers.
The longer the retinas are exposed to unfiltered blue light, the greater the risk of macular degeneration, Diaz said. However, the National Eye Institute does not list protection against blue light as necessary when purchasing sunglasses. In fact, research has shown blue light exposure is good for us, as it helps regulate our circadian rhythms and so affects both mood and cognition.
Orange and yellow lenses provide the best protection from blue light, and blue and purple lenses provide the least protection, Diaz said.
Thau noted color is not crucial in protecting eye health. Most popular colors are gray, green and brown. They are the least distorting for color perception, with gray being the most neutral, she said.
People who have color vision deficiencies generally find that they see much better with brown lenses, while green seems to give more contrast, said Thau.
Whether you opt to filter out blue light or not, a good pair of UV-blocking sunglasses can protect both your short-term and long-term health.
Protect your thin skin
Skin around the eyelid is the thinnest in the body, so it is susceptible to skin cancers, Thau said. This thin skin is most likely to develop basal cell and squamous cell cancers, so the recommendation is to wear the largest pair of sunglasses possible to protect the eyelids and surrounding skin.
Meanwhile, Pettey warns that cancers of the eye itself, including squamous cell carcinomas and malignant melanomas, also can result from sun exposure.
The same damage that occurs to our skin occurs to the eye, he said: specifically eye burn, a form of short-term damage similar to a sunburn.
Thau says sun exposure can also cause photokeratitis, an inflammation of the cornea, with temporary symptoms of blurry vision, light sensitivity and a burning or gritty sensation. Too much sunlight may also lead to a thickening and/or yellowing of the conjunctiva, the membrane covering the eye. Though unsightly and annoying your eyes will feel too dry when this happens this doesnt cause blindness, says Thau.
Other conditions caused by too much unprotected time in the sun may have longer-term consequences, according to Pettey. Pterygium, for instance, is a growth of fleshy tissue that can cover part of the cornea and hurt your vision. This is sometimes called surfers eye.
Inside of the eye, as far as function, increased UV light leads to increased progression of cataracts and also likely increased progression of macular degeneration, both of which are conditions that cause loss of sight, Pettey said.
Thau says the latter is the more serious of the two complications.
Cataracts can be removed surgically, but macular degeneration is yours for life, she said. It literally causes damage to the photo receptors. Its like damaging film in a camera, and you cannot replace the film.
One other long-term danger of looking directly at the sun is solar retinopathy. Just like your mother told you, dont ever look directly at a solar eclipse, such as the one coming August 21.
If you were to look at that level of radiation, even for a few seconds, without the brightness of the light telling you to look away because it would be painful, you can actually cause burns on the retina in the back, Thau said. These burns cause permanent damage to your sight, and regular sunglasses are not enough protection for a solar eclipse.
Though the sun is the main cause of UV radiation damage, artificial sources such as tanning beds, lasers and welding machines also produce UV radiation that might damage vision.
One other consideration at least for some is their location on the globe, Diaz said.
Polarized lenses
We have more sunny days in the South, especially in Florida, and the West, especially in California, than in other areas of the US, and therefore, we see more sun-related injuries, said Diaz, who has researched this topic. Naturally, this is also true for the sunniest spots around the globe.
Another problem in the coastal South and all coastal areas is the reflected magnification of UV radiation off of surface waters, Diaz said. UV-blocking sunglasses protect against these reflections, but there is a risk of the same complications that result from direct sunlight.
Beyond the standard UV recommendations, does polarization matter?
I like to fish, and polarized lenses will reduce reflection and glare off surface waters and allow one to see at a greater depth, Diaz said.
Thau says this is not mandatory, its just an optional add-on benefit you can have.
Though most of us are concerned with eye health, the Vision Council reports that only 31% of Americans always wear sunglasses when outside.
Theyre not merely a fashion statement, insists Thau, but if that gets you to wear them, go with it. She herself owns five pairs and has been known to put them on even when sitting in a bright room.
To be safest, Thau recommends that an annual comprehensive eye examination with a credentialed doctor to learn more about eye health and which sunglasses might be most beneficial in any given circumstance.
Its also important for children to start with some protection early, because its cumulative damage over time, Thau said. My family does not walk out the door without their sunglasses on, except at night.
40.712784 -74.005941
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What you should know before buying sunglasses - New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV
RICHMOND, Va. If students cant see well, they cant learn well. So Virginia has adopted a new state law to improve student vision screenings. The law will allow schools to partner with nonprofit groups and use digital technology in testing students eyesight.
The law is the result of House Bill 1408, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe earlier this year. The legislation, sponsored by Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, will take effect July 1.
The amendments fortify our efforts to modernize the code regarding vision screening and to deploy modern technology to benefit our schoolchildren, Ware told his colleagues before the House of Delegates unanimously approved the bill in February.
Under existing law, schools must test students eyesight. Wares bill updates the law to reflect advances in screening technology and to allow nonprofit groups to perform the tests.
The bill was amended to allow, but not require, vision screening through digital photo screening by a qualified nonprofit vision health organization, Charles Pyle, director of communications for the Virginia Department of Education, said in an email. The bill was also amended to allow other screening methods by such organizations, provided that they comply with Department of Education requirements.
Under the bill, school districts are allowed to use qualified nonprofit vision health organizations, such as the Lions Club and Conexus for Healthy Vision, for mandated vision screenings.
Students vision must be tested in kindergarten, in second or third grade, and in seventh and 10th grade.
Girl having her eyesight tested by optometrist (SOURCE: Virginia Vision Therapy Center)
Conexus officials worked with Ware on revising the current law.
It really hadnt been updated for, like, 30 years, so we were kind of involved early on in just trying to modernize the code and put in some definitions, said Tim Gresham, CEO of the Richmond-based group. Just kind of bring the code up to todays standard; to include permissive language, to allow for the use of technology that is available today.
Gresham said Ware had been involved with Conexus in the past and had observed what the organization, formerly called Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic, was doing in Virginia schools.
So he was aware of the impact that we were having in public schools all across Virginia with our programs and as we modernized our vision screening process, Gresham said. It sort of stood in stark contrast with what a lot of school divisions were doing with traditional, old-school screenings.
Modern testing methods include digital photo screening, in which a camera takes images of a childs undilated eyes. It can detect who is at risk for amblyopia (lazy eye) and other problems.
Vision screenings can be critical to a students success in school.
If a child is not seeing well, they are just not going to perform well in a traditional classroom, Gresham said. A fourth of the public-school-age children in Virginia have a vision problem.
Wares bill gives schools more options to meet the states existing requirement to test students vision.
It really is giving these localities the permission to use an outside organization like ours, Gresham said. So over time, I would hope that most localities would move away from the old, traditional way of screening into a modern use of technology that is out there today.
By Taylor Mills with Capital News Service
Capital News Service is a flagship program of VCUs Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginias community newspapers and other media outlets, under the supervision of Associate Professor Jeff South.
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Law updates vision screenings in schools - wtvr.com
Kurt B. Nolte, MD
Kurt B. Nolte, MD, chief medical investigator for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI), will receive the Eye Bank Association of Americas 2017 Gift of Sight Award at its annual conference in June.
The Gift of Sight Award is presented to professionals who have demonstrated significant support of eye banking and corneal donation. Past recipients have included clergy, legislators, funeral service professionals and others.
Under Noltes leadership, OMI has shown unparalleled support for organ, eye and tissue donation, working closely with New Mexico Lions Eye Bank to ensure that donation is considered in even the most complicated situations. Approximately one-third of all cornea donations that take place in New Mexico each year are coordinated through OMI under the supervision of Nolte and his staff.
This award recognizes the generosity of New Mexico families in donating corneas from their decreased family members to improve the vision of living individuals, Nolte says, combined with the efforts of OMI staff especially, the forensic pathologists, investigators and technicians in fostering the donation process.
Nolte is the former director of the UNM Radiology-Pathology Center for Forensic Imaging and is engaged in radiologic imaging research projects sponsored by the National Institute of Justice. His academic interests include surveillance for infectious disease mortality, autopsy biosafety, the epidemiology and pathology of drug abuse, and the relationship between alcohol intoxication and suicide. He served as the National Association of Medical Examiners Executive Vice President from 2009 to 2015.
The Eye Bank Association of America, established in 1961, is the oldest transplant association in the nation. The association sets standards, provides education and engages in advocacy to support donation, transplantation and research. Its 80-plus member eye banks operate in the U.S., Canada and Asia. These eye banks made possible more than 79,000 sight-restoring corneal transplants in 2015. Compatible corneal tissue is not dependent on blood type, age, eyesight strength or eye color. To learn more, visit http://www.restoresight.org.
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UNM's Kurt Nolte receives national Gift of Sight award - HSC Newsbeat
Imcyse will run its first clinical trial testing a specific immunotherapy that could finally provide a cureto autoimmune diseases.
Imcyse, a Belgian biotech spunout from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in 2010,just announced it has received approval from Belgian and British regulatory authorities to launch a Phase Ib trial in patients with type 1 diabetes. The study is backed with funding from the EU through the EXALT program, which has a budget of 6M over 5 years to promote the development of a cure for type 1 diabetes.
The trial, run in collaboration with the French Inserm, will be run in 18 sites across Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and the UK. It will be the first study in humans testing Imcysesimmunotherapy technology, which is aimed at stopping the destruction of insulin-producing beta pancreaticcells in patients diagnosed with the disease within 6 months before the trial, when not all beta cells have yet been eliminated. Resultsare expected at the end of 2018.
Imcysedevelops Imotopes,modified peptides thatinduce cytolytic CD4 T cells to kill other immune cells involved in the destruction of a specific target, in this case insulin-producing cells,without affecting any other functions of the immune system. The peptides are composed of an epitope of the targeted antigen and a specific thioredox motif.
An Imotope therapy that could be used to treat the very early stages of diabetes or prevent its onset would be a major breakthrough for patients and for public health, Christian Boitard,the trials principal investigator, from the Inserm and Cochin Hospital in Paris, said in a statement.
Indeed, the technology aims to cure severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases for which existing therapies can only, at best, attenuate the symptoms and slow down its progress. For type 1 diabetes, which affects over 40 million people worldwide, the incidence is rapidly increasing, particularly in younger children. However, the only treatment option to date is daily glucose control and insulin injections for life.
One of the alternatives currently under development is transplantation. With that aim, the British Catapult and the Belgian Orgenesis are growing pancreatic cells in the lab. NeoVacs, in France, has a different approach that resembles more that of Imcyse; a vaccine for type 1 diabetes, currently in the preclinical stage.
Imcyse is already planning to exploit the potential of its technology, with a trial in patients with multiple sclerosis scheduled for next year. In the future, the company could also be going afterrheumatoid arthritis, graft rejection, allergic asthma and rare diseases such as myasthenia gravis or neuromyelitis optica. On top of that, the technology could also act as an add-on to prevent patients from becoming immune to biological drugs, which is a grave problemwhen it affects life-saving drugs.
Images via Becris / Shutterstock; Imcyse
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Belgian Biotech Starts Human Trials for a Potential Type 1 Diabetes Cure - Labiotech.eu (blog)
Researchers have captured the first cryo-electron microscopy images of a key cellular receptor for diabetes in action.
The findings, published in Nature, reveal new information about workings of G protein-coupled receptorswhich are intermediaries for molecular messages related to nearly every function within the human body.
G protein-coupled receptors, often shorthanded as GPCRs, reside in the membrane of cells, where they detect signals from outside of the cell and convey them to the inside to be acted upon. They respond to signals including sensory input like light, taste, and smell, as well as to hormones and neurotransmitters.
The new, near atomic-resolution images provide an incredibly detailed look at how these important receptors bind to and transmit signals from peptide hormones.
The team revealed how the hormone GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) binds to its receptor on the outside of a cell, and how this causes changes to the arrangement of the part extending into the cellwhich then engages and activates the G protein.
GLP-1 plays an important role in regulating insulin secretion, carbohydrate metabolism, and appetite. It binds to the B family of G protein-coupled receptors, though information about their precise interactions have heretofore been limited by a lack of images of the complex in action.
Its hard to overstate the importance of G protein-coupled receptors, says Georgios Skiniotis, a researcher at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and Medical Schooland a senior author of the study. GPCRs are targeted by about half of all drugs, and getting such structures by cryo-electron microscopy will be crucial for further drug discovery efforts. The GLP-1 receptor is an important drug target for type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The size and fragility of GPCR complexes have made them notoriously difficult to capture using the longtime gold-standard of imaging: X-ray crystallography. It took Brian Kobilka, a professor of molecular and cellular physiology at Stanford University Medical School and a senior collaborator on the paper, many years to obtain the first onewhich led to a Nobel Prize for Kobilka in 2012.
The current study was done using a cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM. Cryo-EM is an evolving, cutting-edge imaging technology that involves freezing proteins in a thin layer of solution and then bouncing electrons off of them to reveal their shape. Because the frozen proteins are oriented every which way, computer software can later combine the thousands of individual snapshots into a 3D picture at near-atomic resolution.
Advances in cryo-EM now make it possible to capture protein complexes with similar resolution to X-ray crystallography, without having to force the proteins into neat, orderly crystalswhich limits the variety of arrangements and interactions that are possible.
Using cryo-EM, we can also uncover more information about how GPCRs flex and move, says Yan Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher in Skiniotis lab and a co-lead author of the paper. And we can observe functional changes in complexes that are difficult, if not impossible, to crystallize.
Grants from the National Institutes of Health supported the work. Additional study authors are from the University of Michigan, ConfometRx, and Stanford University.
Source: University of Michigan
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First snapshot of diabetes receptor may mean new drugs - Futurity: Research News
TORONTO: Scientists have developed a new therapeutic approach that could save diabetic patients from amputation by promoting wound healing.
Diabetic patients frequently have lesions on their feet that are very difficult to heal due to poor blood circulation. In cases of serious non-healing infections, a decision to amputate could be made.
"With this treatment, we can succeed in closing wounds and promoting healing of diabetic ulcers, we might be able to avoid amputations," said Jean-Francois Cailhier, nephrologist at University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) in Canada.
We discovered a way to modify specific white blood cells - the macrophages - and make them capable of accelerating cutaneous healing, researchers said.
It has long been known that macrophages play a key role in the normal wound healing process. These white cells specialise in major cellular clean-up processes and are essential for tissue repair, researchers said.
They accelerate healing while maintaining a balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory reactions (pro-reparation).
"When a wound does not heal, it might be secondary to enhanced inflammation and not enough anti-inflammatory activity," Cailhier said.
"We discovered that macrophage behaviour can be controlled so as to tip the balance towards cell repair by means of a special protein called Milk Fat Globule Epidermal Growth Factor-8, or MFG-E8," Cailhier said.
Researchers showed that when there is a skin lesion, MFG-E8 calls for an anti-inflammatory and pro-reparatory reaction in the macrophages. Without this protein, the lesions heal much more slowly.
The team then developed a treatment by adoptive cell transfer in order to amplify the healing process.
Adoptive cell transfer consists in treating the patient using his or her own cells, which are harvested, treated, then re-injected in order to exert their action on an organ.
This immunotherapeutic strategy is usually used to treat various types of cancer, researchers said.
This is the first time it has been shown to also be useful in reprogramming cells to facilitate healing of the skin, they said.
"We used stem cells derived from murine bone marrow to obtain macrophages, which we treated ex vivo with the MFG-E8 protein before re-injecting them into the mice, and we quickly noticed an acceleration of healing," said Patrick Laplante, research assistant at CRCHUM.
"If we were to inject the MFG-E8 protein directly into the body there could be effects, distant from the wound, upon all the cells that are sensitive to MFG-E8, which could lead to excess repair of the skin causing aberrant scars named keloids," Cailhier said.
The major advantage [of this treatment] is that we only administer reprogrammed cells, and we find that they are capable of creating the environment needed to accelerate scar formation, researchers said.
This advanced personalised treatment could also make all the difference in treating cases of challenging wounds.
The study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
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Now, a new treatment can prevent diabetic patients from amputation - Economic Times
Clinical studies are underway for a new advanced digital therapy app from Amalgan Rx that can optimize fasting glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Kristopher Sturgis
Amalgam Rx, a new digital health company launched this month, might be one of the startups in 2017 worth keeping an eye onespecially if youre one of the 30 million people managing type 2 diabetes in this country. The digital health pioneers just announced the launch of their first next-gen technology known as iSage Rx, the worlds first FDA-cleared insulin titration app for all brands of basal insulin.
One of the painstaking requirements for patients who manage type 2 diabetes is the need to inject insulin on a daily basis to help control blood sugar levels in the body. Typically, doctors will prescribe sub-optimal doses of insulin as they observe how each individual patients body reacts. With the new iSage app, doctors will now be able to choose from multiple clinically-validated basal insulin algorithms so that they can individually tailor insulin level treatments to the specific needs of each patient.
Suzanne Clough, MD, the chief medical officer and cofounder of Amalgam Rx, said the company is currently recruiting patients for an in-depth clinical study that can examine all of the insulin algorithms that will help the company polish a technology that can titrate all brands of insulin. This will provide patients with a tool that can help them consistently reach their glucose targets.
The clinical trial will demonstrate proof of concept, Clough said, and is expected to enroll 30 patients in the treatment arm. This will be compared against a matched retrospective control group. The study is slated to be completed this year, with findings anticipated to be shared in 2018.
Clough said that the iSage technology was designed to be easy and intuitive so that virtually any physician can share the technology with their patients with ease. The system comes with telephone support and training programs to help familiarize the physicians with the platform, and can even be customized to fit patient-specific treatment protocols.
A physician can simply input some basic information about the patient, such as their name and prescribed insulin to register them in the system, Clough said. They can then choose the algorithm that best fits the patients needs, or we can help them customize and save algorithms if they want to use their own treatment protocols. In a way, the system can allow them to have standing orders that can be implemented by a nurse or medical assistant. It should take less than a minute for the office staff to complete the prescription, and once patients use the product, providers can access their data online and make updates when necessary.
The iSage Rx technology will be the first in what the company hopes will be a diverse line of clinically validated digital health therapies that can empower and engage patients with chronic diseases. Ryan Sysko, CEO and cofounder of Amalgam Rx said that innovative new digital health platforms can transform chronic disease management, and that Amalgam Rx can leverage these new technologies to enable patients to self-manage their condition without so many of the costs that come with many of the advanced platforms currently available.
Were incredibly passionate about the potential for digital health to transform the way that care for chronic disease management is delivered, he said. If we can develop and scale digital health solutions that are engaging and effective, we have a tremendous opportunity to significantly improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
That's something Amalgam Rx has set out to do with their very first product. The company brought together experienced members from research and development, testing, regulatory, and commercialization backgrounds to collaborate and work together to create new digital therapies that are accessible and easy to use.
Were developing a platform that combines the necessary clinical, behavioral, and psychological interventions and technologies to support patients across many chronic disease domains, Sysko said. Our technology architecture will allow potential partners to pick and choose from the interventions to create custom solutions.
The company has already partnered with a life sciences company to help bring the iSage Rx to market, and Sysko said that Amalgam Rx has plans to announce a new partnership in the coming months that will forge a new application focused on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. He said that growing the companys non-diabetes partnerships will be a key to growing their success beyond 2018, and that new digital health technologies will be crucial when it comes to enabling patients to self-manage chronic diseases.
Our hope is to leverage all of our experience in developing and commercializing digital health products in combination with the latest cutting edge technologies to engage and support patients with chronic diseases, he said. We believe this is a key missing component in healthcare. If we can more effectively support and teach a patient self-management, were bound to improve healthcare outcomes and reduce costs.
Kristopher Sturgis is a freelance contributor to MD+DI.
[Images courtesy of AMALGAM RX]
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New Startup Aims to Change Diabetes Management - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry
May 30, 2017 by Emma Mckinney Understanding our genetic make-up could be the key to beating cancer. Credit: University of Birmingham
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have made a breakthrough in the understanding of how our genetic make-up can impact on the activity of the immune system and our ability to fight cancer.
The study, conducted in conjunction with researchers from Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, was published in Science Signaling and focusses on a protein called ULBP6.
Proteins are made up of hundreds or thousands of smaller units called amino acids, which are attached to one another in long chains. Proteins do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body's tissues and organs.
Lead author of the study Professor Paul Moss from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, said: "We worked on a protein called ULBP6 which leads to the removal of damaged cells and an interesting observation has been that there are two types of this protein found in different people.
"This is important as previous studies have shown that the type of protein that we inherit from our parents can influence our risk of auto-immune disease and affect how we respond to some forms of cancer treatment.
"The ULBP6 protein is found on the surface of damaged cells, including several types of cancer cells, and acts as a 'flag' to signal to white cells in our immune system that the damaged cell should be killed.
"Interestingly, there are two major types of this protein in the population and people who inherit a certain subtype have been shown to have a poor outcome after stem cell transplantation, a procedure used to treat leukaemia, which is commonly referred to as 'bone marrow treatment'."
Professor Ben Willcox, also from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, said: "The two types of ULBP6 differ only by two amino acids out of a total of around 180 and it has surprised us that this can have such an important influence on patient outcomes.
"In the study we found that one form of ULBP6 forms a very strong bond indeed with its receptor NKG2D on the immune system. In addition, when the protein is released into the local environment it can act to block the signalling pathway.
"The 'sticky' form of ULBP6 binds over 10 times more strongly to NKG2D but a major surprise was that this acted to reduce killing by the immune system rather than increase it. We now want to understand how this information might be used to improve the outcome of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation."
The study was funded by the Bloodwise and the Wellcome Trust. Bloodwise, the UK's specialist blood cancer charity, funds world-class research and offers expert information and support to anyone affected by leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood cancer related disorders.
Alasdair Rankin, Director of Research at Bloodwise, said: "For some people with leukaemia and other types of blood cancer, stem cell transplantation can mean the difference between life and death. But a stem cell transplant is a gruelling procedure which sadly does not always work, so we need research to improve success rates.
"This research will not change care today, but it helps us understand why transplants work less well in some people, which is an important step on the path to developing better transplant therapy for more people living with blood cancer."
Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation, supporting scientists and researchers to take on big problems, fuel imaginations, and spark debate.
Explore further: Study leads to breakthrough in better understanding acute myeloid leukemia
More information: A disease-linked ULBP6 polymorphism inhibits NKG2D-mediated target cell killing by enhancing the stability of NKG2D-ligand binding. Science Signaling, DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aai8904
A study led by the University of Birmingham has made a breakthrough in the understanding of how different genetic mutations cause acute myeloid leukaemia.
People who inherit genetic variants affecting the function of their immune system are at increased risk of developing the most common form of leukaemia, a major new study reveals.
Researchers at The University of Manchester have discovered that a protein (5T4) found on the surface of cells contributes to chemotherapy resistance in the most common type of childhood leukaemia. Using a novel approach, ...
Researchers have pinpointed a key enzyme that is vital for the production of fresh blood cells in the body. The enzyme is essential for the survival of specialised stem cells that give rise to new blood cells, the study found. ...
Antibodies to the proteins PD-1 and PD-L1 have been shown to fight cancer by unleashing the body's T cells, a type of immune cell. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that the therapy ...
A new study has identified novel mechanisms whereby T cells may be able to distinguish an emerging class of targets specifically increased on cancer cells.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have made a breakthrough in the understanding of how our genetic make-up can impact on the activity of the immune system and our ability to fight cancer.
One area of research within mechanobiology, the study of how physical forces influence biological processes, is on the interplay between cells and their environment and how it impacts their ability to grow and spread.
Diabetic patients frequently have lesions on their feet that are very difficult to heal due to poor blood circulation. In cases of serious non-healing infections, a decision to amputate could be made. A new therapeutic approach, ...
Changing the natural electrical signaling that exists in cells outside the nervous system can improve resistance to life-threatening bacterial infections, according to new research from Tufts University biologists. The researchers ...
Obesity, already a global epidemic, is on the rise. Over one third of the U.S. population is currently afflicted, according to the Centers for Disease Control and the monetary costs alone are approaching $150 billion dollars ...
In experiments in mice, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered that regulatory T cells (Tregs; pronounced "tee-regs"), a type of immune cell generally associated with controlling inflammation, directly trigger stem ...
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Study makes breakthrough in understanding of proteins and their impact on immune system - Medical Xpress
Nothing can come in the way of those who have set their goals up high and are determined to achieve them.
Tushar Rishi from Ranchi and Dharshana MV from Krishnagiri, two students who appeared for the CBSE Class 12 boardexams this year have beaten all the odds and emerged victoriously. They scored 95 per cent and 96.2 per cent respectively.
Despite having being diagnosed with bone cancer in his left knee right after his class 10 mock exams in 2014, Tushar never gave up. A student of Delhi Public School(DPS), he failed to appear for the exams that year.
I was under chemotherapy for around 11 months. It has obviously changed me a lot, but I try and stay focused on my academics, he toldHindustan Times.
After chemotherapy sessions, he hit back stronger and secured a perfect 10 CGPA in Class 10 board exams, 2015. I am in a much better condition now after all the treatments. But I have to visit AIIMS in every 3 to 4 months for check-ups and updates on my health, he adds.
The 19-year old, who believes that allocating a little time each day reduces the impending exam pressure, has also authored a book named The Patient. Itcharts the story of his struggle as a young cancer survivor. You can find the book on Amazon.
Tushar has managed to secure the phenomenal marks without any coaching and wishes to pursue graduation in English or Economics fromDelhi University in the future.
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Another awe-inspiring story is that of Dharshana, who did not let blindnessstop her and scored 96.2 per cent in the Commerce stream.
Being blind in the right eye and having partial vision in the left, the preparation was challenging for Dharshana. Today, she attributes her success to the support she received from her family members and teachers.
I use magnifying glasses to read books. I had opted for Computer Science as the fifth subject, but could not spend much time on computers. I wanted to score more, but my studying hours never crossed late in the night. It had to be done during the day, she toldNews18.
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Apart from regular lessons, she also made use of audio tools and took extra classes. Now, instead of partaking in the annual rat race for colleges, Dharshana wishes to pursue Carnatic music along with her entrepreneurial ambitions, citing MS Subbulakshmi as her inspiration.
I want to study here (in Krishnagiri), where I can take up my passion for music. I want to be an entrepreneur and at the same time be a singer. I practice at home and sometimes I sing at concerts where people appreciate my singing talent, she said.
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Cancer or Blindness, These Kids Didn't Let Anything Come in the ... - The Better India (blog)
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may have found an unlikely inspiration for his plans to tackle racial inequality in the workplace former Prime Minister David Cameron.
Earlier today, the Labour leader fired a broadside at the Tories over their failure to improve the lot of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic workers, and vowed to act by picking up a Cameron scheme.
The former Tory leader brought together the likes of HSBC, KPMG and Virgin Money to commit to name-blind recruitment of graduates in October 2015.
The plan required names to be removed from graduate recruitment applications, cutting discrimination against applicants with ethnic-sounding names.
Read More: I have a Muslim-sounding name: Should I change it to John on my CV?
And despite claiming that BAME workers are being held back by the Conservatives, Corbyn today committed to carrying on where Cameron left off.
Labour plans published today commit the party to exploring the practicalities in rolling out name-blind recruitment practices.
The party said BAME unemployment is double that of the white population at 10 per cent, compared to five, while people with Asian or African sounding names also have to send twice as many applications to get an interview.
Read More: No, name-blind recruiting won't solve the UK's bias problem
Corbyn also said the party would implement the recommendations of the Parker Review on ethnic diversity in top executive positions.
These include requiring the human resources teams or search firms for FTSE 100 or 250 firms to identify and present qualified people of colour for board vacancies.
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General Election 2017: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's name-blindness plans seem to have come from an unlikely ... - City A.M.