Cheaper drug could lead to serious eye issues

Provincial government may approve use of cheaper drug

2012-06-19

(Press-News.org) A Queen's University study of two eye drugs used to treat wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) has determined the cheaper of the two could lead to eye inflammation, a potentially blinding adverse effect. "This is a very important finding," says Sanjay Sharma (Ophthalmology and Epidemiology), a noted AMD and health policy researcher who also practices at Hotel Dieu Hospital. "It is particularly important because many seniors need numerous injections so the risk is cumulative." AMD is the leading cause of severe visual loss and blindness in Canada. It is linked to depression, falls and higher rates of nursing home admissions. The research reviewed cases of patients who received consecutive injections of either the more expensive or the cheaper version of the drug. Patients receiving the cheaper drug had a 12 times higher risk of serious eye inflammation and some patients also lost their sight, according to the study. Many provincial governments are considering the use of the cheaper drug to help curb spiraling costs. The more expensive drug retails for $1,800 while the cheaper version is one-tenth of that price. ###For information and to view a video focusing on the research.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Brothers in arms: Commensal bacteria help fight viruses

2012-06-19

PHILADELPHIA – Healthy humans harbor an enormous and diverse group of bacteria and other bugs that live within their intestines. These microbial partners provide beneficial aid in multiple ways – from helping digest food to the development of a healthy immune system. In a new study published online in the journal Immunity, David Artis, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology, and Michael Abt, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Artis lab, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, show that commensal bacteria are also essential to fight off viral infections. ...

Discovery helps mice beat urinary tract infections

2012-06-19

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found new clues to why some urinary tract infections recur persistently after multiple rounds of treatment. Their research, conducted in mice, suggests that the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections take advantage of a cellular waste disposal system that normally helps fight invaders. In a counterintuitive finding, they learned that when the disposal system was disabled, the mice cleared urinary tract infections much more quickly and thoroughly. "This could be the beginning of a paradigm ...

Social-class discrimination contributes to poorer health

2012-06-19

Discrimination felt by teenagers based on their social class background can contribute to physiologic changes associated with poorer health, according to a new study published online in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Lead author Dr. Thomas Fuller-Rowell, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar, says that while the link between poverty and poor health has long been known, this is one of the first studies to consider the impact of class discrimination. "The ...

Clues to nervous system evolution found in nerve-less sponge

2012-06-19

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– UC Santa Barbara scientists turned to the simple sponge to find clues about the evolution of the complex nervous system and found that, but for a mechanism that coordinates the expression of genes that lead to the formation of neural synapses, sponges and the rest of the animal world may not be so distant after all. Their findings, titled "Functionalization of a protosynaptic gene expression network," are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "If you're interested in finding the truly ancient origins of the nervous ...

Scientists reconstruct pre-Columbian human effects on the Amazon Basin

2012-06-19

Small, shifting human populations existed in the Amazon before the arrival of Europeans, with little long-term effect on the forest. That's the result of research led by Crystal McMichael and Mark Bush of the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). The finding overturns the idea the Amazon was a cultural parkland in pre-Columbian times with large human populations that transformed vast tracts of the landscape. The Amazon Basin is one of the highest biodiversity areas on Earth. Understanding how it was modified by humans in the past is important for conservation and for ...

NASA sees powerful Typhoon Guchol affecting Kadena Air Base

2012-06-19

All hatches should be battened down at Kadena Air Base, Japan as NASA satellite imagery today, June 18, revealed the northern quadrant of Typhoon Guchol as already affecting the island. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Typhoon Guchol on June 18, 2012 at 0445 UTC (12:45 a.m. EDT/U.S.). Guchol is approaching Kadena Air Base. The image showed high cirrus clouds over Guchol's eye. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument onboard Aqua captured an infrared image that revealed powerful ...

New Untethered Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone 4S/4/3Gs iOS 5.1.1 and 5.1 Available Online

2012-06-19

EasyUnlockiPhone.net reveals new tool to jailbreak and unlock iPhone 4S, 4, 3Gs and iPad 2 on the latest iOS 5.1.1. Once the jailbreak and unlock for iOS 5.1.1 is complete the iPhone/iPad will have the Cydia application installed. Cydia is a software application for iOS that enables a user to find and install software packages (including apps, interface customizations, and system extensions) on a jailbroken iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Cydia is the main independent third-party digital distribution platform for software on iOS. http://www.EasyUnlockiPhone.net was formed ...

Survival rates lower for heart transplant patients whose arteries reclose after stenting

2012-06-19

Heart transplant patients are notorious for developing an aggressive form of coronary artery disease that can often result in heart failure, death or the need for repeat transplantation. The condition can also have a negative impact on future cardiac procedures, such as stenting. Transplant patients are among those at highest risk of adverse outcomes when receiving a stent to address a blockage in an artery. Compared with the general public, these patients have a much higher rate of restenosis, a side effect of stenting in which the artery becomes re-blocked because ...

NASA reveals heaviest rainfall in Tropical Storm Talim's southwestern side

2012-06-19

Tropical Storm Talim was born today in the South China Sea, and NASA's TRMM satellite noticed the heaviest rainfall in the storm is occurring in the south and western quadrants of the storm. NASA's Aqua Satellite noticed that some of Talim's rainfall is reaching Vietnam. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured a look at rainfall occurring in newborn Tropical Storm Talim in the South China Sea on June 18, 2012 at 0331 UTC. Areas in blue and green represent light to moderate rainfall, falling at a rate between 0.78 and 1.5 7inches (20-40 mm). ...

Luxurious Penthouse Living in Israel is a Once in a Life Time Dream Come True for those that Demand Luxury Living

2012-06-19

The project offers a wide variety of luxury apartments that have been immaculately designed down to the smallest details, from 2-room apartments that have an additional area suitable for a workspace, 3-room apartments with workspace, 4-room apartments, 5-room apartments with large balconies, to lavish penthouses and garden apartments with private gardens, all fitted to the most modern specifications and highest finishing levels. The health & leisure club is planned to cover 7,500m2, including three swimming pools, a gym, a basketball court, exercise studios for a ...

Cheaper drug could lead to serious eye issues

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: