PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Numbers of blind are falling

2012-07-21
(Press-News.org) The numbers of people in Germany who are blind or visually impaired is going down. Robert P. Finger and his co-authors present their findings in the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012; 109[27/28]: 484-9).

The aging of the population would lead one to expect an increase in the numbers of blind and visually impaired—for in most cases the main reason for loss of vision is an age-related disease. Rates of macular degeneration, for example, and diabetes-related eye disease both go up with age. At the same time, however, the numbers of cases in which glaucoma or optic nerve atrophy results in blindness are going down. Retinal detachment, too, is occurring less frequently.

Using data from the archive of the blind registry of the Rhineland Regional Council (Landschaftsverband Rheinland), the researchers were able to calculate the prevalence of blindness (standardized for sex and age) from 1978 to 2006, and matched this with the Severe Disability Statistics on blindness and visual impairment. The results allowed them to formulate prevalence trends for the past 30 years.

The total number of registered blind in the Rhineland increased from 10 665 in 1978 to 15 766 in 1997 and then remained stable until 2006, when it was 15 725. The prevalence of blindness in the region of study also rose from 1978 to 1997 and then remained stable until 2006, as reflected in the dataset for blindness and visual impairment. After standardization for Germany, the prevalence can be seen to have been falling slightly since 1997.

INFORMATION:

http://www.aerzteblatt.de/pdf.asp?id=127315

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Modifying surfaces by means of nanostructured reliefs to prevent the spread of bacteria

2012-07-21
Researchers at the Institute for Agrobiotechnology (a mixed research centre set up by the Public University of Navarre, the CSIC-National Scientific Research Council, and the Government of Navarre) are designing, by means of laser application, nanostructured reliefs on surfaces so that they acquire antibacterial properties and are more resistant to the formation of bacterial biofilms. The authors of the research say that in the preliminary tests carried out so far with the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus a reduction in the region of 65-70% has been confirmed in the adhesion ...

BUSM researchers identify genetic markers for testosterone, estrogen level regulation

2012-07-21
(Boston) – A research study led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with a global consortium, has identified genetic markers that influence a protein involved in regulating estrogen and testosterone levels in the bloodstream. The results, published online in PLoS Genetics, also reveal that some of the genetic markers for this protein are near genes related to liver function, metabolism and type 2 diabetes, demonstrating an important genetic connection between the metabolic and reproductive systems ...

NaCl to give way to RockSalt

2012-07-21
Cambridge, Mass – July 20, 2012 – A team led by Harvard computer scientists, including two undergraduate students, has developed a new tool that could lead to increased security and enhanced performance for commonly used web and mobile applications. Called RockSalt, the clever bit of code can verify that native computer programming languages comply with a particular security policy. Presented at the ACM Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation (PLDI) in Beijing, in June, RockSalt was created by Greg Morrisett, Allen B. Cutting Professor of Computer ...

Genetic markers for testosterone and estrogen level regulation identified

2012-07-21
A research study led by the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Exeter, and Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with a global consortium, has identified genetic markers that influence a protein involved in regulating oestrogen and testosterone levels in the bloodstream. The results, published online in PLoS Genetics, also reveal that some of the genetic markers for this protein are near genes related to liver function, metabolism and type 2 diabetes, demonstrating an important genetic connection between the metabolic and reproductive ...

Hot nuclear matter

2012-07-21
A review article appearing in the July 20, 2012, issue of the journal Science describes groundbreaking discoveries that have emerged from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, synergies with the heavy-ion program at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe, and the compelling questions that will drive this research forward on both sides of the Atlantic. With details that help enlighten our understanding of the hot nuclear matter that permeated the early universe, the article is a prelude to the latest ...

Stroke caregivers are at risk for depression

2012-07-21
MAYWOOD, Ill. - Caregivers of stroke survivors are at risk for developing depression and complications from chronic stress, according to a study published by researchers at the Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON) in the latest issue of Biological Research for Nursing. Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Family Caregiver Association reports that up to 80 percent of stroke survivors are cared for by family members who help them manage their ...

Firms with political ties may be bad investment

2012-07-21
It may pay to invest, but it might be worth more to invest in companies that do not have political ties, says one University of Alberta researcher. Sadok El Ghoul, an associate professor at Campus Saint-Jean, and fellow researchers from the American University of Sharjah and the Olayan School of Business recently presented a paper at the annual conference of the International Journal of Accounting that explored the workings of politically connected firms. In a review of firms from 31 countries, they contend that firms that have some level of political connection, direct ...

UCLA researchers create highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity

2012-07-21
UCLA researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. Their study appears in the journal ACS Nano. The UCLA team describes a new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC) that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells nearly 70% transparent to the human eye. They made the device from a photoactive plastic that converts infrared light into an electrical current. "These results ...

Severe flu increases risk of Parkinson's: UBC research

2012-07-21
Severe influenza doubles the odds that a person will develop Parkinson's disease later in life, according to University of British Columbia researchers. However, the opposite is true for people who contracted a typical case of red measles as children – they are 35 per cent less likely to develop Parkinson's, a nervous system disorder marked by slowness of movement, shaking, stiffness, and in the later stages, loss of balance. The findings by researchers at UBC's School of Population and Public Health and the Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, published online this ...

Children in foster care develop resilience through compassion

2012-07-21
A new study shows that a therapeutic intervention called Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) appears to improve the mental and physical health of adolescents in foster care. CBCT is a tool that provides strategies for people to develop more compassionate attitudes toward themselves and others. It is well documented that children in foster care have a high prevalence of trauma in their lives. For many, circumstances that bring them into the foster care system are formidable -- sexual abuse, parental neglect, family violence, homelessness, and exposure to drugs. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”

Microplastics found to change gut microbiome in first human-sample study

Artificially sweetened and sugary drinks are both associated with an increased risk of liver disease, study finds

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality

Texas Children’s researchers create groundbreaking tool to improve accuracy of genetic testing

Milken Institute, Ann Theodore Foundation announce more than $2.5 million in new funding for sarcoidosis research and launch new call for proposals

Boston University professor to receive 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award

Pusan National University researchers reveal how forest soil properties influence arsenic mobility and toxicity in soil organisms

Korea University researchers find sweet taste cells resist nerve damage through c-Kit protein

[Press-News.org] Numbers of blind are falling