News, Links and Commentary
Sunday, November 30, 2003
People Achieving With RP in the News
Eighteen year old Nathan Johnston from New South Wales was featured in an article about learning to surf despite some of the difficulties caused by retinitis pigmentosa ('Blindness doesn't keep Australian from surfing' (in Florida's Herald Tribune, November 30, 2003).
Jeffrey Lawler, a medical student at Western University Medical School in Pomona, California, and who has RP is featured in an article on students with physical disabilities ('Barriers are toppling for medical students with physical disabilities', International Herald Tribune, November 27, 2003).
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Jeffrey Lawler, a medical student at Western University Medical School in Pomona, California, and who has RP is featured in an article on students with physical disabilities ('Barriers are toppling for medical students with physical disabilities', International Herald Tribune, November 27, 2003).
Flagella Protein May Lead To Greater Understanding of Rods and Cones
Scientists hope that the discovery of the protein EB1 in the flagella of Chlamydomonas, a single-cell organism, will lead to a greater understanding of vision, nervous system disorders, colon cancer and kidney disease. Flagella are antenna-like structures attached to some cells, including rods and cones. The research was published in the November 11 issue of Current Biology. Current Biology features the article, called 'The Microtubule Plus End-Tracking Protein EB1 Is Localized to the Flagellar Tip and Basal Bodies in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii' online, however only a media release from Dartmouth College ('The Beginning Of The End Of Flagella: Protein Discovery In Chlamydomonas', Science Daily, November 24, 2003) mentions the possible outcomes for vision research.
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Saturday, November 22, 2003
Feedster RSS Feed Available Soon
I'm experimenting with an RSS feed through Feedster. Hope it works and is of some use to visitors!
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Thursday, November 20, 2003
Seek And You Will Find
Do you have difficulty identifying objects or people from a distance of more than a metre (three feet)? The JHU Lions Vision Center Questionnaire asks for contributions from people who could benefit from a device that could be trained to search for and identify objects and people from a distance. The device does not yet exist and the questionnaire is designed to help researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Lions Vision Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to further develop the concept. The researchers hope to have collected all responses to the accessible online survey by December 1, 2003.
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Saturday, November 15, 2003
Two New Drug Treatments for Wet AMD Show Promise
Two companies are working towards treatments that will prevent the growth of new blood vessels in the back of the eye that cause vision loss in people with wet age-related macular degeneration ('Hope's on the horizon for macular disease', Los Angeles Times, November 10, 2003). Eyetech recently finished trials of a drug called Macugen (pegaptanib sodium) while Genentech's Lucentis (ranibizumab) is in the final phase of trials. Both drugs affect vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein which stimulates the growth of blood vessels under the macula.
UPDATE: Eyetech announced results from its clinical trials of Macugen at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting over the weekend, according to the New York Times ('Drug Shows Some Promise Against Vision Loss', November 16, 2003). The New York Times article also mentioned another drug that is hoped to benefit people with wet-form macular degeneration. The drug is Texan company Alcon Inc's Retaane.
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UPDATE: Eyetech announced results from its clinical trials of Macugen at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting over the weekend, according to the New York Times ('Drug Shows Some Promise Against Vision Loss', November 16, 2003). The New York Times article also mentioned another drug that is hoped to benefit people with wet-form macular degeneration. The drug is Texan company Alcon Inc's Retaane.
Friday, November 14, 2003
Thousands Could Prevent Progression of AMD with Supplements
Thousands of older Americans at risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration could prevent the progression of vision loss by taking supplements containing vitamin C and E, beta-carotene and zinc ('Daily Vitamins Could Prevent Vision Loss Among Thousands' Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions media release at Science Daily, November 12, 2003).
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Wednesday, November 12, 2003
UK Parents Seek US Expert in Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy
The UK parents of a five year old boy who has Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) are seeking information about a US doctor, possibly from Indianapolis, who has expertise in treating the condition ('Parents strive to save Quinn's sight', this is derbyshire, November 11, 2003).
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Monday, November 10, 2003
Macular Translocation Surgery
A type of macular translocation surgery that will help people with the wet form of macular degeneration has been developed by US researchers from the Duke University Eye Center ('New Surgery for Advanced Eye Disease', HealthDayNews, November 7, 2003).
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Saturday, November 08, 2003
Romance Before Dark
The heroine in Home Before Dark by Susan Wiggs is losing her vision and returns to the US from New Zealand to reveal her true identity to her daughter before she becomes blind.
This romantic novel about family relationships is recommended by several members of the RPList and is published here in Australia by Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) under the Mira imprint. The online catalogues of Australian booksellers Angus and Robertson and Dymocks show the paperback to retail here at $24.95 AUD.
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This romantic novel about family relationships is recommended by several members of the RPList and is published here in Australia by Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) under the Mira imprint. The online catalogues of Australian booksellers Angus and Robertson and Dymocks show the paperback to retail here at $24.95 AUD.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Runyan Disappointed with NYC Marathon Run
US athlete Marla Runyan was disappointed with her performance in the New York Marathon over the weekend, coming in 20th and continuing despite soreness in her legs to raise money for charity ('Runyan Too Famous to Suffer Unnoticed', New York Times, November 3, 2003 - free registration required).
Allowing Runyan to train alone for the first time is a watch designed and developed by Nike that gives her the ability to check her own times ('Runyan gets watch from Nike' in Oregon's Register-Guard November 2, 2003).
Runyan has Stargardt's disease and is famous for being the first legally blind US athlete to compete in the Summer Olympics. Since placing 8th in the womens 1500m in Sydney, Runyan has successfully shifted her attention to middle- and long-distance running. More information about Marla Runyan can be found at MarlaRunyan.com.
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Allowing Runyan to train alone for the first time is a watch designed and developed by Nike that gives her the ability to check her own times ('Runyan gets watch from Nike' in Oregon's Register-Guard November 2, 2003).
Runyan has Stargardt's disease and is famous for being the first legally blind US athlete to compete in the Summer Olympics. Since placing 8th in the womens 1500m in Sydney, Runyan has successfully shifted her attention to middle- and long-distance running. More information about Marla Runyan can be found at MarlaRunyan.com.
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Dartmouth Medical School Researchers Take Closer Look at Rhodopsin Gene
A recent study of the rhodopsin gene, a protein present in the retina and which is particularly important when seeing in dim or low light, was published in the October 3 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Mutations in the rhodopsin gene are known to cause some forms of retinitis pigmentosa and the researchers hope that by gaining an understanding of how rhodopsin works at a molecular level they will be better able to work on possible treatments. Read more in 'Research Offers Insight on Treatment for Hereditary Eye Disease' (Dartmouth Medical School media release, September 30, 2003).
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Two French-Canadian RP Gene Mutations Identified
Researchers at McGill University Health Center in Quebec, Canada have identified two genetic mutations in the French-Canadian population that cause retinitis pigmentosa ('The Genetics of Blindness', Science Daily, October 9, 2003). The research shows that different mutations will cause different symptoms. The research is published in the October issue of The American Journal of Ophthalmology.
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Newhart To Play Man Who Has MD While Man Who Has MD Plays Golf
US comedian Bob Newhart plays a patient with macular degeneration in a three- episode storyline of ER now screening in the United States. 'Newhart to try new drama' (New York Post, October 30, 2003).
Recreational golfer Francis McKemie of Georgia in the United States continues to play golf with friends despite losing his central vision to macular degeneration. Read more in 'Playing the hand he's dealt' (The Daily Tribune, October 29, 2003).
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Recreational golfer Francis McKemie of Georgia in the United States continues to play golf with friends despite losing his central vision to macular degeneration. Read more in 'Playing the hand he's dealt' (The Daily Tribune, October 29, 2003).
Canadian Stem Cell Research Reported at Melbourne Conference
The Australian National Stem Cell Centre recently hosted the First National Stem Cell Centre Conference from October 9 - 12 in Melbourne, Victoria. Speaking at the conference was University of Toronto retinal stem cell researcher Dr Derek Van der Kooy. More about Dr Van der Kooy's research was reported in Melbourne's The Age newspaper in an article called 'Stem cell growth could herald cure for blindness' (The Age Online, October 12, 2003).
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Sunday, November 02, 2003
Anti-oxidant Hype
'Antioxidants: Have they been hyped?' (LA Times Online, October 27, 2003) explains the popularity of antioxidant supplements and gives reasons to be cautious. The article suggests that sourcing antioxidants and other nutrients from a wider variety of foods, rather than from supplements, may be more beneficial.
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