Neuropediatrics 2009; 40: 162-167DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1243176AbstractCognitive functioning was compared in 29 children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), 35 children with fetal alcohol effects (FAE), and 66 psychotropic drugs-exposed (PDE) children using Wechsler tests and the neuropsychological test battery NEPSY. In the FAS group, verbal IQ (VIQ=78), performance IQ (PIQ=77), and full scale IQ (FSIQ=75) were significantly lower as compared to the FAE and PDE groups. In the PDE group VIQ and FSIQ were significantly higher than in the FAE group. In the FAS group, processing speed (PS) was significantly lower than the other three factors. In the FAE group, perceptual organization (PO) was significantly higher, whereas PS was significantly lower than the other factors. In the PDE gro...

Paloma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has received acceptance of its IND to enter Phase I studies with Palomid 529 (P529) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)... (Source: Eye Health / Optometry News From Medical News Today)

Paloma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has received acceptance of its IND to enter Phase I studies with Palomid 529 (P529) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The Phase I study, "A Phase I Open-Label Study to Investigate the Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetic Profile of Single Intravitreal and Subconjunctival Doses of Palomid 529 in Patients with Advanced Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration" will be a dose-ranging study aimed at safety but will also have objective measurement for efficacy... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Scientists have long known that high blood sugar levels from diabetes damage blood vessels in the eye, but they didn't know why or how. Now a Michigan State University scientist has discovered the process that causes retinal cells to die, which could lead to new treatments that halt the damage. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Author Summary Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading blindness cause in western countries. Several genes encoding components of the complement pathway—including CFH, C2/BF, and C3—have been confirmed to be associated with AMD, as well as a region on 10q26 that encompasses two genes. Recent data have suggested that loss of LOC387715 on 10q26, mediated by an insertion/deletion (in/del) at its 3'UTR that destabilizes its message, is causally related with the disorder. We found that a common disease haplotype including the in/del and rs11200638 also has an effect on the transcriptional upregulation of the adjacent gene, HTRA1. We propose a binary model where downregulation of LOC387715 and concomitant upregulation of HTRA1 best explain the risk associated with the 10q26 AM...

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Cataract Surgery Trainer, a virtual training tool which helps to train physicians to perform cataract surgery, has been shown to enhance teaching in cataract surgery when compared to traditional teaching methods... (Source: IT / Internet / E-mail News From Medical News Today)

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Cataract Surgery Trainer, a virtual training tool which helps to train physicians to perform cataract surgery, has been shown to enhance teaching in cataract surgery when compared to traditional teaching methods. The results of a multi-center study evaluating the program's effectiveness as a supplement to traditional teaching tools was published in the February issue of Ophthalmology. Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States on people over 65 years old, yet it is one of the most difficult surgeries to learn... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

A prospective study of Group Health primary-care patients with diabetes in western Washington showed that depression raised the risks of advanced and severe complications from diabetes during a five-year follow-up. These complications include kidney failure or blindness, the result of small vessel damage, as well as major vessel problems leading to heart attack or stroke. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

(Michigan State University) In an effort to eliminate the tropical diseases elephantiasis and river blindness, a Michigan State University researcher has been awarded $2 million to reformulate an existing drug that could stop the debilitating diseases in their tracks. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Conclusions. These cases suggest that, even in long-standing wheelchair users, wheelchair skills should be routinely assessed as part of the periodic functional assessment and, when the skill level is determined to be less than appropriate for that person, formal training should be offered. PMID: 20131977 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Disability and Rehabilitation. Assistive Technology.)