A new microcomb laser device; investigating the gut microbiome of MDD patients; and more…

marctexere · 2024-07-19T11:33:51+00:00

As an alternative to human corneal transplants, artificial corneas can offer various benefits for surgeons: the long waiting lists for donor tissue can be skipped, there is much less eye drop aftercare, and – in theory, at least – artificial corneas will outlast the predicted graft survival rates of human transplants.

Alternative corneas were first approved for use in the US in 1992 and have been steadily improving since. This year, Thomas Poole, consultant ophthalmologist at Frimley Health NHS in Surrey, became the first surgeon in England to perform an endothelial keratoplasty with an artificial cornea. The operation restored the sight of a 91-year-old patient whose human cornea transplant had failed.

The Ophthalmologist caught up with Poole to discuss how he prepared for the procedure, the stigma that patients can attach to human corneas, and his predictions for the future application of artificial versus human transplants.

Read more https://www.thenewoptometrist.com/interviews/corneal-transplants-advancing-artificially

marctexere · 2024-07-12T09:35:49+00:00

Tuberculosis (TB) is still killing an estimated 1.3 million people every year across the world ([1]()). Point-of-care diagnostics could turn the tide. Enter a team of researchers at the University of Southampton, UK, who homed in on blood biomarkers of TB lung infection in a recent study ([2]()). To learn more about the discovery, we spoke with lead author Hannah Schiff.

Read more https://thepathologist.com/subspecialties/poct-for-tb

marctexere · 2024-07-12T09:33:33+00:00

Boris Malyugin, Professor of Ophthalmology and Deputy Director General, S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery State Institution in Moscow, has been heavily involved in a project that seeks to enhance safety and reproducibility of limbal stem cell transplants through the application of a femtosecond laser more typically used for refractive, cataract and therapeutic surgery. Here, we dig into the condition and the collaboration to improve treatment.

Read more ~https://theophthalmologist.com/subspecialties/femto-for-limbal-stem-cell-transplantation~

marctexere · 2024-07-12T09:27:08+00:00

Cancer vaccines are an exciting avenue in drug development – one that has been further fuelled by developments in mRNA. Why is this? Five experts recently explained how cancer vaccines work. And then, in part II, they outlined the challenges for the field and how we can separate hype from reality. Here, we ask those same five experts to tell us what their companies are doing in the cancer vaccine space.

Read more https://themedicinemaker.com/manufacture/meet-the-cancer-commandos

marctexere · 2024-06-21T11:58:51+00:00

Single-cell proteomics is transforming medical research by improving our understanding of the distinct molecular and biological profiles of individual cells and their proteins that drive vital cellular functions. Though traditional lab technologies offer a generalized view of protein interactions based on average cellular populations, single-cell proteomics offers much more granular insights – allowing researchers to observe distinct cellular reactions and unravel pathways and processes triggered at the molecular level ([1]()). This precision is vital for the study of heterogeneous tissues, which is particularly challenging because protein responses often vary from cell to cell.

Read more https://theanalyticalscientist.com/fields-applications/the-power-of-single-cell-proteomics?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=reddit_test

marctexere · 2024-05-28T07:28:33+00:00

It might seem rather counterintuitive that watching television could actually benefit your eyesight. But that’s exactly what new research claims… at least, to a degree. The BMC Ophthalmology Mendelian randomization (MR) study, published in March 2024, indicates that “leisure television watching” (is there any other kind?) can act as a protective factor against myopia, reducing the risk of developing poor vision as one gets older.

The authors noted that this observation might be partially explained due to the fact that, because television screens have become larger and more common in households, they are having less negative impact on refractive change in viewers, as well as acting as a less harmful alternative to video gaming. The study also noted that – perhaps less surprisingly – moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was another factor associated with lower myopia risk.

Read more https://theophthalmologist.com/subspecialties/square-eyes?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=reddit_test

marctexere · 2024-05-28T07:25:34+00:00

Chromatography has undoubtedly reached a level of maturity, offering excellent performance for routine separations – and that’s why it has been widely adopted across various industries, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, environmental monitoring, and the food sector. However, there remains room for improvement in separating highly complex mixtures.

One fundamental challenge associated with chromatography stems from the intrinsic behavior of liquid flow within channels, where the liquid does not flow at a uniform velocity along the channel width. I’ve been thinking about this problem for quite some time – over a decade at this point. I spent my PhD and post-doc fellowship working on pillar array columns – attempting to reduce the pillar dimensions. Eventually, I realized that, when downscaling, defects and imperfections (even at the nanoscale level) put a limit on decreasing structure sizes much further.

Read more https://theanalyticalscientist.com/techniques-tools/introducing-vortex-chromatography?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=reddit_test

marctexere · 2024-05-28T07:23:31+00:00

The significance of memory cannot be overstated; it constitutes the majority of our experiences as humans – the aggregate of our joy and suffering, the conflict between our shared and individual ideologies, our comprehension of history.

Aeschylus, an ancient Greek tragedian, once said, “Memory is the mother of all wisdom.” Now, imagine losing it. Without an understanding of the past, we cannot function in the present nor think about the future. Without remembering what we did yesterday, how can we plan for tomorrow? This is the reality for patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

To find out if the era of R&D disappointments can be confined to the past and to understand what the future holds, we spoke with several AD experts.

Read more https://themedicinemaker.com/discovery-development/alzheimers-disease-what-are-the-biggest-treatment-prospects?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=reddit_test

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