2016

Over the years, I have come to realize that a good vitamin formula supplement, one that contains all the key ingredients, is still not enough for good eye health. Many patients face limiting factors in terms of their digestion and absorption capabilities. This is one reason I have added three...

Background Microorganisms in the human intestine (i.e. the gut microbiome) have an increasingly recognized impact on human health, including brain functioning. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with abnormalities in dopamine neurotransmission and deficits in reward processing and its underlying neuro-circuitry including the ventral striatum. The microbiome might contribute to ADHD etiology via the gut-brain axis. In this pilot study, we investigated potential differences in the microbiome between ADHD cases and undiagnosed controls, as well as its relation to neural reward processing. Methods We used 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing (16S) to identify bacterial taxa and their predicted gene functions in 19 ADHD and 77 control participants. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we interrogated the effect of observed microbiome differences in neural reward responses in a subset of 28 participants, independent of diagnosis. Results For the first time, we describe gut microbial makeup of adolescents and adults diagnosed with ADHD. We found that the relative abundance of several bacterial taxa differed between cases and controls, albeit marginally significant. A nominal increase in the Bifidobacterium genus was observed in ADHD cases. In a hypothesis-driven approach, we found that the observed increase was linked to significantly enhanced 16S-based predicted bacterial gene functionality encoding cyclohexadienyl dehydratase in cases relative to controls. This enzyme is involved in the synthesis of phenylalanine, a precursor of dopamine. Increased relative abundance of this functionality was significantly associated with decreased ventral striatal fMRI responses during reward anticipation, independent of ADHD diagnosis and age. Conclusions Our results show increases in gut microbiome predicted function of dopamine precursor synthesis between ADHD cases and controls. This increase in microbiome function relates to decreased neural responses to reward anticipation. Decreased neural reward anticipation constitutes one of the hallmarks of ADHD.

The accumulation of undegraded molecular material leads to progressive neurodegeneration in a number of lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) that are caused by functional deficiencies of lysosomal hy...

raphs to document changes over time with A. vera-based topical treatment. Results: The patient refused biopsy of her lesion and traditional treatments and, instead, initiated using A. vera eye drops 3 times daily. At follow-up visits, the lesion was noted to regress until it finally resolved 3 months after commencing treatment. No additional topical medications were used, and she has remained tumor free for 6 years. Conclusions: Ongoing research is warranted because A. vera may represent a new therapeutic class of medications for OSSN treatment....

Abstract Dipyridamole was introduced decades ago as a treatment for angina, subsequently found to inhibit platelet aggregation. It is most commonly used, and approved for use in thromboembolism prevention, following surgery. Some of its recognized effects such as adenosine uptake inhibition, elevation of cAMP and cGMP levels, vasodilation, and tissue perfusion are important in various ocular disorders. For this reason, dipyridamole represents an interesting candidate as a therapeutic target for the treatment of eye disorders affecting different ocular structures. The aim of this article is to review the evidence and current understanding of the mechanisms by which dipyridamole exerts its effects on different ocular tissues, discuss the role of dipyridamole in clinical practice, and highlight areas of use and routes of administration.

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Researchers have used personalized proteomics to devise a successful treatment strategy for a patient with uveitis, a potentially blinding eye disease that can have many causes, making it particularly difficult to diagnose and treat effectively.

When he was 9, Mason Two Crow learned he could be legally blind before he turned 18. A few years later, his doctors told him something else:...

Patient-reported results of a novel treatment for pterygium and pinguecula, a common incurable eye condition presented at ARVO's Israel Chapter national meeting. The treatment utilizes the well-known cardiovascular drug dipyridamole in eye drop form. Dipyridamole has been in clinical use for 55 years, and is now being repurposed for treating intractable eye conditions such as pterygium, pinguecula and severe dry eye.

When he was 9, Mason Two Crow learned he could be legally blind before he turned 18. A few years later, his doctors told him something else:...

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Dr. Kelly was selected based on her outstanding abstract on binocular treatment for amblyopia (‘lazy eye’).

In this interview, Dr. Wunsch, a world class expert on photobiology, shares the hidden dangers of LED lighting that most people are completely unaware of.

Whether or not cannabis use may increase the risk for depression and/or anxiety is not clear. For one thing, it has not been possible to draw a defini…

Natural light surrounds us. Yet not getting enough of the right forms of natural light causes disease.

NIH-funded clinical trial shows Eylea, Avastin, and Lucentis perform similarly when vision loss is mild.

MicroRNAs from plants accumulate in mammalian blood and tissues, where they can regulate gene expression.

Bits of the transcriptome once believed to function as RNA molecules are in fact translated into small proteins.

Connective tissue is the most abundant type of tissue in our body. The shape and form of the body, including its organs, muscles, bones, and cartilage, are determined by the properties of connective t...

Purpose. This randomized, observer-masked, crossover study investigated the effect of two hyaluronic acid/trehalose-based containing formulations, with different physical properties, on the signs and...