MedWorm: Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AFER announces 2011 Genentech Fellowship recipients

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) ARVO Foundation for Eye Research congratulates the first AFER/Genentech Age-related macular Degeneration Fellowship recipients -- Balamurali K. Ambati, M.D., Ph.D., and Stephen H. Tsang, M.D., Ph.D. Each received $40,000 to support their age-related macular degeneration research and will be honored at the 2012 ARVO Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 6, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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Grapes found to help prevent age-related blindness even better than lutein

NaturalNews.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Lutein has long been hailed for its ability to help protect against, and even reverse, the devastating effects of age-related macular degeneration. But a new study published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggests that grapes may work even better than... (Source: NaturalNews.com)

Patent watch

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 11, 98 (2012). doi:10.1038/nrd3667 Author: Charlotte Harrison Regeneron and Genentech's VEGF trap dispute settles... and continues Regeneron and Genentech have settled their patent dispute over Eylea (aflibercept) — a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration — which was launched onto the US market in November 2011. But the biotech companies are still (Source: Nature Reviews Drug Discovery)

Discuss eye health during AMD Month

Modern Medicine — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

February is Age-related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month, and Prevent Blindness America is offering a dedicated online resource for patients and caretakers to learn more about the retinal disease. (Source: Modern Medicine)

FDA clears updated OCT software package

Modern Medicine — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Carl Zeiss Meditec has added new diagnostic tools for dry age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma to the software for its proprietary high-definition ocular coherence tomography (OCT) platform (Cirrus HD-OCT). The new software (Cirrus HD-OCT version 6.0) has received clearance from the FDA. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Med Sci Monit 2012; 18(2):PR1-3 "A69S and R38X ARMS2 and Y402H CFH gene polymorphisms as risk factors for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Poland – a brief report"

Medical Science Monitor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The etiologic role in ARMD of A69S ARMS2 and Y402H CFH gene variants were confirmed in a Polish population for the first time. R38X variant of ARMS2 seems to be protective from wet ARMD. (Source: Medical Science Monitor)

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Relationship between retinal morphological findings and visual function in age-related macular degeneration

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:12:16 +0100

Conclusions In eyes with exudative AMD, final VA was most correlated with initial VA. In addition, the initial integrity of the foveal outer retina was partially correlated with the visual prognosis. The initial ELM condition was associated with good final VA, while the initial presence of hyperreflective foci in the foveal neurosensory retina was associated with poor final VA. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Retinal DisordersPages 1-8DOI 10.1007/s00417-012-1928-5Authors Yumiko Akagi-Kurashige, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507 JapanAkitaka Tsujikawa, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507 Japan...

C9-R95X Polymorphism in Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Retina]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. These findings support the notion that the haploinsufficiency of C9, a terminal complement complex component, engenders reduced intraocular secretion of VEGF and decreased risk for CNV development. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Alzheimer's disease and age-related macular degeneration have different genetic models for complement gene variation.

Neurobiology of Aging — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Proitsi P, Lupton MK, Dudbridge F, Tsolaki M, Hamilton G, Daniilidou M, Pritchard M, Lord K, Martin BM, Craig D, Todd S, McGuinness B, Hollingworth P, Harold D, Kloszewska I, Soininen H, Mecocci P, Velas B, Gill M, Lawlor B, Rubinsztein DC, Brayne C, Passmore PA, Williams J, Lovestone S, Powell JF Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are both neurodegenerative disorders which share common pathological and biochemical features of the complement pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between well replicated AMD genetic risk factors and AD. A large cohort of AD (n = 3898) patients and controls were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the complement factor H (CFH), the Age-re...

Quantitative trait loci on chromosome 1 for cataract and AMD-like retinopathy in senescence-accelerated OXYS rats.

Aging — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Korbolina EE, Kozhevnikova OS, Stefanova NA, Kolosova NG Abstract Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataract are common age-related diseases in humans. Previously we showed that senescence-accelerated OXYS rats develop retinopathy and cataract, which are comparable to human AMD and senile cataract. Here we focused on the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), which affect early-onset cataract and retinopathy in OXYS rats, using F2 hybrids bred by a reciprocal cross (OXYS×WAG and WAG×OXYS). Chromosome 1 showed significant associations between retinopathy and loci in the regions of markers D1Rat30 and D1Rat219 (QTL1) as well as D1Rat219 and D1Rat81 (QTL2); and between early cataract development with the locus in the region of the markers D1Rat219 and D1...

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Ranibizumab versus Verteporfin Photodynamic Therapy, Pegaptanib Sodium, and Best Supportive Care for the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Greece.

Clinical Therapeutics — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: Ranibizumab can be a cost-effective option for the treatment of AMD compared with selected alternatives in the Greek health care setting. PMID: 22289279 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Therapeutics)

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Multifocal Pupillography Identifies Ranibizumab-Induced Changes in Retinal Function for Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Retina]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Improvements in mfPOP contraction amplitudes and time to peak responses were measured in eyes treated with intravitreal ranibizumab; however, response delays appeared to be the most indicative of functional improvement. Confirmation of hypersensitivity in the extrafoveal field in a larger group may support this finding as a prognostic marker for good treatment outcomes. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

The relationship between optical coherence tomography patterns, angiographic parameters and visual acuity in age-related macular degeneration

International Ophthalmology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:09:18 +0100

Abstract To assess the relationships between visual acuity (VA), fluorescein angiographic parameters and optical coherence tomography (OCT) patterns in exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Fifty eyes with confirmed diagnosis of new exudative AMD who underwent fluorescein angiography (FA) and OCT evaluation were reviewed retrospectively. The greatest linear diameter of lesion (GLD) by FA and central foveal thickness (CFT) by OCT were measured. The OCT scans were evaluated for the presence of diffuse retinal thickening (D), cystic spaces (C), subretinal fluid (S) and pigment epithelial detachment (P) and five OCT patterns were detected (D + S; C; C + S; P + C + S; P + D + S). Angiographic classification ...

Stem cell therapy 'safe for eye condition'

NHS News Feed — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:55:00 +0100

Conclusion This was a small clinical trial that assessed the safety of using stem cell technology to treat one person with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy and one person with dry age-related macular degeneration. Specifically, it looked at the use of retinal cells that had been made from human embryonic stem cells. The primary focus of this research was to see whether this procedure would be safe, not whether it was effective. The researchers found that neither of the patients had problems with abnormal cell growth, tumour formation, graft rejection or any other pathological reaction or safety issues, all of which are potential problems in this type of treatment. The researchers followed the patients over four months but say that further follow-up is needed to observe the long-term effec...

Wills Eye to begin dry AMD trial

Modern Medicine — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:45:41 +0100

The Wills Eye Institute has received institutional review board approval as a site for a phase I/II clinical trial for nonexudative (dry) age-related macular degeneration using human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells from Advanced Cell Technology Inc. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Vision improves modestly in patients after human embryonic stem cells transplants

UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:00:32 +0100

Researchers at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute and colleagues who successfully transplanted specialized retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells into the eyes of two legally blind patients report that the transplants appear safe and that both patients have experienced modest improvement in their vision. The preliminary findings, published online Jan. 23 in the journal The Lancet, represent a milestone in the therapeutic use of stem cells and may pave the way for a new therapy to treat eye diseases, the researchers said. Because this is the first time physicians have applied the power of regenerative medicine to eye disease, the clinical trials are being watched closely by scientists, stem-cell therapy advocates and the public. The patients — a woman in her...

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Vision improves modestly in patients after human embryonic stem cell transplants

UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:00:32 +0100

Stem Cell Treatment For Blindness Shows Promise In Trials

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0100

The first published results of trials using cells derived from human embryonic stem cells appear to show they have passed an initial safety hurdle. In The Lancet this week, researchers report that two nearly blind patients, one with Stargardt's macular dystrophy and the other with dry age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in developed countries), showed measurable improvements in vision that lasted for more than four months after receiving injections of retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from human embryonic stem cells... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Risk Of Blindness Halved Over Last Decade

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of blindness in the Western World. A report from the University of Copenhagen and Glostrup Hospital in Denmark shows the number of new cases of blindness and severe visual loss in Denmark has been halved during the last ten years. The study just published in American Journal of Ophthalmology examined the records of 11,848 new cases of legal blindness. The rate of blindness from AMD fell from 522 cases per million inhabitants aged 50 years or older in 2000, to 257 cases per million in 2010, a reduction by over 50 per cent... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

NHS Choices 'Behind the Headlines' assessment of press reports that vitamin D 'may stop AMD sight loss'

NeLM - News — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Source: NHS Choices Area: News The 'Behind the Headlines' service from NHS Choices has featured a quality assessment of press reports that "more vitamin D a day could keep glasses away" (reported by The Independent and others; 17th January 2012). The assessment notes that the reports were based on the results of an animal study, in which mice were treated with vitamin D daily for six weeks. At the end of this period the researchers looked for the presence of amyloid beta (which accumulates with ageing) and C3d (a marker of inflammation) in their eyes, as the accumulation of these proteins and inflammation are thought to increase the risk of people developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). They also looked at the number and shape of macrophages in and around the r...

Incidence of Legal Blindness From Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Denmark: Year 2000 to 2010

American Journal of Ophthalmology — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:51:05 +0100

Conclusion: From 2000 to 2010 the incidence of legal blindness from AMD fell to half the baseline incidence. The bulk of the reduction occurred after the introduction of intravitreally injected inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor in 2006. (Source: American Journal of Ophthalmology)

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Time Trends in the Incidence and Causes of Blindness in Israel

American Journal of Ophthalmology — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:51:05 +0100

Conclusions: Contemporary interventions in ophthalmology combined with widely available universal free access to healthcare seem to be effective in causing a major reduction in the incidence of blindness. (Source: American Journal of Ophthalmology)

Cost analysis comparing adjuvant epimacular brachytherapy with anti-VEGF monotherapy for the management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Eye — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Authors: T L Jackson, L Kirkpatrick, G Tang & S Prasad (Source: Eye)

Professor's Research Helps Restore Sight to the Blind

Health — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0100

The UA's Wolfgang Fink has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Fink's research into artificial retinas helps restore some sight in blind patients with age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. (Source: Health)

Automated Characterization of Pigment Epithelial Detachment by Optical Coherence Tomography [Retina]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Automated classification of PEDs using internal reflectivity characteristics appears to be sensitive for detecting serous and fibrovascular PEDs. Automated classification and quantification of PEDs may be a useful tool in future studies for stratifying PEDs according to risk and possibly predicting the risk of advanced AMD. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Report shows risk of blindness halved over last decade

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(University of Copenhagen) Age-related macular degeneration is the most frequent cause of blindness in the Western World. A report from the University of Copenhagen and Glostrup Hospital in Denmark published today shows the number of new cases of blindness and severe visual loss in Denmark has been halved during the last ten years. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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The role of disease characteristics in the ethical debate on personal genome testing

BMC Medical Genomics — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

DiscussionIn this paper, we identify and discuss four disease characteristics - severity, actionability, age of onset, and the somatic/psychiatric nature of disease - and show how these lead to specific ethical issues. By way of illustration, we apply this framework to genetic susceptibility testing for three diseases: type 2 diabetes, age-related macular degeneration and clinical depression. For these three diseases, we point out the ethical issues that are relevant to the question whether it is morally justifiable to offer genetic susceptibility testing to adults or to children or minors, and on what conditions.SummaryWe conclude that the ethical evaluation of personal genome tests is challenging, for the ethical issues differ with the diseases tested for. An understanding of the ethical...

Association of polymorphisms in C2, CFB and C3 with exudative age-related macular degeneration in a Korean population.

Experimental Eye Research — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, the genetic effect of C2, CFB and C3 polymorphisms, which are known to be important for AMD in Caucasian, were not significant in the Korean population. The low minor allele frequency of these SNPs in Koreans might have affected the results of this study. Ethnic differences in the roles of C2, CFB and C3 in conferring a risk of AMD should be further investigated. PMID: 22273503 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Experimental Eye Research)

Vitamin D 'may stop AMD sight loss'

NHS News Feed — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:46:00 +0100

Conclusion This small animal study showed that injections of vitamin D over six weeks decreased the accumulation of one age-related protein and decreased inflammation in the retina of seven mice compared to seven control mice. The response of the eye to light stimuli differed between the two groups of mice. The newspapers and the research article itself said that this research suggests that vitamin D supplementation may represent a beneficial route for those at risk of a type of vision loss called age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, the aim of this animal study was not to see whether vitamin D treatment prevented AMD (or a mouse model version it). It is far too early to say whether this vitamin D could prevent AMD as there have not yet been trials in humans. The study had look...

CFH, VEGF and HTRA1 promoter genotype may influence the response to intravitreal ranibizumab therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

British Journal of Ophthalmology — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions This study reports preliminary evidence suggesting that the higher AMD risk genotypes in CFH, VEGF and HTRA1 may influence the short-term response to treatment with ranibizumab for neovascular AMD. (Source: British Journal of Ophthalmology)

Reproducibility of segmentation error correction in age-related macular degeneration: Stratus versus Cirrus OCT

British Journal of Ophthalmology — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion The reproducibility of threshold algorithm line failure correction was good overall in Stratus and Cirrus OCT and can therefore be recommended to improve retinal thickness measurement, particularly when experienced examiners perform the corrections. (Source: British Journal of Ophthalmology)

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Grapes may help prevent blindness in aged

Health News - UPI.com — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:26:35 +0100

NEW YORK, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Eating grapes over a lifetime may slow or help prevent age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the elderly, U.S. researchers say. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

Age-Related Blindness May Be Warded Off By Grapes

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Can eating grapes slow or help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a debilitating condition affecting millions of elderly people worldwide? Results from a new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggest this might be the case. The antioxidant actions of grapes are believed to be responsible for these protective effects. The study compared the impact of an antioxidant-rich diet on vision using mice prone to developing retinal damage in old age in much the same way as humans do... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Combination therapy with low-dose transpupillary thermotherapy and intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a 24-month prospective randomised clinical study.

The British Journal of Ophthalmology — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsTreatment with low-dose TTT significantly reduced the number or intravitreal injections of ranibizumab over 24 months. The results suggest that low-dose TTT can serve as an adjuvant in combination with intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular AMD.Clinical trial registration numberThe trial is registered at http://clinicaltrails.gov (no NCT00599222). PMID: 22241923 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The British Journal of Ophthalmology)

Grapes may help prevent age-related blindness

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.) Can eating grapes slow or help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a debilitating condition affecting millions of elderly people worldwide? Results from a new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggest this might be the case. The antioxidant actions of grapes are believed to be responsible for these protective effects. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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Lipofuscin can be eliminated from the retinal pigment epithelium of monkeys.

Neurobiology of Aging — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Julien A S, Schraermeyer A U Abstract Lipofuscin is a cytologic hallmark of aging in metabolically active postmitotic cells including neurons, cardiac muscle cells, and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). High levels of lipofuscin are involved in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the main cause of blindness in the elderly population in the western world. Degradation and exocytosis of lipofuscin by RPE cells have not been observed in vivo until now, and no drug is known to eliminate the intracellular amount of lipofuscin. Here, we show that in monkeys treated with a small molecule belonging to the tetrahydropyridoethers class (n = 36 of 48 monkeys), RPE cells significantly release lipofuscin. In 4 eyes, macrophages were detected which had taken u...

The discovery of placenta growth factor and its biological activity.

exp Mol Med — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Falco SD Abstract Angiogenesis is a complex biological phenomenon crucial for a correct embryonic development and for post-natal growth. In adult life, it is a tightly regulated process confined to the uterus and ovary during the different phases of the menstrual cycle and to the heart and skeletal muscles after prolonged and sustained physical exercise. Conversly, angiogenesis is one of the major pathological changes associated with several complex diseases like cancer, atherosclerosis, arthritis, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (Carmeliet and Jain, 2011). Among the several molecular players involved in angiogenesis, some members of VEGF family, VEGF-A, VEGF-B and placental growth factor (PlGF), and the related receptors VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR-1,...

Population Differences in Genetic Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Implications for Genetic Testing [Research Letters]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Archives of Opthalmology)

Risks of Adverse Events With Therapies for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Response [Letters]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Archives of Opthalmology)

Risks of Adverse Events With Therapies for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Response--Reply [Letters]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Archives of Opthalmology)

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Validity of EuroQOL-5D, time trade-off, and standard gamble for age-related macular degeneration in the Singapore population

Eye — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Authors: K G Au Eong, E W Chan, N Luo, S H Wong, N W H Tan, T H Lim & A M Wagle (Source: Eye)

Study suggests possible association between aspirin use and AMD

NeLM - News — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Source: Ophthalmology Area: News The results of a cross-sectional study that found an association between daily aspirin use and AMD have been published in Ophthalmology. The authors note that associations between aspirin use and aging macula disorder (AMD; same as age-related macular degeneration) have been addressed previously in various settings, with inconsistent results. In their study, they used data collected as part of the European Eye Study (ESS) to look at associations between aspirin use and AMD. The EES involved 7 European centres and was designed to estimate the prevalence of AMD across Europe and investigate possible risk factors, focusing on solar radiation and antioxidant vitamins. Patients (n=4,691) were recruited between 2000 and 2003 b...

HTRA1 Regulates Angiogenesis in Retina [Gene Regulation]

Journal of Biological Chemistry — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In this report, we identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6982567 A/G near the GDF6 gene that is significantly associated with AMD (p value = 3.54 × 10−8). We demonstrated that the GDF6 AMD risk allele (rs6982567 A) is associated with decreased expression of the GDF6 and increased expression of HTRA1. Similarly, the HTRA1 AMD risk allele (rs10490924 T) is associated with decreased GDF6 and increased HTRA1 expression. We observed decreased vascular development in the retina and significant up-regulation of GDF6 gene in the RPE layer, retinal and brain tissues in HTRA1 knock-out (htra1−/−) mice as compared with the wild-type counterparts. Furthermore, we showed enhanced SMAD signaling in htra1−/− mice. Our data suggests a critical role of HTRA1 in the regulation of an...

More Frequent Aspirin Use Associated With More Severe AMDMore Frequent Aspirin Use Associated With More Severe AMD

Medscape Today Headlines — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:18:12 +0100

The risk for age-related macular degeneration rises as the frequency of aspirin use increases, suggesting caution in recommending aspirin to patients with AMD, who may take it for other conditions. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Could Daily Aspirin Harm Seniors’ Eyes?

The Doctors Lounge - Health News — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:00:00 +0100

Study found possible association between drug and age-related macular degeneration (Source: The Doctors Lounge - Health News)

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Could Daily Aspirin Harm Seniors' Eyes?

MedlinePlus Health News — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Study found possible association between drug and age-related macular degeneration Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Blood Thinners, Macular Degeneration, Seniors' Health (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Daily Aspirin Tied to Eye Disorder (CME/CE)

MedPage Today Geriatrics — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:13:03 +0100

(MedPage Today) -- Daily aspirin use may protect the heart but hurt the eyes, boosting the risk of age-related macular degeneration, researchers found. (Source: MedPage Today Geriatrics)

Startup receives $4 million to develop drug delivery targeted to the back of the eye

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Emory University) Technology developed at Georgia Tech and Emory for delivering drugs and other therapeutics to specific locations in the eye provides the foundation for a startup that has received a $4 million venture capital investment. Clearside Biomedical plans to develop microinjection technology using hollow microneedles to precisely target therapeutics within the eye. If the technique proves successful in clinical trials and wins regulatory approval, it could provide an improved method for treating diseases that affect the back of the eye, including age-related macular degeneration. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Validated Automatic Segmentation of AMD Pathology Including Drusen and Geographic Atrophy in SD-OCT Images [Clinical Trials]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. The automatic algorithm accurately and reproducibly segmented three retinal boundaries in images containing drusen and GA. This automatic approach can reduce time and labor costs and yield objective measurements that potentially reveal quantitative RPE changes in longitudinal clinical AMD studies. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00734487.) (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

The importance of rheological parameters in the therapy of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration with rheohaemapheresis.

Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In this study, we describe changes in the levels of rheological efficacy indicators after rheohaemapheresis and their clinical significance in the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Seventy-two patients with AMD were randomised; 34 controls, and 38 patients were treated with rheohaemapheresis (separator Cobe Spectra + Evaflux filter). After the procedures, α2-macroglobulin levels decreased by approximately 58%, fibrinogen by approximately 65%, IgM by approximately 67%, LDL cholesterol by approximately 71%, apolipoprotein B by approximately 65%, and lipoprotein (a) by approximately 42%. These decreases correspond with a decrease in blood and plasma viscosity (14/12%), clinical improvement (arrest of disease progression, even visual improvement in some cases), and heretofor...

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Retinal Venular Caliber Predicts Visual Outcome after Intravitreal Ranibizumab Injection Treatments for Neovascular AMD [Retina]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. In eyes with neovascular AMD treated with intravitreal ranibizumab, larger baseline retinal venular caliber was significantly associated with a poorer response to treatment, possibly reflecting increased disease severity. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Synthesis of (3R,3′R)-Zeaxanthin and Its meso-Stereoisomer from (3R,3′R,6′R)-Lutein via (3R)-3′,4′-Anhydrolutein

Synthesis — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SynthesisDOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1289662AbstractA process has been developed for the partial synthesis of (3R,3′R)-zeaxanthin and (3R,3′S; meso)-zeaxanthin from commercially available (3R,3′R,6′R)-lutein. This involves the regioselective hydroboration of a dehydration product of lutein, namely (3R)-3′,4′-didehydro-β,β-caroten-3-ol [(3R)-3′,4′-anhydrolutein], to yield a mixture of (3R,3′R)-zeaxanthin and (3R,3′S; meso)-zeaxanthin followed by separation of these carotenoids by enzyme-mediated acylation. (3R,3′R,6′R)-Lutein, (3R,3′R)-zeaxanthin and its meso-isomer accumulate in human ocular tissues and have been implicated in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).[...]© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New YorkArticle in Thieme eJournals:Table of ...

Vitamin D rejuvenates aging eyes by reducing inflammation, clearing amyloid beta and improving visual function.

Neurobiology of Aging — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Lee V, Rekhi E, Kam JH, Jeffery G Abstract Vitamin D(3) plays a key role in immune regulation and may protect against the aging process. A focal point for age-related changes is the outer retina of the eye where there is high metabolic demand resulting in a gradual increase in extracellular deposition, inflammation, and cell loss giving rise to visual decline. Here, we demonstrate that vitamin D(3) administration for only 6 weeks in aged mice significantly impacts on this aging process. Treated mice showed significant reductions in retinal inflammation and levels of amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation, which is a hallmark of aging. They also had significant reductions in retinal macrophage numbers and marked shifts in their morphology. These changes were reflected in a signifi...

Florida center reports positive aflibercept results

Modern Medicine — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A 3-year study conducted at Retina Health Center and centers around the world has confirmed that patients who have the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and who received aflibercept for intravitreal injection (Eylea, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) over 2 years achieved visual improvements with fewer treatments compared with patients who received an alternative medication. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Inflammatory and Angiogenic Protein Detection in the Human Vitreous: Cytometric Bead Assay

Clinical and Developmental Immunology — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:55:03 +0100

Conclusions. CBA is an innovative, fast determining, and reliable technology to analyze proteins in fluids, like the undiluted vitreous, which is important to better understand ocular pathophysiology and pharmacology. There is no influence of intermittent storage at −80° for the reproducibility of the CBA. (Source: Clinical and Developmental Immunology)

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SOD1-deficient AD Mice Show Early Memory Loss [Molecular Bases of Disease]

Journal of Biological Chemistry — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Oxidative stress is closely linked to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration. Soluble amyloid β (Aβ) oligomers cause cognitive impairment and synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the relationship between oligomers, oxidative stress, and their localization during disease progression is uncertain. Our previous study demonstrated that mice deficient in cytoplasmic copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD, SOD1) have features of drusen formation, a hallmark of age-related macular degeneration (Imamura, Y., Noda, S., Hashizume, K., Shinoda, K., Yamaguchi, M., Uchiyama, S., Shimizu, T., Mizushima, Y., Shirasawa, T., and Tsubota, K. (2006) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103, 11282–11287). Amyloid assembly has been implicated as a common mechanism of plaque and drusen forma...

Effect of Intravitreal Ranibizumab in the Treatment of Peripapillary Choroidal Neovascularisation

International Journal of Biomedical Imaging — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:21:03 +0100

Intravitreal ranibizumab therapy is widely used in treatment of subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration. We wanted to study the effect of intravitreal ranibizumab therapy in peripapillary CNV. A prospective recording of treatment outcomes in twelve eyes (12 patients) with peripapillary CNV with intravitreal injections of ranibizumab was performed. The patients received a series of 3 injections 4–6 weeks apart, and then a new ophthalmic examination was made including OCT and further therapy was given if the peripapillary CNV was still active. Nine patients had idiopathic peripapillary CNV, and in 3 patients it was associated to age-related macular degeneration. Followup had to be at least 6 months. The mean follow-up time was 15.9 (range 9̵...

Med Sci Monit 2012; 18(1):CR32-38 "Retinal pigment epithelial tears following ranibizumab therapy for fibrovascular retinal pigment epithelial detachment due to occult age-related macular degeneration"

Medical Science Monitor — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:17:00 +0100

Conclusions: In eyes with FVPED and RPE tears treated with ranibizumab, stabilization of visual acuity without significant improvement is predictable. One of the risk factors common to RPE tears may be baseline leakage parameters and pretreatment distorted RPE contour in OCT. During ranibizumab therapy in eyes with RPE tears, upper parameters of FVPED height may occur without significant differences in fovea and macula volume compare to eyes without RPE tears. (Source: Medical Science Monitor)

Med Sci Monit 2012; 18(1):LE1-2 "Is lipoxins A4 a better alternative to anti-VEGF and anti-TNF-alpha antibody to prevent and treat age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema and retinopathy?"

Medical Science Monitor — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:17:00 +0100

(Source: Medical Science Monitor)

Detecting genome-wide epistases based on the clustering of relatively frequent items

Bioinformatics — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Motivation: In genome-wide association studies (GWAS), up to millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are genotyped for thousands of individuals. However, conventional single locus-based approaches are usually unable to detect gene–gene interactions underlying complex diseases. Due to the huge search space for complicated high order interactions, many existing multi-locus approaches are slow and may suffer from low detection power for GWAS. Results: In this article, we develop a simple, fast and effective algorithm to detect genome-wide multi-locus epistatic interactions based on the clustering of relatively frequent items. Extensive experiments on simulated data show that our algorithm is fast and more powerful in general than some recently proposed methods. On a real geno...

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Localization of Papillofoveal Bundles in Primates

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractAxons in the fovea are precisely organized to ensure accurate vision. We investigated the morphologic characteristics and localization of nerve bundles in the optic nerve in primates. Macaque eyes were studied for conventional and immunostaining, and also marmoset eyes for carbocyanine dye tracing. Locally confined lesions associated with similar findings to human age‐related macular degeneration (ARMD) were also evaluated. Axons of retinal ganglion cells formed fasciculi near their origin, and these fasciculi formed bundles thereafter. In the retinal nerve fiber layer, ascending bundles assembled stratification adding proximal bundle underneath successively. Bundles in the arcuate zone displayed a characteristic fine, parallel arrangement, whereas those in the outside zone inter...

Localization of Papillofoveal Bundles in Primates.

Anatomical Record — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Hiraoka M, Inoue K, Kawano H, Takada M Abstract Axons in the fovea are precisely organized to ensure accurate vision. We investigated the morphologic characteristics and localization of nerve bundles in the optic nerve in primates. Macaque eyes were studied for conventional and immunostaining, and also marmoset eyes for carbocyanine dye tracing. Locally confined lesions associated with similar findings to human age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) were also evaluated. Axons of retinal ganglion cells formed fasciculi near their origin, and these fasciculi formed bundles thereafter. In the retinal nerve fiber layer, ascending bundles assembled stratification adding proximal bundle underneath successively. Bundles in the arcuate zone displayed a characteristic fine, parall...

AAV-Mediated Gene Transfer of Human X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protects against Oxidative Cell Death in Human RPE Cells [Retinal Cell Biology]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Overexpression of human XIAP protects ARPE-19 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative cell death by acting downstream on the apoptotic pathway. XIAP gene therapy using AAV may provide a means of reducing the effect of oxidative stress to RPE cells in age-related macular degeneration. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

A Method to Enhance Cell Survival on Bruch's Membrane in Eyes Affected by Age and Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Retinal Cell Biology]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. The results of this study indicate that RPE survival is possible on AMD BM and offer a method that could be developed for enhancing transplanted cell survival on AMD BM. Increased ECM deposition may account for improved cell survival after culture in BCEC-CM. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

5′-Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase–Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Axis As Therapeutic Target for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Rejuvenation Research — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:43:42 +0100

Rejuvenation Research Dec 2011, Vol. 14, No. 6: 651-660. (Source: Rejuvenation Research)

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Environmental Amsler test as a monitoring tool for retreatment with ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Eye — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0100

Authors: R Mathew & S Sivaprasad (Source: Eye)

Visual function 5 years or more after macular translocation surgery for myopic choroidal neovascularisation and age-related macular degeneration

Eye — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0100

Authors: K Takeuchi, S Kachi, E Iwata, K Ishikawa & H Terasaki (Source: Eye)

Neuroprotective response after photodynamic therapy: Role of vascular endothelial growth factor

BioMed Central — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Cytotoxic stress caused by PDT, at levels that do not cause overt tissue damage, induces VEGF and activates Akt to rescue the neural tissue, suppressing BAX. Thus, the immediate and transient induction of VEGF after PDT is neuroprotective. (Source: BioMed Central)

Blue-Light versus Green-Light Autofluorescence: Lesion Size of Areas of Geographic Atrophy [Clinical Trials]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. The green-light FAF images (514 nm) are superior for the accurate analysis of small, central, pathologic changes, and for the determination of the central GA lesion size. Using only blue-light FAF could lead to an overinterpretation of the size of atrophic patches and the center involvement, because it suggests the presence of atrophy in the fovea. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00494325.) (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Potential Treatment For Macular Degeneration And Retinitis Pigmentosa Uses Nanoparticles To Deliver Steroids To Retina

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0100

Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. A collaborative research study among investigators at Wayne State University, the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that steroids attached to the dendrimers targeted the damage-causing cells associated with neuroinflammation, leaving the rest of the eye unaffected and preserving vision. The principal authors of the study, Raymond Iezzi, M.D. (Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist) and Rangaramanujam Kannan, Ph.D... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Long-term outcome of subretinal coapplication of rtPA and bevacizumab followed by repeated intravitreal anti-VEGF injections for neovascular AMD with submacular haemorrhage.

The British Journal of Ophthalmology — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionThe operation effectively displaces small and large SMHs. In the long-term, a predominantly visual acuity-driven re-treatment regimen puts the initial functional improvement at risk. More sensitive re-treatment parameters may help to improve long-term functional outcome. PMID: 22174095 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The British Journal of Ophthalmology)

Nonaoparticles Help Researchers Deliver Steroids to Retina

Mayo Clinic Rochester News — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:41:20 +0100

Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, according to a study by investigators at Mayo Clinic, Wayne State University and Johns Hopkins Medicine. (Source: Mayo Clinic Rochester News)

Magnetic stimulation as retinal treatment

Modern Medicine — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Brainsway Ltd. has announced interim results from an animal study being conducted at the Sheba Medical Center to explore the effects of the company's transcranial magnetic stimulation device on age-related macular degeneration. (Source: Modern Medicine)

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Challenges faced by older adults with vision loss: a qualitative study with implications for rehabilitation.

Clinical Rehabilitation — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Although functional challenges are predominant, social and psychological challenges are quite common and need to be addressed in vision rehabilitation. Rehabilitation planning should also consider that vision-related challenges can change over time. PMID: 22169832 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Rehabilitation)

Nanoparticles help researcher deliver steroids to retina

ScienceDaily Headlines — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:47:47 +0100

Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Risk of endophthalmitis remains low

Optometry - Journal of the American Optometric Association — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:01:48 +0100

Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents have not only changed how neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is managed, but its expanded indications are impacting the management of retinal vascular occlusion, neovascular glaucoma, and diabetic macular edema. Here the authors describe risk factors and outcomes associated with the most feared complication of these intravitreal injections, endophthalmitis. (Source: Optometry - Journal of the American Optometric Association)

AMD Prevalence In India, China and Malaysia Similar

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0100

According to an investigation being published Online First by the Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, in Asia, the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - an eye disease connected with aging that gradually destroys sharp, central vision - is similar among individuals from India, China and Malay. AMD is one of the primary causes of blindness in older individuals. AMD gradually destroys sharp central vision needed for seeing objects clearly and carrying out everyday tasks, such as driving and reading... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Oral agent promising in dry AMD

Modern Medicine — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:27:26 +0100

Acucela Inc. has released data from phase Ia and Ib clinical studies that show dose-dependent modulation of the visual cycle caused by its small-molecule visual cycle modulator ACU-4429, which is being studied for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration. (Source: Modern Medicine)

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Magnetic stimulation studied as retinal treatment

Modern Medicine — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:27:26 +0100

Nanoparticles help researchers deliver steroids to retina

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research) Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. A collaborative research study among investigators at Wayne State University, the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that steroids attached to the dendrimers targeted the damage-causing cells associated with neuroinflammation, leaving the rest of the eye unaffected and preserving vision. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Nanoparticles help Mayo Clinic researcher deliver steroids to retina

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(Mayo Clinic) Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Risk-Assessment Model Predicts Progression of AMDRisk-Assessment Model Predicts Progression of AMD

Medscape Today Headlines — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:43:15 +0100

A new tool identifies those patients who are most likely to lose their vision because of age-related macular degeneration. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Multiethnic Asian Cohort [Epidemiology]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions The prevalence of AMD was similar in the 3 major ethnic groups in Asia and comparable with white populations. Myopic refractive error was associated with reduced risk of AMD in Chinese men. (Source: Archives of Opthalmology)

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Risk Assessment Model for Development of Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Clinical Sciences]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions We constructed a risk assessment model for development of advanced AMD. The model performed well on measures of discrimination, calibration, and overall performance and was successfully externally validated. This risk assessment tool is available for online use. (Source: Archives of Opthalmology)

Risk Assessment Models for Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Editorial]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Archives of Opthalmology)

Tachyphylaxis during treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration with ranibizumab

British Journal of Ophthalmology — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion Tachyphylaxis can occur during the treatment of exudative AMD with ranibizumab. The precise mechanism for the development of tachyphylaxis is unclear. Both local and systemic factors might be involved. (Source: British Journal of Ophthalmology)

Enzymatic Recognition of 2'-Modified Ribonucleoside 5'-Triphosphates: Towards the Evolution of Versatile Aptamers.

Chembiochem — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Rothnagel JA, Lauridsen LH, Veedu RN Abstract The quest for effective, selective and nontoxic nucleic-acid-based drugs has led to designing modifications of naturally occurring nucleosides. A number of modified nucleic acids have been made in the past decades in the hope that they would prove useful in target-validation studies and therapeutic applications involving antisense, RNAi, aptamer, and ribozyme-based technologies. Since their invention in the early 1990s, aptamers have emerged as a very promising class of therapeutics, with one drug entering the market for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. To combat the limitations of aptamers containing naturally occurring nucleotides, chemically modified nucleotides have to be used. In order to apply modified n...

Letter to NEJM: Safe preparation and administration of intravitreal bevacizumab injections

NeLM - News — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Source: N Engl J Med Area: News Following the publication of a study by the Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatment Trials (CATT) research group (see link to NeLM report) in the New England Journal of Medicine (May 19) supporting off-label use of bevacizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, a letter from the Tennessee Department of Health has been published in the journal warning of the contamination risks when compounding and dispensing bevacizumab for intravitreal use. The authors were aware of three recent clusters of endophthalmitis secondary to alpha-haemolytic streptococcus, after intravitreal injections of bevacizumab in 9 patients, 4 (44%) of whom lost eyesight; one also had meningitis and encephalitis, although no confirmation has been...

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Visual Function Tests as Potential Biomarkers in Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Clinical and Epidemiologic Research]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. All the visual function tests had good diagnostic capacity. Combination of the 14-Hz flicker thresholds and dynamics of the PSR test provided optimal quantitative assessment of retinal function in early AMD, suggesting that this set is a potentially useful clinical tool for following progression of early AMD and assessing the efficacy of interventions. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Expression and Role of VEGF in the Adult Retinal Pigment Epithelium [Retinal Cell Biology]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. These results indicate that VEGF plays a critical role in survival and maintenance of RPE integrity. Potential undesired off-target effects should be considered with chronic use of anti-VEGF agents. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Dietary antioxidants prevent age-related retinal pigment epithelium actin damage and blindness in mice lacking αvβ5 integrin.

Free Radical Biology and Medicine — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Yu CC, Nandrot EF, Dun Y, Finnemann SC Abstract In the aging human eye, oxidative damage and accumulation of pro-oxidant lysosomal lipofuscin cause functional decline of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which contributes to age-related macular degeneration. In mice with an RPE-specific phagocytosis defect due to lack of αvβ5 integrin receptors, RPE accumulation of lipofuscin suggests that the age-related blindness we previously described in this model may also result from oxidative stress. Cellular and molecular targets of oxidative stress in the eye remain poorly understood. Here we identify actin among 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) adducts formed specifically in β5(-/-) RPE but not in neural retina with age. HNE modification directly correlated with loss of resistance o...

Researchers study aflibercept for AMD

Modern Medicine — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Bayer HealthCare have begun a phase III clinical trial in China evaluating the efficacy and safety of aflibercept injection (Eylea, also known as VEGF Trap-Eye, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Researchers study aflibercept for AMD in China

Modern Medicine — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

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Further data for aflibercept in neovascular age-related macular degeneration

NeLM - News — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Source: BioSpace Area: News BioSpace has reported on the results of an integrated analysis of two Phase III studies (VIEW 1 and VIEW 2) of aflibercept intravitreal injection in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). The 52-week results from the studies have previously been reported; the current data are from a further analysis at 96 weeks. During the first year of both studies, patients were treated with one of three different dosing regimens of aflibercept (0.5mg every four weeks; 2mg every four weeks; or 2mg every eight weeks, following three initial monthly injections), or ranibizumab 0.5mg every four weeks. [Aflibercept has recently been approved by the US for this indication at a dose of 2mg every eight weeks; it h...

Eylea injection found to improve visual acuity in wet age-related macular degeneration

Drug Development Technology — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Bayer HealthCare have announced that in an integrated analysis of two parallel Phase III studies, Eylea (aflibercept) injection has shown improvements in visual acuity at 96 weeks in patients with the neovascular (wet) f… (Source: Drug Development Technology)

Two year results of Phase III Studies with VEGF Trap-Eye in Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration Show Sustained Improvement in Visual Acuity

Bayer Company News — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:30:00 +0100

Patients receiving VEGF Trap-Eye 2mg every other month achieved visual acuity gains similar to ranibizumab with, on average, five fewer injections over two years / Patients who required the most intense therapy, on average, received 1.4 fewer injections in the VEGF Trap-Eye 2mg every other month group compared to the ranibizumab group in the second year (Source: Bayer Company News)

The effect of connexin43 on the level of vascular endothelial growth factor in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:27:43 +0100

Conclusions These studies show that Cx43 protects against oxidative stress-induced VEGF secretion in ARPE-19 cells, and thus has important implications in understanding the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Basic SciencePages 1-8DOI 10.1007/s00417-011-1871-xAuthors Cady E. Pocrnich, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Western Ontario, Ivey Eye Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 4V2Qing Shao, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 3K7Hong Liu, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Western Ontario, Ivey Eye Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, ON, Canada N...

Acquisition of Complement Factor H Is Important for Pathogenesis of Streptococcus pyogenes Infections: Evidence from Bacterial In Vitro Survival and Human Genetic Association.

Journal of Immunology — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

In this study, we found that activation of human complement by different GAS strains (n = 38) correlated negatively with binding of CFH via its domains 5-7. The importance of acquisition of host CFH for survival of GAS in vitro was studied next by blocking the binding with recombinant CFH5-7 lacking the regulatory domains 1-4. Using this fragment in full human blood resulted in death or radically reduced multiplication of all of the studied CFH-binding GAS strains. To study the importance of CFH binding in vivo (i.e., for pathogenesis of streptococcal infections), we used our recent finding that GAS binding to CFH is diminished in vitro by polymorphism 402H, which is also associated with age-related macular degeneration. We showed that allele 402H is suggested to be associated with protect...

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The influence of genetics on response to treatment with ranibizumab (lucentis) for age-related macular degeneration: the lucentis genotype study (an american ophthalmological society thesis).

Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: This study is one of the first prospective pharmacogenetic study of intravitreal ranibizumab. Although preliminary, the results identify a number of putative genetic variants, which will be further examined by replication and functional studies to elucidate the complete pharmacogenetic architecture of therapy for AMD. PMID: 22253485 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society)

Protein may hold clues to blinding diseases

Modern Medicine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A newly discovered protein in the eye of the fruit fly may shed light on blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa in humans. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Effective mobilisation of bone marrow-derived cells through proteolytic activity: A new treatment strategy for age-related macular degeneration

Medical Hypotheses — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Selective targeting of bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) has been heralded as a promising avenue for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) therapeutics. Many researchers have demonstrated that the function of circulating BMCs is related to disease severity in patients with AMD. Transplanted BMCs are able to transdifferentiate into retina-specific cells to replace those lost due to damage or degeneration in the pathologic process of experimental models of AMD, which may provide beneficial effects in patients with AMD. However, a major barrier to transferring the use of BMCs into clinical practice is the limited quantity of BMCs in the peripheral circulation. Technology has not yet reached a stage where ex vivo-expanded BMCs can be routinely used for cell therapy. A feasible strate...

Risk Alleles in CFH and ARMS2 Are Independently Associated with Systemic Complement Activation in Age-related Macular Degeneration

Ophthalmology — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Purpose: Systemic complement activation is associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and has mainly been attributed to a risk allele in the complement factor H (CFH) gene. Whether other important AMD genes also influence complement activation is unclear. In the present case-control study, complement activity and concentrations of complement components and their activation products are measured in AMD patients and in unaffected controls and correlated with genetic variants in the CFH, ARMS2, C3, CFI, and CFB genes. Design: Case-control study. Participants: A cohort of 197 confirmed AMD patients and 150 unaffected age-matched controls were recruited prospectively for the study. Methods: Hemolytic complement assays (AP50, CP50, and LP50), complement components (C3, CFB, CF...

New Grading Criteria Allow for Earlier Detection of Geographic Atrophy in Clinical Trials [Clinical Trials]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Early GA areas can be reliably identified when defining criteria are based on both color photographs and fluorescein angiograms. These methods can be used to investigate the natural history of GA earlier in the course of disease than previously possible and to facilitate the design of future clinical trials of treatments for GA. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00000167.) (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

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Central Retinal Function as Measured by the Multifocal Electroretinogram and Flicker Perimetry in Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Retina]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Both mfERG and flicker perimetry show abnormal retinal function, but only in the very central macula, in early AMD. A novel relationship between mfERG and flicker sensitivity should enhance the clinical monitoring of disease progression. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

28.11.11: Not intended for U.S. and UK Media

Bayer IR Newsfeed: Events — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:04:15 +0100

Bayer and Regeneron Initiate Phase III Clinical Trial for the Treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Chinamehr ... (Source: Bayer IR Newsfeed: Events)

One-Year Outcomes Using Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Results of a Prospective and Retrospective Observational Multicentre Study

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:09:15 +0100

The Swedish Lucentis Quality Registry is a 12-month, open-label, observational, prospective, and retrospective study of ranibizumab administration for wet AMD. Visual acuity (VA) was measured with Snellen or ETDRS chart in 370 patients (66.8% women; age range 46–93 years). In total, a mean of 4.7±1.6 injections per patient (range 1–10) was given to month 12. Mean VA score was 58.3±12.2 letters before treatment, 63.3±12.5 after 3 injections (Δ4.9±10.1 letters from baseline), and 59.3±16.2 at 12 months (Δ1.0±13.6). VA score from baseline to month 12 was stable in 74.4% of patients, improved by 15 letters/3 lines or more in 14.7%, and decreased by ≥15 letters/3 lines in 10.9% of patients. With a mean of...

Bayer and Regeneron Initiate Phase III Clinical Trial for the Treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration in China

Bayer Company News — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:30:00 +0100

(Source: Bayer Company News)

A rare variant in CFH directly links age-related macular degeneration with rare glomerular nephropathies

Nature Genetics — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Nature Genetics 43, 1176 (2011). doi:10.1038/ng.1012 Author: Alan F. Wright A careful analysis of risk haplotypes in relation to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) susceptibility has led to the identification of a rare, high-penetrance variant in the complement factor H (CFH) gene that is also causally associated with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and related glomerulopathies. This finding provides a convincing causal mechanism linking the two diseases and develops a paradigm for the genetic architecture of a common and complex disease. (Source: Nature Genetics)

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Regeneron Eylea injection wins FDA nod

Pharmaceutical Technology — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:44:05 +0100

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' Eylea (aflibercept) injection for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration.Post to:Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)

Associations between Genetic Polymorphisms of Insulin-like Growth Factor Axis Genes and Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Clinical and Epidemiologic Research]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. These data suggest a role of IGF1R on the risk for advanced AMD in this group of subjects. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Automated Discovery and Quantification of Image-Based Complex Phenotypes: A Twin Study of Drusen Phenotypes in Age-Related Macular Degeneration [Retina]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Computational discovery of genetically determined features can reveal quantifiable AMD phenotypes that are genetically determined without explicitly linking them to specific genes. In addition, it can identify phenotypes that appear to result predominantly from environmental exposure. The approach is rapid and unbiased, suitable for large datasets, and can be used to reveal unknown phenotype–genotype relationships. (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

Tannic acid suppresses ultraviolet B-induced inflammatory signaling and complement factor B on human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Cellular Immunology — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Chou WW, Wang YS, Chen KC, Wu JM, Liang CL, Juo SH Abstract Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation may cause the inflammation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and play a role in development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The activation of the complement factor B (CFB) gene has been shown to be involved in formation of AMD. Here our results revealed that UVB induces IL-6/STAT3 signaling activation and the UVB-induced STAT3 is able to regulate the CFB expression in ARPE-19 cells. Tannic acid (TA) is a kind of water-soluble polyphenol and may have anti-inflammation effects. We also found that TA attenuates the UVB-induced IL-6 protein production, the STAT3 phosphorylation and the CFB expression. Taken together, these findings suggest UVB-induced inflammation of RP...

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Management of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Clinical Practice: Initiation, Maintenance, and Discontinuation of Therapy

International Journal of Biomedical Imaging — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:39:53 +0100

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible visual loss in elderly populations. In recent years, pharmacological inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), via intravitreal injection of ranibizumab (Lucentis) or bevacizumab (Avastin), has offered the first opportunity to improve visual outcomes in patients diagnosed with this disorder. In this paper, we provide recommendations on how bevacizumab and ranibizumab may be best applied in current clinical practice, with an emphasis on their underlying pharmacology and efficacy. In addition, we review current guidelines for the initiation, maintenance, and discontinuation of anti-VEGF therapies, as well as emerging treatment strategies and future directions in the field. (Source: Internatio...

Effects of blue light–filtering intraocular lenses on the macula, contrast sensitivity, and color vision after a long-term follow-up

Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:29:28 +0100

Conclusions: After 5 years, there were no significant differences in color perception, scotopic contrast sensitivity, or photopic contrast sensitivity between the blue light–filtering (yellow-tinted) IOL and the IOL with a UV-light filter only (untinted). The potential advantage of the tinted IOL in providing protection to macular cells remains unclear.Financial Disclosure: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. (Source: Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery)

FDA approves aflibercept for wet AMD

Modern Medicine — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:04:35 +0100

The FDA has approved the recombinant fusion protein aflibercept (Eylea, also known as VEGF Trap-Eye, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). (Source: Modern Medicine)

FDA approves aflibercept for patients with wet AMD

Drug Topics - Clinical News — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

FDA has approved aflibercept (Eylea Injection, Regeneron), known in the scientific literature as VEGF Trap-Eye, for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration in patients aged 60 and older at a recommended dose of 2 mg every 4 weeks (monthly) for the first 12 weeks, followed by 2 mg every 8 weeks (2 months). (Source: Drug Topics - Clinical News)

Antiangiogenic treatment in age-related macular degeneration in patients with a history of cerebrovascular risk.

Farmacia Hospitalaria — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: García-López L, Coloma Peral R, Criado Illana MT PMID: 22115858 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Farmacia Hospitalaria)

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The Eyes Have It: Can Regeneron Make Roche Blink?

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:11:39 +0100

For quite some time, Genentech has had the luxury - although some might say the misfortune - of competing against itself in the lucrative market for treating the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of severe vision loss in the elderly. Now, though, the Roche unit is getting competition and a key question is whether the drugmaker will, pardon the expression, blink. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

FDA approves aflibercept for patients with wet AMD

Drug Topics - Top News — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Horizon scanning: US FDA approves aflibercept (Eylea®) for wet age-related macular degeneration

NeLM - News — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Source: FDA Area: News The US FDA has approved aflibercept (Eylea®) for the treatment of wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Aflibercept is administered as an intravitreal injection (given by an ophthalmologist) every 4-8 weeks. The approval was based on the results from two clinical trials (n=2,412) that showed aflibercept to be non-inferior to ranibizumab in maintaining or improving visual acuity (primary endpoint) after one year of treatment. (Source: NeLM - News)

FDA approves aflibercept for patients with wet AMD

Modern Medicine — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

New Drug Approved for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Physician's First Watch current issue — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Physician's First Watch current issue)

Central Areolar Choroidal Dystrophy (CACD) and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): Differentiating Characteristics in Multimodal Imaging [Clinical Trials]

Investigative Ophthalmology — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Although outer retinal atrophy is the clinically common feature in advanced CACD as well as GA, there are microstructural alterations on high-resolution SD-OCT and FAF imaging that allow for the differentiation between CACD and AMD. The findings may help to identify patients in whom a diagnostic PRPH2 screening is warranted. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00393692.) (Source: Investigative Ophthalmology)

FDA Approves Eylea for Macular Degeneration

MedPage Today State Required CME — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:43:27 +0100

(MedPage Today) -- The FDA has approved a first-in-class drug, aflibercept (Eylea), for "wet" age-related macular degeneration, its manufacturer announced. (Source: MedPage Today State Required CME)

Eylea Approved For Age-related Macular Degeneration, USA

Health News from Medical News Today — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0100

Eylea (aflibercept) has been approved by the FDA for wet AMD (age-related macular degeneration). Wet (neovascular) AMD is one of the main causes of blindness or vision impairment in older Americans - by affecting the part of the eye that allows us to see fine detail (the macula), it destroys our sharp central vision. Such daily tasks as reading, writing and driving become more and more difficult. Eylea has been approved at a dose of 2 mg once per month for the first 12 weeks, and then 2 mg once every two months... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

A pharmacokinetic study of a combination of beta adrenoreceptor antagonists - In the isolated perfused ovine eye.

European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

This study utilises the methods of cassette dosing and the perfused ovine eye model - to reduce animal usage and therefore animal time - to show that for a series of beta adrenoreceptor antagonists, lipophilicity is a key physicochemical property that governs drug distribution within the eye. Following intravitreal injection, lipophilic beta adrenoreceptor antagonists penetrate to the posterior eye, where they bind to the choroid and reside in the retina at greater concentrations than more hydrophilic beta adrenoreceptor antagonists, which preferentially penetrate to the anterior eye. PMID: 22120686 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics)

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FDA Approves Eyelea for Macular Degeneration

MedPage Today Primary Care — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:13:14 +0100

(MedPage Today) -- The FDA has approved a first-in-class drug, aflibercept (Eyelea), for "wet" age-related macular degeneration, its manufacturer announced. (Source: MedPage Today Primary Care)

The major risk alleles of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in CFH do not play a major role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Clinical and Developmental Immunology — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:19:21 +0100

In conclusion, the major risk alleles of AMD in CFH do not have a similar effect on developing RA. PMID: 22059990 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical and Developmental Immunology)

FDA Approves Eylea For Eye Disorder In Older People

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0100

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Eylea (aflibercept) to treat patients with wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Americans ages 60 and older. AMD gradually destroys a person's sharp, central vision. It affects the macula, the part of the eye that allows people to see fine detail needed to do daily tasks such as reading and driving. There are two forms of AMD, a wet form and a dry form. The wet form of AMD includes the growth of abnormal blood vessels... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Macular Degeneration Drug Eylea Approved

WebMD Health — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:39:07 +0100

The FDA has approved Eylea for the treatment of the "wet" form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The every-other-month injection offers an alternative to AMD drugs Lucentis and Macugen. (Source: WebMD Health)

FDA Approves Aflibercept for Age-Related Macular Degeneration FDA Approves Aflibercept for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Medscape Today Headlines — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:23:42 +0100

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved an aflibercept ophthalmic solution for the treatment of neovascular ("wet") age-related macular degeneration. FDA Approvals (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

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FDA Approves Eylea for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Drugs.com - New Drug Approvals — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:11:47 +0100

November 18, 2011 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Eylea (aflibercept) to treat patients with wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Americans ages 60 and... (Source: Drugs.com - New Drug Approvals)

FDA approves Eylea for eye disorder in older people

Food and Drug Administration — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:52:00 +0100

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Eylea (aflibercept) to treat patients with wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Americans ages 60 and older. AMD gradually destroys a person’s sharp, central vision. (Source: Food and Drug Administration)

The Aflibercept Advantage: New AMD Drug Injected Less OftenThe Aflibercept Advantage: New AMD Drug Injected Less Often

Medscape Today Headlines — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:22:00 +0100

standard of care for age-related macular degeneration. Medscape Ophthalmology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

The Eye Of The Fly: Researchers Discover Possible Key To Degenerative Nerve Diseases

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and collaborators have discovered a powerful new protein in the eye of the fruit fly that may shed light on blinding diseases and other sensory problems in humans. Reporting in the Nov. 16, 2011, issue of Neuron, the scientists note that similar but yet- to-be-identified proteins in the eye and brain could help explain age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, as well as Huntington's, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and prion diseases... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Regeneron Announces FDA Approval Of EYLEA™ (Aflibercept) Injection For The Treatment Of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Pharmaceutical Online News — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:15:00 +0100

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: REGN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection, known in the scientific literature as VEGF Trap-Eye, for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) at a recommended dose of 2 milligrams (mg) every four weeks (monthly) for the first 12 weeks, followed by 2 mg every eight weeks (2 months). (Source: Pharmaceutical Online News)

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Macular Degeneration Drug Eylea Approved

WebMD Health — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

First implantable telescope placed

Modern Medicine — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

An Arizona patient is the first to receive an implantable prosthetic device (Implantable Miniature Telescope [by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz], VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies Inc.) designed to improve vision in patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Cytokines in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: fundamentals of targeted combination therapy

British Journal of Ophthalmology — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

The neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), called wet-AMD or choroidal neovascularisation, begins with damage to the outer retinal cells and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which elicits a cascade of inflammatory and angiogenic responses leading to neovascularisation under the macula. Studies showed that oxidative damage, chronic inflammation of the RPE and complement misregulation work at different steps of this disease. After established neovascularisation, several pro- and antiangiogenic agents start to play an important role. Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) are the most specific and potent regulators of angiogenesis, which are inhibited by intravitreal injections of ranibizumab, bevacizumab, VEGF Trap, pegaptanib sodium and other agents under investig...

The oil spill in ageing Bruch membrane

British Journal of Ophthalmology — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Ageing is the largest risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and soft drusen and basal linear deposits are lipid-rich extracellular lesions specific to AMD. Oil red O binding neutral lipid represents a major age-related deposition in the Bruch membrane (BrM) and the first identified druse component. Decades after these seminal observations, a natural history of neutral lipid deposition has been articulated and a biochemical model proposed. Results obtained with multiple biochemical, histochemical, and ultrastructural methods, and supported indirectly by epidemiology, suggest that the RPE secretes apolipoprotein B (apoB)-lipoprotein particles of unusual composition into BrM, where they accumulate with age eventually forming a lipid wall, a precursor of basal linear deposit....

Sustainability of visual acuity in the first 2 years after cataract surgery

British Journal of Ophthalmology — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions One in eight cataract surgical patients lost at least two lines in pinhole VA over the 2-year postoperative period. Regular eye examinations of patients after cataract surgery may help to maximise the surgical benefits over the long term. (Source: British Journal of Ophthalmology)

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Outcomes following three-line vision loss during treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: subgroup analyses from MARINA and ANCHOR

British Journal of Ophthalmology — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion Continued ranibizumab treatment appears to be beneficial for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration who experience a ≥3-line BCVA loss during the first year of treatment. (Source: British Journal of Ophthalmology)

Complementing apolipoprotein secretion by cultured retinal pigment epithelium [Commentary]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of vision loss in the elderly, and it has two times the prevalence of Alzheimer disease in the United States. The underlying metabolic/vascular disease, with secondary neurodegeneration of photoreceptors, is still poorly understood, despite clinical success in treating neovascular complications. Most enigmatic have been drusen, the characteristic extracellular lesions that develop posterior to a support cell layer, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Drusen are established ocular risk factors for progression to sight-threatening stages of disease. A major impediment to understanding drusen has been the scarcity of suitable experimental systems. In PNAS, the... (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

AMD-like lesions delayed in mice fed lower glycemic index diet

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus) Feeding older mice a lower glycemic index diet delays the onset of age-related, sight-threatening retinal lesions. Mice put on a higher GI diet demonstrated elevated accumulations of debris known as advanced glycation end products in the whole retina, particularly in the cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE plays a crucial role in maintaining vision and its dysfunction results in the gradual vision loss that is the hallmark of age-related macular degeneration. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Aceruloplasminemia: Retinal Histopathologic Manifestations and Iron-Mediated Melanosome Degradation [Laboratory Sciences]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions The findings in the aceruloplasminemic retina resemble some of those found in age-related macular degeneration. Also, they suggest that melanosomes in the RPE can be degraded via iron-mediated reactive oxygen species production. Clinical Relevance Mechanisms underlying the pathologic mechanisms found in aceruloplasminemia also may be important in age-related macular degeneration. (Source: Archives of Opthalmology)