News by Subject Medicine & Health

This study looked at the association of calcium intake (dietary and supplementation) with the risk and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. Previous research has had mixed results about the role of calcium in AMD progression. This study, a secondary analysis of 4,751 randomized clinical trial participants, found higher calcium intake was associated with lower risk of progression to late AMD but there was an inconsistent association between calcium intake and different stages of AMD.

An adhesive gel packed with light-activated chemicals can seal cuts or ulcers on the cornea -- the clear surface of the eye -- and then encourage the regeneration of corneal tissue, according to a preclinical study published online today in Science Advances. The new technology, named GelCORE (gel for corneal regeneration), could one day reduce the need for surgery to repair injuries to the cornea, including those that would today require corneal transplantation.

The ability of the brain to ignore extraneous visual information is critical to how we work and function, but the processes governing perception and attention are not fully understood. Scientists have long theorized that attention to a particular object can alter perception by amplifying certain neuronal activity and suppressing the activity of other neurons (brain 'noise'). Now, Salk scientists have confirmed this theory by showing how too much background noise from neurons can interrupt focused attention and cause the brain to struggle to perceive objects.

Low levels of amyloid-β and tau proteins, biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), in eye fluid were significantly associated with low cognitive scores, according to a new study. These findings indicate that proteins in the eye may be a potential source for an accessible, cost-effective test to predict future Alzheimer's disease.

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, diagnosing disease faster and potentially with greater accuracy than physicians, some have suggested that technology may soon replace tasks that physicians currently perform.

Ganglion cells in the eye generate noise as the light-sensitive photoreceptors die in diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. Now, UC Berkeley neurobiologists have found a drug and gene therapy that can tamp down the noise, improving sight in mice with RP. These therapies could potentially extend the period of useful vision in those with degenerative eye diseases, including, perhaps, age-related macular degeneration.