A promising step toward using retinal cell transplants to treat blindness is reported in a new study. Adult retinal stem cells from deceased human donors survived when they were transplanted into the eyes of non-human primates, according to the researchers. The cells were taken from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). It is a layer of cells that supports and nourishes the retina, the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. It helps maintain normal vision. RPE dysfunction can result in disorders such as macular degeneration and can cause blindness, which affects about 200 million people worldwide. “The results of this study suggest human adult donor RPE is safe to transplant, strengthening the argument for human clinical trials for treating retina disease,” said co-lead investigator Timothy Blenkinsop. He’s an assistant professor of cell, developmental and regenerative biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. For the study, his team transplanted cell-derived patches under the primates’ maculas. The transplants remained stable and integrated for at least three months with no serious side effects, such as being attacked by the immune system or light sensitivity, according to the report published Jan. 14 in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The stem cell-derived RPE assumed some of the function of the original RPE, and also supported a photoreceptor that helps with functions…  read on >  read on >

When the coronavirus pandemic began, one U.S. children’s hospital saw an increase in trauma cases from recreational and outdoor activities, even as total ER visits dropped by 50%, researchers report. What happened? Their new study suggests that being in lockdown, with schools closed, may have prompted more kids to go outside and play — and potentially get injured doing so. At the same time, parents may have feared taking their children to the hospital unless it was a dire injury. Study author Dr. Zaid Haddadin, a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and his colleagues looked at the number of emergency room visits for respiratory illnesses or trauma between March and May 2020. Over that time, a total of nearly 6,400 pediatric emergency room visits occurred in 2020, compared with more than 12,000 in 2019. Meanwhile, the number of respiratory care for kids visits dropped by 58% in 2020, the researchers found. “Community efforts to control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 might have played a role in decreasing the spread of other respiratory viruses in children,” Haddadin explained. But at the same time, there was a significant increase in the number of trauma visits related to activities like all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and motorcycles, which might have been related to school closings, Haddadin said. “Most schools were closed starting mid-March in our…  read on >  read on >

People in nursing homes have been suffering in isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, with their institutions in constant lockdown to prevent potentially fatal outbreaks. Now that they’re some of the first in line to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, it would be natural for nursing home residents to expect that visits from friends and family will soon resume. That might not happen, though. Uneven vaccination rates and unknowns related to the vaccines could mean that folks in nursing homes will have to remain isolated for a while longer, experts said. “It’s going to be a while before there are enough people immunized to really start to see a reduction in risk,” said Dr. Chris Beyrer, a professor of public health and human rights with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore. “There’s going to be this challenging period where we won’t have enough vaccine and we won’t have enough people immunized.” There’s a reason for caution, and it’s the same reason why nursing home residents and workers gained a place in the first wave of vaccinations. People in long-term care facilities have accounted for 40% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States, even though they represent only 6% of overall infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, nearly one in five nursing home residents who contract COVID-19…  read on >  read on >

When the coronavirus pandemic began, one U.S. children’s hospital saw an increase in trauma cases from recreational and outdoor activities, even as total ER visits dropped by 50%, researchers report. What happened? Their new study suggests that being in lockdown, with schools closed, may have prompted more kids to go outside and play — and potentially get injured doing so. At the same time, parents may have feared taking their children to the hospital unless it was a dire injury. Study author Dr. Zaid Haddadin, a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and his colleagues looked at the number of emergency room visits for respiratory illnesses or trauma between March and May 2020. Over that time, a total of nearly 6,400 pediatric emergency room visits occurred in 2020, compared with more than 12,000 in 2019. Meanwhile, the number of respiratory care for kids visits dropped by 58% in 2020, the researchers found. “Community efforts to control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 might have played a role in decreasing the spread of other respiratory viruses in children,” Haddadin explained. But at the same time, there was a significant increase in the number of trauma visits related to activities like all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and motorcycles, which might have been related to school closings, Haddadin said. “Most schools were closed starting mid-March in our…  read on >  read on >

People in nursing homes have been suffering in isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, with their institutions in constant lockdown to prevent potentially fatal outbreaks. Now that they’re some of the first in line to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, it would be natural for nursing home residents to expect that visits from friends and family will soon resume. That might not happen, though. Uneven vaccination rates and unknowns related to the vaccines could mean that folks in nursing homes will have to remain isolated for a while longer, experts said. “It’s going to be a while before there are enough people immunized to really start to see a reduction in risk,” said Dr. Chris Beyrer, a professor of public health and human rights with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore. “There’s going to be this challenging period where we won’t have enough vaccine and we won’t have enough people immunized.” There’s a reason for caution, and it’s the same reason why nursing home residents and workers gained a place in the first wave of vaccinations. People in long-term care facilities have accounted for 40% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States, even though they represent only 6% of overall infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, nearly one in five nursing home residents who contract COVID-19…  read on >  read on >

If you’re having eye problems, you may not know which type of specialist to consult. Here’s some help from experts who explain the roles of an optometrist, ophthalmologist, pediatric ophthalmologist, orthoptist and optician. Optometrists provide comprehensive eye care, including evaluations for glasses and contact lenses and common eye diseases. “They play a role in monitoring chronic conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetes,” Dr. Danielle Natale, an optometrist at the Krieger Eye Institute in Baltimore, said in an institute news release. They can also treat acute eye problems such as pink eye or sties. Ophthalmologists are physicians who have completed four years of medical school and four years of residency training. They diagnose and treat eye diseases and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses, and they also perform eye surgery. A pediatric ophthalmologist is specially trained to examine and treat children of all ages and abilities — especially those who are unable or too young to read the letters on an eye chart. “To make the environment more child-friendly, ophthalmologists will often play games with the patients or show them movies during their exam,” said pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Samantha Feldman, who also practices at the Krieger Eye Institute. Orthoptists aren’t common, with only about 400 in the United States. They aren’t doctors, according to the American Association of Certified Orthoptists. But orthoptists are uniquely…  read on >  read on >

If you’re having eye problems, you may not know which type of specialist to consult. Here’s some help from experts who explain the roles of an optometrist, ophthalmologist, pediatric ophthalmologist, orthoptist and optician. Optometrists provide comprehensive eye care, including evaluations for glasses and contact lenses and common eye diseases. “They play a role in monitoring chronic conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetes,” Dr. Danielle Natale, an optometrist at the Krieger Eye Institute in Baltimore, said in an institute news release. They can also treat acute eye problems such as pink eye or sties. Ophthalmologists are physicians who have completed four years of medical school and four years of residency training. They diagnose and treat eye diseases and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses, and they also perform eye surgery. A pediatric ophthalmologist is specially trained to examine and treat children of all ages and abilities — especially those who are unable or too young to read the letters on an eye chart. “To make the environment more child-friendly, ophthalmologists will often play games with the patients or show them movies during their exam,” said pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Samantha Feldman, who also practices at the Krieger Eye Institute. Orthoptists aren’t common, with only about 400 in the United States. They aren’t doctors, according to the American Association of Certified Orthoptists. But orthoptists are uniquely…  read on >  read on >