Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind the source for blindness news and information since 1907

It’s that time of year again–the sniffles and stuffy noses begin, the coughing and sneezing start-up, and Ny-Quil, with its many uses, becomes a popular bedtime aid.  But fear not, because immunologists have just made a huge discovery that may bring the common cold to its knees, along with a myriad of other viruses.

Recently, scientists in Cambridge have discovered that we all have a super protein in our bodies whose duty it is to protect us from viruses.  Up until now, the only way that doctors could take care of a virus once it had entered a cell and taken over was to kill the cell.  However, this process is obviously detrimental to the tissue inside the body.  Now, they have discovered a previously-unknown process that is taking place. 

In our bloodstream we have antibodies that are constantly on the move looking for potentially harmful invaders, like viruses.  When an antibody finds a virus, it attaches itself to it.  When these two enter a cell, the antibody is taken inside completely intact.  Now, this is the part we didn’t know about.  Once inside the cell, there is a special protein called TRIM 21.  Picture TRIM 21 as the bouncer at a club.  It recognizes that the antibody has entered the cell, but it also sees that there’s a virus trying to sneak it with it.  Apparently, TRIM 21 firmly believes that two is company but three is a crowd, because it alerts the cell’s defense mechanisms that the virus came in on piggy-back.  Once that alert has happened, the cell is able to destroy the virus in as little as two hours, which doesn’t leave the virus enough time to obtain any control in the cell.

So, what does this mean for you?  Well, in the near future, we may be getting a TRIM 21 booster that maximizes the amount of this whistle-blowing protein so that our bodies can fend off viruses with incredible efficiency.  This booster could come in the form of a nasal spray, making it easy to administer no matter what age you are.  While these results are the first in a long line of studies that need to be performed, they say that in as little as five years, these boosters could be made available to the public.

So this winter, as you’re coughing like crazy or going through countless boxes of tissues, take comfort in knowing that your suffering may be short-lived and soon you’ll be able to wave goodbye to the common cold forever.

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/scientists-may-have-discovered-cure-common-cold-and-lots-other-viruses#

The results of a ten year, 650 million dollar survey of ocean life were revealed on Monday.  We have known for a long time that we know more about our moon and other planets than we do about the creatures living in our own oceans.  The study, which included 2,700 scientists from 80 different countries, was meant to change that sentiment and give us a more detailed glimpse into our large underwater world. 

Using data gathered in shallow lagoons to the dark, cold depths of the Marianna Trench some 10,000 meters down, scientists began the classify species of fish that had either never been seen, or never looked at in detail.  They were not only interested in classifying new species, but also learning more about species we already discovered, like current populations and migratory and mating habits.

Scientists discovered that the richest areas of marine life exist in the waters surrounding Australia and Japan.  They estimate that, world-wide, there are roughly 1 million species and only one quarter of them have been officially classified.  They have also discovered that crustaceans are the most abundant marine species, and make up nearly one-fifth of all marine life.  Those figures do exclude marine microbes, though, which scientists believe may be made up of 1 billion different species. 

The information from this giant census is being cataloged in OBIS, or the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, a collection of data that has been added to for years and grows by an estimated 5 million observations every year.  In total, it holds over 28 million observations of roughly 120,000 species.

But, despite all of the information that OBIS holds, there is much to still be discovered and different regions of the world hold more secrets than others.  For instance, European waters are almost entirely covered, with an estimated 10 percent of its marine life left to classify.  However, in areas like the Mediterranean or Australia, those numbers climb as high as 80 percent, leaving many mysteries to be discovered.

Scientists are meeting to go over the massive amount of results from the decade-long project and to discuss future plans to continue their research.  With roughly half of our planet’s oxygen coming from marine life and much of our food at the mercy of the sea, it’s important that we understand as much as we can about our massive oceans as possible.  With science and technology advancing constantly, new studies will be able to collect more data in incredibly efficient ways.  Funding is obviously a large determining factor, but a fundamental curiosity about our largely undiscovered oceans will always be a driving force behind future exploration and understanding.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/10/04/ocean.census.results/?hpt=T1

Sleep has always been one of those body processes that seems simple but is actually incredibly complicated to explain.  So complicated in fact, that scientists are just now discovering the way it truly works and what our brain is doing while we’re happily snoozing away.

Scientists have always had a general understanding that sleep was linked to brain activity, but they could never ascertain how that process took place and what was involved.  Now, they’ve discovered that a flow of chemical transmitters and proteins are at the very core of the process.  They essentially tell the brain what to do and which parts should shut down. 

To discover this, scientists tracked ATP, the “energy currency” that cells use.  When we’re awake and walking around, our brain is actually building up the necessary receptors for the next time we sleep.  Depending on what activities we’re performing or our state of mind, different receptors will build up, and in different amounts.  Then, ATP comes into play.  Active brain cells release the ATP which then interacts with those idle receptors that have built up.  This interaction causes the release of another, smaller protein responsible for sleep regulation. 

This finding has shown that different parts of the brain sleep depending on which parts were used the most.  While this is still a somewhat fundamental finding, it has some immediate benefits.  For one, sleep regulating drugs can now be tailored to target this process and make the drugs more efficient.  This will be important for sleep disorders like insomnia, when some parts of the brain are awake which shouldn’t be.  By being able to target this process, new treatments will be possible.

Perhaps even more important, these findings may be able to help stroke victims by actually targeting certain areas of the brain and shifting their work load, thus allowing the victim to utilize the undamaged portions of their brain.

Studies like this are the first steps to understanding how the brain and body interact and how the processes within the brain are initiated and carried out.  So next time you lay down for a nap and let out that last yawn before closing your eyes, realize that there is so much more at play than just that comfy bed or chair.  Though, they do help.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100914100302.htm

When we were children, we were all taught in school that reptiles lay eggs.  Now, it seems that there needs to be an asterisk placed next to that statement in subsequent text books.  Scientists have recently found that a type of yellow-bellied three-toed skink, a lizard found in Australia, is now giving birth to live young instead of laying eggs. 

The lizards that live near the coastal regions of Australia still opt for laying eggs, but those in the higher and colder climates have simply changed their mind, and biology, and have started having live babies.  This sounds rare and impressive, but the evolutionary record reveals that other reptiles have been known to make the transition from egg laying to live birth.  In fact, roughly 20 percent of all living snakes and lizards have switched over.

What makes this especially interesting though is that scientists merely observed that at some point there was a transition and weren’t able to see the transition take place within a given population.  That snapshot wasn’t enough, and so now they’re getting a really good look at what’s happening.

This observation is allowing scientists to uncover the mysteries of this transition, like how vital calcium nutrients are passed to the young without the presence of the calcium-rich egg shell.  These new live birth young have a very thin shell that allows them to breathe but is nutrient poor.  However, scientists are seeing what is essentially the very beginning of placenta creation.  The mother’s reproductive organs are secreting calcium to compensate for the lack of a shell.

Those involved with observing the lizards closely have come to what may be an interesting and humbling conclusion; that the transition from egg-laying to live birth is not only fairly common, but not all that difficult.  It really represents the specific needs of the mother and the type of environment she’s in than anything else.

Regardless of the simplistic conclusions that might be drawn, observing biological evolution is incredibly interesting and gives us a rare glimpse into a process that takes generations to complete so that the animals can adapt and continue on.

To read the original article, please go to http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100901-science-animals-evolution-australia-lizard-skink-live-birth-eggs/

Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the smell of your favorite pair of pants.  With laws going into effect that ban smoking in public places, it seems that legislators may have actually done some good for the public.  What seemed like an obnoxious habit that non-smokers had to deal with that may have been harming our health has now been confirmed as much more harmful than was previously thought.

Researchers have discovered that exposure to secondhand smoke can actually alter your genetic makeup.  For a long time there was a belief that prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke led to an increased chance for lung diseases and even lung cancer, but there was never any clinical proof of why that was occurring.  Now, there’s a smoking gun–no pun intended.

Scientists working at the Weill Cornell Medical College performed a study with both non-smokers and smokers to determine the difference between those who smoke regularly, and those who are exposed to secondhand smoke in the environment.  When the study was completed, it revealed that the non-smokers who only had minimal exposure to cigarette smoke, some of whom only had secondhand exposure, were found to have genetic changes in bronchial tissue that mimicked the tissue of regular smokers.  These genetic changes represent the beginning stages for various lung diseases.  While the study did not follow the subjects long enough to find out what affect those genetic changes had on their lung tissue, more studies are coming in the future.

The most interesting piece of the study was that it revealed how sensitive tissue is to any cigarette smoke at all and that exposure will result in changes at a genetic level.

While the study’s results do seem grim, it may actually help doctors to determine who is genetically predisposed to have an increased risk of lung disease and administer the proper drugs to counteract those symptoms.  This will also add massive amounts of legitimacy to those endorsing public smoking bans who have been saying that secondhand smoke is harmful but simply haven’t had the proof to back that statement up.  It seems that there is no question now.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2012103,00.html

Scientists have recently discovered that by inserting a small sliver of collagen into the eye that it actually encourages other cornea cells to begin to regrow, eventually restoring vision to the patient.  It works as a sort of elemental building block for surrounding cornea cells to begin growth.  They need something to attach to, and since the cornea itself is made of collagen, the collagen implant that is placed in the eye is the perfect structure to make that happen.

This process is incredibly important for a couple reasons.  For one, the process is designed so that the patient’s cells are regrowing and no artificial tissue is being used that might possibly be rejected by the body.  Also, this will allow doctors to treat more patients who have damaged corneas–either through infection or injury–because it does not require any transplant tissue from another person.  With 42,000 people a year receiving cornea transplants, one can only imagine how many more may be waiting on the sidelines who could be treated with this process as well.

While this study is just beginning, their trials have been very successful.  If future trials confirm those positive results, this treatment could realistically become commonplace in a few short years.

This is a very large step in the right direction.  With more research being conducted to eliminate vision loss, it encourages scientists and doctors to experiment on many different types of vision loss so that they can get the full picture, so to speak, on how the eye works and what treatments can be given to ensure that it works properly.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100825/NEWS02/100829917/-1/headlines

When I was younger, I used to always fight with my mother about turning down the volume of everything from my headphones to the television.  Now, it seems that I’m lucky that she won so many of those fights.  A new study reveals that one in five teens have hearing loss.  In fact, since a study done from 1988 to 1994, hearing loss in teens aged 12 to 19 has increased 30 percent–a huge jump.

While the majority of the loss was considered mild, there was a sharp increase in those who experienced a loss of 25 decibels or more.  Doctors couldn’t definitively conclude that an increase of ear infections or volume of music was what caused the increase.  Rather, they believe that the relationship between volume and related side effects has become highly underestimated by today’s youth.

Most teens don’t pay attention to things like tinnitus, a ringing in the ears after they’ve been exposed to loud noises, and that may be the cause for increased hearing loss.  If it doesn’t cause noticeable pain, they may not think that there’s a problem and are less likely to report the issue to a parent or doctor.

Doctors are concerned that increased exposure to loud volumes without any intervention or personal prevention might lead to difficulties with language development and learning in general.

As I’ve gotten older, loud music has become less and less enticing and can, at times, be outright annoying if it lasts for too long.  When I was a kid, I used to listen to my music at a level that would make normal people cringe.  Hopefully today’s teens will grow out of the habit as I have, or else there might be serious issues that they’ll have to address in years to come.  Unfortunately, with hearing, once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/teen-hearing-loss-soars-30-percent-in-three-decades/19591439

This article was sent to me by Ziegler reader Danni.  Thanks, Danni!

Results from a new study have found that the drug used to treat epileptic seizures called valproic acid, may halt or actually reverse vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that affects countless people around the world.  The team who discovered this possibility work at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and are planning on conducting specific trials to confirm that this find is indeed true and not a fluke.

Retinitis pigmentosa affects roughly one in four thousand people and normally causes vision loss by age forty.  RP is technically a group of diseases that causes degeneration of the retina and is linked to 40 gene groups, all of which cause different types of RP.  Up until now, the only treatment for RP was to inundate the patient with vitamin A palmitate, which slows the progression of the disease, but is unable to stop it entirely. 

All forms of RP are essentially processes of inflammation and cell death, both conditions that valproic acid is designed to fight against.  During this preliminary study, they administered specific doses of the drug to seven patients who had RP over a time between two and six months.  When the trial concluded, 5 of the patients experienced vast improvements in vision even though their RP had progressed to a point that is normally untreatable.

Now that the preliminary trial has proven to be promising, 2.1 million dollars are being put into a proper study to test the drug against a placebo and hopefully achieve a more concrete result with a larger pool of participants.

It never ceases to amaze me when drugs were created for one purpose but can actually have positive affects in other areas of medicine as well.  It makes you wonder what other drugs could help with many other conditions but simply haven’t been tested yet.  If nothing else, it seems that valproic acid may be the answer to eliminating RP and saving the vision of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100812/NEWS02/708129760/-1/headlines

If she was a car, the engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and wheels would have all been replaced.  In the time span of nearly 12 years, Allison John has had all of her major organs transplanted.  Due to a series of serious illnesses that at times had her mere days from death, she received a new liver, kidney, heart, and lungs.  She is the first person in Britain to hold this amazing title.  Frankly, it’s surprising that anyone anywhere else has done this, too.

Now, as if she hasn’t seen the inside of a hospital enough, she has completed her medical degree and will become a doctor.  She says that her wealth of experience with both the procedures and the doctors involved will hopefully help her deal with patients of her own as she begins her new profession.

Her most recent and final procedure, the kidney transplant, almost didn’t happen because the doctors felt she was too weak for general anesthesia.  However, the procedure occurred years into her medical study and, using her knowledge, was able to convince doctors to numb her using an epidural.  The alternative was accepted, but it left her conscious throughout the entire procedure.  To keep herself distracted, she listened to music on her iPod.

As far as her luck goes, Allison considers herself to be very lucky.  It’s difficult to find just one matching organ donor, and she was able to find four.  Now, having been through more than any one person should endure, Allison is looking forward to her career as a doctor and is getting married in the near future as well.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1299589/Woman-ALL-major-organs-transplanted–qualifies-doctor.html?printingPage=true

A collection of Duke University bioengineers announced recently that they have developed a robot that can locate lesions in simulated human organs, accurately navigate a device to the spot of the lesion, and take samples of the tissue all without the help of a doctor.

By using 3D ultrasound pictures, the robot, nicknamed “Biopsy Bot,” can perform its tasks autonomously.  The ultrasound pictures serve as the robot’s eyes and a sophisticated assembly of processors connected to motorized hands allow it to guide instruments into the body of its patient.  In the tests that have been performed so far, the robot has been proven to be 93 percent effective.

The developers claim that the advantage to a system like this is that all of the necessary technology already exists and that the need to start from scratch has been entirely avoided.  The systems can be easily modified, which makes the Duke scientists all the more confident that this is a viable surgical solution in the future.

So what do you think?  Would you be comfortable having your appendix removed, a relatively simple surgical procedure, if it was being done by a robot without any human interaction? 

Personally, that premise is a bit unsettling.  While many surgeons are utilizing specially-designed robotic arms for procedures like heart surgery, they are in control of their movements at all times.  An autonomous robot may not know if it has clipped a vein, or if the anesthesia has worn off and the person is coming back into consciousness.

While this program is in its very infant phases, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered before this could ever be accepted by the general public.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1672937/print