Source: gizmag .com

Oxford Nanopore (ON) has been developing a disruptive nanopore-based technology for sequencing DNA, RNA, proteins, and other long-chain molecules since its birth in 2005. The company has just announced that within the next 6-9 months it will bring to market a fast, portable, and disposable protein sequencer that will democratize sequencing by eliminating large capital costs associated with equipment required to enter the field.

http://bit.ly/wb5ruR

Source: gizmodo .com

We've showed you the Paranal Observatory's laser-guided telescopes before, but never in gorgeous HD motion, replete with clear stars and deftly swiveling machinery. This is definitely one you're going to want to watch fullscreen.

http://gizmo.do/zzVr2F

Source: tech.slashdot .org

Researchers at Georgia Tech university have built a prototype app for touch-screen mobile devices that is vying to be a complete solution for texting without the need to look at a mobile gadget's screen. In theory, it should greatly help the blind interact with mobile phones, but it could help just about anyone looking for a more efficient way to interact. Research has shown that gesture-based texting is a viable solution for eyes-free written communication in the future, making obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting text. The free open-source app, called BrailleTouch, incorporates the Braille writing system used by the visually impaired. Early studies with visually impaired participants proficient in Braille typing have demonstrated that users can input up to 32 words per minute with 92 percent accuracy with the prototype app for the iPhone.

http://bit.ly/AcklgI

Source: oteurope .com

Using adjunctive corticosteroid therapy is safe on bacterial corneal ulcers and does not alter best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), claims a study in the Archives of Ophthalmology.

http://bit.ly/yAY6wc

Source: scoop .co .nz

Kiwis tempted by cheap prescription glasses online are being warned almost half of such specs have been found to be unsafe or incorrect.

“Ordering prescription glasses online may seem like an easy way to save money but it can impact on your eye health,” says Visique optometrist Melissa Hay. “Our advice to consumers is to be cautious when ordering any medical devices online.”

http://bit.ly/xVWmJ4

Source: kevinmd .com

Peggy was in her early 70s and suffered from a terrible lung disease known as pulmonary hypertension. So bad in fact, that she had a pump infusing a medicine under her skin 24 hours a day to keep the blood supply to her lungs open. Once started, this medicine, treprostinil, was known to improve life in those with pulmonary hypertension. Unfortunately, like all continuous infusion medicines of this type, it has the unfortunate side effect of sudden death if stopped for more than 4 hours. Starting it was a difficult choice for Peggy and her expert team of physicians, but her disease had progressed to a point where it was the right decision. As you can imagine, this drug was mighty expensive. We would only find out how expensive later.

http://bit.ly/zUEqij

Source: wiley .com

We live in a time with vastly increased and clinically important knowledge of glaucoma.

For a long time, glaucoma was somewhat of a stepchild in ophthalmology. Critics stated that glaucoma experts could not agree on how to define the disease, how to treat it, how to follow it and - by the way - maybe treatment made no difference.

http://bit.ly/zXgTsS

Source: contactlensjournal .com

Abstract
Proteins are a key component in body fluids and adhere to most biomaterials within seconds of their exposure. The tear film consists of more than >400 different proteins, ranging in size from 10 to 2360kDa, with a net charge of pH 1–11. Protein deposition rates on poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (pHEMA) and silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses have been determined using a number of ex vivo and in vitro experiments. Ionic, high water pHEMA-based lenses attract the highest amount of tear film protein (1300μg/lens), due to an electrostatic attraction between the material and positively charged lysozyme.

http://bit.ly/zp3r86

Source: medicalnewstoday .com

How we perceive the world tells us a lot about how the brain processes sensory information.

At the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, McMaster University psychologist Daphne Maurer reported on how vision develops in individuals born with cataracts in both eyes. Although such persons have their vision "corrected" by surgery and contact lenses, Maurer's study shows that they experience specific visual processing deficiencies into adulthood.

http://bit.ly/xb8RBZ

Source: mobihealthnews .com

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is wholeheartedly embracing mobile. Last week, HIMSS announced that it has taken over the annual mHealth Summit from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. At the 2011 mHealth Summit just two months ago, the health IT advocacy group officially launched mHIMSS, a subgroup first reported by MobiHealthNews in November.

http://bit.ly/ziCNQz

Source: gizmodo .com

American and Chinese scientists are flabbergasted after discovering a giant 298-million-year-old forest buried intact under a coal mine near Wuda, in Inner Mongolia, China.

http://gizmo.do/wUjCK3

Source: osnsupersite .com

Corneal collagen cross-linking with riboflavin and ultraviolet A irradiation in thin corneas seems to lead to a decrease in endothelial cell density postoperatively, according to a study.

http://bit.ly/xt3Its

Source: osnsupersite .com

Treatment of strabismic and combined-mechanism amblyopia with spectacles alone yielded significant improvement in visual acuity without additional treatment in a vast majority of patients, a study found.

http://bit.ly/Ajsz4P

Source: osnsupersite .com

Silicone hydrogel contact lenses tend to modify the tear film and impression cytology of the ocular surface significantly after long-term use, a study found.

http://bit.ly/xvZDAH

Source: lww .com

Purpose of review: Over the past several years, numerous clinical trials in glaucoma have contributed to our understanding of the medical and surgical treatment of the disease. The goal of this review is to summarize the findings and conclusions of what the authors feel are the key clinical trials in glaucoma.

http://bit.ly/zeQlOQ

Source: imedicalapps .com

With recent reports suggesting that over 75 percent of doctors use smartphones and tablets at work, it is important to ensure that these healthcare professionals are using their new tools efficiently.

http://bit.ly/wc34uR

Source: gizmag .com

Night snowboarding usually equates to grueling pre-dawn slogs up backcountry routes or short, icy turns under stadium-like lights at small resorts. Nowness.com has put a new spin on those traditional forms of night riding. In this stunning piece of film, a unique LED suit is employed to turn the subject into a powder-slashing apparition.

http://bit.ly/y5joxp

Source: ameinfo .com

The World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 - the convention held in the UAE capital which is currently running at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (ADNEC) with more than 10,000 attendees - is delivering a huge direct economic benefit to the emirate with predictions that it will also spur increased interest in the city as a vibrant meetings hub.

http://bit.ly/x3gkE1

Source: medicalnewstoday .com

Actor of film and stage, Dame Judi Dench, now filming her seventh James Bond film, Skyfall, where she plays 007's MI5 boss M, has given a moving interview where she talks about her determination to beat macular degeneration, an eye condition that is the leading cause of blindness in the western world.

http://bit.ly/x0iRVS

Source: dukehealth .org

In 2005, when Heather Whitson, MD, was a fellow in in geriatrics at Duke, her grandmother was diagnosed with macular degeneration.

Her grandmother had been a college professor, a world traveler, and a pilot. But vision loss made it impossible for her to even drive a car. On top of that, she began to develop cognitive impairment.

http://bit.ly/AnZo2i

Source: facebook .com

This year in the Optometry's Marketplace! SECO’s “Money Pit” is a wind generated money booth filled with swirling cash, welcoming lucky attendees each day to enter and grab as much cash as they can. Be sure to visit each of the Destination Stations throughout Optometry’s MarketplaceTM as often as you can each day to win! Additionally, on Saturday a grand cash prize of $10,000 will be awarded to one lucky attendee.

http://on.fb.me/yeDm3a

Source: medscape .com

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 0.0015% (15 μg/mL) tafluprost (Zioptan, Merck, under license from Santen Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd) as the first preservative-free prostaglandin analog ophthalmic solution for reducing elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

http://bit.ly/wircO4

Source: medicalnewstoday .com

A report published Online First by Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, reveals that adults with retinitis pigmentosa who took vitamin A supplements over a period of four to six years, showed slower decline in annual rates of distance and retinal visual acuities by consuming a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

http://bit.ly/w9UowH

Source: ubergizmo .com

Here is a healthcare concept that might just see you make the jump into the medical field from a far more sterile study path at the moment. After all, do you not want to indulge in touchscreen displays that will make up the bulk of your healthcare experience? Swedish designers Ergonomidesign have peered into their crystal ball, keeping their fingers crossed that in five years’ time, the video which you can view after the jump entitled “The Future of Integrated Health Care” will be able to deliver future will offer even more health-related smartphone apps, small mobile diagnostic devices as well as touchscreen displays that encompass your overall healthcare experience. Looks fancy – will the future me be able to afford such healthcare then?

http://bit.ly/Abn7n5

Source: mobihealthnews .com

The worldwide mHealth market will grow to a revenue opportunity worth $23 billion by 2017, according to a new report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and funded by the GSM Association. PwC notes that while advancements in medical technology and a general worldwide increase in income levels would suggest progress for healthcare, issues of affordability, complexity and access are still big problems for the industry. Given the near ubiquity of mobile networks as well as the rise of smartphones and other connected devices, PwC believes mobile will play an increasingly important role in developed and developing countries to help healthcare stakeholders overcome these challenges.

http://bit.ly/wmWonI

Source: osnsupersite .com

Dry eye syndrome was highly prevalent and correlated with disease severity in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a study found.

"Dry eye is a common incident in children with [juvenile rheumatoid arthritis] and should be screened for in all patients with this disease. Severity of eye dryness is highly correlated with the disease activity," the study authors said.

http://bit.ly/y8b8dW

Source: osnsupersite .com

A joint House-Senate conference committee has reached a tentative agreement on a bill that delays for 10 months a 27.4% Medicare physician payment cut scheduled to take effect March 1. The House may vote on the bill later this week.

http://bit.ly/zwGNJ8

Source: kevinmd .com

Lots of pressure out there for you to be on Facebook and Twitter, right? The ultimate question, though, is how are you using Facebook and Twitter to support your goals? Are you connecting with patients? Are you reaching out to peers and friends? It is great to have a big following, but does that turn into real, authentic meaning for you? If you are like most doctors, the answer is resoundingly no.

http://bit.ly/wFxRRD

Source: medscape .com

A leading group of U.S. doctors is trying to tackle the costly problem of excessive medical testing, hoping to avoid more government intervention in how they practice.

http://bit.ly/w2TDmb

Source: sunshinestatenews .com

An abrupt about-face by the Florida Medical Association is helping to keep malpractice reform legislation alive, but at least one group of physicians is calling the move "irresponsible."

http://bit.ly/wIRM2j