Boomers

Results for the very first human embryonic stem cell treatment were announced today in the online first section of The Lancet journal.  The first aim of the study was to determine if the stem cell transplant was a safe treatment for age-related dry macular degeneration (dry AMD), the main cause of blindness in persons over 60.  But, in addition...

Eyes don't tear as much as we age.  Add to that the dry weather, not enough sleep, a few too many cocktails, or dust and pollen allergies... and you've got dry eyes.  Now, there's a pair of ophthalmologist-recommended goggles that stimulate natural tear production again....

Many persons give up their hobbies or even aspects of their work or chores as they age.  While arthritis in their fingers and hands may be one reason they don't build model cars or quilt any more, for most boomers and seniors, it's because of vision changes.  As we age, we tend to need more light and more magnification to see clearly and sometimes even our prescription lenses don't quite measure up to what we need for hobby work. 

In the future, maybe not too distant, diabetics may be able to monitor their glucose levels continuously, rather than at one point in time, thanks to the researchers from North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of California, San Diego.  These researchers have incorporated sensors into multiple microneedles, each less than a millimeter long, that may make today's glucose analyzers, the annoying skin prick tests, obsolete.

Surgeons at the New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University performed the very first 'ex vivo' lung transplants yesterday, placing a deceased donor's lungs into a test dome for four hours to get the lungs in shape for their new human recipients.  Organ testing procedures have been available prior to now, but none as sophisticated as the XVIVA Perfusion System employed in these particular transplant surgeries.