Study sheds light on why retinal ganglion cells are vulnerable to glaucoma
(AlphaMed Press) Millions of sufferers of glaucoma might someday benefit from a study released in STEM CELLS in which a " disease in a dish " stem cell model was used to examine the mechanism in glaucoma that causes retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to degenerate, resulting in loss of vision. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - June 18, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Restoring light sensitivity using tunable near-infrared sensors
Enabling near-infrared light sensitivity in a blind human retina may supplement or restore visual function in patients with regional retinal degeneration. We induced near-infrared light sensitivity using gold nanorods bound to temperature-sensitive engineered transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. We expressed mammalian or snake TRP channels in light-insensitive retinal cones in a mouse model of retinal degeneration. Near-infrared stimulation increased activity in cones, ganglion cell layer neurons, and cortical neurons, and enabled mice to perform a learned light-driven behavior. We tuned responses to different wave...
Source: ScienceNOW - June 3, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Nelidova, D., Morikawa, R. K., Cowan, C. S., Raics, Z., Goldblum, D., Scholl, H. P. N., Szikra, T., Szabo, A., Hillier, D., Roska, B. Tags: Medicine, Diseases, Neuroscience reports Source Type: news
Retinal ganglion cells that release GABA
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - April 29, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Stern, P. Tags: Neuroscience twis Source Type: news
A noncanonical inhibitory circuit dampens behavioral sensitivity to light
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) drive diverse, light-evoked behaviors that range from conscious visual perception to subconscious, non–image-forming behaviors. It is thought that RGCs primarily drive these functions through the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. We identified a subset of melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive RGCs (ipRGCs) in mice that release the inhibitory neurotransmitter -aminobutyric acid (GABA) at non–image-forming brain targets. GABA release from ipRGCs dampened the sensitivity of both the pupillary light reflex and circadian photoentrainment, thereby shiftin...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 29, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Sonoda, T., Li, J. Y., Hayes, N. W., Chan, J. C., Okabe, Y., Belin, S., Nawabi, H., Schmidt, T. M. Tags: Neuroscience reports Source Type: news
Local Ca2+ signals couple activation of TRPV1 and ANO1 sensory ion channels
ANO1 (TMEM16A) is a Ca2+-activated Cl– channel (CaCC) expressed in peripheral somatosensory neurons that are activated by painful (noxious) stimuli. These neurons also express the Ca2+-permeable channel and noxious heat sensor TRPV1, which can activate ANO1. Here, we revealed an intricate mechanism of TRPV1-ANO1 channel coupling in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Simultaneous optical monitoring of CaCC activity and Ca2+ dynamics revealed that the TRPV1 ligand capsaicin activated CaCCs. However, depletion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ stores reduced capsaicin-induced Ca2+ increases and CaCC activation, su...
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - April 27, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Shah, S., Carver, C. M., Mullen, P., Milne, S., Lukacs, V., Shapiro, M. S., Gamper, N. Tags: STKE Research Articles Source Type: news
20 Private Medtech Companies to Watch in 2020
MD+DI has taken a hard look at the private medtech sector and developed this list of 20 private companies we will be paying particularly close attention to in the new year. It was not an easy task. There are so many interesting private companies in the industry right now that we started with a much longer list and whittled it down to the 20 companies that stood out most to us.
So without further ado, here are the 20 companies that made the cut:
4C Medical is developing the AltaValve, a transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) platform designed to address mitr...
Source: MDDI - December 24, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Amanda Pedersen Tags: Business Source Type: news
20 Private Companies to Watch in 2020
MD+DI has taken a hard look at the private medtech sector and developed this list of 20 private companies we will be paying particularly close attention to in the new year. It was not an easy task. There are so many interesting private companies in the industry right now that we started with a much longer list and whittled it down to the 20 companies that stood out most to us.
So without further ado, here are the 20 companies that made the cut:
4C Medical is developing the AltaValve, a transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) platform designed to address mitr...
Source: MDDI - December 24, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Amanda Pedersen Tags: Business Source Type: news
Functional diversity of human intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells
In this study, we used a human organ donor preparation method to measure human ipRGCs’ photoresponses. We discovered three functional ipRGC subtypes with distinct sensitivities and responses to light. The response of one ipRGC subtype appeared to depend on exogenous chromophore supply, and this response is conserved in both human and mouse retinas. Rods and cones also provided input to ipRGCs; however, each subtype integrated outer retina light signals in a distinct fashion. (Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - December 4, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Mure, L. S., Vinberg, F., Hanneken, A., Panda, S. Tags: Medicine, Diseases, Neuroscience reports Source Type: news
Babies in the womb may see more than we thought
(University of California - Berkeley) Light-sensitive cells active in the retina even before the fetus can distinguish images may play a larger role in the developing eye and brain than previously thought. Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells seemingly help establish blood supply to the retina, circadian rhythms and the pupillary light reflex. UC Berkeley researchers have now discovered that these cells are electrically connected in a network that is able to detect light intensity, suggesting a bigger role in development. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - November 25, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Effect of stellate ganglion block treatment on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a randomized clinical trial - Rae Olmsted KL, Bartoszek M, Mulvaney S, McLean B, Turabi A, Young R, Kim E, Vandermaas-Peeler R, Morgan JK, Constantinescu O, Kane S, Nguyen C, Hirsch S, Munoz B, Wallace D, Croxford J, Lynch JH, White R, Walters BB.
IMPORTANCE: This is the first multisite, randomized clinical trial of stellate ganglion block (SGB) outcomes on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether paired SGB treatments at 0 and 2 weeks would result in im... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - November 9, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Economics of Injury and Safety, PTSD, Injury Outcomes Source Type: news
Five-Minute Injection May Offer an Effective Option for PTSD Five-Minute Injection May Offer an Effective Option for PTSD
A quick injection that blocks the stellate ganglion relieves symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, including distress, anxiety, and depression, and may represent a new treatment option.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Psychiatry Headlines)
Source: Medscape Psychiatry Headlines - November 8, 2019 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Psychiatry News Source Type: news
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor stimulation of T-type Ca2+ channels in sensory neurons contributes to increased peripheral pain sensitivity
Although brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is implicated in the nociceptive signaling of peripheral sensory neurons, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we elucidated the effects of BDNF on the neuronal excitability of trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons and the pain sensitivity of rats mediated by T-type Ca2+ channels. BDNF reversibly and dose-dependently enhanced T-type channel currents through the activation of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB). Antagonism of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) but not of its downstream target, the kinase AKT, abolished the BDNF-induced T-type channel respons...
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - September 23, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Wang, H., Wei, Y., Pu, Y., Jiang, D., Jiang, X., Zhang, Y., Tao, J. Tags: STKE Research Articles Source Type: news
Devices Continue to Gain Traction As Opioid Epidemic Rages On
This study, when complete, will be a monumental step-up for evidence-driven medicine in the rapidly growing field of neuromodulation,†said Andrea Trescot, the CMO of Stimwave and former President of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP). “Every other industry is expected to show efficacy through sham and placebo-controlled studies; the Tsunami study is growing the evidence that single-stage, wireless neurostimulators can offer more options to more pain patients.â€
Medtech's Response
The opioid crisis has had a profound impact in the U.S. resulti...
Source: MDDI - July 30, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Omar Ford Tags: Digital Health Source Type: news
Blast-mediated traumatic brain injury exacerbates retinal damage and amyloidosis in the APPswePSENd19e mouse model of Alzheimer's disease - Harper MM, Hedberg-Buenz A, Herlein J, Abrahamson EE, Anderson MG, Kuehn MH, Kardon RH, Poolman P, Ikonomovic MD.
PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for developing chronic neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purpose of this study was to examine chronic effects of blast TBI on retinal ganglion cells (RGC), optic nerv... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - June 29, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Burns, Electricity, Explosions, Fire, Scalds Source Type: news
CDK5 inhibits the clathrin-dependent internalization of TRPV1 by phosphorylating the clathrin adaptor protein AP2{mu}2
Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a nonselective, ligand-gated cation channel, responds to multiple noxious stimuli and is targeted by many kinases that influence its trafficking and activity. Studies on the internalization of TRPV1 have mainly focused on that induced by capsaicin or other agonists. Here, we report that constitutive internalization of TRPV1 occurred in a manner dependent on clathrin, dynamin, and adaptor protein complex 2 (AP2). The μ2 subunit of AP2 (AP2μ2) interacted directly with TRPV1 and was required for its constitutive internalization. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) phosphory...
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - June 10, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Liu, J., Du, J., Wang, Y. Tags: STKE Research Articles Source Type: news
