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Dr. Marie Gabrielle Laguna

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Medical doctor-internist

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Study shows that glucose management can be achieved by mushroom extracts

Mar 14, 2016

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Mushrooms are potent supplements to glucose management.

Preparation of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus cystidiosus in powdered form might decrease glucose levels after eating in healthy individuals, while likewise affecting insulin levels in diabetics, says another study.

“You can talk about maintaining normal blood sugar levels. The key thing to make quite clear in your marketing is that you are starting from a basis of health.” said Jason Sapsin, the famous attorney in the film Fox Rothschild.

The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that diabetes influence more than 220 million individuals all around and the results of high glucose-related deaths in about 3.4 million consistently. The WHO is anticipating deaths to twofold somewhere around 2005 and 2030 if such measurements weren’t sufficiently alarming.

Statistics shows that diabetes is a top-ranking killer disease

In the US alone, the aggregate expenses connected with the condition are thought to be as much as $174 billion, with $116 billion are immediate expenses from medication, as per figures in 2005-2007given by American Diabetes Association.

According to researcher from the College of Sri Jayewardenepura and the College of Colombo, Sri Lanka, a catalyst called glucokinase, an essential sensor of glucose levels in the body, might be triggered by the suspension of freeze dried and powdered P. ostreatus (American shellfish mushroom) and P. cystidiosus (abalone mushroom).

Eighty-eight healthy volunteers were selected by the Sri Lankan scientists and assigned them randomly to one of the four groups: two control groups, and two mushroom groups accepting either P. ostreatus or p. cystidiosus preparation at a measurement of 50 mg/kg/body weight for two weeks. In addition, 14 type of two diabetics to get single 50 mg/kg/body weight dosages of the mushroom preparations were added by the analysts.

The P. ostreatus has dramatically lessened fasting and after-a-meal glucose levels by 6.1% and 16.4%, individually, while P, cystidiosus essentially decreased fasting and after-a-meal glucose levels by 6.4% and 12.1% as results demonstrated for the healthy volunteers.

“At the point when eaten for 2 weeks, both fasting and after-a-meal serum glucose levels were diminishing fundamentally in healthy volunteers, which recommend that long-term utilization of P. ostreatus and P. cystidiosus might be advantageous to people” they wrote in Phytotherapy Research.

Mushroom supplements shows promising results

The specialists wrote, “P. ostreatus and P. cystidiosus applied noteworthy hypoglycaemic impact in healthy volunteers tested with glucose and in Type 2 diabetic patients on diet control. The mushrooms are neither hepatotoxic nor nephrotoxic. Subsequently, this study affirms the suitability of P. ostreatus and P. cystidiosus as a vital supplements for diabetic patients. “P. ostreatus and P. cystidiosus did not create any hepato-renal harm in the healthy volunteers,” added by the specialists.

In the diabetics, insulin levels expanded while the mushrooms preparation were additionally connected with upgrades in fasting and postprandial glucose levels . Mushrooms were both connected with expansions in glucokinase (GK) emission, they included, and diminishes in glycogen synthase kinase (GSK), which advances the arrangement of glycogen in the liver from glucose (and along these lines bringing down glucose levels).

As conclusion to their experiment, they said, “The freeze dried suspensions of the two mushrooms apply their oral hypoglycaemic action by means of a few conceivable mechanisms as follows expanding GK movement and advancing insulin emission and in this manner the usage of glucose by fringe tissues, restraining GSK and in this manner advancing glycogen amalgamation.”

In any case, supplement items, can’t make any claims that are identified with the disease condition, and claims in the range of glucose management must be painstakingly made.

A well-balanced diet is the primary key in inhibiting the triggers for diabetes. A careful selection of food items each meal and with proper medication can help fight diabetes.

Written by Roy Patrick Gencianeo

Heart problems on heavy smog days? Does wine and chocolate help?

Mar 13, 2016

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Flavonoid-rich foods like wine and chocolate are studied as they act as shield for the heart during heavy smog days.

Zhong’s mentor, Dr. Andrea Baccerelli, an associate professor of environmental epigenetics at the Harvard School of Public Health, says, “We as individuals have no regular means to protect ourselves from air pollution. Here we have a potential avenue where we can protect ourselves.”

A new research suggests that to protect people from heart disease caused by air pollution, a diet rich in chocolate, fruits, wine, and vegetables must be served with every meal. (HealthDay).

For their study, the analysts concentrated on 573 Boston-area elderly men taking part in an aging study. They thought about clinical estimations taken of the men against air quality measures for their group, and had the men round out eating regimen poll. According to the researchers, tested on elderly men, flavonoids-rich foods are agents in helping the heart from altering its function during heavy smog days. Flavonoids are antioxidants found in plants.

Jia Zhong, a doctoral student at the Harvard School of Public Health, said that everyday consumption of about 100 grams of blueberries which is about three-quarters of a cup helps protect older men from smog-related heart disease,

Flavonoids helps prevent or cause delay to cell damage and are well-known antioxidants. Flavonoids are compounds that are naturally found in plants which gives them their color.

Smog can affect the normal function of the heart and can link to other diseases

The men had a tendency to experience the ill effects of reduced heart rate variability when exhaust cloud levels ascended for 48 hours, the scientists found in over an 11-year period, Smoggy air can decrease the heart’s capacity to shift its cadence. Reduced heart rate variability has been connected to death from heart assaults and heart disease among more seasoned individuals, Zhong said.

“We were looking if there were any variables that could make the mischief less significant,” Zhong said.

The impact was far more terrible for men whose hereditary qualities had a tendency to stifle a protein called toll-like receptor 2, which recognizes outside substances and goes on signs to the insusceptible framework.

Flavonoids might secure against contamination related heart problem by directing the body’s invulnerable framework reaction, they said. Be that as it may, the air pollution and hereditary qualities had a far weaker impact in men who expended elevated amounts of flavonoids in their eating regimens, the specialists found.

A well-balanced diet – an important factor in fighting heart diseases

“Diet has any kind of effect,” Baccarelli said. “The measure of flavonoids found in chocolate or blueberries can reconstruct our qualities.” The scientists cautioned this shouldn’t be taken as a sign to glut on chocolate bars or chug wine. “On the off chance that you eat an excess of calories, that is not going to be useful for your heart,” Baccarelli said.

Baccarelli included that in light of the fact that the study is observational, it doesn’t demonstrate any circumstances and end results join between flavonoids and heart rate variability. Clinical trials will be required before any dietary changes can be suggested. The exploration was planned to be exhibited Monday at the American Heart Affiliation yearly meeting in Chicago. Research exhibited at restorative gatherings ought to be seen as preparatory until distributed in an associate looked into the medical journal.

Dr. Russell Luepker, an educator of the study of disease transmission and group well-being at the College of Minnesota School of General Wellbeing, concurred that these outcomes ought not lead anybody to definitely change their eating regimen.

“There are an entire bundle of connections here that are theoretical, and a study that discussions about affiliations can’t fill in these theoretical connections,” Luepker said. “This is just an initial step. We require significantly more before we begin advising individuals to do different things.”

To those who are allergic to wine or chocolate or pregnant, eating fruits and vegetables like apple, banana, celery, peaches, parsley, tomatoes, and onions provide significant amounts of flavonoids but with less side-effects.

Written by Roy Patrick Gencianeo

Heart cell connections could predict rhythm disorders in the future

Mar 12, 2016

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In a research article published online in Nature Communications last January 20, hearts suffering from disease may be disrupted from their normal rhythm because of structural differences, which are visible for the first time, in the protein groups that are seen to connect muscle cells of the heart.

Using powerful imaging techniques and mathematical models, researchers from the NYU Langone Medical Center were able to reconstruct, for the first time, 3D images of structures called intercalated discs, which are proteins that actually connect heart muscle cells. These proteins are also responsible for passing electrical signals and the pumping force that the heart needs in order to function properly.

The research was able to show that these intercalated discs occur together in clusters, and in cases where these proteins are farther apart than normal, even by a distance as small as a billionth of a meter, electrical malfunctions may occur.

Senior study investigator Mario Delmar, MD, PhD, the Patricia and Robert Martinsen Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine's Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology at NYU Langone, says that Our new images could someday help physicians and genetic counsellors more accurately identify people at risk before they develop potentially life-threatening arrhythmias, electric disorders�that throw off the heart's rhythm.� Dr. Delmar's long term-goal is to be able to devise a blood test that will be able to detect dangerous disc protein structures as a component of mass screening.

Cadherins

Previous researches have shown that these intercalated discs are usually composed of cadherins, which are a class of proteins that anchor one cell on to another so that they could pass on a combined�pumping force, which is called adhesion. Located within the discs are also protein channels that when stimulated with the proper signal, allow sodium ions to flow inside, thereby triggering heart muscle cell contraction. This is known as excitability.

It was previously those that adhesion and excitability were performed by different proteins, but the present study shows that they actually work together. Delmar and colleagues were able to identify the existence in the discs of distinct clusters of both the adhesion protein N-cadherin, and another protein, Nav 1.5, which is related to sodium ion channels.

These two clusters that were identified are speculated to be sites of crosstalk� between contractile and electrical functions in heart muscle cells. The most important finding perhaps is that their discovery of the distance between adhesion and excitability complexes may actually provide a new way to measure risk of some diseases through imaging. This is especially applicable in diseases where genetic mutations can be related to differences in protein spacing.

According to their results, around 60 percent of N-cadherin in the intercalated discs of mice used in the study were clustered within a proximity of 100 nanometers from Nav 1.5. Images of the proteins�showed that they were quite highly organized. The researchers speculate that the closeness of the proteins might be essential to coordinating the electrical properties of the heartbeat.

Emotion-processing areas in the brain disrupted during depression

Mar 11, 2016

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According to neuroscientists, parts of the brain that usually coordinate to process emotion become decoupled in people who experience multiple episodes of depression.

The findings from this study may help identify patients who can benefit from long-term administration of anti-depressants in order to prevent more occurrences of depressive episodes.The study was conducted by a team of researchers in the University of Illinois in Chicago, and is currentlypublished in the journal Psychological Medicine.

Scott Langenecker, associate professor of psychiatry and psychology at UIC and the corresponding authorof the study, says that half of the people who experience a depressive episode for the first time will have another within a span of two years.

Disruptions in regions of the brain that are active at the same time when processing information oremotions have been implicated in a number of mental illnesses, one of which is depression. On the other�hand, hyperconnectivity�, or too much connection in the resting network�, which are the areas that should normally be active during rest and self-reflection, could also cause the same.

If we can identify different network connectivity patterns that are associated with depression, then we may be able to determine which are risk factors for poorer outcomes down the line, such as having�multiple episodes, and we can keep those patients on preventive or maintenance medication. We can also start to see what medications work best for people with different connectivity patterns, to develop�more personalized treatment plans,� says Langenecker.

In a previous research, Langenecker was able to find out that the emotional and cognitive brain networks were hyperconnected in young adults suffering from depression. In the new study, he and his coworkers wanted to check if different patterns of network-disruption would be seen in adolescents who experienced only one episode of depression as compared to those who experienced several.

Decoupling in Depression

The team used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of participants. A total of 77 young adults with an average age of 21 were involved in the study. Seventeen of the participants were currently experiencing major depression during the time of the study, while 34 were in good condition. Out of these 51 patients, 36 had experienced a minimum of one episode previously, and these patients were compared to 26 other participants who have never experienced depression. None of the participants were taking any form of medication during the course of the study.

The amygdala, a region whose role is to detect emotion, is decoupled from the emotional network in people who have experienced more than one episode of depression. Because of this, emotional information processing would become less accurate and could explain negative processing-bias� in which those suffering from depression see neutral information as negative.

This may be an adaptation the brain makes to help regulate emotional biases or rumination. Since this study provides just a snapshot of the brain at one point in time, longer-term studies are needed to determine whether the patterns we saw may be predictive of a future of multiple episodes for some patients and might help us identify who should have maintenance treatments and targets for new preventive treatments,� Langernecker says.

Drinking cow’s milk found to be protective against asthma

Mar 10, 2016

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Unprocessed cow's milk is known to have a higher omega-3 fatty acids as compared to pasteurized, homogenized, or low-fat milk.

This is one of the apparent reasons why children who consumed this type of milk have a lower probability of developing asthma.

A study by the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunulogy has revealed that kids who often drink fresh farm milk are less likely to develop asthma, as compared to children who consume the processed type. Further investigation showed that this preventive effect is due to the fact that fresh farm milk has more omega-3 fatty acids as compared to the industrially processed ones. However, the authors of the study still recommend to avoid drinking the untreated type, as it often contains pathogenic microorganisms.

The paper was based on the long-term research project known as PASTURE, which involved around a thousand children who reside in rural areas, in which their mothers were asked to keep records of their child's nutrition and illness until their children turned 6 years old. Analysis of the data gathered from these diaries showed that the number of children who developed asthma by 6 years of age was significantly lower in the group that regularly drank untreated farm milk.

Tabea Brick, a member of the research group that performed the study under Erika von Mutius who is a Professor of Asthma and Allergies at Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital in Munich, says that the effect that is seen can be partly explained by the higher overall fat content and the higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids found in the untreated farm milk.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

These omega-3 fatty acids are quite important for human health and have been known to have a number of physiological effects, but they cannot be endogenously produced in the body, and must be acquired only from dietary sources. For example, they are known to serve as precursors for the synthesis of anti-inflammatory substances,� says Brick.

The LMU researchers collaborated with another team at Marburg University to assess the composition of the unprocessed farm milk, as well as also analyze that of shop milk that had undergone different types of treatment, such as pasteurization,homogenization, and fat reduction. Upon doing this, it was discovered that the amount of omega-3 fatty acids left in the treated products was inversely proportional to the intensity of processing. In other words, the more processed it is, less omega-3 fatty acids are left in�the final product. On the other hand, the level of omega-6 fatty acids, which mainly act as precursors for the synthesis of pro-inflammatory acting compounds in the body, was not changed by any of the treatments.

The standard industrial treatment process for milk usually involves pasteurization of the raw cow milk from a temperature of 72�C to 75�C. The milk then undergoes homogenization to avoid creaming. Mutius and team argue that the development of milder methods for the processing of milk is quite important because this will ensure that a lot of beneficial components found in the raw milk can be retained, but at the same time, pathogenic microbes are effectively eliminated.

Why Is It Important For Children To Play?

Mar 9, 2016

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For children, peer play is an activity that plays a big part in their development.

It is during the performance of such activities that essential and vital skills are learned and honed, ranging from making social connections, to other abilities such as cognitive, language and emotional ones.

Dr. Rebecca J. Bulotsky-Shearer, an associate professor of Psychology at the University of Miami (UM) College of Arts and Sciences, knows all too well that interactive play is very important for a child's growth. The research that she does focuses on social and emotional development in children, specifically children�who live in poor conditions.

In the Miami-Dade community, a large number of families are categorized as low-income households from Hispanic or Latino backgrounds. Regarding this, there is a huge concern that children from low-income households are not quite ready to go to kindergarten.

To shift the negative impressions on latino children who are poor and the issue of them not being ready for kindergarten, Dr.Bulotsky-Shearer and her team focused on the strengths that these children were actually showing in preschool.

Children at Play

Researches conducted nationwide are suggesting that there is an achievement gap when children enter kindergarten, especially for those with ethnic minority backgrounds living in poverty, and many people view this from a negative perspective. A couple of studies being done by Dr. Bulotsky-Shearer and her team show that peer social competence is actually one of the strengths that young children display. She and her team wanted to show this strength in Latino kids that they work with in the Head Start Programs�in Florida. One of the measures that Dr. Bulotsky-Shearer and her colleagues have been collecting is regarding children's play in school, which is quite important for boosting learning in preschool.

To check whether peer play was really important for the development of the Latino children involved in the Head Start Programs, the researchers used a tool called The Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS). This is a behavioral rating measure that is used for assessing and understanding peer play behavior. Three�factors are being examined in the PIPPS: play interaction (which includes sharing, collaborative play, and encouragement); play disruption (including aggressive and antisocial behaviors); and play disconnection (which is withdrawal behavior while playing).

Using the PIPPS and observing the Latino children, the team was able to discover that the children display a high level of interactive peer play in positive learning environments. They also observed general behaviors of the children, and saw that they were quite engaged, motivated and social.

They also looked on how the three factors being measured in the PIPPS are related to two other sets of measures that are quite fundamental for children, with regards to being ready for going to kindergarten. The first measure is how children approach learning, and learning-related behaviors. The second is the�direct assessment of a child's language, literacy and math skill. Both measures can actually help teachers assess their students better in the classroom, and can also help them make recommendations to the parents.

Uncommon Lung Cell Regulates Immune Response

Mar 8, 2016

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A type of lung cell acts as a sensor to regulate immune response.

An unusual and rarely-studied type of cell found in the lungs has been discovered to act somewhat like a sensor, linking together to central nervous system and the pulmonary system in order to regulate immune responses caused by stimuli in the environment.

A team of researchers, led by Xin Sun, who is a medical geneticist in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published a research in the journal Science regarding pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, or PNECs. These cells are implicated in a number of lung diseases, such as asthma, pulmonary hypertension, sudden infant�death syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and many more. Until now, the function of these cells in a live animal was unknown. The research by Sun and colleagues brings to light that PNECs are actually effective sensors that are seeded in the airways of many animals, which of course includes human beings.

The cells are around 1% of the total number of cells found in the airway epithelium, which are the cells that line the respiratory tract. Our conclusion is that they are capable of receiving, interpreting, and responding to environmental stimuli such as allergens or chemicals mixed with the air we breathe,� says Sun.

Discovering the specific function of these cells would open new therapies for the pulmonary diseases in which these types of cells are implicated in.

Genetic Studies

The initial goal of Sun and her group was to actually find out the cause of a disease called congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This disease is a fairly common birth defect in which there is a hole in the newborn's diaphragm, which is the muscle that controls breathing. Because of the presence of this hole, organs from the abdomen slip into the chest. The hole can be surgically corrected, but most of the babies still do not survive. Those that do survive develop symptoms like asthma or pulmonary hypertension.

Preliminary results of the research led them to concentrate on two genes known as ROBO1 and ROBO2. These genes have been known to be associated with CDH, and by knocking out these genes, they were able to produce experimental CDH. To their surprise, PNECs were quite disorganized in the ROBO knockout mutants, whereas in healthy mice, PNECs were clustered. In the mutant, they don't cluster. They stay as solitary cells, and as single cells they are much more sensitive to the environment,� says Sun.

Further investigation showed that dysfunction of the PNECs caused the hyperactive immune response that was seen in the lungs of the ROBO knockdown models.

At present, PNECs are the only type of cells seen in the airway lining that are connected to the central nervous system. Sun explains that these cells are likely to be distributed sensors, which gather information and stimuli from the environment, and then transmitting information to the brain. Conversely, these cells�also receive information from the brain, in which they respond by upregulating their neuropeptides, which are small proteins that can potently regulate the immune response.
Disorders such as asthma are linked to a high level of neuropeptides. By revealing that PNECs function by regulating immune response through neuropeptide release, PNECs may as well be good targets to�regulate, thereby preventing or lessening the symptoms of the disease.

Transcriptome Sequencing Used to Screen For Human-Animal Disease

Mar 7, 2016

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Recent development in genetic sequencing are being used to spot diseases in wildlife that other diagnostics cannot detect.

In a recent issue of Biology Letters, a study led by Duke University has used whole-transcriptome sequencing to screen for blood-borne diseases that are found in wild lemurs. These animals are known to�be distant primate cousins to us human beings.

Lemurs were found to carry a number of strains of parasites that are similar to those that cause diseases in humans such as Lyme disease.

This is the first time that these parasites have been detected in lemurs or also in Madagascar, which is the only place where lemurs live in the wild.

Transcriptome Sequencing

This technique could actually make way for earlier and more accurate ways of detection future outbreaks of diseases transmitted between animals and humans.

Anne Yoder, co-author of the study and director of the Duke Lemur Center, says that the technique enables us to detect pathogens that are unexpected and become better prepared for them.

Last 2012, Duke Lemur Center veterinarian Cathy Williams and her team started performing physical exams on lemurs living in the rainforests located near a mining site in Madagascar in order to determine what the effects of such activities are on the health of lemurs.

Lemur populations are becoming increasingly small and fragmented because of human activities like mining, logging and clearing forests to make way for cattle grazing and rice paddies. If an infectious disease wipes out a lemur population it could be a huge blow to the species,� says Williams.

Aside from doing physical exams, the team of researchers also took blood from the lemurs and tested them for exposure to currently known viruses and pathogens, but they were not able to find anything.

Williams also adds that the limitation of standard tests is that they only aim to detect known pathogens. This is usually done by checking antibodies of certain viruses, or check parts of genetic material in the animal's blood. But in cases like this, you really need to know what you're looking for.

Because of this limitation, new or exotic diseases often slip in the hands of scientists and health experts. In order to deal with this, they tried a new approach.

Peter Larsen, lead author and senior scientist at Duke, analyzed blood samples of six lemurs from two species (indri and diademed sifaka). Both species are currently considered to be critically endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

With current technology such high-throughput screening, which is the ability to read genetic code rapidly, Larsen and team were able to find that there was more than just lemur RNA in the blood. Using computer�algorithms and genetic sequences from databases, they discovered some parasites that were reported for the first time in lemurs.

These included a new form of protozoa that causes babesiosis (disease from the bites of ticks) and a new kind of Borrelia that is similar to the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Another is a bacterium called Candidatus neoehrlichia, which can be fatal to humans.

Performing researches such as this are very important as recent outbreaks, such as that of SARS, Ebola and avian flu, are zoonotic, which means that they are spread between wild and domestic animals, and humans.

Referrals To Post-Acute Care Related To Higher Readmission Rates

Mar 6, 2016

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There may be a�relationship between metrics, like the length of stay and admission rates, and the use of post-acute care.

To make sure that patients are taken of properly after surgery, they are usually referred by hospitals to facilities such as skilled nursing homes or inpatient rehabilitation centers or to receive home care.�This type is called post-acute care, and is now seen to account for spending for medical care.

Spending for post-acute care actually varies across the United States, which kind of suggests that some areas use these types of services too frequently, and some areas use them too sparingly. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine found that the variation in medical care spending actually is based on the differences in the cost of post-acute care. Little is known though about why there are variations.

A new study done by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) published in the journal Medical Care has discovered that the percentage in which hospitals refer patients to inpatient facilities actually ranges from 3 to 40 percent (of patients). In the same light, in terms of referrals to home health care, the range is from 3 to 58 percent of patients. This big range of values prompted the researchers to check whether this big variation might be attributed to the overall quality of care provided by the hospitals.

There was no correlation between how often hospitals used post-acute care and the number of recorded postoperative deaths or complications. However, the researchers discovered that there was a�relationship between metrics like the length of stay and admission rates, and the use of post-acute care. Hospitals that tended to refer patients to inpatient facilities had shorter lengths of stay, as well as higher readmission rates.

Dr. Greg Sacks, lead investigator of the study, and a resident in general at UCLA says that the findings might suggest that a number of hospitals might be using post-acute care as a substitute for inpatient care. This might lead to patients being discharged from the hospital prematurely, which then results in�higher readmission rates,� he adds.

Hospital Readmission

Data from 112,620 patients that were treated at 217 hospitals in a total of 39 states was analyzed. The researchers used data from the national surgery registry and Medicare claims, as well as from annual surveys of the American Hospital Association from 2005 to 2008.

Additionally, hospitals that referred patients to inpatient facilities were more likely to readmit the same patients within 30 days (at 24.1 percent) as compared to the hospitals who referred patients to�inpatient facilities least often (at 21.2 percent). Hospitals with the shortest average length of stay were also the ones that used inpatient facilities more frequently, at 24 percent versus 19.5 percent.

The research suggests that health care payment policies that make financial incentives for hospitals to release patients earlier than needed could be the reason why hospitals are making such decisions�regarding post-acute care.

Our findings suggest that there is an urgent need to study the appropriate use of post-acute care to develop guidelines to assist postoperative discharge planning. The new evidence and guidelines based on that evidence would help ensure that patients receive the post-discharge care they need, while avoiding additional care they do not need,� as stated in the report.

New Study Reveals Hidden Risk Factors For Cornea Condition

Mar 5, 2016

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Keratoconus�causes severe progressive nearsightedness even at early ages.

In a large study recently conducted, previously unknown risk factors for a cornea-related condition called keratoconus have been revealed. This condition causes severe progressive nearsightedness even at early ages.
Keratoconus makes the cornea, which is the rounded and clear covering of the eye, weak, making it cone-shaped as time passes by. Previous researches have produced treatments for this disease, but most who have this disorder are usually not diagnosed early enough to be able to benefit from these treatments.

The study was published in the journal Ophthalmology by researchers from the University of Michigan Health System's Kellogg Eye Center and the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Their research was able to show that men, African-Americans and Latinos, and people with asthma, sleep apnea�or Down syndrome have higher chances of developing keratoconus. On the other hand, females, Asian-Americans, and people who have diabetes look like they have a lower chance of developing the disease.

The research was inspired by the problem of whether the changes to the eye brought about by keratoconus have effects on other parts of the body. Studying the relationship between eye disorders and�other health conditions has been made easier because of the presence of many data troves.

Maria Woodward, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology at U-M Medical School and also the first author of the study, says that eye health relates to body health, and as ophthalmologists, they need to take care to look at other parts of the body, and not just the eyes.

Factors for Keratoconus

Data was taken from the insurance claims of around 16,000 people, half of which have confirmed keratoconus, and the other half of which have similar symptoms but no keratoconus. Doing this allowed the researchers to see which factors play a role in developing keratoconus. The patients involved in the study mostly was composed of people who were in their 30s or 40s.

The study was able to confirm previous suspicions raised in smaller studies, such as the fact that men were more likely to develop keratoconus. Another is that patients who already had Down syndrome were around 6 times as much to develop this condition. This further promotes the high importance of screening�and treating people with Down syndrome, even from a young age. Other conditions found to be positively correlated with developing keratoconus are sleep apnea and asthma.

Other factors though were revealed for the first time. People who are of African American or Latino origin were 50% higher in terms of risk as compared to whites. And further investigation revealed that those of Asian descent were 39% less likely to develop the condition, which actually contradicts previous researches.

Regarding the effect of diabetes, there has been some debate over its protective� effects for some time. Even though diabetes causes a number of negative effects to the eye, such as glaucoma and the like, the cornea may otherwise be strengthened because of those other changes. The new study showed that people with diabetes were 20% less likely to develop the condition, and even lower for those with�complications from diabetes.

An important note by the researchers is that the data was solely based on medical insurance claims, which is why they are not able to see the cause and effect of the conditions. Consequently, their findings also do not apply to those who not have medical insurance and therefore less access to medical care.

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