Vitamin E has many health benefits when taken as a nutritional supplement, but recent research by Anuj Chauhan, Ph. D., presented at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, the use of vitamin E on contact contact lenses deliver more medication for glaucoma and maybe other diseases to the eye. Eye drops that treat the pressure build up in glaucoma, are the typical treatment. However, medication delivered by eye drops does not usually meet the targeted tissue. He stated, “Only about one to five percent of drugs in eye drops actually reach the cornea of the eye.” In the following health news article that appeared on Science Daily.com about Vitamin E in contact lenses that may treat glaucoma. Clinical trials could begin in as little as a year to two years.
Chauhan and colleagues have developed a new extended-release delivery approach incorporating vitamin E into contact lenses. The invisible clusters, or aggregates, of vitamin E molecules form what Chauhan describes as “transport barriers.” that slow down the elusion of the glaucoma medication from the lens into the eye. The drug released from the lens into the eye stays in the tears far longer than the 2-5 minutes with eye drops, leading to more effective therapy.
“These vitamin structures are like ‘nano-bricks’,” Chauhan said. “The drug molecules can’t go through the vitamin E. They must go around it. Because the nanobricks are so much bigger than the drug molecules — we believe about a few hundred times bigger — the molecules get diverted and must travel a longer path. This increases the duration of the drug release from the lenses.”
In research with laboratory animals, the lenses containing vitamin E nanobricks administered drugs up to 100 times longer than most commercial lenses. The lenses could be designed for continuous wear for up to a month, Chauhan said. In addition to treating glaucoma, the contacts could help other eye conditions, such as cataract and dry eye. Cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, and dry eye involves decreased production of tears. It affects about 2 in 10 people and can lead to more severe eye problems.
“Vitamin E is a proven nutraceutical that in small amounts is good for the eye because of its ant-oxidant properties. Also Vitamin E presence in the contact lenses blocks UV radiation, leading to increased protection against the UV light. Our research has shown that the vitamin can be loaded into the lenses without any reduction in transparency. We believe it could be helpful in disease treatment and in prevention as well,” he said.
“We have developed a novel approach of extending the duration of drug release from contact lenses by including nanosized aggregates of Vitamin E in the lenses. The Vitamin E nano-aggregates force the drug molecules to travel in a tortuous path leading to increased drug release durations. Another benefit of Vitamin E incorporation is that Vitamin E is known to be an anti-oxidant, whose slow release from lenses could also help in prevention of ophthalmic diseases like cataract and glaucoma.
Furthermore, Vitamin E blocks UV radiation, leading to reduced ocular damage from the UV light. Our research has shown that Vitamin E can be loaded into the lenses without any reduction in transparency. The drug release durations from Vitamin E loaded lenses are about 100 times longer than from commercial lenses for several ophthalmic drugs including glaucoma drug timolol, anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone, and anti-viral drug flucanozole. Thus, Vitamin E loaded lenses could be highly effective in synergistic prevention and treatment of ophthalmic diseases through extended delivery of the desired drugs and the nutraceutical Vitamin E. Animal studies in beagle dogs are ongoing to explore glaucoma treatment through Vitamin E laden contact lenses.”
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Menopause affects mood and this tragic health news update underlines the effect of the loss of hormones, especially in women. Menopause can cause irritability, depression and mood. It is now known that hormones must be replaced and it is much preferable that hormones be replaced with a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy because they are safer than synthetic hormones. Bioidentical hormones will remove the worst symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, sleep problems and mood issues. Bioidentical hormones can be prescribed by doctors who have special training in monitoring hormone levels at menopause.
This story comes from the BBC health news site.
Woman’s death blamed on menopause
A woman who refused to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) died while suffering from a menopausal episode, an inquest has heard.
Margaret Drew from Hayle in Cornwall was killed when she walked out of her family home on to nearby railway line and was hit by a train.
The Truro inquest was told the 55-year-old had no history of depression or suicidal behaviour.
Cornwall Coroner Dr Emma Carlyon recorded an open verdict. The former secretary’s husband, Clifford Drew, said his wife had suffered from menopausal problems, including hot flushes and mood swings, for about five years.
Mr Drew said 99% of the time she was an “absolutely delightful, lovely and friendly lady”, but she would become depressed and angry during the mood swings, sometimes for a few days.
“When my wife was in one of those bad moods she was totally irrational and the only way to get over it was to give each other space,” he said.
He suggested his wife try HRT or homeopathic remedies, but she refused to have any treatment.
Mr Drew told the inquest when he returned from shopping on Friday 3 July, his wife was “clearly angry about something”.
He went into another room and, unknown to him, his wife left their home and wandered on to the railway tracks opposite Chapel Lane.
Train driver Stuart Bilby told the inquest Mrs Drew she was about 50ft in front of him when he saw her on the tracks.
She was looking down and walking along the sleepers, he said.
‘Nature’s way’
Mr Bilby said when he sounded the horn and applied the engine brake, Mrs Drew appeared “startled” and seemed to step out of the way. “I then heard a heavy, dull thud and I knew I had hit her,” he said.
The court heard Mrs Drew’s GP was unable to shed any light on her death as she had never attended surgery.
Mr Drew, a retired railway station manager, said he and his wife had discussed suicides on several occasions, because he had come across many instances in his long career.
“She always expressed the view that it was a selfish thing to do,” he said.
Recording an open verdict, Dr Carlyon said: “There’s often no reason for the menopause, it’s just the way nature doles it out really.”
The coroner said although it was “strange” Mrs Drew was on the railway line, the facts did not point to anything in particular.
“There is no trigger to this at all, except the hormones making her do things that she normally wouldn’t do,” Dr Carlyon concluded.
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The Tank Chair gives all-terrain freedom to the disabled
Health news for those seeking a new wheelchair on the market: There is a new behemoth on the market today, tearing up the streets and carving a path of destruction wherever it goes; a new vehicle that will put hairs on your chest and turn you into a great big strong manly man full of testosterone the very moment you sit down. It’s not a new pick-up truck, however, and it’s not a tank (although you’re close). No, it’s a wheelchair.
The Tank Chair, created solely for the purpose of conquering off-road terrain, offers people who are disabled the chance to go anywhere. Using tracks (like the ones that you find on a tank) instead of wheels, the chair is equipped to travel over any obstacle; snow, sand, mud, rocks, you name it. The bulky size might make it somewhat of a hassle to maneuver around narrow paths and corridors but for an outdoor setting, it’s perfect. It is even capable of climbing up stairs. The following link will be able to tell you more.
Such a revolutionary idea does not come without a catch, though. The Tank Chair has to be custom built to suit people of different weights and disabilities. A 300 pound person with a T1 spinal break would have a different chair than a paraplegic who weighs 150 pounds. This is an issue for their safety but what this means, unfortunately, is that you won’t be purchasing one on a whim any time soon. But if you’re a wheelchair-bound person and you miss the great outdoors, this may be the perfect investment for you.
