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Neonatology 2020 Jun 3:1-7. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Introduction: Congenital cytomegalovirus infection (CCMVI) may result in neurodevelopmental impairments (NDIs) such as hearing loss, developmental delay, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. We aimed to investigate the potential for brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict NDI in patients with CCMVI.

Methods: We studied infants with CCMVI who were referred to our hospital from April 2010 to October 2018 and underwent a brain MRI within 3 months since birth. Read More

PLoS One 2020 3;15(6):e0233692. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Biology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy resulting from retinal ganglion cells death; it represents one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Although, primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common type of the disease, the pathogenesis of POAG and the genetic factors contributing to disease development remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the polymorphisms rs76481776 in miR182 gene and rs3217992 in cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor-2B (CDKN2B) gene are risk factors for POAG in a series of patients of Greek origin. Read More

BMC Ophthalmol 2020 Jun 1;20(1):212. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.

Background: To report the clinical and genetic findings from seven Chinese patients with choroideremia.

Methods: Five hundred seventy-eight patients with a clinically suspected diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on samples from all patients. Read More

Eur J Ophthalmol 2020 Jun 3:1120672120932088. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.

Significance: Fungal endogenous endophthalmitis is an uncommon and potentially blinding infection. is a causative organism in immunocompromized although is virulent enough to afflict immunocompetents. Their propensity to affect macula usually results in a dismal prognosis; thus, improving visual outcome has always been challenging to clinicians. Read More

Biomater Sci 2014 May 16;2(5):723-734. Epub 2014 Jan 16.

Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Broad Lane, S3 7HQ, Sheffield, UK.

Scarring of the cornea affects thousands of people every year, significantly reducing the quality of life and potentially leading to corneal blindness. Although cultured limbal epithelial cells have been used to regenerate scarred corneas for more than 15 years, the culture strategies do not deliver cells under the physiological conditions they experience in vivo. One of the main characteristics of stem cells is their ability to self-renew to maintain a tissue for a lifetime. Read More

Funct Plant Biol 2013 Mar;40(2):101-108

School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3010; Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, University of Adelaide, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia. Email.

Roughly half of the Earth's seven billion people rely on rice as their primary source of food. The milled grain of rice, often referred to as polished or white rice, serves as a rich source of energy but is low in protein and several essential micronutrients such as iron and zinc. As a result, billions of people in rice-based countries suffer the debilitating effects of protein-energy and micronutrient malnutrition with symptoms including iron-deficiency anaemia, growth retardation and blindness. Read More

Acta Ophthalmol 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Instituto de Medicina Oncológica y Molecular de Asturias (IMOMA) S. A., Oviedo, Spain.

Purpose: In the era of precision medicine, genomic characterization of blind patients is critical. Here, we evaluate the effects of comprehensive genetic analysis on the etiologic diagnosis of potentially hereditary vision loss and its impact on clinical management.

Methods: We studied 100 non-syndromic and syndromic Spanish patients with a clinical diagnosis of blindness caused by alterations on the retina, choroid, vitreous and/or optic nerve. Read More

Gene Ther 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.

Lipid metabolic deficiencies are associated with many genetic disorders. Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD), a blindness-causing inherited disorder with changed lipid profiles, is more common in Chinese and Japanese than other populations. Our results reveal that mouse models lacking Cyp4v3 have less physiological and functional changes than those of BCD patients with this gene defect. Read More

Nat Commun 2020 Jun 1;11(1):2709. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Laboratory for Experimental Immunology of the Eye, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, D-50931, Cologne, Germany.

Aberrant immune responses including reactive phagocytes are implicated in the etiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of blindness in the elderly. The translocator protein (18 kDa) (TSPO) is described as a biomarker for reactive gliosis, but its biological functions in retinal diseases remain elusive. Here, we report that tamoxifen-induced conditional deletion of TSPO in resident microglia using Cx3cr1:TSPO mice or targeting the protein with the synthetic ligand XBD173 prevents reactivity of phagocytes in the laser-induced mouse model of neovascular AMD. Read More

Clin Exp Immunol 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Therapy of Ocular Diseases; Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Therapy of Ocular Diseases, Universities of Shandong, Eye Institute of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250002, China.

Uveitis is a serious intraocular inflammatory disease that can lead to visual impairment even blindness worldwide. Notch signaling can regulate the differentiation of naïve CD4 T cells, influencing the development of uveitis. DNA methylation is closely related to the autoimmune diseases. Read More

PLoS One 2020 1;15(6):e0232796. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa.

Aims: To determine the cost and quality of life impact imposed by glaucoma in Tanzania, East Africa.

Methods: An expert panel of eye health professionals was convened to agree current glaucoma practice in Tanzania. In addition a structured patient survey was developed and administered. Read More

Am J Manag Care 2020 May;26(5 Suppl):S112-S117

W-Squared Group, Longboat Key, FL. Email:

Neovascular (or wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects more than 10% of people older than 65 years in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. It is estimated that about 11 million Americans have some form of AMD, with that number expected to double by 2050. Approximately 20% of patients will advance from a nonneovascular form of the disease to neovascular AMD, which is associated with central visual acuity loss that can result in severe visual impairment and blindness. Read More

Vet Ophthalmol 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.

Objectives: To determine the accuracy and precision of the Icare TONOVET Plus rebound tonometer and the Tono-Pen AVIA Vet™ applanation tonometer for intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement in normal ex vivo canine eyes and comparison to earlier models of these tonometers.

Animals & Procedures: The anterior chambers of six normal dog eyes were cannulated ex vivo. IOP was measured with the TONOVET (TV01), TONOVET Plus, Tono-Pen Vet™, and Tono-Pen AVIA Vet™ at manometric IOPs ranging from 5 to 70 mm Hg. Read More

Front Pediatr 2020 5;8:226. Epub 2020 May 5.

Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.

As a leading cause of childhood blindness, the epidemic of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in China is characterized by advanced stage of ROP in more mature infants than those in the West. More advanced stage of disease necessitates more complicated surgical procedures and consequently exposure to general anesthesia. These ex-prematurely born infants are at risk of developing desaturation especially after surgery under general anesthesia. Read More

Front Immunol 2020 13;11:766. Epub 2020 May 13.

Department of Ophthalmology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Herpes stromal keratitis (HSK) is one of the primary diseases that cause vision loss or even blindness after herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 infection. HSK-associated vision impairment is predominantly due to corneal scarring and neovascularization caused by inflammation. In the infected cornea, HSV can activate innate and adaptive immune responses of host cells, which triggers a cascade of reactions that leads to the release of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, microRNA, and other regulatory factors that have stimulating or inhibitory effects on tissue. Read More

Front Physiol 2020 14;11:463. Epub 2020 May 14.

Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Valencia, Spain.

Myopia is one of the commonest eye pathologies that could affect 2.56 billion people by 2020. Today high myopia is a leading cause of blindness worldwide due to associated ocular illness. Read More

Front Neurosci 2020 12;14:291. Epub 2020 May 12.

Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

Sensory deprivation prompts extensive structural and functional reorganizations of the cortex resulting in the occupation of space for the lost sense by the intact sensory systems. This process, known as cross-modal plasticity, has been widely studied in individuals with vision or hearing loss. However, little is known on the neuroplastic changes in restoring the deprived sense. Read More

Mol Vis 2020 9;26:355-358. Epub 2020 May 9.

Department of Ophthalmology, Visual, and Anatomical Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.

Despite decades of research, diabetic retinopathy remains the leading cause of blindness in working age adults. Treatments for early phases for the disease remain elusive. One pathway that appears to regulate neuronal, vascular, and inflammatory components of diabetic retinopathy is the cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cAMP) pathway. Read More

Reumatologia 2020 30;58(2):87-92. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Department of Ophthalmology, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir, Tunisia.

Objectives: To investigate the changes over time in extraocular and ocular manifestations of Behçet's disease (BD) in Tunisian patients.

Material And Methods: Retrospective study of 246 patients divided into two groups: group 1 (147 patients examined from 1995 to 2005) and group 2 (99 patients examined from 2006 to 2017).

Results: Active or scarred genital ulcers observed by physician at presentation were significantly less frequent in group 2 (47. Read More

West Afr J Med 2020 Jul-Aug;37(3):284-289

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, OAUTHC, Ile-Ife,Nigeria.

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is an idiopathic form of large vessel granulomatous vasculitis that mainly affects the aorta and its major branches, most frequently in young women under 50 years. While traditionally, it is a disease found commonly in Asia continent, it has also been reported from different parts of the world, albeit with a few reports from Sub-Sahara Africa. The clinical presentations are variable and are commonly from systemic inflammation, vascular occlusive diseases and aneurysm. Read More

West Afr J Med 2020 Jul-Aug;37(3):201-208

Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Unit, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the leading chronic diseases in low- and middle-income countries globally including Nigeria The morbidities and mortalities associated with diabetes especially in Nigeria, have remained unacceptably high compared to many other nations. It has become one of the leading causes of stroke, blindness, heart attack and end-stage kidney disease. Most deaths occur in those below 60 years of age, the productive segments of the population. Read More

Int J Risk Saf Med 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Hashemite University, Jordan.

The emerging COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to the global health care system. Given the lack of antiviral therapies or vaccines for the disease, the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) obtained much attention as a treatment for COVID-19. However, there are limited and uncertain clinical data to support the beneficial effect of this drug in COVID-19 treatment. Read More

Cognition 2020 May 27;200:104268. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Amherst College, United States of America.

Visual experience is painted in color. A change in hue or saturation can dramatically alter our understanding of a scene and how we feel about it. Subjectively, color does not feel like an optional dimension to be extracted only when necessary, but an automatically represented property of our entire visual field. Read More

J AAPOS 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, China.

Purpose: To investigate the different causes of vision loss and school-based treatment regimens at Quanzhou Blind School (QBS), China's largest blind school, in 2008 and 2016.

Methods: In 2008, 144 students received comprehensive eye examinations along with a complete family and ophthalmic history; in 2016, 125 students were examined. Vision loss was categorized into visual impairment and blindness classifications based on WHO guidelines. Read More

Neuroscience 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw; Taste and Smell Centre, Technische Universitat Dresden. Electronic address:

The exposure-driven olfactory compensation associated with sensory loss is likely to be observed in assessment of food-related dangers. Therefore, in the current study we tested the hypothesis that olfactory compensation occurs in the case of protection from food-related hazards. We compared thresholds for detection of an unpleasant rotten food odor (fermented fish sauce) in four groups of subjects: blind subjects (n=100), sighted controls (n=100), deaf subjects (n=74) and hearing controls (n=99). Read More

J Craniofac Surg 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Department of Orthodontics, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, Japan.

Purpose: Recently, midfacial hypoplasia for syndromic craniosynostosi has been corrected by Le Fort III distraction osteogenesis. During conventional Le Fort III osteotomy, osteotomy is performed via bicoronal incision. In contrast, the authors have developed a technique for performing Le Fort III osteotomy using internal devices but without bicoronal incision. Read More

Am J Hum Genet 2020 May 24. Epub 2020 May 24.

Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology, INSERM UMR 1163, Institute of Genetic Diseases, Imagine and Paris University, 75015 Paris, France. Electronic address:

Congenital cone-rod synaptic disorder (CRSD), also known as incomplete congenital stationary night blindness (iCSNB), is a non-progressive inherited retinal disease (IRD) characterized by night blindness, photophobia, and nystagmus, and distinctive electroretinographic features. Here, we report bi-allelic RIMS2 variants in seven CRSD-affected individuals from four unrelated families. Apart from CRSD, neurodevelopmental disease was observed in all affected individuals, and abnormal glucose homeostasis was observed in the eldest affected individual. Read More

Structure 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, USA. Electronic address:

Despite high-resolution crystal structures of both inactive and active G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), it is still not known how ligands trigger the large structural change on the intracellular side of the receptor since the conformational changes that occur within the extracellular ligand-binding region upon activation are subtle. Here, we use solid-state NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy on rhodopsin to show that Trp265 within the CWxP motif on transmembrane helix H6 constrains a proline hinge in the inactive state, suggesting that activation results in unraveling of the H6 backbone within this motif, a local change in dynamics that allows helix H6 to swing outward. Notably, Tyr301 within activation switch 2 appears to mimic the negative allosteric sodium ion found in other family A GPCRs, a finding that is broadly relevant to the mechanism of receptor activation. Read More

Arch Argent Pediatr 2020 Jun;118(3):e300-e304

Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergadá" (CEDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación de Endocrinología Infantil (FEI), División de Endocrinología, Hospital de Niños Ricardo Gutiérrez, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Osteoporosis should be considered in children with severe chronic diseases or in association with some genetic diseases that bear an increased risk of bone fragility. Primary osteoporosis is an entity in which emerging aetiologies are being recognized. Its association with congenital retinal folds should guide the diagnosis to the Osteoporosis-Pseudoglioma syndrome (OMIM 259770), a rare disease (prevalence of 1/2 000 000), caused by the loss of function of the protein LRP5 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5) resulting in the alteration of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Read More

PLoS One 2020 29;15(5):e0233268. Epub 2020 May 29.

Glaucoma Service, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Purpose: To analyse the disease burden of pseudoexfoliation (PXF) disease stages from East and South India.

Design: Prospective hospital based study of patients seen at 4 tertiary centres.

Subjects, Participants, And/or Controls: Consecutive old and new patients of pseudoexfoliation with normal intraocular pressure (IOP), raised IOP (PXF with Ocular hypertension, OHT) and irreversible disc/field changes (pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, PXG) seen from April 2016-March 2017 at a tertiary centre in Odisha, East India and 3 centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, South India, recruited into the prospective study were screened for baseline characteristics. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 05 28;5:CD012947. Epub 2020 May 28.

Centre for Applied Vision Research, School of Health Sciences, City University of London, London, UK.

Background: Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) accounts for 50% of glaucoma blindness worldwide. More than three-quarters of individuals with PACG reside in Asia. In these populations, PACG often develops insidiously leading to chronically raised intraocular pressure and optic nerve damage, which is often asymptomatic. Read More

Med Humanit 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

History, Erasmus University Rotterdam Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

One key factor that appears to be crucial in the rejection of quarantines, isolation and other social controls during epidemic outbreaks is trust-or rather distrust. Much like news reporting and social media, popular culture such as fictional novels, television shows and films can influence people's trust, especially given that the information provided about an epidemic disease is sometimes seen as grounded in 'scientific fact' by societies. As well as providing information on the 'correct science' behind disease transmission, spread and illness in films and literature, popular culture can also inform societies about how to feel and how to react during epidemics-that is to say create some expectations about the kinds of societal responses that could potentially occur. Read More

J Ocul Pharmacol Ther 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Biomimetic and Biohybrid Materials, Biomedical Devices, and Drug Delivery Laboratories, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, USA.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, resulting in over 30 million surgeries each year. These cases are expected to double within the next 10 years. About 25% of all patients develop secondary cataracts or posterior capsule opacification (PCO) postsurgery. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2020 May 25;159:104924. Epub 2020 May 25.

Department of Endocrinology, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China. Electronic address:

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a serious condition that can cause blindness in diabetic patients. It is a neurovascular disease, but the pathogenesis leading to the onset of this disease is still not completely understood. However, hypoxia with subsequent neovascularization is a characteristic phenomenon observed with DR. Read More

Ophthalmology 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn, Ernst-Abbe-Str. 2, 53127 Bonn, Germany. Electronic address:

Objective: Early detection and treatment can prevent irreversible blindness from diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is the leading cause of visual impairment among working-aged adults worldwide. 80% of affected persons live in low- and middle-income countries, yet, lack of resources has largely prevented DR screening implementation in these world regions. Smartphone-based fundus imaging (SBFI) allows for low-cost mobile fundus examination using an adapter on a smartphone, however, key aspects such as image quality, diagnostic accuracy and comparability of different approaches have not been systematically assessed to date. Read More

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2020 May;61(5):62

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Purpose: Fibrosis or scarring is a pathological outcome of wound healing and is characterized by terminally differentiated myofibroblasts. Heavy chain-hyaluronic acid/pentraxin 3 (HC-HA/PTX3) is a unique matrix component purified from amniotic membrane that exerts an anti-inflammatory effect. Herein, we investigate whether HC-HA/PTX3 can also exert an antiscarring effect. Read More

Cell Death Dis 2020 May 27;11(5):401. Epub 2020 May 27.

University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal.

Glaucoma is a progressive chronic retinal degenerative disease and a leading cause of global irreversible blindness. This disease is characterized by optic nerve damage and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. The current treatments available target the lowering of intraocular pressure (IOP), the main risk factor for disease onset and development. Read More

Eye (Lond) 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Purpose: To study the varied demographic, visual and clinical presentation of patients with nanophthalmos.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of 144 consecutive subjects with nanophthalmos from January 2010 to January 2018 was done. Demographic details, visual acuity, refractive status, clinical parameters and surgical data were collected. Read More

Stem Cell Res Ther 2020 May 27;11(1):203. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Retinal and/or optic nerve injury is one of the leading causes of blindness due to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration. There have been extensive efforts to suppress this neurodegeneration. Various somatic tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) demonstrated significant neuroprotective and axogenic effects on RGCs. Read More

Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila) 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Department of Neurology, Flinders University and the Calvary Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.

: Abstract: A loss or lack of blood supply to the eye can result in acute loss of vision. The site of ischemia may be at the level of the retinal arterioles, the central retinal artery, or further back at the ophthalmic and internal carotid artery. Recognizing the symptoms and signs are important to help prevent permanent ischemic and irreversible blindness. Read More

BMC Res Notes 2020 May 26;13(1):256. Epub 2020 May 26.

Public and Tropical Health Programmes, University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.

Objectives: Onchocerciasis is one of the most devastating neglected tropical diseases and it is mostly prevalent in Africa. The disease has important heavy social and economic burdens on the infected populations including low productivity, unemployment, social isolation, and stigma. A cross-sectional study was implemented using a well-established questionnaire to investigate the socio-economic impacts of Onchocerciasis elimination in Abu-Hamed, River Nile State, Sudan in 2015; 512 participants in ten affected communities were interviewed. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2020 May 24;20(10). Epub 2020 May 24.

Graduate School of Knowledge Service Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Korea.

Situation awareness (SA) is crucial for safe driving. It is all about perception, comprehension of current situations and projection of the future status. It is demanding for drivers to constantly maintain SA by checking for potential hazards while performing the primary driving tasks. Read More

Cells 2020 May 22;9(5). Epub 2020 May 22.

Department of Neuroradiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

We illuminate a possible explanatory pathophysiologic mechanism for retinal cellular neuropathy by means of a novel diagnostic method using ophthalmoscopic imaging and a molecular imaging agent targeted to fast axonal transport. The retinal neuropathies are a group of diseases with damage to retinal neural elements. Retinopathies lead to blindness but are typically diagnosed late, when substantial neuronal loss and vision loss have already occurred. Read More

Biol Conserv 2020 Jul 20;247:108503. Epub 2020 May 20.

Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe), Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Legal and illegal wildlife trade is a multibillion dollar industry that is driving several species toward extinction. Even though wildlife trade permeates the Tree of Life, most analyses to date focused on the trade of a small selection of charismatic vertebrate species. Given that vertebrate taxa represent only 3% of described species, this is a significant bias that prevents the development of comprehensive conservation strategies. Read More

Cureus 2020 Apr 20;12(4):e7745. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Neurology, Marcus Neuroscience Institute, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Boca Raton, USA.

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a genetic condition that typically presents with unilateral, painless, sub-acute central vision loss followed by contralateral vision loss after a few weeks to months. It is a rare disease that typically affects young adults - men more than women - and is a relatively common cause of blindness. It is due to a mutation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Read More