Revolution in Ophthalmology : Discovery of New Corneal Layer

Harminder Dua, a professor at the University of Nottingham has conducted a research to find out the number of layers in human cornea. Up to now it was believed that human cornea was made of only five layers, but with the findings of the Professor Harminder Dua, the anatomical description of the cornea has changed. 

The professor and his team have used cornea that were donated for research purposes. Then they have injected air into these cornea to separate and visualize the layers easily. They have scanned each and every layer through an electron microscope. Through this technique they were able to find a new layer. They have named the new layer as 'Dua's Layer'.

They have also stated that the reason for corneal hydrops is tear of Dua's layer. They have also pointed out the association of this layer with many other diseases of the cornea. Therefore, the discovery of this layer will take the field of ophthalmology in to a whole new level.  

How is Chlamydia treated during pregnancy?

There is a wide variety of genital tract infections. Some of them are sexually transmitted.  Treatment of these infections is important to prevent complications. Chlamydia is one such infections requiring immediate medical attention. It is also a sexually transmitted disease.  Chlamydia is an obligate intracellular organism. That means that the organism lives in side the cells. The pathogen chooses only the noncilliated columnar, transitional and cuboidalcells to live in. These are the cells found in the upper genital tract and urethra.

Unlike many other sexually transmitted diseases, Chlamydia infection gives rise to few symptoms. The patients will be completely normal until they develop complications. The complications are more when the infections occur during pregnancy. In pregnancy, not only the mother but also the baby can get affected by the infections. Chlamydia infection during pregnancy can lead to preterm birth, preterm prematue rupture of membranes and choriamnionitis. Usually, Chlamydia infection in non-pregnant women can be treated with several antibiotics. These antibiotics include azythromycine, doxycycline, erythromycin, levofloxacin and orfloxacin, some of these antibiotics cannot be used during pregnancy. That is because they can cross the placenta and can give rise to adverse effects in the baby. Therefore, the drug should be chosen carefully.

The antibiotic of choice in pregnancy is tetracycline, usually doxycycline. Out if these two, tetracycline binds to the developing bones and teeth of the fetus during second and third trimester. This results in brown colored teeth and dysplastic bones. Therefore, it should be avoided in the second and third trimesters. Erythromycin 500 mg twice a day for two weeks is the treatment of Chlamydia infection during pregnancy.

Erythromycin is usually a drug with many gastrointestinal side effects. Once ingested, the mother can get nausea and vomiting. As a result, the drug might not get absorbed properly. The pharmacokinetics of the drug during pregnancy can also get altered and the efficacy of the treatment is doubtful. Therefore, pregnant mothers who are treated with erythromycin should be tested later for presence of infection 2 weeks after the completion of antibiotic therapy. For women who cannot tolerate erythromycin, azythromycin as a single 1g dose is given. Scientists have found that Co-amoxyclave have a protective effect against neonatal infection. Therefore, it can also be used to treat Chlamydia infection during pregnancy.

As mentioned earlier, Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection. Therefore, not only the pregnant mother, but also her partner should be tested for the presence of infection. If the male partner is also found to have the infection, he should also be treated before resumption of sexual intercourse. If the mother is found to have infected with Chlamydia after delivery, she should be given tetracycline as definitive treatment. Breast feeding can be continued while on treatment.

Sometimes, Chlamydia infection goes unnoticed during pregnancy. In such cases the first presentation could be eye infection of the neonate. This is called ophthalmia neonatarum. If the baby develops ophthalmia neonatarum, it should be treated with tetracycline eye oinements. They should be also given erythromycin syrup for two weeks. This is to reduce the risk of neonatal pneumonia.

As described earlier, treatment of Chlamydia infection is very important to prevent its complications. The treatment of the mother as well as her sexual partner and the baby after birth is very important. 

Causes for Loss of Motor and Sensory Functions of Limbs

Loss of motor and sensory functions of limbs is a common neurolgical disorder. Both young and old can get this condition. Peripheral neuropathy is the commonest cause for this disease. If a patient has difficulty in moving his limbs or abnormal sensation, then he might be suffering from peripheral neuropathy. This is a disease that requires immediate medical attention because some can progress rapidly.

Following are some common causes of peripheral neuropathy. it can be easily remembered by the mnemonic STAGLAND.

1. Sarcoidosis
2. Thyroid
3. Amyloidosis
4. Guillian Barre
5. Lead
6. Alcohol
7. Nutritional
8. Drugs/ Diabetes

Can Adults Form New Brain Cells?

Some human organs have the ability to grow until death (e.g: hair, skin), but some stop growing at very young age (e.g: neurons) . It is believed that the development of the brain is completed at very young age. Scientists believed that after that certain age, the human brain does not grow. But, according to the latest research findings, human brain cells grow even at adult age.

Kirsty Spalding, a molecular biologist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Frisén, and colleagues have done a research to find out the ability of brain cells to divide even at adult age. For this research they have used brains of deceased humans who were exposed to above-ground nuclear weapon testing 50 years ago. During these nuclear weapon testing Carbon 14 were released in to the atmosphere. These Carbon 14 were incorporated in to DNA of cells of people who were exposed. They have found out a way to test the amount of Carbon 14 with in DNA of these cells. In their study they have extracted hippocampi of 55 deceased people who had given their consent to use their brains for research purposes. They have found out that every day about 1400 cells in hypoccampal region are being replaced. 

According to this research, it is confirmed that the brain cells have the ability to regenerate even in adult age. The results of this research will help the development of many aspects of science, especially the field of medicine.