http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The most common cause of failure after glaucoma surgery is scarring at the surgical site, so researchers are actively looking for ways to minimize or prevent scar formation. Previous work had suggested that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) activates fibrosis, whereas VEGF inhibition results in reduced scar formation and better surgical results. In a series of studies using a rabbit model of glaucoma surgery, investigators have determined that VEGF probably exerts its effects through induction of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, which may open up a new target for therapies to improve glaucoma surgical outcomes. This study is published in the June 2013 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-biochemical-mechanism-underlying-fibrosis-glaucoma.html Ophthalmology Fri, 17 May 2013 12:20:02 EST news288009239 Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Glasgow have uncovered a possible new method of enhancing nerve repair in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-discovery-nerve-regeneration-spinal-injury.html Neuroscience Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:00:12 EST news271417331 (HealthDay)—Compared with high-density porous polyethylene (HDPPE) implant materials, sphere-templated poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly[HEMA]) tissue scaffold stimulates a minimal inflammatory response; supports cellular ingrowth, collagen formation, and neovascularization; and may induce less scar formation, according to an experimental study published online Oct. 8 in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-sphere-templated-tissue-scaffold-viable-subcutaneous.html Surgery Sun, 14 Oct 2012 09:30:01 EST news269414499 Modulating immune response to injury could accelerate the regeneration of severed peripheral nerves, a new study in an animal model has found. By altering activity of the macrophage cells that respond to injuries, researchers dramatically increased the rate at which nerve processes regrew. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-immune-boost-regeneration-peripheral-nerves.html Medical research Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:00:35 EST news268394418 A new study suggests that administering FTY720, an oral drug that has shown promise in trials for human multiple sclerosis, significantly improves locomotor recovery in mice with spinal cord injury (SCI). The research suggests a possible new avenue to counteract the degeneration of the spinal cord in human SCI. The study will be published in the April 2012 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-therapeutic-approach-spinal-cord-injury.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:22:11 EST news250831279 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of blindness in the Western World. A report from the University of Copenhagen and Glostrup Hospital in Denmark published today shows the number of new cases of blindness and severe visual loss in Denmark has been halved during the last ten years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-halved-decade.html Ophthalmology Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:05:03 EST news246200694 After a four-week course of the vasodilator hormone relaxin, kidney function and blood flow immediately improved in lab rats genetically altered to model polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a life-threatening genetic disorder, according to research presented on Dec. 6 at the American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting in Denver. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-vasodilator-hormone-kidney-function-blood.html Medical research Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:40:01 EST news242396625 Lesions to the brain or spinal cord rarely heal fully, which leads to permanent functional impairment. After injury to the central nervous system (CNS), neurons are lost and largely replaced by a scar often referred to as the glial scar based on its abundance of supporting glial cells. Although this process has been known to science for over a century, the function of the scar tissue has long been disputed. However, there are indications that it stabilizes the tissue and that it inhibits the re-growth of damaged nerve fibres. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-unexpected-cell-spinal-cord.html Medical research Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:00:16 EST news229265809