Why the Cornea Repels Infections, Study Finds

"Exposed tissue surfaces [such as the cornea], including skin and mucous membranes, are under constant threat of attack by microorganisms in the environment. The layer of cells that line these areas, known as epithelial cells, are the first line of defense against these pathogens, but the underlying molecular mechanisms that allow them to repel microbes are unknown," reports Medical News Today. "In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, report that epithelial cells in the cornea, which is highly resistant to bacterial infection, express small antimicrobial peptides, portions of human cytokeratin 6A, that defend the eye against infection. Using mass spectrometry, Suzanne Fleiszig and colleagues determined that these peptides protect against multiple bacterial pathogens by preventing the bacteria from binding to the epithelial cells. Additionally, they found that mice lacking cytokeratin 6A were more susceptible to eye infections." Read more. Read the study at this site.

Eyes Got Germ Busting Power, Study Says

"When it comes to germ-busting power, the eyes have it, according to a discovery by UC Berkeley researchers that could lead to new, inexpensive antimicrobial drugs," reports Science Daily. "Proteins in the eye can help keep pathogens at bay, finds a new UC Berkeley study." Read more.

Blind Mice See, Maybe Will Work on People

"A team of University of California, Berkeley, scientists in collaboration with researchers at the University of Munich and University of Washington, in Seattle, has discovered a chemical that temporarily restores some vision to blind mice, and is working on an improved compound that may someday allow people with degenerative blindness to see again," according to a Science Daily post. "The approach could eventually help those with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease that is the most common inherited form of blindness, as well as age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of acquired blindness in the developed world. In both diseases, the light sensitive cells in the retina -- the rods and cones -- die, leaving the eye without functional photoreceptors." Read more.

Playing Video Games Decreases Effects of Amblyopia

HealthJockey reports that "amblyopia or lazy eye is a brain disorder in which one eye does not develop properly resulting in an inability to see precisely. A new study conducted by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, has disclosed that video games apparently help enhance the vision of adults suffering from amblyopia or lazy eye." Read more.