A desk exercise for office workers

I feel so stressful everyday sitting in front of a computer 7 hours long. I don't carry any box, hold a map, control a machine, and those work load that your body will make you burn energy but still i feel so stressful. I just type, draw, and make model design but still i feel so stress thinking that my work is so easy. Reading and searching for some solution on how to overcome this stressful routine i found several exercises that will help energizing your body. Study shows that sitting in front of a computer will make your body so weak and it will cause some obesity. 8 or even more hours on a desk will drain your body and can cause into some serious illnesses. So this are the exercise that will help gaining some healthy body.

--> Lower Back Desk Exercise

A sore lower back is a very common problem for desk jockeys. It can be difficult to practice good posture for long hours. This leads to some relaxed slouching, which inevitably causes lower back and neck pain. You can do a simple stretch to help alleviate this discomfort. You can do this stretch either sitting in a chair or standing up:

1. Place your hands, palms down, on your lower back.
2. Point your fingers down and lean back.
3. Push your breastbone up towards the sky, keeping your elbows pointing straight back.
4. Hold for 15 seconds then relax.
5. Repeat the above steps twice.

This stretch will help you relieve the tension that builds up in your lower back. To avoid injury, remember not to bounce or jerk your muscles while exercising or stretching your back.

Calf Stretch and Quadriceps Desk Exercise

This exercise will help relieve the tired and lethargic feeling that invades your leg muscles due to inactivity. It will assist in eliminating leg cramps and muscle spasms. In addition, the quadriceps exercise will actually strengthen the muscle itself through an isolated isometric flex at the top.
Before attempting this exercise, ensure that you have enough space to fully extend your legs. Do the following exercise with your back straight and your feet planted flat on the floor in front of you.

1. Place your hands flat on top of your right leg.
2. Lift your right leg from your hip flexor and fully extend it straight from the knee.
3. With your leg fully extended flex your upper leg muscle and hold for 10 seconds.
4. Lower your right leg slowly, once again placing your foot flat on the floor.
5. Repeat exercise with the left leg.
6. Repeat the above steps twice.

You can also stretch out both legs under the desk for a minute. This exercise will enhance the blood flow to your legs and alleviate muscle cramps. While doing the above exercise you should feel a solid stretch in your calf muscle and a firm tightening of the upper leg quadriceps.

Shoulder Stretch and Desk Exercise

A simple exercise that can be done from behind the desk is the shoulder stretch/roll. This exercise will help you when those cases of copy paper and archived record boxes get a little heavy. It is also good for those with aching shoulders. Remember to sit up straight with your feet firmly planted on the floor when doing the following exercise.

1. Stretch your right arm in front of you and across your chest, as if you were grabbing something on your left side.
2. Bring your left arm under and in front of your right arm.
3. Gently hug your right arm in towards your chest.
4. Repeat with the arms reversed.
5. Relax your arms, letting them hang down loosely at your side.
6. Slowly roll both shoulders backwards ten times.
7. Slowly roll both shoulders forward ten times.

These movements will help relax the shoulders and neck, as well as add flexibility and strength. In addition, they both can easily be done as a desk exercise.

Abdominal Crunch Desk Exercise

Even though no one likes to admit it, sitting for long hours at a desk can lead to a bulging waistline. This can be a cause of stress for many. You can combat this enemy with a simple crunch desk exercise done directly from your office chair.

1. Sit on the edge of your seat.
2. Lean back from the waist, keep your back straight.
3. Hold the seat of your chair with both hands.
4. Lift both legs up, keeping your knees bent while tightening your abdominal muscles.
5. Straighten your legs holding your heels a few inches off of the floor.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have completed 10 repetitions.

For most of us, abdominal exercises are not fun. However, if you can master this one you will be well on your way to developing a stronger and leaner midsection. This exercise will strengthen your core and help promote better posture.

Sit and Stand Up Straight

Many people are surprised when they hear that sitting and standing up straight is an exercise. Good posture itself is probably one of the most effective core strengthening exercises out there. This is due to the amount of muscles required to stabilize the upper body when keeping the back straight and the tummy tight. Here are some tips for better posture.

1. Adjust your chair and keyboard to promote a non-slouching sitting position.
2. Always sit with both feet firmly flat on the ground in front of you.
3. Stand up tall, with your shoulders back and your chin raised.

Practicing good posture will usually alleviate lower back and neck pain. It will help you feel more confident and in control of yourself. Sitting and standing up straight will continually build strength in your abdominal and lower back muscles.

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Overcoming Diseases during the Rainy Season (Part 2)

The infectious diseases of the respiratory tract that are associated with the rainy season are usually transmitted by droplets or by direct contact with objects that have been contaminated with the secretion of infected people. 

The common cold is a generally benign and self-limiting infection of the nose and upper respiratory tract that is caused by many different viruses. The flu on the other hand, has more severe signs and symptoms than the common cold. It is also a viral infection, but the viruses that cause it are the influenza type A & B viruses, which frequently mutate and add new pathogenic strains to the influenza viral pool. The newest addition to the influenza viral pool is of course the much celebrated influenza A (H1N1) virus. The other upper respiratory tract infections that occur during the rainy season are likewise generally benign, but as in the case of flu and even the common cold, they sometimes complicate - pneumonia and bronchitis and become life-threatening.

< The common cold is a generally benign and self-limiting infection of the nose and upper respiratory tract that is caused by many different viruses. The flu on the other hand, has more severe signs and symptoms than the common cold. It is also a viral infection, but the viruses that cause it are the influenza type A & B viruses, which frequently mutate and add new pathogenic strains to the influenza viral pool. The newest addition to the influenza viral pool is of course the much celebrated influenza A (H1N1) virus. The other upper respiratory tract infections that occur during the rainy season are likewise generally benign, but as in the case of flu and even the common cold, they sometimes complicate - pneumonia and bronchitis and become life-threatening.

How to overcome cold and flu during rainy season? Just boost your immune system! We often heard that prevention is the best medicine; take these tips to boost your energy before the cold or flu strikes.

1. Eat veggies that are packed with beta-carotene, which our body turns into Vitamin A. Vitamin A strengthens cells and helps them defend against invading bacteria. So load up on beta-carotene laden carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and spinach. These veggies also contain Vitamin C, an immunity support.
2. Soup up your immunity. Eat or drink plenty of soup. When we slowly simmer foods over low heat, we gently leach out the energetic and therapeutic properties of the foods, preserving the nutritional value of the food and making it easier for our body to assimilate the nutrients.
3. Studies show that our immune system function drops by an average of 60% after just three nights of poor sleep, so we really need plenty of quality rest, at least sleep eight hours each night.

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Overcoming Diseases during the Rainy Season

The Philippines now braces for rainy season.  And rainy season is synonymous to diseases. I don? like rainy season, I frequently got sick during this days.

 The rain carries the risk of contracting certain diseases like respiratory diseases �cold, influenza, pneumonia and bronchitis; diarrheal diseases;  dengue;  malaria and leptospirosis.

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It is likely to minimize if not overcome these diseases by observing some simple measures:
1. Use rain gear such as umbrellas and raincoats to avoid exposure to rain and cold weather.
2. Avoid crowded and poorly ventilated areas.
3. Avoid close contact with people who appear ill and who have fever and cough.
4. Drink only safe water?oil water if its safety is in doubt.
5. Drain stagnant water from open containers such as drums and old tires, which are the breeding places of mosquitoes. Ensure that drains and gutters and sewage lines are not clogged.
6. Do not wade or swim in floodwaters.
7. Observe good personal hygiene and environmental sanitation. This include thorough washing of hands with soap and water especially before eating or touching the eyes and nose with the hands.


BY: KLennggg

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Soursop Cures Cancer

Soursop/Graviola/Guyabano

Scientific Name:  Annona Muricata Linnaeus

I like soursop or guyabano. I like it more when my mom makes a Guyabano Cooler, really a thirst quencher! But did you know that this delicious fruit can cure cancer? Yes! Soursop effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.

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How soursops cure cancer? 
A research was conducted by the National Cancer Institute in 1976, it was found out that soursop has anti-cancer substances that can kill cancer cells. The anti-cancer substances  in soursop has 10,000 times stronger effect than Adriamycin, a drug commonly used in chemotherapy,  the anti-cancer substances in the soursop can kill and slow the growth of cancer cells naturally,  also anti-cancer cells in this fruit selectively target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched.

Isn�t it an amazing fruit? If you have cancer just take soursop liberally everyday. And to those who haven�t, include this in your meal as a way of prevention.

Aside from curing cancer, soursop�s other medicinal benefits are the following:
a. Cures urethritis (inflammation of the urethra); take the fruit orally
b. Cures haematuria (blood in urine); take the fruit orally
c. Reduces fever - a decoction of soursop leaves can be taken internally or the leaves can be added to bathing water of the patient
d. Alleviate rheumatism - apply a poultice of young guyabano leaves to the affected part.

Soursop is indeed a very natural way to overcome diseases like cancer.

By: Klenngggg a friend of mine. =)

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Remedies for Bruises using Arnica

Do you accidentally hit something that is hard in any part of your body and leaves a swelling bruise or discoloration. I found this remedies that will help shrink inflammation and help to minimize the pain from your bruises. Read about this remedies for your bruises.

--> Experts say the popular muscle soreness remedy Arnica is also your best bet for
minimizing bruises and healing them fast. As soon as you bump your knee or other body
part or notice a swelling or discoloration, gently rub a dollop of this homeopathic cream
on it. Arnica shrinks inflammation and increases circulation to flush away the stagnant
blood that turns your skin black and blue.

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Cotton Plant for healing wounds and soothing the pain of burns

Who would know that the cotton plant is use as a medicinal plant aside from being a popular product as cotton itself. Cotton is widely use today in every field mostly in medicine. This is use healing wounds, for some first aids. Cotton is cultivated in large areas. The pod caontains seeds covered with fine hairs that are the fiber source. The pods are harvested, and the cotton wool is processed for many purposes. This plant can grow in 2 meters. When applying some medicine and cleaning on your wounds you use cotton the product of the plant. But you can use the plant also to heal your wounds and burns.

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Cotton is use as medicine for the treatment of urinary problems and promoting the flow of urine, Effective in the contraction of the uterus after child birth, For healing wound and soothing the pains of burns, checks excessive bleeding during menstruation, in case of inflammation of any mucous membrane, dysentery, diarrhea and also inflammation of the small intestine.

Preparation:

• The root of the cotton plant is used fresh, in decoction for urinary problems.
• The leaves are used in infusion again ts inflamation  of any mucous membrane, dysentery, diarrhea and also inflammation of the small intestine.
• The extract of the leaves is good for healing wounds.
• The application of the crushed leaves soothe the pains of burns. The flowers are also used for the same purposes as the leaves.
• Infusion of the seeds is recommended during painful menstrual periods.

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Dry Skin Remidies using Almond and grapeseed oil

A very interesting remedies that i found out while reading. I search for this remedies because one of my friend ask me for any solution of his dry skin. Without using any moisturizer and much faster with its effect. Try to read more about this remedies. 

--> Almond and grapeseed oil are the quickest fixes for dry skin. They soak into your skin
faster than creamy moisturizers. If your skin is extra dry and rough, opt for thicker oils
like castor and avocado. If you're prone to breakouts, try filtered jojoba oil. Spread a
thin coat of whichever oil you choose to the dry areas twice a day.

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ACT reports improvement in vision from 20/400 to 20/40

Just a quick update. Not much details so far on it, but ACT  reported in a recent press release that one of the patients enrolled in their stem cell trials had an improvement in vision from 20/400 to 20/40.
This is really great :)
Complete news article here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130516-908327.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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Cuts and burns crossed out

I miss a step a little too often, I bump into things (sometimes electric poles), cuts and bruises are a norm. The day is not far when they will be convinced that I suffer from some self-injury disorder or DSH.

Partial vision is not easy to live with. You think you can see when you actually cannot.

I recently purchased cut and heat resistant gloves, something similar to these (Kevlar knit gloves). I highly recommend them. They are not bulky and very useful for everyday kitchen work. A little difficult to clean though.

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Trying to be normal

I've been upset with myself for sometime now. I need to undo all this anger and mistrust towards others. I wasn't like this 2-3 years back. I don't know how I learnt to be so spiteful and hostile.  But then, to establish a normal relationship with the world, first I need to succeed in having one with myself. 

When every day you need to sift what is real and what is hallucination, it is difficult to have a hold on reality. In periods of stress, everything seems even more muddled.

Last week while walking back from office, either due to stress and a possible drop in field of vision, I was seeing stuff that wasn't even there. Twice I felt that I'm being attacked by a stray dog when it was just my leopard print scarf. One day I didn't see an electric pole and almost bumped into it. Cuts and burns are a norm. Three days in a row I got out on the wrong floor and even if it was just my vision, I thought my head is getting fuzzy. 

How do you manage to keep sane when your brain presents an incorrect visual image of the world? How do you learn to discriminate between what is real and what is not?

I know I've lived for several years with the thought that I'm a slow thinker because I could only attempt 50% of the paper in the standard exam time. No one told me it was my bad field of vision. No one gave me an option of extra testing time. Now again I find myself inventing new kind of ghosts. 

Sometimes I think I should find a job in Delhi and stay with my parents. That I should stop being so stubborn about living on my own.  If I ask for help, does it mean I've given up? I'm not even sure what I'm fighting with half of the times. 

I will think about it another day. 

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Dandruff Problem then use Apple Cider Vinegar

Having problem with dandruff. I saw many commercial on TV about dandruff. Some uses personalities that are so famous just to promote their product most of the time are shampoo. I have experience having dandruff when i use hair gel. Some of the particle of the gel leaves a dandruff on my head. But without using a special shampoo that promises to clear all dandruff. I found out some remedy and even my office mate told me about this. This is by using a Apple Cider Vinegar

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To clear up dandruff you need to counter the cause of the problem: your scalp's acidic pH level. You need to use a Apple Cider Vinegar to  restore your scalp's natural alkaline pH level, prepare a cup of apple cider vinegar and pour it on your head while on bath and rinse it with water.

This is a good and easy way to overcome scalp.

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Eye Strain

My eyes are constantly fatigued of late. The left eye has almost become some kind of screen saver. It goes in all possible directions to focus at the same object. In no time, I will morph into a wobbly-eyed toon.  

I need to check with a doctor. Either there has been a huge drop in the left eye vision or simply eye strain. I have been spending extra hours at work. 

Two months ago I changed my laptop. Even though I adjusted brightness to blend with the ambiance lighting, I felt constantly strained. Turns out that my previous laptop LED had a lower dot pitch and more pixels. My stuff is still with the movers and packers company as I've not found an apartment in the city I moved to. Once I get my stuff I can use my iMac and throw this junk laptop out of the window.

At work, the new seat is next to a window. I would need to either change my seat or make sure that i can close the blinds. 

I found a very comprehensive article online on reducing computer eye strain. A lot of things we already know but some were still new to me.  Here is the link: Computer Eye Strain: 10 steps for relief

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Teaching again

After several days of hesitation, I've finally started conducting French language classes at work. Teaching was one of the first things that I ticked off my list when I started to lose my eyesight. It seemed impossible to conduct sessions when I myself cannot read what anyone will write. Eye contact is out of question.

First day of class and I couldn't help getting overwhelmed with the positive feedback I got from everyone from my batch. I used presentation slides and a notepad instead of traditional whiteboard. Used PPT pen to highlight, underline, draw (all those useless hours spent drawing in paint finally came to some good). Took a lot of time in creating slides out of the lesson plans, scanning worksheets etc., but it ensured that everything is one place and in order.

Have delivered six successful sessions. Very pleased that teaching still remains possible and as interesting as ever.  Are you also a visually impaired teacher? What methods of teaching do you use to conduct your classes?

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Lazy eye

For past two weeks , my left  eye seems to have a mind of its own. I am trying to force it to focus but it doesn't seem to obey. Does anyone else has this problem? I've not been to my retina specialist in months. Time for eye check-up, maybe I can use glasses. I cannot read anything from my left eye anymore.

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Prove You're a Human!

Alright, this drives me really crazy. You are a visually impaired blogger but you put a captcha on your blog to filter spam comment. Next I know, I will have to decipher a captcha even for viewing some posts. Please stop using challenge-response systems for comments. No one likes spam. But you can moderate your comments instead of putting a captcha. And if you didn't know they have figured out how to bypass captcha.

There is no dearth of CAPTCHA on the web. I've a plethora  of those squished, squiggly, irksome letters to deal with for payment gateways. And of course, every time I forget a password of my nth account, I am sent straight to the captcha gallows. (breach of some electronic code of conduct?). And if entering correct password wasn't enough, I'm given a 10 minute captcha treatment for even changing system. What is next? Browsing habit? Say if I login at 4 am to Facebook on a weekday!?!

Sometimes I wonder if the new technology is rather creating more accessibility issues.




June 25, 2012, Update - I guess I was just high on irk quotient that day. Even simple navigation is quite a challenge if you have low vision, so troubleshooting is obviously tedious. Lot of my low vision friends may not know that captchas can be disabled! We get so used to seeing them everywhere anyway.

 To disable word verification for blogger comments, go to your blog settings > Posts and comments and disable "show word verification" option. You can still avoid spam by selecting comment moderation.

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Bewilderment

I read 3 books in one week, roughly some 1000 pages (after work, in transit, waiting for friends in cafes, on roadside because I didn't want to go home). I've not read as much in such short period after university days. I'm surprised.

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Advances in Stem Cell Therapies

More advances in stem cell therapies with every passing day. Stroke patients show signs of improvement in earlyy phase clinical trials in Scotland. A ten year old girl gets vein growth from her own stem cells. ReNeuron to present the pre-clinical data related to its ReN009 therapy for critical limb ischaemia, a chronic and debilitating disease that restricts blood flow in the limbs at a major stem cell a conference in Japan this week.

Optimal way of growing embryonic stem cells

A team of European researchers discovered that embryonic stem cell properties are impacted by the laboratory conditions used to grow them. The study, supported by four EU projects - HEROIC, PLURISYS, EUROSYSTEM and ATLAS - evaluated the gene expansion (transcriptome) and chromatin modifications (epigenome). The results show differences between pure stem cells and embryonic stem cells grown in laboratory conditions. Stem cells being both unstable and primed to differentiate, the researchers now know the key information on what is the optimal way of growing them. The transcriptome analysis allows scientists to identify which genes are turned on or off inside the cells. The gene's level of activity is also calculated through this method. The epigenome analysis provides researchers insight into how genes are controlled.


Human embryonic stem cells may be totipotent


Another study led at Salk Institute uncovered that a small number of human embryonic stem cells believed to be pluripotent may be totipotent. Totipotent stem cells have the potential to develop into any cell found in the human body, including placental cells. Whereas Pluripotent stem cells cannot produce "extraembryonic" cells such as those in the placenta. More information on this study here.


Funding problems: Scientists urge EU parliament to not cut funding

Leading researchers, institutions and patient groups urged EU parliament not to cut funding for embryonic stem cell research in Horizon 2020. With Europe and UK being world leaders in embryonic stem cell research, any cuts will seriously jeopardize the future of stem cell research. 

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"It will be years before there are treatments made from stem cells on the shelves."

I'm out of town. Just a quick post with a link to quite an informative article on stem cell clinical trials development.  Here is the link to the main article : Stem cell scientists take hope from first human trials but see long road ahead

Even though the stem cell research has come a long way from the first discovery of embryonic cells in 1989 to clinical trials today, we might need to wait several more years before we can find on-the-shelf treatment for a lot of currently untreatable diseases like Parkinson's disease, Type 1 diabetes, Chronic liver disease and heart diseases and ofcourse Stargardt's disease.

A lot still depends on the outcome of the  world's first human trial using RPE (retinal pigment epithelium) cells from stem cells derived from humon embryos. In phase one trial earlier this year, some Stargardt's and Age-related macular degeneration patients were injected with a tiny amount of RPE cells (50,000). Patients have reported small improvement that have nonetheless significantly changed their lives.  The chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technology Inc., Dr Robert Lanza thinks that "It is very hopeful if we are seeing this with a small number of cells at the very advanced stage, imagine what we could do with those young children who are going blind at the age of six to 10, sometimes."

Although the patients treated with the stem cell trial are taking precautionary drugs, they might not need to take immuno-suppressant drugs for lifelong unlike most transplant patients. Eyes are "immune privilleged" and "can better tolerate a graft of human tissue without the immune system mounting an all-out attack and causing rejection" says Prof Pete Coffey, of the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London,

Ethical Problem and Funding issues

From the start, there has been strong political opposition on the use of embryonic stem cells. The destruction of an embryo is viewed as tantamount to murder of an early staged human life .And it violates the belief system that life begins when a sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell to form a single cell.  The opposition in Europe led to European court's ban on stem-cell patents in Europe in October last year. This means that any future clinical trials or research in stem cell therapy would not be protected in Europe. As a result, the biotech companies supporting stem cell research are facing serious funding challenges from investors. There is still strong views from political parties to stop European funding.

  

IPS cells vs Embryo cells

Despite the more recent advance regarding induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS), which are cells from skin or other parts of the patient's own body, IPS cells still remain an unworkable, enormously expensive and unrealistic solution in comparison to embryonic stem cells as of today.

"The embryonic cells are affordable and "you can treat many people with one batch of cells. That makes it somehow conceivable that it could be economically viable for the healthcare system.". ACT's Lanza says they have enough RPE to treat everybody on the planet.""

Embryonic/IPS cells vs Mice cells

Scientists believe that a great deal of research is still required because both embryonic and IPS cells are not the same as the true embroyinc cells from the mice.

"Mice embryonic stem cells, which have been used in so much early stage research, appear to be slower than human embryonic cells to divide and differentiate. Basically, the human cells taken from a blastocyst (a five- or six-day embryo) have already moved on to the next stage, where equivalent mouse cells have not. That makes it hard to produce standardised cells that will all, for instance, make exactly the same nerve cells. There have been some partial successes but, says Smith, "we don't have a human cell either from an embryo or re-programmed that is held at this ground state." Taking cells at an earlier moment in the blastocyst development won't work, he says. "It is not the starting point that is important. The biology is subtly different between rodents and primates.""

Outcome of First safety trials in human

There is a lot of hope in the scientific community on the current stem cell clinical trials to cure Stargardt's Disease. Positive outcome will also mean that human embryonic stem cell trials for other diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes could also begin in next 4-5 years.No damage has been so far reported by Advanced Cell Technology for those who were treated with RPE cells.

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Alkeus to start clincal trials for SD later this year or start of 2013

Another pharmaceutical company dedicated to finding a cure for Stargardt's Disease will start their clinical trials later this year or in 2013. Alkeus research is more focused on a preventive treatment, with an aim of developing compounds to  prevent formation of toxic A2E and lipofuscin pigments, and thus to slow down macular degeneration. Currently, they are finding patients for their clinical trials. You can add yourself to their registry to get future updates on trials.

http://www.alkeus.com/starstudy2.html

Excerpt of a comprehensive article from their website:

"An imperfect recycling system

The retina is the thin membrane located at the back of the eye. It contains millions of photoreceptors used for vision, and plays a similar role as the light sensitive film at the back of a camera. These specialized receptors cover the retina and are responsible for black and white (rods) and for colored vision (cones). Vitamin A, which can be found on the tip of the photoreceptors, is the key molecule to vision. Its exact role was explicited by George Wald and resulted in a Nobel Prize of 1967. In other words, vitamin A is the fuel of vision.

Vitamin A and its derivatives (such as beta-carotene), originate from certain types of food: for example, eggs, milk and other dairy products all contain vitamin A while vegetables, fruits, carrots, etc. contain beta-carotene. After vitamin A is transported into the retina, it is struck by light forcing it to change its molecular shape, and acting like an electrical switch which enables the delivery of an electric signal to the brain. This signals the presence of light to the brain.

After vitamin A has changed its shape, it becomes insensitive to light and needs to be reactivated by specialized cells, the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). The geometric switch of vitamin A as well as its recycling by the RPE is called the "visual cycle".

While we would wish vitamin A to be a clean burning fuel, unfortunately, the visual cycle is imperfect and some vitamin A molecules are able to escape the recycling system: these vitamin A can then bind to other vitamin A molecules and create toxic aggregates of vitamin A called vitamin A dimers (or A2E). A2E is then absorbed and stored in the RPE cells where they are considered to be responsible for the formation of other toxic granules named lipofuscin.

With age, accumulation of lipofuscin reduces the proper function of the RPE cells and is thought to be partly responsible for inducing macular degeneration.

Stargardt disease patients present a defective gene which prevents proper transport of vitamin A back into the RPE, which results in even faster formation and accumulation of A2E and lipofuscin. This is why Stargardt disease is also called "juvenile macular degeneration" as the clinical presentations may be somehow similar.

Visual cycle imperfections lead to A2E formation and to macular degeneration. Alkeus Pharmaceuticals is developing compounds that can help perfect this cycle, prevent the formation of toxic A2E and lipofuscin pigments and potentially slow down vision loss in dry-AMD and Stargardt disease."

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Increasing subtitle font size to watch foreign films

Stargardt's disease has limited my access to all possible forms of visual arts. With more loss in central vision, my depth and colour perception has further decreased. I no longer visit art galleries and museums. I hesitate to take out my camera for street photography. Cinema and theatre are still accessible from the front row, but only in the languages I know. Few weeks back, an Afghan troupe performed Shakespeare at Rangashankara, a local theatre. I was in dilemma for a week whether to buy tickets or not.  (Will I be able to read subtitles? or even see subtitle panels? :P)

I don't have problems with subtitles while watching movies at home. There is a feature in VLC media player which allows to enlarge the subtitle font size:

1. Go to Menu Tools > Preferences

2. Select Subtitles & OSD

3. In Subtitle effects, set font size to large or larger and Save.

At larger font size, the screen appears like this. You can download VLC media player from this link

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