Study shows cholesterol-lowering eye drops fight blindness in elderly

Published April 03, 2013

FoxNews.com

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New research shows that a cholesterol-lowering eye drop may help fight macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over 50, Medical Daily reported.

The study, conducted by Cell Press, examined how cholesterol deposits in white blood cells, known as macrophages, can lead to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

"Our increased understanding of cholesterol's role in the growth of ocular blood vessels helped us identify therapeutically modifiable pathways, opening up avenues for new treatments that may help us prevent blindness caused by macular degeneration,” senior study author Rajendra Apte, of Washington University School of Medicine, told Medical Daily.

Apte and his research team looked at macrophage samples from both humans and mice with AMD and discovered they had low levels of ABCA1 – a protein used for removing cholesterol from the cells. Without the ability to transport cholesterol out of the macrophages, blood vessels develop in larger numbers until they eventually cause blindness, according to Medical Daily.

The mice with AMD were treated with two types of cholesterol regulators, Liver X Receptor and microRNAs-33. Both compounds – given in an eye solution and injected – contributed to the increase of ABCA1 protein levels, which helped lower cholesterol buildup in white blood cells.

According to the researchers, this discovery can potentially aid people with diseases other than just AMD.

"Abnormal blood vessel growth is a characteristic of not only AMD, but also diverse disease processes outside the eye, including cancers and atherosclerosis, which are both associated with significant morbidity and mortality," Apte told Medical Daily. "Our findings may have significant relevance in our understanding of the pathobiology of these conditions."

The entire study was published in the April 2 edition of the journal Cell Metabolism.

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WITHOUT A TRACE:Mystery Surrounds Elderly Fugitive Wanted in Murder

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  This undated photo, provided by the Haverstraw Police Department, shows 73-year-old Eugene Palmer.

It was an early autumn morning when 73-year-old Eugene Palmer gunned down his daughter-in-law outside her home and then calmly called relatives to admit what he'd done before slipping into the vast wilderness of New York's Harriman State Park.

Or did he?

Six months after the murder, the elderly fugitive and retired park ranger has not been found -- despite efforts by police in Haverstraw, N.Y., and the man's sons, John and Clarence Palmer, to locate him.

Authorities surmised early on that Palmer, who had a heart condition and diabetes, likely died from the elements within the 46,000-acre woodland filled with caves and abandoned root cellars that straddles Rockland and Orange counties. But Palmer's family claims police conducted a half-hearted search because they believed the retired park ranger was armed with a shotgun, according to the Journal News.

However, a shotgun recently found under leaves near Palmer's house suggests he might have fled unarmed, the newspaper reports. Family members told the paper that Palmer drove into the woods wearing his slippers, after leaving cash with his sister to pay his taxes.

Later searches by bloodhounds, foot patrols and helicopters turned up no trace of Palmer, and police produced no definitive evidence confirming he entered the park -- other than locating his green 1995 Dodge Ram on a trail about a half-mile from his home. 

The Palmer sons claim their father snapped and killed his daughter-in-law, Denise Palmer, in a fit of rage following a long, bitter domestic dispute. Denise Palmer, who was married to John Palmer, was shot three times at about 7:40 a.m. on Sept. 24, minutes after putting the couple's two children on a school bus.

After the shooting, Palmer reportedly told his sister, Elaine Babcock, to "give [him] an hour to get away" before calling police to report the crime, according to local reports. 

The Palmer family told the Journal News that they believe he died somewhere in the woods after suffering a diabetic coma.

"If the police didn’t botch the hunt in the beginning, my father’s remains would be where they belong," Clarence Palmer told the newspaper. "They were afraid of going into the woods; afraid of a man with a shotgun, supposedly. If he wanted to be found, he would have finished himself off here. He went into the woods. I think he fell into a diabetic coma."

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Current flu vaccine less effective in the elderly, CDC says

Older people who received this season's flu shot appear to be less protected from the illness than younger people who were vaccinated. As a result, early flu treatment is especially important for anyone in this age group who shows flu symptoms, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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The results show adults ages 65 and over who got this season's flu shot were just as likely to visit the doctor for flu symptoms as older adults who weren't vaccinated.

By contrast, getting the flu shot reduced the risk of visiting the doctor for flu by about 50 to 60 percent in people from other age groups.

Nevertheless, older people are still advised to get a flu shot, the CDC says. The vaccine's effectiveness can vary from season to season, and person to person. During some years, the flu vaccine has been found to provide significant protection for older adults; during other years, no protection has been seen, said Erin Burns, a communications officer at the CDC's Influenza Division. 

The new report only looked at whether this season's flu vaccine reduced the risk of doctors' visits for flu, and didn't examine hospitalizations for more severe flu illnesses. Some research shows that the flu vaccination can reduce the severity of illness in older people who do get sick. A 2011 study found that older people who received a flu shot were 61 percent less likely to be hospitalized for flu-like illness.

"While influenza vaccine is not perfect, overall, the evidence supports the public health benefit of vaccination," Burns said. "Vaccination is particularly important for people 65 and older who are especially vulnerable to serious illness and death, despite the fact that the vaccine may not work as well in this age group."

Because of their increased risk for flu complications, it's important for elderly people to seek treatment quickly if they develop flu symptoms, including fever, cough, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Antiviral medications for flu work best if they're given within 48 hours of the start of symptoms.

"Aging and chronic health problems can diminish the body’s ability to mount a protective immune response after influenza vaccination, which can result in lower levels of vaccine effectiveness in some older people," Burns said. But Burns notes that people ages 65 and older are a heterogeneous group, and some individuals have very responsive immune systems.

This year's flu season has been a particularly bad one for the elderly. Of the 8,953 people hospitalized for flu so far, more than half have been 65 or older, the CDC said. [See Why Is This Year's Flu Season So Bad?]

The new report examined the flu vaccine's effectiveness in 2,697 people between Dec. 2, 2012 and Jan. 19, 2013. When considering all age groups, the vaccine was 56 percent effective, meaning it reduced the risk of a doctor's visit for flu by 56 percent. This new estimate for the vaccine's effectiveness is slightly lower than an estimate given earlier this year, which said the vaccine was 62 percent effective.

The flu shot is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older.

 

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