Ana Gajic / en ֱ research sheds new light on glaucoma, provides hope for patients /news/u-t-research-sheds-new-light-glaucoma-provides-hope-patients <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">ֱ research sheds new light on glaucoma, provides hope for patients</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-glaucoma-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=c17OCMyG 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-glaucoma-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=si7T0Dpd 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-glaucoma-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=5OVZfgrS 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-glaucoma-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=c17OCMyG" alt="Photo of a glaucoma patient receiving eye drops"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-01-08T12:15:07-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 8, 2019 - 12:15" class="datetime">Tue, 01/08/2019 - 12:15</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">A nurse in France administers an anti-glaucoma agent to a patient (photo by BSIP/UIG via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/ana-gajic" hreflang="en">Ana Gajic</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/heidi-singer" hreflang="en">Heidi Singer</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/laboratory-medicine-and-pathobiology" hreflang="en">Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-michael-s-hospital" hreflang="en">St. Michael's Hospital</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>University of Toronto researchers have shown that fluid which flushes out the eye’s optic nerve doesn’t flow properly in mice with glaucoma – one of the world’s leading causes of permanent blindness.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9912 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/180628-gupta-%28headshot%29.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image">The researchers&nbsp;–&nbsp;<strong>Neeru Gupta </strong>(left)&nbsp;and <strong>Yeni Yucel</strong>, both professors in ֱ's Faculty of Medicine, as well as student <strong>Emily Mathieu&nbsp;–&nbsp;</strong>were the first to find, recently, that cerebrospinal fluid from the brain penetrates the optic nerve, rather than simply surrounding it.</p> <p>Now, the team has uncovered that in a glaucoma model, far less of this fluid enters the optic nerve than in mice without glaucoma. The findings <a href="https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2718699">were published</a> in the December issue of the&nbsp;journal&nbsp;<em>Investigative Ophthalmology &amp; Visual Science</em>.</p> <p>“This casts an entirely new light on glaucoma,” said Gupta (left), who is also chief of glaucoma at ֱ's Faculty of Medicine and&nbsp;a clinician-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital.</p> <p>“If fluid is not getting into a nerve and that fluid exchange – good things getting in, bad things getting out – is disrupted, maybe that's part of the reason the optic nerve is damaged in glaucoma.”</p> <p>Glaucoma is often undetected in its onset and once a patient receives the diagnosis, progressive vision loss is inevitable. The disease causes gradual degeneration of the optic nerve. While treatments help to protect vision, currently, there is no cure.</p> <p>This is a puzzle the ֱ team members have dedicated their research to solving. Gupta and Yucel&nbsp;– both professors cross-appointed to ֱ's department&nbsp;of ophthalmology and vision sciences&nbsp;and the department laboratory medicine and pathobiology – discovered nearly a decade ago that the eye has a lymphatic system, which clears fluid and waste out of tissues. The inability to clear fluid from the eye causes a buildup of pressure, and pressure is a major risk factor for glaucoma.</p> <p>“There's much more to this disease than we would like to think,” Gupta says. “Right now, we are able to tackle pressure in the eye that's measureable. If we can drop it, we slow progression. It's not a cure.”</p> <p>The current finding is the first step to a new body of research, according to Yucel (below).&nbsp;<img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9913 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/180628-yucel-350-233-%28headshot%29.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: right;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>“Now that we know there’s a problem, we need to drill down to understand the elements of it. It may even explain space flight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome,” he says, referring to optic nerve fluid shifts and vision impairment suffered by astronauts in space missions.</p> <p>Next, the team will explore why the flow is disrupted and what impact this has on the optic nerve.</p> <p>“I see many people who are slowly losing their sight from glaucoma,” says Gupta. “Despite many of our treatments, it’s sometimes not enough. This discovery potentially offers new hope. As long as we keep looking, there’s hope for a better future for our glaucoma patients.”</p> <p>The team's research was supported by&nbsp;the Canada Foundation for Innovation,&nbsp;Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Glaucoma Research Society of Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, among others.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 08 Jan 2019 17:15:07 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 150594 at Higher cigarette prices would save millions of people, especially poor smokers: ֱ leads study /news/higher-cigarette-prices-would-save-millions-people-especially-poor-smokers-u-t-leads-study <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Higher cigarette prices would save millions of people, especially poor smokers: ֱ leads study</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-04-12-cigarette.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=SzVnBAJl 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-04-12-cigarette.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=TYSwOSOl 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-04-12-cigarette.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=nenl5qtq 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-04-12-cigarette.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=SzVnBAJl" alt="cigarette butt"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-04-12T14:56:02-04:00" title="Thursday, April 12, 2018 - 14:56" class="datetime">Thu, 04/12/2018 - 14:56</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Photo by Andrew Pons on Unsplash</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/ana-gajic" hreflang="en">Ana Gajic</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dalla-lana-school-public-health" hreflang="en">Dalla Lana School of Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/prabhat-jha" hreflang="en">Prabhat Jha</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/smoking" hreflang="en">Smoking</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Research finds taxing cigarettes could keep people out of poverty and save lives </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Higher cigarette prices would save millions of people from extreme poverty and poor health around the world, while also cutting health treatment costs for families across the globe, suggests a new study.</p> <p>The analysis, <a href="/news/u-t-s-prabhat-jha-head-india-s-million-death-study-how-public-funds-make-his-research-possible">led by ֱ Professor <strong>Prabhat Jha</strong></a> and the World Bank's Patricio V. Marquez, concludes that people&nbsp;with lower incomes would benefit the most from higher cigarette prices. Examining 500 million male smokers in 13 countries, they found that a 50 per cent&nbsp;increase in the tobacco excise tax would result in 67 million men quitting smoking, with the largest share being low-income men. It would also reduce years of life lost and decrease the risk of high medical costs.</p> <p>The study was published this week&nbsp;in <em><a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k1433">The BMJ</a></em>. It adds to a growing body of knowledge that tobacco taxes, which are&nbsp;not implemented globally, have&nbsp;significant health benefits.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__8039 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/2018-04-12-jha.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 300px; float: left; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image">“Our study debunks the current narrative that higher cigarette prices would negatively impact the poorest among us,” said Dr. Jha (pictured at left), a professor of epidemiology at ֱ's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.</p> <p>“This analysis shows the opposite – a higher price would encourage cessation, lead to better health&nbsp;and save money, much more strongly for the poor than the rich.”</p> <p>Small steps taken by governments can lead to unprecedented health gains and poverty reduction, he added.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="http://fortune.com/2018/04/11/cigarette-tax-public-health/">Read about the research at&nbsp;<em>Fortune</em></a></h3> <h3><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/12/poorest-smokers-would-quit-cigarette-prices-increased/">Read the <em>Daily Telegraph </em>story</a></h3> <p>The higher price would&nbsp;lead to 15.5 million men avoiding catastrophic health spending in the seven countries studied without universal health coverage, according to the study. This would result in 8.8 million men avoiding extreme poverty, half of whom are in the bottom income group.</p> <p>Quitting smoking would result in 449 million years of life gained, the study showed. Higher tobacco costs would also benefit households globally, with about US$157-billion&nbsp;averted to treat the four main tobacco-attributable diseases examined: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, heart disease and cancer.&nbsp;</p> <p>Despite more awareness of the risks, Jha said, if nothing changes, smoking will be responsible for one billion deaths in the 21st century. Most of these will be in low- and middle-income countries. <a href="http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/media/detail.php?source=hospital_news/2014/20140101_hn">Previous research by Jha</a>, who is also director of the Centre for Global Health Research of St. Michael’s Hospital, has shown that raising taxes on tobacco is the single most effective intervention to lower smoking rates and to deter future smokers.&nbsp;</p> <p>Building on his earlier research, Jha and the team undertook this new analysis to understand the true impact of higher cigarette prices around the world. They conducted an assessment across 13 middle-income countries with diverse socioeconomic characteristics, tobacco use and health-care coverage. Focusing on male smokers –&nbsp;who make up 90 per cent of smokers in the selected countries –&nbsp;the researchers used mathematical models to quantify the effect of a 50 per cent increase in prices.</p> <p>“The findings of our new analysis will have a far-reaching impact,” said Marquez, the lead health specialist at the World Bank. “Not only does increasing tobacco taxation reduce smoking and its health consequences, but the study’s findings are also relevant to the United Nations sustainable development goals to reduce poverty and improve health.”</p> <p>The&nbsp;study was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health,&nbsp;the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Canadian Institute of Health Research,&nbsp;the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation,&nbsp;Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the International Development Research Centre.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 12 Apr 2018 18:56:02 +0000 ullahnor 133271 at