Memorial Day evening. Thus endeth another holiday weekend. I did not get my to do list ‘ta done’ but it was a respectable effort and I am done. Time to kick back just a bit. [Lin/Linda: couldn’t find a formal definition of ‘ta done’ but I guess you could say it’s the past tense of ‘ta do’ – I found headlines with variations of “From Ta Do to Ta Done!”]
We got the pool semi-clean and in working condition. We have not put the diving board up in years but the pegs for it are still there. I kicked one so hard yesterday I broke most of the nail off of “this little piggy had none”.
Ouch. Those pegs have now been spray painted a lovely, brilliant white. Contrast, my dears, contrast. No more mangling little piggies.
Here I am on a stem cell kick. I go to see the good doctor this week and I am ever hopeful I will get into a stem cell study. I have to wonder – with the fantastic results they seem to be getting with RPEs lined up and supported on a ‘patch’ – if the studies that just inject the stem cells will be stopped and reworked. The Astellas study I am signed up for is one of the ‘squirt them in’ sort. Slightly discouraging but the wait might be worth it if results will be better. [More about the studies Sue is signed up for in her page The Waiting Game.]
I am not the only one who is thinking about regenerative medicine. The injunctions I mentioned last time appear to be part of a concerted effort by the FDA. The FDA is hoping to generate some standards for stem cell research. They are thinking standards will allow for greater levels of predictability in the outcomes. After all, if you undergo a treatment, you expect a certain result.
There are more than just one or two unregulated stem cell clinics out there. CNN (Predicting the Future, March 2018) quoted the number to be around 570! The main place these are located is Beverly Hills with New York City also having its fair share. The FDA is hoping to invite these into the fold. Play by the rules and the FDA will support your efforts.
And so as to not be too terribly one-sided, I should probably mention some of the stuff that happened at ARVO. ARVO is the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. They had their meeting in Honolulu and refer to it as Hawaiian Eye.
The TV show Hawaiian Eye ran from 1959 until 1963. Did you realize anyone under 55 never saw the original broadcasts?!? Gee, I wonder if they have to explain the reference to 90% of the attendees! I feel so old!?
Anyway, Genentech is developing a port delivery system to deliver Lucentis over the course of several months. They would implant this little reservoir thingee full of medication and greatly reduce the number of shots. This is in phase 2 so it will be awhile.
The Mediterranean Diet is good for pretty much everything that ails you, including AMD. The study cited suggested a reduction of 39% in the progression to advanced AMD. Remember that generally means they are reducing the chances of turning wet. Wet AMD and geographic atrophy are the two forms of advanced AMD.
Gotta go. I will let you know if anything happens at my appointment.
Written May 29th, 2018