I watched Anastasia walk. Ears? Fine. Eyes? Normal. Teeth? Perfect. Michelle Gerhard Jasny, V.M.D. has been practicing veterinary medicine on the Vineyard since 1982 and writing the Visiting Vet column for more than 25 years. She lives and works in West Tisbury. She can be reached at drjasny@comcast.net. As usual, I started my morning perusing the days schedule. Although we computerized decades ago, I have never let go of my good old-fashioned, spiral-bound, paper appointment book, where we scrawl in good old-fashioned number two pencil owners name, pets name, species, reason for visit, phone number. The day looked fairly routine. Recheck cat with hyperthyroidism. Lyme booster. Annual physical. House call to cat at assisted living residence. Dog with red eye. Cat with head tilt. I paused. Who had the head tilt? A 13-year-old Russian Blue cross named Anastasia whom I had known since she was a little four-pound kitten. Holding the head angled to one side is referred to by veterinarians as a head tilt. It can be a symptom of a wide range of problems, from the benign to the life-threatening. Head tilts in cats usually fall into three categories. The first group is cats experiencing discomfort around the … Continue reading →

Teen with rare disease fighting for help on birthday A Gold Coast teenager with a rare genetic disorder is not only fighting for her life, she's battling the government to subsidise the only drug that can treat her condition. Bianca Scott turned 18 today and she says all she wants is a chance at a normal life. But instead of planning a party, this 18-year-old is doing media interviews trying to raise funds for a life saving treatment. Bianca suffers from aHUS - a rare genetic blood disorder. "I want to have a place in this world and I don't think I'll be able to without this medicine," she told 7News. "It's so rare they actually label it as an ultra rare disease. "Ten per cent sadly die within the first year of their attack and the other 90 per cent die within 5 years." Their birthday wish is for a drug called Soliris to be subsidised by the Government. It's the only medicine that can treat aHus. "It stops aHus from coming back again, that's a proven fact, Biancas mother said. Go here to see the original: Teen with rare disease fighting for help on birthday … Continue reading →

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the Singapore Eye Research Institute have jointly developed a new nanomedicine, liposomal latanoprost, that will allow glaucoma patients to do away with daily eye drops. The nanomedicine is delivered to the front of the eye via a painless injection and will stay and release the anti-glaucoma drugs slowly over the next six months. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, especially for the elderly. The condition is caused by high intra-ocular pressure in the eye, which then leads to damage to the optic nerve. Conventionally the first line of treatment for glaucoma patients is the daily application of eye drops that can lower the high pressure in their eyes. This treatment is usually required for the rest of the patients' lives because glaucoma is a chronic disease. The sustained-release drug therapy can provide months of control for glaucoma patients with a single application, compared to just hours with eye drops. The new therapy has successfully gone through a pilot study with six patients conducted at the Singapore National Eye Centre. The treatment was shown to be both safe and effective. Co-lead scientist Associate Professor Tina Wong, who is the head of the … Continue reading →