Surgical Vs. Nonsurgical Treatment For Cervical Spine FractureFor older adults with "C2" fractures of the upper (cervical) spine, surgery and nonsurgical treatment provide similar short- and long-term outcomes, reports a study in the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health...
The Risks Of Running MarathonsEven though hundreds of thousands more people finished grueling 26.2 mile marathons in the United States in 2009 compared to a decade earlier, a runner's risk of dying during or soon after the race has remained very low - about .75 per 100,000, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. Men, however, were twice as likely to die as women...
Specific Clinical Guidance Urgently Needed On Bone Cancer Drugs Although bisphosphonate drugs can reduce pain and bone fractures in individuals with multiple myeloma, no one drug is superior, according to a systematic review of the current evidence of these drugs. The review is published in The Cochrane Library. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that grows in and on bones. The disease can cause fractures in the spine and long bones...
Clinical Guidance Remains Non-Specific For Drugs To Reduce Bone Cancer DamageBone cancer-related fractures and pain can be reduced by drug treatment, but no one drug is superior, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library. Researchers undertook a systematic review of the current evidence on bisphosphonate drugs, which are used to prevent bone damage in multiple myeloma...
Scientist Grows Bone From Human Embryonic Stem CellsDr. Darja Marolt, an Investigator at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory, is lead author on a study showing that human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts for use in research and potential therapeutic application. Dr. Marolt conducted this research as a post-doctoral NYSCF - Druckenmiller Fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr...
Longer Lasting Hip ImplantsHip replacement is one of the most frequent operations carried out in Germany. Each year, doctors implant some 200,000 artificial hip joints. Often the artificial hips need to be replaced just ten years later. In the future, a new implant currently being developed using high technology materials could help prevent premature revision surgeries...
Improved Bone Repair With High-Strength Silk ScaffoldsBiomedical engineers at Tufts University's School of Engineering have demonstrated the first all-polymeric bone scaffold material that is fully biodegradable and capable of providing significant mechanical support during repair. The new technology uses micron-sized silk fibers to reinforce a silk matrix, much as steel rebar reinforces concrete...
Genes For Fracture Susceptibility And Osteoporosis Risk Discovered Osteoporosis is a common, silent and devastating age-related disease. 25% of Australian women with osteoporosis who sustain a hip fracture die within 12 months, with a greater mortality risk of women older than 65 than from breast cancer. In comparison to women, the mortality rate amongst men with hip fractures is even higher...
Treating Traumatic Shoulder Injuries: New Standards To Improve Patient CareTraumatic shoulder injuries that result in a patient visit to the ER often contain a secondary injury that can cause pain and discomfort in that part of the body after the primary injury has healed. By focusing on the primary injury, radiologists sometimes miss the secondary injury, which can compromise treatment effectiveness...
BioPoly Partial Knee Resurfacing Shows Promise London Clinic consultant Mr. Dinesh Nathwani successfully performed the world's first BioPoly partial knee resurfacing procedure on the 9th January at The Advanced Therapies Centre, a newly launched clinical trials facility at The London Clinic, which aims to offer patients a range of innovative therapy choices by accessing trials and novel therapies...