Cervical Spine CT Not Necessary In Cases Of Simple Assault And Ground Level Falls
Cervical spine CT examinations are unnecessary for emergency department (ED) patients who are a victim of "simple assault" or who have a "ground-level fall", unless the patient has a condition that predisposes the patient to spine fracture, a new study finds. The study, conducted at Grady Memorial Hospital by researchers from the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, found that out of 218 exams for simple assault, there were none that were positive, said Andrew Nicholson, MD, lead author of the study. In the series of 154 cervical spine CT scans that were obtained for ground-level fall, there was only one positive exam.
Improved Bone Repair With High-Strength Silk Scaffolds
Biomedical 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. It could improve the way bones and other tissues are repaired following accident or disease. The discovery is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition the week of April 30-May 4, 2012. In the U.S. an estimated 1.3 million people undergo bone graft surgeries each year, notes the paper.
Weekend Home Repair Warriors And Construction Workers Travel Long Distances For Common Surgeries And Follow-Up Care
Wrist, hand and finger trauma are the most common injuries presenting to emergency departments nationwide, yet only 7 percent of Tennessee hospitals have a hand specialist on call 24/7 to treat these patients, according to a Vanderbilt study published online today in the Annals of Plastic Surgery. Patients from Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama are traveling long distances to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment and follow-up care. Wesley Thayer, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Plastic Surgery, and of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, surveyed 119 Tennessee hospitals that have both an operating room and an emergency room and found that 58 percent of these hospitals do offer at least basic emergency coverage for hand injuries while 42 percent offer no emergency coverage at all for these injuries.
Building Muscle Without Heavy Weights
Weight training at a lower intensity but with more repetitions may be as effective for building muscle as lifting heavy weights says a new opinion piece in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. "The perspective provided in this review highlights that other resistance protocols, beyond the often discussed high-intensity training, can be effective in stimulating a muscle building response that may translate into bigger muscles after resistance training, " says lead author Nicholas Burd. "These findings have important implications from a public health standpoint because skeletal muscle mass is a large contributor to daily energy expenditure and it assists in weight management.
Hip Implant Coating May Reduce Premature Failure Risk
Although artificial hip or knee prosthesis are designed to last several years, approximately 17% of patients who receive a total joint replacement need early replacement surgery - a procedure which can cause serious complications for elderly patients. In order to help minimize the need for these operations, a team of chemical engineers at MIT have developed a new coating for implants that could help them better adhere to the patient's bone, preventing premature failure. The study is published in the journal Advanced Materials. Paula Hammond, the David H. Koch Professor in Engineering at MIT and senior author of the study, explained: "This would allow the implant to last much longer, to its natural lifetime, with lower risk of failure or infection.
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. BioPoly knee surgery in combination with anti-inflammatories allows the patient to immediately bear weight on their joint by using a new material, which is a combination of hyaluronic acid and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. The material combination is sufficiently strong to take the weight of the body, whilst maintaining a degree of flexibility that other standard metal replacements cannot.
Acupuncture Can Improve Skeletal Muscle Atrophy
A team of Japanese researchers reveal study results at the Experimental Biology 2012 meeting that show how acupuncture therapy mitigates skeletal muscle loss and holds promise for those seeking improved mobility through muscle rejuvenation. "It is my hope that this study will demonstrate acupuncture's feasibility with regard to improving health among the elderly and medical patients. Our findings could identify acupuncture as the primary nonpharmacological treatment to prevent skeletal muscle atrophy in the future, " says Akiko Onda, an acupuncturist and graduate student at the Waseda University School of Sport Sciences, who has been conducting a series of studies on skeletal muscle atrophy for the past four years.
Early Menopause Raises Risk Of Osteoporosis And Early Death
A woman whose menopause arrives early has nearly double the risk of suffering form osteoporosis later on, compared to other females, researchers from SkГ ne University Hospital, Malmo, Sweden, reported in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The researchers explained that their study looked at what long-term effects early menopause might have on osteoporosis risk, mortality, and the risk of fragility fracture. 390 Caucasian women, average age 48, from northern Europe were recruited in the Malmo Perimenopausal Study. In this observational study, the females were regularly followed-up after the age of 48. The authors divided the women into two groups: Those whose menopause started before they were 47 years old Those whose menopause started after they were 47 years old All of them had their BMD (bone mineral density) measured.
Osteoporosis, Fracture And Mortality Risks Greater Following Early Menopause
Women who go through the menopause early are nearly twice as likely to suffer from osteoporosis in later life, suggests new research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The Swedish study looked at the long-term effects of early menopause on mortality, risk of fragility fracture and osteoporosis. In 1977, 390 white north European women aged 48 were recruited in the Malmo Perimenopausal Study, an observational study where women were followed from age 48 onwards. The women were divided into two categories; women who started the menopause before 47 and women who started the menopause at age 47 or later. The women's bone mineral density (BMD) was measured.
When Using Oxygen To Regenerate Bone, Timing Is Everything
A research team at Tulane University will report this week that the application of high levels of oxygen to a severed bone facilitates bone regrowth, study results that may one day hold promise for injured soldiers, diabetics and other accident victims. The results of the Department of Defense-funded study were presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting, held in conjunction with the Experimental Biology conference in San Diego. "One out of every 200 Americans is an amputee, " emphasizes Mimi Sammarco, who led the study at Tulane. "This number is expected to double in the next 40 years and is of particular concern given that amputation injuries have increased considerably due to combat casualties and the increasing amputation issues associated with the rise in diabetes and other related diseases.
