Scoliosis Effectively Treated With Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods - No Repeat Invasive Surgery Required
According to a study published in The Lancet, new magnetically controlled growing rods can treat the spinal disorder scoliosis in children without the need for repeated invasive surgeries. The study was conducted by Professor Kenneth Cheung and Dr. Dino Samartzis, from the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, and colleagues. Scoliosis is an abnormal curving of the spin that occurs primarily in young children and adolescents. Scoliosis can rapidly progress if left untreated and cause breathing problems, as well as cosmetic disfigurement. Traditional treatment for children with scoliosis who are still growing is surgical insertion of growing rods under general anesthesia.
Nanoscale Films Developed At MIT Promote Bone Growth, Creating A Stronger Seal Between Implants And Patients Own Bone.
Every year, more than a million Americans receive an artificial hip or knee prosthesis. Such implants are designed to last many years, but in about 17 percent of patients who receive a total joint replacement, the implant eventually loosens and has to be replaced early, which can cause dangerous complications for elderly patients. To help minimize these burdensome operations, a team of MIT chemical engineers has developed a new coating for implants that could help them better adhere to the patient's bone, preventing premature failure. "This would allow the implant to last much longer, to its natural lifetime, with lower risk of failure or infection, " says Paula Hammond, the David H.
Monkeys Hand Movement Restored After Paralysis Using Brain-Activated Muscle Stimulation
An artificial connection between the brain and muscles can restore complex hand movements in monkeys following paralysis, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. In a report in the journal Nature, researchers describe how they combined two pieces of technology to create a neuroprosthesis a device that replaces lost or impaired nervous system function. One piece is a multi-electrode array implanted directly into the brain which serves as a brain-computer interface (BCI). The array allows researchers to detect the activity of about 100 brain cells and decipher the signals that generate arm and hand movements. The second piece is a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device that delivers electrical current to the paralyzed muscles, causing them to contract.
News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation: April 16, 2012
AUTOIMMUNITY Understanding bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis patients Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint stiffness and pain for over 2 million Americans. The disease is caused by an errant attack on healthy tissue by the body's immune system. Antibodies found in some patients target specific types of modified proteins, called citrullinated proteins, and are associated with an increased risk of bone destruction. Dr. Georg Schett and fellow researchers at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany suspected that these particular self-reactive antibodies directly influence bone loss that can sometimes occur in rheumatoid arthritis. They found that antibodies against citrullinated proteins bind to osteoclasts, specialized cells that break down bone tissue.
Genetic Regions Linked To Bone-Weakening Disease And Fractures
Thirty-two previously unidentified genetic regions associated with osteoporosis and fracture have been identified by a large, worldwide consortium of researchers, including Stanford Prevention Research Center chief John Ioannidis, MD, DSc. Variations in the DNA sequences in these regions confer either risk or protection from the bone-weakening disease. Many, but not all, of the regions encode proteins involved in pathways known to involve bone health. The research shows that osteoporosis results from the combined contributions of dozens, if not hundreds, of genes. It also suggests many new avenues for anti-osteoporosis drug development. "We're learning that the genetic architecture of disease is very complex, " said Ioannidis, who is one of seven senior authors of the study and the methodological leader of the consortium.
Halting The Spread Of A Deadly Childhood Bone Cancer
Many children with the bone cancer, osteosarcoma, die after the tumor spreads to their lungs. In a critical step toward finding a way to stop metastasis, researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center say they have discovered an agent that prevents this type of cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice with the disease. The new agent stops or inhibits "ezrin, " a protein vital to the spread of osteosarcoma, say the researchers who presented their findings today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012. If proven effective in human studies, their ezrin inhibitor might potentially treat adults whose cancers are fueled by over-expression of this protein, and could be a life-saver for children with bone tumors.
Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Phase 3 Trial Starts, Say Amgen And UCB
Osteoporosis affects more than 75 million people, with women being four times more at risk of developing the disease than men. Osteoporosis is a chronic, progressive and systemic disease, whereby the bone tissue deteriorates, losing mass and strength, which makes the bones more fragile and increases the risk of fractures. Due to estrogen deficiency, the disease accelerates during and after women's menopause as ovarian function decreases during menopause, whilst the risk of fracture progressively increases with age. A phase 3 clinical trial program of the sclerostin antibody (CDP7851/AMG 785) for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) has just been announced by UCB and Amgen.
Surfer Punches Shark And Survives
It is not often we hear of an encounter with a shark where the shark slinks away and the human survives relatively unscathed. But this week, we have news of how 28-year-old Joshua Holley from Hawaii, fended off a shark that attacked him - while he was surfing off the coast of Oahu where he lives - by punching it in the face. Holley told ABC News he first felt a push on his body, and when he looked to his left he saw a large dorsal fin and then felt a "popping" sensation in his foot. Later in hospital, he discovered the shark bite had severed two tendons and made a wound requiring 42 stitches, but luckily had punctured no major arteries. The shark then went under the water and came up on the other side.
Newly Found Protein Helps Cells Build Tissues
Brown University biologists have found a new molecule in fruit flies that is key to the information exchange needed to build wings properly. They have also uncovered evidence that an analogous protein may exist in people and may be associated with problems such as cleft lip, or premature ovarian failure. As they work together to form body parts, cells in developing organisms communicate like workers at a construction site. The discovery of a new signaling molecule in flies by Brown University biologists not only helps explain how cells send many long-haul messages, but also provides new clues for researchers who study how human development goes awry, for instance in cases of cleft lip and palate.
Metal-On-Metal Hip Replacement No Extra Cancer Risk At Seven Years
According to a study in bmj.com, the risk of developing cancer within the first seven years after receiving a metal-on-metal hip replacement is no higher than in the general population, although further long-term studies are required. BBC Newsnight and the BMJ recently investigated potentially high levels of toxic metals from failing hip implants that could affect thousands of people worldwide in the future. The authors also investigated as to why these hip replacements were permitted, regardless of the fact that the risks have been known and documented for decades. The BMJ has a comprehensive range of articles regarding the safety of medical devices that can be viewed here.
