Vertebral Column News and Research

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DePuy Synthes adds four new products to adult deformity portfolio

DePuy Synthes Companies announced the addition of four new products to its adult deformity portfolio as well as a new education offering, continuing its expansion of one of the broadest spine portfolios in the industry. The products were displayed by DePuy Synthes Spine at the 81st annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

27 Mar 2015

International researchers discover gene that causes familial scoliosis

The discovery of the first gene causing familial scoliosis was announced by an international France-Canada research team today. "Mystery surrounds the cause of scoliosis, which is a three dimensional deformation of the vertebral column. Many researchers have been attempting to uncover the origins of this disease, particularly from a genetic point of view," explained leading co-author Dr Florina Moldovan of the University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte Justine research hospital.

3 Feb 2015

New concussion therapy program for NFL members

Upledger Institute Clinic in conjunction with the Ricky Williams Foundation announced today the launch of their concussion therapy pilot program aimed at treating current and former members of the NFL.

28 Jun 2014

Serious traumatic spinal cord injuries rising among older people in the U.S.

The number of serious traumatic spinal cord injuries is on the rise in the United States, and the leading cause no longer appears to be motor vehicle crashes, but falls, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

28 Jan 2014

Number of serious traumatic spinal cord injuries is on the rise in US, shows study

28 Jan 2014

Researcher receives NINDS grant to develop DTI for pediatric spinal cord injury diagnosis

Most of the 11,000 new cases of spinal cord injury that are diagnosed each year in the United States occur in people under age 30, and often the sufferer is a child. But smaller spinal cords in children and a lack of adequate imaging technology has created major problems in precisely locating the site of injury. New technological developments in imaging could help clinical specialists design more effective treatment and rehabilitation strategies for pediatric patients.

21 Jun 2013

Oscillation of gene activity may underlie how embryos grow in proportion

From a single-cell egg to a fully functional body: as embryos develop and grow, they must form organs that are in proportion to the overall size of the embryo. The exact mechanism underlying this fundamental characteristic, called scaling, is still unclear. However, a team of researchers from EMBL Heidelberg is now one step closer to understanding it.

21 Dec 2012

Scientists reveal timing mechanism in formation of vertebrae

As they develop, vertebrate embryos form vertebrae in a sequential, time-controlled way. Scientists have determined previously that this process of body segmentation is controlled by a kind of "clock," regulated by the oscillating activity of certain genes within embryonic cells. But questions remain about how precisely this timing system works.

14 Nov 2012

Researchers discover molecular mechanism responsible for low back pain

Italian researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome found an important molecular mechanism responsible for low back pain and other acute vertebral problems like cervical axial pain, all due to aging and degeneration of the vertebral column.

14 Mar 2012

NYUCI experts present latest research findings about hematologic cancers at 53rd ASH meeting

Experts from the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center at NYU Langone Medical Center, presented their latest research findings about hematologic cancers at the 53rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition held December 10-13, 2011 in San Diego, California.

14 Dec 2011

Teenagers with scoliosis can benefit from new generation spine implants

Teenagers who undergo spine fusion for scoliosis using the newest surgical techniques can expect to be doing well 10 years after surgery, according to a Hospital for Special Surgery study published online ahead of print in the TK issue of the journal Spine.

6 Apr 2011

SLU Hospital announces increase in number of minimally-invasive spinal procedures performed

With the recent launch of the Neurosurgical Spine Program at Saint Louis University Hospital's Center for Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery, the hospital has seen a dramatic increase in the number of minimally-invasive spinal procedures, including lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Designed to stop the motion at a painful vertebral segment, this procedure is traditionally performed via a large incision on the back, stripping vital muscles away from the spine. However, the emergence of minimally-invasive neurosurgical techniques is revolutionizing spinal surgery.

21 May 2010

Axis Surgical's EC-MOR facilitated real-time visualization of anterior spine column during surgery

Axis Surgical Technologies, Inc., reports the first evaluation of the C-MOR™ Visualization Device in a spine procedure. The C-MOR™ is a self-contained portable direct-imaging tool that functions much like a standard arthroscopic tower, yet at a fraction of both the size and cost. The handheld lightweight device offers practitioners the convenience of intraoperative visualization and complete operability in one hand. The C-MOR™ comprises a distinctive and cost-effective imaging device offering benefits to medical practitioners in a variety of applications, including lengthy surgeries requiring constant re-evaluation of the operating field over the course of the surgery.

25 Mar 2010

Scientists identify new behavioral traits of immune cells; findings may help in understanding complex diseases

In diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cells of the immune system infiltrate the brain tissue, where they cause immense damage. For many years, it was an enigma as to how these cells can escape from the bloodstream. This is no trivial feat, given that specialized blood vessels act as a barrier between the nervous system and the bloodstream.

6 Nov 2009

Total number of vertebrae: Hox genes have a say

Vertebrates have in common a skeleton made of segments, the vertebrae. During development of the embryo, each segment is added in a time dependent manner, from the head-end to the tail-end: the first segments to be added become the vertebrae of the neck, later segments become the vertebrae with ribs and the last ones the vertebra located in the tail (in the case of a mouse, for example). In this process, it is crucial that, on the one hand, each segment, as it matures, becomes the correct type of vertebra and, on the other, that the number of vertebrae in the skeleton, and therefore the size of the spine, are minutely controlled.

28 Oct 2009

Scientists restore walking after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord damage blocks the routes that the brain uses to send messages to the nerve cells that control walking.

7 Jan 2008

World's first complete articulated Neanderthal skeleton

Anthropologists have constructed the world's first complete articulated Neanderthal skeleton to expand public and scientific understanding of the group, as well as of the differences between Neanderthals and modern humans.

9 Mar 2005