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FDA takes more time to decide on the fate of BMS & Pfizer’s joint venture anticlotting drug Eliquis

The U.S FDA have pushed back the deadline for deciding whether to approve an experimental anticlotting drug developed jointly by Pfizer Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. The companies said late Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration has set a new target date of June 28 for deciding whether to approve Eliquis. That’s three months later than originally scheduled.

2 Mar 2012

New American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery established

On October 20, 2011 the American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery (ABWMS) was established and incorporated in the State of Ohio. The new Board, according to the President and Chairman of the Board, Richard Simman, MD, FACS, CWS, FACCWS, was established because the time has come to recognize the physician practice of wound medicine and surgery.

2 Mar 2012

Birmingham hip resurfacings OK for men, but not for women

A study by G. Coulter, D. A. Young, R. E. Dalziel, and A. J. Shimmin, published this month in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (British Volume) reports on the findings of an independent review of 230 consecutive Birmingham hip resurfacings (BHRs) in 213 patients (230 hips) at a mean follow-up of 10.4 years (9.6 to 11.7).

2 Mar 2012

Combination of implanted DCs and EBRT effective in creating sarcoma tumor immune response

A team of 18 researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have found that treating high-risk, soft tissue sarcoma patients with a combination of implanted dendritic cells (immune system cells) and fractionated external beam radiation (EBRT) provided more than 50 percent of their trial patients with tumor-specific immune responses lasting from 11 to 42 weeks.

2 Mar 2012

Desflurane may be safer anesthetic option for patients with AD

In a study that will appear in Annals of Neurology and has received early online release, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report that administration of isoflurane impaired the performance of mice on a standard test of learning and memory - a result not seen when another anesthetic, desflurane, was administered.

2 Mar 2012

Bisphosphonates improve fixation of dental impants in human bones

Millions of people have bad teeth replaced with implants. Often following the procedure, they are unable to chew food for up to six months, until the implant has become fixated in the bone. Now, for the first time, a drug coating that has been tested on humans allows titanium screws to adhere to the bone better and faster. The Link-ping researchers behind the method report that the results are good.

2 Mar 2012

Blood, urine markers can predict heart surgery patients at higher risk for worse AKI

Blood and urine markers can indicate which patients with an abrupt kidney injury following heart surgery will experience progressive kidney problems, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

2 Mar 2012

Robotic surgery effective in treating oropharyngeal cancer in patients with HPV

Over the past few decades, doctors have noted a surprising trend in cancer of the tonsils and base of the tongue. Though oral cancer previously appeared predominantly in elderly patients with a history of tobacco and alcohol use, it's increasing in younger patients: 30- to 50-year-old nonsmokers with the human papillomavirus.

2 Mar 2012

HDFT scan can show broken neural connections caused by TBI

A powerful new imaging technique called High Definition Fiber Tracking (HDFT) will allow doctors to clearly see for the first time neural connections broken by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other disorders, much like X-rays show a fractured bone, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in a report published online today in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

2 Mar 2012

Surgeon education can reduce unnecessary spinal hardware wastage

An educational program for surgeons can reduce unnecessary hardware "explantations" during spinal surgery, reports a study in the March 1 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

2 Mar 2012

Bariatric surgery safe for CKD patients with obesity

Weight-loss surgery is safe for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients who are obese, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

2 Mar 2012

HNSF, AAO publish new guideline on sudden hearing loss

On March 1, 2012, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation published a new Clinical Practice Guideline on Sudden Hearing Loss (SHL). This guideline is published as a supplement to Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

2 Mar 2012

Four leading organizations release recommendations to ensure optimal care of TAVR patients

Four leading heart organizations representing cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons released initial recommendations today for creating and maintaining transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) programs.

2 Mar 2012

KI receives additional fund for research into bicuspid aortic valve

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have received an additional 1.4 million Euro from business magnate Fredrik Lundberg for research into bicuspid aortic valve and its links to aneurysm.

1 Mar 2012

Metal hip implants need monitoring annually: MHRA issues guidelines

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency advised that patients with certain artificial hips need annual tests to check for metal ions and MRIs if they show symptoms. The new guidelines follow reports from doctors of swelling and tissue damage in some patients with metal-on-metal hip implants. The update applies to those in Britain with a hip replacement with a head diameter of 36 millimetres or more. The MHRA said on Tuesday that around 49,000 UK patients with large-head hip implants out of 65,000 with all-metal hips were in a high-risk category.

1 Mar 2012

Non-invasive hyperspectral imaging system for skin cancer screening relies on Andor technology

Malignant melanoma (MM), the most dangerous type of skin cancer, is caused mainly by intense episodes of UV exposure and originates in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Early detection and complete excision of the primary lesions is crucial for reducing melanoma-related deaths but current diagnostic practice is highly subjective. This leads to unnecessary surgical procedures, which are highly-invasive and expensive.

1 Mar 2012

New robotic surgical system can treat early-stage lung cancer

In a Canadian first, thoracic surgeons at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network used a robotic surgical system to treat early-stage lung cancer by removing the cancer, along with a lobe of the lung. The use of this system improves outcomes after surgery and will expand the numbers of patients who can benefit from this type of minimally invasive surgical treatment.

1 Mar 2012