Spine News and Research

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'Call to action' on wrong-route injections in anesthesia

Worldwide changes in catheter system design are urgently needed to prevent serious complications caused by accidental injection of drugs into the wrong location, according to a special editoral in the March issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

1 Mar 2012

RMC offers groundbreaking new procedure for LSS patients

More than one million people are diagnosed and treated each year in the United States for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), a condition that occurs from the narrowing of the spinal canal. Peter Staats, M.D., in conjunction with Riverview Medical Center, is offering LSS patients a groundbreaking new procedure, mild (minimally invasive spinal decompression) that safely and therapeutically reduces pain and improves mobility.

1 Mar 2012

Minimally invasive treatments to be showcased at SIR's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting

The Society of Interventional Radiology will feature minimally invasive scientific advances and new discoveries that may change the way dozens of diseases are treated at its 37th Annual Scientific Meeting March 24-29 at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

29 Feb 2012

New approaches may increase effectiveness of SCS for severe back pain

New approaches to electrical stimulation—using an implanted device with three columns of electrodes—may increase the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for severe back pain, suggests a study in the March issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

28 Feb 2012

Aesculap, Osseon partner to distribute VCF treatment devices

Osseon Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the company has entered into an International Distribution Agreement with Aesculap AG to distribute its vertebral compression fracture (VCF) treatment devices, including its new CE-Mark approved device – Osseoflex SB (steerable balloon) in select regions of Europe and Asia.

From B. Braun Melsungen AG 27 Feb 2012

SANUWAVE, CAN-med Healthcare enter distribution agreement for dermaPACE device

SANUWAVE Health, Inc. has entered into a two-year exclusive distribution agreement with CAN-med Healthcare, a division of IMP Group Limited, to distribute the Company's dermaPACE device throughout Canada.

24 Feb 2012

Accelitech embarks on a proton cancer therapy project

Accelitech LLC, the leader in the development and full-cycle management of technology-driven cancer treatment programs, is pleased to announce its inaugural proton therapy project. The treatment center project, now under development, is the latest in Accelitech's ongoing effort to bring leading treatment technologies to more patients through joint-venture partnerships with physicians and hospitals.

23 Feb 2012

Osseon's new vertebral augmentation device receives European CE Mark approval

Osseon® Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that its newest product for vertebral augmentation treatment, the Osseoflex SB (steerable balloon), received CE Mark approval for commercial release in the European Union.

22 Feb 2012

State roundup: Calif. expands uninsured access, gives adult day care reprieve

Nearly two years before the federal health reform law kicks in, 10 California counties have expanded medical coverage to more than 250,000 people who were previously uninsured, according to new state data.

22 Feb 2012

Genomic instability allows malignant cells to acquire more deadly characteristics

Genomic instability caused by an erosion of the protective caps on chromosomes, followed by activation of an enzyme that reinforces those aps, allows malignant cells to evade destruction and acquire more deadly characteristics, researchers report in an Online Now article at the journal Cell.

21 Feb 2012

Sitting for long hours affects hips, spine, shoulders and the heart

You may feel productive putting in long days at the office. But while your mind is active, your body isn't. There is a growing body of research that supports the idea that, regardless of your exercise routine after hours, the more time you spend sitting each day, the higher your risk of heart disease. Evidence suggests your hips, spine and shoulders suffer as well.

21 Feb 2012

Researchers track structural changes during formation of new memories

New connections between brain cells emerge in clusters in the brain as animals learn to perform a new task, according to a study published in Nature on February 19 (advance online publication). Led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the study reveals details of how brain circuits are rewired during the formation of new motor memories.

20 Feb 2012

UH's Eye Institute receives $5M Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation gift

The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation again has demonstrated its commitment to University Hospitals (UH) with a $5 million gift for the Eye Institute. The gift will honor the late Benjamin L. Millikin, MD, husband of Julia Severance and the grandfather of Prentiss Foundation trustee Elisabeth Alexander.

18 Feb 2012

AstraZeneca launches ARIMIDEX Direct to help cancer patients

AstraZeneca today announced its first-ever direct-to-patient program offering patients with a valid prescription for ARIMIDEX or anastrozole the opportunity to have the brand ARIMIDEX delivered directly to their home by Express Scripts, a specialty pharmacy services provider, for $40 per month, including shipping.

17 Feb 2012

$Physical exercise in early 20's aids bone growth, reduces risk of fractures$

Physical exercise in early 20's aids bone growth, reduces risk of fractures

Physical exercise in the early twenties improves bone development and may reduce the risk of fractures later in life, reveals a study of more than 800 Swedish men carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

14 Feb 2012

Scientists identify more than 100 new cases of alkaptonuria

Scientists at the University of Liverpool, working with international partners, have shown a rare genetic disease, that causes crippling osteoarthritis in the spine and major joints, is far more prevalent worldwide than previously thought.

14 Feb 2012

New Spine iPad app to be unveiled at AAOS annual meeting

The top-cited, most trusted peer reviewed journal in spinal deformity and dysfunction is now available in a new mobile edition with the launch of Spine for the iPad.

9 Feb 2012

BioMimetic to launch new bone graft substitute product line at AAOS meeting

BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. today announced it will introduce Augmatrix Biocomposite Bone Graft, a new bone graft substitute product line, to surgeons and distributors at its exhibit booth during the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting this week in San Francisco, CA.

8 Feb 2012

Genzyme announces four-year data from eliglustat tartrate phase 2 trial on Gaucher disease type 1

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today four-year follow-up data from patients enrolled in the phase 2 clinical trial for its investigational oral therapy for Gaucher disease type 1 known as eliglustat tartrate.

8 Feb 2012

Exemestane has negative effect on postmenopausal women's bone health

Exemestane, a drug used in the prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, has a negative effect on bone density and structure in these women, despite calcium and vitamin D supplements.

8 Feb 2012