Implants News and Research

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Bionic eye offers light at the end of the tunnel for the blind

Researchers in the United States have been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to trial a bionic eye implant in blind patients.

18 Feb 2007

New image-guided technology provides perfect alignment in knee arthroplasty

For patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, close to perfect alignment should translate into longer durability of joint replacements, according to a renowned panel of orthopaedic surgeons who discussed advancements in computer-assisted total knee replacement (TKR) surgery at the 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

15 Feb 2007

Benefits of two cochlear implants in deaf children

Nature has outfitted us with a pair of ears for good reason: having two ears enhances hearing. University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists are now examining whether this is also true for the growing numbers of deaf children who've received not one, but two, cochlear implants to help them hear

13 Feb 2007

Three-dimensional fabric "scaffold" to repair cartilage damage

Using a unique weaving machine of their design, Duke University Medical Center researchers have created a three-dimensional fabric "scaffold" that could greatly improve the ability of physicians to repair damaged joints with the patient's own stem cells.

7 Feb 2007

Seed implants critical for achieving a better prostate cancer outcome

More than ninety percent of men who receive appropriate radiation dose levels with permanent radiation seed implants to treat their prostate cancer are cured of their cancer eight years after diagnosis, according to a study released in the February 1 issue of the International Journal for Radiation Oncology - Biology - Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

31 Jan 2007

Archus Orthopedics wins in patent opposition case

Archus Orthopedics, Inc. has announced that the European Patent Office has confirmed the validity of its patent number EP-B-1223872 following an Opposition that concluded with oral proceedings on January 10, 2007 in Munich, Germany.

30 Jan 2007

Gums produce substances that lead to degeneration of the jawbone

Our gums' own cells produce the substances that lead to the degeneration of the jawbone. This is one of the findings in a dissertation that Py Palmqvist defended at Umea University in Sweden recently.

24 Jan 2007

Radiation therapy combo cures prostate cancer long-term

Seventy-four percent of men treated with a combination of radiation seed implants and external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer are cured of their disease 15 years following their treatment, according to a study released in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

7 Jan 2007

Drug-coated heart stents to carry a warning

An advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has recommended that the drug-coated stents used in patients with cardiovascular disease should carry a warning.

11 Dec 2006

Getting too close to magnets can have fatal consequences for heart patients

According to Swiss researchers some magnets which are used in many new commercial products can interfere with implanted heart devices such as pacemakers and the consequences can be fatal.

4 Dec 2006

Summary of FDA's approval of silicone breast implants

Two editorials respond to FDA's approval on Friday of the use of silicone breast implants manufactured by Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Mentor and Irvine, Calif.-based Allergan for breast reconstruction and cosmetic breast augmentation.

23 Nov 2006

Silicone breast implants given the OK by the FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has lifted a ban on the use of silicone breast implants.

20 Nov 2006

FDA approves silicone gel-filled breast implants

After rigorous scientific review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the marketing of silicone gel-filled breast implants made by two companies for breast reconstruction in women of all ages and breast augmentation in women ages 22 and older.

19 Nov 2006

Polymer and ceramic biodegradable materials that carry bone growth enhancing substances

Rapid and guided healing of bones has moved a step closer with research by two biomedical engineering students who have found new ways to deliver bone growth enhancers directly to broken or weakened bones.

31 Oct 2006

Sens. Feinstein, Snowe ask FDA for safety review of silicone breast implant manufacturer's product application

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (D-Maine) on Friday sent a joint letter to acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach asking the agency to launch a full review into whether Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Mentor intentionally withheld safety data on its silicone breast implant application, CQ HealthBeat reports (CQ HealthBeat, 10/23).

24 Oct 2006

Silicone breast implants make a comeback in Canada

The Canadian government has reversed a partial ban placed more than 13 years ago over health concerns linked to silicone breast implants.

23 Oct 2006

Otoferlin, defective in a human deafness form, is essential for exocytosis at the auditory ribbon synapse

By studying a gene earlier linked to deafness in humans, researchers now have new insight into the molecular process by which components of the inner ear send messages to the brain.

20 Oct 2006

Advocacy group asks FDA to launch criminal investigation of allegedly withheld data on silicone breast implant application

The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen on Thursday sent a letter to acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach asking the agency to conduct a criminal investigation into whether Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Mentor intentionally withheld safety data on its silicone breast implant application, the Washington Post reports.

16 Oct 2006

Having breast implants does not increase mortality risk

A study conducted among 24,600 women by two Universiti Laval Faculty of Medicine researchers and their colleagues from the Canadian Public Health Agency and Cancer Care Ontario concludes that having breast implants does not increase mortality risk.

19 Sep 2006

Uroplasty receives FDA approvable letter for treatment of female stress urinary incontinence

Uroplasty, Inc. has announced that it has received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relating to its pre-market approval (PMA) application for Macroplastique Implants for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

14 Sep 2006