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Human stem cell treatment restores motor function in paralyzed rats

Rats paralyzed due to loss of blood flow to the spine returned to near normal ambulatory function six weeks after receiving grafts of human spinal stem cells (hSSCs), researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine report.

1 Jun 2007

Back surgery or grin and bear it?

A couple of new studies by researchers in the U.S. and the Netherlands have found that though surgery is effective for people with a slipped or misaligned disk, it often is not necessary if patients can summon up enough patience and wait awhile.

31 May 2007

MRI helps predict recovery after spinal cord injury

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiologists can better predict the likelihood of full or partial recovery of patients with acute spinal cord injuries (SCI), according to a study published in the June issue of the journal Radiology.

30 May 2007

First major investigation into naprapathy

Naprapathy works better on back and neck trouble than recommended and proven effective advice from doctors, according to a new study from Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.

24 May 2007

Artificially created bone tissue

As the nation ages, an estimated 44 million Americans, including at least half of those ages 50 and older, are at risk for osteoporosis, making their bones fragile and vulnerable to serious fractures.

22 May 2007

The Medical Research Council welcomes FSA decision to add folic acid to flour

The Medical Research Council (MRC) has welcomed the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) decision to recommend the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

20 May 2007

Mount Sinai uses breakthrough treatment for spinal cancer

The Mount Sinai Medical Center is the only hospital in New York City using the Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery System on spinal cancer.

16 May 2007

Estrogen may influence the risk for prostate cancer

Although women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, or porous bone, one in 12 men also suffer from the disease, which can lead to debilitating - or even life-threatening - fractures, mainly of the spine, hip and wrist.

11 May 2007

$CT better than plain radiographs in diagnosing lumbar spine fractures$

CT better than plain radiographs in diagnosing lumbar spine fractures

Lumbar spine fractures in a majority of patients with trauma can be detected by routine trauma abdomen and pelvis CT compared to plain radiographs, according to a recent study conducted by radiologists at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH.

8 May 2007

$Treatment with zoledronic acid effective in reducing fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis$

Treatment with zoledronic acid effective in reducing fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis

A treatment for osteoporosis delivered once a year is as effective as current monthly or weekly osteoporosis regimens at reducing the incidence of bone fractures, according to a new study led by a UCSF research team.

4 May 2007

Reclast found to cause abnormal heart rhythms

An osteoporosis drug with the potential to cut the risk of spine fractures by 70 percent and the chance of hip fractures by 41 percent, has been found to have an adverse side effect on some women.

3 May 2007

Evidence of very early onset defective bone mineralization in the lumbar spine revealed in children with cystic fibrosis

In a study of children with cystic fibrosis, French researchers found evidence of very early onset defective bone mineralization in the lumbar spine that was not caused by either nutritional status or lung disease.

2 May 2007

Gene CHD7 linked to idiopathic scoliosis

Researchers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC), one of the nation's leading pediatric centers for research and the treatment of orthopaedic conditions, have identified the first gene - CHD7 - associated with idiopathic scoliosis (I.S.), the most common spinal deformity in children.

27 Apr 2007

Adjustable chairs reduce shoulder and neck pain

Adjustable-height chairs with ergonomically curved seats can significantly reduce neck and shoulder pain in garment workers, according to a new study in the April 20 issue of Spine.

24 Apr 2007

FDA approves new Actonel dose

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new dose for Actonel (risedronate sodium tablets) that will give patients the option of taking one Actonel 75 mg tablet on two consecutive days, for a total of two tablets monthly, to treat and prevent their postmenopausal osteoporosis.

18 Apr 2007

Single master gene crucial for nerve cell insulation

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how a defect in a single master gene disrupts the process by which several genes interact to create myelin, a fatty coating that covers nerve cells and increases the speed and reliability of their electrical signals.

17 Apr 2007

Calcium intake could be used as a prognostic factor for osteoporosis

Measuring a man's daily calcium intake is an effective way of identifying prostate cancer patients with a higher than average risk of osteoporosis, according to the April issue of the urology journal BJU International.

11 Apr 2007

Research shows relationship between low calcium intake and higher levels of osteoporosis in men with prostate cancer

Daily calcium intake is an effective way of identifying prostate cancer patients with a higher than average risk of osteoporosis, according to the April issue of the urology journal BJU International.

11 Apr 2007

Researchers identify gene for osteoporosis

Researchers report the identification of a gene that may play a role in susceptibility to osteoporosis, the crippling disease that leads to bone fractures, especially of the hip and spine.

31 Mar 2007

Osteoporosis: sensitivity and specificity of dental radiographs

Researchers in the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam have created a unique way of identifying patients at risk of osteoporosis by using ordinary dental x-rays. Professor Paul F. van der Stelt and his team developed the largely automated approach to detecting the disease during a three-year, EU-funded collaboration with the Universities of Manchester, Athens, Leuven, and Malmo.

22 Mar 2007