Spine News and Research

RSS

First human recipients of laboratory-grown organs

The first human recipients of laboratory-grown organs were by Anthony Atala, M.D., director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. In The Lancet, Atala describes long-term success in children and teenagers who received bladders grown from their own cells.

4 Apr 2006

Oral agent alendronate may help men with prostate cancer suffering from bone loss

Men with prostate cancer who experience bone loss from cancer treatment could benefit from a weekly oral therapy commonly given to women with osteoporosis, according to a study presented by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Prostate Cancer Symposium, Feb. 24 to 26 at the San Francisco Marriott.

27 Feb 2006

Study finds gene variant is no strong risk factor for osteoporosis

Variations in a number of different genes and environmental factors affect an individual’s risk for osteoporosis. Several gene variants have been linked to osteoporosis, but few have stood the test of time.

24 Feb 2006

Low bone density improved with jabs twice a year

A team of researchers say that women with low bone density can benefit from a twice a year treatment of an experimental drug.

23 Feb 2006

$Calcium and Vitamin D helps reduce risk of hip fractures in older women$

Calcium and Vitamin D helps reduce risk of hip fractures in older women

Taking calcium and Vitamin D slightly decreased the risk of hip fractures in older women, but not the risk for other types of fractures or for colorectal cancer, according to the latest findings from the federally funded Women's Health Initiative. Additionally, the supplements slightly increased the incidence of kidney stones.

21 Feb 2006

Calcium plus vitamin-D supplementation does an older body good

The older the woman, the more likely it is that consistent use of calcium and vitamin-D supplements will play a role in reducing her risk for osteoporosis, according to the results of a large national clinical trial conducted as part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

20 Feb 2006

New guide helps doctors determine normal height loss

As we age we can expect to shrink an average of three to four centimeters. Such loss is normal due to shrinkage of the disks within the spine.

19 Feb 2006

Calcium and Vitamin D supplememts of limited benefit to older women

According to researchers at Stanford University Medical Center, older women who regularly take calcium and Vitamin D marginally decrease their risk of hip fractures.

16 Feb 2006

Simple diagnostic imaging procedure changes treatment for lower back pain

A simple diagnostic imaging procedure can help identify patients with lower back pain who would benefit from spinal injections and spare those who would not, according to a study appearing in the February issue of Radiology.

13 Feb 2006

$Warfarin increases risk of bone fracture$

Warfarin increases risk of bone fracture

Elderly patients taking the commonly prescribed blood thinner warfarin experience an increased risk for osteoporosis-linked bone fractures, according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

23 Jan 2006

Advanced Biomaterial Systems receives U.S. patent for mixing and dispensing apparatus

Advanced Biomaterial Systems, Inc. (ABS) has received U.S. patent 6,984,063 for an Apparatus for Mixing and Dispensing Components. This patent is a continuation of several patents which incorporate twistOR and Plexis technology.

23 Jan 2006

New microRNA mechanism for regulating brain function

Non-coding regions of the genome - those that don't code for proteins - are now known to include important elements that regulate gene activity. Among those elements are microRNAs, tiny, recently discovered RNA molecules that suppress gene expression.

18 Jan 2006

More women need to know about folic acid's ability to prevent birth defects

Each year in Minnesota, more than 2,000 babies are born with birth defects. Many of those birth defects likely could have been prevented if the mother had taken enough folic acid.

10 Jan 2006

Novel way to treat stroke

A joint research effort between researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, CA, and a team from Japan (Iwate University, Osaka City University, Gifu University, Iwate Medical University) has discovered a novel way to treat stroke and neurodegenerative disorders.

9 Jan 2006

Institute of Medicine reports on food marketing aimed at kids

The Institute of Medicine's report on food marketing to children is a milestone that marks the beginning of the end of junk-food marketing to kids.

15 Dec 2005

Risedronate prevents bone loss and periodontal disease

Drugs that reverse and prevent bone loss due to osteoporosis also significantly ward off periodontal disease, according to a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine who reports in the current Menopause journal article, "Periodontal Assessments of Postmenopausal Women Receiving Risedronate."

7 Dec 2005

Tamoxifen reduces long-term risk of cancer

According to a new study released this week, women at high risk for breast cancer who take the well-known drug Tamoxifen, can reduce their long-term risk of developing the disease.

16 Nov 2005

Use of traction to help treat low back pain has no benefit

"Traction was introduced before it was properly evaluated in high-quality randomized trials, and as an intervention is already part of usual practice,” said lead author Judy M.A. Clarke, M.D. “It is hard to convince health care providers not to use it."

10 Nov 2005

Novel technique to remove tumors from the cervical region of the spine

University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) surgeons are using a novel technique to remove tumors from the cervical region of the spine that were previously thought "inoperable."

7 Nov 2005

Intravenous lidocaine and oral derivatives relieve pain from damage to the nervous system

Lidocaine and similar local anesthetics are effective for treating pain that emanates from damaged nerves, according to a systematic review of current evidence.

23 Oct 2005