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Epidurals in labour and delivery reduce pain but can increase the risk of needing forceps

Epidurals in labour and delivery reduce pain but can increase the risk of needing forceps Pain relief is an important issue for women in labour and epidurals are increasingly used.

18 Oct 2005

Rett syndrome discovery

The gene responsible for Rett syndrome, a devastating neurological disease found mostly in girls, not only silences some genes but in combination with another also regulates alternative splicing, crucial to the formation of proteins -- a finding that may explain the symptoms associated with this puzzling disorder and others related to it

17 Oct 2005

$Older men with Parkinson's disease at increased risk of bone fractures$

Older men with Parkinson's disease at increased risk of bone fractures

Researchers found that Parkinson’s disease (PD) in older men is associated with lower bone mineral density and suggested that physicians should consider screening older male patients with PD for osteoporosis.

12 Oct 2005

Specific guidelines for treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis

A study published by the Cleveland Clinic and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) provides the medical community for the first time with specific guidelines for treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), previously known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), a condition that affects approximately one in every 1,000 children.

4 Oct 2005

Survey highlights the need to increase folic acid fortification of the grain supply

Only one-third of childbearing age women are taking a multivitamin containing the B vitamin folic acid daily to prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine in their future babies, according to a decade of March of Dimes surveys.

3 Oct 2005

Effective removal of face masks from players who sustain c-spine injuries

This fall, as more than a million high school football players take to the gridiron, University of New Hampshire's Erik Swartz is focused on the worst-case scenario.

28 Sep 2005

New option for treatment of lower back pain

Abbott today announced that it has started enrolling patients in a new U.S. clinical study to evaluate the potential benefits of its Wallis Mechanical Normalization System, a new spinal implant technology for the treatment of mild to moderate degenerative disc disease designed to stabilize the spine and reduce pain while preserving range of motion.

28 Sep 2005

Artificial Cervical (neck) Disc for treatment of degenerative disc disease

Rush University Medical Center is one of the few sites in the country selected to participate in a clinical trial for the Artificial Cervical (neck) Disc, the latest technology in the field.

27 Sep 2005

Study indicates that patients with a cervical spinal injury may harbor additional spinal damage not visible on regular x-rays

In fact, more than a third of patients who were thought to have low-risk injuries actually have additional damage that may include significant fractures with the potential to produce serious spinal problems if not detected and treated properly.

7 Sep 2005

Researchers recommend multidisciplinary approach of low back pain

Researchers calculated the costs of management of low back pain and found that an integrated and step-wise approach within a multidisciplinary setting forms a better use of the available resources. The study is published in the September issue of Pain Practice.

7 Sep 2005

Folic acid levels should be double to provide maximum protection during pregnancy

Reports say that the U.S. government decision to add folic acid to enriched grain products has reduced the incidence of two devastating birth defects. but more needs to be done.

6 Sep 2005

Folic acid fortification of grain foods has produced a one-third decline in serious birth defects of the brain and spine

...but the March of Dimes urged federal officials to help spare a greater number of babies from these devastating conditions by requiring higher levels of the B vitamin.

6 Sep 2005

Many phase I trials for new cancer fighting drugs never get reported in peer-reviewed journals

A new study finds many phase I trials for new cancer fighting drugs never get reported in peer-reviewed journals, and says investigators should be committed not just to finding novel compounds, but also to make sure final results of their studies be disseminated to the medical community.

22 Aug 2005

Discovery of new gene FANCM sheds light on repair of damaged DNA

National Institute on Aging (NIA) researchers have discovered a new gene, FANCM, which sheds light on an important pathway involved in the repair of damaged DNA.

22 Aug 2005

Loss of a gene called p63 accelerates aging in mice

Researchers have discovered that the loss of a gene called p63 accelerates aging in mice. Similar versions of the gene are present in many organisms, including humans. Therefore, the p63 gene is likely to play a fundamental biological role in aging-related processes.

17 Aug 2005

Experimental therapy could offer new way to treat spine damage

An experimental therapy that combines stem cells and gene therapy to repair spinal cord injuries in rats may lead to a new way to treat the same injury in humans.

15 Aug 2005

Calcium fights prostate cancer

Calcium, more familiar in its role as one of the building blocks of the body, is being enlisted as a tool in the fight against prostate cancer.

15 Aug 2005

After NHS hospital tells teenager to wait a year, he has spine operation done in India

After he was told he would have to wait more than a year for a vital back operation in the UK, a teenager has been treated at a private hospital in India.

14 Aug 2005

Taking parathyroid hormone followed by a year on alendronate shows strong osteoporosis benefit

Postmenopausal women who took a bone-building drug for one year followed by a year on a standard drug that fights bone loss experienced greater increases in bone density than has been reported from any other drug regimen, an NIH-sponsored study has found. Bone density is the standard predictor of fracture risk associated with osteoporosis.

11 Aug 2005

$Experts predict that bone fractures will become a bigger and more costly problem$

Experts predict that bone fractures will become a bigger and more costly problem

With an aging population, and with people living longer, experts say bone fractures will become a bigger and more costly problem unless more is done to prevent them.

9 Aug 2005