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Engaging in physical activity not going to put at greater risk of knee osteoarthritis

Adults age 45 and older who engaged in moderate physical activity up to two and a half hours a week did not increase their risk of developing knee osteoarthritis over a 6-year follow-up period, a new study finds.

29 Aug 2013

Researchers identify possible treatment strategy for ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers have tied mutations in a gene that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative disorders to the toxic buildup of certain proteins and related molecules in cells, including neurons. The research, published recently in the scientific journal Cell, offers a new approach for developing treatments against these devastating diseases.

29 Aug 2013

UC Berkeley study finds cocaine can dominate high-level brain circuits

Cocaine can speedily rewire high-level brain circuits that support learning, memory and decision-making, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley, and UCSF. The findings shed new light on the frontal brain's role in drug-seeking behavior and may be key to tackling addiction.

26 Aug 2013

Researchers discover link between epilepsy drug and risk of having baby with birth defects

In a world first, new Australian medical research has given pregnant women with epilepsy new hope of reducing their chance of having a baby with physical birth defects.

26 Aug 2013

Innovation that speeds up pure oxygen production wins 2013 Curtin Commercial Innovation Awards

An innovation that speeds up pure oxygen production, a medical device that treats neck pain and technology that regenerates tissue in ulcers are the winners of the 2013 Curtin Commercial Innovation Awards.

23 Aug 2013

State highlights: Health plan settles with D.C. over payments; Ga. judge won't stop contract despite UnitedHealthcare concerns; Calif. voters know little on Obamacare

A selection of health policy stories from the District of Columbia, Georgia, California, New York, Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

23 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 22, 2013

Today's headlines include news reports about how summer politics are shaking out around the health law's implementation.

22 Aug 2013

Study shows continuous CSF drainage is associated with complications in patients with SAH

Researchers at Duke University conducted a randomized clinical trial in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In this study, the researchers compared two approaches to intracranial pressure management-continuous and intermittent drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-and outcomes associated with those methods, focusing specifically on the incidence of cerebral vasospasm.

21 Aug 2013

Study: Herniated discs result from avulsion of tissue, rather than rupture

Herniated discs in the lower (lumbar) spine most often result from avulsion (separation) of the tissue connection between the disc and spinal bone, rather than rupture of the disc itself, according to a study in Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Aug 2013

Osteoarthritis research: an interview with Dr Deborah Mason, Cardiff University

Osteoarthritis is an extremely common condition affecting about 8 million people in the UK. The elderly are particularly susceptible, with up to 45% of people over 65 years, having the disease.

14 Aug 2013

New research opens door for development of treatments capable of stopping Alzheimer's disease

New research just out in the journal Science Translational Medicine opens the door for the development of treatments capable of stopping Alzheimer's disease (AD) before its first symptoms, that is to say before any crucial damage occurs. In fact, if AD is a devastating disorder it is also an extremely slow one; it takes more than 10 years for the first symptoms to appear making this preclinical period (pre-symptoms) the ideal time to intervene.

13 Aug 2013

Study provides clues to improve treatment of neuroblastoma with suppressor gene

Loss of a gene required for stem cells in the brain to turn into neurons may underlie the most severe forms of neuroblastoma, a deadly childhood cancer of the nervous system, according to a Ludwig Cancer Research study.

13 Aug 2013

Research suggests treadmill training after spinal cord injury can have positive effects on recovery

New research suggests that treadmill training soon after a spinal cord injury can have long-lasting positive effects on recovery - as long as the training is accompanied by efforts to control inflammation in the lower spinal cord.

8 Aug 2013

Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center neurosurgeons implant MRI-safe spinal cord stimulator for pain

Neurosurgeons at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are among the first in the United States to successfully implant an MRI-safe spinal cord stimulator to help patients suffering from chronic back or limb pain.

From Medtronic 7 Aug 2013

Intrinsic Therapeutics enrolls 400th patient in randomized clinical trial to evaluate effectiveness of Barricaid prosthesis

Intrinsic Therapeutics today announced the enrollment of the 400th patient in a level 1, prospective, randomized, multi-center clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of its Barricaid Prosthesis in improving outcomes for lumbar discectomy patients suffering from sciatica.

1 Aug 2013

Study finds doctors not following medical guidelines on back pain

Researchers report that physicians are often overly aggressive by prescribing addictive narcotics to patients instead of other recommended drugs and too often using surgery and unneeded imaging tools.

31 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 30, 2013

Today's headlines include a USA Today story reporting that personal health care costs rose in the 12 months ending in May at the slowest rate in the last 50 years -- a finding that makes the White House happy.

30 Jul 2013

Nanofiber scaffolds regulate apoptosis, proliferation in neural stem cells by altering gene expression

The surface characteristics of nanoscaffolds made by nanotechnology are more similar to the three-dimensional topological structure of the extracellular matrix and the effects on the biological behaviors of cells and tissue repair are more beneficial.

26 Jul 2013

Studies support use of EOS 3D imaging system in assessing impact of bracing for AIS

EOS imaging, the pioneer in orthopaedic 2D/3D imaging, today announced that two new studies supporting the use of its 3D imaging technology in assessing the impact of bracing for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis have been published online in the European Spine Journal.

25 Jul 2013

Family and friends' fears of recurrence impact on patient's recovery after SAH

Researchers from Durham University and Kings College London (United Kingdom) and the University of Erlangen-N-rnberg (Germany) found that patients who have suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may not recover psychosocially as well as expected if their significant other is excessively fearful about the possibility of SAH recurrence.

24 Jul 2013