Amputations News and Research

RSS

Researchers one step closer to developing synthetic and cheaper antivenoms

Researchers involved in an international collaboration across six institutions, including the University of Copenhagen and the National Aquarium of Denmark (Den Blå Planet), have successfully identified the exact composition of sea snake venom, which makes the future development of synthetic antivenoms more realistic.

4 Sep 2015

High blood sugar may reduce positive effects of exercise on bone health in diabetic patients

Diabetes, which now affects almost 30 million Americans, can cause serious health complications, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations.

24 Aug 2015

Scientists publish new important clues about marrow fat

While most of us worry about the fat cells building up on the fleshy parts of our bodies, scientists have started to pay serious attention to another kind of fat cell deep inside our bones, in what's called the marrow.

7 Aug 2015

Alternative limb-lengthening technique makes recovery process less cumbersome

A highly specialized procedure that lengthens bones can prevent the need for amputations in selected patients who have suffered severe fractures.

20 Jul 2015

Military-civilian training collaborations can help surgeons prepare for battle

Soldiers injured during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have the highest survival rates in history, thanks to the availability of surgeons skilled in combat care. But combat-ready surgical skills are hard to sustain off the battlefield.

2 Jul 2015

Bournemouth University researchers examine effect of lower-limb prosthetics on competitive running

Researchers at Bournemouth University have been looking at the impact of lower-limb prosthetics on competitive running, specifically looking at whether athletes with prosthesis are at an unfair advantage when running against athletes without prosthetics.

30 Jun 2015

New 'smart insulin patch' could help patients suffering from diabetes

Painful insulin injections could become a thing of the past for the millions of Americans who suffer from diabetes, thanks to a new invention from researchers at the University of North Carolina and NC State, who have created the first "smart insulin patch" that can detect increases in blood sugar levels and secrete doses of insulin into the bloodstream whenever needed.

23 Jun 2015

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics announces FDA approval of VITROS Chemistry Products HbA1c Reagent Kit for diagnosis of diabetes

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the VITROS Chemistry Products HbA1c Reagent Kit to be used on the VITROS 5600 Integrated System, VITROS 4600 Chemistry System, and the VITROS 5,1 FS Chemistry System. The test can be used for the quantitative determination of percent glycated hemoglobin A1c (DCCT/NGSP) and mmol/mol hemoglobin A1c (IFCC) in human whole blood.

From Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. 22 Jun 2015

Scientists find way to accelerate wound healing in diabetic mice

One of the body's own tools for preventing wound infections may actually interfere with wound healing, according to new research from Boston Children's Hospital. In a study published online in Nature Medicine, scientists from the hospital's Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine found they could speed up wound healing in diabetic mice by keeping immune cells called neutrophils from producing bacteria-trapping neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

15 Jun 2015

Control systems have potential to improve function of powered leg prostheses

A control system that incorporated electrical signals generated during muscle contractions and gait information resulted in improved real-time control of a powered prosthetic leg for different modes of walking (such as on level ground or descending stairs), according to a study in the June 9 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on the Americans with Disabilities Act.

10 Jun 2015

Using technology to protect diabetics from foot amputations: an interview with Heleen Kist, HCi Viocare

When people don’t receive the body’s natural signals due to neuropathy, they can unknowingly be exposing their feet to conditions that are known to cause foot ulcers, such as repeated pressure and shear...

4 Jun 2015

Keeping blood sugar levels under control can help protect hearts from diabetes-related damage

Day in and day out, for years on end, millions of people with diabetes prick their fingers to test their blood sugar level. And many may wonder if all the careful eating, exercise and medication it takes to keep those levels under control is really worth it.

4 Jun 2015

Researchers explore new approaches to designing prosthetic limb with the ability to feel

Researchers are exploring new approaches to designing prosthetic hands capable of providing "sensory feedback." Advances toward developing prostheses with a sense of touch are presented in a special topic article in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

30 May 2015

LegWorks receives grant to produce affordable prosthetic knee for amputees in developing countries

Backed with a blend of private and Government of Canada investments catalyzed by Grand Challenges Canada, a new Toronto-based company will contribute to a better life for amputees in developing countries.

28 May 2015

Just think about it: Giving natural movement to a patient with quadriplegia

Paralysis is often the result of nerve damage that prevents commands from the brain being relayed to muscle to cause movement...

22 May 2015

Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil can restore nerves damaged from diabetes

Approximately 50 percent of patients with diabetes suffer from nerve damage, or neuropathy. No cure exists, and the most effective treatment, keeping blood sugar in control, only slows neuropathy.

7 May 2015

Stempeutics Research granted process patent in China for novel stem-cell based drug Stempeucel

Stempeutics Research, a group company of Manipal Education and Medical Group and a Joint Venture with Cipla Group, announced today that the State Intellectual Property Office of China granted a process patent for its novel stem-cell based drug Stempeucel.

28 Apr 2015

Study suggests that inhibiting FOXO1 protein could speed diabetic wound healing

A protein that normally fosters tissue repair instead acts to inhibit healing when sugar levels are high, according to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology. The role reversal helps explain why wounds heal slowly in people with diabetes.

28 Apr 2015

BMC pathologists develop protocols for processing, preserving forensic evidence

Boston Medical Center pathologists have developed a set of protocols for processing and preserving forensic evidence, such as shrapnel, bullets and other projectiles, in surgical specimens (i.e. amputated limbs, injured organs, etc.) after a terrorist attack based on lessons learned from the Boston Marathon bombing.

22 Apr 2015

Study identifies gut immune system as new, effective target for diabetes

A commonly-used drug to treat inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease, has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in obese mice, potentially identifying the gut immune system as a new and effective target in treating diabetes in humans.

8 Apr 2015