Implants News and Research

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Hopkins report: Next generation contraceptive implants are cheaper, highly effective, and available now

The next generation of contraceptive implants offer an extremely effective way to expand family planning choices for women and reduce the incidence of maternal mortality worldwide, according to the latest issue of Population Reports, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

29 Oct 2007

Deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson's makes some act irrationally

An implantable brain device meant to help Parkinson's disease patients better control their movements, has been found to have some worrying side-effects.

29 Oct 2007

Extensive review supports safety of silicone breast implants

An exhaustive review - the first in almost a decade, including the latest evidence on the health effects of silicone breast implants - finds no increase in the risk of cancers, connective tissue diseases, or other serious chronic diseases.

28 Oct 2007

New polymer for use in joint reconstruction

Researchers in the Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee, presented a paper that indicates a new polymer under study for applications in joint reconstruction can significantly reduce up to seven times the harmful chemicals formed as a result of the presence of wear particle debris in the body.

22 Oct 2007

Endobronchial valve improves quality of life in emphysema patients

Emphysema patients whose lungs are implanted with a pencil eraser-sized, one-way endobronchial valve experience significantly improved measures of lung function and report better quality of life, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researcher Frank C. Sciurba, M.D., reported today at CHEST 2007, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.

22 Oct 2007

Big breasts a pain for some women

Women with macromastia, a condition of having abnormally large breasts, often experience symptoms of neck pain, numbness, tingling, and pain and weakness in one or both hands.

17 Oct 2007

Adult stem cells lack key pluripotency regulator

The protein Oct4 plays a major role in embryonic stem cells, acting as a master regulator of the genes that keep the cells in an undifferentiated state.

10 Oct 2007

Researchers create microvascular system to nourish growing tissues

One day soon, laboratories may grow synthetically engineered tissues such as muscle or cartilage needed for transplants.

9 Oct 2007

Artificial cornea saves eyesight

Every year, in Germany alone, around 7,000 people wait for a new cornea to save their eyesight.

8 Oct 2007

Male contraception

For decades, pundits have predicted new contraceptives for men within the next 5 to 10 years.

29 Sep 2007

New improved materials for medical devices database

ASM International and Granta Design today announced substantial enhancement to the only materials database created specifically for medical device design.

27 Sep 2007

Music perception following cochlear implantation

Cochlear implants, which restore hearing in profoundly deaf patients, also allow many recipients to hear and enjoy music, significantly increasing their quality of life (QOL), according to a new study.

20 Sep 2007

RFID implant cancer questions concern patients

News that radio frequency identification (RFID) implants could pose dangerous health risks -- even cancer -- has the healthcare and personal health records (PHR) industries wondering how to provide medical professionals with vital patient health records in case of emergency.

18 Sep 2007

Palate implants for obstructive sleep apnea - study

When loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of obstructed breathing, it is known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As many as 12 million people in the U.S. suffer from this condition, which can require surgical intervention when lifestyle changes and other treatment options fail.

18 Sep 2007

Cell death in sparrow brains may provide clues in age-related human diseases

A remarkable change takes place in the brains of tiny songbirds every year, and some day the mechanism controlling that change may help researchers develop treatments for age-related degenerative diseases of the brain such as Parkinson's and dementia.

18 Sep 2007

New material for joint replacement and other implants

For orthopaedic implants to be successful, bone must meld to the metal that these artificial hips, knees and shoulders are made of.

18 Sep 2007

New techniques to diagnose hearing loss

A Purdue University researcher is working on a new technique to diagnose hearing loss in a way that more accurately reflects real-world situations.

10 Sep 2007

Greater use of spinal fusion has not lowered risk of repeat back surgery

Despite new implant technologies and surgical techniques leading to increased rates of spinal fusion surgery, the percentage of patients requiring further low-back surgery after spinal fusion has actually increased since the early 1990s, reports the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Spine, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

3 Sep 2007

Survey to evaluate arrhythmia rate in so-called high-risk MI patients

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of mortality in European and North-American countries. Studies have been attempting to identify the right population of patients at high risk of Sudden Cardiac Death ever since the introduction of the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD).

2 Sep 2007

New generation of implanted heart-assisting pumps help patients survive, regain function til transplant

A new generation of implanted heart-assisting pump does very well at helping severely ill heart-failure patients survive, and thrive, until they receive a heart transplant, a new study shows.

30 Aug 2007