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FDA advisory panel recommends ban of pain medications Vicodin and Percocet

An advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently recommended limiting sales of acetaminophen products like Tylenol and also recommended banning prescription pain medications Vicodin and Percocet. This recommendation will prompt more people to change their habits and focus on joint pain remedy and pain relievers found in the natural vitamin supplements industry for arthritis treatment.

27 Aug 2009

Muscular thighs protect women from developing symptomatic knee osteoarthritis

new study by researchers at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics found that thigh muscle strength does not predict the occurrence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) uncovered in x-rays, but does predict incidence of painful or stiff knee OA. Women with the strongest quadriceps muscles appeared to be protected against the development of knee OA symptoms. Details of this study appear in the September issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

27 Aug 2009

New online educational forum for medical professionals from HMP Communications

HMP Communications, the authoritative source for education services targeting healthcare professionals for over two decades, announced it has added a new online educational forum at www.CardiovascularLIVE.com. The site offers video instruction and discussion forums for medical professionals.

26 Aug 2009

Rising costs and patient loads push some primary care MDs to concierge practices

Some primary care doctors are changing their practices, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: "Faced with rising costs and patient loads, a small but growing number of primary-care doctors are sharply reducing their practice sizes and charging each patient annual fees of about $2,000 in exchange for personalized care.

25 Aug 2009

Health Canada approves Anika Therapeutics' MONOVISC drug

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANIK), a leader in products for tissue protection, healing and repair based on hyaluronic acid (HA) technology, today announced that it has received Health Canada approval for MONOVISC™, its single injection viscosupplement approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Anika expects to launch MONOVISC this month through its long-term ORTHOVISC® distribution partner in Canada, Rivex Pharma Inc., the specialty drug distribution division of Aurora, Ontario-based Helix BioPharma Corp. (TSX: HBP). MONOVISC has been broadly available in the European Union since the second quarter of 2008.

21 Aug 2009

Cardiovascular Systems' revenues in fourth-quarter of 2009 increases to $15.7 million

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), a medical device company developing and commercializing innovative interventional treatment systems for vascular disease, today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2009.

19 Aug 2009

New type of anti-clotting drug called Apixaban

The dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health and a team of scientists worldwide have found a better way to prevent deadly blood clots after joint replacement surgery - a major problem that results in thousands of unnecessary deaths each year. The research appears this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Aug 2009

Dozens arrested in national Medicare fraud bust

The Associated Press reports: "Federal authorities arrested more than 30 suspects, including doctors, and were seeking others in a major Medicare fraud bust Wednesday in New York, Louisiana, Boston and Houston, targeting scams such as 'arthritis kits' - expensive braces that many patients never used.

30 Jul 2009

Protein level may predict severe osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common joint disorder throughout the world and a leading cause of disability, is characterized by pain, impaired joint mobility, reduction of muscular strength and loss of joint function. Unlike most other common diseases, little is known about its origins, and factors predicting a severe disease course have not been identified.

30 Jul 2009

Identification of progressors in osteoarthritis by combining biochemical and MRI-based markers

A combination of biochemical and MRI markers will allow improved measurement of osteoarthritis (OA) progression. The biomarkers, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, will be useful for the design and interpretation of trials of new disease modifying drugs.

23 Jul 2009

Early inflammatory signs of osteoarthritis

Researchers at The University of Nottingham are hoping to find out if inflammation of the knee could be an early sign of osteoarthritis - a condition which leads to pain, stiffness, swelling and disability.

23 Jul 2009

Obesity associated with increased risk of rapid cartilage loss

Obesity, among other factors, is strongly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss, according to a study published in the August issue of Radiology.

14 Jul 2009

Severe obesity brings greater risks of health problems during medical procedures

Healthcare providers must carefully consider the unique risk factors related to severe obesity in patients undergoing all types of surgery, according to an American Heart Association scientific advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Jun 2009

Experimental imaging technique reveals ‘tell tale’ brain plaques in Alzheimer's

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have demonstrated a new, highly detailed x-ray imaging technique that could be developed into a method for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jun 2009

Researchers examine 'invading' bacteria in DNA - advanced warfare on the most elemental of levels

Researchers at Texas A&M University's Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering have discovered how certain types of bacteria integrate the DNA that they have captured from invading enemies into their own genetic makeup to increase their chances of survival.

2 Jun 2009

Genomic research lays groundwork for new approaches for treating, preventing skin diseases

The health of our skin - one of the body's first lines of defense against illness and injury - depends upon the delicate balance between our own cells and the millions of bacteria and other one-celled microbes that live on its surface.

28 May 2009

New U.S. patent issued for Limbrel in osteoarthritis

Primus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the issuance of a new composition of matter patent for Limbrel, the first prescription medical food product to safely meet the distinctive nutritional requirements of patients with osteoarthritis (OA). U.S. Patent #7,514,469 was recently issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

27 May 2009

Treating pain with depression

Pain, the most common reason for adults to visit a primary care physician, and depression, the most frequent mental complaint requiring a doctor's appointment, occur together as often as half the time.

26 May 2009

Non-wovens as scaffolds for artificial tissue

When someone's knee hurts with every step it's a sign that the cartilage has been so badly damaged that the bones rub together when walking.

13 May 2009

MRI identifies five causes of complications from ACL reconstructive surgery

MRI has identified five possible causes of patient complications from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery, according to a study performed at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA, and Sahlgrenska-Molndal University Hospital in Gothenborg, Sweden.

23 Apr 2009