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Knee replacements double in 10 years, study says

More than 4 million Americans over 50 have artificial knees, according to a new study. ... "These data are sobering because we didn't know what an army of people we've created over the last decade," said study author Elena Losina, co-director of the Orthopedics and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital. ... Artificial knees also wear out after a period of time, so as the operations are increasingly done on younger Americans, many will live long enough to almost certainly need a second or even third knee replacement.

14 Feb 2012

Plastic surgery on the rise among Americans

13.8 million plastic surgery procedures were performed in 2011, a 5% increase on the year before. The authors added that by the end of 2011, the number of total plastic surgeries had grown for 24 consecutive months. These figures include both minimally-invasive and surgical procedures. The ASPS informs that 5.5 additional reconstructive procedures were carried out in 2011, also a 5% increase on the previous year.

13 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 13, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations preview President Barack Obama's budget, which will be released today, and examine the lingering controversy over mandates on contraceptive coverage.

13 Feb 2012

Molecular secrets behind halofuginone's power

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, a compound derived from this extract's bioactive ingredient, could be used to treat many autoimmune disorders as well. Now, researchers from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine have discovered the molecular secrets behind this herbal extract's power.

13 Feb 2012

NYU Langone experts to present at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting

Experts from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center will present their latest research and clinical findings on diseases of the muscle, tendon, bone and joint at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), February 7-11 in San Francisco, California.

7 Feb 2012

Researchers derive vessel-forming stem cells from amniotic fluid

Researchers at Rice University and Texas Children's Hospital have turned stem cells from amniotic fluid into cells that form blood vessels. Their success offers hope that such stem cells may be used to grow tissue patches to repair infant hearts.

7 Feb 2012

Emergent Financial Group raises $11.8M for Tenex Health

Emergent Financial Group, Inc. today announced the completion of a $11.8 million private placement transaction for Tenex Health Inc., a California-based medical technology company developing the FAST Procedure (Focused Aspiration of Scar Tissue) for the treatment of tendon injuries.

6 Feb 2012

Specific gene mutation triggers development of NAFLD

A team of scientists from the University of Utah and the University of California at San Francisco has discovered that the mutation of a gene encoding a ketone body transporter triggers accumulation of fat and other lipids in the livers of zebrafish.

1 Feb 2012

Rensselaer professor wins CAREER Award from NSF

Ryan Gilbert, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has won a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

1 Feb 2012

Kras gene plays a role in continuous growth of pancreatic cancer

A mutant protein found in nearly all pancreatic cancers plays a role not only in the cancer's development but in its continued growth, according to a new study from University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers. The finding suggests a possible target for developing new ways to treat this deadly disease.

1 Feb 2012

UH Case Medical Center initiates enrollment in Moxy Drug Coated Balloon trial for PAD

Physicians at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center enrolled their first patient in LEVANT 2, a global, multicenter, randomized clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Moxy™ Drug Coated Balloon for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease.

25 Jan 2012

Cytori's ADRCs safe and feasible for patients with AMI

Cytori Therapeutics announced today the publication of previously reported six-month outcomes from APOLLO, the Company's European clinical trial evaluating adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) in patients with acute myocardial infarction, as Research Correspondence in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

25 Jan 2012

FzioMed's DYNAVISC adhesion barrier gel receives European CE Mark approval

FzioMed, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received CE Mark approval to market DYNAVISC adhesion barrier gel in Europe for tendon and peripheral nerve surgery.

23 Jan 2012

Study shows 50% reduction in blindness and severe visual loss in Denmark

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of blindness in the Western World. A report from the University of Copenhagen and Glostrup Hospital in Denmark published today shows the number of new cases of blindness and severe visual loss in Denmark has been halved during the last ten years.

20 Jan 2012

TB associated with EGFR mutations in patients with lung adenocarcinoma

Tuberculosis (TB) has been suspected to increase a person's risk of lung cancer because the pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis can induce genetic damage. However, direct evidence of specific genetic changes and the disease have not been extensively reported.

19 Jan 2012

Combination of tenotomy and PRP injections can treat tendon disorders

Many athletes know the frustration of being sidelined by tendon disorders, like Achilles tendinitis and tennis elbow. In recent years, doctors have begun treating overused tendons with regenerative therapies that jump-start the body's own healing process. One technique, a tenotomy, uses repeated needlesticks to break up scar tissue in the tendon, prompting the body's own cells to begin the rebuilding process.

18 Jan 2012

New online publication on wound care

The rapidly advancing field of tissue injury and repair has an important new forum. Advances in Wound Care will report the latest research findings, innovative wound care strategies, industry product pipeline, and developments in biomaterials and skin and tissue regeneration to optimize patient outcomes.

11 Jan 2012

Prevalence of cirrhosis may climb among older Americans

Older patients with cirrhosis have significant functional disability, require twice the amount of informal caregiving, and contribute added strain on the health care system, according to U-M research published in Hepatology.

11 Jan 2012

Cirrhosis burden expected to climb in frail population

New research shows that older Americans with cirrhosis have significantly worse health status and greater functional disability compared to those without this potentially deadly disease. In fact, findings now published in Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that elderly patients with cirrhosis require twice the amount of informal caregiving and contribute added strain on the health care system. Given the increase in obesity and aging of those with hepatitis C (HCV), researchers expect the prevalence of cirrhosis to climb in this frail population.

10 Jan 2012

Hydrogen sulfide decreases manufacture of kidney scarring matrix proteins

Hydrogen sulfide, a gas notorious for its rotten-egg smell, may have redeeming qualities after all. It reduces high glucose-induced production of scarring proteins in kidney cells, researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

4 Jan 2012