Spine News and Research

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Comparative effectiveness: Back surgery remains popular despite poor study results

Studies have recently found that vertebroplasty - a type of back surgery in which cement is injected into the spine - isn't effective, but many patients and their doctors insist it works.

25 Aug 2009

Accuracy reports 15 percent increase in total revenue in Q4 2009 results when compared to Q4 2008 fiscal

Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2009, ended June 27, 2009.

25 Aug 2009

MarrowXpress System used for isolation and retrieval of bone marrow-derived adult stem cells

Celling Technologies collaborated with innovative cell processing expert, ThermoGenesis Corp., to deliver the most sophisticated point of care cell separation device on the market. The innovative MarrowXpress(TM) (MXP(TM)) System defines a new standard for isolation and retrieval of bone marrow-derived adult stem cells.

21 Aug 2009

Synthes to distribute ECM products manufactured by Kensey Nash following a strategic agreement

Synthes, Inc. (SWX: SYST.VX), a leading global medical device company in the orthopaedic trauma, spine, and cranio-maxillofacial markets, and Kensey Nash Corporation (Nasdaq: KNSY), a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative regenerative medicine products, today announced a strategic agreement for products developed from Kensey Nash's unique extracellular matrix (ECM) technology.

21 Aug 2009

Results of PCF funded study could impact the standard of care for prostate cancer patients

Twice-yearly intravenous infusion with denosumab, a new targeted therapy to stop bone loss, increased bone density and prevented spinal fractures in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. The report from an international research study, the first to document reduced fracture risk in men receiving the hormone-blocking treatment, was published today in the print edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Both fundamental research on rank ligand (RANKL) in prostate cancer bone metastasis and other molecular factors involved in the denosumab study were supported at Massachusetts General Hospital with funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).

21 Aug 2009

Kensey Nash announces financial results for fourth-quarter and full fiscal year 2009

Kensey Nash Corporation (Nasdaq: KNSY), a leading medical technology company that provides innovative solutions and technologies for a wide range of medical procedures, today reported the results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2009.

20 Aug 2009

US Spine awarded patent for Facet Fixation System

US Spine® announced today that it has been awarded the first patent in a series for its Facet Fixation System. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has assigned patent number 7,563,275 to the Facet Fixation System. US Spine began commercial launch of the system in 2008, which features the Facet Gun™ and Facet Bolt®.

19 Aug 2009

Brooks Rehabilitation's new specialty clinic to provide advanced treatments for back and neck

Brooks Rehabilitation's newest specialty clinic, the Brooks Center for Back & Neck Health, offers patients advanced treatments for both acute and chronic conditions of the spine, including whiplash, lumbar stenosis, cervical or lumbar radiculopathy, cervical or lumbar instability, sciatica, TMJ, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, and more. According to the National Institutes of Health, back pain is the second most common reason Americans go to the doctor (headaches are the first), and among the most common reasons for surgery. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of physical therapy for affecting outcomes in patients with spinal conditions.

19 Aug 2009

$Denosumab reduces fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis$

Denosumab reduces fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Fractures are a major cause of disability and health care costs among postmenopausal women. Now a study in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights an alternative therapy that prevents fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

18 Aug 2009

Nfocus Neuromedical obtains CE approval for vascular reconstruction device

Nfocus Neuromedical Inc. announced today that its CardioVasc Advantage Vascular Reconstruction Device has been granted CE Mark approval by the European Notified Body, G-Med.

13 Aug 2009

Giant pituitary adenoma can be safely removed through nasal route

It’s even worse than being told you have a brain tumor: having a tumor so large, it’s in a category all its own. Giant pituitary adenoma is a so-called “benign” tumor that can cause visual loss and impair many of the body’s most basic functions. But fortunately, even the largest of these giant tumors—which can grow to the size of an egg and invade nearby structures--can be treated effectively using a multimodality approach starting with minimally invasive surgery through the nose, according to a new study at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center.

12 Aug 2009

Research on blood transfusions points to a potential risk of transfusing donated platelets

Doctors have noticed a pattern in performing bone marrow transplants as a cure for diseases involving bone marrow failure: more transfusions before a bone marrow transplant correlates with a higher likelihood of rejection, says James Zimring, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.

12 Aug 2009

$Denosumab reduces fracture risk in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer$

Denosumab reduces fracture risk in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer

Twice-yearly treatment with denosumab, a new targeted therapy to stop bone loss, increased bone density and prevented spinal fractures in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer.

11 Aug 2009

Novel approach for developing an AIDS vaccine

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, believe conventional vaccine strategies should not be the only avenue explored in the development of an effective AIDS vaccine.

7 Aug 2009

Percutaneous vertebroplasty exposed as ineffective

A world-first study involving Monash University and the Cabrini Research Institute in Melbourne has revealed the injection of bone cement into broken vertebrae is not an effective treatment for patients suffering painful osteoporotic fractures.

6 Aug 2009

Comparative effectiveness studies raise questions about vertebroplasty back pain treatment

New studies on treating back pain from a fractured spine could call more attention to the type of comparative effectiveness research health policy experts and President Barack Obama have embraced in their quest to increase quality of care while lowering costs.

6 Aug 2009

Experts on vertebroplasty contend recent vertebroplasty studies are misleading

Two studies released today in the New England Journal of Medicine claim to demonstrate that vertebroplasty, a procedure to treat some painful spine fractures, is not effective. This is incorrect, as both studies actually demonstrate a significant improvement in patients' pain and ability to function normally.

6 Aug 2009

Consumer Reports ranks five affiliates of National Surgical Hospitals as "best in state"

National Surgical Hospitals today announced that five of its specialty hospitals achieved the highest rankings among all hospitals in their respective states in the Consumer Reports' Patient Experience of Care Ratings that were published on August 3, 2009.

6 Aug 2009

$Questions raised about vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal compression fractures$

Questions raised about vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal compression fractures

A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that relief of pain from vertebral compression fractures, as well as improvement in pain-related dysfunction, were similar in patients treated with vertebroplasty and those treated with simulated vertebroplasty without cement injections. The article, “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Vertebroplasty for Osteoporotic Spine Fractures,” was released today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

5 Aug 2009

$Hip and back fractures increase mortality rates in Seniors$

Hip and back fractures increase mortality rates in Seniors

If you are 50 or older and you break your hip, you have a one in four chance of dying within five years. Break your back, and you have a one in six chance of dying that soon, says a McMaster University study.

4 Aug 2009

Spine News and Research

Comparative effectiveness: Back surgery remains popular despite poor study results

Accuracy reports 15 percent increase in total revenue in Q4 2009 results when compared to Q4 2008 fiscal

MarrowXpress System used for isolation and retrieval of bone marrow-derived adult stem cells

Synthes to distribute ECM products manufactured by Kensey Nash following a strategic agreement

Results of PCF funded study could impact the standard of care for prostate cancer patients

Kensey Nash announces financial results for fourth-quarter and full fiscal year 2009

US Spine awarded patent for Facet Fixation System

Brooks Rehabilitation's new specialty clinic to provide advanced treatments for back and neck

Denosumab reduces fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Nfocus Neuromedical obtains CE approval for vascular reconstruction device

Giant pituitary adenoma can be safely removed through nasal route

Research on blood transfusions points to a potential risk of transfusing donated platelets

Denosumab reduces fracture risk in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer

Novel approach for developing an AIDS vaccine

Percutaneous vertebroplasty exposed as ineffective

Comparative effectiveness studies raise questions about vertebroplasty back pain treatment

Experts on vertebroplasty contend recent vertebroplasty studies are misleading

Consumer Reports ranks five affiliates of National Surgical Hospitals as "best in state"

Questions raised about vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal compression fractures

Hip and back fractures increase mortality rates in Seniors

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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