A new technique developed at Columbia Engineering by Biomedical Engineering Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic repairs large bone defects in the head and face by using lab-grown living bone, tailored to the patient and the defect being treated. This is the first time researchers have grown living bone grown to precisely replicate the original anatomical structure, using autologous stem cells derived from a small sample of the recipient’s fat. (Science Translational Medicine 6/15)
Exercise, particularly high-impact activity, builds stronger bones in children, even for those who carry genetic variants that predispose them to bone weakness, according to new research.
A new study in zebrafish suggests that irregular fluid flow through the spinal column brought on by gene mutations is linked to a type of scoliosis that can affect humans during adolescence. Found in humans and zebrafish, these mutated genes damage the cilia—tiny hair-like projections that line the spinal canal and help move the fluid — and lead to a curvature of the spine.
Adding to previous evidence, a study based on a statewide cancer database shows no increase in cancer risk in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery with the bone-promoting growth factor recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP). The study appears in Spine, published by Wolters Kluwer.
Osteoporosis is on the rise as 75 million Baby Boomers approach their golden years. Yet many patients and physicians are not aware of what they can do to prevent, slow down and treat the condition, which happens when holes develop in bone, creating a risk of fractures from falls.
The use of arthroscopic hip surgery for pain relief has increased dramatically in the past decade. A study looking at patient data bases in Florida and California finds it may not be the best option, especially if a patient has arthritis or is over 60. Many needed a hip replacement within two years.
The Arthritis Foundation and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. (Takeda) launched Let’s Speak Gout, a program based on new joint research, that offers tools for health care professionals and patients to make more effective gouty arthritis (“gout”) management a priority.
Quadriceps tendon ruptures are disabling knee injuries that typically occur in adults ages 40 and older. Obesity, illness or traumatic injuries can cause these types of injuries. Most tendon ruptures require surgery, and the current gold-standard technique for repairing these ruptures is transosseous (literally, through-the-bone) tunnel repair, a lengthy, technically demanding procedure. In a new study, University of Missouri researchers have found that suture anchors, a less-invasive repair technique, responded better to strength-testing after the surgery, supporting more movement in the knee earlier in the recovery process.
A Loyola Medicine study suggests it may not be necessary for knee replacement patients to wait up to two weeks after surgery before showering, as many surgeons now require.
Diagnosing Mononucleosis, Need for Health Interventions for Single Parent Households in Urban Subsidized Housing Programs, Inadequate Financial Savings Tied to Increased Childhood Health Risks, and more in the Public Health News Source
Screening women for osteoporosis is now routine, however, when it comes to men, most are never screened and therefore suffer the consequences of the disease. In the U.S., nearly 1.5 million men over 65 have osteoporosis, and another 3.5 million men are at risk for developing the disease.
Patients with atherosclerosis are at a higher risk of osteoporosis. A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism reports that atherosclerosis reduces the number of bone-forming cells, leading to loss of bone density. This study is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program.
To make a good framework for filling in missing bone, mix at least 30 percent pulverized natural bone with some special man-made plastic and create the needed shape with a 3-D printer. That’s the recipe for success reported recently by researchers at The Johns Hopkins University.
Internationally renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Myerson, Director, The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy, explains how a talus replacement, tailored to the patient’s specific dimensions using 3D printing technology, can result in a “life-changing experience” for the patient.
The cellular response to the lack of oxygen fans the flames of flare-ups in a rare bone disorder. In fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a mutation triggers bone growth in muscles, which limits motion, breathing, and swallowing, among a host of progressive symptoms. The study identifies HIF-1α as a therapeutic target for stopping the extra bone growth in FOP and other disorders.
Pinellas County a Model for Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance, Scientists Unravel the Genetic Evolution of Zika Virus, Worm Infection Counters Inflammatory Bowel Disease and more in the Infectious Diseases News Source
Probiotic supplements protected female mice from the loss of bone density that occurs after having their ovaries removed, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia State University have shown.
An experimental antibody treatment decreased by half the number of cancer stem cells that drive the growth of tumors in nearly all patients with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow and bone tissue, according to results of a preliminary clinical trial led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists.
New preclinical research provides support to a drug that has been repurposed to possibly treat a rare and extremely disabling genetic bone disease, particularly in children. In that disease, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a mutation triggers bone growth in muscles, alters skeletal bone formation, and limits motion, breathing, and swallowing, among a host of progressive symptoms.
The ACR has issued an official statement regarding the FDA's approval of Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb), a biosimilar to Remicade. Inflectra is the first biosimilar to receive approval in the U.S. for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
Mount Sinai Health System announces the launch of a Joint Replacement Bundled Payment Program for hip and knee procedures with 32BJ Health Fund, the health fund for the largest property service workers union in the United States
Children and teenagers who take stimulant drugs to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have lower bone density than their peers who do not take these medications, a new study finds. The study results will be presented Friday at the Endocrine Society’s 98th annual meeting in Boston.
Antidepressant use with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy and breast-feeding causes decreased bone density in mothers that may put them at higher risk of broken bones later in life, a new study suggests. Researchers will present the results of their animal study Friday at the Endocrine Society’s 98th annual meeting in Boston.
Doctors have devised a test which could help them predict which women going through menopause will lose bone faster than average, new research reports. The results of the study will be presented Friday, April 1, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.
Virginia Mason Hospital and Seattle Medical Center has been designated as the Center of Excellence for total joint replacement surgery by the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) as part of the state agency’s continuing efforts to pay for value instead of volume.
Imagine telling a patient suffering from age-related (type-II) osteoporosis that a single injection of stem cells could restore their normal bone structure. This week, with a publication in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, a group of researchers from the University of Toronto and The Ottawa Hospital suggest that this scenario may not be too far away.
Clinicians and patients alike will benefit as the Pathology and Laboratory Quality Center (the Center) of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) releases a new evidence-based guideline that tackles the complexities of reporting findings from bone marrow specimens.
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center are reporting they successfully performed CT scans for joint fractures with one-fourteenth the amount of normal radiation without compromising image quality or a surgeon’s ability to effectively diagnose an injury. Study could have significant implications from a public health and safety standpoint for patients with orthopaedic trauma who require CT scans.
Implementing bundled payments for total joint replacements resulted in year-over-year improvements in quality of care and patient outcomes while reducing overall costs, according to a new three-year study from NYU Langone Medical Center. Specifically, NYU Langone’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery saw reductions in overall length of stay, decreases in admission to follow-up care facilities and lower readmission rates at 30, 60, and 90 day intervals over the three-year study period.
Athletes, the elderly and others who suffer from injuries and arthritis can lose cartilage and experience a lot of pain. Researchers are now reporting, however, that they have found a way to produce cartilage tissue by 3-D bioprinting an ink containing human cells, and they have successfully tested it in an in vivo mouse model. The researchers present their work at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Remember those colorful “grow capsules” that blossom into animal-shaped sponges in water? Using a similar idea, scientists have developed biodegradable polymer grafts that, when surgically placed in damaged vertebrae, should grow to be just the right size and shape to fix the spinal column. The researchers present their work at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Osteoporosis drugs have significantly reduced the risk of bone fractures for millions of people, but also have been linked to unusual fractures of the femur (thigh bone).
Adding to the already length list of reasons not to smoke, researchers have connected smoking to worsening degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine, according to research presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif.
Early rehabilitation following a traumatic spinal cord injury may lead to better functional outcomes for patients at the time of their discharge and in the subsequent year, according to research presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif.
A study led by scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore has uncovered a key player contributing to the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells, blood cell precursors which have the ability to become any type of blood cell in the body. The research findings could contribute towards better understanding of the underlying causes of blood diseases.
Researchers at the National University of Singapore and Yale-NUS College have established the mechanisms for spin motion in molybdenum disulfide, an emerging two-dimensional (2D) material. Their discovery resolves a research question on the properties of electron spin in single layers of 2D materials, and paves the way for the next generation of spintronics and low-power devices.