Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Bones / Orthopaedics News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/bones/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125120.php Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced today that its Phase II trial of baminercept (BG9924, LTBR-Ig) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) did not meet its primary endpoint. The primary endpoint was defined as the proportion of baminercept-treated patients who achieved an ACR50 response, a standard measure of disease improvement in RA, compared to placebo at 14 weeks. Bones / Orthopaedics Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125115.php Convenient online registration to the IOF World Congress on Osteoporosis 2008, at greatly discounted rates, is available only until October 31, 2008. To benefit from lower rates and easy registration, please visit http://www.iofbonehealth.org/wco/2008/homepage.html. Special registration fees are available for participants from non-OECD countries and for IOF members. Bones / Orthopaedics Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125085.php Forty-five thousand runners will be pounding the pavement during the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on October 12. Training for the 26.2-mile-run can put a tremendous amount of stress on the body, especially the knees. In fact, statistics show that about one-third of injured runners struggle with knee pain. But a new complimentary guide introduced by the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital (NOHC) of Chicago can help reduce the risk of knee injuries. Sports Medicine / Fitness Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124851.php The AP/Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday examined how the number of hip and knee replacements is "skyrocketing because they can successfully relieve pain and help people to walk normally again" and how the number of more complex and more expensive "revisions," or subsequent replacements, also has increased. The Arthritis / Rheumatology Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124831.php A pioneering hip joint targeted at the growing number of younger patients requiring hip replacement surgery is set to take a substantial market share in the UK. Sheffield based B. Braun Medical's Metha Total Hip Replacement (THR) prosthesis uses ceramic contact surfaces and offers long-term benefits over metal-on-metal re-surfacing procedures, often used in the UK for early hip replacement operations. B. Bones / Orthopaedics Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124776.php Archus Orthopedics, Inc. announced the first human use of its facet replacement technology to complement an artificial disc. The landmark case was performed by Dr. Karin Buttner-Janz, Dr. Hansen Yuan and Dr. Friedrich Kleinod at the Vivantes Clinic in Berlin, Germany, and involved a patient who previously underwent disc replacement surgery and later developed symptomatic facet joint degeneration. "Generally in this situation the patient is converted to spine fusion," said Dr. Bones / Orthopaedics Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124812.php Lumbar spine (lower back) surgery is a common treatment for a herniated or "slipped" disk, and patients need to know whether it is better to sit still or get moving during their recovery period. An updated review from the Netherlands suggests that exercise programs starting four to six weeks after the operation could lead to more rapid pain relief and a quicker recovery from disability without increasing the risk of additional surgery. Pain / Anesthetics Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124755.php Archus Orthopedics, Inc. today announced the first human use of its facet replacement technology to complement an artificial disc. The landmark case was performed by Dr. Karin Buttner-Janz, Dr. Hansen Yuan and Dr. Friedrich Kleinod at the Vivantes Clinic in Berlin, Germany, and involved a patient who previously underwent disc replacement surgery and later developed symptomatic facet joint degeneration. Bones / Orthopaedics Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124731.php Eden Spine announced today that it has received CE Mark approval for its proprietary interspinous medical device, the Wellex™. Developed in collaboration with Dr. Jean-Marc Fuentes from France, the Wellex is based on two decades of clinical experience with nonfusion devices. "The Wellex is a compressible dynamic extension controller that not only relieves pain but also positively affects the long-term health of the segment," said Dr. Bones / Orthopaedics Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124734.php Biospace med announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to market the Company's Bones / Orthopaedics Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124634.php Some health assessments that are routinely carried out on Earth are not practical when the "patients" are free-floating astronauts on long space flights, such as missions to Mars or the Moon. A new, NASA-funded study from the University of Houston department of health and human performance will examine how well sweat patches the size of adhesive strips can detect levels of chemicals that may indicate bone loss. Bones / Orthopaedics Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124587.php Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently presented results from the FLEXX Trial of Osteoarthritis of the Knee, showing that EUFLEXXA(R) (1% sodium hyaluronate), a highly pure non-avian high molecular weight form of intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IA-HA), is superior to intra-articular saline (IA-saline) for the relief of pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA) at 26 weeks. Bones / Orthopaedics Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124584.php Medtronic and the Scoliosis Research Society launched Spine Check - a new program designed to help promote scoliosis screenings for middle school and junior high school students. The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), one of the world's premier spine societies, and Medtronic are supporting the Spine Check program to help improve the overall spinal health of students. Bones / Orthopaedics Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124562.php Unigene Laboratories, Inc. (OTCBB: UGNE http://www.unigene.com) has initiated a Phase I clinical study in the U.S. with its proprietary formulation of oral PTH for the treatment of osteoporosis. Twenty-four healthy postmenopausal women have been enrolled in the study, which is designed to assess product safety and measure PTH blood levels at varying doses. Bones / Orthopaedics Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124552.php Vitamin D replacement may be necessary to reverse deficiency-related bone loss New research presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Orlando found patients with inflammatory bowel disease or chronic liver disease were at increased risk of developing Vitamin D deficiencies. Two separate studies highlight the importance of regular Vitamin D checkups in the evaluation of patients with certain digestive diseases. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124332.php Two leading companies in their respective industries are joining forces to integrate vibration therapy into the stem cell harvesting process. SpineSmith Partners LP, an orthopedic biotech company based in Austin, Texas, has signed an exclusive national and global distribution agreement with WAVE(R) Manufacturing Inc., of Toronto, Ontario. Stem Cell Research Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124239.php If a hip prosthesis implanted to replace a worn-out joint itself fails, then what are the reasons? Until now this problem has been little understood: partly due to incomplete records, partly due to insufficient knowledge of the forces acting on the hip replacement. Computation models developed by the University of Twente and UMC St. Radboud can make an important contribution to our understanding in this field, says Prof. Bones / Orthopaedics Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124195.php Surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Institute for Spinal Disorders have combined three innovative minimally invasive spine surgery procedures to treat spinal curvature in adults, a common consequence of aging. An article in the October issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques is believed to be the first to document the use of these procedures in combination to correct this condition, known as adult lumbar degenerative scoliosis. Neurology / Neuroscience Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124040.php Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a second generation RNA interference company developing novel therapeutics utilizing proprietary Dicer Substrate Technology™, announced today a paper appearing in the advance online publication of Molecular Therapy which describes the therapeutic potential for Dicer-substrate small interfering RNAs (DsiRNAs) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in a murine model of arthritis. Arthritis / Rheumatology Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123959.php Some health assessments that are routinely carried out on Earth are not practical when the "patients" are free-floating astronauts on long space flights, such as missions to Mars or the Moon. A new, NASA-funded study from the University of Houston department of health and human performance will examine how well sweat patches the size of adhesive strips can detect levels of chemicals that may indicate bone loss. Bones / Orthopaedics Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123901.php Following on from one of last month's featured articles, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, British Volume today publishes more ground breaking research on the subject of metal-on-metal hip resurfacings and metal ion levels. October's article investigates the link between the angle of the replacement joint and blood levels of chromium and cobalt ions. The study found 'significantly higher levels of metal ions in patients with steeply-inclined components'. Bones / Orthopaedics Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123828.php While many patients who undergo a hip or knee replacement may wish to return to athletic activity after surgery, they should know that they may be taking a risk with their new joint. A review of the latest data on athletic activity after joint replacement, published in the October 2008 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (http://www.jbjs. Bones / Orthopaedics Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123833.php Each year in the United States more than 1.3 million donated bone and bone-related allografts are successfully implanted in orthopaedic patients. Musculoskeletal allografts are frequently used in orthopaedic surgery to replace bones, tendons, or other soft tissues damaged by trauma, tumors or sports related injuries. Reports of tissue recalls in recent years have raised public concerns over the safety of donated tissue, or allograft. Bones / Orthopaedics Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123840.php Fall is not a fun time of year for women like Elaine Powers. In the summer months, "like everybody else, I like to wear flip-flop sandals, open-toed shoes, a nice pedicure with good nail polish," she says. But as autumn arrives, the 49-year-old South Carolina hospice nurse is making the annual changeover to closed-in shoe styles more appropriate to the cooler weather. It's a transition many women are making in their wardrobes. Women's Health / Gynecology Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123774.php A study published today in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, British Volume summarises 10 years of clinical and radiological data on the results of the Metasul metal-on-metal articulation in primary hip replacement. The research is the first of its kind to report results of the Metasul articulation with a minimum follow-up of ten years. Of the 100 patients who were given the Metasul metal-on-metal articulation, 15 died before their ten year review. Bones / Orthopaedics