Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Orthopedics for August 2007. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Retrolisthesis May Not Exacerbate Disc Herniation
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with lumbar 5-sacral 1 (L5-S1) disc herniation, those with retrolisthesis do not have worse baseline pain or function than those who do not have retrolisthesis, according to study findings published in the July/August issue of the Spine Journal.
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Crystal Deposition Observed in Intervertebral Discs
TUESDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- In human intervertebral discs, crystal deposition is a common occurrence and may have the same degenerative effects that it does in articular cartilage matrix, according to study findings published in the July/August issue of the Spine Journal.
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Calcium, Vitamin D Reduce Fracture Risk in People Over 50
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Calcium supplementation alone or with vitamin D reduces the risk of fracture and the rate of bone loss in middle-aged and elderly individuals, according to a review of published studies in the Aug. 25 issue of The Lancet.
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Annual Infusion of Reclast Approved to Treat Osteoporosis
THURSDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Reclast (zoledronic acid) to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis, according to the manufacturer, Novartis. The drug, which had previously been approved to treat Paget's disease, is administered in a single, annual dose as a 15-minute intravenous infusion.
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Resident Duty-Hour Cuts Curb Surgeon Job Satisfaction
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Reforms limiting resident duty hours are increasing surgeons' workloads and may be negatively affecting patient care, researchers report in the August issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Surgical Fusion May Benefit Skull-Spine Instability
TUESDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Occipitocervical fusion with rigid internal fixation is safe and effective for treating occipitocervical instability caused by a variety of factors, researchers report in the August issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.
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Sonicating Explanted Prosthetic Joints Helps Detect Infection
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Sonicating explanted hip and knee prostheses to dislodge bacterial biofilms can detect infections better than standard tissue culture, according to the results of a study published in the Aug. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Opioid Dependence May Affect Outcomes in Spine Patients
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with chronic disabling occupational spinal disorders and opioid dependence disorder are less likely to return to, and retain, work following interdisciplinary rehabilitation than are their counterparts without this comorbid psychiatric condition, researchers report in the Aug. 1 issue of Spine.
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IL-1Ra Enriched Serum Relieves Lumbar Compression Pain
MONDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Epidural perineural injection of autologous serum that has been treated to increase the content of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) may be more effective than triamcinolone for the relief of pain of lumbar radicular compression, according to the results of a randomized trial published in the Aug. 1 issue of Spine. IL-1Ra is a natural inhibitor of interleukin-1.
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Skeleton Regulates Glucose Metabolism in Mice
MONDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The bone hormone osteocalcin regulates beta-cell growth, insulin production and insulin sensitivity in mice, and protects them against obesity and diabetes, suggesting that the skeleton is an important regulator of glucose metabolism, according to a report in the Aug. 10 issue of Cell.
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Back Surgery Patients May Overestimate Graft Site Pain
THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who undergo low-level spinal fusion operations using bone grafts from the iliac crest probably cannot distinguish between postoperative pain originating at the graft site and pain originating at the primary surgery site, according to a report published in the Aug. 1 issue of Spine.
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Tai Chi Reduces Falling Risk in Healthy Older Adults
THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- In relatively healthy older adults, a weekly tai chi class may significantly reduce the risk of multiple falls, according to a report published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Family History Linked to Stress Fracture in Athletic Girls
THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Active female adolescents with stress fracture are significantly more likely to have a family history of osteoporosis or other skeletal anomalies than those without fractures, researchers report in the August issue of Pediatrics.
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Prophylactic Therapy Reduces Joint Damage in Hemophilia
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Among young boys with severe hemophilia, prophylactic treatment with factor VIII considerably reduces the risk of joint damage and hemorrhages compared with episodic treatment, researchers report in the Aug. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Osteoporosis Treatment May Be Cost-Effective in Older Men
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Screening and treating older men for osteoporosis can be cost-effective, according to a report in the Aug. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Orthopaedic Specialty Hospitals May Have Better Outcomes
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who undergo total hip or knee arthroplasty at specialty orthopaedic hospitals tend to have fewer complications than their counterparts who undergo these surgeries at general hospitals, even after correcting for the fact that specialty hospitals tend to treat less-complicated cases, according to a report in the Aug. 1 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Calcitonin Linked to Reduced Cartilage Erosion in Rats
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Calcitonin, an agent with a long history of use in treating postmenopausal osteoporosis, may prevent the cartilage degradation and erosions found in osteoarthritis, according to the results of a nine-week animal study published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Rapid Increase in Bone Density Seen After Weaning
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Mice show a rapid increase in bone density following weaning, according to a study in the August issue of Endocrinology, which may offer clues for recovering bone mass in older, postmenopausal women.
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Bowel and Orthopedic Diseases Share Genetic Link
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A case-control study of Icelanders has offered "the first direct evidence to support a common genetic component for inflammatory bowel disease and ankylosing spondylitis," say researchers in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Blacks, Hispanics at Higher Risk of Disabling Arthritis
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Black and Hispanic arthritis patients are more than twice as likely as white patients to report some level of disability in regard to performing activities of daily living, according to a report in the August issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Hip, Knee Arthroplasties May Offer Options to Centenarians
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Joint arthroplasties are rarely performed in patients older than 100, but such patients should not be denied joint replacement due to short-term life expectancy issues, finds a new report in the August issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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