Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Orthopedics for November 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.
Knee Pain Most Likely Due to Osteoarthritis
FRIDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Meniscal damage is modestly associated with the development of frequent knee pain in older adults, but the pain appears more directly related to osteoarthritis, according to study findings published online Nov. 29 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Imaging Technique Detects Taut Bands in Myofascial Pain
FRIDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- A new MRI technique known as magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) can detect and quantify areas of increased muscle tone (taut bands) in a patient with myofascial pain, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
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Long-Term Functional Gains Observed in Hip Arthroplasty
FRIDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who undergo total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis maintain improvement of physical function in the long term, researchers report in the Dec. 15 issue of Arthritis Care & Research. A second study in the same issue reports that approximately 22 percent of elderly patients presenting with hip pain will go on to have total hip replacement surgery after six years.
Abstract - Cushnaghan
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Abstract - Lievense
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Ultrashort-Course Chemotherapy Cures Spinal Tuberculosis
THURSDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with spinal tuberculosis who undergo surgery and an ultrashort-course of chemotherapy for less than six months achieve a complete clinical cure with fewer complications than patients on longer chemotherapy regimens, according to a report in the November/December issue of The Spine Journal.
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Study Reports Risk Factors for Postoperative Renal Failure
THURSDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Intraoperative vasopressor and diuretic use are independent predictors of postoperative acute renal failure in patients with previously normal renal function who undergo non-cardiac surgery, and those who develop acute renal failure have worsened short- and long-term mortality, according to research published in the December issue of Anesthesiology.
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Depression Linked to Low Bone Mass in Younger Women
MONDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDay News) -- In premenopausal women, the presence of major depressive disorder may be associated with lower bone mineral density, according to a report published in the Nov. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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New Prediction Tool Targets Osteoporosis in Older Men
FRIDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- A new clinical prediction model for the risk of osteoporosis targets 44 percent of U.S. men aged 50 and older for confirmatory dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans, researchers report in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Medications May Not Be Reason for Lung Patient Fractures
TUESDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- While an increased risk of bone fracture has been noted in patients with chronic lung disease who are treated with oral corticosteroids and inhaled short-acting beta-agonists, the risk may be attributable to the severity of the disease rather than the medication, researchers report in the November issue of the journal Chest.
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Neural-Machine Interface May Improve Prosthesis Function
MONDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Targeted muscle reinnervation -- a novel neural-machine interface -- may help improve the function of prosthetic limbs because the central motor control system is capable of eliciting complex efferent commands for a missing limb, researchers report in the November issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology.
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Add-On Treatments Not Beneficial in Low Back Pain
FRIDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with acute low back pain who receive recommended first-line care including paracetamol do not benefit from the addition of diclofenac or spinal manipulative therapy, according to the results of an Australian study published in the Nov. 10 issue of The Lancet.
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Editorial
Protein Tyrosine Nitration Blocks Morphine Tolerance
FRIDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Biochemical changes that produce morphine tolerance in mice can be blocked by inhibition of NO synthesis or removal of superoxide, pointing to peroxynitrite (ONOO-) as a signaling mediator in this setting, researchers report in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Physicians Use Imaging More Within Their Own Ranks
THURSDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians who refer patients to themselves or physicians in the same specialty for diagnostic imaging are more likely to use imaging than practitioners who refer their patients to radiologists, according to research published in the November issue of Radiology.
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