Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Orthopedics for October 2006. 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.
Constraint Therapy Helps Arm Function After Stroke
TUESDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Stroke patients who force themselves to use a paretic upper extremity by restraining their less-impaired arm can improve motor function in the impaired arm within a year, according to a report in the Nov. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Depression Linked to Bone Loss in Mice
TUESDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Depressed mice have bone loss due to reduced bone formation that may be mediated through an overactive sympathetic central nervous system, according to a study published Oct. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. What's more, antidepressants appear to reverse the loss of bone mass.
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Platelet-Rich Plasma Improves Pain of Tennis Elbow
FRIDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with chronic elbow tendinosis that is unresponsive to non-surgical treatments may benefit from treatment with platelet-rich plasma, which can improve pain considerably, researchers report in the November issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
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Testosterone Levels Affect Men's Risk of Falling
MONDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Older men with low testosterone levels have an increased risk of falling, according to study findings reported in the Oct. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Aggrecanase 1 May Play Key Role in Lyme Arthritis
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- New research sheds light on how infection with Borrelia burgdorferi results in Lyme arthritis, and may help pave the way toward more effective cartilage-saving treatments. The report appears in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Bone Development Depends on Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I
TUESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is essential for embryonic bone development, researchers report in the October issue of Endocrinology.
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Fracture Risk Increased in Rheumatoid Arthritis
TUESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Rheumatoid arthritis patients have an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures due to a combination of disease activity, low body mass index and use of oral glucocorticoids, according to study findings published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Fluoxetine Increases Bone Mass in Mice
MONDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In mice, fluoxetine increases bone mass under normal physiologic and inflammatory conditions, but does not prevent bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency, according to a study published online Oct. 13 in the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.
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Telomere Study Hints at Causes of Osteoarthritis, Ageing
FRIDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- There could be shared mechanisms between osteoarthritis and aging, according to a study of telomere length in leukocytes. The findings, which suggest that oxidative stress and chronic inflammation may play a role in both conditions, were published online Oct. 12 in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.
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U.S. Survey Shows Arthritis Rates Continue to Soar
FRIDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Physician-diagnosed arthritis affects 46.4 million people in the United States and 8.3 percent of them are severely limited by their disease, according to new statistics from the 2003-2005 National Health Interview Survey. The findings are reported in the Oct. 13 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Race, Sex, Age Impact Level-I Trauma Center Transfers
THURSDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Even after controlling for injury severity, non-clinical factors such as race, gender, age and insurance status significantly impact a patient's risk for hospital transfer to level-I trauma centers, researchers report in the October issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
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Low Elder Abuse Reporting Related to Physician Concerns
THURSDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Concern over the patient-physician relationship and patient quality of life may each play a role in why physicians have a low rate of reporting suspected elder abuse, researchers report in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Whites Receive Total Knee Replacements More Often
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Despite better access to care, high-income Medicare recipients have the same incidence of osteoarthritis as low-income enrollees, according to a report in the October issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. However, total knee replacement is substantially less likely among minorities than whites, even after controlling for income.
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Questionnaire May Predict Outcome After Hip Fracture
TUESDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a standard short-form questionnaire to assess cognitive dysfunction after hip fractures may help predict mortality and the ability to walk and perform daily living activities, according to the results of a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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FDA Says Company Selling Untested Orthopedic Devices
MONDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking a permanent injunction against Endotec Inc. of Orlando, as well as the company's president, medical director and director of regulatory affairs to halt the illegal distribution of total joint replacement devices.
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Cola Drinking Linked to Lower Bone Density in Women's Hips
FRIDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Women who drink cola daily have a lower bone density in the hip than women who do not drink colas, researchers report in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The association was not seen in men, or in women who consumed other types of carbonated beverages.
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Exercise Before Joint Replacement Benefits Patients
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In patients scheduled to undergo hip or knee replacement, a six-week pre-surgical exercise program can significantly reduce the odds of discharge to an inpatient rehabilitation facility, according to study findings released online in advance of publication in the Oct. 15 issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Exercise Study Shows Mixed Results in Knee Osteoarthritis
TUESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Strength training may slow the progress of knee osteoarthritis but it doesn't increase isokinetic quadriceps strength, according to a report published in the October issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Patient's Attitude Predicts Time to Joint Arthroplasty
MONDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A patient's willingness to consider total joint arthroplasty for treatment of osteoarthritis is the strongest predictor of the time to first procedure, according to a report in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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