DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. has announced the launch of computer software designed to significantly enhance the field of computer-assisted hip replacement surgery. This advanced technology lets surgeons visualize parts of the patient's anatomy that are not visible through the incision, without the need for CT or fluoroscopy, saving hundreds of dollars and enhancing implant positioning. "The goal of the software design was to increase operating-room efficiency, decrease planning time for the surgeo Join discussion...

Glycine is a non-essential amino acid used by the organism to synthesise proteins and is present in foods such as fish, meat or dairy products. The study, carried out at the Cellular Metabolism Institute in Tenerife and at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of Granada by Doctor Patricia de Paz Lugo and supervised by Doctors Enrique Meléndez Hevia, David Meléndez Morales and José Antonio Lupiáñez Cara, established that the direct intake of this substance as Join discussion...

The reason we do systematic reviews is not only to evaluate how good an intervention may be, but also to examine the clinical utility of the trials we do. The bottom line we have to recognise is that almost all drug trials are performed for some registration purpose, and that the requirements of drug registration are far removed from what is needed in clinical practice. Those of a more practical bent have therefore either to throw up their hands and walk away from the evidence that exists or t Join discussion...

Researchers have described a novel molecular pathway that may have a critical role in bone healing and have suggested that lithium, which affects this pathway, has the potential to improve fracture healing. The study, led by Benjamin Alman from the Hospital For Sick Children, Toronto, investigated the role of the a-catenin signaling pathway, which activates T cell factor -dependent gene transcription, and which is known to have a key regulatory role in embryonic skeletal development. Join discussion...

Achondroplasia is the most common form of short limb dwarfism in human beings, affecting more than 250,000 individuals worldwide. More than 95% of patients have the same point mutation in the gene for fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) and more than 80% of these are new mutations. The mutation, which causes gain of FGFR3 function, affects many tissues, most strikingly the cartilaginous growth plate in the growing skeleton, leading to a variety of manifestations and complications. The bi Join discussion...

Check out this short video segment from ABC News showing the i-LIMB Hand, a prosthesis with five individually powered fingers, that we've reported on yesterday. Join discussion...

Sham-controlled trials show clinically irrelevant short-term benefits of acupuncture for treating knee osteoarthritis. Waiting list-controlled trials suggest clinically relevant benefits, some of which may be due to placebo or expectation effects. Join discussion...

Once-a-year treatment with the drug Aclasta can significantly cut the risk of spinal and hip fractures caused by osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, reported three newspapers (3 May 2007). The newspapers were generally accurate in their reports of the main findings of this large multi-centre, randomised controlled trial. * Annual treatment with Aclasta, administered by infusion, cut the risk of spinal fractures by 70% and hip fractures by 41%, reported three newspapers (1-3) on 3 Join discussion...

Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) announced today that the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new labeling for Carticel(R) (autologous cultured chondrocytes) based on the completion of a post-approval commitment study. This label incorporates safety and efficacy data from the Study of the Treatment of Articular Repair (STAR) as a result of Genzyme's successful completion of this final confirmatory, post-marketing study. Join discussion...

The Web's Most Comprehensive Bone Tumor Resource Join discussion...