Medical Research

Biomarker May Signal Whether Common Back Pain Treatment Will Work
12 August 2011
A new study from researchers at the Stanford University of Medicine has identified a unique protein complex that can be used to predict whether an epidural injection will help pain caused by a herniated disc in the lower spine... Read more »

Study Identifies Novel Role for a Protein that Could Lead to New Treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis
22 May 2011
A new study by rheumatologists at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York has shown that a powerful pro-inflammatory protein, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), can also suppress aspects of inflammation. The researchers say the identification of the mecha... Read more »

The Ignored Majority - The Voice of Arthritis 2011
2 May 2011
Report estimates there are 2.6 million Australians with inadequate care, who are needlessly suffering pain, have difficulty getting about and are being disadvantaged at work. They feel let down by general practitioners, specialists and the health car... Read more »

Safety of Biologic Treatment for Arthritis Depends On the Drug
16 March 2011
Some biologic drugs may be safer than others according to a new systematic review by Cochrane researchers. Biologics are a broad class of drugs based on biological molecules... Read more »

Surgeon's Skill, Not Implant Design Key to Knee Replacement
26 February 2011
While the choices of knee implants are plentiful, the success of total knee replacement surgery still is dependent on the surgeon's skill, Henry Ford Hospital researchers say... Read more »

Link Between Osteoporosis Fracture Prevention And Treatment Adherence Not Fully Understood By Patients
12 January 2011
Survey findings underline importance of community-wide programmes to address unmet needs in osteoporosis management... Read more »

Backbones' of Australian Families At Risk of Cracking
5 January 2011
Australian cricketing legend, Michael Slater, urges young men to ‘man up' and bat for their backs... Read more »

New Way of Classifying Rheumatoid Arthritis Aimed at Identifying the Disease Earlier
11 September 2010
Criteria Will Allow Researchers to Study Patients Earlier During the Course of RA - Leading to Better Patient Outcomes The American College of Rheumatology today announced the release of revised classification criteria (created in collaboration with... Read more »

Scientists Discover Molecular Gatekeeper for Arthritis
9 September 2010
Removal of key protein leads to initiation of disease Elimination of a molecular gatekeeper leads to the development of arthritis in mice, scientists report in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The newly discovered gatekeepe... Read more »

Top 10 Arthritis Advances for 2009
12 July 2010
The Arthritis Foundation is the only national not-for-profit organisation that supports the more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions. Here is list of the top 10 advances in arthritis research for 2009... Read more »

Advanced Medical Technology is Crucial to Health Care Reform
18 May 2010
Author Ira Brodsky's New Book, The History and Future of Medical Technology, Demystifies the Technologies Used to Diagnose and Treat Illnesses... Read more »

A Sporting Chance for Active Total Knee Replacement Patients
16 March 2010
Study finds implant durability not affected by high-impact sports participation... Read more »

Electronic Device Detects Nerves During Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery
15 March 2010
An electronic device is an accurate technique for locating and avoiding nerves during spinal procedures, suggests a study by Henry Ford Hospital researchers... Read more »

Cleat / Natural Grass Combination Less Likely To Result in ACL Injury
20 January 2010
Athletes put less strain on their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while making a cut on a natural grass surface while wearing a cleat. This is the conclusion from a study by... Read more »

Patients Say "No Thanks" to Risky Medical Treatments
30 November 2009
Given a choice, patients take a more conservative clinical approach. A recent study suggests that increasing patient responsibility for making medical decisions may decrease their willingness to accept risky treatment options... Read more »

"Bloody" treatment holds promise
15 November 2009
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is currently used as an alternative treatment method for several common orthopaedic-related sports medicine conditions. According to a review article in the October 2009 Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeo... Read more »

Intelligent Shoe Reveals Forces Inside The Body
8 November 2009
Integrated sensors in shoe ensure correct treatment advice... Read more »

Hormone to Keep Joint Injuries From Causing Osteoarthritis
15 September 2009
An existing osteoporosis drug is the first ever found to prevent cartilage loss from osteoarthritis following injury to a joint, and may also regenerate some cartilage that has been lost to osteoarthritis... Read more »

Mapping Knee Pain Provides Reliable Pain Location and Pattern
15 September 2009
Being able to put a finger or two - or even the palm of your hand - on the source of your knee pain may one day be able to help your doctor identify its cause and determine appropriate treatment for it, says C. Kent Kwoh, MD, who led a study to bette... Read more »

Depression and Inflammation Linked to Pain In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
5 September 2009
Researchers in Japan studied the inter-relationship between levels of depression symptoms, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and pain, confirming a significant positive association between depressive symptoms and CRP level in RA... Read more »

Neurosurgeon Invents Laser-Guided Spine Localizer
25 July 2009
Neurosurgeon at Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena Texas, creates a laser guided spine localizer that enables surgeons to correctly place incisions in minimally invasive spine surgery... Read more »

Spinal Cord Injury: Hope Through Research
1 July 2009
Comprehensive article that includes a short history since 1700 B.C., what happens when the spinal cord is injured, immediate treatment, affect on the rest of the body, rehabilitation and discoveries in basic and clinical research. A must read !... Read more »

By Shutting Down Inflammation, Agent Reverses Damage from Spinal Cord Injury in Preclinical Studies
5 May 2009
Their research, published online in Annals of Neurology and led by Kimberly Byrnes, PhD, shows that inflammation following injury causes the neurotoxicity that leads to lasting nerve cell damage, and that an experimental agent is able to block this i... Read more »

Winning By a Nose
23 January 2009
Cells from the human nose are showing further promise in remediating spinal cord injury, according to research from the University of New South Wales. ... Read more »

CT Colonography Offers One-Stop Screening for Osteoporosis and Cancer
6 December 2008
New research reveals that computed tomography (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, has the potential to screen for two diseases at once-colorectal cancer and osteoporosis... Read more »

Biology of Broken Bones Leads to New Treatments
16 November 2008
Understanding how a fracture heals uncovers ‘biologic treatments'... Read more »

Researchers Disclose Key Advance in Treating Spinal Cord Injuries
22 September 2008
Researchers in Rochester, NY and Colorado have shown that manipulating stem cells prior to transplantation may hold the key to overcoming a critical obstacle to using stem cell technology to repair spinal cord injuries... Read more »

Adult Stem Cells Aid Fracture Healing
27 July 2008
UNC study lays groundwork for potential treatments. In an approach that could become a new treatment for the 10-20% of people whose broken bones fail to heal, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that transplanta... Read more »

Pocket-sized Magnetic Resonance Imaging
23 July 2008
The term "MRI scan" brings to mind the gigantic, expensive machines that are installed in hospitals. But research scientists have now developed small portable MRI scanners that perform their services in the field... Read more »

Stem Cells Show Long Lasting Effect In Knee Osteoarthritis
26 May 2008
Australian adult stem cell company Mesoblast Limited has just announced successful long-term results in its osteoarthritis pre-clinical trials... Read more »

Cartilage recovers quickly from a tough run
23 May 2008
A long-distance run can temporarily wear down the cartilage cushioning the knee joint, but the tissue seems to quickly recover, a small study suggests... Read more »

Older Women, Not Men, Have a Hard Time Maintaining Muscle Mass
6 April 2008
Women over age 65 have a harder time preserving muscle than men of the same age, which probably affects their ability to stay strong and fit, according to research... Read more »

Web-Based Tool To Predict Risk Of Bone Fracture
4 April 2008
It will soon be possible for anyone over 60 to predict their individual risk of bone fracture with the aid of a simple web-based tool, developed by the Sydney-based Garvan Institute of Medical Research... Read more »

Aussies Lacking Basic Knowledge To Keep Themselves Healthy
21 February 2008
The Healthy Communities Research Centre at UQ Ipswich is calling for a national focus on "health literacy" following the release of findings which reveal that most Australians don't have the basic knowledge to keep themselves healthy. ... Read more »

UCLA Scientists Restore Walking After Spinal Cord Injury
10 January 2008
Study shows nervous system can reorganize itself, using new pathways to issue commands to move. ... Read more »

Bionic Nerve To Bring Damaged Limbs And Organs Back To Life
27 November 2007
Researchers in the School of Medicine have transformed fat tissue stem cells into nerve cells and now plan to develop an artificial nerve that will bring damaged limbs and organs back to life. ... Read more »

Sex Plays a Role in Orthopaedics
17 October 2007
Review suggests differences in musculoskeletal health. There is no debate that males and females are different, but there has been limited comprehension of the influence of sex on disease. ... Read more »

Bone-Growing Material Could Improve Orthopaedic Implants
27 September 2007
Bone-forming cells grow faster and produce more calcium on anodized titanium covered in carbon nanotubes, compared with plain anodized titanium and the non-anodized version currently used in orthopaedic implants... Read more »

Scientists Identify Novel Stem Cell in Adult Muscle
22 June 2007
Existence of muscle-building stem cells points to regenerative therapies for muscular disease. Scientists at the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research have identified a novel population of stem cells in adult muscle. The results, published in... Read more »

Arthritis Pain, the Brain, and the Role of Emotions
3 May 2007
Arthritis pain is processed in brain areas concerned with emotions and fear...... finds Study, indicating target for pain-relieving therapies. How does the brain process the experience of pain? Thanks to advances in neuroimaging, we now... Read more »

Discovery of crocs temperature regulator may lead to major pain relief
26 March 2007
Sydney University researchers have identified how crocodiles and other reptiles detect temperature - shedding new light on their adaptation to environmental changes and pointing to new pain treatments for humans. Dr Frank Seebacher and Dr S... Read more »

Keep on Typing
26 March 2007
Computer programmers, office workers, college students and Internet addicts everywhere can now breathe a sigh of relief: there is better evidence that genetics rather than hand use is the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). A new study... Read more »

Human Stem Cell Transplants Repair Rat Spinal Cords
21 March 2007
Human nerve stem cells transplanted into rats' damaged spinal cords have survived, grown and in some cases connected with the rats' own spinal cord cells in a Johns Hopkins laboratory, overturning the long-held notion that spinal cords won't al... Read more »

Chronic Back Pain Linked to Changes in the Brain
20 February 2007
A German research team, using a specialized imaging technique, revealed that individuals suffering from chronic low back pain also had microstructural changes in their brains. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Soci... Read more »

New Therapeutic Hope for Degenerative Disc Disease
30 November 2006
Study Suggests Possible Role of Embryonic Cells from the Notochord of Dogs to Regenerate Disc Cartilage. Degenerative disc disease is one of today's most common and costly medical conditions. Marked by the gradual erosion of cartila... Read more »

Nature Suggests a Promising Strategy for Artificial Bone
23 November 2006
Researchers report they have harnessed the unique physics of sea water as it freezes to guide the production of what could be a new generation of more biocompatible materials for artificial bone that may be suitable for replacement hips, knees and... Read more »

Exercise Response Varies with Genetics
16 November 2006
Study Identifies Genes and Mutations Associated with Exercise Traits. Your parents may be to thank (or to blame) for how your body responds to exercise, and the genes responsible are slowly being identified. That's one of the conclus... Read more »

Anti-inflamm Proteins May Contribute To Chronic Pain
19 July 2006
Chronic widespread pain, a common medical condition, can be difficult to treat and is often associated with fatigue, poor sleep and depression. A connection between fibromayalgia (FM) and cytokines (proteins that act as messengers between cell... Read more »

Saddle Chairs & Secret Men's Business
23 June 2006
Testes need to be cool. That is the one characteristic that makes them different from all other parts of the body. Women have no equivalent. Sperm counts are dropping in most western cultures and couples generally take longer to conceive... Read more »

New Hope for Tissue Regeneration and Joint Repair
6 April 2006
Recent study indicates therapeutic promise of adult human multi-potent Stem Cells derived from the thick membrane covering the surface of bones. Inflammation, cartilage and bone erosions, joint destruction that's the typical progression... Read more »

Stem Cells From Muscles Can Repair Cartilage
9 February 2006
Study Finds Genetically Engineered Muscle-Derived Stem Cells Improved Cartilage Repair in Rats. Damage to articular cartilage (cartilage covering the ends of bones where they meet in a joint) frequently occurs due to injury or illness, and can le... Read more »

New Evidence for Achieving Remission of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
23 January 2006
A 2-Year Study of Patients with early, aggressive disease demonstrates significantly superior results of Anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) plus DMARD (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug) therapy over either therapy alone. A chronic and... Read more »

New Study - A Step Closer for Treating Spinal Cord Injury
30 September 2005
Combining partially differentiated stem cells with gene therapy can promote the growth of new 'insulation' around nerve fibers in the damaged spinal cords of rats, a new study shows. The treatment, which mimics the activity of two nerve growth fact... Read more »

Mine - Body - Medicine
19 May 2005
Mind-body medicine focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior, and the powerful ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect health. It regards as fundamental an approach... Read more »

Relationship Between Clinical Depression and Chronic Pain
8 May 2005
Does clinical depression bring about chronic pain? Or does pain lead to depression? Because these two conditions frequently co-exist (30 to 54 percent of patients with major depressive disorder also suffer persistent physical pain) there h... Read more »

Animal Studies Show Promise Treating Severe Chronic Pain
22 May 2004
In the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team of scientists established in a series of animal studies the therapeutic potential of selectively deleting specific nerve cells from the nervous system that convey severe chronic pa... Read more »

Australian-European Research Collaboration
19 February 2004
Under an Australian Government research grant, Australian and European scientists will join forces to try to develop new treatments for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, type1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and prostate cancer... Read more »

Advances In Treatment of Musculoskeletal Disorders
16 October 2003
At the September conference of 'Frontiers in Medicine' (sponsored by Scripps Foundation for Medicine and Science), the presentations highlighted innovative materials and procedures designed to improve the quality of life for millions of Americans suf... Read more »

Scientists Find Gene Signal for Osteoporosis
14 January 2003
DeCODE Genetics & Roche Diagnostics announce that they have identified specific variations within a single gene that increase the risk of Osteoporosis. With the on-going development of DNA-based diagnostics, the companies are analysing thes... Read more »

New Back Pain Research
31 October 2002
Patients with lower back pain that can't be traced to a specific physical cause may have abnormal pain-processing pathways in their brains, according to a new study led by University of Michigan researchers. The effect, which as yet has no... Read more »

Research for Healthier Bones
8 August 2002
In Australia, one in two women and one in three men over the age of 60 will sustain a bone fracture. It is also estimated that the death rate in women from hip fractures is greater than the incidence of all female cancers combined. Osteoporosis... Read more »

Neuroscientists Regenerate Severed Spinal Cord
10 April 2002
Research by scientists at King's College London may pave the way for new treatments of spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries typically arise from car accidents, violence, falls and sports injuries, with an average of two new cases admitted ever... Read more »