The UCLA Health System has launched the new UCLA Hand Transplantation Program, the first of its kind on the West Coast and only the fourth such center in the United States. The program will help those who have suffered the traumatic loss of a hand or forearm and allow them to regain function and improve their quality of life. Qualified candidates are now being sought for a clinical study of the procedure.

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Ortho Kinematics has announced that it has begun a multi-site clinical study of the KineGraph VMA™, and that the initial 23 patients have been enrolled. The study will help determine which types of patients are best evaluated with KineGraph VMA testing. The KineGraph VMA is designed to provide functional diagnostic information to spine surgeons to be used in conjunction with MRI and plain X-rays.

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The Stone Research Foundation released findings of the longest and largest study of its kind on biologic knee joint repair. The study is published in July’s issue of The British Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.  Study findings indicate that arthritic patients can forestall, or in some cases, avoid, total knee replacement with artificial joints by opting for meniscal allograft transplantations performed concurrently with articular cartilage repair.

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Winston Laboratories, Inc. has announced that it has received Notice of Compliance (NOC) from the Therapeutics Drug Directorate, Health Canada for its New Drug Submission (NDS) for CIVANEX ™ (zucapsaicin cream 0.075%) for the , treatment of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis. Since there is no systemic absorption of civamide, CIVANEX™ can be administered in combination with other systemic pain relief medications.

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Patients subjected to major orthopedic surgery seem to face a risk of developing a blood clot within a vein, known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, experts from the McMaster University say that this risk can be reduced by the usage of an ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin called semuloparin.
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Researchers from Loyola University Health System in Chicago, U.S., stated that binge drinking (consuming large amounts of alcohol within a short period of time) during teen years is related to an increased risk of osteoporosis and other health hazards with age. According to The Times of India (TOI), study-leader and bone-biologist John Callaci, PhD, Loyola University Health System said, “Lifestyle-related damage done to the skeleton during young adulthood may have repercussions lasting decades.”

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Revised labeling for prescription and over-the-counter proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) will warn that these stomach acid–reducing medications could increase patients’ risk of hip, wrist, and spine fractures, US health authorities announced. The FDA’s decision to add new precautionary information to PPI labeling is based on data from 7 epidemiological studies published since 2006. Six of the 7 showed a relationship between PPI use and an increased risk of fractures. Most of the patients in the studies were aged 50 years or older; the increased risk of fracture was seen primarily in this group.

BioMimetic Therapeutics Inc announced that the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review its Premarket Approval (PMA) application for Augment Bone Graft for use in foot and ankle fusions in the US. The FDA has now filed the application and begun the comprehensive review of the clinical module, the company added.

Pfizer Inc. has announced the suspension of the osteoarthritis clinical program for the investigational compound tanezumab following a request by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The worldwide suspension which is effective immediately follows a small number of reports of tanezumab patients experiencing the worsening of osteoarthritis leading to joint replacement. To date, this adverse event has not been observed in non-osteoarthritis patient populations taking tanezumab.

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New research shows increased muscle performance in sub-maximal activities, which in humans can range from everyday activities to running a marathon. With no current regulations in place, the scientists from Coventry University believe their findings may have implications for the use of caffeine in sport to improve performance. Caffeine is not currently listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as a banned substance at any concentration in blood or urine samples.

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