In the January’s issue of Orthopedics magazine there is a paper which presents the results of more widely used method of correction of hallux valgus – the so- called Scarf osteotomy. The authors, Aly TA, Mousa W. and Elsallakh S. analyze the results of surgery they performed even after 3 years. The assumptions characterizing this kind of operation are a few dozen years old. Nowadays, thanks to the availability of special equipment, it is possible to fully apply this treatment. As the authors say, the results are promising. Read full text »

For the first time British scientists managed to prove that low doses of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) are able to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence. It means that the daily dose of 75mg ASA could be safely introduced into CRC chemoprophylaxis, at the same time minimising the risks of side effects associated with chronic intake of higher doses. Read full text »

A group of scientists from Washington University (St. Louis, MO, USA) is working on creating a material that would help reconstruct the natural connection between the bone and muscles. Past treating methods restored the function of joints after injury, but did not allow a return of damaged structures to a natural anatomical state. An example might be a rotator cuff tear, the repair of which is the main purpose of scientists led by Younan Xia, PhD, and Stavros Thomopoulos, who work testing their innovative invention – biomimetic patches. Read full text »

There seems to have appeared an alternative to surgery for patients suffering from Dupuytren’s contracture. Pharmaceutical company, Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. produces Xiaflex, which will be known in Europe as Xiapex. The medicine has been proven effective in a broad range of patients (1). Treatment with Xiaflex significantly reduced the angle of contracture in both metacarpophalangeal (MP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, with clinically meaningful responses in both less severe and more severe contractures (2). Almost a year ago the medicine was approved by Food & Drug Administration as the only pharmacological method of treating Dupuytren’s contracture. Read full text »

During previous experiments it has been established that high activity of enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) may be responsible for mammary gland cancer spread. Only recently did it turn out that, blocking LOX, an extracellular matrix remodeling enzyme, can stop cancer cells from invading the surrounding tissue and metastasizing to faraway organs. Dr Janine Erler, team leader at the British Institute of Cancer Research, said that though the method has been tested only in vitro and on mice, “LOXL2 is a fantastic drug target, it’s highly likely to be used in a clinical setting (1).” Read full text »

Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium – a colloidal solution of rubber in the liquid substance. It has been originally extracted from plants and used with a special fondness in pre-Columbian America. Archaeologists claim that the processing of rubber has already begun in 1600 BC. The first medical rubber gloves were created in 1889 at the request of the U.S. surgeon William Halsted. Since then, their use spread throughout the world. The use of latex gloves nowadays is certainly the standard in aseptic procedures. Read full text »

Dentin matrix contains matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), whose key role in the development of caries was discovered many years ago. These enzymes, though produced by the odontoblasts in the physiological conditions, are responsible for the dynamic degradation of organic structures in a demineralized dentin. It takes place by means of hydrolysis of components such as collagen fibers, or specific non-colagenous proteins. Although MMPs are synthesized in cells as inactive zymogens, and are secreted to the extracellular space in a form of harmless proenzymes, they remain very hazardous to the dentine tissue. The oral cavity pH often drops and locally remains at very low levels, especially in those anatomical structures that are hard to reach with a toothbrush. A decrease in the pH level as a result of a heavy bacterial metabolism causes destruction of hydroxyapatites in the dental hard tissue. Acidic environment has the ability to directly activate the MMPs. Once activated, enzymes break down organic components of dentine even long after the pH returns to the neutral level. The unveiling of the organic components, through the loss of inorganic compounds in the dentine (etching, tooth decay), allows MMPs to operate on a larger area, thereby increasing the dynamism of their action. Read full text »

The idea of performing islet cell transplantation (ICT) to cure type 1 diabetes mellitus has been popular for more than forty years. Wouldn’t it be perfect to supply the patient, who lacks mechanisms of regulating pancreatic islets, with new machinery that would take over the function of his destroyed pancreatic islets? It seems disappointing that such a promising method has not yet become commonly used. Read full text »

Antibiotic therapy is part of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative proceedings in spine surgery. Prophylactic antibiotics are recommended to decrease the rate of infections following instrumented and unsinstrumented spine fusion (1). Most spine surgeons administer antibiotic prophylaxis even in clean procedures – when there is no break in sterile technique, no open wound, and no entry into the respiratory, gastrointestinal, or genitourinary tracts (3). It is known that in patient with risk factors appropriate broad spectrum antibiotics should be used in first place, but we do not have strict recommendation of one specific antibiotic protocol or dosing regimen over another in the prevention of postoperative infections (1). An interesting issue is how long we should use antibiotics in spine surgery. Read full text »

Sheila Cook, a 62-year old grandmother, has been suffering from deep depression for more than ten years (1). She underwent many courses of antidepressants, as well as electric shock therapy (ECT) in attempt to improve her distress and disability. But the disease seemed to be resistant to any forms of psychiatric help. When scientists from Bristol had offered Mrs. Cook a completely novel and radical treatment, she didn’t suspect that her life would change that much. British woman is the first patient to benefit from the most advanced method of stereotactic ablative neurosurgery. Read full text »