Crocodile teeth grow continuously throughout the animal’s life. When a bad tooth falls out, a new one grows immediately in its place. This phenomenon has inspired scientists to look for a new breed of human laboratory-grown teeth. So far, the success could already be claimed by a number of research groups over the globe. The results of the experiments however did not give a hope for the use of this phenomenal approach in the dental clinics in a large-scale. King’s College in London, however, has set an important milestone on the way to the true immortality of our smile. Read full text »

Dental implant treatment is becoming more popular around the world, often replacing traditional prosthetic treatment. Dental implant market is growing rapidly. Unfortunately, for some patients this treatment is not available due to systemic and local contraindications. With the discovery of the Universitat Jaume I scientists in Castellón comes a great oportunity for a group of patients who have been refused a dental implant treatment before.

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Scientists from Switzerland and United Arab Emirates made a research thus proving that taking cholecalciferol (vitamin D) is an effective analgesic therapy. Read full text »

Vitamin E, which is commonly considered to have positive influence on reproduction, was subjected to analysis by Japanese scientists who stated that it reduces the bone mass. The results of their research were published in “Nature Magazine” in 2012. Read full text »

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumour. It is characterized by the presence of the fusiform cells producing a malignant extracellular osteoid. Both, the malignancy and the ability to create metastasis depend on the histological type. Osteosarcoma is an eighth most common tumour in infants with a peak of incidence between 10 and 14 years. Nevertheless, we should not forget that osteosarcoma is also an adult cancer. In this case it can occur either as an idiopathic or as a secondary disease (e.g. to Paget disease).

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Fibrydysplasia (FOP) is a rare genetic disorder, in which the organism products extra bones in places where they should not develop. These bones are produced within the muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues. They cause ossification in various places hindering the normal functioning of the person. Read full text »

Conventional approach to the therapy of osteoporosis has its drawbacks, hence various alternative substances are tested for their beneficial effects on bone metabolism. As soya isoflavons seem to lose their strong position in prevention of osteoporosis (1), the search for other plant-derived agents continues. Researchers from the Florida State University have been examining the healing potential of prunes for many years. They have just published their latest study (2), which suggests that enriching a diet with dried plums results in the increase of bone mineral density (BMD). Read full text »

The absence of bone adhesion for a long time after a fracture is a vital problem for orthopaedist because it may lead to permanent impairment of organ functions, increase in the costs of treatment and discomfort of the patient due to the “bad choice” of the doctor. It is often a indication to start new methods of treatment and employment of drugs which could accelerate healing. Until now, a lot of methods which expedite healing and differently influence the clinical status of the patients were devised. The research of scientists from the University of North Carolina allow to hope that the new and effective weapon in struggling against the lack of bone adhesion will be stem cells. Read full text »

Recently people suspecting to have osteoporosis have a new simple method of diagnostics. A special tool allowing for detection of the disease is FRAX® algorithm which was developed by the World Health Organisation in collaboration with the Centre of Bone Metabolic Diseases, University of Sheffield (Great Britain). The algorithm is generally available on the Internet. An article which presents this tool also provides with broader introduction to its properties and directions for its use. Read full text »