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Fungal communities in chronic wounds can be linked to poor outcomes and slow healing

Researchers in Pennsylvania and Iowa have discovered that fungal communities found in chronic wounds can form mixed bacterial-fungal biofilms and can be associated with poor outcomes and longer healing times.

6 Sep 2016

Solution made of silver nanoparticles shows promise in healing diabetic foot ulcers

One of the major complications of diabetes is the appearance of wounds in the lower extremities that do not heal properly.

31 Aug 2016

The brain remembers missing hands and fingers even decades after amputation, study reveals

Our brains have a detailed picture of our hands and fingers, and that persists even decades after an amputation, Oxford University researchers have found. The finding could have implications for the control of next generation prosthetics.

30 Aug 2016

Transplantation of placenta-derived MSCs can prevent diabetes-related CLI in rats

In an effort to determine if stem cell therapy can prevent or improve a condition called "diabetic foot" caused by poor blood flow in patients with diabetes, a team of researchers in China has found that transplanting human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into rats modeled with diabetes can affect blood vessel growth, potentially improving blood flow and preventing critical limb ischemia (CLI), a condition that results in diabetic foot and frequently leads to amputation.

30 Aug 2016

Study finds tight glycemic control provides no impact on patient-important microvascular outcomes

The glucocentric focus on lowering blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes may have short-circuited development of new diabetes therapies, according to a new paper published by Mayo Clinic researchers in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

29 Aug 2016

Novel material heals diabetic wounds faster than standard bandage

At some point in their lives, 15 percent of people with diabetes will develop a painful and hard-to-treat foot ulcer.

18 Aug 2016

Brain-stimulation method provides significant reductions in phantom limb pain

As many as 25,000 people a year worldwide lose limbs from land mine blasts, and a new study, published in The Journal of Pain, shows that transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) administered to the scalp can stimulate the brain and provide significant reductions in phantom limb pain.

10 Aug 2016

Scientists unlock genetic code controlling limb regeneration

Many lower organisms retain the miraculous ability to regenerate form and function of almost any tissue after injury. Humans share many of our genes with these organisms, but our capacity for regeneration is limited.

5 Aug 2016

Preventable hospitalisation from diabetic foot disease costing Australia millions of dollars

New research from QUT shows preventable hospitalisation from diabetic foot disease is costing Australia hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

20 Jul 2016

Biofilm formation can be complicating feature of GAS NSTI, new study shows

Group A streptococcus (GAS) can cause a life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis, which spreads rapidly and destroys soft tissue. Treatment of these GAS necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) typically requires intensive care along with surgical intervention and often amputation of the affected limb.

7 Jul 2016

IQWiG study: HBOT shows neither hint of benefit nor of harm in people with diabetic foot

If people with a diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in addition to conventional treatment, this can promote wound healing. However, the certainty of conclusions of the available study results is restricted.

6 Jul 2016

Study finds better way to evaluate operating skills of orthopaedic residents

In a small study to determine the best way to assess the operating skills of would-be orthopaedic surgeons, Johns Hopkins researchers found that tracking the trainees’ performance on cadavers using step-by-step checklists and measures of general surgical skills works well but should be coupled with an equally rigorous system for tracking errors.

30 Jun 2016

Experts compile model list of essential diagnostic tests aiming to improve global health

In a western doctor's office or hospital, patients don't think twice about giving a blood or urine sample that can tell if they have a disease or infection, or show if their medicines are working. The samples get rushed to a testing lab with modern equipment that's held to high quality standards.

30 Jun 2016

Researchers receive grant to improve quality of donor limb, tissue for transplant

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine faculty member has received $998,500 from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a new approach to improve the quality and quantity of limbs and tissues obtained from brain dead organ donors.

27 Jun 2016

VentureMed Group receives FDA 510(k) clearance for FLEX Scoring Catheter

VentureMed Group, Ltd., a medical device company based in northwest Ohio, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the commercial distribution of a new surgical device for treating peripheral artery disease (PAD).

20 Jun 2016

Delayed healing linked to weaker electrical currents in diabetic wounds

People with diabetes often suffer from wounds that are slow to heal and can lead to ulcers, gangrene and amputation. New research from an international group led by Min Zhao, professor of ophthalmology and of dermatology at the University of California, Davis, shows that, in animal models of diabetes, slow healing is associated with weaker electrical currents in wounds.

17 Jun 2016

New osseointegrated press-fit implant reduces infection risk for above knee amputees

A new study in today's issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found minimal risk for severe infection with osseointegrated implants--a newer prosthetic system, press-fitted directly into the femur bone--that enables bone growth over a metal, robotic prosthetic limb in patients with above knee amputations.

2 Jun 2016

Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly comes to end after approving many new resolutions

The Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly closed today after approving new resolutions on WHO's Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors; the Sustainable Development Goals; the International Health Regulations; tobacco control; road traffic deaths and injuries; nutrition; HIV, hepatitis and STIs; mycetoma; research and development; access to medicines and integrated health services.

31 May 2016

NR supplements can reduce diabetes-related complications in mice

A naturally occurring vitamin, nicotinamide riboside (NR), can lower blood sugar levels, reduce fatty liver, and prevent peripheral nerve damage in mouse models of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Health Care System.

27 May 2016

Cerebellar not cerebral atrophy predicts poor anti-NMDAR encephalitis outcome

Diffuse cerebral atrophy in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis does not necessarily mean irreversible brain damage, whereas progressive cerebellar atrophy may indicate a poor long-term prognosis, researchers report.

4 May 2016