Amputation News and Research

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Neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis re-establishes communication between nervous systems

Amputation disrupts not only the peripheral nervous system but also central structures of the brain. While the brain is able to adapt and compensate for injury in certain conditions, in amputees the traumatic event prevents adaptive cortical changes. A group of scientists reports adaptive plastic changes in an amputee's brain following implantation of multielectrode arrays inside peripheral nerves.

21 Aug 2012

Depressed patients at risk of developing peripheral artery disease

Depression was linked with an increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a study of more than one thousand men and women with heart disease conducted by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

10 Aug 2012

Medical devices for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: an interview with Dr. Shai Gozani, CEO of NeuroMetrix

About two years ago NeuroMetrix changed their focus from general purpose devices, used to perform nerve conduction tests, to devices designed to specifically address diabetic peripheral neuropathy or DPN.

6 Aug 2012

Prior contralateral amputation predicts outcomes after LEB for critical limb ischemia

Researchers from the Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE) report that prior contralateral amputation predicts worse outcomes for lower extremity bypasses (LEB's) performed in the intact limb.

6 Aug 2012

Roundup: N.J. public may decide if judges should pay more for health care; Ore. Medicaid experiment to launch; Uncertainty around Va. abortion clinic rules

The New Jersey State Assembly is set to consider a measure that would allow voters to decide whether New Jersey judges should pay more for their pensions and health benefits. The state Supreme Court ruled last week that judges don't have to contribute more toward pensions and health care despite a new law requiring them to do so. The court said the law diminishes judges' salaries, which are protected by state law.

31 Jul 2012

MRI useful for identifying bone lesions in diabetic feet

Identification of specific bone lesions in the feet of patients with diabetes can be achieved with magnetic resonance imaging, show study findings.

25 Jul 2012

Blood flow in blocked arteries to extremities improved by new angioplasty procedure

Patients with blocked arteries to their extremities, known as peripheral artery disease (PAD) or critical limb ischemia (CLI), may now find relief from lower leg pain and wounds caused by impaired leg artery circulation with the previously unproven therapy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA).

24 Jul 2012

College-age children also need immunizations, says UMDNJ professor

Most parents take their young children regularly for immunization shots that protect against polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps and other diseases. But many do not consider that their college-age children also need immunizations.

14 Jul 2012

Tips to help keep safe while celebrating Independence Day

As the Fourth of July approaches, emergency departments across the country are already beginning to treat patients injured by fireworks. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, hand and finger damage are the most common injuries caused by fireworks and account for 32 percent of all injuries reported.

4 Jul 2012

Clinical study to examine retrograde tibiopedal interventional approach for CLI

Clinical investigators are for the first time examining the retrograde tibiopedal interventional approach, an endovascular technique that has the potential to reduce the rate of leg amputations by as much as 50 percent in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), a manifestation of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

26 Jun 2012

UCSF's ACT program helps amputees reach their athletic goals

Carlos Gonzalez stands out from an athletic group gathered on a grassy field at the UCSF Mission Bay campus. The gregarious 32-year-old sports a stylish fauxhawk and walks with a confident yet understated swagger. He's training to become a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

6 Jun 2012

Exercise reduces expression of cytokines and alleviates neuropathic pain

Exercise helps to alleviate pain related to nerve damage (neuropathic pain) by reducing levels of certain inflammation-promoting factors, suggests an experimental study in the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

2 Jun 2012

New medicine can start and hasten healing of diabetic and other chronic sores

A unique new medicine that can start and hasten healing of diabetic and other chronic sores is being developed at Umeå University in Sweden. After several years of successful experimental research, it is now ready for clinical testing.

28 May 2012

Scars, disfigurement and hair loss from childhood cancer can affect adult quality of life

Scars left behind by childhood cancer treatments are more than skin-deep. The increased risk of disfigurement and persistent hair loss caused by childhood cancer and treatment are associated with emotional distress and reduced quality of life in adulthood, according to a new study led by a Northwestern Medicine advanced practice nurse, Karen Kinahan, and based on data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.

25 May 2012

Proper care of diabetic foot infections can save limbs, lives

Diabetic foot infections are an increasingly common problem, but proper care can save limbs and, ultimately, lives, suggest new guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

23 May 2012

Vaccination studies from Mercer University to be unveiled at AAPS’ NBC

Vaccination studies from Mercer University (Ga.) headline the groundbreaking research being unveiled at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' (AAPS) National Biotechnology Conference.

21 May 2012

Juventas begins enrollment in JVS-100 Phase IIa study for Rutherford Class 4 or 5 CLI

Juventas Therapeutics, a privately-held, clinical-stage company developing novel regenerative therapies for treatment of cardiovascular disease, is pleased to report that it is actively enrolling patients in a placebo-controlled, randomized double-blinded Phase IIa study evaluating the safety and efficacy for JVS-100 in patients with Rutherford Class 4 or 5 critical limb ischemia.

16 May 2012

Study investigates use of stem cells to treat lower-limb peripheral artery disease

Research led by vascular surgeons at Dartmouth-Hitchcock may offer new hope to sufferers of peripheral artery disease, the cause of nearly 60,000 lower-limb amputations annually, through the use of a patient's own stem cells.

3 May 2012

Overweight and obese teenagers with diabetes may be difficult to treat: Study

According to a major study released Sunday, several ways to manage blood sugar in teens newly diagnosed with diabetes were tested. The researchers found that nearly half of them failed within a few years and 1 in 5 suffered serious complications. This is concerning since there is an epidemic rise of Type 2 diabetes brought on by obesity.

30 Apr 2012

Diabetes alone may cost a sixth of total NHS budget by 2035: Report

A new report warns that diabetes will cost the NHS more than a sixth of its entire budget by 2035. The disease accounts for 10 per cent (£9.8 billion) of NHS spending, but this is projected to rise to £16.9 billion over the next 25 years, or 17 per cent of the health service's funds. There are around 3.8 million people living with diabetes in the UK and this is expected to increase to 6.25 million in just over two decades.

26 Apr 2012