Variations In Spinal Cervical Fusion Reflect Lack Of Evidence
If you're having surgery for degenerative disc disease of the cervical (upper) spine, the technique your surgeon uses may depend on what part of the country you live in, suggests a study in the January issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. Persistent regional variations highlight the need for solid scientific research on the techniques and outcomes of cervical spine surgery, according to the new report by Dr Kevin J. McGuire of Beth Israel Deaconess, Boston, and colleagues.
Bilateral Oophorectomy Associated With Higher Prevalence Of Low Bone Mineral Density And Arthritis In Younger Women
Women who underwent surgery to remove their ovaries before the age of 45 years were more likely to have arthritis and low bone mineral density compared with women with intact ovaries, researchers found. Anne Marie McCarthy, Sc.M., a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, presented the results at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 6-10, 2011. "Our study suggests that some women with oophorectomy, particularly at a young age, can experience clinically relevant decreases in bone mineral density (BMD).
Growth Hormone Increases Bone Formation In Obese Women
In a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), growth hormone replacement for six months was found to increase bone formation in abdominally obese women. "This is the first time that the effects of growth hormone on bone have been studied in obesity, " said the study's lead author, Miriam A. Bredella, M.D., a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Growth hormone is extremely important for bone health, and women with increased belly fat have weaker bones and reduced growth hormone levels.