Category Health/Medical

This is a size comparison between 3-D printed prosthesis implant and a penny. Credit: Radiological Society of North America

Researchers using CT scans and 3D printing have created accurate, custom-designed prosthetic replacements for damaged parts of the middle ear, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The technique has the potential to improve a surgical procedure that often fails because of incorrectly sized prosthetic implants, researchers said. Hearing works partly through the transmission of vibrations from the ear drum to the cochlea, the sensory organ of hearing, via 3 tiny bones in the middle ear known as ossicles...

Via a cannula introduced into the infarction area, the cells loaded with magnetic nanoparticles are injected into the damaged heart muscle tissue of the mouse. Credit: Copyrighted Photo: Dr. Annika Ottersbach/Uni Bonn

Researchers show in mice that transplanted muscle cells display improved engraftment in a magnetic field How can damaged cardiac tissue following a heart attack best be treated with replacement muscle cells? A team under the supervision of the University of Bonn is now presenting an innovative method on mice: Muscle replacement cells, which are to take over the function of the damaged tissue, are loaded with magnetic nanoparticles...

Pancreatic cancer cells, under a microscope. Credit: University of Cincinnati

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine have shown that a new targeted treatment could benefit patients with certain pancreatic tumors by preventing spread of the cancer and protecting their heart from damage – a direct result of the tumor. Higher levels of serotonin among other tumor secretions can cause injury to the valves of the heart over time, leading to cardiac impairment – a condition referred to as cardiac carcinoid disease – in these patients.

These findings, reported in the November 2017 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, could lead to another targeted treatment for patients and prevent the onset of additional complications from their cancer...

Lumbar spine MRI showing vertebra at baseline and three months after treatment. Credit: Radiological Society of North America

The majority of patients were pain free after receiving a new image-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment for low back pain and sciatica, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Low back pain is an extremely common problem that affects at least 80% of the population at some point in their lifetime. It is the most common cause of job-related disability. Low back pain affects men and women equally.

Most back pain is short-term, but about 20% of people affected by acute low back pain go on to develop chronic low back pain lasting a year or more...