Weight-Loss Surgery May Increase Fracture Risk.

Nancy Walsh writing in Reuter’s reported that fracture risk following weight-loss surgery may be even higher than initially thought, according to a findings presented at the Endocrine’s Society’s annual meeting in Massachusetts. For the study, Kelly Nakamura, medical student at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, followed 258 patients who had bariatric surgery and found that over nine years, 79 of the patients experienced a total of 132 fractures. The first breaks, on average, occurred at about six years post-surgery.

Higher Vitamin D Levels May Boost Medicines Used To Treat Osteoporosis.

Shari Roan writing in the Los Angeles Times reported that, according to research presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, “adequate levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream also appear to boost the power of bisphosphonates, medications used to treat osteoporosis.” In their study, “researchers found that having a circulating vitamin D level greater than 33 nanograms per milliliter was linked to a seven times greater likelihood of having a good response to bisphosphonates.”

FDA Wants Companies To Review “Metal On Metal” Artificial Hips.

Patti  Neighmond writing in NPR reported,  ”The Food and Drug Administration has told companies that make ‘metal on metal’ artificial hips to take a closer look at how patients fare after their hip replacement surgery.” The FDA request “comes in response to an increasing number of consumer complaints about the implants, along with last year’s voluntary recall  of an all-metal model made by DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson.” The agency is also “asking companies to collect blood samples from patients with all-metal hip implants in order to better understand exactly how much metal may be released into the bloodstream.”

Alicia Chang writing for the Associated Press reports that in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “researchers analyzing toxin levels in tens of thousands of toenail clippings and determined that mercury from eating fish does not raise the risk of heart disease or stroke.” Good news for people who eat fish for the heart protective and arthritis protective effects.

Children Who Play Video Games, Use Cell Phones May Be At Greater Risk For Joint Pain.

Martin Beckford writing in the UK’s Telegraph reports that “schoolchildren who spend several hours a day playing on Xbox consoles and iPhones reported ‘high levels’ of joint pain afterwards,” according to research presented at the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism. Professor Yusuf Yazici of the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases said, “Our study has shown the negative impact that playing computer games and using mobile phones can have on the joints of young children, raising concerns about the health impact of modern technology later in life.”

Less-Experienced Hospitals Have More Post-Procedure Complications.

Mary Elizabeth Dallas writing in Healthday reported, “People who have hip or knee replacement surgery at hospitals that do relatively few surgeries are at greater risk for serious complications after the procedure,” according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. For the study, Dr. Jasvinder Singh of the University of Alabama, and colleagues, “compiled data on 10,187 hip and 19,418 knee replacement surgeries performed in Pennsylvania in 2002.” The researchers found that “people who had a hip replaced at a hospital that did 200 or fewer surgeries a year were more likely to develop a blood clot that travels to the lungs, called a pulmonary embolism, within 30 days of surgery than were those who had their surgery at a high-volume hospital, which did more than 200 surgeries a year.”

FDA: Simvastatin Can Cause Severe Muscle Damage.

Steve Sternberg writing in USA Today reported that “the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin can cause severe muscle damage…federal health officials stated.   Catherine Larkin writing in Bloomberg News added, “The Food and Drug Administration revised the prescribing information of Zocor, chemically known as simvastatin, to say the 80-milligram dose of the medicine shouldn’t be used with certain other drugs or started in new patients, the agency said…in a statement. Merck’s Vytorin and Abbott Laboratories (ABT)’ Simcor, which contain simvastatin, will also add warnings.” Is the treatment worse than the disease?

Moderate To Intense Exercise May Reduce Risk Of Silent Strokes

Janice Lloyd writing in USA Today reported, “Older people who regularly exercise at moderate to intense levels may have a 40% lower risk of developing brain damage linked to ischemic strokes, certain kinds of dementia, and mobility problems,” according to a study published in the journal Neurology. The study found that “the MRIs of people who exercised at higher levels were significantly less likely to evidence of stroke.  But, “regular light exercise… did not appear to decrease the risk for stroke.”

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Michael Vlessides writing in Pain Medicine News reported that chiropractic manipulation of the spine is effective for treating chronic low back pain according to a meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Database Systemic  Review. According to lead author, Dr. Sidney Rubenstein, Spinal manipulation appears to be no better or no worse than that of other existing therapies for chronic low back pain.  Thus spinal manipulation should be considered a valid choice for patients who suffer from this condition.