Foot Blog News - Issue 22 - August/September 2007
Fracture And Bone Loss Risk Reduced If Older People Take Calcium Supplementation
MNT-People over the age of 50 who either take calcium supplementation alone, or along with vitamin D supplementation have a 12% lower risk of fracture or bone loss, compared to people who don’t take them, says an article in The Lancet, this week’s issue.
Stress Fracture Risk In Active Adolescent Girls May Be Hereditary
MNT-For active teen girls and young women, heredity may be more important than the type of sports or exercise they engage in as a risk factor for stress fractures, according to the study, “Family History Predicts Stress Fracture in Active Female Adolescents.” Stress fractures are bone defects resulting from repeated application of normal forces. They are especially of concern in active teen girls and young women, as they can indicate bone insufficiency.
Helping Third World Amputees – 15 Year Old Da Vinci Award Winner Invents Artificial Leg Shell
MNT-Fifteen-year-old Grayson Rosenberger, a freshman at Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, will be receiving the prestigious 2007 da Vinci Award for his application of a life-like surface for prosthetic legs. The idea also won the first place $10,000 prize in the Bubble Wrap® Competition for Young Inventors.The da Vinci Awards®, honors outstanding engineering achievements in design process, product design and applied research relative to accessibility and universal design issues. This year the presenting sponsor is General Motors and OnStar President Chet Huber serves as Leadership Chairman.
FDA To Set New Standards For Sunscreens
MNT-The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it is going to set new standards for formulating, testing and labelling over the counter sunscreen products.The main area of concern is that currently sunscreens are not required to say anything about how effective they are against UVA, a type of ultraviolet radiation that like its cousin UVB can also cause cancer and premature skin ageing such as wrinkles and sun spots.
Americans fatter than ever: study
Painful ulceration on the ankle of an 82-year-old man
Geriatrics.com- An 82-year-old man has a 6-month history of a pain-ful ulceration on the ankle. It began as a small sore and has slowly enlarged. The patient does not recall any trauma to the site before the lesion appeared. He has a history of recurrent thrombophlebitis of that extremity and often has pedal edema. Consider the differential diagnosis.
Integra LifeSciences Launches AEON Shape Memory Implant at 2007 American Podiatric Medical Association Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Prime Newswire- PLAINSBORO, N.J., Aug. 16, 2007 — Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq:IART) announced today that it has signed an agreement with InteliFUSE, Inc. to distribute its patented shape memory implant and activation system in the U.S. and Canada and will showcase the AEON Shape Memory Implant at 2007 American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Annual Scientific Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 16-19, 2007. The AEON Shape Memory Implant, a nitinol “smart” shape memory staple, has an FDA clearance for use in many orthopaedic indications, including surgeries for the foot, ankle, hand and wrist, as an alternative to rods, nails, screws and wires. The AEON Shape Memory Implant will be available in sizes, gauges and designs appropriate to several fixation and fusion indications.
Lower-limb injuries common place in U.S. soldiers in Iraq
News Medical- A study released in advance of the American Podiatric Medical Association’s (APMA) 95th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia reveals nearly 68 percent of all U.S. soldiers wounded in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are a result of extremity injuries and nearly 22 percent of those injuries involve the foot and/or ankle.To meet the war’s demands of lower-limb injuries, podiatric physicians are on the surgical front lines for the first time ever. No longer relegated to non-critical cases, podiatric physicians have seen their role expanded to match their medical and surgical training.
Foot Care Failure-NHS foot care services in England lacking
BBC- It cites Office of National Statistics figures from 2001 suggesting a third of over-65s cannot cut their own toe-nails and struggle to access NHS services. Some are even trying to cut their nails with gardening shears, the charity said as it launched a campaign on the issue. The Department of Health said they expected the NHS to provide good chiropody services for the elderly.
Americans Using Painkillers More Than Ever
MNT- According to a recent analysis by the Associated Press (AP) news agency of figures from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Americans are using painkillers more than ever before. Between 1997 and 2007 the volume of five major painkillers sold and distributed in the United States by hospitals, retail pharmacies, doctors and teaching centres has risen by 90 per cent.
School Starts- Pick the right shoes
MNT- As saddle shoes and penny loafers have come and gone, healthy feet are meant to last a lifetime. Parents may have already begun the annual back-to-school shopping expedition with their children, where school shoes are likely be purchased. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), parents buying back-to-school gear should make sure their children have properly fitting shoes that offer both protection and comfort.
Kids and Crocs: Trendy or Risky?
Web MD(Public)- Crocs are everywhere, from malls to parks to schools across America. With funky color choices like Camouflage, Haze, and Glam, Crocs are probably your child’s favorite footwear. But the Crocs shoe craze has hit a bump in the road, as parents — and schools — wonder if the loose-fitting style of these cool kicks can actually pose a danger.
Experts gave WebMD advice on kids’ Crocs, including the benefits of Crocs during summer, the risks of Crocs during the school year, and when a full-coverage shoe, like a sneaker, might be a more sensible — and safer — choice.
Birth Defects to Fingers and Toes: Another reason to quit smoking
Healthday News- FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) — One of the first things every new parent does is count the baby’s fingers and toes. But, women who smoke during pregnancy may be in for an unhappy surprise, because smoking increases the odds that a baby will be born with finger or toe deformities.
Read more . . .
