“Study finds early surgical treatment may benefit people who suffer from biceps injuries (News-Medical-Net)” plus 3 more

Study finds early surgical treatment may benefit people who suffer from biceps injuries (News-Medical-Net)
Freezing breast tumors helps stop cancer’s spread in mice, study finds (Science Daily)
Freezing breast tumors helps stop cancers spread in mice, U-M study finds (EurekAlert!)
Study raises hope for gut disease cures (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Study finds early surgical treatment may benefit people who suffer from biceps injuries (News-Medical-Net)

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 08:26 PM PST

People who suffer from injuries to the distal biceps tendon may benefit from earlier surgical intervention and new surgical techniques, according to a review article published in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS). Located in the front of the elbow, the distal biceps tendon attaches to the lower end of the biceps muscle, and is responsible for two primary motions:

allowing the elbow to bend (elbow flexion), and s
allowing the arm to turn the palm upward (supination).

The study reported individuals who undergo surgery soon after their injuries experience faster and more complete recoveries than patients who are treated nonsurgically, as well as those whose surgeries are delayed.

"Over the last 10 years there has been an increase in techniques to repair the distal biceps tendon," said Karen Sutton, MD, assistant professor at Yale Medical School and attending orthopaedic surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital. "Newer techniques allow for smaller incisions and often use one incision, instead of two. Moreover, the use of hardware can often return the strength of the tendon to within 90 percent to 95 percent of its original strength."

The study revealed surgical treatment offered a 30 percent greater improvement in elbow flexion and a 40 percent greater improvement in supination when compared to non-surgical treatment. Upper extremity endurance was also improved in patients treated surgically.

The results of the study also indicate surgery is most effective, and much simpler, when completed within two weeks of the initial injury.

"Early diagnosis and treatment of these injuries make surgical repair more straightforward," Sutton added. "The ability to locate the end of the tendon in surgery is easier within the first two weeks, and if the tendon is repaired during this two-week period, the patient should regain the majority of his or her elbow flexion and forearm supination strength. After two weeks, the tendon tends to scar, making it more difficult to bring the tendon back to its original attachment."

Injuries to the distal biceps tendon most often occur as the result of a single trauma involving lifting or moving heavy weights, and may occur more frequently in patients over the age of 30 years, as well as those who smoke and individuals who take anabolic steroids, Sutton noted.

Because other muscles initially may compensate for some of the loss of function following a trauma, these injuries occasionally can be difficult to detect initially, causing treatment to be delayed in some cases, she said. A detailed medical history is one of the primary components used to detect these injuries. Patients who injure their arm during exercise or other activity should be aware of the following warning signs which may point to an injury of the distal biceps tendon:

a "popping" sensation in the arm and bruising around the elbow at the time of injury;
a change in the contour or shape of the biceps muscle; and
pain and weakness in flexion and supination of the injured arm

Sutton said people can help prevent biceps injuries by:

avoiding smoking and anabolic steroid use, which decrease blood flow to the tendon, increasing the likelihood of injury;
avoiding lifting heavy weights using a biceps curl; and
exercising caution when moving heavy objects, especially in individuals who smoke, take steroids, or are older than 30.

When a biceps injury does occur, Sutton said no matter which surgical technique is used, one of the most important factors in successful treatment is ensuring the surgery is not delayed.

"There are multiple ways to repair the tendon surgically, and the specific technique used is based on the experience of the surgeon and the latest biomechanical studies on strength and stability of various repairs," Sutton said. "For a healthy, active individual, it is best to seek medical attention quickly and to be evaluated by an orthopaedic surgeon if a tear is suspected, in order to ensure the best possible outcome."

Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

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Freezing breast tumors helps stop cancer’s spread in mice, study finds (Science Daily)

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 10:22 AM PST

ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2010) — Freezing a cancer kills it in its place, and also appears to generate an immune response that helps stop the cancer's spread, leading to improved survival rates over surgery, according to a new study in mice from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Researchers looked at two different cryoablation techniques, which both involve applying a cold probe to a tumor to freeze it. The study was done in mice with breast cancer. One method involves freezing the tumor rapidly, in about 30 seconds; the other freezes the tumor slowly, taking a few minutes. Results from the cryoablation were compared to results from mice whose tumors were removed with surgery.

Both cryoablation techniques successfully killed the breast tumor. The mice treated with the rapid freeze had fewer tumors that spread to the lungs and improved survival compared to mice treated with surgery alone or mice treated with the slower freezing technique. The study showed that the benefit from the rapid freezing is likely due to changes in the immune system that help to kill the tumor. Freezing with the slower technique appeared to make the immune system not as able to kill the tumor.

The study appears online in Annals of Surgical Oncology. Based on these results from mice, researchers are now conducting a clinical trial using cryoablation in patients with breast cancer. In this trial, researchers use the rapid freezing technique.

"Cryoablation has strong potential as a treatment for breast cancer. Not only does it appear effective in treating the primary tumor with little cosmetic concerns, but it also may stimulate an immune response capable of eradicating any cells that have traveled throughout the body, reducing both local and distant recurrence, similar to giving a breast cancer vaccine," says lead study author Michael Sabel, M.D., associate professor of surgery at the U-M Medical School.

"What we learned in this study is that all cryoablation is not equal. The technique used to freeze the tissue can have a significant impact on how the immune system responds. The system we use today appears to be ideal for both destroying the tumor within the breast and generating an anti-cancer immune response," Sabel says.

U-M researchers are participating in a national clinical trial to evaluate using cryoablation for early stage breast cancer. Participants will undergo rapid freezing of their tumor, and their blood samples will be analyzed to assess changes in their immune system. All participants will be treated three to four weeks later with standard surgery to remove their tumor.

Cryoablation is currently used routinely for prostate cancer, kidney cancer and a variety of cancers that have spread to the liver and bone.

Breast cancer statistics:

192,280 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,610 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society

Story Source:

Adapted from materials provided by University of Michigan Health System.

Journal Reference:

Sabel et al. Rate of Freeze Alters the Immunologic Response After Cryoablation of Breast Cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 2009; DOI: 10.1245/s10434-009-0846-1

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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Freezing breast tumors helps stop cancers spread in mice, U-M study finds (EurekAlert!)

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 06:01 AM PST

Public release date: 2-Mar-2010
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Contact: Nicole Fawcett
nfawcett@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System

Cryoablation generates immune response that kills metastases in mice

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Freezing a cancer kills it in its place, and also appears to generate an immune response that helps stop the cancer's spread, leading to improved survival rates over surgery, according to a new study in mice from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

For more information about the study, contact the U-M Cancer AnswerLine at 800-865-1125.

Cryoablation is currently used routinely for prostate cancer, kidney cancer and a variety of cancers that have spread to the liver and bone.

Breast cancer statistics: 192,280 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,610 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society

Funding: No external funding

Reference: Annals of Surgical Oncology, DOI 10.1245/s10434-009-0846-1

Resources:
U-M Cancer AnswerLine, 800-865-1125
U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, www.mcancer.org

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Study raises hope for gut disease cures (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 11:57 AM PST

PARIS (AFP) – Scientists unveiled Wednesday a complete genetic panorama of microbes in the human digestive track -- an advance that could help cure ailments like ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

"This completely changes our vision," said Stanislav-Dusko Ehrlich, a researcher at France's National Institute for Agricultural Research, after the study was published in the journal Nature.

Knowing which core bacteria populate a healthy intestine should lead to more accurate diagnosis and prognosis for diseases ranging from ulcers to IBD to Crohn's, which also causes painful inflammation, he said.

"In the future, we should be able to modify the (microbial) flora to optimise health and well being," he told AFP.

"This also opens up the possibility of prevention through diet, and treatments tailored a person's genetic and microbial profile."

More than 100 researchers working over two years found some 3.3 million distinct genes spread across at least 1,000 species of single-celled organisms, virtually all bacteria.

"The study is a blueprint," said co-author Jeroen Raes, a scientist at Vrije University in Brussels.

"The vast majority of bacteria found were not known before. But now we can start sorting out what they do in terms of function, and how they might relate to disease," he told AFP.

The intestinal census was carried out on 124 adults -- some healthy, others obese or suffering from IBD -- from Denmark and Spain.

Using new DNA sequencing techniques, scientists gathered a mass of data equivalent to 200 complete human genomes, Raes said.

The number of bacteria discovered is double many previous estimates.

But the big surprise was not the diversity, said researchers, but the fact that most humans -- despite different diets and environments -- appear to share a sizeable least common denominator of microbial flora.

Previous studies had suggested that there was relatively little overlap, especially from different corners of the globe.

Each individual in the study had at least 160 different species of micro-organisms, adding up to more than half-a-million separate genes, the researchers found.

About 40 percent of these genes were shared with at least half of the other volunteers.

There are 10 times more microbes in the body than there are human cells, with trillions of bacteria concentrated in the mouth, skin, lungs and especially the gut.

Microbes are essential to health, helping to break down indigestible foods, activate our immune system, and produce vitamins.

But recent research also points to previously unsuspected roles in obesity, heart disease and intestinal disorders such as Crohn's disease.

The new research also sets a benchmark in the methods used to sift through billions of bits of genetic code.

"This enormous sequencing effort -- the largest of its kind -- was made possible by the use of novel technologies," said Raes.

With the so-called Illumina Genome Analyser "you get huge bags of very, very small bits of DNA," he explained.

"Putting that puzzle back together again is an enormous task. Many people believed that it would not be possible."

Much of the sequencing was done by a team at the Beijing Genome Institute.

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Study Techniques

Wednesday, March 3, 2010