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Blood Pressure Can Be Lowered By Reducing Salt Intake
Adults who use less salt in their diet can experience a slight reduction in their blood pressure in the medium term. However, whether in the long term this can also reduce the risk of late complications in people with sustained high blood pressure, otherwise known as essential hypertension, and whether in the long term their anti-hypertensive medication can be reduced remains unresolved. This is the conclusion of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in its final report published in the form of a rapid report on 20 July 2009.
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Navitar Optics Used In Military Applications For Over Sixty Years
Navitar, Inc."s cutting edge optical technology dates back over 60 years when the company"s founder, David Goldstein, pioneered his way into the optics industry. Originally forming Elgeet Optical in 1946, Goldstein set out to make innovative optics for the most revolutionary applications and industries. His decision to develop and manufacture optical technologies for Military applications was fundamental in establishing the Navitar name brand. Today, Navitar continues to develop product lines to meet changing technological advancements and is one of the most recognized and respected names in the optics industry.
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Divisions Over Future Medicare Spending Surface In House
"A week-old agreement among House Democrats to smooth out disparities in the way Medicare reimburses rural and urban health providers is in danger of crumbling, as disputes erupted Friday over what actually was agreed to," The Wall Street Journal reports. "Some lawmakers from states with high health-care costs are also pressing House Democratic leaders for changes to the deal to ensure that their doctors and hospitals don"t see too big of a bite. ò€¦ Lawmakers from populous areas are questioning whether the deal on geographic disparities should be altered to allow more time for Medicare changes to take effect, since there is no longer the urgency of putting those changes into effect before the public option is rolled out. Another issue is for how long a period of time after changes go into effect urban hospitals should be "held harmless," meaning they won"t see their Medicare reimbursements cut" (Vaughan, 8/2).
Endocrinology

UAB Total Joint Replacement Research Collaboration Supported By New NIH Funding

Newly announced National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding will expand the reach of ongoing University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) research into a unique nanostructured coating to improve the performance and longevity of total joint replacement components. The broadened UAB research opportunity is funded by a four-year, $790,931 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant through the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). UAB"s research, titled Bioengineering Research Partnership (BRP) in Total Joint Replacements, will explore next-generation technology to improve the service life of total joint replacements, which UAB researchers believe could dramatically cut the number of recurrent surgical procedures performed each year, said Yogesh Vohra, Ph.D., the BRP"s principal investigator and director of the Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration (CNMB) in the UAB School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Vohra said the BRP opportunity will unite his UAB interdisciplinary research team with professionals at Smith and Nephew Inc., an international leader in the development of advanced medical devices. The company is known globally for its OXINIUMTM oxidized zirconium material for joint replacements. "We have been researching our nanostructured multilayer diamond coating for a number of years inside our UAB facilities but there have been limitations to just how rigorous the testing could be," Vohra said. "The funding to partner with Smith and Nephew expands our research options because it offers us access to the company"s res and talent." Among the benefits, Vohra said, the BRP allows access to Smith and Nephew"s hip and knee simulators, which offer UAB researchers the most realistic testing conditions to date for their coating technology. Working with the multi-million dollar simulators should strongly indicate how well the team"s nanostructured multilayer diamond coatings reduce the friction and wear on the metal components of orthopaedic devices, Vohra said. The team also will be able to examine the cellular and tissue responses to the technology and confirm that there is no toxicity effect from any wear debris that is generated. "This partnership is central to advancing our research toward more reliable and efficient joint replacements," Vohra said. "We are gaining access to state-of-the-art testing equipment while benefitting from Smith and Nephew"s experience as the industry leader in advanced bearing-surfaces for joint replacement implants." The BRP also helps put the UAB coating technology on the fast track for commercialization, as it will foster the private industry relationship necessary to secure investment and production capacity, Vohra said. The overall clinical impact of the BRP research is to drive down the number of recurrent surgical procedures for joint replacement recipients, who are living longer and pushing the longevity limits of their devices, Vohra said. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reports that 15 to 20 percent of annual total joint replacement procedures are recurrent, or revision, surgeries. Vohra said the nanostructured diamond-coated devices should reduce the metal ion release to the surrounding tissues and perform better during long-term implantation in the human body, which could significantly cut the follow-up surgery rate. The UAB interdisciplinary research team for the project includes Vohra, Susan Bellis, Ph.D., associate professor of physiology and biophysics, Aaron Catledge, Ph.D., research assistant professor of physics, Alan Eberhardt, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering and David Moore, M.D., Division of Orthopedic Surgery. Andrew Hayenga University of Alabama at Birmingham


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