Healthcare News
Research finds new method to reduce infant spinal taps
A simple combination of blood and urine tests may allow many infants with fevers (febrile) to safely avoid lumbar punctures (spinal taps), according to new findings from a major international study published in JAMA. The results show that these noninvasive tests can reliably identify infants with fevers 28 days and younger who are at very low risk for invasive bacterial infections.
Source: Medical Xpress
How the nervous system activates repair after spinal cord injury
After a spinal cord injury, cells in the brain and spinal cord change to cope with stress and repair tissue. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that this response is controlled by specific DNA sequences. This knowledge could help develop more targeted treatments.
Source: Medical Xpress
FDA approves Itvisma for spinal muscular atrophy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Itvisma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-brve) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in patients 2 years and older with confirmed mutation in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene.
Source: Medical Xpress
What to Do for Pinched Nerve Pain in the Neck
A pinched nerve in the neck can cause pain, numbness, and weakness that extends through the neck, shoulder, and arm.1 The medical name for neck nerve pain is "cervical radiculopathy." While the symptoms of a pinched nerve in the neck and shoulder can be really uncomfortable, treatment for a pinched nerve in the neck can help. Rest, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief, physical therapy, steroid injections, and wearing a neck collar can relieve pain and discomfort from a pinched nerve. Luckily, most of the time a pinched nerve resolves on its own within days or weeks.
MRI-based evaluation system accurately quantifies paraspinal muscle atrophy and nerve root injury severity
A noninvasive MRI technique that measures volumetric changes in paraspinal muscles could transform how doctors assess nerve damage in the cervical spine, which helps guide more precise treatment decisions and potentially speed recovery for patients suffering from either sudden trauma or gradual degeneration.
