Dr. Pearlman will be using the PDS plate, an absorbable and structural support, to perform a nasal reconstruction on a 6-year-old child, who fell and, as a result, smashed his nose. After a repair surgery with a local physician, the child’s nose began dropping, and he began to experience trouble breathing.

The PDA plate has seen success in Europe for several years. The device supports the nasal structure for approximately three months, providing the nose with enough stability to allow cartilage bonding to re-occur.

“The cartilage in our nose is fragile and the reconstruction needs to be correctly and thoroughly supported to heal perfectly,” states Dr. Pearlman. “The PDS plate is an excellent new product that will help improve the results in revision rhinoplasty and revision septoplasty.”

In the past few decades, improvements in rhinoplasty technologies have been boosting patients’ satisfaction. According to BusinessWeek, computer imaging software has helped give patients a more accurate image of what they will look like post-surgery.

The company, which develops therapeutics to treat diabetes and other metabolic disorders, announced this week that it had raised $23.5 million, bringing the total raised since 2006 to $50 million. The funds will allow the company to conduct a Phase 2b double-blind clinical trial with more than 420 patients at 30 planned sites.

MSDC-0160, the drug candidate, would significantly improve the safety profile of those suffering from type 2 diabetes by correcting a root cause of the disease. It also helps to improve blood pressure and lipids, according to the paper.

“If the results of the Phase 2a study are successfully extended in this Phase 2b trial, we will generate additional momentum for our development program as we drive toward achieving our long-term goal of a therapeutic option that could be used early in the course of the disease to inhibit the otherwise inexorable progression of diabetes and its complications,” said Jerry Colca, president and chief scientific officer at MSDC.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 17.9 million adults currently suffer from diabetes, with an additional 5.7 million who are undiagnosed.

The survey, conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, looked at healthcare in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, and found that in nearly all measurements the U.S. came in dead last.

For example, 20 percent of U.S. patients reported having trouble paying their medical bills, compared to rates of 9 percent or less in countries such as France. Additionally, only 57 percent of U.S. adults said they saw their doctor the same or next day when sick, as opposed to 70 percent in the UK, 78 percent in New Zealand and 93 percent in Switzerland.

Even when U.S. patients do get to see a doctor, they are routinely paying dearly for it. The study reported that one-third of U.S. adults pay $1,000 or more out-of-pocket as a result of medical expenses – significantly higher than all other countries.

Another study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reached similar conclusions. It found that U.S. healthcare scored highly on cancer care, however primary care has suffered.

Analyzing data gathered from 2001 to 2006 by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 9,819 adults ages 40 and older, researchers found that individuals with a history of cancer were more than 40 percent more likely to report memory impairment.

Treatments to fight these effects are currently being researched, and include behavioral interventions and medications such as antidepressants.

“These problems may be related to treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiation or hormonal therapy, or to something about the disease itself which can change brain chemistry, or to psychological distress,” said Pascal Jean-Pierre, a professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Some individuals have even begun to question the environmental effects of chemotherapy drugs after they pass through the body unaltered and into the water supply. However, a 2008 study published in the Journal of Hydrology found it unclear what effect low concentrations in water sources would have on flora and fauna.

Many Hollywood stars and wannabes have altered their appearance with plastic surgery, believing that larger breasts, straighter noses and unlined faces are the key to landing choice movie projects and high-paying roles. Now, more and more casting directors and movie executives are changing their views on what makes a desirable actor.

Some actresses get nose jobs and it changes their appearance for the better, but getting a nose job is credited with ruining Jennifer Grey’s career after she starred in Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze. Turns out viewers and decision-makers in Hollywood liked her somewhat larger and non-perfect nose better than the surgically enhanced version that took away her unique look.

In particular, women are losing roles if they have had breast augmentation, or are not even getting an audition. Some casting call advertisements even specify that only women with real breasts need apply.

Some television executives now recruit for natural-looking actors in other countries, because Los Angeles actors show up to auditions with obvious plastic surgery-enhanced bodies. Even older actresses, who once felt they had to to look younger in order to get work, are feeling the backlash. The taut, shiny face look from too much filler just doesn’t translate into a believable character on film. Naturally aging faces are in.

Not that the business of plastic surgery is slacking off because of this growing Hollywood trend. There were more than 10 million aesthetic and plastic surgery procedures performed in the U.S. last year.

Nose reshaping, or rhinoplasty, is the most requested aesthetic and plastic surgery procedure by teens. Most surgeons recommend that their patients wait until the age of 13 or 14 for girls and 15 or 16 for boys, the age when the nose is 90% of adult size.

Although a nose job procedure can have a positive impact on a teen’s self-esteem and body image, it is a serious procedure and patients must understand the risks and limitations. It is important that the decision is the teen’s and not based solely on the opinion of family or friends.

A successful outcome is directly related to having realistic expectations of what the nose will look like after the surgery. In most cases, the incisions will be inside the nose and not visible.

The potential complications of rhinoplasty include blood accumulation under the skin, infection, and reaction to anesthesia. To reduce the risks, always follow the advice and post-surgery instructions of your plastic surgeon.

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While still a Ph.D. student at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Edwards got the idea for in vitro fertilization, which he later developed through a research partnership with gynecologist Patrick Steptoe. In July 1978, Edwards and his research team delivered the first baby born through in vitro treatments.
However, the procedure was not developed without controversy. His efforts have been opposed by ethicists, certain religious groups and parts of the medical world. In fact, at one point in his career, Edwards had to issue eight libel actions in the High Court of London, all in a single day.

The contribution Edwards has made to those considered infertile, though, is immeasurable. Approximately four million babies will be born using the procedure in this year alone.

Other scientists in the running included chemist Carl Djerassi, who was one of the inventors of the female contraceptive pill, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary; James Till and Ernest McCulloch, who helped prove the existence of stem cells; and Gary Ruvkun and Victor Ambros for their work on microRNAs, which are key to research on inherited diseases.

The company and a group of CWRU researchers, headed by neurologist Dr. Jerry Silver, discovered that MultiStem decreases the inflammation that occurs after an injury in the spinal cord. MultiStem likewise promotes neuronal development or growth. The team has presented it findings at several scientific conferences, including the International Society for Stem Cell Research 8th Annual Meeting.

“The effects following administration of these remarkable cells after spinal cord injury in simultaneously preventing axonal dieback and stimulating nerve fiber sprouting are as strong as I have ever seen,” Dr. Silver said.

According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, over 1.2 million people have suffered from spinal cord injuries in the United States. Medical expenses for with spinal injuries can be substantial, particularly for patients with severe conditions.

This is the seventh consecutive year that the Rotary Club of Manchester, a regular contributor to local, regional and worldwide projects through fundraisers, introduced the Casella Waste Management as the event’s title sponsor. Member and race director of the Club, Andy Holzman, said that Casella has always been a generous donor for occasions that involve the Rotary Club, as well as the many philanthropic foundations in the community.

The benefactors of the Mt. Equinox Uphill Bike Climb include the Lyme Disease Association (LDA) and other local charitable organizations of the Manchester Rotary Club. The event also aims to raise the awareness of Lyme disease within the community.

The association provides study and treatment for the illness, which affects thousands of people across the United States each year. The disease is an acknowledged national concern, with an increasing rate of affected individuals in Vermont, as well as in New England.

Lily Safra is a founding board member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which focuses its efforts on finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Her late husband Edmond Safra, a prominent banking executive and longtime supporter of the Foundation, suffered from Parkinson’s Disease.

Unlike other illnesses, where doctors can monitor the size and spread of the illness to determine if a therapy is effective, the degenerative neurological disorder is more complicated to calculate. The lack of biomarkers is the most significant hindrance to finding the ultimate cure. Parkinson’s Disease sufferers need “treatments that slow or stop progression…but without developing these markers we’re not going to get there,” said Katie Hood, CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Safra’s initiative will fund a study that will include biologic sample testing, neuro-imaging, and behavioral examinations of 600 subjects in classifying the biomarkers of the disease.