Musculoskeletal

Ireland does not yet have have support for a national programme and policy on osteoporosis

It is important to take into account a differential diagnosis of septic arthritis

Risk factors include include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high consumption of beer

Potential to investigate alternative interventions to reduce morbidity in these patient groups

Doctors in Switzerland have reported successfully using cartilage cells harvested from patients’ own noses to produce cartilage transplants to treat the knees of 10 adults (aged 18-55 years) whose cartilage was damaged by injury.

Some 180 scientists from 17 different countries — including researchers from the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College — have collaborated on groundbreaking research that has identified three previously unknown genes that shed light on the underlying causes of motor neurone disease (MND).

Exercise therapy is as effective as surgery for middle-aged patients with a common type of knee injury known as meniscal tear, where the damage is to the rubbery discs that cushion the knee joint, a study in The BMJ has found.

Rheumatic diseases like polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and gout are often complex and affect many aspects of the patient’s life.

Working with the Dublin Brain Bank, Beaumont Hospital and St James’s Hospital, scientists at Trinity College Dublin have discovered a new and previously unreported feature of the degenerative brain condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that may shed light on how it is diagnosed and ultimately treated.

Metal on metal (MoM) hip replacements implanted since 2006 are more prone to failure and patients with them have a greater need for further surgery, finds research looking at revision rates at one hospital trust for the DePuy Pinnacle device.