Other Articles

Selling Yourself: Career Advancement for Sales Reps
Are you considering becoming a distributor or do you plan to advance within a company? Either way, you need to be ready. You will want to know how to make product line choices, hire a sales force, and lead others, among other things.

Mission Unaccomplished: Are the Wheels Coming Off at the FDA?
The FDA is no longer able to fulfill its mission and its wheels are coming off. So says the FDA’s own Science Board in a scathing report. We looked under the hood of the report and here’s what we found.

“Back” to the Future Part II: Technology and the Vertebral Compression Fracture Market
In Part I, our inquiring analyst, Matt Menze, highlighted opportunities for spinal implant manufacturers in the vertebral compression fracture (VCF) market. Now he tackles the thorny issue of new and emerging VCF technologies. What’s on the horizon? Read on.

Second Careers for Orthopedic Surgeons
How should you plan for a change in focus later during your career? You may want to continue utilizing your research, managerial, or presentation skills. Find out what Drs. Ray Linovitz and Stephen Hochschuler have to say about how to stay involved in the field at any stage of one’s career.

Finally, Consolidation in the Allograft Industry
So, where’s Adam Smith’s enlightened self interest when you need it? For about the length of the average U.S. Presidency it’s been clear to anyone who could read an income statement that one important market sector was in need of consolidation. That sector is allograft. With RTI and Tutogen merging, it may finally be happening. Read on.

The Smell of Favoritism, Political Interference, and Back-Room Dealing Alleged in Ortho Deferred Prosecution Deal in Jersey
Amid charges of political favoritism, New Jersey Congressmen call for investigation of ortho deferred prosecution agreements. It’s Jersey and the fur’s flying, read about it here.

The Match Process: Let the Courtship Begin
In the first of three articles, two medical students describe their experiences of the residency match process. Learn their thoughts on interviewing, letters of recommendation, and of course, the pressure to match.

A New “Wave” of Extremity Treatment?
Addressing a market of more than a quarter of a million patients annually with a $5-8,000 treatment sounds like the next multi-billion market. FDA approved, but controversial. What is Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and why should we care? Read on.

Avoiding the Perp Walk, or How to Keep the Justice Department From Knocking on Your Door
We’ve all seen the “Perp Walk” on TV. The defendant cuffed and trying to hide his or her face from the cameras. Will Justice Department and congressional investigations of industry and physician relationships result in a doc taking that walk? Read what a federal prosecutor says about avoiding that indignity.

Direct Consumer Marketing—Big Bucks Sure, But Is There an ROI?
Direct-to-consumer advertising by implant manufacturers is increasing. Playing with the big boys, however, is pricey. Think $300,000 for a 30 second spot – plus the cost of creating the ad. Smith & Nephew asks “What Moves You?”. Our question is more basic, is any product moving? Read on.

Stress in Orthopedic Practices: Take Your Preventive Medicine
Says Wayne Sotile, Ph.D., “Many doctors have never thought of this, but what makes one successful as an orthopedic surgeon is not necessarily what is going to make you a successful leader or team member.” Learn how to reduce your stress and build trust within your practice and professional relationships.

For some lucky humans, their money grows while they sleep. For some bears, it’s their bone strength. A recent article on ScienCentral News (“Osteoporosis and Bears,” Brad Kloza and Victor Limjoco, May 8, 2007) highlighted unusual research being done at Michigan Technological University by biomedical engineer Seth Donohue, who is investigating why bear bones remain strong despite several months of annual hibernation.

Not held to the “use it or lose it” maxim, bears rest their bones for a long while, something humans cannot do without jeopardizing our skeletons. As indicated in the article, Donohue says that during immobility, "humans and other animals will have a decrease in their bone formation activity." Not so with bears, however, because, says Donohue, "their bone formation activity is not impaired by immobilization—so this is unique among animals."

Donohue’s work, which focuses on bone formation instead of bone loss prevention, could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis. As noted in the article, Donohue made his discovery that hibernating black bears are “busy” with bone formation during his work analyzing the bending and breaking strength of a collection of black bear bones. He found that while they do lose bone during hibernation, black bears grow new bone cells at an equal or faster rate. "And in fact their bending strength increases as a function of age, despite these annual periods of immobilization," Donohue noted in the article.

Donohue, along with researchers at Virginia Tech, began analyzing blood samples from hibernating bears. According to the ScienCentral News article, he reported online in the Journal of Experimental Biology that levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), known to promote bone growth, increase during the hibernation period. Donohue indicates that there is a study in humans indicating that a synthetic version of PTH increased bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.

As quoted in the article, Donohue commented, "We could develop those hormones or other growth factors synthetically, and then this could be used for drug treatments for osteoporosis in humans.” At this point, Donahue has synthesized the hormone in his lab will next sprinkle it on bone cells and watch for bone-forming activity.

Donohue's research was published in the April 18, 2006, online issue of Journal of Experimental Biology and funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and a gift from Timothy Floyd, M.D.