Lab Report

Stitches embedded with stem cells could lead to quicker and stronger healing of Achilles tendon tears than traditional sutures, according to a study published in Foot & Ankle International. In tests on rats, US researchers from MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore compared traditional surgery, surgery with stem cells injected into the injury area, and surgery with special stitches embedded with stem cells. The results showed that the group receiving the stem cell sutures healed better four weeks after surgery. Achilles tendon injuries are common among athletes.

Women who experience gestational diabetes may face an increased risk of early heart disease later in life, even if they do not develop type-2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome after their pregnancy, a 20-year study in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found. The study involved nearly 900 women, aged 18 to 30, who later gave birth one or more times. About 12 years after pregnancy, ultrasound was used to measure the thickness of the walls of their carotid artery, which is an early measure of atherosclerosis - plaque build-up in arteries - and predicts heart attack and stroke in women. A larger average wall thickness was found in study participants with a history of gestational diabetes and who did not develop diabetes or metabolic syndrome during the 20-year follow-up, compared to those who never experienced gestational diabetes.