Introduction ReGeneraTing Agents (RGTAs) are a family of polymers bioengineered to stabilise heparin-binding growth factors by mimicking HeparanSulphate (HS) thereby protecting them and promoting tissue repair and regeneration. In inflammation, destruction of HS exposes the ExtraCellularMatrix – ECM (structural & cellular proteins within) to the actions of proteases and glycanases which break t...

H and-e is the electronic online learning platform for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). It began as an idea from a group of young leaders in 2011, with the idea of creating a central repository for all ASSH educational material, including books, journals, videos, webinars and annual meeting content, and free-standing continuing medical education courses, to create a " go to ...

This paper describes the ongoing development of a robotic assistant for microsurgery and other precise manipulation tasks. It reports a new and optimized version of a steady-hand manipulator for retinal surgery. The surgeon and the robot share control of a tool attached to the robot through a force sensor. The robot’s controller senses forces exerted by the operator on the tool and uses this in...

Recently, thoracoscopic surgery has been shown to be effective for the relief of hand sweating. Although it is not fatal if left untreated, the treatment aim is to improve the quality of daily life. Therefore, it is important to understand the complaints of the patient, and provide an adequate explanation regarding postoperative sequelae. Surgeons should also recognize that thoracoscopic surger...

Modern anesthetic agents have allowed for the rapid expansion of ambulatory surgery, particularly in hand surgery. The choice between general anesthesia, peripheral regional blocks, regional intravenous anesthesia (Bier block), local block with sedation, and the recently popularized wide-awake hand surgery depends on several variables, including the type and duration of the procedure and patien...

The use of tendon transfer to restore functions of extremities was initially recognised in the 19th century, and its advancement was further amplified by the polio epidemic towards the turn of that century. Tendon transfer surgery extended to the use for traumatic reconstructive surgery during World War I, with key surgical pioneers, including Mayer, Sterling Bunnell, Guy Pulvertaft and Joseph ...

Hand surgery in Malaysia began modestly with the correction of claw deformity in leprosy patients early in the last century, and began to evolve over the years into the treatment of injuries in plantation and industrial workers, at home and then in road crashes. With training of some of our surgeons in various overseas centres, particularly in the UK and then in USA and Singapore, hand and micr...