Many of the injuries were to "lower extremities" and included tissue and bone damage, he said.

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As a result, the fat accumulates in the liver, spleen and bone marrow, causing bone damage, anemia and possibly death.

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"The second scan (on Friday) proved there was no bone damage in there, which enabled him to play today, " McNamara said.

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Even though he is available on a free transfer his time on Tyneside has been plagued by injury problems, including a broken metatarsal bone, knee ligament damage sustained at the 2006 World Cup, a double hernia operation and a thigh problem.

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"Recent scans confirm an injury to the right knee with bone bruising and possible cartilage damage to the kneecap, " the ECB said in a statement.

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"These are very high-force, high-impact injuries so they cause a lot of damage to tissue and to bone, " said Ron Walls, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

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Because the patients were given such high doses of MIBG they required bone marrow transplants following treatment an assurance against damage to marrow that may have occurred during their treatment.

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The conference is also expected to hear from Spanish scientists who will say they have identified drugs used to treat patients receiving a bone marrow transplant or those with breast cancer which can damage the lungs.

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Biolase's Waterlase system uses a patented combination of water and lasers to precisely cut hard tissues (bone and teeth) and soft tissue (gums) with minimal damage to surrounding areas.

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