Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Transplants / Organ Donations News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/transplants/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171690.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171690.php Sleep apnea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Researchers found that kidney transplant patients are just as likely to have this sleep disorder as dialyzed kidney disease patients who are on the transplant waiting list. Heart Disease Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171620.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171620.php Police in Peru have arrested four people, three men and a woman, whom they allege are members of a gang suspected of killing up to 60 people in order to extract their body fat to sell for thousands of dollars a litre to foreign markets to make cosmetics. Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171530.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171530.php Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure. There have been several protocols available for hepatic fate specification from ES cells, however, most of the protocols currently used result in low yield or purity of functional hepatocytes. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171021.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171021.php A new study from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota shows that patients who have acute leukemia and are transplanted with two units of umbilical cord blood (UCB) have significantly reduced risk of the disease returning. This finding has the potential to change the current medical practice of using one unit of UCB for treatment of patients who are at high risk for recurrence of leukemia and other cancers of the blood and bone marrow. Michael Verneris, M.D. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170797.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170797.php University of Virginia Health System patient Anne Kirchmeir has added new meaning to the expression, "heart of gold." During a recent visit to UVA Medical Center, Kirchmeir surprised her cardiologist, James Bergin, M.D., with a gift - one of the three gold medals she won during track events at this summer's World Transplant Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170747.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170747.php Texas Children's Hospital is the nation's first pediatric hospital to discharge a child while on an intracorporeal ventricular assist device (VAD), a feat previously accomplished only at adult institutions. The patient, 16-year-old Francisco "Frank" De Santiago, who was implanted with a mechanical heart pump called the HeartMate II on May 19, 2009, was discharged on Oct. 29, 2009. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170663.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170663.php One of the UK's leading cosmetic surgeons is calling for age restrictions on hair transplant surgery, after seeing an alarming rise in the number of teenage boys wanting to go under the knife. Dr Bessam Farjo, co-founder of The Farjo Medical Centre and past President of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, has seen a 23 per cent increase in enquiries coming from men aged 20 years or under over the past 12 months. Transplants / Organ Donations Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170505.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170505.php Staff at Southampton's teaching hospitals have launched a campaign to increase the number of organ and tissue donors across the south. An average of three patients die every day in the UK while waiting to receive an organ and more than 10,000 people are currently in need of a transplant. Research published last week shows 96% of people would accept an organ if in need of one, yet only a fraction of that number are signed up to donate. Transplants / Organ Donations Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170466.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170466.php Physician bias might be the reason why African Americans are not receiving kidney/pancreas transplants at the same rate as similar patients in other racial groups. Dr. Keith Melancon, director of kidney and pancreas transplantation at Georgetown University Hospital and associate professor of surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center, and colleagues explore this phenomenon in the November issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. Transplants / Organ Donations Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170442.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170442.php Fifty individuals who had lost hope of ever having the kidney transplants that would save their lives have reason to celebrate today as Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital announced a national transplant milestone - its 50th paired kidney exchange transplant. This unprecedented number of exchange transplants at a single center makes the San Antonio program the busiest paired exchange transplant program in the country. Transplants / Organ Donations Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169949.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169949.php Coronary Risk Factors Increase After Liver Transplantation (#7991) Patients who have undergone a liver transplant may have a significantly increased risk for developing cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers from New York Medical College assessed the incidence of new coronary risk factors and coronary artery disease in 200 patients (mean age, 58 years) after liver transplantation. All patients received prednisone for the first 3 months after transplantation. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169943.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169943.php Extended Therapy for Blood Clot Prevention Yields Greater Benefits in Hip/Knee Surgery (#8587) Patients undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) or total hip replacement (THR) surgeries may experience better outcomes if they receive extended therapy for the prevention of thrombosis (blood clots). Vascular Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169717.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169717.php As the first multimedia campaign to promote organ donation rolls out across the UK today, new research reveals the gap between what we would take and what we are prepared to give. While 96% of us would accept an organ if we needed one, only 27% of us have the joined the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR). Many of us (45%) have the best intentions to sign up to the ODR and commit to donate our organs for transplantation after our death, but just haven't got round to it. Transplants / Organ Donations Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169629.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169629.php Specially developed immune system cells that target the common Epstein-Barr virus can protect immune-suppressed bone marrow transplant recipients against lymph system disease and cancers that arise from the viral infection, said a group of researchers led by those from Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169469.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169469.php Extending hepatitis C treatment for liver transplant patients beyond current practice results in high rates of clearance of the hepatitis C virus from the blood, as well as a low rate of relapse, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. "We found that patients who achieved a sustained virological response were more likely to have had extended treatment," says Kimberly Brown, M.D., Division head of Gastroenterology at Henry Ford Hospital and senior author of the study. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169471.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169471.php Individuals with a history of lupus who receive a kidney transplant rarely develop the serious inflammatory condition lupus nephritis in their new organ, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. The findings indicate that having lupus should not keep individuals from seeking a kidney transplant if they need one. Transplants / Organ Donations Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169475.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169475.php Switching to a newer type of immunosuppressant drug may reduce the high rate of skin cancer after kidney transplantation, according to research presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. Transplants / Organ Donations Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169451.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169451.php The race of kidney donors may affect the survival rates of transplant recipients according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital. "We found that transplant between races had better outcomes than transplant across races," says Anita Patel, M.D., transplant nephrologist at Henry Ford Hospital Transplant Institute and lead author of the study. Transplants / Organ Donations Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169358.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169358.php A recent study by doctors at Shinshu University, School of Medicine, in Japan determined that left side grafting has lower risk to donors compared to grafts taken from the right lobe, and it appears to be the procedure of choice for adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Researchers also found that graft size was not the only cause behind "small-for-size graft syndrome," a severe complication resulting in organ malfunction and transplant failure. Transplants / Organ Donations Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169359.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169359.php Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), cells found in the layer of peripheral embryonic stem cells from which the placenta is formed, are thought to exhibit "immune privilege" that aids cell survivability and is potentially beneficial for cell and gene therapies. Further, the survivability of TSCs has been thought to require the presence of ovarian hormones. However, none of these assumptions has ever been verified. Stem Cell Research Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169299.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169299.php Kidney transplant consent forms are often written at a level that makes it difficult for many kidney patients to fully understand them, according to a paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual meeting in San Diego, CA. The study findings indicate that consent forms are written on average at a 12th-grade reading level, but to ensure all patients fully comprehend treatment options should be prepared at a 5th - 8th grade reading level. Transplants / Organ Donations Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169300.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169300.php Pre-dialysis transplant recipients with a high level of kidney function don't benefit from their transplant more than pre-dialysis recipients with low level kidney function, according to a paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. The findings indicate that there may be no urgency for kidney disease patients to get a transplant while their kidneys are still somewhat healthy. Transplants / Organ Donations Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169303.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169303.php Get-togethers with a kidney disease patient's family and friends can improve their willingness to consider donation, according to a paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. The findings indicate that group-education of patients' relatives and friends is an effective way to help alleviate the organ shortage and increase living donations. Transplants / Organ Donations Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169236.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169236.php Although women with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are at lower risk for developing cirrhosis, researchers who compared outcomes for men and women after having liver transplantation found that women have a significantly increased risk of overall graft loss and graft loss from recurrent HCV than men. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169244.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169244.php Compared with veteran doctors, recent medical school graduates are more likely to refer chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients for kidney transplantation before their patients require dialysis, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. These findings suggest that more recent medical training is associated with early referral. Transplants / Organ Donations