Feature Channels: Transplantation

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FDA approves first U.S. clinical trial of an intravenously administered bacteriophage-based therapy to treat resistant bacterial infections.

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Two 29-year-old patients from Michigan and Illinois are recovering following back-to-back triple-organ transplants to replace their failing hearts, livers and kidneys, marking a first in U.S. health care history.

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The Fred Hutch Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) has once again earned national recognition for outperforming expected one-year survival rates, for the sixth consecutive year.

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In a review of registry data for more than 5,300 liver transplants performed in children nationwide, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers identify the type of patient who is most likely to survive a split liver transplant—receiving only part of a donor’s liver—with no additional long-term health risks, which could allow for an increase in the availability of organs. A report on the new study is published in the December issue of the journal Liver Transplantation.

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Results of a medical records study of more than 7,000 patients awaiting a lung transplant in the United States affirm the basis of a court filing in 2017 that called the organ allocation system geographically “rigged” in some regions of the nation.

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Here's a great holiday story about a 20-year-old Reno, NV, man whose mother saved his life. Harley Brackney's snowboarding accident and subsequent trip to the emergency room led to the shocking discovery that he had a life-altering condition - stage 5 renal failure - and needed a kidney transplant. Fortunately for Harley Brackney, his mom was a perfect match and instead of waiting 7 to 10 years for a donor organ -- as many people must -- he was able to have a transplant in just a matter of months.

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In medical chart reviews of 2,430 kidneys transplanted from 1,298 donors—585 (24 percent) of them with AKI—researchers say they found no significant differences in rates of organ rejection among kidneys from deceased donors with or without AKI. They also report they found no evidence that factors such as the amount of time an organ is chilled and left without blood supply before transplantation had any impact on recipient outcomes for those who received AKI kidneys.

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Currently, uterus donation is only available for women with family members who are willing to donate. With live donors in short supply, the new technique might help to increase availability and give more women the option of pregnancy. The first baby has been born following a uterus transplantation from a deceased donor, according to a case study from Brazil published in The Lancet. The study is also the first uterine transplantation in Latin America.

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Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a new tool described as a “flight data recorder” for developing cells, illuminating the paths cells take as they progress from one type to another. This cellular tracking device could one day help scientists guide cells along the right paths to regenerate certain tissues or organs, or help study the origins of cancer.

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Growing functional blood vessel networks is no easy task. Previously, other groups have made networks that span millimeters in size. But now, a University of Delaware team has grown a self-assembling, functional network of blood vessels across centimeter scales, a size relevant for human use. With continued development and refinement, the microfluidic system could be used to grow blood vessels for human tissue and organ transplants.

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In this five-day fellowship program sponsored by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, journalists will receive a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at what’s new and what’s next in several medical specialties. Topics will include aging, cancer, brain injuries and diseases, transplant medicine, vaccines and developing technologies such as regenerative medicine, telemedicine and simulation-based medical training. The program will include hands-on activities. In addition to group sessions, journalists can personalize part of the program.

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The FDA has approved an investigational new drug clinical trial that will start shortly at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, to determine whether stem cell therapy improves myocardial function in patients with severe heart failure—severe enough to require the implantation of a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD.

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Improving outcomes for patients with myeloid cancers who undergo stem cell transplantation is a focus of several studies to be presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists at the ASH Annual Meeting.

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Following the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for the treatment of certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, UC San Diego Health was the first medical center in San Diego to be certified to offer this type of immunotherapy outside of a clinical trial.

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Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) reported results from a new study that looks at the likelihood of complications for people undergoing bone marrow transplants (BMTs). The observational study found that people with lower gut microbiota diversity before having a transplant appear to be at higher risk for developing complications. These findings further support evidence that the connection between microbiota and outcomes starts before people begin the transplantation process. These findings were presented as part of the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) press program.

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Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis, rheumatic diseases, alcoholism and mental health disorders increase the risk of surgical complications after a hip fracture surgery, a new Finnish study analysing nationwide registers finds. 4.6% of all hip surgery patients and 10% of total hip replacement surgery patients experienced surgical complications within three months following their surgery.

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MSK experts in CAR-T therapy, immunotherapy, leukemia, lymphoma, blood and marrow stem cell transplantation, and more, are also available to comment on meeting news.

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This past January 2018, a surgical team from NYU Langone Health performed its second face transplant, replacing much of the upper, mid, and lower face and jaws of a 26-year-old man from California. NYU Langone Health is one of only a handful of medical centers in the United States — and the only one in New York State — with a dedicated program for face transplantation.

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Millions of Americans have no idea that they have fatty liver disease. This growing problem will soon be the number one reason for liver transplantation, overtaking hepatitis C. Holiday overindulgence in alcohol and food could make the problem dramatically worse.

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According to a recently released national report the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center's Liver Transplant Program had the best one-year survival outcome of all hospitals in California, with 96 percent of patients surviving beyond the one-year milestone. Kidney transplant and heart transplant patients also had excellent outcomes, with 97 percent of patients surviving past the one-year benchmark.