‘Three Rivers’ diagnosis: weak plot Oct 3, 2009
After watching the new CBS medical drama about organ transplants, you ll never think of coolers in the same way again. Once a sacred picnic essential, a portable home to beer and burger patties, coolers will hereafter be identified with the cross-country transfer of hearts on ice. (Boston Globe)
'Natural Killer' Cells Keep Immune System In Balance Oct 3, 2009
Managing NK cell production might help stabilize the immune systems of people with HIV or keep patients from rejecting bone marrow or organ transplants. The findings place an importance on understanding how to keep NK cells around, because they can be lost, said lead author Christine Biron, professor of medical science at Brown University. (Science Daily)
Doctors on TV Oct 2, 2009
There were no organ transplants on last Monday, nor was there any nod to bureaucracy, as is usual. True, a medical drama addressing the topic of insurance company approval would be commercially unviable and artistically undesireable; it would be something along the lines of a homicidally torpid production of a Beckettian anti-drama. (Slate)
AGH doctors finish first dual transplant Sep 23, 2009
The West Penn Allegheny Health System hopes this procedure will be the first of many double-organ transplants, he said, including more heart-kidney surgeries along with heart-liver and heart-lung transplants. In the past several months, the hospital has boosted both its lung transplant and liver transplant programs, adding to the heart transplant tradition it already had, and offering another alternative to UPMC for organ transplants in this region. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Mother meets with son's organ recipients Sep 22, 2009
Donate Life Minnesota says more than 2,700 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplants in the Upper Midwest. Information from: WCCO-TV. (Brainerd Daily Dispatch)
Blood drive set for Sept. 23 Sep 22, 2009
Blood can be used for patients undergoing surgical procedures, organ transplants, trauma and chemotherapy. For victims of auto accidents, the need for blood is sudden, and for others transfusions are needed to sustain life. (Scituate Mariner, MA)
Rational talk about medical rationing Sep 20, 2009
What about organ transplants. Yes, if you are 27, but no if you are 72. (Albany Times Union)
Fact checking Sep 19, 2009
In the first quote, Dr. Emanuel was writing about how to make ethical choices when forced to choose which patients get organ transplants or vaccines when supplies are limited. In another article, he was writing about a philosophical trend not the position he endorses. (Boerne Star, TX)
Making music as a gift of love Sep 19, 2009
To raise awareness about organ transplants and donation, Anderson has organized the fifth annual Papa Carl's Jam for Life, which will be held tomorrow at KatManDu in Trenton. Started five years ago as a backyard music jam to thank the people who helped him throughout his illness, the jam this year will feature dozens of bands. (NJ.com -- Times)
Sweden's Free-Speech Charade Sep 19, 2009
Benjamin Birnbaum: The Stockholm Syndrome: When Free-Speech Laws Are Only Free for Some. (CBS/Aftonbladet)Benjamin Birnbaum is a reporter-researcher for The New Republic. (CBS News)
Click to read:Cabbie Hailed for Donating Kidney Sep 12, 2009
Find a donor group in your state and learn more about the history - and amazing future - of organ transplants. Stories. (CBS News)
FALL TV: The new shows Sep 11, 2009
Briefly: Organ transplants. Organ donors. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Promising New Target Emerges For Autoimmune Diseases Sep 8, 2009
The findings open a new avenue of research for future therapies for conditions ranging from autoimmune diseases to organ transplants to cancer ... Regulatory T cells also influence the immune response in cancer, pregnancy, organ transplants and infection. (Science Daily)
Guilty by Association Sep 4, 2009
"Dr. Emmanuel was again exploring an issue doctors find themselves confronting semi-regularly. When you have limited resources (again organ transplants), how do you prioritize who to give the care to? Do you give a heart to the 12-year-old or the 72-year-old?Not an easy question to answer, is it?Then again, most of you on the right would like to make every thing seem simple -- in the mode of George W. Bush. Dr. Emmanuel is among the most respected bioethicists in the country who explores... (Cameron Observer, MO)
Obama Wrote Iran Ruler Again Before Election Sep 4, 2009
Mr. Medish added, "The paradox of democracy promotion across borders is that tools of influence often backfire much as organ transplants often fail. America stands for the democratic idea globally, but American history also teaches that the struggle for rights is a deeply domestic and organic process. "Finding the right balance point for effective outside pressure is tricky," Mr. Medish said. "Obama knows this. " ? 2009 Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved | | Related Links: Newsmax.com America's... (Newsmax)
$100K buys patient new kidney but not good health Sep 3, 2009
Before March 2008, Israeli law allowed citizens to go abroad for live organ transplants from non-related donors. Israeli investigators are looking intensively at illegal organ trafficking under the new law, the country's Health Ministry said. (CNN -- Health)
Up, stethoscope: NBC, CBS join full medical field Sep 3, 2009
4, 9 ET/PT), navigating organ transplants through the eyes of a Pittsburgh transplant center, its patients and (mostly) dying donors. "It's no coincidence that ER went off and everyone is trying to capture that audience, to capture that magic," says Rivers creator. (USA Today -- Life)
Treatments for Gout Aug 31, 2009
Medications including aspirin, thiazide diuretics, and anti-rejection drugs that are used on patients, who have undergone organ transplants, can also cause gout. Gout causes the joints to become red, swollen and tender. (Suite101.com)
FDA Approves Valcyte(R) (valganciclovir hydrochloride) to Prevent Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Disease in Pediatric Patients Who Receive Heart or Kidney Transplants Aug 31, 2009
"Children receiving organ transplants are especially vulnerable to infection because of their reduced immunity, and the invasive procedure of a transplant can put them at higher risk of contracting CMV infection," noted Richard Freeman, M.D., Vice Chair for Research, Department of Surgery, Professor of Surgery, Tufts Medical Center. "Prevention and medication dosing can be challenging because children are not small adults. The new oral formulation and information about how to administer the... (PR Newswire)
Fun Day keeps baby's memory, helps others Aug 29, 2009
Ostensibly, it's to raise money for the nonprofit they've started in Simon's memory, Simon's Angels, which is dedicated to helping families with children in need of organ transplants. Even more, though, it's about getting families out to have a good time together. (Daytona Beach News Journal -- Local)
• Donating blood plasma can be a real life saver Aug 29, 2009
It is in demand for people with bleeding disorders, cancer, premature infants, organ transplants and burn victims. Whole blood is drawn from a donor's arm through sterile tubing and into an automated blood collection (ABC) system that separates the blood into the various components. (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
China's Executed Supply Bulk of Organs Aug 27, 2009
Find a donor group in your state and learn more about the history - and amazing future - of organ transplants ... The move is China's latest step to better regulate organ transplants ... Condemned prisoners are "definitely not a proper source for organ transplants," the China Daily quoted Huang as saying. (CBS News)
Most China transplants from prisoners: state media Aug 26, 2009
Executed inmates "are definitely not a proper source for organ transplants", the paper quoted Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu as saying. In order to curb the country's "long-time dependence" on using organs from executed prisoners, the Red Cross Society of China on Tuesday launched a national organ donation system, the paper said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Four actions are neededfor health care reform Aug 26, 2009
Four actions are needed for health care reform - NJ.com. Search Local Business Listings. (NJ.com -- Times)
Most China Organ Transplants From Death Row Aug 26, 2009
It quoted Vice Health Minister Huang Jiefu as saying written consent is required from condemned prisoners but that they are "definitely not a proper source for organ transplants.". To curb transplants from prisoners and other abuses, a new national organ donation system managed by the Red Cross Society and the Health Ministry was launched Tuesday, the newspaper said. (Time.com)
Letters for Monday, August 24, 2009 (838) Aug 25, 2009
100 years again the concept of organ transplants would have been scoffed at as butchery and now it is common place and has saved many lives. Time and time again the ignorance or fear of ininformed people has hindered but not stopped the progress of science. (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
Cash, Connections Can Get a Kidney in NYC Aug 21, 2009
Find a donor group in your state and learn more about the history - and amazing future - of organ transplants. (AP) For most of the thousands of Americans who need a new kidney, there are only two ways to go: persuade a friend or relative to donate, or get on the transplant waiting list. (CBS News)
US healthcare debatesick to the heart Aug 19, 2009
Amazingly, millions of Americans see their parents and grandparents regularly receiving complete medical care, from simple doctor's office visits to complex and hugely expensive organ transplants, never receiving any bill for such, and yet they still believe that the US government had no role in this process. This is hugely frustrating for Obama and his rapidly diminishing ranks of allies; how can people see a government medical system work so well for their parents and oppose it so much for... (Asia Times Online)
Researcher says microchannels could advance tissue engineering methods Aug 18, 2009
Providing man-made replacement parts to people in need of organ transplants (and bypassing the need for suitable donors) has been a chief aim of tissue engineering, but so far the field's biggest successes have been the production of skin and cartilage. This is largely due to the fact that tissue engineers have yet to effectively produce a three-dimensional vasculature that can serve as a network of artificial arteries, veins and capillaries. (EurekAlert!)
Mending hearts Aug 15, 2009
Unlike organ transplants, adult stem cells generally can be given to any patient ... These stem cells are largely interchangeable between patients and don't require matching, as organ transplants do. (CNN)
Boy's Broken Heart Tests Doctors, Family Aug 14, 2009
A Child Who Survived Three Heart Operations Now Needs Two Organ Transplants. By LAUREN COXABC News Medical UnitAug. (ABC News)
Who would speak for you in a medical crisis? Aug 14, 2009
He suffered a coma, seizures, 20 surgeries, 2 organ transplants, many infections, hundreds of medical procedures, 8 months in intensive care (where he could not speak for himself). At that emotionally crippling time, I had to learn how to be his voice his patient advocate. (Littleton Independent, MA)
* China investigates hospitals offering organ transplants Aug 14, 2009
China investigates hospitals offering organ transplants ... A team from the health ministry and the National Organ Transplantation Committee was in the process of inspecting the 164 medical institutions qualified to carry out organ transplants, the China Daily reported. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
China overhauls illegal organ transplants Aug 13, 2009
BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- China launched an overhaul targeting illegal organ transplants, after reports surfaced that some hospitals were illegally doing organ surgeries for foreigners ... At present, 164 medical institutions in Chinese mainland are licensed to carry out organ transplants nationwide, of which 16 hospitals failed to comply with related regulations, the ministry said ... Organ transplants in China are covered by the 2007 regulations that establish national oversight and... (Xinhuanet, China)
Donors can provide priceless gift of life Aug 12, 2009
Here at home, about 380 people in Hawai'i are on the list to receive organ transplants. Unfortunately for far too many, the call for organ donors goes unanswered: 23 died last year due to a lack of donors. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Astellas's Prograf Faces Generic-Drug Competition, Damping Sales Prospects Aug 11, 2009
Sales will fall even though it wont be as rapidly as for drugs such as diabetes medicines because doctors will be careful about switching treatments for something life-threatening like organ transplants, Masuzoe said by telephone from Tokyo. Masuzoe projects Prograf sales in the U.S. will fall 24 percent to $676 million in the two years ending March 31, 2011. (Bloomberg -- Japan)
Demand for living donors growing Aug 11, 2009
Figures from the United Network of Organ Sharing show the number waiting for organ transplants has increased 23 percent since 2003. While they wait, about 8,000 will die or become too sick for a transplant. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
* World News Quick Take Aug 9, 2009
A man accused of swindling desperately ill patients out of US$400,000 by making false promises of organ transplants in the Philippines has pleaded guilty in New York to five federal wire fraud charges ... Prosecutors said Feldmans victims traveled to the Philippines based on his promises they would receive organ transplants there. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
NY man lied to sick people about organ transplants Aug 8, 2009
Britain to outlaw most private organ transplants. The British government said Friday that it plans to ban private organ transplants from dead donors to allay fears that prospective recipients can buy their way to the front of the line ... SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A man accused of swindling desperately ill patients out of $400,000 by making false promises of organ transplants has pleaded guilty in New York to five federal wire fraud charges. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Temple Emanu-El to host Marblehead blood drive Aug. 20 Aug 7, 2009
Blood can be used for patients undergoing many surgical procedures, organ transplants, trauma and chemotherapy. For some patients, such as automobile-accident victims, the need for blood is sudden. (Marblehead Reporter, MA)
Maternal Immunity Not All Good For A Fetus Aug 6, 2009
23, 2007) The immune system is designed to attack anything that is not the body's own tissues, such as pathogens and genetically nonidentical organ transplants, so why does the maternal immune system not. (June 24, 2009) Why the immune system of a pregnant woman does not attack her developing fetus is one of most remarkable features of pregnancy, and several underlying mechanisms have been described. (Science Daily)
New Drug Target For Kaposi's Sarcoma Aug 3, 2009
(May 13, 2007) Medical researchers have identified specific human genes targeted by a virus believed to cause Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer associated with AIDS and with organ transplants that causes. . (Science Daily)
Study: Complications high in Pa. liver transplants Aug 2, 2009
But the authors said that goes against the policy of the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees most organ transplants, for liver transplants from deceased donors. Under that policy, sicker patients are first in line for donated organs. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
Private organ transplants banned in UK Aug 1, 2009
LONDON - The British government said Friday that it plans to ban private organ transplants from dead donors to allay fears that prospective recipients can buy their way to the front of the line ... There are currently about 8,000 people waiting for organ transplants in Britain. (MSNBC -- Health)
Study of liver transplants reveals flaws Aug 1, 2009
But they noted that this directly contradicts the policy used by the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees most organ transplants in America, for liver transplants from deceased donors. In those cases, sicker patients with higher MELD scores are first in line for donated organs. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
UK transplants 'at record high' Jul 31, 2009
Thousands of people still need organ transplants. Last year saw a record high in the number of organ transplants carried out in the UK, NHS figures show ... There were 3,504 organ transplants between April 2008 and March 2009, up 8% on the previous 12 months. (BBC News -- Health)
Lax hospitals may be fostering kidney-selling Jul 30, 2009
Medicare, which pays for some organ transplants, requires hospitals to have someone evaluate living donors to make sure they understand the process and aren't being coerced or paid. Violators risk losing Medicare dollars. (MSNBC -- Health)
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva immobilizes patients Jul 29, 2009
Symptoms are eased by some treatments, such as corticosteroids and immunosuppressive medication used with organ transplants to prevent rejection. It's a genetic disease, caused by a one-letter-misspelling of the genetic alphabet in a single gene. (North County Times)
San Antonio physicians recognized for excellence in bariatric surgery Jul 24, 2009
Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital is an acute care hospital that specializes in general medicine, bariatrics, behavioral health and solid organ transplants. The facility is one of eight acute care hospitals within the. (San Antonio Business Journal, TX)
NorthShore-U of C program seeks slice of transplant market Jul 23, 2009
Patients who are candidates for heart, liver, lung or other organ transplants would get diagnostic work and other services there and then likely would be referred to U of C in Hyde Park for surgery. None of NorthShores four hospitals perform organ transplants. (Crain's Chicago Business)
Egypt: Selling Kidneys to Pay the Bills Jul 22, 2009
Experts say the absence of legislation regulating human organ transplants has made Egypt an international "hotspot" for kidney trafficking ... A nationwide ban on organ transplants from cadavers means all kidneys must be harvested from live donors ... " Relevant Links A draft law to regulate organ transplants was rejected by parliament last month. The bill had proposed to ban the sale of organs, prohibit transplants to foreigners, and impose sentences of up to 15 years in prison and 180,000... (allAfrica.com)
* Taiwanese team discover immune tolerance process Jul 18, 2009
An example is the suppression of rejection in organ transplants and the treatment of autoimmune diseases by inducing T cell anergy, Lai said. This story has been viewed 358 times. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Parliament Passes Legislation Easing Japan's Rules on Organ Transplants Jul 13, 2009
Japans Parliament Eases Rules on Organ Transplants, Death Law - Bloomberg ... Japans Parliament Eases Rules on Organ Transplants, Death Law ... July 13 (Bloomberg) -- Japans parliament approved legislation to ease restrictions on organ transplants in a move that backers say will save thousands of lives. (Bloomberg -- Japan)
Stem cells vs. diabetes? UW Hospital study aim to halt Type 1 progression Jul 13, 2009
The drugs, required for life for recipients of most cell and organ transplants, are expensive and have side effects, including a higher risk for infectious diseases. UW Hospital has enrolled patients with a bone-marrow transplant complication known as graft versus host disease in a similar trial of mesenchymal stem cells from Osiris. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
New Poll Shows Shrinking Regard for Science Jul 10, 2009
But the era of "Big Science," like the moon landings, has receded into history, while one-time wonders such as organ transplants seem increasingly routine and the battle against cancer drags on. Probably reflecting last fall's historic election of Barack Obama as president, the poll found that people rating equal rights as the nation's top achievement jumped to 17 percent, compared with just 5 percent 10 years earlier. (Fox News)
Paperless Healthcare In Action Jul 9, 2009
" It's also a work in progress. On the next floor, 7-year-old Nicholas Swinehart had multiple organ transplants and now is recovering from an infection. It takes repeated swipes before the bar-code reader OKs his medication. "This takes longer, we never used to scan," said nurse Lindsay O'Toole. Officials are working on better scanners. "We have to make it work-friendly or they just don't want to do it," said hospital president Christopher Gessner. People always ask, what if the power goes out?... (W-USA News, DC)
Paperless health care? A hospital's long journey Jul 7, 2009
On the next floor, 7-year-old Nicholas Swinehart had multiple organ transplants and now is recovering from an infection. It takes repeated swipes before the bar-code reader OKs his medication. (MSNBC -- Health)
Organizers hope golf tournament will raise awareness for organ donations and transplants Jul 3, 2009
Heuer received both his marrow and organ transplants from his brother, Bret Heuer, 43, of Muscatine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics ... It is a fundraiser and way to raise awareness for organ transplants and donors, Burdakin said ... In Iowa, there are 559 people who are on a waiting list for organ transplants. (Muscatine Journal, IO)
City insurance plan a joke Jul 3, 2009
mking wrote on Jul 2, 2009 2:33 PM:" I agree that health insurance in general is too expensive and is getting less and less helpful all the time. It is a big blow to the city employees to suddenly get this large pay cut--which is what it is. But they are not alone. We also had our deductible raised our retirement cut, and a 10% pay cut in addition to that. I feel bad that the city employees were hit so hard, but the rest of us have also been hit hard. I think most of us are dealing with lower... (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
Stem Cell Therapy Jul 2, 2009
This form of treatment gives a clear advantage over conventional organ transplants because the newly differentiated stem cells are recognised as the recipients own cell so does not trigger the immune system to reject them; this of course eliminates the life-long need to take toxic immuno-suppressant drugs. Stem Cell and Cosmetic Treatments. (Suite101.com)
Clue to normal-tension glaucoma; herpes infection and corneal transplants Jul 1, 2009
Unlike organ transplants, in corneal procedures the new tissue is placed on a bed of existing tissue. Though HSV had been inactive for six months before surgery in 81 percent of patients, microscopic evidence of inflammation was found in 74 percent, and the transplant failure rate did indeed correlate with the presence of this biomarker. (EurekAlert!)
City’s water meets federal standards Jun 30, 2009
Monthly tests also showed that there were no coliform bacteria and no fecal coliform bacteria, which would affect immuno-compromised persons such as those with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplants, HIV/AIDS or other immune disorders. Residents wanting a copy of the drinking water quality report can stop by Sealy City Hall, located at 415 Main St. for a copy, or visit the city s Web site. (Sealy News, TX)
Dr. Jean Dausset, Nobel laureate, 92 Jun 27, 2009
NEW YORK - Dr. Jean Dausset, a French immunologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1980 for discoveries about the human immune system that vastly improved the odds of success in organ transplants, died in Mallorca, Spain, June 6. He was 92. (Boston Globe)
Second Chance For Dangerous T-cells Jun 27, 2009
23, 2007) The immune system is designed to attack anything that is not the body's own tissues, such as pathogens and genetically nonidentical organ transplants, so why does the maternal immune system not. (May 15, 2006) A gene commonly involved in cancer onset, c-myc, has been found to have a role in the immune system's normal function according to a study published today in Blood. (Science Daily)
Jobs' liver transplant shows money can make a difference Jun 26, 2009
The United Network for Organ Sharing's waiting list for organ transplants surpassed 100,000 people last fall for the first time since the list's creation more than 20 years ago. Here's a breakdown of who is waiting for what. (USA Today -- News)
