Canine Pemphigus Aug 27, 2008
Most cases of pemphigus require the lifelong use of oral corticosteroids, such as prednisone and prednisolone, along with immunosuppressant medications such as azathioprine. Topical corticosteroids and tacrolimus are also used. (Suite101.com)
Chronology of organ transplantation Aug 27, 2008
1983 The Food and Drug Administration approved cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant drug to help prevent the body from rejecting a newly transplanted organ. 1984 The National Organ Transplant Act established guidelines for organ procurement and a registry for procurement and transplants. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Drug Related Arthritis Aug 25, 2008
In addition, with proper diagnosis, patients wouldn t be inappropriately prescribed corticosteroids and other immunosuppressant agents, drugs with their own history of side effects. Drug Related Lupus. (Suite101.com)
TRANSPLANT SERIES 3 of 4: The Slow Recovery Aug 22, 2008
Instead, he began a 41-pill-per-day regimen to prevent his body from rejecting "Lil' Ry-Ry" (the name of his kidney, named after donor and best friend Ryan Justis), and to combat the side-effects of the immunosuppressant drugs. A post-surgery biopsy, however, revealed that his body was rejecting the kidney, and Steinberg was readmitted to the hospital for massive steroid therapy to stop the rejection. (Dallas County News, IA)
MS drug may work against viral infection: study Aug 14, 2008
The drug is generally considered to be an immunosuppressant that works to restrain the body's natural defenses. That could be helpful in multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks body parts as if they were foreign invaders. (Scientific American)
Anti–Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease after Alemtuzumab Aug 14, 2008
Although alemtuzumab is a potent immunosuppressant, several groups have described the paradoxical occurrence of autoimmune disease after its use, including thyroid disease and cytopenias. We describe two patients in whom anti glomerular basement membrane disease developed after treatment with alemtuzumab. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Protecting the brain from spiral of damage Jul 25, 2008
There are several compounds being investigated as possible neuroprotectants, Harvard's Zafonte said, including progesterone, the female sex hormone, and cyclosporin, an immunosuppressant drug usually used in organ transplant patients. Zafonte is one of the principal researchers for an ongoing clinical trial of citicoline, a type of stimulant. (MSNBC -- Health)
Adult Stem Cells Activated In Mammalian Brain Jul 25, 2008
But, working with a patient s own cells would eliminate the need for transplantation and immunosuppressant drugs and may be a better alternative, scientists say. Ependymal cells line the fluid-filled ventricles, so a drug to activate the cells could theoretically travel through this fluid directly to the stem cells. (Science Daily)
Bone Marrow Transplants: Cancer Drug Shows Promise Against Graft Vs. Host Disease Jul 17, 2008
If HDAC inhibitors turn out to be safe and effective in people, they might offer a treatment option preferable to the immunosuppressant drugs used now to treat the disease. These leave people vulnerable to infection and have other significant side effects. (Science Daily)
Researchers Find Link Between Organ Transplants, Cancer Jul 16, 2008
Pal and his colleagues implanted human kidney cancer cells into mice, then gave the rodents cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant drug often used after transplants. Mice that received the drug grew tumors at a faster rate than mice left untreated. (Health-Finder)
Starzl gets transplant Olympics started Jul 13, 2008
"Once the mechanisms of engraftment were elucidated, then you could much more clearly see what the future held and you could actually understand the possibility of achieving a complete cure. For one thing, you could understand how some of these patients could completely get off immunosuppressant drugs and develop a complete tolerance to transplants.". And not just get off drugs, but live lives normal enough to allow them to play sports -- as more than 1,300 transplant recipients will show during... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Liver Donor's Family, Recipient Unite Through MySpace Jul 8, 2008
Trine has been off immunosuppressant medications for 11 years, something that's becoming more common among transplant recipients. She is applying for medical school, in hopes of studying something transplant-related, and works for the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency in Florida. (Fox News)
'Multi-target' immune therapy improves outcomes of severe lupus nephritis Jul 2, 2008
"This is a severe form of lupus nephritis that is traditionally treated with a single immunosuppressant drug, but the efficacy is very poor," says Dr. Li. "We considered that, since the impact of severe SLE on the kidney involves various parts of the immune system, it is necessary to treat the different immune targets with a combination of immunosuppressant drugs." ... One group of patients received this "multi-target" therapy, consisting of the immunosuppressant drugs tacrolimus and... (EurekAlert!)
Weight-loss surgery slashes cancer risk Jun 20, 2008
The study involved 49 morbidly obese patients who were taking steroids and other immunosuppressant medications to treat chronic inflammatory diseases and autoimmune diseases. New York University researchers showed that losing less than half of excess weight within a year of bariatric surgery was enough for patients to see dramatic improvements in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. (MSNBC -- Health)
Engineer Develops Detergent To Promote Peripheral Nerve Healing Jun 16, 2008
And because the immunogenic lipid components have been extracted, patients don t require immunosuppressant drugs. AxoGen learned about the detergent processing work in Schmidt s lab, licensed it and combined it with the University of Florida enzyme treatment that removes other regrowth inhibiting factors, creating the AVANCE product. (Science Daily)
It's good news for Jayla Jun 14, 2008
In a few months, doctors will wean Jayla off immunosuppressant drugs. Then they'll give her a tetanus shot to see whether her body can fight off the vaccine's toxin. (News & Observer)
Cancer Drug Appears to Help with Aggressive Multiple Sclerosis Jun 14, 2008
In relapsing-remitting MS, the most common type of the disease, patients experience periods of symptoms followed by stretches of symptom-free remission when they used the immunosuppressant drug cyclophosphamide. In the two-year open label trial that included nine patients with aggressive relapsing-remitting MS, six men and three women with the average age of 35, received 50 milligrams per kilogram per day of cyclophosphamide intravenously for four consecutive days. (MEDLINEplus)
Radical reform is needed to stop the 'inhumane' practice of transplant tourism Jun 14, 2008
Recipients also often receive substandard surgical care, wound management and immunosuppressant regimens. Sellers are also vulnerable to harm from, for example, coercive organ brokers and organised crime networks. (EurekAlert!)
Data Show that Abbott's HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) Reduced the Signs and Symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis Up to Three Years Jun 13, 2008
All patients, and in particular patients with a medical history of extensive immunosuppressant therapy or psoriasis patients with a history of Psoralen Ultra-Violet A (PUVA) treatment, should be examined for the presence of non-melanoma skin cancer prior to and during treatment with HUMIRA. In clinical studies with another TNF antagonist, a higher rate of serious congestive heart failure (CHF) related adverse events including worsening CHF and new onset CHF have been reported ... HUMIRA is... (PR Newswire)
HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) Data Show That Treating Early Rheumatoid Arthritis With Combination Treatment Resulted in Cost Savings From Improved Work Productivity Jun 13, 2008
HUMIRA is indicated for treatment of severe, active Crohn's disease, in patients who have not responded despite a full and adequate course of therapy with a corticosteroid and/or an immunosuppressant; or who are intolerant to or have medical contraindications for such therapies. For induction treatment, HUMIRA should be given in combination with corticosteroids. (PR Newswire)
New Approach Promising against Multiple Sclerosis Jun 12, 2008
There is one other immunosuppressant drug used for MS.. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000 approved the cancer drug Novantrone, also known as mitoxantrone, for MS treatment. (MEDLINEplus)
Rituximab in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Jun 12, 2008
Keeping pace with the use of more potent and specific immunosuppressant agents, the incidence of opportunistic infections such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy seems to be increasing. In clinical trials of natalizumab for the treatment of. (New England Journal of Medicine)
'HiCy' drug regimen reverses ms symptoms in selected patients Jun 11, 2008
New approach to immunosuppressant treatment tested in nine individuals shows promise. A short-term, very-high dose regimen of the immune-suppressing drug cyclophosphamide seems to slow progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in most of a small group of patients studied and may even restore neurological function lost to the disease, Johns Hopkins researchers report. (EurekAlert!)
Richard Lower, 78, surgeon, pioneer in heart transplants Jun 3, 2008
At Stanford, Shumway combined the use of cyclosporin, an immunosuppressant drug, with an innovative biopsy technique that enabled him to readily check the body's acceptance or rejection of a new organ. In time, survival rates in the first year for transplant patients rose from roughly 60 percent in the 1970s to nearly 90 percent today. (Boston Globe)
Final Results of the CellCept(R) Spare the Nephron (STN) Study Show Maintenance Therapy is Associated with Improved Renal Function Jun 2, 2008
"The goal of this study was to optimize the use of immunosuppressants for achieving long-term success," added Dr. Pearson ... The reported cases generally had risk factors for PML, including treatment with immunosuppressant therapies and impairment of immune function ... A patient who is planning a pregnancy should not use CellCept unless she cannot be successfully treated with other immunosuppressant drugs. (PR Newswire)
Anti-Rejection Drugs After Transplant, Increase Diabetes Risk: Study May 31, 2008
Treatment with Sirolimus a relatively new immunosuppressant drug used to prevent rejection in organ transplantation - may actually lead to an increased risk of diabetes later on in kidney transplant recipients, a team of researchers has found. For the study the researchers scrutinized data of about 20,000 Medicare patients who had undergone kidney transplants between 1995 and 2003. (TheMedGuru)
Cancer risk soars in HIV-infected people: study May 21, 2008
Many early AIDS patients developed Kaposi's sarcoma, a cancer previously associated with older people or people receiving immunosuppressant medications following an organ transplant. But the advent of combination drug therapy in the 1990s called highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, greatly extended the lives of many HIV-infected people, particularly in developed countries. (Scientific American)
Islet Cell Transplants Aid Type 1 Diabetics May 20, 2008
However, Gorn pointed out that because islet cell transplantation still requires lifelong immunosuppressant medications, the procedure is reserved for those with difficult to control diabetes and people who have severe, recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia. She said newer immune-suppressing medications are currently being tested in clinical trials, and the hope is that they'll have fewer side effects. (MEDLINEplus)
Current Regenerative Medical Techniques Hold Great Promise For Bladder Regeneration May 18, 2008
This treatment option essentially regenerates the patient s own bladder, reducing the risk of rejection and the need for immunosuppressant drugs, said Timothy Bertram, D.V.M., Ph. D. If successful in human clinical trials, patients should expect to regenerate normal bladder structure and function. (Science Daily)
Treatment Target For Liver Cancer Recurrence And Survival Identified Apr 14, 2008
23, 2005) A new study on the incidence of liver cancer after transplant found that high levels of the immunosuppressant cyclosporine favored tumor recurrence and identified blood levels of the drug that should. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Promising New Drug Targets Identified For Huntington's Disease Mar 25, 2008
Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant used to lower the body's natural immunity in patients who receive kidney transplants, is the most promising candidate drug currently available but can have significant side effects. Now, in research published today online in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, Professor Rubinsztein and colleagues have shown that a number of FDA-approved drugs for treatments such as migraine and hypertension are able to stimulate autophagy in fruit flies and zebrafish through... (Science Daily)
An Organ Transplant Recipient Receives A Rare Gift From A Friend Mar 22, 2008
The immunosuppressant drugs that help his transplanted lung work in his body have been toxic to his kidneys, Spanilo said. Without a new kidney, he would have to undergo dialysis treatments, which present a whole different set of challenges because of his weakened immune system. (FOX61, CT)
Boston Hospital To Perform Facial Transplants Mar 6, 2008
As with other transplants, rejection is a a major risk, requiring recipients to take immunosuppressant drugs. Now that the hospital has been approved, experts say the next step will be identifying transplant candidates. (Boston Channel.com)
Drug breakthrough 'could cure diabetes' Mar 1, 2008
Drug breakthrough 'could cure diabetes' - Telegraph. Drug breakthrough 'could cure diabetes. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Stroke therapy shows promise Feb 20, 2008
To prevent possible rejection, rats were treated with an immunosuppressant drug. The new cells stayed alive and functional. (San Jose Mercury News)
So sweet, possibly so deadly Feb 20, 2008
Quite the opposite: the immunosuppressant drugs she must down for the rest of her days in fact nurture larval cysts in other parts of her body. So along with a fistful of other medications she takes one more daily pill to hold them at bay. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Immunosuppressant Further Linked To Birth Defects, Case Study Suggests Feb 13, 2008
12, 2008) A new study documents malformations seen in an infant born to a kidney transplant recipient who had taken mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a widely used immunosuppressant available commercially as Cellcept ... The fetal side-effects of several immunosuppressant drugs have been studied, though not for widely used newer medications, such as (MMF) ... The use of immunosuppressant drugs is a required, life-long treatment for solid organ transplant recipients. (Science Daily)
Cure hope over diabetes therapy Feb 12, 2008
However, the patients need to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives and it is likely re-transplants will be likely in the future as doctors do not expect the hypoglycaemia protection to last for ever. The government-funding will mean many more patients will be able to benefit from the technique, with up to 20 transplants planned in the first year before the numbers are gradually built up to about 80. (BBC News -- Health)
Diabetes Trial Supported By US-Based Diabetes Foundation Feb 12, 2008
Treatment with DiabeCell does not require the use of immunosuppressant drugs. LCT's DiabeCell trials are progressing well with four patients already enrolled in Russia. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Pixantrone Shows Activity in a Preclinical Study of Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis (EAMG) Feb 11, 2008
The authors concluded that "pixantrone [is] a promising immunosuppressant agent suitable for clinical investigation in myasthenia gravis, although additional experiments are needed to confirm its safety profile in prolonged treatments." Current therapeutic treatment options for myasthenia gravis include corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs, both of which are effective in most patients. However, some patients do not respond to the standard treatments, and side effects may limit prolonged... (PR Newswire)
Eisai, Astellas Face Setbacks in Gaining U.S. Approval for New Treatments Feb 2, 2008
Astellas applied in 2005 for U.S. approval of the once- daily version of its immunosuppressant medicine ... Astellas raised its full-year profit forecast by 33 percent on higher sales of its Prograf immunosuppressant. (Bloomberg -- Japan)
Astellas Pharmaceutical Raises Profit Target on Tax Rate, Prograf Sales Feb 1, 2008
Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Astellas Pharma Inc., Japan's second- largest drugmaker, raised its full-year profit forecast by 33 percent on higher sales of its Prograf immunosuppressant and a lower rate. Net income will rise to 175 billion yen ($1. (Bloomberg -- Japan)
News Bytes of the Week—First glimpse of SpaceShipTwo Jan 26, 2008
Ordinarily, transplant patients must take immunosuppressant drugs which themselves can cause kidney damage to keep the cellular soldiers at bay. In an effort to spare patients a lifetime on antirejection medications, researchers replaced the damaged bone marrow cells with those of the organ donor in effect also transplanting the donors' immune systems. (Scientific American)
Protein That Controls Hair Growth Also Keeps Stem Cells Slumbering Jan 25, 2008
Clinical research, meanwhile, showed that a particular immunosuppressant that inhibits NFATc1, a drug called cyclosporine A, has a rather unsightly side effect: excessive hair growth. Fuchs and Valerie Horsley, a postdoc in her lab, realized that there was a connection between the drug's side effect and the abundance of NFATc1 within the hair follicle's stem cell compartment -- the bulge. (Science Daily)
Organ transplants without rejection Jan 24, 2008
Three independent research teams have successfully performed organ transplantations that do not require the recipient to face a lifetime of immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection ... But if the techniques can be reproduced in a larger population, they could eliminate one of the most enduring scars of the operation: the need to continue taking sometimes-dangerous immunosuppressant drugs ... But even when the organ donor is a close relative, the transplant recipient often needs to take... (Nature News Service)
New Therapies Could Change Organ Transplants Jan 24, 2008
The man has lived without immunosuppressant drugs for two years. Unfortunately, six other patients who received the same treatment have not been able to give up their immunosuppressive drugs. (Health-Finder)
Newly Discovered Virus Linked To Deadly Skin Cancer Jan 20, 2008
The incidence of MCC has tripled over the past 20 years to about 1,500 cases a year, especially among people whose immune systems are compromised by AIDS or transplant-related immunosuppressant drugs. About half of patients with advanced MCC live nine months or less, and some two-thirds of MCC patients die within five years. (Science Daily)
New laws on insurance, taxes to take effect Jan 1, 2008
Act 92, Relating to Prescription Drugs: Provides equal access to immunosuppressant medication for Medicaid patients who have HIV, AIDS or hepatitis C, or who require immunosuppressant medication due to transplants, regardless of whether they are in the Medicaid Fee-for-Service or QUEST programs. Act 108, Relating to Domestic Abuse: Codifies existing procedures defining the responsibilities of the Department of Human Services and the Family Court when the court refers an allegation of domestic... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
More of this story Dec 30, 2007
Provide equal access to immunosuppressant medication for Medicaid patients who have HIV, AIDS or Hepatitis C.. Require all candidates to file campaign reports electronically in order to be viewed online. (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
Health Care: Tough Calls Dec 25, 2007
Dr. Stuart Knechtle, who heads the liver transplant program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, says transplantation is not an option for leukemia patients because the immunosuppressant drugs used in such procedures tend to spur the growth of cancer cells (he was not commenting specifically on Nataline's case). In a perfect world, Cigna would have funded the transplant and it would have worked, against the odds, to give Natalie a normal life. (Investors Business Daily)
Teen Dies After Insurance Balks Dec 22, 2007
Transplantation is not an option for leukemia patients because the immunosuppressant drugs "tend to increase the risk and growth of any tumors," said Dr. Stuart Knechtle, who heads the liver transplant program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and was not commenting specifically on Nataline's case. The procedure "would be futile," he said. (Fox News)
Huge stem cell breakthrough Dec 19, 2007
And since the new cells came from the sick mice, there was also no need for dangerous immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection. But leading stem cell researchers warned that the skin cells are not yet and might never be a substitute for embryonic stem cells. (iAfrica.com)
Partial Face Transplant Patient Doing Well Dec 14, 2007
Although a face transplant is not technically a lifesaving procedure, recipients still need to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection, as this woman did. Forty-eight hours after surgery, the patient started physical therapy involving facial exercises focusing on lip movement and closing her mouth. (MEDLINEplus)
1st face transplant patient all smiles Dec 13, 2007
She faces lifelong treatment with immunosuppressant drugs and the persistent worry that her immune system may reject the graft. The drugs bring the added risk of kidney failure and increase the chance of infection and cancer. (Los Angeles Times)
Bone marrow cell transplants help nerve regeneration Dec 5, 2007
Allologous cells, donated by other individuals, require the host to take heavy immunosuppressant drugs. Artificial nerves, cultured from a variety of cells and transplanted to nerve damaged areas, have been considered as alternatives to nerve grafting. (EurekAlert!)
Minnesota investigating illnesses among workers at plant Dec 4, 2007
It is treated with steroids and immunosuppressant drugs, according to the National Institutes of Health. The patients included men and women from a range of ages and ethnicities, said State Epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Joslin Needs Bone Marrow Transplant Dec 1, 2007
Doctors have also treated him with immunosuppressant medication for six months, Joslin said. According to National Marrow information, the therapy seeks to weaken the immune system, which is believed to attack bone marrow. (Westerly Sun, RI)
Baby has heart swap at five weeks Nov 30, 2007
Andrew will have to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of his life to stop his body rejecting the heart and in 12 years' time he could need another transplant. Dr Kirk said the Freeman Hospital was one of two centres in the country carrying out heart transplants in children - the other being Great Ormond Street Hospital. (BBC News -- Health)
Controversial Gene Therapy Trial Restarts Nov 27, 2007
Others have suggested that more systematized protocols for the administration of the therapy be devised, so that someone who seems to be sick isn't given an experimental immunosuppressant therapy. - Whether Targeted should have made these and other changes beforehand is not the point. (Wired News)
Stem cells created without embryos Nov 21, 2007
Had a heart attack with major damage to the heart - grow a new one that will not require immunosuppressant drugs. I for one want to look on the positive side. (CTV.ca)
How Poisonous Mushrooms Cook Up Toxins Nov 15, 2007
Fungal natural products that benefit human health include penicillin and the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporin. Studying their biosynthesis could lead to the discovery and development of new medicines. (Science Daily)
Poinsett County Health Marked Tree Unit Providing Free Flu Shots Nov. 9 Nov 2, 2007
Though all persons over 6 months of age should get a flu shot each year, those most at risk for influenza disease complications are: those in nursing home; individuals over 50 years of age; persons with chronic diseases of the heart, lung, and kidneys, or who have diabetes, asthma, immunosuppressant, or severe forms of anemia; women who will be pregnant during flu season; children and teens on long-term aspirin therapy. Children six months through five years of age should receive the flu vaccine... (Tri-City Tribune, AR)
I've fought tough battles: Qantas chair Oct 30, 2007
The near fatal chain of events started when Ms Jackson was diagnosed with a flare-up of her Crohn's disease in February and prescribed immunosuppressant drugs, just as the fight for Qantas was heating up. "I then went to London and when I came back I was dehydrated and suffering the beginnings of malnutrition," Ms Jackson said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Ways To Teach Approved Drugs New Tricks: How To Combat Cancer Oct 30, 2007
At the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, researchers present the results of some of these investigations, whether it is finding a new use for the immunosuppressant rapamycin or adapting the use of approved antibodies to reach the same targets within different cancers ... The antibody, called CP-751871, is currently in a Phase III trial by its developer, Pfizer, Inc., while rapamycin, an approved immunosuppressant, is also under study for its... (Science Daily)
U.Va. hospital performs first intestinal transplant Oct 25, 2007
Although she will continue to take immunosuppressant medications for the rest of her life, she said she now will do so in reduced doses. Schmitt, meanwhile, reiterated that intestinal transplant is a relatively rare procedure even today, nearly two decades after it was first introduced. (The Cavalier Daily, VA)
