Scripps research team sheds light on immune system suppression Oct 18, 2008
This allows such viruses to persist, causing persistent immunosuppression. "I think the implications are that many of the diseases we don't know the causes for, be they behavioral, mental, cardiovascular, or endocrine, may well be caused by viruses that persist without destroying the differentiated cells they infect, alter their functions, and by this means alter homeostasis and cause disease," says Oldstone. (EurekAlert!)
Obtaining Kidney Transplants Abroad Carries Certain Medical Risks Oct 17, 2008
The authors noted that the higher incidence of infectious complications may reflect a number of issues relating to tourism, including difficulties maintaining and monitoring immunosuppression during the transition of care abroad to facilities at home, the lack of preventive care for infections early after transplantation, the varying infectious disease characteristics of different countries, and the unclear means of selecting donors in many of these cases. According to the authors, this study's... (Science Daily)
Liver Transplant Patients at Higher Cancer Risk Oct 14, 2008
Transplantation and the immunosuppression therapies that help prevent organ rejection have long been associated with an increased risk of cancer. In this study, researchers used the Finnish Population Register and the National Cancer Registry to identify 39 post-transplant new cancers in 36 of the 540 liver transplant patients. (MEDLINEplus)
Athersys Announces Initial Patient Dosing of MultiStem(r) in Phase I Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial Oct 14, 2008
Athersys believes that MultiStem represents a unique ``off-the-shelf'' stem cell product based on its apparent ability to be used without tissue matching or immunosuppression and its capacity for large scale production. About Athersys, Inc.. (Primezone Releases)
Cancer common after liver transplantation Oct 11, 2008
Aberg's team, "This study points out the importance of cancer surveillance after liver transplantation as well as the need for innovative immunosuppression strategies associated with less cancer risk.". SOURCE: Liver Transplantation, October 2008. (Reuters India)
New Vaccine May Help Type 1 Diabetics in Future Oct 10, 2008
"What you're seeing is, the field is trying to move away from broad-based immunosuppression to targeting one specific immune response, and this is an early attempt to develop a much more focused approach to modulate immune function in new-onset diabetes," Insel said. The good news is that the vaccine seemed safe and didn't cause any troubling side effects, according to Faustman. (MEDLINEplus)
What is the influence of tumor removal on the serum level of carbohydrate's antibody? Oct 8, 2008
The surgical removal of the tumor may reverse the immunosuppression. The TF antigen and Tn belong to tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACA). (EurekAlert!)
Liver Transplant Recipients Almost Three Times More Likely To Develop Cancer Oct 4, 2008
Transplantation, and subsequent immunosuppression which keeps rejection at bay, have long been associated with increased cancer risk ... More studies are needed to reliably reveal the cancer risk pattern after transplantation, so doctors can optimize immunosuppression, cancer surveillance and risk management. (Science Daily)
Fighting scleroderma Oct 3, 2008
"The notion that more immunosuppression is better is somewhat logical," says Dr. Ellen Goldmuntz of the National Institutes of Health, which is funding some of the research. "The question's how best to do it." Autoimmune diseases are among medicine's most frustrating mysteries: What makes an immune system that worked fine for years suddenly run amok, and why are middle-aged women most vulnerable. (Montana Standard, MT)
Resetting immunity in bid to beat scleroderma Sep 23, 2008
The notion that more immunosuppression is better is somewhat logical, says Dr. Ellen Goldmuntz of the National Institutes of Health, which is funding some of the research. The questions how best to do it. (MSNBC -- Health)
Killing Bacteria Isn't Enough To Restore Immune Function After Infection Sep 13, 2008
"We don't know this yet, but if it's true, then the presence or absence of the enzyme might contribute to the length of immunosuppression after serious bacterial infections. It might even be reversible if we could provide the enzyme or figure out a way for people to make more of it." ... They also hope to use this animal model to understand better on a molecular scale exactly what happens during post-infection immunosuppression. (Science Daily)
Widespread Amyloid Deposition in Transplanted Human Pancreatic Islets Aug 28, 2008
Before the first implantation, the treatment of the patient, who had a functioning renal transplant, was switched to the Edmonton immunosuppression protocol (i. e., daclizumab, tacrolimus, and sirolimus). (New England Journal of Medicine)
Hope for end to rejection drugs Aug 7, 2008
One patient was able to go eight months without any immunosuppression drugs, and a further three were successfully weaned down to the single low-dose therapy. Dr Hutchinson said: "Our research clearly shows that infusing TAICs into patients before they have a kidney transplant, or after the procedure has been carried out, is a practical and safe clinical option. "Although this procedure is still being developed and refined, it poses an exciting possibility for clinicians and patients alike. (BBC News)
Revolutionary Technique Could Reduce Lifelong Drugs For Transplant Patients Aug 7, 2008
One patient was able to go eight months without any immunosuppression drugs and a further three were successfully weaned from a conventional immunosuppression regime to low-dose tacrolimus monotherapy. Although our stage two clinical trial did not provide conclusive evidence of a beneficial effect of pre-operative TAICs treatment, the results were encouraging says Dr Hutchinson. (Science Daily)
Reducing Antibody Levels in Patients Undergoing Transplantation Jul 17, 2008
The financial burden of transplantation has limited its widespread application in the developed world; furthermore, therapeutic failure occurs all too often, owing to side effects or inadequacy of immunosuppression. Fortunately, in recent years, the potency of. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Boosts Melanoma Incidence Jun 21, 2008
"Futher investigation is needed to determine whether this risk is unique to Australia and what role MTX, immunosuppression per se, and/or environmental factors such as exposure to UV radiation play in its development," she said. "Our findings, taken together with other studies investigating the risk of skin cancer in patients with RA, may support a role for regular skin cancer screening for all patients with RA, particularly those receiving immunosuppressive therapy.". (Health-Finder)
Cancer Immunology Jun 19, 2008
Immunosuppression and Tumor Progression. -->Immunotherapy of Cancer. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Indiana U scientists uncover potential key to better drugs to fight toxoplasmosis parasite Jun 19, 2008
"We found a cellular signal that appears to put the parasite to sleep, which in turn tells us something new about how opportunistic pathogens such as Toxoplasma awaken to cause disease during immunosuppression," said Dr. Sullivan. An estimated 60 million people in the United States are infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite, but for most infection produces flu-like symptoms or no symptoms at all. (EurekAlert!)
Chronic Hepatitis E and Organ Transplants Jun 5, 2008
One wonders whether the persistence of HEV infection is a more general consequence of immunosuppression, which has implications for all so-called nonpersistent pathogens ... 2 Furthermore, it was recently reported that immunosuppression induced by lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus led to increases in the severity and duration of the acute. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Final Results of the CellCept(R) Spare the Nephron (STN) Study Show Maintenance Therapy is Associated with Improved Renal Function Jun 2, 2008
Important Safety Information: WARNING: Immunosuppression may lead to increased susceptibility to infection and possible development of lymphoma ... Consideration should be given to reducing the amount of immunosuppression in patients who develop PML. In transplant patients, physicians should also consider the risk that reduced immunosuppression represents to the graft. (PR Newswire)
Penn State Hershey Transplant Program Uses Assay to Monitor Cell-Mediated Immunity Jun 2, 2008
June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The management of immunosuppression in post-transplant patients with cancer is challenging ... D. and his colleagues studied the immunosuppression status of 52 patients with post-transplant de novo malignancy, assessing the cell-mediated immunity of patients by taking advantage of the ability of the Cylex immune cell function assay (ImmuKnow(R)) ... "It is clear that we can use the ImmuKnow cell function assay to manage immunosuppression more precisely in patients with new... (PR Newswire)
Cell-Mediated Immunity and Anti-HLA Antibody Tests Provide Insight to Immune Response in Renal Transplant Patients Jun 2, 2008
The ImmuKnow(R) and anti-HLA antibody assays both contribute to characterization of renal transplant patients being weaned off immunosuppression COLUMBIA, Md ... "Cell-mediated immunity, as measured with Cylex's ImmuKnow test, may indicate the effectiveness of augmented immunosuppression and the risk of viral infections," said Brad Stewart, president of Cylex ... "By contrast, levels of anti-HLA antibodies may determine the risk for antibody-mediated rejection. In renal transplant patients who... (PR Newswire)
Drug may prolong organ life in noncompliant kidney transplant patients May 31, 2008
"But missing doses of immunosuppression, or not taking full doses each day, will bring about gradual rejection of kidney transplants that is almost impossible to detect in its early stages. Long acting drugs like sirolimus may help with this problem.". A team of five UC San Diego investigators reported a careful assessment of immune function at "trough" levels (lowest daily levels) of the three most commonly used immunosuppressive drugs, using an assay (ImmuKnow/ Cylex) designed specifically to... (EurekAlert!)
Eye Cell Implants Improve Parkinson's Symptoms May 2, 2008
"Spheramine is not stem cells. There's no requirement for immunosuppression, and these cells are easily harvested from eye banks and are readily available," Bakay said. The new study included six patients with moderate to severe Parkinson's disease, a progressive brain disorder that causes tremors and other motor difficulties that worsen as the disease advances. (MEDLINEplus)
Sirolimus for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Lesions May 2, 2008
In contrast to the findings of Bissler et al., Davies et al. observed no benefit in lung function from sirolimus in their patients with LAM. We now describe a 41-year-old woman with LAM who underwent right-lung transplantation and subsequently had radiologic improvement in the native lung after undergoing sirolimus therapy, which was used in combination with cyclosporine and prednisolone for post-transplantation immunosuppression. Histologic examination of the explanted lung confirmed the... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Pepper Compound Could Aid Millions With Vitiligo Apr 16, 2008
Current treatments, which rely on immunosuppression or ultraviolet radiation to stimulate repigmentation, are only partially effective, often producing a mottled appearance. Excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation also poses the risk of skin cancer. (Science Daily)
U.S. Reviews Rare Disorder with Transplant Drugs Apr 12, 2008
"Decreasing total immunosuppression may improve the outcome of patients who develop PML," it added. The FDA did not say how many PML cases were reported from Roche, adding that it has also asked Novartis for related data. (MEDLINEplus)
Biomarkers may reduce need for biopsies Apr 11, 2008
At this years meeting, researchers are presenting data from gene and protein based blood testing that may be helpful for reducing immunosuppression. Related data suggests gene analysis may allow for prediction of future occurrence of cardiac allograft rejection and its diagnosis. (EurekAlert!)
Islet Transplantation and Immunosuppression Mar 15, 2008
NEJM -- Chemical Immunosuppression in Islet Transplantation -- Friend or Foe ... Chemical Immunosuppression in Islet Transplantation Friend or Foe. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Aggressive Therapy for Crohn's Disease Produces Better Outcomes Feb 23, 2008
For this study, Feagan and his colleagues randomly assigned 133 patients at 18 centers in Belgium, Holland and Germany to receive either combined immunosuppression or the conventional approach ... Sixty-seven patients assigned to combined immunosuppression received three infusions of Remicade (infliximab) with Imuran (azathioprine) at the start, two weeks later and four weeks after that ... At six months, 60 percent of 65 patients in the combined immunosuppression group were in remission without... (Health-Finder)
Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise in Treating Diabetes Feb 23, 2008
It is only going to allow us to transplant the cells without giving immunosuppression, Baetge noted. Novocell is looking for a partner in the form of a large pharmaceutical company so they can continue their efforts towards better treatment and an eventual cure to diabetes. (eFluxMedia)
Media Advisory - Safer and more effective way to treat Crohn's disease Feb 22, 2008
The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of early use of combined immunosuppression with infliximab with conventional management in patients with active Crohn's disease who had not previously received glucocorticoids, antimetabolites, or infliximab. "Our study clearly demonstrated that this alternative treatment method was more effective at inducing disease remission than the conventional method," said Dr. Brian Feagan, Director of Robarts Clinical Trials at Robarts Research Institute at The... (Canada Newswire)
More elderly having transplant surgery Feb 5, 2008
"This finding warrants adjustments in the immunosuppression protocols for older patients," lead author Raja Mahidhara, an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at UCLA, said in a statement. He says the increased infection rate among the elderly patients may be the result of the gradual deterioration of the immune system known as immunosenescence. (USA Today -- News)
Stem Cell Therapy Studies For Stroke, Cerebral Palsy Prepare For Clinical Trials Jan 31, 2008
Interestingly, these undifferentiated stem cells don t seem to interest the immune system, so immunosuppression is not required as it typically is for organ transplants, even when a human cell is placed in a rat, Dr. Borlongan says. Also, pilot studies that have followed rat models for two months after transplant a long time considering the average rat lives two years haven t found any signs of tumor formation, which is a concern with stem cells. (Science Daily)
Experimental Procedure Induces Tolerance To Mismatched Kidney Transplants Jan 25, 2008
Since the antidonor immune response of that patient -- who subsequently received a successful second transplant with conventional immunosuppression -- was primarily caused by the immune system's B cells, the study protocol was adjusted to include an additional antibody targeting B cells. The fourth and fifth patients, both of whom received the revised protocol, were able to discontinue immunosuppressives 8 and 10 months after their tranplants. (Science Daily)
Transplant Patient Thrives Two Years After Stopping Immunosuppressive Drugs Jan 25, 2008
26, 2007) A new immunosuppression regimen for heart transplant patients can improve kidney function and prevent transplant coronary artery disease, according to two new Mayo Clinic. . (Science Daily)
Virology: The battle within Jan 24, 2008
Some have proposed that endogenous retroviruses, long fixed in mammalian genomes, provide the immunosuppression that allows a fetus to develop in its mother's body, despite the differences between the immune systems. Viruses also interact with each other directly, as Margolis discovered for himself in 2001. (Nature News Service)
HLA-Matched Renal Transplantation without Maintenance Immunosuppression Jan 24, 2008
NEJM -- HLA-Mismatched Renal Transplantation without Maintenance Immunosuppression ... HLA-Mismatched Renal Transplantation without Maintenance Immunosuppression. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Aust doctors hail teen's transplant 'miracle' Jan 24, 2008
" Other organ transplant patients have been taken off anti-rejection drugs, but nearly only with the aid of a bone-marrow transplant. Doctors say a rare few can be taken off immunosuppression but are extremely difficult to identify. The hospital's director of medicine, who was Miss Brennan's transplant doctor, says there was one other problem for his patient. Dr Stuart Dorney says the medical miracle meant she was no longer protected against any diseases she had been immunised for. "We had to... (ABC Online)
Seasonal flu levels trigger use of antiviral drugs Jan 14, 2008
Disease/Infection News. Published: Friday, 11-Jan-2008. (News-Medical.net)
Balancing Efficacy and Toxicity in Kidney-Transplant Immunosuppression Dec 20, 2007
Although protocols differ among transplantation centers, most immunosuppressive strategies for kidney-transplant recipients are built on two core practices: delivery of immunosuppression in two phases, usually termed induction and maintenance, and the concurrent use of several immunosuppressive medications that work at various sites in the cell cycle and have nonoverlapping toxic effects. In general, the induction phase involves the initial use of the same oral immunosuppressive medications that... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Infectious Diseases after Solid-Organ Transplantation Dec 20, 2007
Net State of Immunosuppression and Monitoring of Immune Function. -->Prevention of Infection. (New England Journal of Medicine)
'Mini Transplant' Patients' Outcomes Similar Using Related And Unrelated Donor Cells Dec 9, 2007
Patients who undergo mini transplants receive potent pre- and post-transplant immunosuppression drugs. This allows a major reduction in pre-transplant chemotherapy without compromising engraftment of the donor cells. (Science Daily)
New choices for patients: Transfusion-free medicine for Jehovah's Witnesses and transfusion-wary Dec 6, 2007
Bloodless procedures have proven to be safer than blood transfusion because they help eliminate complications resulting from transfusions such as immunosuppression, infection, diseases from emerging pathogens for which our blood supply is not yet tested, said Dr. Ford. The hospital stay is also shorter for our bloodless patients, a cost savings for the patient and the institution, she continues. (EurekAlert!)
Health officials encourage residents to get flu vaccine Nov 30, 2007
Adults and children who have required regular medical follow-up or hospitalization during the preceding year because of chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes), renal dysfunction, hemoglobinopathies, or immunosuppression. Children and teenagers who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and, therefore, are at increased risk for developing Reye s syndrome after an influenza infection. (Mexico Ledger, MO)
Green Tea--the Noble Leaf Nov 15, 2007
The polyphenols in green tea, whether applied topically or orally, protect skin against the inflammation, immunosuppression, oxidative stress, and carcinogenic effects of UVB, or medium wave, radiation. The evidence for skin protection is so strong that some pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies are putting green tea extracts in their skin care products. (Suite101.com)
Transplant key to success in diabetes cure Nov 4, 2007
The team's approach involves over-expressing the right cells that stop cell death in the body to protect the transplanted beta cells and reduce the need for immunosuppression therapy. Prof Kay said the transplant would initially work for only hyperglycaemic diabetics (those who have trouble administering insulin), but would soon be available to all Type-1 patients. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
U.Va. hospital performs first intestinal transplant Oct 25, 2007
He pointed out, however, that because of improved immunosuppression, the survival rate for the procedure has increased massively. "People are becoming more aware of it" as an option, Schmitt said. (The Cavalier Daily, VA)
Scientists: Pig cells could help diabetics Oct 23, 2007
Dr. Marc Hammerman says the approach has reduced the animals' need for insulin injections and does not call for immunosuppression, which is a major problem in treating diabetes with transplantation. Before DNA technology enabled pharmaceutical companies to manufacture human insulin in the 1980's, pig and cow insulin were routinely given to diabetic patients. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Risk factors for poor tuberculosis treatment outcome in Finland: a cohort study Oct 15, 2007
Significant independent risk factors for death were male sex, high age, non-HIV -related immunosuppression and any other than a pulmonary specialty being responsible for stopping treatment ... Poor outcomes associated with immunosuppression and advanced age, with frequent comorbidity, stress a low threshold of suspicion, availability of rapid diagnostics, and early empiric treatment as probable approaches in attempting to improve treatment outcomes in countries with very low incidence of TB.. (BioMed Central)
Patients over age 60 do well after liver transplantation Oct 3, 2007
Based on their lower rejection rates and excellent graft survival, they might benefit from strategies geared towards immunosuppression withdrawal and tolerance induction. However long-term follow up of these patients is warranted. (EurekAlert!)
Breakthrough research identifies how cells from pigs may cure diabetes Sep 13, 2007
To oversee immunosuppression issues, researchers are now working to transplant porcine islets in an engineered pre-vascularized, cytoprotective and immune-privileged implantation site ... Bioengineering of islet implantation sites into a pre-vascularized, cytoprotective and immune-privileged site will allow for local and selective immunosuppression. (EurekAlert!)
Aspreva Provides Update On Lupus Nephritis Development Program Sep 10, 2007
Warning: Increased susceptibility to infection and the possible development of lymphoma may result from immunosuppression. Only physicians experienced in immunosuppressive therapy and management of renal, cardiac or hepatic transplant patients should use CellCept. (Primezone Releases)
Facial Transplantation May Be A Safer Option, Study Shows Aug 30, 2007
Previous data on the immunosuppression risks involved in facial transplantation were misleading, according to Rita Alloway, PharmD, and Steve Woodle, MD, of the University of Cincinnati (UC), and a University of Louisville team led by John Barker, MD, PhD. ... In estimating the risks of immunosuppression for face transplant recipients, the biggest problem is comparing apples to oranges, Woodle says ... In the current study, the Cincinnati and Louisville researchers compared the 2004 data with... (Science Daily)
New Hope That Some Transplant Patients Could Live Free Of Anti-rejection Drugs Aug 22, 2007
"We can keep an eye on this genetic signature and watch for changes that might indicate the beginning of rejection before any clinical signs are apparent. This could be a very exciting advance for both patients and physicians as it can lead to the ability to, for the first time, safely customize immunosuppression for an individual patient.". Sarwal's Stanford and Packard colleagues include biostatistician Li Li, MD; research scientist Szu-chuan Hsieh, MS; postdoctoral scholar Meixia Zhang, PhD,... (Science Daily)
UW Medical Center Completes First Heart-Lung Transplant Aug 10, 2007
E-Mail News Alerts Get breaking news and daily headlines. POSTED: 12:20 pm PDT August 9, 2007UPDATED: 12:45 pm PDT August 9, 2007. (KIRO TV, WA)
Ovarian Tissue Transplantation Works Despite Genetic Differences Aug 5, 2007
"That's going to take further advances in immunosuppression," Dr. Silber said. Although kidney transplant survivors have given birth safely while on mild immunosuppression, "to be able to get away with mild immunosuppression, you have to have a good match," he said, noting that only a quarter of sisters are good HLA matches. (MedPage Today)
Infection-Related Cancers Elevated Among the Immunodeficient Jul 7, 2007
Coverage of HIV/AIDS Supported by an educational grant from. " Historically, only Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cervical cancer have represented AIDS-defining illnesses. Increased incidence of other cancers has been reported, but this was judged to be the result of lifestyle and other risk factors rather than immunodeficiency by investigators in the largest study to look at the issue, the AIDS-Cancer Match Registry Study published in the Journal of the American Medical... (MedPage Today)
Sunscreen Users Could Get Burned, Asserts Critics Jun 22, 2007
"There is some evidence for immunosuppression, and there have been papers published to show that it causes basal-cell carcinomas in humans and squamous-cell carcinomas in mouse models. The real question has been melanoma.". Dr. Mitchell also agreed with environmental group's contention that European research and development of sunscreens is superior to that of the United States, noting that the French cosmetic firm L'Oreal developed a UVA blocking sunscreen called Mexoryl, but "it took the FDA I... (MedPage Today)
Surgery to Give Jawless Boy a New Face Jun 8, 2007
Unlike a facial transplant, there s no need for immunosuppression so we ll avoid the problems that come from that, he said. And we re using his actual bone so there s no artificial exposure, which can cause infections. (Fox News)
XDx Sponsors Heart Transplant Recipient and Professional Golfer Erik Compton at The Ultimate Game at Wynn Jun 7, 2007
"We are pleased to sponsor Erik and wish him luck at Wynn. AlloMap testing is an ideal test for someone as healthy and successful as Erik. In stable patients, physicians are minimizing the number of painful, risky and anxiety-causing biopsy procedures as well as using the test with other clinical indicators to manage immunosuppression to reduce the potential of serious consequences including cancer, infection and kidney failure." For every single birdie Compton makes, XDx will donate $777 to the... (PR Newswire)
Into the Woods Jun 7, 2007
The authors recommended that if the patient still required immunosuppression after completion of therapy, prophylaxis with trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) should be given. A role of TMP-SMX prophylaxis has been well established for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, but there is no clear evidence that it will prevent patients from acquiring nocardia infections. (New England Journal of Medicine)
New Animal Model Boosts Biodefense Research On Lassa Fever Jun 5, 2007
Pregnant women have such a high mortality rate from Lassa because pregnancy already causes immunosuppression, and Lassa compounds it, Patterson said. In addition to its similarity to humans in response to the disease, marmosets also are valuable in this type of research because they are smaller and take up less space in a laboratory and require lower doses. (Science Daily)
LifeCycle Pharma Announces Positive Phase I Clinical Results for its Transplantation Product Candidate, LCP-Tacro Heads into US Phase II Clinical Trials for Organ Transplantation May 31, 2007
QUICK SEARCH BY ORGANIZATION. FREE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES. (Canada Newswire)
LifeCycle Pharma Announces Positive Phase I Clinical Results for its Transplantation Product Candidate, LCP-Tacro May 31, 2007
LifeCycle Pharma's long-term strategy is to concentrate on and commit significant resources to the development of a number of product candidates for organ transplantation as it moves towards becoming a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company" added Dr. Ornskov. About the studies: LifeCycle Pharma has conducted a series of Phase I studies in more than 150 healthy volunteers to demonstrate the profile of LCP-Tacro under single-dose and multi-dose (steady-state) conditions. In addition to... (PR Newswire)
