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HSCT use varies with region

A review of almost one million haematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedures has highlighted differences in the availability of the procedure and the use of autologous and allogeneic transplants across the world.

24 Mar 2015

Key finding may point to immediate cause of CF exacerbations

In the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis (CF), the most severe symptoms are recurring episodes of lung inflammation and bacterial infection (known as "exacerbations") that happen from one to three times a year and cause ever-increasing amounts of lung damage through the course of a CF patient's life.

24 Mar 2015

Cancer-specific mortality lower in Asian Americans than non-Hispanic whites, shows study

Numerous studies have documented racial differences in deaths from cancer among non-Hispanic whites and African Americans, but little has been known about survival outcomes for Asian Americans who have been diagnosed with cancer, until now.

24 Mar 2015

Publicly insured Americans who undergo lung transplantation fare worse than their UK counterparts

Publicly insured Americans who undergo lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis fare markedly worse in the long run than both publicly insured patients in the United Kingdom and privately insured Americans, according to the results of a study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and U.K. colleagues working in that nation's government-funded National Health Service.

24 Mar 2015

Study: Blood tests for women taking spironolactone to treat hormonal acne are unnecessary

A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital has found that for young, healthy women taking spironolactone to treat hormonal acne, frequent office visits and blood draws are an unnecessary health care expense.

23 Mar 2015

Targeted drug doubles progression free survival in Hodgkin lymphoma

A phase 3 trial of brentuximab vedotin (BV), the first new drug for Hodgkin lymphoma in over 30 years, shows that adults with hard-to-treat Hodgkin lymphoma given BV immediately after stem cell transplant survived without the disease progressing for twice as long as those given placebo (43 months vs 24 months).

19 Mar 2015

LDLT effective for treating patients suffering from acute liver failure

When patients develop acute liver failure, severe complications arise rapidly after the first signs of liver disease, and patients' health can deteriorate rapidly. New research published in the American Journal of Transplantation indicates that emergency evaluations of living liver donors can be conducted safely to allow acute liver failure patients to undergo transplantation before their condition worsens.

19 Mar 2015

New bone marrow transplant unit launched in Bangalore, India

A bone marrow transplant can mean the difference between life and death for people with blood cancers and related disorders. But many patients in India can't afford the high treatment costs, and for them a transplant is not an option. This is changing thanks to a newly launched bone marrow transplant unit at M.S. Ramaiah Medical College in Bangalore.

19 Mar 2015

Transplanted regulatory T cells may help in controlling inflammatory diseases

With a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, a team of researchers - including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor Juergen Hahn - will investigate the potential of using transplanted regulatory T cells (Tregs) to reduce inflammation in diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, which currently has no known viable treatment options.

19 Mar 2015

CUMC researchers identify mechanism of kidney transplant tolerance

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have pinpointed the immune system mechanism that allows a kidney transplant to be accepted without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, a significant step toward reducing or eliminating the need for costly and potentially toxic immunosuppressant drugs and improving long-term transplant success.

17 Mar 2015

CTCA in Philadelphia installs TomoHDA TomoTherapy machine to provide precise treatment to patients

Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia has announced the installation of the TomoHDA TomoTherapy machine. TomoTherapy combines an advanced form of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), with the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) scanning technology, all in one machine.

16 Mar 2015

Minimally invasive surgery helps elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis live longer

Elderly patients once considered too frail or too sick for aortic valve replacement surgery are living longer, with better quality of life, following a minimally invasive surgery, compared to patients who did not undergo surgery, according a study published in The Lancet today.

16 Mar 2015

Metabolic derangement may facilitate cell proliferation in PAH

An enzyme that facilitates modification of proteins via a glucose metabolism pathway may promote cell proliferation in the lung tissue of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, say researchers.

13 Mar 2015

Today’s “World Kidney Day” promotes kidney health for all

Recent surveys have shown that the general public’s understanding about what our kidneys do and what the risk factors for kidney disease are, is astoundingly poor. In the UK, five leading kidney charities are joining forces in the campaign “Kidney Charities Together,” which calls for urgent action to be taken to raise awareness of kidney disease.

12 Mar 2015

Medicine-loaded nanoparticles could help patients achieve corneal transplant success

There are about 48,000 corneal transplants done each year in the U.S., compared to approximately 16,000 kidney transplants and 2,100 heart transplants. Out of the 48,000 corneal transplants done, 10 percent of them end up in rejection, largely due to poor medication compliance. This costs the health care system and puts undue strain on clinicians, patients and their families.

12 Mar 2015

Researchers take important step in repairing the cerebral cortex of adult mouse

A team led by Afsaneh Gaillard (Inserm Unit 1084, Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences Laboratory, University of Poitiers), in collaboration with the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Human and Molecular Biology (IRIBHM) in Brussels, has just taken an important step in the area of cell therapy: repairing the cerebral cortex of the adult mouse using a graft of cortical neurons derived from embryonic stem cells.

12 Mar 2015

Implantable defibrillators help patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy live longer

Newly published research led by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and Tufts Medical Center in Boston shows that implantable defibrillators (ICDs), along with other modern treatments, have reduced mortality rates and are helping patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) live longer, including normal life expectancy.

12 Mar 2015

New stem cell treatment reverses disability in certain MS patients

A PIONEERING new stem cell treatment ‘rebooting’ the immune system in some multiple sclerosis sufferers is being hailed as an encouraging step forward in the treatment of the disease in sufferers who fail to respond to standard therapies.

11 Mar 2015

United Therapeutics announces FDA approval of dinutuximab for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma

United Therapeutics Corporation announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved Unituxin (dinutuximab) Injection (formerly called ch14.18), in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and 13-cis-retinoic acid (RA), for the treatment of pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who achieve at least a partial response to prior first-line multiagent, multimodality therapy.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers use stem cells from sickle cell disease patients to grow mature red blood cells

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have successfully corrected a genetic error in stem cells from patients with sickle cell disease, and then used those cells to grow mature red blood cells, they report. The study represents an important step toward more effectively treating certain patients with sickle cell disease who need frequent blood transfusions and currently have few options.

10 Mar 2015

Transplant News and Research

HSCT use varies with region

Key finding may point to immediate cause of CF exacerbations

Cancer-specific mortality lower in Asian Americans than non-Hispanic whites, shows study

Publicly insured Americans who undergo lung transplantation fare worse than their UK counterparts

Study: Blood tests for women taking spironolactone to treat hormonal acne are unnecessary

Targeted drug doubles progression free survival in Hodgkin lymphoma

LDLT effective for treating patients suffering from acute liver failure

New bone marrow transplant unit launched in Bangalore, India

Transplanted regulatory T cells may help in controlling inflammatory diseases

CUMC researchers identify mechanism of kidney transplant tolerance

CTCA in Philadelphia installs TomoHDA TomoTherapy machine to provide precise treatment to patients

Minimally invasive surgery helps elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis live longer

Metabolic derangement may facilitate cell proliferation in PAH

Today’s “World Kidney Day” promotes kidney health for all

Medicine-loaded nanoparticles could help patients achieve corneal transplant success

Researchers take important step in repairing the cerebral cortex of adult mouse

Implantable defibrillators help patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy live longer

New stem cell treatment reverses disability in certain MS patients

United Therapeutics announces FDA approval of dinutuximab for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma

Researchers use stem cells from sickle cell disease patients to grow mature red blood cells

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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