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Tax credit for organ donation may help address shortage for transplant

A Universit- de Montr-al philosopher and ethicist is proposing that governments implement an organ donation tax credit to help increase the number of organs available for transplant.

4 Jun 2010

American Cancer Society and NPCRC award $1.8M for palliative care research

The American Cancer Society and the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) are awarding $1.8 million in research grants to researchers at 12 institutions for studies aimed at reducing suffering for seriously ill patients and their family caregivers. The studies will be conducted over the next two years. Since 2007, a collaborative effort by the organizations has awarded 51 grants totaling almost $7 million.

4 Jun 2010

Grassroots awareness and education programs increase minority organ and tissue donations: Study

Minority organ donations have more than doubled since the institution of grassroots awareness and education programs, according to a new retrospective study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. In 2010, the percentage of minority donors is expected to reach 35 percent, up from approximately 15 percent in 1990.

3 Jun 2010

Phase III study of Afinitor tablets in patients with advanced pancreatic NET meets primary endpoint

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that a Phase III study of Afinitor (everolimus) tablets plus best supportive care met its primary endpoint, showing the drug significantly extended progression-free survival, or time without tumor growth, in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

3 Jun 2010

Alexion Pharmaceuticals plans to launch Soliris in Japan for patients with PNH

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alexion Pharma International Sàrl today announced that the launch of Soliris (eculizumab) as a treatment for patients with PNH in Japan will begin in the third quarter of 2010, approximately three months earlier than previously expected.

2 Jun 2010

Cancer patients should find ways to be physically active during and after treatment: New national guidelines

Cancer patients who've been told to rest and avoid exercise can - and should - find ways to be physically active both during and after treatment, according to new national guidelines. Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a member of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will present these guidelines at an educational session at the 2010 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, aimed at making cancer exercise rehabilitation programs as common as those offered to people who have had heart attacks or undergone cardiac surgery.

2 Jun 2010

Over-the-counter supplements can cause hypertension and kidney failure

Negative health effects linked to taking too much supplemental calcium are on the rise, according to a commentary appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

2 Jun 2010

Race matching among donors and recipients has no effect on survival rates: Study

Transplant surgeons at Johns Hopkins who have reviewed the medical records of more than 20,000 heart transplant patients say that it is not simply racial differences, but rather flaws in the health care system, along with type of insurance and education levels, in addition to biological factors, that are likely the causes of disproportionately worse outcomes after heart transplantation in African Americans.

1 Jun 2010

Researchers identify pattern of gene expression in kidney transplant recipients who don't need anti-rejection drugs

Researchers have identified a distinct pattern of gene expression in the largest reported group of kidney transplant recipients who have not rejected the transplant kidneys even though they stopped taking anti-rejection drugs. This finding may help identify other transplant recipients who could safely reduce or end use of immunosuppressive therapy. In 2008, more than 80,000 people in the United States were living with a kidney transplant.

31 May 2010

Celladon announces 6-month data from Phase 2 clinical trial of MYDICAR in advanced heart failure patients

Celladon Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases, today announced that six-month data from its Phase 2 clinical trial of MYDICAR® show improvements in clinical outcomes and disease markers in advanced heart failure patients treated with the genetically targeted enzyme replacement therapy.

31 May 2010

Targeted Genetics's partner Celladon presents Phase II trial data with MYDICAR at Heart Failure Congress 2010

Targeted Genetics Corporation announced that its partner, Celladon Corporation, presented full data today that show the first Phase II trial with MYDICAR® for the treatment of advanced heart failure has met its primary safety and efficacy endpoints, as prospectively defined in the Phase II trial protocol.

31 May 2010

RNAi therapy shuts down gene critical to RSV, prevents virus replication

John DeVincenzo, MD, professor and researcher in the Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has proven for the first time that a totally new concept in drug design can be used to treat human disease. Dr. DeVincenzo, who also serves as a children's infectious diseases specialist at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, conducted his study at the Children's Foundation Research Center, a UT Health Science Center partner located at Le Bonheur.

29 May 2010

New, non-controversial source of stem cells can form heart muscle cells, repair heart damage

A new and non-controversial source of stem cells can form heart muscle cells and help repair heart damage, according to results of preliminary lab tests reported in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 May 2010

Novel imaging system helps visualize and monitor cellular immune responses of transplanted tissue in real time

A group of "color-coded" laboratory mice are providing researchers with a novel way of tracking T-cells, enabling them to visualize and monitor the cellular immune responses of transplanted tissue in real time. The new imaging system is described in the June issue of Nature Medicine, which appears on-line this week.

28 May 2010

Advocates urge Congress to reauthorize C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and NCBI

More than 60 adult donors, transplant recipients, family members and medical professionals from 25 states met with lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill today to urge Congress for increased federal funding to grow and diversify the national registry of adult donors and publicly available cord blood units as part of the C.W. Bill Young Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory.

28 May 2010

New study provides cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness

A Nobel Prize-winning University of Utah geneticist discovered that bone marrow transplants cure mutant mice who pull out their hair compulsively. The study provides the first cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness, and points toward eventual new psychiatric treatments.

28 May 2010

New surgical procedure improves survival in infants with severely underdeveloped hearts

Pediatric researchers report that a recently introduced surgical procedure offers infants with severely underdeveloped hearts a better chance at surviving during their first year of life in comparison to the standard surgery.

28 May 2010

State-of-the-art heart pump lowers risk for infection in end-stage cardiac patients: Researchers

A state-of-the-art heart pump recently approved for use in end-stage cardiac patients has a significantly lower risk for infection than an earlier model of the device, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

28 May 2010

Bone marrow transplant cures excessive pathological grooming behavior in mice

Scientists earlier found that mice missing one of a group of core developmental genes known as the Hox genes developed an odd and rather unexpected pathology: the mutant animals groomed themselves compulsively to the point that they were removing their own hair and leaving self-inflicted open sores on their skin. Now, they've found a surprising connection between the Hoxb8 gene and the behavior that looks an awful lot like that of people with an obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder (OCD).

28 May 2010

HeartMate II left ventricular assist device also improves right side heart function

A state-of-the-art heart pump, designed to maintain a continuous flow of blood in end-stage cardiac patients with damage to the left side of the heart, also improves function on the right side of the heart, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital's Heart and Vascular Institute.

27 May 2010

Transplant News and Research

Tax credit for organ donation may help address shortage for transplant

American Cancer Society and NPCRC award $1.8M for palliative care research

Grassroots awareness and education programs increase minority organ and tissue donations: Study

Phase III study of Afinitor tablets in patients with advanced pancreatic NET meets primary endpoint

Alexion Pharmaceuticals plans to launch Soliris in Japan for patients with PNH

Cancer patients should find ways to be physically active during and after treatment: New national guidelines

Over-the-counter supplements can cause hypertension and kidney failure

Race matching among donors and recipients has no effect on survival rates: Study

Researchers identify pattern of gene expression in kidney transplant recipients who don't need anti-rejection drugs

Celladon announces 6-month data from Phase 2 clinical trial of MYDICAR in advanced heart failure patients

Targeted Genetics's partner Celladon presents Phase II trial data with MYDICAR at Heart Failure Congress 2010

RNAi therapy shuts down gene critical to RSV, prevents virus replication

New, non-controversial source of stem cells can form heart muscle cells, repair heart damage

Novel imaging system helps visualize and monitor cellular immune responses of transplanted tissue in real time

Advocates urge Congress to reauthorize C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and NCBI

New study provides cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness

New surgical procedure improves survival in infants with severely underdeveloped hearts

State-of-the-art heart pump lowers risk for infection in end-stage cardiac patients: Researchers

Bone marrow transplant cures excessive pathological grooming behavior in mice

HeartMate II left ventricular assist device also improves right side heart function

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