Organ Donation News and Research

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Research report examines trends in pediatric organ donation and transplantation

Changes in the circumstances of when organs are donated to pediatric patients has resulted in a decreased number of organ transplant wait-list deaths over the past decade, according to research published online this week in the journal Pediatrics.

24 May 2013

SLU SNMA students receive Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award

A group of 40 students are part of Saint Louis University's Student National Medical Association chapter (SNMA), who are striving to reduce health disparities locally. This year, they received the Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award, a recognition given to a university for serving as an outstanding example of leadership and innovation in promoting and maintaining institutional diversity.

10 May 2013

End-of-life care issues need to become integral part of public health agenda, reveals new article

A new article available online in the American Journal of Public Health by two Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty makes a compelling case that end-of-life care issues need to become an integral part of the public health agenda.

9 May 2013

Living liver donors at risk from life-threatening “near-miss” events?

A study published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society, reports that donor mortality is about 1 in 500 donors with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

25 Apr 2013

Experts say there is more need for organ donation in Hispanic community

April is National Donate Life Month, held to encourage organ and tissue donation and to celebrate donors who give a new life to others. Organ donors are always in short supply. In the United States, more than 118,000 people are waiting for organ transplants, and 19 percent are Hispanic.

25 Apr 2013

Nanogels to attack lupus: an interview with Dr Look and Dr Fahmy, Yale University

Nanogels are synthetic particles that can be used for drug delivery. They are approximately 100 nm to 200 nm in diameter, and are made from safe, biocompatible materials: a gel-like interior and a lipid exterior.

24 Apr 2013

Good news: Public support increasing for living, deceased organ donation

Good news for anyone needing a transplant; a new Mayo Clinic survey shows that the public's support for both living and deceased organ donation is increasing.

19 Apr 2013

Patients’ eligibility for liver transplantation may be lowered by incarceration, marijuana use, and psychiatric diagnoses

Results from an anonymous survey of U.S. transplant providers report that incarceration, marijuana use, and psychiatric diagnoses, particularly suicide attempts, may lower patients’ eligibility for liver transplantation.

4 Apr 2013

Loyola receives Silver Medal of Honor for Organ Donation

Loyola University Health System was awarded a Silver Medal of Honor for Organ Donation by the Department of Health and Human Services. Loyola is recognized for achieving and sustaining national goals for donation, including a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors during the time period of April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2012.

19 Mar 2013

Donated liver survival rate improved by antioxidant

Researchers from Italy have found that the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), when injected prior to harvesting of the liver, significantly improves graft survival following transplantation. Results published in the February issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), suggest that the NAC effect on early graft function and survival is higher when suboptimal organs are used.

21 Feb 2013

Donor liver quality: an interview with Dr Eric Orman

Liver transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a liver (or part of a liver) is removed from a donor and placed into a recipient. Although some transplants use a portion of the liver of living donors, the vast majority of donors are deceased.

6 Feb 2013

Heart transplant patient becomes unexpected ambassador for organ donation

Kevin Riepl arrived at Cedars-Sinai in October 2010, suffering from sudden heart failure that left him fighting for his life. Surgeons swiftly installed a heart pump and later transplanted a new heart, saving his life and turning him into an unexpected ambassador for organ donation.

29 Dec 2012

Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccine effective at inducing CD8+ T cell responses specific to CMV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that testing of multiple synthetic vaccine constructs for cytomegalovirus (CMV) induced robust T cells in mice, demonstrating the potential for a SynCon DNA vaccine to treat this virus that causes infant death and congenital abnormalities, is associated with cerebral palsy and brain tumors, and is the most common viral infection in organ transplant recipients. CMV is also associated with numerous inflammatory diseases and cancers, and is implicated in hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

26 Nov 2012

PBS documentary explores stories and science behind organ donation and transplantation

Transplant: A Gift for Life -- a one-hour, Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary that includes Mayo Clinic transplant patients, their families, and doctors -- will be distributed to public television stations nationwide this month. On Nov. 8, more than 60 PBS stations will air the program simultaneously through the PBS World channel, and many other PBS stations will air the program at various times (check local listings) over the next three years.

8 Nov 2012

NY-Presbyterian/CUMC wins two Transplant Program Awards from HSS

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center was named a recipient of two Transplant Program Awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) for its outstanding performance on liver and lung transplantation.

3 Nov 2012

Canadian Cardiovascular Society issues new pediatric heart failure guidelines

The Canadian Cardiovascular Society is the first in Canada to issue guidelines aimed at helping primary care and emergency physicians, as well as specialists, recognize and manage heart failure in children. The guidelines were released today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.

30 Oct 2012

University of Kentucky to host Makenna Foundation Symposium on Pediatric Pulmonary Disease

The University of Kentucky is hosting the first annual Makenna Foundation Symposium on Pediatric Pulmonary Disease next Friday and Saturday.

20 Oct 2012

Study hopes to improve the outlook for native Americans with kidney disease

Americans have a 1 in 10 chance of suffering from kidney disease, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For Native Americans, the risk doubles.

19 Oct 2012

HHS honors Children's Hospital Los Angeles for excellence in organ donation

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is honoring Children's Hospital Los Angeles for its commitment to saving lives through organ and tissue donation. The hospital will receive the Silver Medal of Honor today for excellence in organ donation at the 7th National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice in Grapevine, Tex.

6 Oct 2012

Most Canadians view financial incentives for deceased kidney donation to be acceptable

Most Canadians view financial incentives for deceased kidney donation to be acceptable, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

28 Sep 2012