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Scientists direct embryonic stem cells to become cartilage cells

Scientists from Imperial College London have successfully converted human embryonic stem cells into cartilage cells, offering encouragement that replacement cartilage could one day be grown for transplantation.

20 Nov 2005

Stem cells to repair heart tissue soon after a heart attack

Stem cells derived from human heart tissue develop into multicellular, spherical structures called cardiospheres that express the normal properties of primitive heart tissue, smooth muscle and blood vessel cells, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

20 Nov 2005

Scientists use stem cells to grow cartilage

16 Nov 2005

World first trial grows blood vessels from patient's own skin

A team of American scientists have successfully implanted blood vessels grown entirely from a patient's own cells.

16 Nov 2005

Hospital liver transplant program suspended after 32 die waiting

Following reports in the media that a Southern California hospital had suspended its liver transplant program and had turned down scores of donor organs while 32 patients awaiting transplants had died, the facility has had it's certification of the liver transplant program revoked.

14 Nov 2005

Mayo Clinic provides new strategy for designing better treatments for juvenile dermatomyositis

Mayo Clinic researchers, working with colleagues at the University of Minnesota and University of Pittsburgh, are the first to describe a new role for a specialized cell of the immune system in children suffering from a rare muscle-damaging disease known as juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).

14 Nov 2005

Sleep apnea sufferers have double the risk of stroke and death

Apparently as many as 4 percent of Americans suffer from extreme daytime fatigue because their sleep apnea forces them to repeatedly wake up if only for a second.

10 Nov 2005

Public health service to fund live liver transplants

An announcement that new organ transplant technology will now allow adult patients to receive liver transplants from a living relative for the first time on the NHS, marks a new era in public health services.

8 Nov 2005

HIV-positive patients have shorter survival periods while awaiting liver transplants

A new study on HIV-positive patients eligible for liver transplants found that their survival while waiting for a transplant is significantly shorter than patients who are HIV-negative.

7 Nov 2005

Canadian surgeons successfully implant a new kind of mechanical heart

Surgeons at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) have successfully implanted a new kind of mechanical heart in two patients, the first time this new technology has been used in Canada.

1 Nov 2005

Cardiac regeneration using stem cells may heal hearts even years after heart attacks

Left ventricular function and exercise capacity increased, while the area of heart muscle damage shrank, in 18 patients given infusions of their own bone marrow stem cells up to eight years after a heart attack, according to a new study in the Nov. 1, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

27 Oct 2005

Despite warning dangerous ADHD drug still being sold

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, liver problems linked to the attention deficit drug Cylert and other generic versions of the drug make it too dangerous for the U.S. market.

25 Oct 2005

FDA approves first transplant of fetal stem cells into human brains

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first transplant of fetal stem cells into human brains, a procedure that if successful could pave the way to treating a host of neural disorders.

24 Oct 2005

Natural antifreeze protein may help store human organs

A new antifreeze protein discovered in tiny snow fleas by Queen's University researchers may lengthen the shelf life of human organs for transplantation.

23 Oct 2005

Nitric oxide may help sickle cell patients

Inhaling a small dose of nitric oxide gas may one day help sickle cell patients avoid pain crises and live healthier lives, researchers say.

23 Oct 2005

Researchers learn to rapidly rebuild immunity in immune-suppressed cancer patients

Patients with multiple myeloma suffer from a malignant proliferation of plasma cells in their bone marrow. The standard treatment for this form of cancer is high-dose chemotherapy and transplantation of one's own blood-producing adult stem cells; however, this aggressive treatment wipes out the mature immune-system cells of patients – leaving them vulnerable to infection.

20 Oct 2005

New approaches to counteract platelet shortages

Availability of safe platelets is a fundamental blood transfusion challenge and can be especially problematic in times of emergency. Several studies presented at the annual American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) meeting today demonstrate new approaches to counteract platelet shortages by enhancing the safety of whole blood derived platelets, precluding the need to rely on only those obtained through apheresis.

17 Oct 2005