Urine test can diagnose and predict kidney transplant rejection

Urine test can diagnose, predict kidney transplant rejection — NIH-funded study describes noninvasive alternative to kidney biopsy – Analysis of three biomarkers in the urine of kidney transplant recipients can diagnose — and even predict — transplant rejection, according to results from a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

High blood pressure risk rising in US kids

More hospitalizations, higher charges, for kids with high blood pressure – Hospitalizations for children with high blood pressure and related charges dramatically increased during 10 years ending in 2006, according to a study published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. This nationally-based study is the first in which researchers examined hypertension hospitalizations in children.

One kidney transplanted 2 times in 2 weeks

Kidney transplanted twice in 2 weeks — Transplant recipient donates kidney after disease threatens the organ; re-implantation reverses damage and allows another patient to thrive – For the first time, a kidney that had been donated to a patient in need was removed and implanted into a new patient, the third individual to have the organ, after it failed in the first transplant recipient.

35 new drugs approved in 2011 in US

FDA: 35 innovative new drugs approved in fiscal year 2011 — Report shows quick approvals of safe and effective medicines occur in the United States before other countries – Over the past 12 months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 35 new medicines for patients, like two new treatments for hepatitis C; a drug for late-stage prostate cancer; the first new drug for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 30 years; and the first new drug for lupus in 50 years.

Arizona’s first intestine transplant done, US

A three-member surgeon team successfully completed the first intestine transplant in the state of Arizona, USA. – Surgeons at The University of Arizona Department of Surgery performed Arizona’s first intestine (bowel) transplant April 30 in a successful nine-hour procedure at University Medical Center.

LifePort Kidney Transporter improves kidney transplant results

Transplanted kidneys preserved and transported in a specially designed machine (LifePort Kidney Transporter) the odds for experiencing a delay in recovery of kidney function are 43% lower. – Use of a specially designed machine to store kidneys for transplantation offers significant benefits in kidney survival and function when compared to those stored in a traditional “ice box”, or cold storage, revealed by researchers.

Cancer drug bortezomib effectively treats transplant rejections

Cancer drug bortezomib ? used to treat multiple myeloma – effectively treats organ transplant rejections. – University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have discovered a new therapy for transplant patients, targeting the antibody-producing plasma cells that can cause organ rejection.

Gender may play role in kidney transplant

Female who receive a kidney from a male donor are more likely to reject the kidney or graft, suggested by the Swiss researchers. – There are more chances of kidney rejection in a woman who gets a kidney from a male donor, revealed by Swiss researchers in a research paper published in the current issue of the medical journal The Lancet from UK.

Fifty per cent increase in organ donation possible in 5 years

Donating an organ is the greatest gift anyone can bestow. Last year around 2,400 people in the UK benefited from an organ transplant, but more than 1000 people die every year waiting for a transplant. – The UK Department of Health announced it would back the recommendations of the Organ Donation Taskforce, which could see a 50 per cent increase in organ donation in the UK within five years – resulting in an additional 1,200 transplants a year and saving thousands of lives.

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