http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-stem-cell-based-strategy-boosts-immune-mice.html Immunology Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:03 EST news287923006 Human diseases caused by misfolded proteins known as prions are some of most rare yet terrifying on the planet—incurable with disturbing symptoms that include dementia, personality shifts, hallucinations and coordination problems. The most well-known of these is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which can be described as the naturally occurring human equivalent of mad cow disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-scientists-potentially-effective-therapy-human.html Medical research Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:09:03 EST news284220522 A person in the northeastern state of Maryland who recently died of rabies was found to have contracted the illness from an organ transplant done over a year ago, US health officials said Friday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-transplant-patient-dies-rabies.html Other Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:00:01 EST news282569840 A team led by Dr. Marie-Josée Hébert from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) has discovered a new cause of organ rejection in some kidney transplant patients. Her team has identified a new class of antibodies – anti-LG3 – which when activated lead to severe rejection episodes associated with a high rate of organ loss. This discovery, which holds promise for organ recipients, was published in the online version of the American Journal of Transplantation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-breakthrough-transplant-patients.html Surgery Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:30:01 EST news281184112 Organ donations have dropped sharply in Germany following a scandal over alleged corruption at several transplant clinics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-donations-fall-germany-scandal.html Other Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:38:19 EST news276799092 Using mesenchymal stromal cells derived from adipose (fat) tissues, genetically modified to express a bioluminescent marker, researchers in Italy have tracked cells after transplantation. The cells were followed from their injection into the spleen of mice modeling liver disease, to their characterization as "hepatic precursors," and to their subsequent migration through the spleen before engrafting at regenerating sites in the liver by bioluminescent imaging. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-transplanted-genetically-modified-adipose-cells-potential.html Medical research Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:50:01 EST news275244596 Northwestern Medicine researchers have discovered a "two-faced" group of cells at work in human colon cancer, with opposing functions that can suppress or promote tumor growth. These cells are a subset of T-regulatory (Treg) cells, known to suppress immune responses in healthy individuals http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-two-faced-cells-colon-cancer-immune.html Cancer Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:45:16 EST news274628710 A new study published in BJS has demonstrated for the first time that a simple breath analysis could be used for colorectal cancer screening. The study is part of the "Improving Outcomes in Gastrointestinal Cancer" supplement. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-possibly-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:02 EST news273864155 Dr. Joseph Murray, who won the Nobel Prize for performing the first-ever successful organ transplant, died late Monday in Boston at the age of 93, his family said. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-transplant-murray-dies.html Other Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:10:01 EST news273214258 China will start phasing out its reliance on organs from executed prisoners for transplants early next year as a new national donation system is implemented, a government-appointed expert has said. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-china-phasing-prisoner-year.html Other Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:23:39 EST news271059814 In the largest study of its kind, living donors who had a kidney removed through a single port in the navel report higher satisfaction in several key categories, compared to donors who underwent traditional multiple-port laparoscopic removal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-single-port-kidney-belly-button-boosts.html Surgery Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:48:22 EST news266676491 (HealthDay) -- For organ transplant recipients, patients factors, including sex and skin type, and receipt of advice from health care providers, are both associated with sun protective behaviors, according to a study published online Aug. 9 in the British Journal of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-factors-tied-photoprotection-idd-recipients.html Surgery Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:40:01 EST news264774264 Twenty-three-year-old Paul Corby has a bad heart and a flawed mind. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-medical-debate-autism-block-heart.html Other Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:10:01 EST news264428242 Researchers have discovered molecular and protein signatures that predict rapid onset of liver damage in hepatitis C patients following a liver transplant. The markers appeared soon after transplant and well before clinical evidence of liver damage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-molecular-protein-markers-liver-transplant.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:06:02 EST news264348356 By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement strategy to track down parasites that is similar to strategies that predators such as monkeys, sharks and blue-fin tuna use to hunt their prey. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-cells-parasites-animal-predators-prey.html Medical research Sun, 27 May 2012 13:02:18 EST news257319759 The life-saving work of researchers who explore our immune system to develop vaccines and fight diseases like HIV will be recognized as part of International Day of Immunology celebrations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-immunology.html Immunology Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:20:05 EST news254135085 For patients suffering from severe pulmonary diseases including emphysema, lung cancer or fibrosis, transplantation of healthy lung tissue may offer the best chance for survival. The surgical procedure, however, faces two primary challenges: an acute shortage of donor lungs and rejection of transplanted tissue by the recipient's immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-lungs-fresh-cells-transplant-patients.html Medical research Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:58:26 EST news247337900 Patients who have received a solid organ transplant, such as kidney, liver, heart or lung, have an overall cancer risk that is double that of the general population, with an increased risk for many different types of malignancies, according to a study in the November 2 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-recipients-transplants-broad-range-cancers.html Cancer Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:26:55 EST news239383608 For the first time in the Delaware Valley Region, a patient has undergone a complex and intricate bilateral hand transplant that could significantly enhance the quality-of-life for persons with multiple limb loss. The procedure was performed by Penn's Hand Transplant Program which operates under the leadership of the Penn Transplant Institute and in collaboration with Gift of Life Donor Program, the nonprofit organ and tissue donor program which serves the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware. The highly-trained team's first bilateral hand transplant was performed in September. At this time, the patient is progressing well and both the patient and donor family wish to remain anonymous. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-bilateral-transplant-hospital-university-pennsylvania.html Other Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:30:31 EST news239365824 Modern medicine's ability to save lives through organ transplantation has been revolutionized by the development of drugs that prevent the human body from rejecting the transplanted organ. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-uncovers-anti-rejection-drugs-transplant-patients.html Medications Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:39:23 EST news237199157 It is no easy task to preserve the delicate balance that allows us to maintain a strong immune system that can defend us from harmful pathogens, but that is sensitive enough to correctly identify and spare our own cells. Therefore, it is not surprising that the mechanisms that underlie immune activation and tolerance are not completely understood. Now, a new research study published by Cell Press in the journal Immunity and available online on September 15th provides intriguing insight into the complex immune regulatory mechanisms that underlie immune tolerance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-insight-immune-tolerance-furthers-autoimmune.html Medical research Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:12:43 EST news235308079 Researchers have been working at growing tissue and organs in the laboratory for a long time. These days, tissue engineering enables us to build up artificial tissue, although science still hasn't been successful with larger organs. Now, researchers at Fraunhofer are applying new techniques and materials to come up with artificial blood vessels in their BioRap project that will be able to supply artificial tissue and maybe even complex organs in future. They are exhibiting their findings at the Biotechnica Fair that will be taking place in Hannover, Germany on October 11-13. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-blood-vessels-printer.html Medical research Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:19:02 EST news235138723 A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that substitution of a brand name immunosuppressive drug with a generic (manufactured by Sandoz) for preventing rejection of transplanted organs appears to be safe for transplant recipients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-substitution-brand-drug-safe-transplant.html Medications Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:28:01 EST news235132066 Tissue deprived of oxygen (ischemia) is a serious health condition that can lead to damaged heart tissue following a heart attack and, in the case of peripheral arterial disease in limbs, amputation, particularly in diabetic patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-blood.html Medical research Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:34:39 EST news231431574 An analysis of data on heart and lung transplant recipients indicates that patients who had transplant surgery performed at nighttime did not have a significantly different rate of survival up to one year after organ transplantation, according to a study in the June 1 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-nighttime-transplant-surgery-poorer-survival.html Other Tue, 31 May 2011 16:26:31 EST news226077965 Tacrolimus, a drug that is commonly used to prevent organ transplantation rejection, inhibits breast cancer growth in pre-clinical studies. The finding from UNC scientists was reported in the May 26th PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-common-transplant-drug-inhibits-breast.html Cancer Thu, 26 May 2011 13:45:19 EST news225636304