tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70765182012-02-01T11:54:02.645ZA daily digest of the latest kidney transplant and dialysis news.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.comBlogger1001100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1120200457174974082005-07-01T06:47:00.000Z2005-07-01T06:47:37.173Z

U.S. researchers have shown that someone with failing kidneys can benefit from a "pre-emptive" kidney transplant -- before they need dialysis -- but a Canadian study suggests that finding may not apply in this country.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1120199262041439272005-07-01T06:23:00.000Z2005-07-01T06:27:42.046Z

Rev. Victor Munro has been undergoing dialysis treatment at Toronto General Hospital for almost a decade and he has noticed that, like him, a growing number of people with kidney failure are retirees.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1120200199252460602005-06-28T06:42:00.000Z2005-07-01T06:43:19.256Z

Kidney transplant specialist Dr. Santosh Potdar said a technique he is using during procedures at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center has saved patients $500,000 during the past two years and increased the longevity of transplanted organs.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1120243882456834242005-05-31T18:50:00.000Z2005-07-01T18:54:01.633Z

The issue of living kidney transplants is due to be discussed at an international conference being hosted by the Irish Kidney Association in Dublin this week.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1115940874390950452005-05-12T23:33:00.000Z2005-05-12T23:34:34.396Z

One idea for easing the organ shortage is to pay donors. There is only one country in the world where it's legal now, but the subject comes up at nearly every major transplant conference.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1115690943525323162005-05-10T02:07:00.000Z2005-05-10T02:09:03.530Z

The Harvard Medical School Division of Medical Ethics will host a public forum, titled “Soliciting Organs Over the Internet,” which will bring together an Internet donor matching service MatchingDonors.com and ethicists to discuss the changing landscape of organ donation.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1115614968572645152005-05-09T05:02:00.000Z2005-05-09T05:02:48.576Z

At 79, Thomas Starzl doesn’t have much left to prove. In July 1967, the surgeon was the first to perform a successful human liver transplantation; since then he has been instrumental in making the liver the United States’ second-most-commonly transplanted organ. “He led the field of transplantation into the modern era,” says J. Richard Thistlethwaite, a transplant surgeon at the University of

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1115608735821529862005-05-09T03:18:00.000Z2005-05-09T03:18:55.826Z

Despite advances in dialysis, acute kidney failure while in hospital carries a mortality rate that tops 50 percent. Current therapies filter body waste but fail to compensate for other renal functions, such as immune surveillance and metabolic activity.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1115380041084228522005-05-06T11:46:00.000Z2005-05-06T11:47:21.090Z

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered a gene responsible for one form of chronic kidney disease. The disease, called familial focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), can lead to complete kidney failure and affects 20 percent of patients on dialysis. The finding could lead to more effective treatments, according to the researchers.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1115608885019934012005-05-06T03:20:00.000Z2005-05-09T03:21:25.023Z

Researchers say they've identified a gene responsible for a form of chronic kidney disease.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1115205065950609952005-05-04T11:10:00.000Z2005-05-04T11:11:05.956Z

A US group of HIV specialists has recommended kidney screening for all people with HIV to help avoid chronic kidney disease, a serious complication of HIV infection.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114793119771975612005-04-29T16:44:00.000Z2005-04-29T16:45:19.773Z

Dialysis patients who undergo a kidney transplant rather than remain on dialysis enjoy extended life spans.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114740419359563862005-04-28T02:06:00.000Z2005-04-29T02:06:59.360Z

A new suitcase-size dialysis machine that people with failing kidneys can use daily at home, on the road -- even on ocean cruises -- appears to improve patients' health and vigor.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114557104761007222005-04-26T23:09:00.000Z2005-04-26T23:11:44.760Z

Creating a national exchange program to connect pairs of donors/recipients could help those most in need.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114647352488937322005-04-25T00:15:00.000Z2005-04-28T00:15:52.490Z

Successful kidney transplantation provides a better overall outcome compared to dialysis, and doubles the life expectancy of patients with renal failure, according to a new study.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114381976492950082005-04-24T22:32:00.000Z2005-04-24T22:32:56.493Z

Last May, when Elizabeth-Ann Mohammed learned that her kidneys were failing, she was given two choices: endure years of dialysis or find someone to donate a kidney. Because she is black, finding a kidney wouldn’t be easy. On average, black patients wait nearly five years for a kidney transplant – about 18 months longer than whites.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114381487657307062005-04-24T22:23:00.000Z2005-04-24T22:24:47.656Z

A little more than 50 years ago, doctors at a Boston hospital performed the first successful human organ transplant, transferring a donor kidney to a dying man from his identical twin. It's more than a little ironic, then, to consider that more than 60,800 people today desperately need a kidney transplant but are unable to get one.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114359843638048492005-04-24T16:22:00.000Z2005-04-24T16:24:03.640Z

KARACHI: There are only 147 dialysis centres in Pakistan, catering to the needs of over 140 million people, according to the Dialysis Registry of Pakistan 2003-2004 prepared by the Kidney Foundation.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114359687532282002005-04-24T16:20:00.000Z2005-04-24T16:21:27.533Z

A larger, more efficient system for matching kidney donors with recipients would save hundreds of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars every year, according to a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114381264074718462005-04-20T22:19:00.000Z2005-04-24T22:21:04.076Z

Doctors aiming to prevent the potentially life-threatening complications following an organ transplant without the use of currently available drugs that may cause unwanted side effects was one focus at a meeting of transplantation specialists in Philadelphia in early April.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1114002440380131512005-04-20T10:54:00.000Z2005-04-20T13:07:20.380Z

USA - A collaboration between Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists has mathematically demonstrated that a national matching program for kidney paired donation, also called paired kidney exchange, would ensure the best possible kidney for the greatest number of recipients who have incompatible donors.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1113796969836653652005-04-18T04:02:00.000Z2005-04-18T04:02:49.836Z

African-Americans are less likely to be referred for a transplant and wait longer for a kidney once they're referred.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1113796827063199932005-04-18T03:59:00.000Z2005-04-18T04:00:27.063Z

A live webcast of a living donor kidney transplant by an internationally-renowned team of physicians will air on April 21, presenting an opportunity for anyone with access to a computer to see the procedure and what it means to be a living kidney donor.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1113109690613942842005-04-10T05:06:00.000Z2005-04-10T05:08:10.613Z

An article published in Hemodialysis International discusses the role of oxidative stress (OS) in dialysis patients, an imbalance which can result in long-term health problems. Potential therapeutic options to restore balance in patients are also reviewed.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1113109940606034162005-04-09T05:11:00.000Z2005-04-10T05:12:20.606Z

Turning conventional wisdom around, a recent study showed that patients with both kidney and heart failure may benefit from an early kidney transplant. Previously, such patients were denied kidney transplants based on the idea that the transplant would put unnecessary strain on their failing hearts.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1113110248765289602005-04-07T05:16:00.000Z2005-04-10T05:17:28.766Z

Across America, thousands of patients with end-stage kidney disease visit clinics for hours each day while a machine does what their kidneys cannot — clean their blood of toxins.Patients chained to this expensive, time-consuming process may be finally getting a break, however: New research suggests home-based, while-you-sleep dialysis does the job better, allowing patients to spend their waking

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1109490951291652592005-02-27T07:54:00.000Z2005-02-27T07:55:51.296Z

Alex Crionas needs a kidney, and Patrick Garrity has one to give him. They went through rigorous blood and tissue testing last month at LifeLink HealthCare Institute, which coordinates the transplant program for Tampa General Hospital, and say they were declared physically compatible for the operation.But the hope of a new life for the 28-year-old Crionas didn't last long.Crionas got a letter

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1104767919533689452005-01-03T15:56:00.000Z2005-01-03T15:58:39.533Z

One of Northern Ireland’s outstanding renal physicians and clinical scientists, Mollie McGeown, has died.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1104768283640541212005-01-02T16:03:00.000Z2005-01-03T16:05:00.580Z

Indian kidney failure patients face new hurdles to transplantation

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1100411264555000542004-11-14T05:46:00.000Z2004-11-14T05:47:44.556Z

A bioartificial kidney may help save the lives of people with acute renal failure, according to results of the first test of the device in humans. University of Michigan researchers conducted an early-phase study to examine the safety of this device in humans, but the test results also indicated that the device improved kidney function. Read full story.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1100411768325550282004-11-02T05:55:00.000Z2004-11-14T05:56:08.326Z

Even though patients are waiting longer for a kidney transplant, those who do get one live longer than those who remain on dialysis, according to data presented last weekend at the American Society of Nephrology's annual meeting in St. Louis. Read full story.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1100412004808811652004-11-01T00:53:00.000Z2004-11-14T06:00:04.806Z

Dialysis patients are less likely to get aggressive and potentially lifesaving treatment after a heart attack, according to a new study. Although dialysis patients face a greater risk of death following a heart attack, researchers found that they were half as likely to receive standard treatment after suffering a heart attack than the general population. Read full story.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098498833411344222004-10-23T02:33:00.000Z2004-10-23T02:33:53.410Z

The number of people awaiting a deceased donor kidney transplant in the United States has exceeded 60,000 for the first time, according to new data released by the nation's Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), operated by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098458618708266422004-10-22T15:23:00.000Z2004-10-22T15:23:38.710Z

A story from the Associated Press yesterday about matchingdonors.com, the website which puts potential organ donors in touch with people in need of a transplant, included an interesting comment from Dr. Jeremiah Lowney, the website's medical director. He said the site would waive fees for people who could not afford them. I complained here last week about the high price ($295 per month) to

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098280354398893022004-10-20T13:50:00.000Z2004-10-20T13:54:11.283Z

Interesting story about a man who developed kidney cancer but recovered to donate a kidney to his sister.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098274436564253872004-10-20T13:13:00.000Z2004-10-20T12:13:56.563Z

Thirty percent of children on hemodialysis don't receive a high enough "dose" of dialysis to make up for their lost kidney function, suggests a study in the November Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Read full story.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098269288282417832004-10-20T10:47:00.000Z2004-10-20T10:48:08.283Z

I’m getting quite used to having my testicles squeezed by other people. Yesterday I saw another doctor who told me I seem to have an Epididymal cystadenoma - a kind of tumour in my right testicle. He said he needs to go and find more information on how to deal with it. I found a few references on the internet but as yet nothing on how it’s treated. Anyone else know?

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098272277027527072004-10-20T09:37:00.000Z2004-10-20T12:15:06.966Z

Another update on the kidney transplant operation that was cancelled at the last moment after the hospital discovered that the patient had found the donor through the website matchingdonors.com. It seems that they have now decided to let the surgery go ahead. I wrote a few days ago that I thought people waiting for transplants were being exploited by the website which charges $295 a month to be

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098227200837885572004-10-19T23:04:00.000Z2004-10-19T23:06:40.836Z

Two Toronto hospitals are preparing to perform “kidney swaps”—an innovative way to increase the small pool of organs available for transplant. Under the plan, a living donor who wants to donate a kidney to a relative or friend but isn’t a compatible match, donates it instead to an anonymous recipient who is a match. In return, the relative gets an organ from another living donor in the same

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098157502171020952004-10-19T03:39:00.000Z2004-10-19T03:45:02.170Z

I’ve spent the last few hours reading about testicles. Last week I discovered that my right testicle was swollen. Later today I’m seeing a urologist at the hospital about it. I really should avoid reading scary medical websites.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098135328825355132004-10-18T21:34:00.000Z2004-10-18T21:35:28.826Z

Most people I meet for the first time have no idea how dialysis works or what happens when someone’s kidneys stop working or have to be removed because of cancer or other diseases. I thought I’d write a brief piece about what happens to keep the person with kidney failure alive. First of all, you probably know that the kidneys act as a filter which removes lots of unwanted stuff from the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1098160908992497412004-10-18T04:40:00.000Z2004-10-19T04:41:48.993Z

An update to the piece I posted criticising matchingdonors.com for, in my opinion, exploiting people on transplant waiting lists, by chatging them $295 for being listed on their website. It seems that a kidney transplant brokered by the site has been halted at the last minute by the hospital due to carry out the operation. Officials are now looking into whether the site profited from the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097896519032702222004-10-16T03:14:00.000Z2004-10-16T03:15:19.033Z

There’s something repulsive about matchingdonors.com. I came across the site today which offers to find donors for people waiting for an organ transplant. After a four year wait for a new kidney I thought about signing up only to find that membership fees were exorbitant. Monthly membership costs $295 a month with discounts for longer term membership. Like many people waiting for a transplant I

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097895475692177482004-10-16T02:57:00.000Z2004-10-16T02:57:55.693Z

A 58-year-old man is preparing to receive a new kidney next week after finding a Chattanooga donor on an Internet site. Bob Hickey is scheduled for transplant surgery in Denver, Colorado on Monday. The donor is 32-year-old photographer Robert Smitty, who was brought together with Hickey by the Web site MatchingDonors-dot-com. Read more.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097420903713743862004-10-10T14:50:00.000Z2004-10-10T15:08:23.713Z

In the four years since I started dialysis I've twice been on the verge of getting a transplant. The first time was about two years ago when my Father was deemed a suitable donor. We were admitted together to Manchester Royal Infirmary one chilly October evening for surgery the following morning. Last minute scans, x-rays and blood tests took place then we waited nervouslyto be wheeled down to

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097411488855429462004-10-09T13:30:00.000Z2004-10-10T12:31:28.856Z

A cure for diabetes is now a real possibility, thanks to kidney-pancreas transplants. It may seem like an overly powerful treatment. But if you're a diabetic patient with end-stage kidney disease, this is wonderful news for several reasons -- the most important of which is they no longer need insulin injections and kidney dialysis. Read more.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097411237913268612004-10-09T13:26:00.000Z2004-10-10T12:27:17.913Z

A quarter-of-a-million pound project to develop an innovative kidney transplant programme in Scotland was announced yesterday. Read more.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097411762515413892004-10-08T13:35:00.000Z2004-10-10T12:40:18.006Z

The UK’s first specialist team capable of retrieving all kinds of donor organs is to be set up in Scotland. The team, which will be based at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, will go to hospitals across Scotland to collect organs for donation. It will be different from any other team in Britain because it will include its own anaesthetist, allowing it to retrieve organs in a much wider range of

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097412686528153342004-10-05T13:51:00.000Z2004-10-10T12:51:53.000Z

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that people with kidney failure that's severe enough to require dialysis deserve some of the workplace protections offered by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Read more.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1097413326028888972004-10-03T13:01:00.000Z2004-10-10T13:02:06.030Z

China recently recorded a successful simultaneous liver, pancreas and kidney transplant, reportedly the first of its kind in Asia. Experts said that it is extremely difficult to transplant more than two organs at the same time, due to clinical complications, large area of operation trauma and time limits in preservation of organs to be transplanted. Read more.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1095435483383226982004-09-17T15:37:00.000Z2004-09-17T15:38:03.383Z

A new non-invasive test for kidney disease, developed by clinicians at Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and Imperial College London, is providing a simple, safe, cheap and reliable method of detecting kidney disease. The new test, reported today in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, can detect disease before symptoms become apparent, and offers a quicker way of finding out if

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1094253178514328592004-09-03T23:11:00.000Z2004-09-03T23:14:03.326Z

Harold Wendt, at 84 years and 11 months of age at the time of the procedure, is believed to be the oldest person in the world to receive an organ transplant from a living donor, said Anne Paschke, a spokeswoman for the United Network for Organ Sharing. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1094250677363009692004-09-03T22:30:00.000Z2004-09-03T22:31:17.363Z

With the news that his local dialysis centre will be closing its doors on Sept. 24, patient Jerry Paul of Polson has decided to opt out of dialysis treatments. That means he is choosing to die. He's not angry, he says. He's just plain worn out. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1094250441744035952004-09-03T22:26:00.000Z2004-09-03T22:27:21.743Z

More and more people appear to be developing diabetes for the first time following kidney transplant, increasing their risk of transplant complications and death, according to a new report released today in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, a publication of the National Kidney Foundation. Moreover, people with pre-existing diabetes appear to benefit more from kidney transplantation when

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1094251992830100282004-09-03T21:52:00.000Z2004-09-03T22:53:12.830Z

People who are prone to kidney stones should limit their caffeine intake, new research suggests. When investigators gave people with a history of kidney stones a dose of caffeine equivalent to that found in two cups of coffee, they began to excrete more calcium in their urine, putting them at increased risk of forming kidney stones. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093929466445835002004-08-31T05:16:00.000Z2004-08-31T05:17:46.446Z

For decades, the standard treatment for kidney cancer has been removal of the kidney. A newer technique, called radiofrequency ablation, uses electrical currents to disintegrate the cancerous tumor, sparing the kidney. How effective is this approach? Read full story.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093928241321284542004-08-31T04:55:00.000Z2004-08-31T04:57:21.320Z

Body tissues such as blood vessels, cartilage and skin—even whole organs such as kidneys, livers and hearts—could become more widely available for transplants as a result of a patent issued recently to Organ Recovery Systems of Chicago for a method to chill body tissues and organs well below freezing without forming ice crystals. The new process for tissue "vitrification"—-chilling tissue and

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093841428940051512004-08-30T04:49:00.000Z2004-08-30T04:50:28.940Z

This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most remarkable feats in medical history. In 1954, surgeons at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston performed the first successful organ transplant. Doctors removed a kidney from 23-year-old Ronald Herrick and transplanted it into his identical twin, Richard, who was dying of kidney failure. Richard recovered, married his nurse, had two

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093929736656644892004-08-29T05:21:00.000Z2004-08-31T05:22:16.656Z

Black South Africans may hold the key to the treatment and prevention of kidney stones, a common and often very painful condition. Kidney stones are hardened mineral deposits that form in the kidney and cause pain and discomfort (especially for men) when they pass out of the body. The pain of passing these stones has been compared with childbirth depending on the size of the stone which can be as

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093929971481251312004-08-26T05:25:00.000Z2004-08-31T05:26:11.480Z

Boston Scientific Corp. said yesterday that it received U.S. regulatory approval for a device to treat complications that arise in patients with end-stage kidney disease who need dialysis. The Peripheral Cutting Balloon device is used to clear blockages in a vascular access graft, a soft synthetic tube leading from the artery that gives doctors access to the patient's vascular system. Read full

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093345566381250202004-08-24T11:05:00.000Z2004-08-24T11:06:06.380Z

Kidney dialysis will cost Australians $5 billion in the next decade if a national strategy to combat kidney disease is not developed, politicians have been warned. Read full story.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093951413258179932004-08-22T11:22:00.000Z2004-08-31T11:23:33.256Z

The New Zealand government is likely to offer financial assistance to live kidney donors in a bid to try to boost the number of people donating organs. Health Minister Annette King says people are being put off giving organs due to a loss of income from taking time off work to have an operation. King won't say at this stage how much money will be offered. She says she will take a paper to Cabinet

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093048232487515522004-08-20T00:28:00.000Z2004-08-21T00:30:32.486Z

In October 2003, the Georgia Division of Public Health (DPH) was notified of two patients from the same county with confirmed West Nile virus (WNV) disease who had received hemodialysis on the same day and on the same dialysis machine. The two dialysis patients (patients A and C) had the only confirmed cases of human WNV disease reported in their county in 2003. Review of the dialysis center's

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1092714384896626862004-08-17T03:45:00.000Z2004-08-17T03:48:23.876Z

A new charity plans to build field hospitals to provide kidney dialysis for patients in remote parts of Ireland and Scotland, it emerged today. Businessman James McGarvey devised the project in memory of his late brother Owenie, who died last year aged 52. Read full story here.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1092739317697238932004-08-15T10:40:00.000Z2004-08-17T10:41:57.696Z

Scientists are developing a device which they say could improve the lives of kidney dialysis patients. Most have a synthetic tube inserted under the skin, where they are "hooked up" to a machine every few days. But this places huge pressure on patients' veins, which can close up, leading to them needing surgery to correct the problem. Read full story here.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1093950953916669862004-08-07T11:15:00.000Z2004-08-31T11:19:20.356Z

.flickr-photo { border: solid 1px #000000; }.flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } jonah_lomu_haka_250, originally uploaded by newslighter. Former All Black star Jonah Lomu has been released from hospital, five days after his kidney transplant, and is said to be resting comfortably at his

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1090316087884682082004-07-20T09:34:00.000Z2004-07-20T09:34:47.886Z

There are "fewer than five nocturnal hemodialysis patients in the world who have given birth and Yvonne (Maffei) is the first documented woman in Canada to deliver a healthy baby to term,'' said Dr. Christopher Chan, Maffei's nephrologist and medical director for home hemodialysis at the University Health Network. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1088947888952970382004-07-04T13:31:00.000Z2004-07-04T13:31:28.953Z

Jonah Lomu is set to receive a kidney transplant in the near future which could rekindle his hopes of playing for the All Blacks again. The 29-year-old has not played for a year due to a rare kidney disorder. But New Zealand's Sunday News reported that three of Lomu's friends had volunteered to donate a kidney and one was cleared as a compatible donor. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1088727368788806872004-07-02T00:15:00.000Z2004-07-02T00:16:08.790Z

Today alone, about 10 people will be added to the list of those who are waiting for an organ transplant. Of the nearly 80,000 people on that list, most of them need a new kidney. Even if a patient is lucky enough to find a donor, there is always the risk that their body will reject the kidney. But a blood filtering process has been developed, which could make a match more likely and transplants

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1088622102860656092004-06-30T19:00:00.000Z2004-06-30T19:01:42.860Z

After four-and-a-half years of dialysis, John Spencer was mentally and physically worn out. When his best hope of a kidney transplant - from his sister - fell through there seemed to be nothing for it but to go back on the waiting list. But then his wife of 38 years, Kathleen, asked if she could be tested and everything changed. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1088415376987079722004-06-28T09:35:00.000Z2004-06-28T09:36:16.986Z

Everybody would be presumed to be willing to donate their organs under plans going to a vote of MPs on Monday. The scheme would presume donor consent unless people registered an opt-out. Supporters of the proposals say they would vastly increase the numbers of organs available for transplants, but critics insist there is no proof. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1088157483351594652004-06-25T09:57:00.000Z2004-06-26T00:19:28.796Z

How does dialysis affect kids with end-stage kidney disease? That’s the question Australian researchers set out to answer in a new study that looked at long-term survival rates among people younger than 20 years old when dialysis became the standard treatment. Read more

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1088209144665981582004-06-24T12:18:00.000Z2004-06-26T00:21:03.343Z

Fifty years ago, nearly all children born with severe forms of kidney disease simply waited to die. The advent of dialysis and kidney transplants changed all that, however, and most kids with the illness now live long, productive lives. But experts say there's more that can and should be done. Read more

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087865770598703352004-06-22T00:55:00.000Z2004-06-22T00:56:10.596Z

For people on dialysis because their kidneys have failed, death rates are lower among women when they receive a higher "dose" of dialysis. However, men do not benefit in the same way, a recent study shows. Several studies have reported lower mortality risk among hemodialysis patients "treated with doses greater than the standard dose," Dr. Friedrich K. Port and colleagues from the University of

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087838411748024112004-06-21T17:18:00.000Z2004-06-21T17:20:11.746Z

Police in Uganda are investigating the possible existence of a well-organised racket, exporting human organs to the US and European countries. The underhand international trade in human organs has been growing over the past few years, as new lifestyles in the rich west cause new diseases. The organs are transplanted into bodies of rich patients who can expensively pay for them. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087581102891363242004-06-18T17:51:00.000Z2004-06-30T19:05:59.193Z

Of the 58,432 Americans on the national waiting list for kidneys, 35 percent are black. The median waiting time for blacks -- defined as the time it takes half of those who signed up to get a kidney -- is 4.7 years, compared with about 2.2 years for whites, according to figures for people who got on the list in 1998. Many African-Americans get on the waiting list at a later stage of their disease

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087472349824674602004-06-17T11:38:00.000Z2004-06-17T11:39:09.823Z

Michelle Nichols’ mother always told her if you do good deeds, they’ll come back to you. And nearly three years after she became the first person in Hampton Roads to donate a kidney to a stranger, the Beach resident has won $500,000 from the Virginia Lottery. “I was in shock,” she said Tuesday, after claiming her check at the state lottery office in Hampton. “I couldn’t believe it – I still can’t

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087471814680440052004-06-17T11:29:00.000Z2004-06-17T11:30:14.680Z

Kidney patient Robert Stevens was delighted when doctors said they had a perfect match for a transplant. But he had to say no - because the donor was his teenage son Michael. Mr Stevens has been waiting for a transplant for three years. Even though 19-year-old Michael's offer is his best chance of survival, Mr Stevens cannot put his soldier son's life on the line. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087256312952255532004-06-14T23:37:00.000Z2004-06-14T23:38:32.953Z

Ward is one of 20 million Americans suffering from kidney disease. About 400,000 people are on dialysis or have had a kidney transplant, the only treatments for kidney failure. That number has doubled in each of the last two decades. By 2010, as many people will be developing kidney failure as are dying of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death, said Dr. Thomas Hostetter, director of the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087060881215908462004-06-12T17:20:00.000Z2004-06-12T17:21:21.216Z

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical division of Wyeth, announced today important new study findings for RAPAMUNE(R) (sirolimus). Kidney histology and function three years after transplantation are better in kidney-transplant patients who remain on sirolimus-based therapy following early withdrawal of cyclosporine than in patients who continue on this calcineurin inhibitor, according to a

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1087059622811730172004-06-12T16:59:00.000Z2004-06-12T17:00:22.813Z

A shortage of consultants is threatening a crisis in transplant surgery, doctors' representatives warned yesterday. They said the problem is particularly acute in renal medicine, and there are fears it is only a matter of time before viable donated kidneys have to be discarded because no-one can be found to perform the transplant. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-108705854363001412004-06-12T16:41:00.000Z2004-06-12T16:42:23.630Z

Every day, 17 Americans die of organ failure. In Israel, the average wait for a kidney transplant is four years. In response, a global gray market has bloomed. In India, for example, poor sellers are quickly matched with sick buyers from Taiwan. Critics call it "transplant tourism." Proponents say the market is meeting a need. The Monitor follows three men: an unemployed Brazilian and an ailing

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1086995466878473522004-06-10T11:09:00.000Z2004-06-11T23:11:06.880Z

A dialysis machine manufacturer is issuing a global alert after problems were raised about the machines in British Columbia. Baxter International has sent a letter to all of its clients, reminding them to check all procedures and components to ensure that blood does not back up. Earlier this week, health authorities on Vancouver Island found blood from several dialysis machines had leaked into

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1086750804001211052004-06-09T03:11:00.000Z2004-06-09T03:15:10.393Z

There’s a lot of confusion about the testing that potential kidney donor’s have to go through. I found an excellent article from the Cleveland Clinic which explains it all in a clear and jargon-free manner. Evaluation Tests for Potential Kidney Donors Can I be a kidney donor? Any normal, healthy adult with two normal kidneys can be a kidney donor. Your blood type will be the main factor in

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1086660024227639542004-06-07T01:59:00.000Z2004-06-08T02:00:24.226Z

Fifty years ago, Ronald Herrick donated one of his kidneys to his identical twin, Richard. It was the first successful organ transplant, pioneering surgery performed at what is now Brigham and Women's Hospital. Richard Herrick lived for another eight years, thanks to the transplant. His brother is still with us, as is Joseph Murray, the surgeon who led the transplant team and who was later

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1086218010555025192004-06-02T23:12:00.000Z2004-06-02T23:13:30.556Z

A new drug, generically called LEA29Y, performs better than the old drug, cyclosporin, in reducing the long-term side effects of a kidney transplant including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and damaging the kidney transplant, according to an ongoing study. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1086285890703651482004-06-01T19:03:00.000Z2004-06-03T18:04:50.703Z

U.S. surgeons are warning that severe bleeding complications, sometimes causing death, can occur in living kidney donors. The complications, many of which are delayed, result from the surgical technique used to close the arterial stump, according to the researchers, headed by Dr. Amy Friedman, associate professor of surgery at Yale University. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1086218487794812902004-05-28T23:20:00.000Z2004-06-02T23:21:27.793Z

He was content playing with his five-month-old daughter. The swelling in his feet seemed insignificant. But that was a month ago. Since then, Rakesh Kumar’s dreams and his life have taken divergent paths. A cursory visit to a physician revealed his kidneys damaged beyond repair. In the face of limited resources, Rakesh and his family can do little but watch his life ebb. Staying alive hinges on

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1086286376671809362004-05-26T18:12:00.000Z2004-06-03T18:12:56.670Z

Just days after kidney transplant surgery, Seemore Graham resumed his place on a windowsill, nose held high. Seemore is feeling much better, just three days after he received a kidney donated by Inky, another cat. Inky is also healing well. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085505726610872992004-05-22T23:21:00.000Z2004-05-25T17:24:19.113Z

Detectives are to investigate a woman from mid Wales who is planning to sell a kidney to an American man for £30,000 via a website. Sigrid Menzel, from Newtown, Powys, will have the operation in the US - selling organs in the UK is illegal. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085248890235853352004-05-22T17:59:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:32:41.690Z

When Alberty José da Silva heard he could make money, lots of money, by selling his kidney, it seemed to him the opportunity of a lifetime. For a desperately ill 48-year-old woman in Brooklyn whose doctors had told her to get a kidney any way she could, it was. At 38, Mr. da Silva, one of 23 children of a prostitute, only 13 of whom survived to adulthood, lives in a slum near the airport here,

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085247825814748832004-05-22T17:42:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:34:01.950Z

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed the basis of an inexpensive, simple urine test that identifies impending kidney failure or rejection following transplant surgery. Their work, presented this week in a special invited lecture to the American Transplant Congress in Boston, Mass., is based on proteins found in urine, and could lead to a urine test kit that may allow many patients to skip

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085314453754892572004-05-20T12:13:00.000Z2004-05-23T12:14:13.753Z

An increase in levels of pentosidine was associated with clotting of haemodialysis access, which may reflect the effects of oxidative stress and/or thrombus formation, according to a new study. Thrombosis of dialysis access is an unfortunate event in patients who are undergoing long-term dialysis, resulting in decreased dialysis efficiency, the need for surgery, and increased patient suffering.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085296387761485262004-05-20T07:12:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:34:46.406Z

An aggressive attempt to taper renal transplant patients off tacrolimus monotherapy has been scaled back at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), researchers reported here May 16th at the 2004 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085298370288092322004-05-19T07:45:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:46:10.286Z

Baking soda, the white powder that absorbs odors in the refrigerator and helps cakes rise, could save lives and millions of dollars for the U.S. health care system. Carolinas Medical Center researchers today announce the successful use of sodium bicarbonate, the equivalent of baking soda, to prevent kidney damage in patients undergoing procedures that involve injecting dye. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085247993141856482004-05-19T05:45:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:35:28.016Z

Results of a preliminary study suggest that a treatment called LEA29Y works as well as the standard therapy, cyclosporine, to prevent acute kidney transplant rejection, with less potential for long-term harm to the organ and the patient, and better functioning of the transplanted kidney. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085248367429562392004-05-17T17:51:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:36:33.920Z

Several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are actively pursuing the clinical development of inhibitors of the serine/threonine kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) for cancer. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085248234000693662004-05-13T17:49:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:37:12.380Z

The family of a woman who died from brain cancer after a kidney transplant has sued the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, claiming the kidney was infected with cancer cells that eventually killed her. Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085250601388367142004-05-10T18:29:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:37:55.813Z

The (US) government (has) approved a new drug for dialysis patients. The drug is called Sensipar. It reduces parathyroid hormone levels in patients with hyperparathyroidism. Untreated the condition can lead to bone disease, bone pain, fractures and vascular problems. Those conditions put dialysis patients at a higher risk of hospitalization and death. The New England Journal of Medicine reports

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076518.post-1085250919918935812004-04-27T18:34:00.000Z2004-05-23T07:38:39.160Z

He sat back, with the dialysis machine churning away in the background. But one hardly noticed the machine. Bright-eyed, animated and all smiles, Bill Peckham's overwhelming love for life just jumps out at you. The 40-year-old rattled off the 25 countries he's been to: "Costa Rica, Turkey, Spain, France, Monte Carlo, Africa, Australia and, of course, now Singapore …" Read full item

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707043122575618069noreply@blogger.com0