February 1 - Recent Transplant News
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Iraq vet undergoes successful double-arm transplant
Source: CNN
A U.S. Army infantryman who lost all four limbs in a 2009 roadside explosion in Iraq has undergone radical transplant surgery that may help him regain use of his arms. In December, the 26-year-old infantryman had successful surgery — a rare double arm transplant — at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Read more.
Blockade of p-selectin sufficient to reduce MHC I antibody-elicited monocyte recruitment in vitro, in vivo
Source: American Journal of Transplantation (subscription required)
Donor-specific HLA antibodies significantly lower allograft survival, but as yet there are no satisfactory therapies for prevention of antibody-mediated rejection. Intracapillary macrophage infiltration is a hallmark of antibody-mediated rejection, and macrophages are important in both acute and chronic rejection. The purpose of a recent study was to investigate the Fc-independent effect of HLA I antibodies on endothelial cell activation, leading to monocyte recruitment. Read more.
Pre-liver transplant antiviral therapy reduced risk for HCV recurrence
Source: Healio
Patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent antiviral treatment before liver transplant were less likely to experience recurrence following transplantation in a recent study. Read more.
Lungs from heavy smokers may be effective for double-lung transplant
Source: Fox News
A new study found that lungs from selectively chosen donors who have had an extensive smoking history, performed just as well in adult, double-lung transplants as lungs from non-smokers. According to Dr. Sharven Taghavi, a surgical specialist at Temple and one of the study's lead authors, the decision to look at smokers was a result of the desperate need for other avenues for organ recipients. Read more.
High genetic barrier nucleos(t)ide analogue(s) for prophylaxis from hepatitis b virus recurrence after liver transplantation
Source: American Journal of Transplantation (subscription required)
The combination of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and nucleos(t)ide analogues [NA(s)] is considered as the standard of care for prophylaxis against HBV recurrence after liver transplantation (LT), but the optimal protocol is controversial. We evaluated the efficacy of the newer NAs with high genetic barrier (hgbNA) [i.e. entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir (TDF)] with or without HBIG as prophylaxis against HBV recurrence after LT. Read more.
Interleukin-28B polymorphism in hepatitis C and liver transplantation
Source: Liver Transplantation (subscription required)
The discovery of interleukin-28B (IL-28B) single-nucleotide polymorphisms has opened an important new area of research in liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis C virus (HCV). Both recipient- and donor-derived IL-28B genotypes affect the post-LT treatment response, with sustained virological response (SVR) rates oscillating from >50 percent in homozygotes for the favorable allele (up to 90 percent when this is present in both the recipient and the donor) to less than 15 percent in homozygotes for the unfavorable allele and from 30 percent to more than 50 percent in heterozygotes. Read more.
Portable heart lets transplant patients go home
Source: MedPage Today (subscription required)
Patients who received a portable artificial heart were able to return home to await a successful human heart transplant, researchers said. Out of 13 patients who were at imminent risk of death from biventricular failure, and who received a portable pneumatic pulsatile Total Artificial Heart, 12 successfully made it to transplantation, reported Dr. Vigneshwar Kasirajan from the Virginia Commonwealth University Pauley Heart Center in Richmond, Va., and colleagues at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons annual meeting. Read more.
Tumor biology and pre-transplant locoregional treatments determine outcomes in patients with T3 hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation
Source: Clinical Transplantation (subscription required)
Liver transplantation is the optimal treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis. This study was conducted to determine the impact of pre-transplant locoregional therapy (LRT) on HCC and researchers' experience with expansion to United Network of Organ Sharing Region 4 T3 (R4T3) criteria. Read more.
Transumbilical portal venous catheterization: A useful adjunct in left lobe living donor liver transplantation
Source: Clinical Transplantation (subscription required)
To improve the processes used for perfusion of the explanted graft and measuring the portal venous pressure in adult living donor transplantation, researchers performed transumbilical portal venous catheterization to reopen the umbilical vein and insert the catheter for seven adult patients undergoing left lobe LDLT. Read more.