News by Subject Medicine & Health

This observational study looked at the disparities that exist between women and men waiting to receive a liver transplant, such as being more likely to die while on the wait list, and how much these differences are associated with factors including geographic location, medical urgency and liver size.

The characteristics, treatment and outcomes of heart transplant recipients who were infected with COVID-19 in New York City are described in this case series.

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and Loma Linda University Health have demonstrated the promise of applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict the efficacy of using human neural stem cells to treat a brain injury -- a first-ever 'biomarker' for regenerative medicine that could help personalize stem cell treatments for neurological disorders and improve efficacy. The study was published in Cell Reports.

France and the United States have experienced a tremendous reduction in the number of organ donations and solid organ (kidney, liver, heart, and lung) transplant procedures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By early April, transplant centers in both countries were conducting far fewer deceased donor transplants compared to just one month earlier, with the number of procedures dropping by 91% in France and 50% in the United States.

A new discovery in mice shows the innate immune system has 'memory,' previously thought to be a unique feature of the adaptive immune system. Blocking this memory prevented transplanted organs from being rejected, providing a way to more specific drugs that could lengthen organ transplant survival.

Research published in Anaesthesia suggests that a 'soft opt-out' system may increase consent rates for organ donation after death, which could boost the number of organs available for transplantation.

Faecal transplants are currently used to treat certain types of antibiotic-resistant diarrhoea and has also been attempted to treat e.g. inflammatory bowel disease. A new study from the University of Copenhagen suggests that transplanted intestinal contents could also be effective against obesity and type 2 diabetes. By transplanting faeces without bacteria obese mice on a high-fat diet significantly decreased weight gain and normalised their glucose tolerance.