Kidneys are the most transplanted organ in Germany. According to the German Organ Transplantation Foundation, a total of 1,514 kidneys were transplanted after post-mortem organ donation in 2023, out of a total of 2,986 transplanted organs. For patients with advanced kidney failure, a kidney transplant remains the best treatment option. The demand is correspondingly high: in 2023, 6,513 patients were on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. A serious risk for patients who have already received a transplant is rejection of the transplant. This is a defensive reaction of the body against the foreign tissue, which can lead to a complete loss of organ function in an emergency. Why transplants are sometimes rejected and sometimes not depends largely on immune mechanisms. The causes are complex and often poorly understood. To help answer this question, researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have analyzed the changes in the composition and function of the gut microbiome of kidney transplant patients who were included in the DZIF transplant cohort. They discovered an altered signature in the gut microbiome that preceded transplant rejection. This study, published in the American Journal of Transplantation, offers a possible starting point for recognizing the risk of rejection at an early stage.

A body composition analyzer is an easy-to-use device that can measure parameters such as body weight, body fat, and muscle mass when the subject steps on it. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba evaluated the indicators of muscle quality (muscle cell condition and extracellular to intracellular water ratio) from the measured parameters. Through a follow-up study of up to 12 years, the researchers clarified that high-risk older adults requiring long-term care can be predicted using the data from the body composition analyzer.

*Note – this is an early press release from the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May. Please credit the congress when using this research.*

New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) suggests that weight loss programmes targeting a particular % weight loss are often failing, and that other factors should be considered including improvement of obesity-related complications, enhancing quality of life and overall physical and social functioning. The research is by an international team including Dr Sanjeev Sockalingam, Obesity Canada and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues.

A study from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reveals that nearly one in five U.S. adults have used multiple drugs in the past year, showing that substance use is fairly common and more complex than just using one drug at a time.

Comparing wealth and survival rates in the U.S. with those in Europe, researchers found that over a 10-year period, Americans across all wealth levels were more likely to die than their European counterparts.