Blood Weekly articles from June 2000

Blood Weekly archives from June 2000

Blood Pressure Effects of Hemolink Can Be Reduced.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Anesthesia or antihypertensive medications can be used to reduce the increase in blood pressure associated with using Hemolink (HLK). HLK is a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) still in clinical...

Microencapsulation of Neonatal Porcine Islets May Reverse Disease Effects.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers writing in Transplantation report that microencapsulation of neonatal porcine islets (NPI) can protect them from cytotoxic damage in vivo, allowing them to correct hyperglycemia in diabetics. ...

Adenovirus Vector a Powerful Tool in Local and Systemic Cells.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists in California have added to the repository of information that shows granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) -encoded adenovirus vectors promote a powerful stimulation of both...

Improved Gene Expression of Factor IX Enabled.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Improved corrective gene expression in skeletal muscle was produced by a skeletal actin/CMV hybrid enhancer/promoter, reported researchers in the United States. "Hemophilia B is caused by the absence of...

Key HIV Receptors Present on Mast Cells.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- New findings from a collaborative study have shown that mast cells, usually known to be associated with the symptoms seen during allergic reactions, express major surface receptors that can heighten...

Vasoflex Does Not Offer Better Treatment than Heparin.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vasoflux offers no advantage over heparin in treating acute myocardial infarction (AMI), researchers report. Ron J.G. Peters, of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and colleagues...

Encouraging Preclinical Data Reported for GVAX Vaccine.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cell Genesys, Inc. (CEGE), Foster City, California, and collaborators at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, reported that in animal studies of acute leukemia, GVAX cancer vaccine, administered...

Decrease in Thrombin-Activatable Fibrinolysis Inhibitor Activity Observed.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is much less active in people with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), according to a recent study. APL is a form of leukemia that has a great risk for...

Phase I/II Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Study Initiated.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Avax Technologies, Inc. (AVXT), Kansas City, Missouri, announced that it has initiated a Phase I/II study of L-Vax, its autologous therapeutic cancer vaccine for leukemia, in patients with acute myelogenous...

Preliminary Results with Less Toxic Treatment Announced.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- BioTransplant, Inc. (BTRN), Charlestown, Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced preliminary results of a trial using BioTransplant's proprietary MEDI-507 humanized monoclonal...

Production Stimulated by Zinc.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that zinc elicits the gene expression and protein production of several isoforms of metallothioneins (MT) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Zinc, an element essential for the...

Gene Mutation Doubles Risk of Brain Vessel Clogging in Women.
June 1, 2000... 2000 JUN 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- A gene mutation that raises levels of triglycerides, a major type of fat in the body, doubles the risk of developing blockages in the brain that can lead to a stroke, researchers report in the May 22, 2000,...

Immune System Switch Controls Destiny of White Blood Cells.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- By increasing or decreasing levels of a specific protein, researchers can control the developmental destiny of white blood cells. The finding represents the first evidence that mammalian immune system...

Mixed Chimerism May Induce Tolerance.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Mixed chimerism may help induce tolerance to allograft transplants, researchers report. "The induction of tolerance to transplanted organs could make transplantation safer and more uniformly successful,"...

Polymorphism May Influence Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Levels.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- A 287-base pair insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene may play a role in controlling the amount of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in plasma,...

Direct Graft Puncture Effective for Mediating Thrombolysis.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Direct graft puncture is an effective method for allowing catheters access to bypass grafts in order to mediate thrombolysis, according to researchers writing in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional...

Osteoclast Differentiation Factor May Be Responsible for Bone Degradation.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Osteoclast differentiation factor, more commonly known as "receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand" (RANKL), may be a target for the next generation of arthritis therapies. E. Romas and...

Lower Fatty Acid Levels Found in At-Risk Infants.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Infants born into families with a history of atopic disease have aberrant levels of fatty acids in their blood, according to researchers. M. Beck and colleagues at Zentrum Kinderheilkunde in Bonn, Germany,...

Lowered Bcl-2 Expression May Play Role in Lymphopenia.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- The lymphopenia observed in cases of chronic renal failure (CRF) could be caused by higher apoptosis linked to lower Bcl-2 expression, according to researchers. G. Fernandez-Fresnedo and colleagues at the...

Cyclosporine Doesn't Affect Craniofacial Growth in Pediatric Patients.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Despite earlier research suggesting that the immunosuppresant cyclosporine might retard normal craniofacial development in children, researchers writing in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation report...

Fructose Additive to St. Thomas Solution Can Enhance Heart Preservation.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Adding fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) to St. Thomas solution can enhance its ability to preserve heart function during cold storage, according to researchers writing in the Journal of Heart and Lung...

Risk Factors for Post-Transplant Skin Cancer Studied.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers writing in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation examined the risk factors associated with development of skin cancer following heart transplant. "...the frequency of skin cancer is...

Economics of Antirejection Drugs Compared.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- The antirejection drug Thymoglobulin(R) is more cost effective for kidney transplant recipients than its competitor Atgam(R), researchers writing in Pharmacoeconomics report. Using data from a randomized,...

Lidocaine Test is Accurate Measure of Liver Function.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- The lidocaine (MEGX [monoethylglycinexylidide]) test of liver function is a useful measure for predicting the chances of post-transplant complications and prioritizing patients awaiting transplant, study...

Creatinine-Based Measurements of Kidney Function Unreliable after Lung Transplant.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Standard creatinine-based techniques for assessing renal function following lung transplantation may be unreliable. "Since changes in creatinine generation and excretion may occur after lung...

Heat Shock Protein 47 Implicated in Rejection-Related Fibrosis.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- The stress protein heat shock protein 47 (HSP 47) appears to play a role in fibrosis occurring during chronic kidney rejection. "Tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis are the main pathological...

Cyclosporine Unable to Prevent Rejection.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) allografts are not protected from rejection by the immunosuppresant cyclosporin A, according to a recent study. S. Crafoord and colleagues at the Orebro Medical Center in...

Bone Produced from Skin and Gum Tissue Could Simplify Grafting.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Using engineered skin and gingiva (gum tissue) cells, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry have produced complete bones with the same hard outer coating, spongy interior, and marrow...

WHO Takes on Challenges, New and Old.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- The World Health Organization called May 20, 2000, for more concerted international action against AIDS, malaria, and smoking-related diseases, while also raising concerns on new issues like bioethics and...

Contributions of Adipocytes, Leptin Evaluated.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Adipocytes may play a role in bone marrow (BM) hemopoietic progenitor differentiation, and leptin might influence hemopoiesis regulation, researchers report. A receptor for leptin has previously been...

Manipulated Stem Cells Useful for Brain Repair.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers recently reported that central nervous system stem cell expansion is a source of gabergic neurons which can be used for brain repair. "We asked whether 1) multi-fold expanded striatal stem...

Islet Cell Transplants Fuel Hope.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Eight adults with severe diabetes were able to quit their insulin shots after Canadian scientists tried a new technique in transplanting insulin-producing pancreas cells. It's too soon to know how long the...

Newspaper Reports the U.S. National Institutes of Health Knew Drug Was Dangerous.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. National Institutes of Health for years ignored warnings about the risk that a human growth hormone extracted from cadavers could cause a brain disease that killed dozens of people, the Los Angeles...

$10 Million Grant Awarded to 'Grow' Human Heart Tissue.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- Bioengineering researchers at the University of Washington (UW) will lead a multi-million-dollar effort to grow functional human heart tissue - an undertaking that could lead to tissue-engineered replacement...

Bexxar Highly Effective as First-Line Treatment.
June 8, 2000... 2000 JUN 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- A radioactive antibody compound known as Bexxar produced tumor shrinkage in 97% of 76 previously untreated patients with advanced-stage, low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in a new study at the University...

Oral Administration Combined with Intravenous Methylprednisolone Enhances Results.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that oral anticoagulants and large intravenous doses of methylprednisolone interact synergistically. Because the effect of giving a patient both oral anticoagulants and pulse...

Human Platelet Antigen Polymorphisms Not Indicative of Heart Disease Risk.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that polymorphisms of the human platelet antigen (HPA) -1 and HPA-3 in the platelet fibrinogen receptor (glycoprotein [GP] IIb/IIIa) cannot be used to predict the risk of coronary...

(beta)-2-Glycoprotein Cross-Linking May Cause Thrombosis.
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cross-linking of (beta)-2-glycoprotein ((beta) 2GP1) may be a cause of thrombosis in antiphospholipid syndrome, researchers report. Because studies indicate that (beta) 2GP1 may be a key antigenic target...

Hyaluronic Acid Inhibits Fibrinolytic Activity of Arthritic Cells.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hyaluronic acid (HA) suppresses the production of antigens involved in arthritic inflammation, say researchers writing in the Journal of Rheumatology. "Fibrinolysis is closely related to the pericellular...

Type of Delivery Influences Level in Children.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- The way in which a preterm child is born can influence his or her blood pressure for years, researchers say. Studies indicate that neonates delivered by cesarean section have low blood pressure compared...

Postsurgical Complications Linked to Low Cytokine Production.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- A drop in anti-inflammatory cytokine production may account for postsurgical complications associated with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). N. Nathan and...

Higher Levels of Angiotensin, Angiotensin II Sensitivity Observed in Rats.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats have increased sensitivity to angiotensin II and high levels of angiotensin in the anterior hypothalamic preoptic area...

Antigen Assay after Transplantation Prevents Cytomegalovirus.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study published in Clinical Nephrology, early pp65 antigen detection can prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in patients who have received kidney transplants. The study was conducted by...

Live Kidney Donors Should Be Encouraged.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- The reluctance of hospitals to accept live kidney donations is unfounded and harmful to the many patients waiting for a potentially life-saving kidney transplant, say researchers writing in Clinical...

Oral Doses of Ganciclovir Effective Against Cytomegalovirus after Transplantation.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- The antiviral agent ganciclovir can be administered as an oral agent in patients who have received lung transplants, according to researchers reporting in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. ...

Dietary Protein Restrictions Can Improve Kidney Function for Chronic Rejection Patients.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Limiting the amount of protein intake for patients suffering from chronic kidney rejection can help control the progression of disease, researchers report. "Successful kidney transplantation allows...

Donor Bone Marrow Infusions May Help Prevent Cardiac Graft Rejection.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment of heart transplant recipients with bone marrow from donors can decrease their chance of acute rejection, say researchers writing in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. "Donor...

Mycophenolate Mofetil Effectiveness Confirmed in Human Studies.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers writing in Clinical Nephrology report that the effectiveness of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in treating chronic rejection in kidney transplant patients has been confirmed in human trials. ...

Effects of Two Human Monoclonal IgG Antiphospholipid Antibodies Analyzed.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Germany analyzed the prothrombotic effects of two human monoclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antiphospholipid antibodies that had similar specificity. "Two human monoclonal antiphospholipid...

Autografts Capable of Survival.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Salivary tissue can survive relocation to other parts of the mouth, although subsequent functional effectiveness of the tissue is unknown, according to a new study. "Radiation-induced xerostomia [dryness...

Nitric Oxide Levels of Varying Utility in Measuring Crisis Severity.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- While nitric oxide (NO) measurements can be valuable at the onset of sickle cell crisis, they are subsequently of limited utility, researchers writing in the American Journal of Hematology report. "This...

Researchers Describe Genetics of Blood Stem Cells.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Princeton University scientists have outlined the molecular genetics behind a great mystery of biology: how blood cells replenish themselves. The results - a database of more than 2,000 genes - give...

Adult Stem Cells Can Produce a Wealth of Cell Types.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Reprogrammed adult neural stem cells can potentially generate a cornucopia of cell types-giving rise to cells in heart, liver, muscle, intestine, and other tissues, a report in the June 2, 2000, issue of...

Mivacurium Superior to Succinylcholine for Pre-Surgery Intubation.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Mivacurium creates better conditions for intubation of patients undergoing outpatient dental surgery, according to researchers. "Ninety-four patients undergoing elective outpatient third molar extraction...

Pig Lungs Expressing Human Protein Have Better Chance of Surviving Transplant.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Transgenic pig lungs expressing human complement regulatory protein CD59 have a greater chance of surviving and functioning in a human host, say researchers. "Pulmonary xenotransplantation is currently...

Treatment Could Alleviate Debilitating Side Effects.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Wasting response in humans as well as several forms of debilitating inflammation, among other side effects afflicting recipients of bone marrow transplantation may be significantly alleviated using a new...

Poor Diet Can Lead to Organ Rejection.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Elevated levels of hyperhomocyst(e)inemia due to a dietary intake increases the risk of heart graft rejection, say researchers. Judith W. Cook and colleagues at Oregon Health Sciences University studied...

Telemedicine Can Increase Patient Access to Organs.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- The burgeoning field of telemedicine can allow more patients the opportunity for potentially life-saving liver transplants, say researchers. "Distance from a quality liver transplant program can...

Gene Polymorphism May Identify At-Risk Patients.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cytokine genotypes may be able to help health care workers identify, and provide appropriate therapy to, transplant patients in danger of developing post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. ...

Connection Between Depression and Reduced Survival Rate from Acute Coronary Events Studied.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that serotonin reuptake inhibitors can work against platelets. Victor L. Serebruany, of the Sinai Center for Thrombosis Research in Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues investigated...

Physicians and Researchers Convene to Discuss Transplant Issues.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Physicians and researchers from around the globe convened at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, during the Second International Symposium on Composite Tissue Allotransplantation (CTA - multiple tissue...

Union Boss Asks Connecticut Members to Boycott Blood Drives.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- The blood-collection arm of the American Red Cross in Connecticut and striking workers were set to return to the bargaining table during the week of May 22. The president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO wants...

Industry Reaches Overseas Market.
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- The $500 million human tissue industry is expanding, with corneas, skin, and bone donated in the United States being sold overseas. More than one-fourth of the corneas that Americans donated last year to...

Discovery Announced for Increasing Cord Blood Stem Cells.
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (ASTM), Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced important new results for a large-scale procedure to grow human stem cells outside of the body (ex vivo) from cord blood. The procedure,...

Biomodulation of Fusion Protein Increases in vitro Cytotoxicity in Cells.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the presentation of preclinical study results on May 23, 2000, suggesting that the addition of biomodulatory strategies to the Ontak(R) (denileukin diftitox/DAB389IL-2)...

Economic Collapse Spawned Dangerous Human Tissue Business.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- A storefront dental office in Los Angeles, California, and home-based offices in Florida and in Detroit, Michigan, peddled bone, brain linings, and other tissue from Russia after the country's economic...

European Launch of Point-of-Care Blood Diagnostic System Announced.(Brief Article)
June 15, 2000... 2000 JUN 15 - (NewsRx.com) -- Qualigen, Inc., formerly Qualisys Diagnostics, Inc., Carlsbad, California, a privately held company, announced the European launch of its FastPack System, a proprietary, point-of-care blood testing system. ...

Novel Test Rapidly Detects Contaminated Platelet Components.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- An antibiotic-labeled probe combined with microvolume fluorimetry rapidly detected bacterial contamination in platelet components, according to a recent study. "Approximately one platelet in 2,000...

Gene Therapy Being Tested for Bleeding Disorder.(Glanzmann's thrombasthenia)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- A researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin has used gene therapy to successfully correct a defect in the cells of individuals with a serious blood disorder. The strategy used in the laboratory...

Energy Levels, Heart Rate Improved by Red Blood Cell Transfusion.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Acute isovolemic anemia causes fatigue in healthy, resting humans that is reversible by red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, say researchers. "Transfusion guidelines recommend that clinicians assess patients...

Liver Transplant Improves Infants' Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Status.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Degraded long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) status in infants with biliary atresia (BA) is improved to an extent by liver transplantation, according to researchers. "Liver transplantation...

Liver Cells Implant and Survive in Rats with Chemically-Induced Disease.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York have found evidence that cirrhotic liver tissue can be transplanted with intact hepatocytes. The researchers, led by S....

QBC Autoread Plus System Has Limited Use for Complete Blood Cell Counting.(Quantitative Buffy Coat analysis)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Although the QBC Autoread Plus System has it uses, it is not recommended for assessment of a nine parameter hematology profile, researchers from Switzerland reported. D. Chiappini and colleagues from the...

Variability in Hepatitis B Viral Loop Region Affects Assay in Carriers.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- by Sonia Nichols, Staff Medical Writer -- Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) cannot be detected in some people who carry the virus because of variability in the some parts of their virus, according to a...

Scientists Discover New Way the Body Distinguishes Self From Foreign.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Challenging an important dogma, immunologists have discovered a new way the body distinguishes its cells from foreign cells so it can destroy microbes without harming itself. The findings suggest a new...

Greater Antibody Levels Associated with Increased Graft Survival, Even in High-Risk Patients.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- High pretransplant levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) anti-Fab antibodies are associated with a graft survival rate far above the norm, even for patients considered at risk for acute rejection, investigators in...

Maintenance Cyclosporine Monotherapy Effective for Patients with Low Immunological Risk.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Maintenance cyclosporine monotherapy (mCsA) is a safe and effective immunosuppressive regimen for kidney transplant patients with few immunological risk factors, researchers report. "The theoretical aim...

Sirolimus Safer, More Effective than Cyclosporine.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Sirolimus provides more effective immunosuppression for kidney transplant patients and has fewer side effects than cyclosporine (CsA) when combined with mycophenolate mofetil, according to researchers. "A...

Nutritional Supplements Do Not Affect Patient Outcome.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- While enteral nutritional supplementation can mitigate some risk factors for post-transplant complications, it does not significantly affect the outcome of liver transplantation, finds a new study. "Of 82...

Amniotic Membrane Effective for Treating Severe Ocular Burns.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Human amniotic membrane can be used to preserve visual acuity in patients with ocular damage due to acute burns. S.C.G. Tseng and colleagues at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida. studied...

Donor Bone Marrow Chimerism Can Prevent Rejection.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Donor bone marrow chimerism (BMC) can prevent chronic rejection in small bowel transplant patients, according to a recent study. "Bone marrow chimerism has been successful in inducing tolerance in acute...

Product to Prevent Restenosis and Thrombosis Nearing Clinical Trials.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists at Reprogenesis, Inc., the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University have reported research supporting the potential use of Vascugel, a perivascular tissue-engineered implant to...

Researchers Create Biomaterial for Growing Mammalian Nerve Cells.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers report in the June 6, 2000, issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they have made a biomaterial that supports living nerve cells. This peptide-based scaffold, on...

Adverse Reactions Reduced Using Younger Whole Blood Platelets.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 29, 2000... 2000 JUN 29 - (NewsRx.com) -- By using whole blood platelets that were three days old or less, researchers have found that the number of transfusion-related reactions can be reduced. "Febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions...