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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified an important genetic cause of a devastating kidney disease that is the second leading cause of kidney failure in children, according to The NephCure Foundation. http://www.physorg.com/news180693918.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:45:52 EST news180693918 (AP) -- An extremely rare infection has been passed from an organ donor to at least one recipient in what is thought to be the first human-to-human transfer of the amoeba, medical officials said Friday. http://www.physorg.com/news180469832.html Medicine & Health Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:00:06 EST news180469832 People who have kidney transplants need longer-term support than most friends, relatives or even healthcare professionals realise, according to a study of 160 patients published in the December issue of the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing. http://www.physorg.com/news178209245.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:20:03 EST news178209245 Individuals with a history of lupus who receive a kidney transplant rarely develop the serious inflammatory condition lupus nephritis in their new organ, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. The findings indicate that having lupus should not keep individuals from seeking a kidney transplant if they need one. http://www.physorg.com/news176403638.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:02 EST news176403638 The race of kidney donors may affect the survival rates of transplant recipients according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital. http://www.physorg.com/news176120668.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:40:02 EST news176120668 Kidney transplant consent forms are often written at a level that makes it difficult for many kidney patients to fully understand them, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual meeting in San Diego, CA. The study findings indicate that consent forms are written on average at a 12th-grade reading level, but to ensure all patients fully comprehend treatment options should be prepared at a 5th - 8th grade reading level. Doing so would enable all patients - regardless of education, race, ethnicity or language background to provide informed consent, which is both legally and ethically required before transplantation. http://www.physorg.com/news176046938.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:00:02 EST news176046938 A screening test that measures whether a patient's heart is healthy enough for a kidney transplant is not as dangerous as once thought, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that the test, called coronary angiography, does not cause a decline in kidney function for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and can help determine when to schedule a patient for transplantation. http://www.physorg.com/news174847522.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:10:01 EST news174847522 (AP) -- Thousands of kidney patients in the United States start dialysis without first being told of kidney transplants that would be cheaper and lead to longer lives, according to a four-month newspaper investigation published Sunday. http://www.physorg.com/news173298485.html Medicine & Health Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:30:12 EST news173298485 Women who have had a kidney transplant and have good kidney function can get pregnant and give birth without jeopardizing their health or the health of their transplant. Having children does not affect patients' kidney function or their life-span compared with transplanted women who do not have children, according to a matching cohort study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). http://www.physorg.com/news173035318.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:40:01 EST news173035318 At 84 years old, Juan Guano would seem an unlikely candidate for a kidney transplant. http://www.physorg.com/news172860700.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:30:02 EST news172860700 For kidney transplant recipients, infection with a virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV) may lead to devastating complications. New research suggests that extending the period of preventive treatment after kidney transplantation can reduce the risk of CMV disease, according to an upcoming report in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). http://www.physorg.com/news172434603.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:30:01 EST news172434603 A pilot study of a system for harvesting kidneys from non-heart-beating donors where attempts of resuscitation after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have failed (uncontrolled NHBDs) resulted in 21 successful kidney transplants - a 10% increase in the transplantation rate - over 17 months. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care have shown that retrieval from uncontrolled NHBDs may provide a valuable source of organs and could help counter the shortage of kidney grafts in France. http://www.physorg.com/news170659326.html Medicine & Health Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:40:02 EST news170659326 In most transplant centers, the kidneys of very young deceased donors are transplanted together into one patient. According to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), a single kidney from a very young deceased donor maintains the health of an adult with kidney failure. http://www.physorg.com/news170011395.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:23:45 EST news170011395 (AP) -- For most of the thousands of Americans who need a new kidney, there are only two ways to go: persuade a friend or relative to donate, or get on the transplant waiting list. http://www.physorg.com/news169999997.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:50:01 EST news169999997 For the first time, it has been shown that patients who receive night home hemodialysis live just as long as those who receive kidney transplants from deceased donors. http://www.physorg.com/news169992417.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:07:29 EST news169992417 (AP) -- The British government said Friday that it plans to ban private organ transplants from dead donors to allay fears that prospective recipients can buy their way to the front of the line. http://www.physorg.com/news168255290.html Medicine & Health Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:50:02 EST news168255290 Female recipients of kidneys from deceased male donors demonstrate an increased risk of allograft failure in the first year after transplant, but show no increased risk after ten years, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The study authors note that proteins on male donor cells may affect the short term success of kidney transplants in women. http://www.physorg.com/news168092955.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:29:38 EST news168092955 The future of organ transplantation could include microscopic beads that create "designer" immune cells to help patients tolerate their new organ, Medical College of Georgia researchers say. http://www.physorg.com/news166096408.html Medicine & Health Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:54:02 EST news166096408 Almost half of kidney transplant candidates older than 60 who are put on the waiting list for a deceased-donor organ will die before getting a transplant, according to new findings from the University of Florida, Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University. http://www.physorg.com/news165071497.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:12:05 EST news165071497 Billing claims from health insurance companies can provide insights on the long-term health of kidney transplant patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that valuable health information can be obtained by analyzing medical insurers' reimbursement documents, a process that is much simpler and cheaper than many other forms of clinical investigation. http://www.physorg.com/news164594120.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:00:02 EST news164594120 Forty-six percent of patients over age 60 currently on the waiting list for a kidney transplant will die before they receive an organ from a deceased donor, reports an upcoming study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). "Our results emphasize the particular need to consider living donation as an alternative source for some older patients -or alternatively, the critical importance of navigating the steps to receive a deceased donor transplant as rapidly as possible," comments Jesse D. Schold, PhD (University of Florida, Gainesville). http://www.physorg.com/news164594416.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:40:38 EST news164594416 Early results from a Mayo Clinic research study demonstrate the effectiveness of a new approach to blocking an important part of the immune system that causes severe damage to some kidney transplants. Historically, these patients have been very difficult to treat successfully because their immune systems are already primed with antibodies to destroy the donor organ. These findings were presented today at the American Transplant Congress. http://www.physorg.com/news163157576.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:37:12 EST news163157576 The immunosuppressive drugs required by organ transplant recipients after surgery can have serious side effects with prolonged use, including infection, heart disease and cancer. In an effort to reduce, or potentially eliminate the need for anti-rejection medications, researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine are investigating the efficacy of a stem cell transplant after organ transplant. The study, which is the first to test the protocol on non-related living donor kidney pairs, involves transplanting stem cells from the kidney donor into the recipient one day following the organ transplant surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news162738296.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 May 2009 14:05:22 EST news162738296 Moderate kidney disease increases an older man's risk of developing certain cancers, according to an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). Given that chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects about a third of older men, maintaining kidney function could help prevent cancer in the general population. http://www.physorg.com/news160381478.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 May 2009 07:27:18 EST news160381478 The implications of a new study could improve the outcomes, and potentially survival rates, for some of the thousands of individuals who undergo kidney transplants each year. The study concluded that donor-related risk factors, yet to be identified, make a measurable contribution to the ultimate success or failure of a kidney transplant. http://www.physorg.com/news159599666.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:14:54 EST news159599666 You might expect that living close to a clinic that specializes in transplanting organs would put you at an advantage if you needed a new kidney. According to an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN), you would be wrong. The study found that distance from a patient's home to the nearest transplant facility has no bearing on whether an individual is placed on the transplant waiting list. However, the research identified other factors associated with disparities in waitlisting, including neighborhood poverty. http://www.physorg.com/news157827007.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:50:32 EST news157827007 Researchers have identified a set of criteria that, when combined with a measure of kidney function, could help identify patients who are likely to receive a survival benefit from a combined heart and kidney transplant, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://www.physorg.com/news156440121.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:48:48 EST news156440121 (AP) -- When Matthew Jones decided to donate a kidney to a stranger, the Michigan father of five had no idea he'd be starting a lifesaving, "pay it forward" chain. His kidney donation to a Phoenix woman in 2007 set off a long-running organ swap that resulted in 10 sick people getting new kidneys over a year. It hasn't ended yet. http://www.physorg.com/news156013318.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:02:49 EST news156013318 New computer models can now link strangers in a life-saving chain of kidney transplants, promising to increase the number of transplants and overcome obstacles posed by logistics or donors who renege, a team of researchers report in the current edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news156011789.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:37:02 EST news156011789 Screening for mutations in a gene that helps the body metabolize a kidney transplant anti-rejection drug may predict which children are at higher risk for side effects, including compromised white blood cell count or organ rejection, according to new research. http://www.physorg.com/news154171383.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:23:36 EST news154171383