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UC Davis Health launches new liver transplant program

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By Liam Connolly

New program is only liver transplant program available in California north of San Francisco

(SACRAMENTO) UC Davis Health has launched a new adult liver transplant program. The move expands the existing services of the UC Davis Transplant Center and provides comprehensive care to patients with liver disease.

The liver transplant program is the third solid organ transplant program to launch at UC Davis Health, joining adult and pediatric kidney transplants. It is the only liver transplant program available in California north of San Francisco. Read more in UCDavis Health News.

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COVID Heart Injuries Traced Back to Infected Arterial Plaque, Inflammation

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— SARS-CoV-2 persistence in some vascular cells may have ties to long COVID

By Nicole Lou

Scientists found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can directly infiltrate atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries and trigger an inflammatory response, providing one mechanism for how COVID-19 infection can lead to cardiovascular complications in some people.

Directly infected atherosclerotic tissue was found in both people who died with severe COVID-19 and underlying atherosclerosis and an ex vivo model of human vascular explants.
Read the complete article in MedPage Today.

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Cleveland Clinic Researchers Develop New Model for Prioritizing Lung Transplant Candidates

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Study shows new approach could more accurately reflect which patients urgently need a transplant and reduce deaths

A team from Cleveland Clinic has developed a new model for prioritizing patients waiting for a lung transplant, aimed at improving outcomes and reducing deaths among those in need of donor lungs. The new method offers an improved strategy for organ allocation by taking into account how the time a patient has spent on the waiting list could impact the severity of their disease and the urgency of their need for a transplant.

The results of a study looking at this new method were published today in The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read more from the Cleveland Clinic.

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Protein that drives liver damage could be a new target for treatment

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Yale researchers have identified a protein that drives symptoms of severe liver disease and may be a target for treatment in the future.

By Mallory Locklear

A severe form of fatty liver disease called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the leading cause of liver transplantation, but there are few treatment options and currently no medications. In a new study, Yale researchers have identified a driver of liver damage that occurs in NASH and which may open new treatment options in the future.

The study was published Sept. 27 in Science Translational Medicine. Read more in YaleNews.

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VUMC performs novel reoperative lung and kidney transplant

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By Matt Batcheldor

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has performed its first combined reoperative lung and kidney transplant.

Nicole Hunter, 36, of Searcy, Arkansas, received the transplant, which took place over 17 hours and involved dozens of specialists, including transplant teams for both organs. Her lung transplant was performed by Matthew Bacchetta, MD, MBA, professor of Surgery; and Chetan Pasrija, MD, assistant professor of Cardiac Surgery. Read the full article in the VUMC Reporter.

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Yoga improves prognosis, functional outcome in heart failure

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By Regina Shaffer

Adults with HF on optimized guideline-directed medical therapy had improvements in quality of life measures and functional status after participating in a yoga therapy program for 1 year, researchers reported.

“Yoga is a combination of mind-body techniques, which is a set of physical exercises [asana] with breathing techniques [pranayama], relaxation and meditation that can be effectively used to stimulate physical and mental well-being,” Ajit Singh, PhD, research scientist for the Indian Council for Medical Research at Kasturba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal Academy of Heart Education in Manipal, India, said in a press release. Read the complete article in Healio.

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Studying Mismatches Between Donor and Recipient in Kidney Transplantation

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By Serena Crawford

A recent study found new ways to identify mismatches between donors and recipients in kidney transplantation.

Humans—along with all mammals—have evolved over millennia to differentiate between self and non-self cells and tissues, explains Madhav Menon, MD, associate professor of medicine (nephrology) and director of research in kidney transplantation, who is corresponding author of the study. Read the full story from Yale School of Medicine.

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Cardiology ‘has evolved’: Heart societies unite to push for independent medical board

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By Regina Schaffer

Four professional cardiovascular societies announced a push to create an independent board for cardiovascular medicine, part of an effort to simplify a competency process for cardiologists that has recently been a source of controversy.

The proposed new board would be independent of the American Board of Internal Medicine, where the cardiology certification process currently exists. In a press release, the American College of Cardiology, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Rhythm Society, and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions announced they are jointly preparing to submit a new board application, with potential for additional consortium members to join. Read the full article in Healio.

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Neonatal kidney transplants may be missed opportunity in organ shortage

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By Shawn M. Carter

More than 12,000 of 21,000 infants who died in 2020 could have been considered as viable organ donors, according to data from researchers at Allegheny General Hospital.

“We believe that neonatal kidney transplantation offers a ‘game-changing’ solution to the organ shortage crisis,” Dai Nghiem, MD, of the Westminster, California-based hospital, said in a press release. “This study looked at the U.S. alone, but if you replicate the findings across the globe then we have a huge untapped pool of available organs for transplants.” Read the full article in Healio.

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Biden signs Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement Transplantation Network Act into law

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By Shawn M. Carter

President Joe Biden signed the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement Transplantation Network Act into law, according to a statement from the National Kidney Foundation.

“Make no mistake, reforms to the governance of the [Organ Procurement Transplantation Network (OPTN)] will save lives, strengthen accountability and increase transparency,” Kevin Longino, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation, said in a statement.
Read the full article in Healio.

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