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Conquering New Heights: A Father and Son Celebrate a 20-Year Transplant Anniversary

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When Ethan Glaser needed a liver transplant as a toddler, his father, Chad, stepped up to become his living donor. Twenty years later Ethan is thriving, and they marked the anniversary of the donation with a trip to remember.

By Camille Bautista-Fryer

On a trip in March 2023, Chad and Ethan Glaser soaked in the breathtaking views, marveling at the majestic, snow-capped peaks of the French Alps before gliding side by side down the powdered slopes. As Chad soared down the alpine landscape in Chamonix, France, glancing at his 22-year-old son, Ethan, he felt immense gratitude.

It was exactly this kind of moment that Chad hoped he and Ethan could share when he donated a portion of his liver to Ethan, who at three months old was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease of the bile ducts that affects newborn infants. This trip to Chamonix marked the 20th anniversary of the liver donation. Read the full story in Health Matters.

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Carpal tunnel syndrome may be early predictor of heart failure risk

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By Regina Shaffer

Adults with a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome are 39% more likely to develop HF during 10 years of follow-up, especially amyloidosis, compared with those without a carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis, researchers reported.

“The increased rate of HF among patients with carpal tunnel syndrome requires attention because HF is a common disease associated with high mortality,” Mark Luedde, MD, from Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel and Cardiology Joint Practice in Bremerhaven, Germany, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open. Read the full story in Healio.

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Why diverse organ donors are needed

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By Alex Osiadacz

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month. It’s a time of celebrating organ donation and educating people about transplantation by encouraging donor registration and promoting healthy living.

Dr. Shennen Mao, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, says having a diverse pool of organ donors will help serve a growing wait list of those in need. Read the full article from the Mayo Clinic News Network.

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Heart, other organs show mitochondrial damage after COVID-19 despite recovery of lungs

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By Scott Buzby

Following SARS-CoV-2 infection, mitochondrial function remained impaired in the heart, liver and kidneys, despite observed recovery in the lungs, according to a human autopsy and animal tissue study.

“Upon SARS-CoV-2 infection of host cells, the viral copy number increases unchecked until the innate immune system is engaged, after which the viral copies progressively decline until the virus is eliminated,” Joseph Guarnieri, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues wrote. Read the full article in Healio.

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I’m slowly learning to share my life with cystic fibrosis and transplant

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After struggling with writer’s block, a columnist looks within

By Jennifer Bleecher

My mother was recently cleaning out her attic, trying out the minimalist technique she’d seen on a Netflix show. In the process of deciding which items still bring her joy, she gathered a bag full of my school papers from childhood. Forty years later, she still couldn’t bring herself to throw them away. Instead, she delivered them to my house.

As I looked through the papers, it struck me how many short stories and poems were in the pile. And this was only a small sampling of my work, as no mother can keep every creation made by their child. It reminded me that I have always loved to write. Read the full story in Cystic Fibrosis News Today.

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Better Than Dialysis? Artificial Kidney Could Be the Future

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By David Warmflash, MD

Nearly 90,000 patients in the United States are waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant, yet only about 25,000 kidney transplants were performed last year. Thousands die each year while they wait. Others are not suitable transplant candidates.

Half a million people are on dialysis, the only transplant alternative for those with kidney failure. This greatly impacts their work, relationships, and quality of life. Read the full story in Medscape.

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High rate of donated organs going unused is costing lives

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By Barry Massa

Every year, thousands of donated organs, primarily kidneys, go to waste because transplant centers decline to accept the organs for patients.

This is a reality that few outside of the transplant specialty are discussing. Despite calls from many corners of government to improve the organ donation and transplantation system, the non-use of donated organs is far down the list of concerns. Read the full story in Healio.

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5 Beauty Products with Ingredients That May Harm Your Kidneys

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Beauty products can be used in a variety of ways. Some people are empowered by them, while others may feel like these products hide their true selves. Regardless of how you use or view cosmetics, it’s important to be mindful of the different ingredients they use. It’s up to us to learn about potential risks associated with the products and make informed choices about what we apply to our bodies. 
Read the full story from National Kidney Foundation.

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For recipient of UCLA Health’s 10,000th kidney transplant, new organ provides new lease on life

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The 42-year-old lost more than 200 pounds and spent a decade on dialysis before receiving a new kidney last year.

By UCLA Health

Ray Jones was 31 when he was blindsided by the news that he had end-stage kidney disease. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been experiencing symptoms: He often felt sluggish and had a hard time catching his breath, and he’d also noticed swelling in his legs due to edema. At the time, though, given that he weighed about 450 pounds, he simply chalked up the symptoms as being weight-related. Read the full story from UCLA Health.

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