English Post – Page 38

November 2, 2021August 16, 2022

How does your liver work?

“The liver has many functions that are necessary for life. The liver helps process carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and stores vitamins. It processes nutrients absorbed from food in the intestines and turns them into materials that the body needs for life.

For example, the liver makes the factors that the blood needs for clotting. It also secretes bile to help digest fats, and breaks down toxic substances in the blood such as drugs and alcohol. The liver is also responsible for the metabolism of most drugs.”

Learn more from UNOS here.

November 2, 2021August 16, 2022

Liver Transplant Recipients With Heart Failure Require More Attention

“New data being presented at the 2021 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Meeting show patients with heart failure who are recipients of liver transplants are at an increased risk of adverse events, including death.

A team, led by Zahid I. Tarar, MD, University of Missouri School of Medicine, measured the effect of pre-existing heart failure on patient outcomes for individuals admitted to the hospital for liver transplants.”

Kidney Failure Patients Face High Rates of Insomnia

“Many kidney failure patients struggle with insomnia and other types of sleep disorder. Learn how common this is, the risks, what these patients go through, and how to manage it.

Are you or a loved one a chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient that struggles with sleeping well at night? Insomnia is a common sleep disorder among all individuals but especially those with kidney failure. It is characterized by persistent difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep and poor subjective sleep quality. Learn more about insomnia and kidney failure, including the prevalence, causes, potential consequences, and treatment options.”

Learn more here.

October 31, 2021August 16, 2022

How do your lungs work?

“When you breathe, you transport oxygen to the body’s cells to keep them working and clear your system of the carbon dioxide that this work generates. The lungs take in air from the atmosphere and provide a place for oxygen to enter the blood and for carbon dioxide to leave the blood. The lungs are divided into sections, with three on the right and two on the left.”

Learn more from UNOS here.

October 30, 2021August 16, 2022

CDC: Some Immunocompromised People Can Get a Fourth Dose

“Moderately or severely immunocompromised” adults ages 18 and up who received an additional dose of Pfizer or Moderna’s mRNA vaccines may now receive a booster dose of Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson at least 6 months after completing their third dose, the agency said.

They added that if a moderate to severely immunocompromised adult has received a two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna, and more than 28 days has elapsed, that person should “immediately” receive an additional dose of Pfizer or the full-dose volume of 100 μg for Moderna, followed by a single booster dose with any of the three authorized vaccines at least 6 months later.”

8 Things To Know About Heart Transplants

“A heart transplant may be the most dramatic surgery done in the operating room. Each step takes great precision, from the quick, careful journey to retrieve the heart to the preparation of the recipient, who may be gravely ill and bedridden. The best part is the outcome soon after the transplant, when the patient goes home and starts returning to his or her life—whether that means getting married, having babies, running in marathons, or simply breathing massive sighs of relief while strolling around the neighborhood without having to periodically stop to catch a breath.”

Read all 8 here.

October 29, 2021August 16, 2022

Common Gene Variant May Predict Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes

“A common genetic variant predicted poor outcomes from peritoneal dialysis, suggesting a potential factor for patient selection and treatment, researchers found.

Variants in AQP1, the gene that encodes for a key water transport channel across the peritoneal membrane, were associated with decreased ultrafiltration while on peritoneal dialysis and a 70% increased risk of death or failure of that form of dialysis as well.

The 10-16% of patients with the TT genotype of the rs2075574 variant could be good candidates for precision medicine in dialysis treatment, Johann Morelle, MD, PhD, of the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels, Belgium, and colleagues reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.”

Donor Kidneys Further Out of Reach for Kids Regardless of Race

“The revamped U.S. kidney prioritization system appeared to better even the field in pediatric kidney transplant wait times — by making organs similarly harder to get for children across races and ethnicities, according to a study.

Measuring time from dialysis to transplantation, Black, Hispanic, or other children of color had significantly longer wait times compared to white children before the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network’s Kidney Allocation System (KAS) changes in 2014, but these differences were reduced afterward, Jill Krissberg, MD, MS, of Lurie’s Children Hospital of Chicago, and colleagues reported.”

NKF Statement on Key Healthcare Policies to Help Kidney Patients

“This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is reviewing several policy initiatives in the budget reconciliation process that, if passed, could positively impact patients with kidney disease. The National Kidney Foundation and our advocates nationwide have been working closely with Congress to keep kidney patients and their unique needs front and center and we strongly support the following initiatives:

Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs

NKF is proud to have worked with the Partnership to Protect Coverage in advocating for lower cost prescription drugs for our patients. Among other things, this provision caps Medicare Part D out of pocket costs at $2000 per patient, per year. “

Learn more here.

August 29, 2021August 16, 2022

Three Drugs Better Than Two (or One) in Cystic Fibrosis

“A three-drug combination for a certain form of cystic fibrosis (CF) not addressed with other therapies met its efficacy and safety endpoints in a phase III trial, researchers said.

Elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor (Trikafta) together improved forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) and lowered chloride levels in sweat in CF patients with Phe508del-gating or Phe508del-residual function genotypes, relative to a control regimen of ivacaftor either alone (Kalydeco) or with tezacaftor (Symdeko), reported Peter J. Barry, MD, of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in England, and colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine.”