Patients in need of a life saving liver transplant may hinder their eligibility of getting the life saving organ if they have  been incarcerated, a history of using marijuana , and a psychiatric diagnosis, particularly a history of attempting suicide, according to a new study. The study, which was published in the April issue of [Sign in to read the full article...]

A national survey of Americans conducted early this year found that while 60% of respondents were familiar with their state organ donor registries and 57% would be willing to have their organs donated after they pass away, only 43% were actually registered in their state as organ donors and  a surprising 48% indicated they don’t [Sign in to read the full article...]

Chemists at the University of California, Riverside report they have developed a compound that holds much promise in the laboratory in fighting kidney cancer.  The compound, which has been named  TIR-199, targets the “proteasome,” a cellular complex in kidney cancer cells, similar to the way the drug bortezomib, which has been approved by the Food [Sign in to read the full article...]

A test that screens for organ rejection in transplant patients may also offer clues to a complication in the placenta that occurs during pregnancy.  Preterm birth and recurrent miscarriage have been associated with the development of chronic villitis of unknown etiology (VUE). This test may provide evidence that, like a transplant recipient’s body can reject [Sign in to read the full article...]

In research that could one day improve the success of stem cell transplants and chemotherapy, scientists have found that distinct niches exist in bone marrow to nurture different types of blood stem cells.  The research, conducted by research teams at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO; and the Children’s Medical Center Cancer [Sign in to read the full article...]