PIG PANCREAS TRANSPLANT EFFECTIVE FOR TREATMENT OF TYPE 1 DIABETES.

Chinese researchers have successfully used pigs' pancreas in transplant operations on three type-1 diabetes patients, a significant achievement in the treatment of the disease. The three operations occurred between July 2013 and February 2016 at the Third Xiangya Hospital affiliated to Central South University in Hunan Province. One patient's use of insulin has been reduced by 80.5 percent, while for the other two it was reduced by 57 percent and 56 percent, according to Wang Wei, a professor with the hospital. The transplant program was conducted in partnership with researchers from University of Sydney, Australia. The medium-term results were reliable, according to a review of the program, organized by the Hunan provincial health authorities. The research is expected to help solve the shortage of organs for transplants Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/article/2000198467/pig-pancreas-transplant-proved-effective-treatment-for-type-1-diabetes

PIG HEART TRANSPLANT FOR BABOON .

Scientists have kept a pig heart alive in a baboon for more than two years, the work described in the journal Nature Communications.The result could boost hopes for the successful transplantation of animal organs into people, amid a shortage of human donors. Cross-species transplants provoke a powerful immune reaction, leading to rejection of the organ by the host. The a US-German team used a combination of gene modification and immune-suppressing drugs to achieve success. This is very significant because it makes the method one step closer to using these organs in humans . Muhammad Mohiuddin, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Maryland, told the AFP news agency. "Xeno transplants - organ transplants between different species - could potentially save thousands of lives each year that are lost due to a shortage of human organs for transplantation." Dr Mohiuddin and colleagues used a previously established line of donor pigs with three genetic modifications that allowed for a degree of immune tolerance in recipient baboons. A combination of antibodies and drugs were then used to help prevent rejection of pig hearts transplanted into five baboons. The hearts did not replace those of the monkeys, but were connected to the circulatory system via two large blood vessels in the baboon abdomen. The transplanted heart beat like a normal heart, but the baboon's own heart continued the function of pumping blood - a known method in studying organ rejection. The median (or "middle") survival time was 298 days, while the maximum survival was 945 days - just over two-and-a-half years. This exceeded previous records by the same group of researchers of 180 and 500 days, respectively. Given their genetic proximity to humans, primates were initially thought to be the best donor candidates. But there is no large source of captive-bred apes - which take long to grow and mature, and some, like chimpanzees, are endangered. Their genetic closeness also poses a higher danger of inter-species disease transmission, as well as ethical questions. Pigs have since emerged as better donors as their hearts are anatomically similar to ours. They pose a lower risk in terms of disease transmission and they mature fast. The team opines that this regimen appears potentially safe for human application for patients suffering from end-stage organ failure who might be candidates for initial trials of xeno transplantation. source; wired.co.uk

RABIES AND ORGAN TRANSPLANT.

An investigation into the source of a fatal case of rabies virus exposure indicates that the individual received the virus through a kidney transplant 18 months earlier. 

 This findings suggests that rabies transmitted by this route may have a longer incubation period, and that although solid organ transplant transmission of infectious encephalitis is rare, further education to increase awareness is needed. The rabies virus causes a fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and can be transmitted through tissue or organ transplantation. 

The researchers found that in retrospect, the kidney donor's symptoms prior to death were consistent with rabies (the presumed diagnosis at the time of death was ciguatera poisoning [a foodborne illness]). 

 The Subsequent interviews with family members revealed that the donor had significant wildlife exposure, and had sustained at least 2 raccoon bites, for which he did not seek medical care. Rabies virus antigen was detected in archived autopsy brain tissue collected from the donor. 

The rabies viruses infecting the donor and the deceased kidney recipient were consistent with the raccoon rabies virus variant and were more than 99.9 percent identical across the entire N gene, thus confirming organ transplantation as the route of transmission. The 3 other organ recipients did not have signs or symptoms consistent with rabies or encephalitis.

 They have remained asymptomatic, with rabies virus neutralizing antibodies detected in their serum after completion of post-exposure prophylaxis. This transmission event provides an opportunity for enhancing rabies awareness and recognition and highlights the need for a modified approach to organ donor screening and recipient monitoring for infectious encephalitis. This investigation also underscores the importance of collaboration between clinicians, epidemiologists, and laboratory scientists . (culled from materials from American medical association.)