This message contains images. If you don't see images, click here to view. Click here to advertise in this news brief. Mobile version  RSS  Subscribe  Unsubscribe  Archive  Media Kit Home   About AST   Education   Meetings & Events   Public Policy   Contact Us   Nov. 21, 2012   This week we celebrate the beauty of the season, our gratitude for family and friends, and the connection we all feel with one another as we work to make a difference in the world. We send you best wishes for a wonderful holiday. Induction of allograft tolerance by monoclonal cd3 antibodies: A matter of timing American Journal of Transplantation (subscription required)    Share    Despite remarkable progress in organ transplantation through the development of a wealth of immunosuppressive drugs highly effective at controlling acute rejection, two major problems still remain, the loss of transplants due to chronic rejection and the growing number of sensitized recipients due to previous transplants, transfusions or pregnancies. Induction of immune tolerance appears to be the only way to curb this complex situation. Here researchers describe that a therapy, already successfully used to restore immune tolerance to self-antigens in overt autoimmunity, is effective at promoting transplant tolerance. More Iso-Tex Diagnostics, Inc. • We are an FDA licensed manufacturer. • We label peptides, monoclonal antibodies, reagents, chemical   and proteins for cancer treatments. • Our above products can be labeled with radioisotopes such as   I-125, I-131, P32, Tc99m, Y90 and AC-225. • We have a multicurie isotope license and an animal facility. PRESIDENT'S CORNER Roslyn Mannon, MD The Medical Frontier of Transplantation — or the Wild West?! Perhaps you read the recent New York Times article entitled, "Hospitals Ordered to Do More to Protect Kidney Donors," which highlights the recent UNOS board meeting and acceptance of recommendations for mandated and timed follow up of all living kidney donors. The article characterizes transplantation as "a field long regarded as a medical and ethical Wild West." How has our lifesaving medical field gained a public perception of cold and uncaring? How can we effectively protect our donors in a cost and time-efficient manner? Check out Dr. Roz Mannon's latest blog post and weigh in with your thoughts.  SOCIETY NEWS Network with the experts at CEOT AST    Share    Your opportunity to save 50 percent on regular registration rates ends soon! Register now to attend the first annual Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEOT) meeting at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass from Feb. 14-16, 2013. Network with your colleagues in the field and attend more than 30 talks related to B cells and antibodies. Learn more about the speakers and their talks here. C1qScreen™: A New Research Tool for AMR Risk Identify Antibodies That May Compromise Graft Survival Detect Presence of Complement Fixing Antibodies Investigate risk of developing Antibody Mediated Rejection (AMR) Request a Complimentary Sample Kit! FREE SAMPLE For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. Membership dues reminder AST    Share    2012 proved to be an extremely exciting year for the AST. AST initiatives and successes touched all aspects of our field demonstrating why the AST is transplantation's most highly regarded and influential society. With the end of the year quickly approaching, members are encouraged to renew their membership now. 2013 dues invoices were recently mailed and your continued commitment to the AST is critical to the ongoing success of our society. Renewing your membership is easy. Go to the AST website to renew online or complete the dues invoice and return to the AST office. If renewing online, simply log in and click on Renew My Membership. A confirmation email will be sent to you once your payment is processed. Mycophenolate REMS program AST    Share    The Mycophenolate REMS is a program to tell doctors, nurses, pharmacists and patients about the risks of taking mycophenolate during pregnancy. It was mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Click here to learn more about the REMS program. More  TRANSPLANT NEWS A way to reduce discard rates of kidneys with capsular damage Renal & Urology News    Share    More than 100,000 patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list and the increasing number of patients without living donor options underscore why it is important to decrease the discard rate of deceased donor kidneys available for transplantation. In the March/April 2012 issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association, kidney transplant surgeons and urologists at Cleveland Clinic described surgical techniques to reduce discard rates of kidneys from renal allografts with significant capsular defects resulting from procurement. More Intercurrent infection predicts mortality in patients with late hepatic artery thrombosis listed for liver retransplantation Liver Transplantation (subscription required)    Share    Liver retransplantation for late hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is considered the treatment of choice for select patients. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data to aid decision making in this setting. The aims of a single-center study of patients listed for late HAT were to determine variables associated with wait-list mortality, describe survival after retransplantation and to determine variables associated with mortality after retransplantation. More No outcome differences between patients undergoing living donor, deceased donor liver transplant Healio    Share    Patients with acute liver failure who underwent liver transplant with a living donor had similar outcomes to patients who received a liver from a deceased donor in a study presented at The Liver Meeting. Researchers compared the clinical outcomes of patients with acute hepatic necrosis who received liver transplants between 1987 and 2010, including 90 who received living donor transplantation (LDLT) and 4,881 who underwent deceased-donor transplantation (DDLT). More Athena Diagnostics Genetic testing can be a cost-effective way to increase the number of living related donor transplants. Mutational analysis may help direct long-term treatment plans, including pre-operative screening of potential kidney transplant recipients and living related donors. WAVES by Waters Medical Systems ✓ Hypothermic preservation of a single kidney using physiologic pulsatile preservation and membrane oxygenation: a proven technology from Waters Medical Systems (more than 40 years clinical experience) ✓ Simplifies the perfusion process (provides more options to view, chart, and trend data, offers web-based remote monitoring, and a transportable design) ✓ Meets or exceeds current FDA standards and AOPO and UNOS Preservation Guidelines. MNX: Organ Transportation When it comes to saving lives, MNX understands organ transplant logistics. Every shipment is urgent, and every step critical. That’s why MNX offers specialty services that are tailored for organ transportation. From expedited ground service to charter flights, MNX has the proven experience and operational resources you can count on. Bellybutton kidney removal may boost living donor satisfaction Renal & Urology News    Share    Single-port kidney removal through the belly button may boost living-donor satisfaction, according to researchers at the University of Maryland. John Schieszer reports that a new study shows that patients report better cosmetic outcomes and fewer post-operative complications with this approach. More Mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitors in solid organ transplantation: From benchside to clinical use Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation (subscription required)    Share    The mTOR pathway is considered as a key integrator of multiple inputs that drives numerous biological processes in cell biology. mTOR inhibitors are potent immunosuppressive drugs for solid organ transplantation. Newly designed specific inhibitors of mTOR complex 1 and 2 offer promising therapeutic effects and a better understanding of the pathway. Many conditions may benefit from mTOR inhibition for a short period, but tolerance of treatment in a chronic setting remains a major concern. More Dual cytoprotective effects of splenectomy for small-for-size liver transplantation in rats Liver Transplantation (subscription required)    Share    The problems associated with small-for-size liver grafts (i.e., high mortality rates, postoperative complications and acute rejection) remain critical issues in partial orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). In association with partial OLT, splenectomy (SP) is a procedure used to reduce the portal pressure. More Long-term outcomes worse in spontaneous survivors of non-acetaminophen liver failure than transplant recipients Healio    Share    Spontaneous survivors of non-acetaminophen acute liver failure have significantly poorer survival rates at two years than patients with acute liver failure who received transplantation, according to data presented at The Liver Meeting. More   AST eNews Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469.420.2601 Download media kit Courtney Hodges, Content Editor, 972.402.2604    Contribute news This edition of the AST eNews was sent to ##Email##. To unsubscribe, click here. Recent issues Nov. 15, 2012 Nov. 8, 2012 Nov. 1, 2012 Oct. 18, 2012 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063