The rise of the cyborgs: Scientists reveal new method to 'grow' electronic sensors inside human tissue
Source: Daily Mail
Cyborgs melding human and robotic technology together have finally come a step closer to reality. Researchers at MIT in Boston have revealed a new technique that can place sensors inside human tissue. To control the three-dimensional shape of engineered tissue, researchers grow cells on tiny, sponge-like scaffolds. Read more.

Related articles:
First ever artificial 'cyborg' tissue developed (Press Trust of India via Business Standard)
'Cyborg' tissues take science of organ transplant to a whole new level (Asian News Internatinoal via India.com)

Autistic man denied heart transplant
Source: The Daily Pennsylvanian
After an autistic patient was denied a heart transplant at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, his mother started a petition to reverse the decision and place her son on the transplant list. Paul Corby, Karen Corby's 23-year-old son, was diagnosed in 2008 with left ventricular noncompaction, a congenital disorder that impairs the left part of his heart which pumps blood through his body. In 2011, Paul was referred to Penn Medicine, but was denied a heart transplant due to "psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process, multiple procedures and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior," according to a June 2011 letter from his cardiologist at the time. Read more.

Related articles:
Penn Medicine breaks silence on transplants for people with autism (Babble)
Autism transplant denial sparks debate (ABC News)

Optimal treatment for most common infection after organ transplantation
Source: Medical News Today
Waiting to treat the most common viral infections in transplant recipients until they reach a certain threshold is better than prophylactically treating all recipients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Cytomegalovirus infection is the most common infection in organ transplant recipients, who are susceptible to infections in general because they must take immunosuppressive medications long term. Read more.

Related article:
Study reveals optimal treatment for most common infection after organ transplantation (Science Codex)

Impact of sirolimus and tacrolimus on mortality and graft loss in liver transplant recipients with or without hepatitis C virus
Source: Liver Transplantation (subscription required)
By analyzing 26,414 patients [12,589 with hepatitis C virus (HCV)] in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database, researchers sought to determine comparative risk factors (including primary immunosuppression) predictive of death and graft loss among patients with HCV and patients without HCV. This study suggests a novel association between sirolimus use and an increased risk of death and graft loss after liver transplantation in HCV patients that is not seen in patients without HCV. Read more.

ESC: Copeptin level in CHF may predict death
Source: MedPage Today (subscription required)
High levels of the biomarker copeptin appear to predict an increased mortality risk for heart failure patients, researchers said. Read more.

Related article:
Copeptin estimates prognosis in patients with heart failure (News Medical)

Clinical factors predicting readmission after orthotopic liver transplantation
Source: Liver Transplantation (subscription required)
Hospitals with the highest readmission rates for high-cost conditions may be targeted for payment penalties. The primary aim of this study was to determine clinical predictors of 30-day readmission after discharge for patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation at the University of Washington from January 2003 to October 2010. Read more.