2 more patients HIV-free after bone marrow transplants
Source: ABC News  
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have discovered that, following bone marrow transplants, two men no longer have detectable HIV in their blood cells. The finding is significant because it suggests that by giving these patients transplants while they were on anti-retroviral therapy, they may have been cured of the AIDS-causing virus. Read More.

Related articles:

• Bone marrow transplant eliminates signs of HIV infection (HealthCanal.com)
• HIV undetectable in 2 men after bone marrow transplants (U.S. News & World Report)
• Bone marrow transplant eliminates HIV traces from 2 patients' DNA: Call it a cure? (CBS News)

Sirolimus has anti-skin cancer effect in kidney transplant patients
Source: News-medical.net
Switching from calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus and cyclosporin) to a sirolimus-containing immunosuppression regimen may help reduce the incidence of secondary skin cancer after kidney transplantation, suggests research published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Patients receiving kidney transplants are known to have high risk for skin cancer after transplantation, which is thought to be largely due to the immunosuppressive therapy they are required to take to prevent rejection. Read More.

Related articles:

• Drug cut skin cancers after transplant (MedPage Today)
• Immunosuppressant switch cuts skin cancer post-transplant (Medical Xpress)

Long-term dialysis boosts cancer risk after renal transplantation
Source: Renal & Urology News
Patients on long-term dialysis prior to receiving a donor kidney increases their risk for cancer following transplantation, according to findings presented at the 24th International Congress of The Transplantation Society. In a study of 5,417 patients, researchers led by Dr. Germaine Wong, MBBS, a nephrologist and early career research fellow at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health in Australia, found that patients on dialysis for more than 4.5 years had a greater than threefold increased risk for lung cancer compared with those who had dialyzed for fewer than 1.5 years. They also had a 2.5 times increased risk for urinary tract cancer. Read More.

Human Papillomavirus-associated cancers — United States, 2004-2008
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Human papillomavirus–associated malignancies occur more commonly in immunosuppressed hosts, including transplant recipients. This report highlights the current trends in HPV-associated malignancies in the United States. Read More.

University of Miami cell transplant research on spinal cord patients gets FDA approval
Source: Sun Sentinel
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis has received federal approval to begin a groundbreaking clinical trial studying the effects of human cell transplants on people with spinal cord injuries. The center's leading researchers made the announcement in what they hope will be a first step in curing paralysis — and perhaps lead to medical advancements that could someday treat neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Read More.

Risk factors for voriconazole hepatotoxicity at 12 weeks in lung transplant recipients
Source: American Journal of Transplantation (subscription required)
Voriconazole is commonly used for prophylaxis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis in lung transplant recipients. However, the use of voriconazole may at times be limited by the development of hepatotoxicity. The five risk factors identified in a univariate analysis were used to build a K-nearest neighbor algorithm predictive model for hepatotoxicity. Read More.

Babesiosis surveillance — 18 States, 2011
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For the first time, U.S. cases of babesiosis were reported using a standard national case definition. In 2011, a total of 1,124 cases of babesiosis were reported. Over half (57 percent) of the cases were in persons over 60 years of age and 97 percent of cases were reported by seven states. Read More.

High BMI raises wound complication risk in transplant patients
Source: Renal & Urology News
Kidney transplant recipients with a high body mass index have a greater risk of wound complications, researchers concluded. In a retrospective study of 508 adult kidney transplant recipients, Dr. Stephanie Zrim, Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, and colleagues found that wound complications occurred in 3 percent of patients with a BMI (in kg/m2) of 18.5-24.9 (normal weight), 8 percent of patients with a BMI of 25-29.9 (overweight) and 13 percent of those with a BMI of 30 or higher (obese), according to findings published in Nephrology. Read More.