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Older corneas can be transplanted
(04/01/08) The pool of cornea transplant donors - often limited to those 65 years of age and younger-should be expanded to include donors up to 75 years of age. This finding emerged in a nationwide study that included patients and surgeons from the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.
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Obesity shouldn't keep patients from being listed for transplantation
(12/04/07) According to new research from the U-M Health System, obesity alone should not prevent a patient from being listed for liver transplantation. Their study finds that patients with high BMIs experience a significant survival benefit from liver transplantation, and had similar rates of mortality after transplant compared to patients with normal BMI.
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Predicting survival after liver transplantation
(11/01/07) Patients awaiting liver transplantation who also suffer from coronary disease, diabetes, COPD, connective tissue disease or renal insufficiency may face poorer survival after liver transplantation, a new study finds. Researchers say these study results, published in Liver Transplantation, will be useful when counseling patients with comorbidities about outcomes after transplantation.
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Buckeye vs. Wolverine organ donor registry drive
(10/22/07) Now through Nov. 16, the U-M Students for Organ Donation will host the Buckeye vs. Wolverine Challenge for Life. As part of the event, the two universities will compete off the football field to register as many new organ and tissue donors in each state’s respective registry before the big brawl at Michigan Stadium.
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U-M Transplant Center receives HHS Organ Donation Medal of Honor
(10/15/07) For the third consecutive year, the University of Michigan Health System Transplant Center has been awarded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ distinguished Medal of Honor for its success in raising organ donation rates. U-M earned the recognition by collaborating with its Gift of Life Michigan partners to achieve the national goal of converting at least 75 percent of eligible deaths into actual organ donors.
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Heart device helps transplant candidates survive, thrive
(08/30/07) A new generation of implanted heart-assisting pump does very well at helping severely ill heart-failure patients survive, and thrive, until they receive a heart transplant, according to a new study led by U-M Cardiovascular Center experts. The device, called HeartMate II, also helped patients’ original hearts regain function and allowed their other organs to heal by restoring blood flow.
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A heart pioneer: Total artificial heart patient nears first anniversary
(08/13/07) A year ago, 42-year-old Phillip Hall was facing near-certain death, perhaps within weeks. But today, he's about to celebrate his birthday, his tenth wedding anniversary - and the one-year anniversary of the day he was rushed into a U-M operating room and implanted with a temporary total artificial heart that saved his life.
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U-M lab receives grant to prep artificial lung for clinical trial
(08/03/07) The U-M Medical School laboratory working to develop an implantable artificial lung that can serve as a bridge to lung transplantation is entering the home stretch. Thanks to a new $5 million, five year grant from the National Institutes of Health designed to fund animal studies that will move the prototype through the final details of readiness for patients, a small clinical trial of the artificial lung may be just three years away.
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Second Chance at Life event is Aug. 11
(07/30/07) On Saturday, Aug. 11, the University of Michigan Transplant Center will host the seventh annual Second Chance at Life event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hines Park in Westland to promote organ donation.
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July 9 golf outing to benefit Camp Michitanki
(06/19/07) On Monday, July 9, the University of Michigan Transplant Center will host the Camp Michitanki Golf Classic at the Polo Fields Golf and Country Club of Ann Arbor. NHL referee Dan OHalloran will be the official Master of Ceremonies for event.
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UMHS lung transplant patient recovering from surgery
(06/08/07) At the end of what University of Michigan Health System staff members have said is among the most tragic weeks in UMHS history, there was a glimmer of hope for the future. This morning, the patient who was unable to receive a double-lung transplant when the plane carrying his organs crashed into Lake Michigan is recovering in University Hospital after being transplanted with a second set of lungs. He could be back home in several weeks.
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Survival Flight air ambulance crashes into Lake Michigan; search for survivors continues
(06/05/07) At approximately 5:50 p.m. ET today, the University of Michigan Health System was notified that a Cessna jet leased by its U-M Survival Flight air ambulance program had crashed into Lake Michigan.
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Stem cell finding could help reduce transplant rejection rates
(03/08/07) A new study from the University of Michigan Health System involving a type of stem cells from the lungs of transplant patients demonstrates for the first time that these progenitor cells reside in adult organs and are not derived from bone marrow, which leads to the possibility that the cells may be able to help with the rejection of donated organs and with various kinds of lung disease.
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New treatments fight GVHD in bone marrow transplant patients
(02/05/07) About half of all patients who receive a bone marrow transplant from donor cells will develop a potentially life-threatening condition called graft versus host disease. Now researchers at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center say a rheumatoid arthritis drug, when combined with traditional steroid medication, can eliminate GVHD in more than two-thirds of bone marrow transplant patients.
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U-M Transplant Center receives HHS Medal of Honor
(10/22/06) The U-M Health System Transplant Center, in collaboration with Gift of Life Michigan, received the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services distinguished Medal of Honor for achieving an organ donation rate of more than 75 percent for a unprecedented second year in a row, making it one of the leading transplant centers for organ donation in Michigan and one of the best in the country.
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Sept. 30 Vita Redita to benefit Transplant Center
(09/18/06) The U-M Transplant Center will host the Vita Redita (Life Restored) Gala Auction and Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 30. The event will take place at 6 p.m. at the Polo Fields Golf and Country Club in Ann Arbor. Proceeds from the Vita Redita event will support the Transplant Centers research, organ donation initiatives, and Camp Michitanki.
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Aug. 12: Second Chance at Life event
(08/02/06) On Aug. 12, the University of Michigan Transplant Center will host the sixth annual Second Chance at Life Fun Walk/5K Run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hines Park in Westland.
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U-M program director takes organ donation to heart
(12/16/05) Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land today honored Mark Gravel, R.N., director of donation initiatives for the University of Michigans Transplant Center, with a Shining Star award for his outstanding work in promoting organ and tissue donation.
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Choosing the best kidney for transplantation
(12/06/05) A U-M study appearing in JAMA found that the use of organs from expanded criteria donors is not only adding to the pool of kidneys available for transplantation, but also increasing the chances for survival for certain patients with end-stage renal disease, depending on their age, how long they would need to wait for a donor organ and the severity of their kidney disease.
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Giving the gift of life
(12/05/05) As families gather to exchange gifts this holiday season, experts and patients with the University of Michigan Transplant Center say its the perfect time to talk about giving a gift that could give someone a second chance at life becoming an organ and tissue donor.
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Cancer immunotherapy's secret weapon
(10/17/05) Bone marrow transplants from healthy donors have saved the lives of thousands of people with leukemia and other hematological cancers. This intense immune reaction between donor and host cells is the most powerful form of cancer immunotherapy known to medicine. Now, scientists at the U-M's Comprehensive Cancer Center have found a rare immune cell that is crucial to the transplant's cancer-killing effect - a discovery that could make the procedure safer, more effective and an option for more patients.
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New contract extends U-M/URREA Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients
(09/26/05) The Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded the University Renal Research and Education Association a new five-year contract to continue administering the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. URREA has worked closely with the U-M Health System for several years on the SRTR, and the new contract will place its work with UMHS at the forefront of policy analysis and clinical research for patients with end-stage organ failure.
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Billy Bones BBQ to benefit U-M Transplant Center
(08/03/05) The award-winning barbecue caterers of Billy Bones BBQ will be serving up barbecued ribs, smoked pork sandwiches and smoked bratwurst on Aug. 19, 20 and 21 at Ypsilanti's Heritage Festival to help raise money for the University of Michigan Transplant Center.
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Carbon monoxide: Poison gas or anti-inflammatory drug?
(07/28/05) Carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that kills thousands of Americans every year, could turn out to be a life-saver for patients recovering from organ transplants, strokes or heart attacks, according to new research from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.
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Second Chance at Life event to benefit U-M Transplant Center
(07/21/05) On Aug. 13, the University of Michigan Transplant Center will host the fifth annual Second Chance at Life Fun Walk/5K Run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hines Park in Westland.
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Zingerman's, Transplant Center team for Art Fair event
(06/12/05) Zingerman's Roadhouse and the U-M Transplant Center are teaming up for "Another Roadside Attraction" from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23 at the Westgate Plaza lot along Jackson Road. Enjoy Zingerman's Roadhouse food at a discounted price while supporting the U-M Transplant Center during the Art Fair.
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Second Chance at Life Motorcycle Run
(06/08/05) The Third Annual Second Chance at Life Motorcycle Run will take place from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday, June 25, at Motor City Harley Davidson in Farmington Hills, Mich. The event aims to raise organ donor awareness and funds for the U-M Transplant Center.
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U-M Transplant Center receives HHS Medal of Honor
(05/26/05) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded the U-M Transplant Center with the Medal of Honor for its efforts to raise the organ donation at U-M to an unprecedented 92 percent.
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U-M celebrates 40 years of organ transplant
(11/04/04) Forty years ago, U-M surgeons performed the state's first organ transplant, removing a kidney from a teenage girl and transplanting it into her gravely ill identical twin sister. This weekend, those twins and 800 other donors, recipients and transplant team members will gather in Ann Arbor to celebrate 40 years of transplants, and transplant research, at U-M.
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Drug to fight virus in transplant patients moves forward in trials
(07/27/04) Mich.—A drug once considered for cancer chemotherapy is advancing in clinical trials to test its effectiveness in fighting a virus from the herpes family that threatens transplant patients.
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Cabela's BBQ event helps U-M Transplant Center
(06/22/04) Some of the world's best barbecue chefs will cook up a storm July 8-11 at the Michigan location of Cabela's, the world's foremost outfitter. And it will all raise money for one of the world's best organ transplant programs - - the U-M Transplant Center. All are welcome for four days of family fun!
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Tommy Thompson honors U-M for organ donation efforts
(04/22/04) Today, the University of Michigan Health System Transplant Center will be recognized by United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson as one of the top transplant hospitals in the country, and the best in Michigan, for its significant effort to increase the organ donation rate.
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Study shows "gaming" in heart transplant system
(03/09/04) When an organ becomes available for transplant, patients who are sicker get top priority. But a new U-M/Penn State study finds evidence that heart transplant centers have sometimes exaggerated the severity of a patient’s condition to increase the likelihood of obtaining a transplant organ. It also shows that a recent policy change worked to stop this “gaming.”
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Heart, lung, liver and intestine transplant recipients face serious kidney-failure risk, U-M study finds
(09/03/03) As if the ordeal of waiting for, receiving and living with an organ transplant weren't enough, a new study finds that people who get a second chance at life from new hearts, lungs, livers or intestines are very likely to have their lives cut short by failing kidneys.
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Second Chance at Life walk-a-thon aims to raise organ donation awareness
(07/22/03) When Carol Mancini found out she needed a lung transplant, her daughter, Shelly Morell, knew she could not just sit back and wait for a miracle. Morell began brainstorming and came up with the Second Chance at Life walk-a-thon, an event that for the past two years has helped to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.
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BBQ benefits U-M transplant camp
(07/09/03) No summer is complete without a cookout or a barbecue. But on July 26, a benefit cookout will help make this summer special for kids who have gotten a second chance at life through an organ transplant.
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Double bone marrow drive July 8 at U-M Hospital
(07/03/03) Although her son, Michael, needs a bone marrow transplant to treat his leukemia, Candice Catanzarite has found friends and family hit a dead end when trying to get tested. So she's organized a bone marrow drive at University Hospital on July 8 to benefit Michael and another young man who needs new bone marrow to help him survive.
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Event hopes to raise awareness for organ donation initiatives
(07/02/03) The Cabela’s Second Chance at Life event, which hopes to raise awareness for organ donation programs at the U-M transplant center, will include a 5K run/walk, a one mile family hike and a kids fun run at the Cabela’s store located in Dundee, Michigan.
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Michigan Eye Bank provides the gift of sight
(06/26/03) The Michigan Eye Bank at the University of Michigan is one of the 10 most active corneal donation centers in the country, according to a data analysis by Transplant News, an independent bi-monthly newsletter.
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U-M Transplant Center Ranked Among Best in Nation
(06/25/03) The University of Michigan Health System is one of the 10 most active organ transplant centers in the country, according to a data analysis by Transplant News, an independent bi-monthly newsletter.
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Information on the U-M Liver Transplant Program for viewers of 'Good Morning America'
(06/19/03) University of Michigan liver transplant patient Michael Hagan appeared on Good Morning America Thursday, June 19, 2003, to talk about the liver transplant he received at University Hospital. He was also recently featured in the Detroit Free Press.
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U-M patient inspires Michigan Bone Marrow Transplant Day
(04/24/03) April 24 has officially been declared the first-ever Michigan Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplant Awareness Day, through the efforts of a U-M patient and his cancer team.
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U-M Transplant Center holds campus-wide donation awareness event
(03/28/03) The University of Michigan Transplant Center is pleased to announce a campus-wide organ and tissue donation event scheduled for Thursday, April 10 through Sunday, April 13. The U-M Organ and Tissue Donation Drive is being coordinated by the Interfraternity Council of the U-M.
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Doctors face-off on ice to benefit heart transplant fund
(03/04/03) On Saturday, March 22, surgeons, cardiologists, nurses, anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, perfusionists and physician assistants at the University of Michigan Health System will be trading in their scrubs and white coats for ice skates and hockey jerseys.
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First U.S. child receives implanted miniature heart pump at UMHS
(02/14/03) Surgeons at the University of Michigan Health System successfully implanted a miniature heart pump in the first American child and the youngest patient in the world, ever to receive the device.
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How can you mend a broken heart?
(02/03/03) A new treatment being tested by doctors and researchers at the U-M and other institutions may help mend patients'
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U-M bone marrow transplant expert receives award
(12/16/02) James L.M. Ferrara, M.D., Director of the University of Michigan Health System's Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, is the recipient of the prestigious 2002 Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award in the field of oncology.
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A bridge that leads to the gift of life
(12/02/02) U-M doctors are currently testing an "artificial liver", a unique machine that can temporarily take over some of the functions of a failing liver and act as a "bridge" to transplant.
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Implanted heart-assisting device yields excellent survival for patients
(11/18/02) An implanted pumping device that helps a failing heart may improve survival for desperately ill patients and allow them to go home from the hospital, a new study finds - whether they're waiting for a heart transplant or aren't eligible for one.
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Transplanted muscle cells can take root in damaged hearts
(11/18/02) The first direct evidence that muscle cells transplanted from within a heart patient's body could help heal their damaged heart muscle is being reported today by a team from the U-M Health System, Massachusetts General Hospital Hospital and Diacrin, Inc.
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Organ donation system needs better evaluation
(10/22/02) From U-M News Services: Because of the tremendous unfilled need, a U-M School of Public Health faculty member believes the organ procurement system needs closer monitoring.
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NIH, U-M lead effort to study living donor liver transplants
(10/08/02) The National Institute of Health (NIH) has launched a nationwide adult-to-adult living donor liver transplant study that will be coordinated by the U-M Health System. The study hopes to make living donor liver transplantation a better and more effective procedure for both the donor and the recipient.
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Artificial liver trials show progress,as transplant candidates wait
(09/05/02) Four years after the first American clinical trial of an experimental artificial liver system began at the U-M Health System, its leader says he is encouraged by the results thus far. And, he's optimistic about the system's potential to help more liver-failure patients.
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Barriers to Organ Transplantation for HIV-Infected Patients Unethical
(07/25/02) Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System found that HIV-positive patients who had received organ transplants were doing "remarkably well."
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U-M artificial lung showing promise
(06/13/02) An artificial implantable lung is showing promise in pre-clinical studies, and may reach clinical trials in about a year for lung failure patients awaiting a lung transplant.
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New target in war against graft-versus-host disease
(05/31/02) U-M scientists reported that they have discovered how graft-versus-host disease attacks and often kills its victims.
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U-M does 500th heart transplant - just in time for Valentine's Day
(02/13/02) The 500-transplant milestone includes 494 adult and pediatric transplants performed since May 1984, as well as six performed in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Kidney transplant patients fare better over the long term with newer form of "gold standard" drug, study finds
(05/15/01) A reformulation of the "gold standard" drug against kidney transplant rejection not only costs less and gets absorbed better - it also helps transplant recipients keep their new organs longer.
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Experimental bone cell growth therapy being tested for treatment of osteoporosis
(05/14/01) U-M physicians emphasize the importance of taking preventive measures.
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Cochlear implants found to help deaf-blind patients
(01/18/01) Study shows hearing devices open channels of communication for deaf people who lose vision.
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Two new Web sites highlight organ donation
(01/12/01) - "Give Life: The Transplant Journey" educates, makes donation sign-up easy Webcast of organ recipients' Winter World Transplant Games starts Jan. 12.
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Deaf children who get cochlear implants early in life get the biggest language boost, concludes largest-ever study
(01/02/01) The younger deaf and hearing-impaired children are when a cochlear implant awakens their hearing, the better they will do on speech recognition tests later in life, according to the new results of the largest and most carefully designed study of its kind.
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