Health Three people died of breast cancer after they each received an organ from the same donor in a case experts have described as “extraordinary.” The 53-year-old organ donor died of stroke in 2007, and agreed for her lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart to be implanted into those in need. Between 16 months to six years after their transplants, four recipients were diagnosed with cancer. Three of the four died after the disease spread, according to a case study in the American Journal of Transplantation. The remaining patient survived after surgeons removed the kidney he received, and he underwent a course of chemotherapy. The teams behind the case study at University of Tübingen in Germany and the VU University Medical Center wrote: “This extraordinary case points out the often fatal consequences of donor‐derived breast cancer.” Three organ recipients died after tissue they received contained breast cancer cells. Getty Images In what … [Read more...] about Three Die of Cancer After Organ Donor Passed Disease on in ‘Extraordinary’ Case
Vu university medical center
Transgender People’s Brains Are Wired like Those of Gender They Identify with, New Study Shows
Health Transgender Neurology The brains of transgender people are wired in a way that matches the gender they identify with rather than their biological sex, according to a new study. Researchers found that whether a person identifies as transgender could be tied to how their brains develop in the womb. A person might identify as transgender when the gender they are assigned at birth according to their sex does not match how they feel inside. For instance, a person with a penis who is told they are a boy at birth later growing up to identify as a woman. To make their findings, researchers at the VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands analyzed the brain activity of young transgender people using MRI scans. Around 160 young people were involved in the small study, including adolescent boys and girls with gender dysphoria. People hold up rainbow flags as they demonstrate during the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Rainbow Pride Parade in … [Read more...] about Transgender People’s Brains Are Wired like Those of Gender They Identify with, New Study Shows
Belly Fat Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency in New Study
Health Fat Vitamin D A higher amount of belly fat has been linked to lower vitamin D levels in the body in a new study. Researchers in the Netherlands found that people with higher levels of total body and abdominal fat had lower levels of vitamin D compared to those with less fat. This could mean that people who are overweight are prone to developing vitamin D deficiencies and related conditions, the scientists suggested. If proven, the link could have health implications for the more than one-third of U.S. adults who have obesity. Vitamin D can be absorbed into the body from sunlight, and is also present in foods such as beef liver, oily fish like tuna, mackerel and salmon, as well as cheese, egg yolks, mushrooms and some fortified foods. The body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium, and deficiency can lead to bone disorders. However, growing evidence suggests it could also play a role in the development of … [Read more...] about Belly Fat Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency in New Study
Physically demanding jobs may raise risk of early death, study finds
As if their work wasn't already tough enough, new research suggests that men in physically taxing jobs may be at risk of an early death. The increase in risk can be as high as 18 percent beyond that of a typical office worker, the researchers said. "Our findings suggest that there are contrasting health outcomes associated with occupational and leisure-time physical activity," said lead researcher Pieter Coenen, from the department of public and occupational health at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. The findings are particularly important because many people are highly active at work but typically less active during leisure time, he said. "So these men, who are mostly from lower socioeconomic groups, are exposed to unhealthy physical activity at work and only benefit to a lesser extent from the positive health effects of leisure-time physical activity," Coenen said. But the study couldn't prove that physical activity at work causes an early death, he added. "To be … [Read more...] about Physically demanding jobs may raise risk of early death, study finds
Idera Pharmaceuticals Enters into a Clinical Development Support Agreement with Pillar Partners Foundation to Expand the Clinical Research on IMO-2125 beyond PD-1 Refractory Melanoma
Pillar Partners to provide funding for up to three Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials /EIN News/ -- EXTON, Pa., April 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Idera”) (NASDAQ:IDRA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel oligonucleotide therapeutics for oncology and rare diseases, today announced it has entered into a clinical development support agreement with Pillar Partners Foundation (“Pillar Partners”). Under the terms of the agreement Pillar Partners will provide direct funding to support three investigator initiated clinical trials to further strategically expand the clinical research of IMO-2125, Idera’s toll-like receptor (“TLR”) 9 agonist into broader melanoma populations and other solid tumors. For these trials, Idera will provide IMO-2125. Idera is currently enrolling a Phase 3 (“ILLUMINATE-301”) trial of … [Read more...] about Idera Pharmaceuticals Enters into a Clinical Development Support Agreement with Pillar Partners Foundation to Expand the Clinical Research on IMO-2125 beyond PD-1 Refractory Melanoma