By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Legend has it that Avicenna, the Iranian physician and philosopher, was the first person to suture nerves together. Today, Iran ranks first in kidney transplantation in the Middle East, and ranks fourth in organ transplantation in the world. Every year Iran carries out 2500 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants, 80 heart transplants, [...]
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer State Senator Don White, representing Pennsylvania’s 41st District, recently introduced two pieces of legislation that he hopes will lead to increases in organ donation in his state. Senate Bill 1305 would alter identification card and driver’s license applications in a subtle but substantive way. The state is legally required to ask individuals [...]
By Caroline Song Richard Adhikari of TechNewsWorld, has written an article titled “Bioprinting, Part 2 – The Ethical Conundrum” where he voices raising concerns in the face of medical improvement. Within the United States, around 120,000 individuals are on a waiting list for an organ transplant. However, the amount of donors is low and there [...]
By Noushaba T. Rashid Doctors from the Great Ormond Street Hospital in the United Kingdom are arguing that the guidelines for organ donations from infants less than two months should be amended. Currently, the UK discourages neonatal donation, mainly due to the uncertainty of whether or not the infant is brain dead, which is the [...]
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer While organ donation is viewed by Canadians as an essential component of a well-functioning health care system, and while 95% of the population supports organ donation, only 50%-60% are willing to donate. These rates translate into only 16 organ donators for every million people in Canada, about half that of other countries [...]
By Caroline Song KSAT, a news channel located in San Antonio, Texas, reports on a Houston based lab that has begun building new human organs using scaffolding provided by pig organs. The process involves obtaining pig organs where they are washed with simple soap and water and then implanted with human stem cells. KSAT interviewed [...]
By Kayla Santos Face and hand transplants have been procedures of much debate in recent years. One of the biggest problems is determining who should be prioritized. Patients who are more likely to die without a transplant or those who have been on the waiting list for the longest period of time are given priority [...]
by Noushaba T. Rashid Spain’s first organ trafficking ring was exposed by police in Valencia, which lead to five non-Spanish men being arrested. This group allegedly offered up to €40,000 to poor migrants who did not have official documents in exchange for their viable organs such as kidneys and livers. These were then sold to [...]
Colleen Boyle, a junior at the University of Georgia majoring in biology and genetics, is the founder and president of Donate Life UGA. Donate Life is a national non-profit organization that seeks to increase the number of organ, eye, and tissue donations by educating people about donation and promoting donation registration. Boyle became involved with [...]
By Caroline Song Beacon Journal published the article, “Woman with rare cancer fighting insurer to cover transplant” on March 9, 2014, written by their medical writer, Cheryl Powell. The story centers on Jeanne Ralston-Astalos’s struggle to obtain coverage from her insurance provider for a liver transplant. From Northfield, Ohio, the 50-year-old mother of two suffers [...]
