Heart transplants more successful when donor and recipient are same sex
A Johns Hopkins University study found that heart transplant patients are 25 percent more likely to live if the donor and the recipient are of the same sex.
The results of the study were surprising, as differences in sex among organ donors and recipients are usually irrelevant as long as there is a good immunocompatibility.
According to the study, the transplant results that were most unsuccessful were in men who received hearts from smaller women, which suggests that the pumping capacity of the heart is critical to the success of the transplant.
The study also found that women were somewhat more likely to reject heart transplants from males, possibly because of lingering immune stimulation from past pregnancies, experts speculate.
The results of the study may not greatly impact transplant procedures, however, because transplant hearts are so scarce that surgeons must take what they can use, and the heart can stay outside of the body for less than six hours.
(Source: latimes.com)
Ancient belief of soul and body as separate entities discovered in Turkey
The ancient inhabitants of the area that is now southeastern Turkey believed in the religious idea that the soul and body were separate, according to a recent excavation.
In the ruins of a city near the Syrian border, archeologists from the University of Chicago discovered what they believe to be the first written acknowledgement of this concept in this region, dating back to the eighth century B.C.
This is a contrast to Semitic contemporaries, including the Israelites, who believed that body and soul were one, which as the Bible notes, makes cremation forbidden.
There is evidence that inhabitants of the ancient city, now known as Zincirli cremated the dead, archeologists say.
The find, some experts say, could lead to further insight on the dynamics of borderland cultural exchange between the Indo-European and Semitic cultures at that time period.
(Source: nytimes.com)
HIV patients at higher risk for non-AIDS related cancer
HIV-positive individuals are approximately twice as likely to develop non-AIDS cancer as the general population, researchers say.
Men with HIV are 2.3 times more likely, while women with HIV are about 1.5 times more likely, according to the study. The findings will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual conference.
Not much is known about why the link occurs, but researchers say the potential cancer risk should be noted when doctors treat HIV patients.
As people with HIV are now living longer because of improved medical treatments, they face a higher risk of cancer, which increases with age.
Several cancers are associated with the AIDS virus, including Kaposi’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cervical cancer.
(Source: Healthday.com)
ANNA OPALKA compiled SCIENCE SCENE. She can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
