Obama's gift of life: One large step for mankind
By World's Editorial Writers
Published: 3/11/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 3/11/2009 4:02 AM
The outpouring of relief and optimism over President Obama's lifting of federal funding restrictions for embryonic stem cell research is overwhelming. It makes us forget for a moment that the economy's in the tank, unemployment figures are worsening and that we live in an uncertain world.
Obama's order replaces eight years of worry and frustration with a renewed sense of optimism for the 100 million Americans suffering from cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and other debilitating diseases and disorders.
By signing an order calling for funding and ethical oversight for embryonic stem cell research, the president "has ensured that Americans are no longer forced to look back at what could have been, but can instead look forward to one day seeing the promise of scientific and medical research fulfilled," said a spokesman for the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research.
According to polls, nearly three-quarters of Americans as well as the majority of the House and the Senate supported federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
The order does not mean that this research should proceed without stringent ethical oversight and rules.
Obama's announcement lifts a 2001 ban on federal funding for new stem cell research. It's not clear how much more federal money will be spent on the research until grants are pursued and issued.
Embryonic stem cells are valued for their ability to morph into any cell of the body, and scientists believe
they can be used to uncover cures for ailments including diabetes, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries.
It is a new day, especially for those millions of people who hold out hope that science might finally restore their lives. For them, the executive order is the equivalent of putting a man on the moon. For them, the change in policy is that proverbial giant step for mankind.
Promoting Organ Donations the Gift of Life
Thursday, March 12, 2009
TGH Transplants 100 Livers In A Single Year
Home » General Health Articles » TGH Transplants 100 Livers In A Single Year
Submitted by ruzik_tuzik on Mar 11th, 2009
Posted under:
* General Health Articles
In what is viewed as a significant milestone for its transplant program, surgeons at Tampa General Hospital successfully completed more than 100 liver transplants during 2008.
Dr. John Leone, a transplant surgeon with the LifeLink HealthCare Institute, transplanted the 100th liver December 23 during a five hour procedure December 23 on a 63-year-old man. The patient was placed on the transplant list November 3. Leone described the procedure as “a textbook case” and said: “The significance of this milestone is that it puts our program among the elite in the nation with regard to volume.”
Dr. Angel Alsina, the surgical director of the liver transplant program and LifeLink physician, said that while achieving 100 transplants in a year is significant the real value lies in the prospects for the future of the program.
“There are probably 17 programs in the country out of about 140 that can do 100 or more transplants a year,” Alsina said. “The important part of this is not the number, but the opportunities we can now provide as a result of reaching this milestone.”
Alsina said higher volumes provide much better outcomes for patients and shortens the time patient stay on the organ procurement waiting list. Higher volumes also allow physicians to conduct clinical research trials that could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of liver disease.
Tampa General Hospital through its partnership with the LifeLink performed its first liver transplant in December 1996. Since then it has transplanted 851 livers. In 2007, Tampa General’s liver transplant program ranked 19th in the country.
In 2004, the Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards setting and accrediting body in health care, awarded its “Gold Seal of Approval” to the liver transplant program for its quality of patient care.
Tampa General is a 958-bed acute care hospital on the west coast of Florida that serves as the region’s only center for level I trauma care, comprehensive burn care and adult solid organ transplants. It is the primary teaching hospital for the University of South Florida College of Medicine. TGH is also one of only eight comprehensive stroke centers in Florida and is a state-certified spinal cord and head injury rehabilitation center.
Home » General Health Articles » TGH Transplants 100 Livers In A Single Year
Submitted by ruzik_tuzik on Mar 11th, 2009
Posted under:
* General Health Articles
In what is viewed as a significant milestone for its transplant program, surgeons at Tampa General Hospital successfully completed more than 100 liver transplants during 2008.
Dr. John Leone, a transplant surgeon with the LifeLink HealthCare Institute, transplanted the 100th liver December 23 during a five hour procedure December 23 on a 63-year-old man. The patient was placed on the transplant list November 3. Leone described the procedure as “a textbook case” and said: “The significance of this milestone is that it puts our program among the elite in the nation with regard to volume.”
Dr. Angel Alsina, the surgical director of the liver transplant program and LifeLink physician, said that while achieving 100 transplants in a year is significant the real value lies in the prospects for the future of the program.
“There are probably 17 programs in the country out of about 140 that can do 100 or more transplants a year,” Alsina said. “The important part of this is not the number, but the opportunities we can now provide as a result of reaching this milestone.”
Alsina said higher volumes provide much better outcomes for patients and shortens the time patient stay on the organ procurement waiting list. Higher volumes also allow physicians to conduct clinical research trials that could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of liver disease.
Tampa General Hospital through its partnership with the LifeLink performed its first liver transplant in December 1996. Since then it has transplanted 851 livers. In 2007, Tampa General’s liver transplant program ranked 19th in the country.
In 2004, the Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards setting and accrediting body in health care, awarded its “Gold Seal of Approval” to the liver transplant program for its quality of patient care.
Tampa General is a 958-bed acute care hospital on the west coast of Florida that serves as the region’s only center for level I trauma care, comprehensive burn care and adult solid organ transplants. It is the primary teaching hospital for the University of South Florida College of Medicine. TGH is also one of only eight comprehensive stroke centers in Florida and is a state-certified spinal cord and head injury rehabilitation center.
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