biology transplants

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http://www.donatelifeny.org/transplant/organ_history.html

History Of Organ Transplantation

http://www.unyts.org/whatcan.htm#eye

Eye

Donated corneas (the clear part on the front of the eye) can restore sight for individuals who cannot see because of damage to their corneas.  In addition, the sclera of the eye (the white part) is sometimes used in glaucoma surgeries or to repair trauma to the eye.

Kidney
The kidneys extract waste from the blood and produces important hormones.  Kidney transplants are the second most common transplant operation, following cornea transplants. Over 12,000 kidney transplants were performed in the U.S in 1999. Kidney transplants can save the lives of individuals with kidney disease or kidney failure, which may be caused by severe, uncontrolled high blood pressure, by a variety of infections, or by diabetes mellitus. Successful kidney transplants restore the body’s ability to remove waste, as well as to regulate blood pressure, blood volume, and the chemical (electrolyte) composition of the blood. Healthy kidneys from either living donors (usually blood relatives) or from recently deceased donors may be used for a transplant. With the use of drugs to prevent rejection of the organ, between 80 and 90% of transplanted kidneys are functioning two years after the surgery.

Definition of Autograft

Autograft: Tissue transplanted from one part of the body to another in the same individual. Also called an autotransplant.

Definition of Allograft

Allograft: The  of an organ or tissue from one individual to another of the same species with a different . A transplant from one person to another, but not an identical twin, is an allograft. Allografts account for many human transplants, including those from cadaveric, living related, and living unrelated donors. Called also an  graft or a homograft.

Definition of Immunosuppression

Immunosuppression: Suppression of the . Immunosuppression may result from certain diseases such as  or  or from certain drugs such as some of those used to treat . Immunosuppression may also be deliberately induced with drugs, as in preparation for bone  or other  transplantation to prevent the  of the . 

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http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/xenotransplant

xenotransplant

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm54ki.html

The idea of transplanting organs is not new. It can be found in myths of the ancient Greeks and was referred to by even older civilizations. But until the middle of the twentieth century it remained largely impossible, a piece of myth, or fantasy, or science fiction. Skin and eyes were among the first successful transplants. But the larger, more complex, and imbedded organs posed countless problems. The kidney was the first such organ to be successfully transplanted.

Since humans naturally have two kidneys, but can live with just one, the kidney lent itself well to the ...

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