Chimps Catch Insects to Put on Wounds. Is It Folk Medicine?
They don’t eat the bugs, and they’re definitely applying them to wounds, so some scientists think the primates may be treating one another’s injuries.
In a medical first, a man with terminal heart disease
gets a transplant of genetically modified pig heart
A 57-year-old Maryland man is doing well three days after receiving a genetically modified
pig heart in a first-of-its-kind transplant surgery, University of Maryland Medicine said in a
news release Monday.
David Bennett had terminal heart disease, and the pig heart was "the only currently available
option," according to the release. Bennett was deemed ineligible for a conventional heart
transplant or an artificial heart pump after reviews of his medical records.
Three genes that are responsible for rejection of pig organs by human immune systems were
removed from the donor pig, and one gene was taken out to prevent excessive pig heart tissue
growth. Six human genes responsible for immune acceptance were inserted.
Bennett's doctors will need to monitor him for days to weeks to see whether the transplant
works to provide lifesaving benefits. He'll be monitored for immune system problems or other
complications.
