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【United Daily News / Compiled by Zhuang Huijia / Comprehensive Sydney 24 Foreign News】 2008.01.25
15-year-old Australian girl Demi-Lee Brennan underwent a liver transplant at the age of nine, and the donor's stem cells entered her bone marrow after the surgery, changing her blood type. Doctors were amazed, considering it a one in six billion miracle, and her attending physician also stated that he had never seen such a case before.
The attending physician, hepatologist Dr. Stormon, said that this special case was the result of "a series of accidents." When Brennan was nine years old, she suffered from a special type of liver failure and was in critical condition, receiving a liver transplant from a 12-year-old boy. After a 10-hour surgery, doctors gave her immunosuppressive drugs to reduce organ rejection.
However, Brennan contracted the "human cytomegalovirus," which lowered her immunity. While this is bad news for most transplant patients, it was a life-changing opportunity for Brennan. The combined effects of the drugs and the infection caused Brennan's own immune system to weaken, allowing the donor's stem cells to spread from the liver into her bone marrow, the center of blood production, and take over her immune system. Nine months after the surgery, Brennan's condition worsened, and she was readmitted to the hospital, where medical staff discovered that her blood type had changed from O-negative to O-positive.
The hospital initially thought it was a mistake, but upon retesting Brennan's parents' blood types, both were O-negative, meaning Brennan must have originally been O-negative. Therefore, the doctors decided to stop giving her immunosuppressive drugs, and her condition improved.
Dr. Stormon stated that a series of factors led to the donor's stem cells taking over Brennan's immune system, and her case was fortunate. Dr. Stormon has presented this case worldwide and has yet to encounter a similar situation. Brennan's mother described her daughter's recovery as a miracle, and Brennan said, "I am deeply grateful to the medical staff for saving my life." She is now a healthy and active teenager.
The biggest challenge in organ transplantation today is the potential for post-operative rejection. Medical professionals are currently studying Brennan's case to understand the mechanisms of donor stem cells and the recipient's immune system, and to explore whether this can benefit other organ transplant patients. This research was published in the January 24 issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine."
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ WORLD/ WOR4/ 4195398. shtml
The Herald Sun/Australian Broadcasting Corporation/Comprehensive Foreign News
A young girl in Australia miraculously changed her blood type and immune system to match that of her liver donor after a liver transplant, eliminating the need for anti-rejection medication. This unprecedented medical phenomenon has a one in six billion chance of occurring. Doctors are amazed and hope to uncover the reasons behind it to apply to other patients.
With a completely new immune system, Brennan, like a newborn, had to be re-vaccinated against diseases such as measles.
In 2001, 15-year-old Brennan suffered severe liver failure and required a liver transplant. Nine months later, doctors discovered that her blood type had changed from O RhD negative to O RhD positive. Additionally, stem cells from the new liver had infiltrated her bone marrow, effectively resulting in an automatic bone marrow transplant. This caused her immune system to become identical to that of the donor, leaving doctors astonished.
Most patients require lifelong medication.
Over the years, Brennan's health has been normal. Unlike most patients, she does not need to take anti-rejection drugs for life or be hospitalized. Her doctor stated that even after consulting medical literature and scholars worldwide, such a case has never been heard of. "It's as if she underwent a bone marrow transplant, with most of her immune system altered." The related paper has been published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Doctors say it is still difficult to explain this phenomenon. "We are not sure of the exact reasons; perhaps it is a combination of several factors that produced this effect. Now, we need to find out why so that other organ transplant patients can benefit from the same treatment without rejection." Doctors believe Brennan's luck may stem from multiple coincidences, such as an infection after the transplant, which allowed the donor liver's stem cells to proliferate and grow.
The immune system became identical to the donor's.
A team of medical researchers has begun studying the case to improve future treatment techniques. Factors under consideration include the type of liver failure Brennan had, the medications she took initially to suppress her immune system post-surgery, and her previous infection with cytomegalovirus, which also has immune-suppressing effects. Anti-rejection drugs have significant side effects, such as organ toxicity and severe infections. The medical community is currently working to identify which patients can avoid such treatments.
Nine months after the liver transplant, Brennan experienced severe red blood cell breakdown. However, during a blood transfusion, doctors discovered her blood type had changed, and nearly her entire immune system had become identical to the donor's. At the same time, her body naturally produced antibodies, and she struggled with the illness for several months.
Initially, doctors gave her immune-suppressing drugs to stop the red blood cell breakdown. However, they later decided to stop the medication, hoping she would develop a completely new immune system, which indeed happened.
Source: http://paper. wenweipo. com/ 2008/ 01/ 25/ GJ0801250016. htm
Australian Girl's Blood Type Changes after Liver Transplant
15-year-old Australian girl Demi-Lee Brennan underwent a liver transplant at the age of nine, and the donor's stem cells entered her bone marrow after the surgery, changing her blood type. Doctors were amazed, considering it a one in six billion miracle, and her attending physician also stated that he had never seen such a case before.
The attending physician, hepatologist Dr. Stormon, said that this special case was the result of "a series of accidents." When Brennan was nine years old, she suffered from a special type of liver failure and was in critical condition, receiving a liver transplant from a 12-year-old boy. After a 10-hour surgery, doctors gave her immunosuppressive drugs to reduce organ rejection.
However, Brennan contracted the "human cytomegalovirus," which lowered her immunity. While this is bad news for most transplant patients, it was a life-changing opportunity for Brennan. The combined effects of the drugs and the infection caused Brennan's own immune system to weaken, allowing the donor's stem cells to spread from the liver into her bone marrow, the center of blood production, and take over her immune system. Nine months after the surgery, Brennan's condition worsened, and she was readmitted to the hospital, where medical staff discovered that her blood type had changed from O-negative to O-positive.
The hospital initially thought it was a mistake, but upon retesting Brennan's parents' blood types, both were O-negative, meaning Brennan must have originally been O-negative. Therefore, the doctors decided to stop giving her immunosuppressive drugs, and her condition improved.
Dr. Stormon stated that a series of factors led to the donor's stem cells taking over Brennan's immune system, and her case was fortunate. Dr. Stormon has presented this case worldwide and has yet to encounter a similar situation. Brennan's mother described her daughter's recovery as a miracle, and Brennan said, "I am deeply grateful to the medical staff for saving my life." She is now a healthy and active teenager.
The biggest challenge in organ transplantation today is the potential for post-operative rejection. Medical professionals are currently studying Brennan's case to understand the mechanisms of donor stem cells and the recipient's immune system, and to explore whether this can benefit other organ transplant patients. This research was published in the January 24 issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine."
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ WORLD/ WOR4/ 4195398. shtml
Medical Miracle: Australian Woman Changes Blood Type after Liver Transplant
A young girl in Australia miraculously changed her blood type and immune system to match that of her liver donor after a liver transplant, eliminating the need for anti-rejection medication. This unprecedented medical phenomenon has a one in six billion chance of occurring. Doctors are amazed and hope to uncover the reasons behind it to apply to other patients.
With a completely new immune system, Brennan, like a newborn, had to be re-vaccinated against diseases such as measles.
In 2001, 15-year-old Brennan suffered severe liver failure and required a liver transplant. Nine months later, doctors discovered that her blood type had changed from O RhD negative to O RhD positive. Additionally, stem cells from the new liver had infiltrated her bone marrow, effectively resulting in an automatic bone marrow transplant. This caused her immune system to become identical to that of the donor, leaving doctors astonished.
Most patients require lifelong medication.
Over the years, Brennan's health has been normal. Unlike most patients, she does not need to take anti-rejection drugs for life or be hospitalized. Her doctor stated that even after consulting medical literature and scholars worldwide, such a case has never been heard of. "It's as if she underwent a bone marrow transplant, with most of her immune system altered." The related paper has been published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Doctors say it is still difficult to explain this phenomenon. "We are not sure of the exact reasons; perhaps it is a combination of several factors that produced this effect. Now, we need to find out why so that other organ transplant patients can benefit from the same treatment without rejection." Doctors believe Brennan's luck may stem from multiple coincidences, such as an infection after the transplant, which allowed the donor liver's stem cells to proliferate and grow.
The immune system became identical to the donor's.
A team of medical researchers has begun studying the case to improve future treatment techniques. Factors under consideration include the type of liver failure Brennan had, the medications she took initially to suppress her immune system post-surgery, and her previous infection with cytomegalovirus, which also has immune-suppressing effects. Anti-rejection drugs have significant side effects, such as organ toxicity and severe infections. The medical community is currently working to identify which patients can avoid such treatments.
Nine months after the liver transplant, Brennan experienced severe red blood cell breakdown. However, during a blood transfusion, doctors discovered her blood type had changed, and nearly her entire immune system had become identical to the donor's. At the same time, her body naturally produced antibodies, and she struggled with the illness for several months.
Initially, doctors gave her immune-suppressing drugs to stop the red blood cell breakdown. However, they later decided to stop the medication, hoping she would develop a completely new immune system, which indeed happened.
Source: http://paper. wenweipo. com/ 2008/ 01/ 25/ GJ0801250016. htm