If someone told you they were getting a kidney transplant, you might think they would need to stay in the hospital for at least a few days afterward. You might also think that they will be asleep during the procedure. A 28-year-old man from Chicago just went against both of those trends by getting a kidney transplant while he was awake and then leaving the hospital the next day.

This is a very strange case, and it’s the first one for Northwestern Medicine. It has been done before with local anesthesia during kidney transplants, but it is still the norm to have the surgery while under general anesthesia. You might not like the thought of knowing what’s going on while surgeons put in a new kidney, but there are a lot of good things that could come from it.

Anesthesiologist Vicente Garcia Tomas, MD, said in a statement, “It was easier to give anesthesia for the awake kidney transplant than for many C-sections.”

“We hope that awake kidney transplantation can cut down on some of the risks of general anesthesia and cut down on the time a patient has to stay in the hospital.” It was amazing to be able to show a patient what their new kidney would look like in the operating room before putting it in their body, said transplant surgeon Satish Nadig, MD, PhD.

John Nicholas was the patient in question. He first had kidney problems when he was 16 years old, after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease earlier. No one could figure out why his kidneys were inflamed, but it became clear over time that he would need a transplant, even with medicine.

He also had to find a donor, but luckily, his best friend from childhood, Pat Wise, was ready to help.

John sent me a message that said, “My doctor says it’s time for me to start looking for kidney donors.” I was cooking dinner at the time. “That night, I stared at my phone and filled out the form right away,” Wise remembered. “John is a good friend.” His kidney was broken, but I had an extra one. I had to look into the possibility of being his donor, at least.

The surgery took place on May 24, 2024, after Wise was found to be a match.

“In John’s case, we gave him a spinal anesthesia shot in the operating room along with some sedation to make him feel better,” Garcia Tomas said. “It was very easy and didn’t cause any problems, but John was awake during the procedure, which made it better for the patient.” Awake kidney transplantation can help people who are afraid of or have concerns about general anesthesia. It can also help them stay out of the hospital longer so they can recover more comfortably at home.

Nicholas, for his part, thought the procedure was great. He talked about how the local anesthetic made the procedure painless even though he knew what the surgeons were doing. “It was pretty cool to know what was happening in real time and be aware of the magnitude of what they were doing,” he said.

Nicholas got out of the hospital the very next day. At the same hospital, a typical kidney transplant patient would need to stay in the hospital for two to three days.

The procedure’s success makes it more likely that this approach will be used in more difficult situations, like when the patient can’t go under general anesthesia for other medical reasons. The transplantation field now has another tool in its belt, Nadig said. “It really opens up a whole new door.”

Nicholas has been doing well since the surgery and thanked Wise for helping him out when his mother, who was supposed to be his donor, got sick and couldn’t.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m lucky to have friends who have been together since I was a kid.” We’ve always said that we are “ride or die” friends, and this shows that we look out for each other. It really meant a lot to me. It has really changed my life.

If you don’t want to drink a bunch of chemicals that could be harmful, keep your water bottle out of the sun. Plastic water bottles that are left out in the sun break down and release many different types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

VOCs are chemicals that evaporate quickly at room temperature. They are found in a lot of different products, like paints, cleaners, fuels, and solvents. They’re also made of plastic, like those used to make water bottles and food trucks. Many of them are safe, but some may be bad for your health in the short and long term.

In the most recent study, UV-A light and sunlight were used to test six different kinds of plastic water bottles in China. They discovered that this process let out a wide range of VOCs, such as acids, alcohols, aldehydes, and alkanes.

Some signs pointed to “highly toxic” VOCs, such as n-hexadecane, which is known to cause cancer.

A single sip of contaminated water doesn’t pose much of a health risk, but the researchers found that long-term exposure may pose a greater risk.

“Our results are strong proof that plastic bottles can release harmful chemicals into the air when they are exposed to sunlight.” “Consumers need to be aware of these risks, especially in places where bottled water is left out in the sun for long periods of time,” said Dr. Huase Ou, lead researcher from China’s Jinan University’s Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health.

However, the researchers were quick to point out that the risk seems to be pretty low since the bottle only releases a small amount of chemicals.

“Given that a container weighs about 20 grams on average, the VOCs that were released from a single container were only a few nanograms.” So, even after long-term exposure, opening a bottle and drinking water from it doesn’t pose many health risks to people, the study’s authors write in the conclusion.

The bottles in the study were all made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is one of the most common types of plastic. However, the VOC composition and concentration of the different bottles were very different. The different production methods and additives seem to have something to do with this.

Most likely, the chemicals leaked out of the bottle because of a process called photodegradation. This is when light breaks down the structure of the plastic.

There are more things than just sunlight that you should think about when it comes to your plastic bottle’s “health.” A study from the past found that leaving water in a plastic bottle for just one day could let hundreds of chemicals get into your drink. Several of these chemicals are thought to be harmful to health, such as those that cause cancer or mess with the hormone system (endocrine disruptors).

In the same way, there is some evidence that heating plastic bottles might not be a good idea. A study done in 2020 found that the sterilization process recommended by the World Health Organization put between 1.3 and 16.2 million microplastic particles per liter into child bottles.

In the 21st century, plastic is found everywhere, from penises to ice in Antarctica. It was once thought to be mostly harmless, but it’s becoming clearer that it’s having a bad effect on us and the planet, and we’re only just beginning to understand how bad it is.

The study was published in the magazine Eco-Environment & Health.

Researchers have recently discovered microplastics in human penises, expanding the list of body parts where these harmful particles have been detected.

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that are shorter than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) and can originate from various sources, including plastic production or the breakdown of plastic objects. With their apparent penetration into every small space, some people are worried about the potential consequences for our well-being.

The initial phase of this process involves determining their presence within the body. Researchers from the University of Miami, the University of Colorado, and the research institution Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon embarked on a quest to ascertain whether these entities could be detected in penises.

In order to accomplish this, the team collected penile tissue samples from six individuals who were undergoing surgery to treat erectile dysfunction. One of the samples was used as a control for comparison. Subsequently, the samples were examined for microplastics using laser direct infrared (LDIR) microspectroscopy, a method that enables scientists to identify the types, sizes, and quantities of microplastics present.

The analysis indicated that microplastics were present in 80 percent of the samples, with sizes ranging from 20 to 500 micrometers. However, another microscopy technique detected some microplastics as small as 2 micrometers (equivalent to thousandths of a millimeter, for reference to their minuscule size).

The microplastics (MPs) consisted of seven distinct types, with polyethylene terephthalate being the most abundant at 47.8 percent. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a type of plastic, is frequently utilized in the manufacturing of clothing as well as packaging for food and beverages.

Polypropylene, accounting for 34.7 percent of the sample, emerged as the second most prevalent plastic. This versatile plastic is utilized in various applications, including rigid food packaging and plastic laboratory equipment.

The authors state that their study is a pioneering investigation into the existence of microplastics (MPs) in penile tissue. “Our research provides important information about the presence of MPs in human tissues, which contributes significantly to the ongoing discussion about the impact of environmental pollutants on human health.”

While this study represents the initial discovery of microplastics in penile tissue, previous findings have already identified their presence in the surrounding region. In a recent study, scientists discovered substantial amounts of microplastics in the testes of both humans and dogs. Additionally, another investigation revealed the presence of microplastics in all 36 semen samples examined by the researchers.

Scientists have consistently highlighted the need for further research, but they have indicated the potential impact of microplastics on reproductive health, specifically investigating the connection between microplastics and erectile dysfunction.

In an interview with Sky News, Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, the main researcher, stated that further investigation is needed to understand the mechanism behind the presence of microplastics in the penis.

The research is published in the International Journal of Impotence Research