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Second Pig Heart Transplant Recipient Dies Six Weeks After Procedure

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A 58-year-old man with terminal heart disease who received the world’s second genetically-modified pig heart transplant has died nearly six weeks after the procedure, the medical center that carried out the surgery said.

Lawrence Faucette received the organ on September 20 and passed away on October 30, the University of Maryland Medical Center said in a statement on Tuesday.

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He had been deemed ineligible for a human heart transplant because of his advanced medical conditions, including peripheral vascular disease. Though the transplant initially worked well, it began showing signs of rejection in recent days.

We mourn the loss of Mr. Faucette, a remarkable patient, scientist, Navy veteran, and family man who just wanted a little more time to spend with his loving wife, sons, and family,” said surgeon Bartley P. Griffith, who performed the transplant.

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The latest experimental procedure was part of a growing field of research aimed at advancing cross-species transplants, or xenotransplants, involving animal organs genetically modified to become less likely to trigger rejection in humans.

It is hoped that eventually they will help address the human donor gap, with more than 100,000 people in America alone currently awaiting an organ.

David Bennett Sr was the first person to receive a gene-edited pig heart transplant in January 2022, carried out by the same medical team.

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He passed away after two months with the medical center ascribing his death to “a multitude of factors including his poor state of health” prior to the operation, though it was also later found that the organ was infected with a virus.

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Muhammad Mohiuddin, the cardiac xenotransplantation program director, praised Faucette’s contribution to science, adding: “We intend to conduct an extensive analysis to identify factors that can be prevented in future transplants.”

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Over the past two years, doctors have transplanted kidneys from genetically modified pigs into brain-dead patients.

The NYU Langone Hospital Transplant Institute in New York announced in September that a pig kidney transplanted into a brain-dead patient had functioned for a record-breaking 61 days.

Early xenotransplantation research focused on harvesting organs from primates — for example, a baboon heart was transplanted into a newborn known as “Baby Fae” in 1984, but she survived only 20 days.

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Current efforts focus on pigs, which are thought to be ideal donors for humans because of their organ size, their rapid growth and large litters, and the fact they are already raised as a food source.

AFP

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UK PM Says Latest Russia Strikes On Ukraine Shows Putin ‘Not Serious About Peace’

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Russia’s barrage of air strikes against Ukraine on Sunday, saying they showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is not serious about peace”.

READ ALSO:Russia Launches Massive Air Attacks On Ukraine’s Cabinet Building

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“I’m appalled by the latest brutal overnight assault on Kyiv and across Ukraine,” Starmer said in a statement. “These cowardly strikes show that Putin believes he can act with impunity. He is not serious about peace.”

 

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Teenager Angry, Poisons Uncle’s Soup Because He Snores Too Much

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A high school student in Japan has been arrested for allegedly poisoning his uncle’s soup in an attempt to kill him because he couldn’t stand his snoring, the country’s media reported.

The 18-year-old teenager from Ichibara, Japan’s Chiba prefecture, was arrested and charged with attempted murder after allegedly mincing leaves from a toxic oleander plant and pouring them into his uncle’s soup, because he had become exasperated by his loud snoring.

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According to the police report, on August 17, during lunch, the teen’s uncle sensed an unusual taste in the soup he was served and spat it out, but soon started exhibiting symptoms like mouth numbness and stomach pain, which required medical attention.

READ ALSO:‘My Husband Lied To Our Children That I Poisoned His Food, Cut Part Of His Singlet For Ritual’

Samples from his bowl of soup were found to contain a lethal amount of the toxic substance known as oleandrin.

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“I couldn’t stand my uncle’s loud snoring and decided to kill him,” the 18-year-old teenager allegedly told police during questioning.

Oleander is an evergreen tree that blooms with red or white flowers and is commonly planted as a street or park tree. Its branches and leaves are toxic.

Luckily, the teen’s uncle, a 53-year-old self-employed man who lived with the boy and his mother, made a full recovery.

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Six Dead, Others Trapped As Gold Collapse

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Six people have been killed and up to 20 others are feared trapped after a gold mine collapsed in northern Sudan, authorities said on Saturday.

The accident occurred on Friday in the Um Aud area, west of the city of Berber in River Nile state, said Hassan Ibrahim Karar, executive director of the Berber locality.

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“Efforts are ongoing to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble,” Karar said, without specifying the cause of the collapse of the artisanal mine.

Since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, both sides have largely financed their war efforts through the country’s gold industry.

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Official and NGO sources say nearly all of Sudan’s gold trade is funnelled through the United Arab Emirates, which has been widely accused of supplying arms to the RSF — a charge it denies.

Despite the conflict, the army-backed government announced record gold production of 64 tonnes for 2024.

Sudan, Africa’s third-largest country by area, remains one of the continent’s top gold producers.

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However, most gold is extracted through artisanal and small-scale mining operations, which lack proper safety measures and often use hazardous chemicals, resulting in severe health risks for miners and nearby communities. Buy vitamins and supplements.

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Before the war pushed 25 million Sudanese into acute food insecurity, artisanal mining employed more than two million people, according to industry figures.

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Today, mining experts say much of the gold produced by both warring factions is smuggled through Chad, South Sudan and Egypt before reaching the UAE — currently the world’s second-largest gold exporter.

The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced roughly 10 million people, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis. An additional four million Sudanese have fled across borders.

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