Gender influences transplants

"New research shows that heart transplant patients have better odds of survival and a lower risk of rejection if they get organs from donors of the same sex. Size might be part of the explanation. Men's hearts are bigger than women's and have greater pumping capacity, and men who get men's hearts fare better. But differences in hormones or immune systems between the sexes might also play a role, researchers say. The study was paid for by the federal government and led by Dr. Eric Weiss, a cardiac surgery researcher at the Johns Hopkins University. He presented his findings yesterday at an American Heart Association conference" - Baltimore Sun