Renal Failure News and Research

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Renal failure or kidney failure is where the kidneys fail to function adequately. Renal failure is divided in acute and chronic forms; either form may be due to a large number of other medical problems.

Rapid rise in obesity may reverse life expectancy trend

It's been assumed that U.S. life expectancy would rise indefinitely, but a new data analysis, published as a special report in the March 17 New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that this trend is about to reverse itself -- due to the rapid rise in obesity, especially among children.

21 Mar 2005

Suitcase-sized machine helps patients undergoing rigorous dialysis for kidney failure

A suitcase-sized machine tested at the Indiana University School of Medicine is making life easier for some patients undergoing rigorous dialysis for kidney failure.

7 Mar 2005

FDA has accepts new drug application for Exubera (inhaled human insulin powder)

Dr. John Patton, co-founder and chief scientific officer for Nektar reported that Pfizer and The Sanofi-Aventis Group have announced that the FDA has accepted for filing a new drug application for Exubera (inhaled human insulin powder).

3 Mar 2005

Mutations in newly discovered gene, NPHP5 cause Senior-Loken syndrome

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered a gene called NPHP5 and found mutations in this gene that cause a rare genetic disease called Senior-Loken syndrome. Children with this syndrome develop a type of cystic kidney disease called nephronophthisis, as well as a form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa.

3 Mar 2005

FDA issues information on the risks and benefits of Crestor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), today issued public health advice, patient information, and professional healthcare information on the risks and benefits of Crestor (Rosuvastatin calcium), a cholesterol-lowering drug.

2 Mar 2005

Intravenous vitamin D appears to significantly improve the survival of patients on dialysis

The administration of intravenous vitamin D appears to significantly improve the survival of patients on dialysis, according to a study that will be published in the April Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

28 Feb 2005

First study to show cost-effectiveness of pre-diabetes intervention

More than 40 million Americans face a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and it would cost a lot to give all of them intensive help with diet and exercise, or medication, to keep them from developing diabetes.

28 Feb 2005

Up to 500,000 Americans will develop lupus-related kidney disease

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 Americans with the autoimmune disease lupus eventually will develop lupus-related kidney disease, known as lupus nephritis. Lupus nephritis is one of the most serious manifestations of lupus and can lead to serious health problems, kidney failure, disability or death.

27 Feb 2005

Childhood obesity is a serious health problem in Australia

Professor Michael Booth, co-director of the University of Sydney's Centre for Overweight and Obesity, said teenagers were already showing signs of serious illness caused by their weight.

24 Feb 2005

Short-term use of selective COX-2 inhibitors may be safe for patients with cirrhosis of the liver

Short-term use of selective COX-2 inhibitors may be safe for patients with cirrhosis of the liver, according to a recent study that compared the effects of celecoxib, naproxen, and a placebo on cirrhotic patients in a double-blind randomized controlled study.

22 Feb 2005

Protein may provide a powerful new therapeutic tool for fighting kidney failure

Kidney failure is a significant risk for patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, radiologic testing, antibiotic therapy or in patients suffering from severe infections. More than 80 percent of patients with postoperative acute renal failure die.

16 Feb 2005

People with severe illnesses and disabilities don't wallow in misery and self-pity

The researchers made their surprising finding by having 49 pairs of dialysis patients and healthy people report their mood every few hours for a week, using a handheld personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a Palm. The patients had all been in dialysis for at least three months, visiting a hemodialysis center three or more times a week for hours at a time to have their blood cleaned because their kidneys had failed.

10 Feb 2005

Risks of obesity in children with kidney transplants

Obese children who get kidney transplants tend to be younger, shorter and on dialysis longer than their leaner peers, according to a study in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics.

7 Feb 2005

Bioartificial kidney containing billions of donor kidney cells under study at the Medical College of Georgia

Whether a bioartificial kidney containing billions of donor kidney cells will help intensive care patients with kidney failure survive is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.

31 Jan 2005

Trial of Etanercept for Wegners's disease shows no benefit against the autoimmune condition

A Johns Hopkins-led study designed to evaluate the ability of etanercept to maintain disease remissions in a serious autoimmune disorder has failed to show any benefit. Etanercept, also called Enbrel, is a common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other types of joint inflammation.

26 Jan 2005

Potential cure for lymphoma in HIV patients

Stem cell transplants have become the standard of care for patients with relapsed lymphoma, but not for patients who suffer from both this disease and HIV.

7 Jan 2005

Angioplasty may replace bypass for more patients who are also receiving a new heart valve

The death rate during combination surgery to bypass clogged coronary arteries and simultaneously replace a heart valve in very sick patients can be as high as one in five, but a review of records of very sick patients who underwent balloon angioplasty, followed by heart valve replacement surgery, found only one death among 26 patients.

4 Jan 2005

Patient safety measures work at children’s hospitals

In recent years, children's hospitals have joined in the national push to improve patient safety and avoid preventable problems. But it has been hard to measure progress, because of uncertainty about whether standard patient safety measurement tools apply to their patients, who are younger, smaller and on average sicker than those at other hospitals.

4 Jan 2005

Out-of-office blood pressure readings help predict CVD risk

Blood pressure readings taken at home with approved devices can be a useful addition to blood pressure management, and may even predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk better than readings from the doctor’s office alone, according to a scientific statement issued today by the American Heart Association.

21 Dec 2004

10 to 20 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease but most don’t know it

10 to 20 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease but most don’t know it, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Center for Health Statistics.

19 Dec 2004