Nephropathy News and Research

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Nephropathy is a broad medical term used to denote disease or damage of the kidney, which can eventually result in kidney failure. The primary and most obvious functions of the kidney are to excrete any waste products and to regulate the water and acid-base balance of the body – therefore loss of kidney function is a potentially fatal condition.

MR cystography accurate and safe for vesicoureteral reflux screening

MR cystography provides excellent anatomic detail of the urinary system and is a potential screening examination for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), according to a new study by researchers from Changi General Hospital in Singapore and the University of California, San Francisco.

3 May 2006

Kidney patients warned away from potassium

Many kidney failure patients are increasing their chance of nerve damage in their legs and feet by simply having too much potassium in their diet, according to research carried out by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute (POWMRI) and the Prince of Wales Hospital.

2 May 2006

Kidney treatments may be improved with new understanding of cell death mechanism

Finding how two proteins conspire to get kidney cells to self-destruct when oxygen supplies are low may one day improve dismal mortality rates for ischemic renal failure, researchers say.

23 Apr 2006

Study shows results of tight glucose control

Here's what we know about controlling blood glucose (blood sugar) in people with diabetes: It's not easy, but it can be done. It requires vigilance and resolve. And it can save your life.

19 Apr 2006

Only 43 percent of older people with diabetes receive medicines that could protect their heart and kidneys

...despite the fact that virtually all of them could benefit from those drugs, a new University of Michigan study finds. And even among those with the most to gain from the medicines, the rate of use barely reaches 53 percent.

18 Apr 2006

Diabetes: Translating the chronic care model into the community

Educating people with diabetes in a primary-care setting with sustained, comprehensive intervention resulted in significant improvement in disease management and overall health, according to a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

16 Apr 2006

Scientists use corrective gene to block a protein in the kidneys that triggers high blood pressure

Nearly one-third of American adults have high blood pressure, a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. But a new technique tested at the University of Florida could prove to be a long-term way to treat the disorder in humans, researchers say.

11 Apr 2006

Custom-made bladders produced from patients' own cells

Scientists in the U.S. have produced custom-made bladders grown from patients' own cells which have been have been successfully transplanted and function well.

4 Apr 2006

First human recipients of laboratory-grown organs

The first human recipients of laboratory-grown organs were by Anthony Atala, M.D., director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. In The Lancet, Atala describes long-term success in children and teenagers who received bladders grown from their own cells.

4 Apr 2006

PR Pharmaceuticals issued U.S. patent covering 2-methoxyestradiol for the treatment of diabetes

The patent which is assigned to the University of Pittsburgh has been exclusively licensed to PRP. The drug, known as PulmoLAR, containing 2ME as active ingredient, is currently developed by PRP for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

21 Mar 2006

Rapamycin (sirolimus) may be effective in treating kidney disease

A widely available drug may be effective in treating kidney disease, report scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They describe the discovery in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

21 Mar 2006

Study to Rituximab's potential to preserve insulin production in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics

A drug used to treat lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis and other immune disorders may enable newly-diagnosed type 1 diabetics to save some of their pancreas function and thereby reduce their susceptibility to long-term complications.

20 Mar 2006

Statin drug reverses heart disease

Researchers say a high dose of a cholesterol-lowering statin drug can reverse the build-up of plaque in coronary arteries.

15 Mar 2006

Diabetics overestimate healthy body weight

Heavier patients with diabetes are more likely to overestimate their "healthiest" body weight compared to those of normal weight, according to a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care.

14 Mar 2006

Best seller Lipitor shown to improve kidney function

According to drug maker Pfizer it's top selling product worldwide, the cholesterol lowering medication Lipitor (Atorvastatin) has been shown to improve kidney function in patients with heart disease.

13 Mar 2006

Chronic kidney disease is rising rapidly worldwide

In the United Kingdom, the annual incidence of end stage renal disease is around 100 per 1,000,000 population. This figure has doubled over the past decade and is expected to continue to rise by 5-8% annually

13 Mar 2006

Positive effects of tight blood glucose control can be seen more than a decade later in diabetics

People with diabetes who keep their blood sugar in check today will probably have a far lower chance of developing foot pain or other nerve damage tomorrow, according to new research results from a national study.

9 Mar 2006

Pre-eclampsia kidney disease link

Pre-eclampsia is a complication in pregnancy occurring in approximately eight percent of all pregnancies. It is characterised by elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine. It generally develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

7 Mar 2006

Parents lose court battle over future of gravely ill child

A high court in the UK has ruled that doctors treating a seriously ill two-year-old girl can let her die naturally.

27 Feb 2006

40 percent of Americans at moderate risk for heart disease

"Nearly half the heart attacks come without warning, which means we need to do a better job of screening people. This test has that potential."

23 Feb 2006