Nephrology News and Research

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Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.

Glycylation essential to keep sperm swimming in a straight line, shows study

One essential component of each eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells.

7 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 viral load in saliva may be linked to COVID-19 disease severity

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine found that SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in saliva are higher for patients with associated risk factors and underlying conditions that lead to severe COVID-19 and death. Thus, saliva viral loads could be used to predict disease severity.

7 Jan 2021

Common gene expression changes at target tissues of four autoimmune diseases found

Autoimmune diseases are diseases of "mistaken identity", where the immune system - which is supposed to protect us against infectious diseases and neoplasias - mistakenly attacks and destroys components of our own body.

7 Jan 2021

Researchers examine the role of Shiga toxin in the immune system

E. coli food poisoning is one of the worst food poisonings, causing bloody diarrhea and kidney damage. But all the carnage might be just an unintended side effect, researchers from UConn Health report in the 27 November issue of Science Immunology.

7 Jan 2021

ACE2 receptor is responsible for the wide host range of SARS-CoV-2

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is thought to have a zoonotic origin, perhaps originating in a bat coronavirus with an unknown intermediate host. It is not only very infectious but has been found to infect a wide range of mammals, including dogs, cats, ferrets, hamsters, and minks, besides non-human primates. This range may be still higher, claims a recent preprint that appeared in January 2021 on the bioRxiv server.

6 Jan 2021

New mathematical model proposes optimal treatment strategies for COVID-19

Getting control of COVID-19 will take more than widespread vaccination; it will also require a better understanding of why the disease causes no apparent symptoms in some people but leads to rapid multi-organ failure and death in others, as well as better insight into what treatments work best and for which patients.

5 Jan 2021

Scientist receives $1.37 million grant to advance metabolomics data

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded University of Massachusetts Amherst biostatistician Raji Balasubramanian a four-year, $1.37 million grant to advance the analysis of data from metabolomics research.

5 Jan 2021

Biological imbalance found to be the link between gum and kidney disease

An imbalance of the body's oxygen producing free radicals and its antioxidant cells could be the reason why gum disease and chronic kidney disease affect each other, a new study led by the University of Birmingham has found.

5 Jan 2021

Many health plans now must cover full cost of expensive HIV prevention drugs

Ted Howard started taking Truvada a few years ago because he wanted to protect himself against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But the daily pill was so pricey he was seriously thinking about giving it up.

5 Jan 2021

Middle-aged adults with comorbidities high-risk category for COVID-19-related mortality in Mexican study

Researchers from Mexico demonstrate how they calculated age-stratified COVID-19 case fatality rates, years of life lost (YLL), and relative risk for 9 comorbidities and 23 comorbidity combinations in a retrospective study.

5 Jan 2021

Research offers clues on why pregnancy may raise risk of organ transplant rejection

A research study at the University of Chicago has found that in pregnancy, while the T cell response to a fetus becomes tolerant to allow for successful pregnancy, the part of the immune system that produces antibodies (known as the humoral response) becomes sensitized, creating memory B cells that can later contribute to the rejection of a transplanted organ.

4 Jan 2021

Six clearly distinguishable subtypes of prediabetes identified

All prediabetes is not the same: in people in the preliminary stages of type 2 diabetes, there are six clearly distinguishable subtypes, which differ in the development of the disease, diabetes risk, and the development of secondary diseases.

4 Jan 2021

People who move due to unaffordable housing may not receive medical care

People who move due to unaffordable housing are at increased risk of failing to receive the medical care they need, according to a new study from Cedars-Sinai and the University of California, Los Angeles.

4 Jan 2021

Study: Frailty is a risk factor among women waiting for liver transplants

Women awaiting liver transplants in the United States are known to be about one-third more likely than men to become too ill to undergo surgery or die before receiving a liver.

4 Jan 2021

FDA-approved COVID-19 drug should be used cautiously, says UC researcher

While the world has its eyes on vaccines to stop the spread of coronavirus, therapeutics are still necessary to treat hospitalized patients. One of these treatments, remdesivir, is the first and only antiviral agent of its kind that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved so far for COVID-19.

3 Jan 2021