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.

Scientists explore the role of microRNA that influences obesity-related traits

Eating more n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, commonly known as omega-3 fatty acids, may help carriers of a genetic variant on the perilipin 4 (PLIN4) gene locus lose weight more efficiently.

21 Apr 2011

Alexion first quarter non-GAAP net income increases to $56.3 million

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2011. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported net product sales of Soliris® (eculizumab) of $166.1 million, reflecting steady additions of new patients, compared to $117.6 million for the same period in 2010.

21 Apr 2011

Jennerex and Green Cross report positive phase 2 JX-594 clinical trial for liver cancer

Jennerex, Inc., a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class targeted oncolytic products for cancer, and Green Cross Corporation, a leading company in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of viral vaccines and other biological products, today reported positive clinical data from a Phase 2 trial evaluating JX-594 for liver cancer which was conducted in South Korea.

21 Apr 2011

Ketogenic diet may reverse impaired kidney function in diabetics

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time determined that the ketogenic diet, a specialized high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, may reverse impaired kidney function in people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. They also identified a previously unreported panel of genes associated with diabetes-related kidney failure, whose expression was reversed by the diet. The findings were published in the current issue of PLoS ONE.

21 Apr 2011

New trial in UK to test whether statins could be used to treat pre-eclampsia

Pregnant women could benefit from a pioneering trial that will test whether heart disease drugs can be used to treat pre-eclampsia.

21 Apr 2011

Intrinsic Bioprobes launches mass spectrometry-based protein assays for in-vitro diagnostic testing

Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc. ("IBI") today announced the launch of its first mass spectrometry-based protein assays for in-vitro diagnostic testing. The assays for beta-2-microglobulin, cystatin C, and retinol binding protein are performed on IBI's MASSAY® platform at the CLIA-certified and College of American Pathology (CAP) accredited diagnostic laboratory of the Institute of Genomics Medicine, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.

20 Apr 2011

Medically vulnerable families can benefit from high-deductible health plans

People who are medically vulnerable -- those with low incomes or chronic health problems -- who enroll in high-deductible health plans are at no more risk for cutting back on needed health care than other people who enroll in the plans, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

20 Apr 2011

Cumberland acquires Vanderbilt's ifetroban rights

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on hospital acute care and gastroenterology markets, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the rights to ifetroban, a new Phase II development product.

19 Apr 2011

Obese patients may face high risk of complications after non-cardiac surgery

Obese patients with high blood pressure and diabetes are at much higher risk for major complications following non-cardiac surgery compared to otherwise healthy obese patients and patients of normal weight.

19 Apr 2011

Well-controlled blood sugar levels linked to low risk of diabetic complications

A new study of older diabetes patients has found that well-controlled blood sugar levels were associated with a lower risk of major complications such as heart attacks, amputation and kidney disease, but the very lowest blood sugar levels were associated with a small but significant increased risk of death.

19 Apr 2011

New biomarker-based test more effective for early acute kidney injury detection

A new biomarker-based diagnostic test is more effective than the current best practice for early detection of adverse outcomes after acute kidney injury, which can be fatal for an estimated 50 percent of the critically ill patients who get the condition.

19 Apr 2011

DaVita re-designs its leading online kidney disease resource

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with end stage renal disease and chronic kidney disease, today announced the redesign and launch of DaVita.com, the leading online resource for information about kidney disease.

19 Apr 2011

Amylin's new metreleptin data in lipodystrophy to be presented at AACE meeting

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced results from a new analysis of an ongoing, long-term research study of the investigational drug metreleptin, an analog of the human hormone leptin, for the treatment of lipodystrophy.

16 Apr 2011

Abbott submits ARCHITECT 25-OH Vitamin D assay application to FDA for clearance

According to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of Americans have vitamin D levels that are either inadequate or deficient. While many people know that vitamin D is necessary to help the body absorb calcium, which helps create strong bones and muscles, many don't know that insufficient levels of this important vitamin may lead to other health problems.

16 Apr 2011

New results from largest multicenter clinical trial for heart transplant patients be released at ISHLT 2011

New results from the largest multicenter clinical trial for heart transplant patients will be released this week at the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation 31st Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions in San Diego. Results show clinical benefit for the use of Everolimus in heart transplant patients.

16 Apr 2011

ANNA releases new textbook on nephrology nurse's role

With the rate of chronic kidney disease in America spiking over the past two decades, the role of the nephrology nurse has become increasingly important as more lives are affected.

15 Apr 2011

Donor-specific antibodies may accelerate arteriosclerosis after kidney transplantation

Kidney transplant recipients who develop antibodies in response to receiving new organs can develop accelerated arteriosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the kidney, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results indicate that arteriosclerosis resulting from such donor-specific antibodies may play an important role in organ rejection following transplantation.

15 Apr 2011

SQI enters clinical validation agreement with University North Carolina Kidney Center for Vasculitis Assay

SQI Diagnostics Inc., a medical systems automation company focused on evolving laboratory-based autoimmune biomarker testing, today announced it entered into a clinical validation agreement with University North Carolina Kidney Center, Chapel Hill, to evaluate SQI's new multiplexed, automated approach for biomarker detection in vasculitis.

15 Apr 2011

Consumer group calls for ban on weight loss drugs Alli and Xenical

According to the consumer watchdog Public Citizen, the weight loss drugs Alli and Xenical should be removed from the market because of the growing risk of side effects that include liver damage, pancreatitis and kidney stones.

15 Apr 2011

Longer looks: Cities coping with aging populations; new apps for health

Robert Lustig is a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. … The viral success of his lecture, though, has little to do with Lustig's impressive credentials and far more with the persuasive case he makes that sugar is a "toxin" or a "poison," terms he uses together 13 times through the course of the lecture, in addition to the five references to sugar as merely "evil."

15 Apr 2011