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.

Rising Medicare costs linked to the growth in common costly chronic conditions: Study

Today, two of the nation's leading health and fiscal policy experts discussed how to reign in rising health care costs in Medicare in light of a new Health Affairs study that shows rising Medicare costs in the nation's health care system are linked to the growth in several common costly chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and kidney disease.

24 Feb 2010

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy linked to increased risk of gestational diabetes

Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, may increase their risk of developing diabetes later in their pregnancy, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research that appears online in the current issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

23 Feb 2010

Melamine-contaminated dairy products leave 12% children with kidney abnormalities

While the majority of children who were affected by consuming toxic melamine-contaminated products in China recovered, kidney abnormalities remained in 12% of the affected children.

23 Feb 2010

AAN guideline evaluates drugs’ safety and efficacy for treatment of muscle cramps

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends that the drug quinine, although effective, should be avoided for treatment of routine muscle cramps due to uncommon but serious side effects.

23 Feb 2010

Robot-assisted surgery advantageous over laparoscopic surgery for uretero-pelvic junction obstruction

A comparison of two types of minimally invasive surgery to repair kidney blockages that prevent urine from draining normally to the bladder found that robot-assisted surgery was faster and resulted in less blood loss and shorter hospital stays.

22 Feb 2010

Two genetic alterations linked to benign enzyme condition keep hepatitis C patients anemia-free

Many people who undergo treatment for hepatitis C develop hemolytic anemia, a disorder that destroys red blood cells. In some cases, it is so severe they have to reduce their medication or stop therapy altogether. But now, scientists in Duke University's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have discovered two genetic alterations linked to a benign enzyme condition that keep some patients anemia-free.

21 Feb 2010

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Johns Hopkins Children's Center neurovirologist Robert Yolken, M.D., and collaborators from the Stanley Medical Research Institute have developed a large repository of brain and tissue samples to advance the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia.

20 Feb 2010

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Health Affairs: Chronic Conditions Account For Rise In Medicare Spending From 1987 To 2006 - "Medicare beneficiaries' medical needs, and where beneficiaries undergo treatment, have changed dramatically over the past two decades." For example, the authors write, "heart disease ranked first among the top-ten conditions in terms of attributable share of growth from 1987 to 1997, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the increase in Medicare spending."

20 Feb 2010

Georgia State Senate praised for passing legislation to help kidney failure patients have access to health insurance

Georgia’s kidney care community today praised the Georgia State Senate for unanimously passing important legislation (S.B. 316) to secure access to needed health insurance for approximately 2,000 Georgians suffering from kidney failure. The bill, which was originally introduced by Senators Don Thomas (R-Dalton) and Ed Harbison (D-Columbus), has received support from across the patient advocacy community and legislators alike.

20 Feb 2010

FDA approves 53 new cancer indications between July 2005 and end of 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Oncology Drug Products approved more than 50 new indications for the use of oncology and hematology drugs and biologics between July 2005, when the office began reviewing marketing applications, and the end of 2007, according to a new agency study.

19 Feb 2010

Medical experts craft much-needed classification system for diabetic nephropathy

An international group of medical experts has crafted a much-needed classification system for diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of total kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The effort should improve communication among health professionals, help researchers design better clinical studies, and guide patient care.

19 Feb 2010

VARI researchers find ways to reverse resistance to sunitinib: Patients with ccRCC show positive response

Van Andel Research Institute researchers have found a way to reverse resistance to sunitinib, a treatment that is currently the first line of defense against clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a deadly form of kidney cancer. Most patients who show a positive response to sunitinib develop a resistance to the drug after one year of treatment.

19 Feb 2010

Report examines how medical technology changes state of health care

Federal researchers Wednesday released a report that examines how medical technology is changing the state of health care.

19 Feb 2010

Lower dose of avosentan drug may provide more favorable results in diabetes patients

The drug avosentan substantially reduces urinary protein loss in people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, but the drug causes serious side effects, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

18 Feb 2010

Rituxan, intended for patients with CLL receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Rituxan (rituximab) to treat certain patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow cancer.

18 Feb 2010

Antigenics announces fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 financial results

Antigenics Inc. reported today its results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. The company reported net income attributable to common stockholders of $1.7 million, or $0.02 per share, basic and diluted, for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with net income attributable to common stockholders in the fourth quarter of 2008 of $3.9 million, or $0.06 per share, basic and diluted.

18 Feb 2010

Travellers are likely to become increasingly exposed to canecutter's disease: Study

A team led by PhD researcher Dr Colleen Lau from the School of Population Health http://www.sph.uq.edu.au/ , has discovered the disease, known medically as leptospirosis, was traditionally a concern for males working in the agricultural and livestock industries, as it is contracted from contact with the urine of host animals.

18 Feb 2010

Norwegian government task force suggests formation of single company to commercialise biomaterial assets

Having studied the ethical, judicial and political arguments, the Norwegian government task force has suggested that a single nationwide company should be formed to commercialise biomaterials assets from the country’s various sources. The task force has also recommended HUNT Biosciences be a model for the national company.

18 Feb 2010

Pfizer Canada accepts entries for seventh round of competition for Pfizer CVRAP

Pfizer Canada is currently accepting entries for its seventh round of competition for the Pfizer Cardiovascular Research Awards program (CVRAP). The program, first launched in October 2005, was developed to fund and support independent cardiovascular research in Canada.

18 Feb 2010

Olympus launches new medical devices for LESS surgery

A variety of new medical devices specifically designed for Laparo-Endoscopic Single-Site surgery (LESS surgery) has been announced and introduced by Olympus Europa Holding GmbH and Olympus Medical Systems Corporation. LESS surgery is an advanced, minimally invasive operation technique by which an endoscope and hand instruments are inserted through an access port anchored in just one small incision, usually made in the navel. After developing all the medical devices needed to perform LESS surgery, Olympus has yet again proven its leadership in the field. The release of these innovative devices in Europe took place in autumn 2009.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 18 Feb 2010

Nephrology News and Research

Further Reading

Rising Medicare costs linked to the growth in common costly chronic conditions: Study

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy linked to increased risk of gestational diabetes

Melamine-contaminated dairy products leave 12% children with kidney abnormalities

AAN guideline evaluates drugs’ safety and efficacy for treatment of muscle cramps

Robot-assisted surgery advantageous over laparoscopic surgery for uretero-pelvic junction obstruction

Two genetic alterations linked to benign enzyme condition keep hepatitis C patients anemia-free

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Georgia State Senate praised for passing legislation to help kidney failure patients have access to health insurance

FDA approves 53 new cancer indications between July 2005 and end of 2007

Medical experts craft much-needed classification system for diabetic nephropathy

VARI researchers find ways to reverse resistance to sunitinib: Patients with ccRCC show positive response

Report examines how medical technology changes state of health care

Lower dose of avosentan drug may provide more favorable results in diabetes patients

Rituxan, intended for patients with CLL receives FDA approval

Antigenics announces fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 financial results

Travellers are likely to become increasingly exposed to canecutter's disease: Study

Norwegian government task force suggests formation of single company to commercialise biomaterial assets

Pfizer Canada accepts entries for seventh round of competition for Pfizer CVRAP

Olympus launches new medical devices for LESS surgery

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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