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.

Obesity doubles the risk of developing kidney stones: Study

Obesity in general nearly doubles the risk of developing kidney stones, but the degree of obesity doesn't appear to increase or decrease the risk one way or the other, a new study from Johns Hopkins shows.

18 Feb 2010

Sorafenib drug therapy can reduce the size of primary kidney tumors before surgery

More than 57,000 Americans face a diagnosis of kidney cancer each year. Now patients with advanced disease may soon have another treatment option. Physicians who conducted a pilot study at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center found that therapy before surgery with the drug sorafenib can reduce the size of large tumors and could be safely undertaken administered without adding significantly to the risks of surgery.

17 Feb 2010

AMAG's Feraheme use on the rise

BioTrends Research Group, Inc. released Wave 3 of its LaunchTrends®: Feraheme report, the third in a multi-phase syndicated market research project tracking the launch of AMAG's new IV iron product, Feraheme, through the first six months of product availability. Each wave of the report provides quantitative information from 50 unique Nephrologists and qualitative information from a subset of 15. The reports assess trial and use of Feraheme, obstacles to use, reasons to use, typical patient types, product perceptions, promotional efforts/messages, and product satisfaction.

17 Feb 2010

Belatacept costimulation blocker can prevent rejection of new organs by the immune system

Initial results of a study conducted at 100 centers worldwide indicate that belatacept, a first-in-class costimulation blocker can prevent the immune system rejecting new organs. The results also suggest that it may provide similar patient and graft survival to cyclosporine but with fewer side effects and superior kidney function after 12 months. The study, published today in the American Journal of Transplantation, provides the first findings to come from BENEFIT (Belatacept Evaluation of Nephroprotection and Efficacy as First-line Immunosuppression Trial).

17 Feb 2010

Simple urine tests for four proteins may detect early kidney disease in people with lupus

Simple urine tests for four proteins might be able to detect early kidney disease in people with lupus, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.

17 Feb 2010

ECR Pharmaceuticals to promote Urocit-K 15mEq tablets to primary care physicians

Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc. announced today that its branded marketing subsidiary, ECR Pharmaceuticals will promote Urocit®-K 15mEq, potassium citrate extended release tablets to primary care physicians beginning in April, 2010. Hi-Tech has a license agreement with Mission Pharmacal Company, which will promote the product to Urologists.

17 Feb 2010

FDA approves risk management program on ESA's for treating anemia due to chemotherapy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a risk management program to inform healthcare providers and their patients about the risks of a class of drugs called Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs). For patients with cancer, the program is also designed to help ensure the appropriate administration of these drugs, which they receive to treat anemia that can occur as a result of chemotherapy.

17 Feb 2010

High-fat ketogenic diet safe and effective for controlling childhood seizures

Current and former patients treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet to control multiple, daily and severe seizures can be reassured by the news that not only is the diet effective, but it also appears to have no long-lasting side effects, say scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

17 Feb 2010

CMAJ study: Increased dosage of Tamiflu required in treating H1N1 influenza patients

An increased dosage of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for patients with critical illness is unlikely to be required in the treatment of pandemic (H1N1) influenza, contrary to current international guidelines, found a new study http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi/10.1503/cmaj.092127 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

17 Feb 2010

Quark Pharmaceuticals' QPI-1002 receives orphan drug designation from FDA

Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a world leader in the discovery and development of RNAi-based therapeutics, announced today that the US FDA has granted orphan drug designation for QPI-1002 (also referred to as "I5NP"), a synthetic siRNA targeting p53 mRNA for the prophylaxis of delayed graft function (DGF) in kidney transplant patients.

17 Feb 2010

Older patients waiting longer for kidneys from younger donors

One-third of people over the age of 65 wait longer than necessary for lifesaving, new kidneys because their doctors fail to put them in a queue for organs unsuitable to transplant in younger patients but well-suited to seniors, research from Johns Hopkins suggests.

16 Feb 2010

Revisional bariatric surgery linked to higher risk of complications

Revisional bariatric surgery appears to be associated with a higher risk of complications than the initial procedure, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

16 Feb 2010

Scientists discover molecular pathway to regenerate damaged kidney tissues

Scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that works through the immune system to regenerate damaged kidney tissues and may lead to new therapies for repairing injury in a number of organs.

16 Feb 2010

Simple protein urine test may help detect early kidney disease in people with lupus

Simple urine tests for four proteins might be able to detect early kidney disease in people with lupus, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.

16 Feb 2010

Researcher receives $2.4M grant from NIH to study preeclampsia and diabetes in pregnant women

The link between obesity and high-risk pregnancies caused by preeclampsia and diabetes will be the focus of a $2.4 million National Institutes of Health research grant received by Sean Blackwell, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

15 Feb 2010

Idera Pharmaceuticals presents TLR antagonist preclinical hyperlipidemia data at Keystone Symposia conference

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presented data on the evaluation of a Toll-like receptor (TLR) antagonist in a preclinical hyperlipidemia model today at the Keystone Symposia conference “Advances in Molecular Mechanisms of Atherosclerosis” being held in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Idera’s proprietary TLR antagonists have dual activity for both TLR7 and TLR9, and present a potentially innovative approach for the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases.

15 Feb 2010

Histone modifications associated with pancreatic cancer development and progression

Specific chemical modifications to proteins called histones, which are found in the nucleus of cells and act as spools around which DNA is wound, can be used to predict prognosis and response to treatment in subsets patients with pancreatic cancer, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

12 Feb 2010

PAN to provide co-payment assistance for medications to underinsured patients through five new funds

Patient Access Network Foundation will expand its services to provide co-payment assistance for medications to underinsured patients through five new funds -- including grants of up to $10,000 per year for prostate cancer patients.

12 Feb 2010

Life-sustaining interventions: Hospitals 'moving toward the middle'

Patients admitted to hospitals with higher-intensity end-of-life care live longer than those admitted to hospitals with low-intensity approaches, according to a University of Pittsburgh study available online and published in the February issue of the journal Medical Care. Higher-intensity care refers to greater use of life-sustaining measures such as ICU admission, intubation or mechanical ventilation, kidney dialysis and feeding tubes.

12 Feb 2010

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

A randomized multicenter study of 190 patients at 13 medical centers shows-- for the first time-- the "superior" benefit of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for maintaining function of dialysis access grafts in kidney failure patients who undergo dialysis. Until now, no other therapy has proven more effective than angioplasty.

12 Feb 2010

Nephrology News and Research

Further Reading

Obesity doubles the risk of developing kidney stones: Study

Sorafenib drug therapy can reduce the size of primary kidney tumors before surgery

AMAG's Feraheme use on the rise

Belatacept costimulation blocker can prevent rejection of new organs by the immune system

Simple urine tests for four proteins may detect early kidney disease in people with lupus

ECR Pharmaceuticals to promote Urocit-K 15mEq tablets to primary care physicians

FDA approves risk management program on ESA's for treating anemia due to chemotherapy

High-fat ketogenic diet safe and effective for controlling childhood seizures

CMAJ study: Increased dosage of Tamiflu required in treating H1N1 influenza patients

Quark Pharmaceuticals' QPI-1002 receives orphan drug designation from FDA

Older patients waiting longer for kidneys from younger donors

Revisional bariatric surgery linked to higher risk of complications

Scientists discover molecular pathway to regenerate damaged kidney tissues

Simple protein urine test may help detect early kidney disease in people with lupus

Researcher receives $2.4M grant from NIH to study preeclampsia and diabetes in pregnant women

Idera Pharmaceuticals presents TLR antagonist preclinical hyperlipidemia data at Keystone Symposia conference

Histone modifications associated with pancreatic cancer development and progression

PAN to provide co-payment assistance for medications to underinsured patients through five new funds

Life-sustaining interventions: Hospitals 'moving toward the middle'

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

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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