Potassium News and Research

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Study: Blood tests for women taking spironolactone to treat hormonal acne are unnecessary

A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital has found that for young, healthy women taking spironolactone to treat hormonal acne, frequent office visits and blood draws are an unnecessary health care expense.

23 Mar 2015

New in vitro study examines benefits of pear-enriched diet on chronic diseases

A new in vitro (test tube) study, "Dietary functional benefits of Bartlett and Starkrimson pears for potential management of hyperglycemia, hypertension and ulcer bacteria Helicobacter pylori while supporting beneficial probiotic bacterial response," was published in the March issue of Food Research International.

20 Mar 2015

Researchers discover new cause to explain development of temporal lobe epilepsy

Epilepsy is a very prevalent neurological disorder. Approximately one-third of patients are resistant to currently available therapies. A team of researchers under the guidance of the Institute of Cellular Neurosciences at the University of Bonn has discovered a new cause to explain the development of temporal lobe epilepsy: At an early stage, astrocytes are uncoupled from each other.

19 Mar 2015

Diet based on UK health guidelines could reduce CVD risk

Men and women who adapt their daily diet to meet current UK dietary guidelines could reduce their risk of a heart attack or a stroke by up to a third, according to a new study by King's College London.

18 Mar 2015

European scientists identify gene linked with certain types of early-onset epilepsy

Certain types of early-onset epilepsy are caused by previously unknown mutations of a potassium channel gene, KCNA2. The mutations disrupt the electrical balance in the brain in two ways. In some patients, the flow of potassium is greatly reduced; while in others, it is raised enormously. Both states can lead to hard-to-treat epileptic seizures. Mental and motor development can come to a stop, or even to regress.

12 Mar 2015

Apollo signs license option deal with Case Western to develop point-of-care blood analyzer

A blood test yields a wealth of information crucial to a person's health. What's needed is a device that is small and inexpensive, yet capable of quickly providing a thorough analysis using a very small sample.

4 Mar 2015

Jianmin Cui receives $1.7 million NIH grant to study heart's inner mechanisms

Jianmin Cui, PhD, has received a nearly $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the molecular bases for the function of potassium channels vital for the heart, brain, inner ear and other tissues.

27 Feb 2015

Researchers develop targeted approach that allows muscle to burn more energy

What started as an evolutionary protection against starvation has become a biological "bad joke" for people who need to lose weight. The human body doesn't distinguish between dieting and possible starvation, so when there is a decrease in calories consumed, human metabolism increases its energy efficiency and weight loss is resisted.

23 Feb 2015

Research: Complex nerve circuits first evolved in common ancestor of humans and cnidarians

New research shows that a burst of evolutionary innovation in the genes responsible for electrical communication among nerve cells in our brains occurred over 600 million years ago in a common ancestor of humans and the sea anemone.

17 Feb 2015

USF researchers awarded grant to test new drug for age-related hearing loss

A successful treatment for age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a step closer to reality, thanks to a group of researchers from the University of South Florida. The research team comprised of faculty and students has been awarded $400,000 by Autifony Therapeutics, Ltd, a company based in the United Kingdom, to test a new drug the company developed for ARHL.

12 Feb 2015

Retigabine drug shows promise in protecting the brain against effects of ischemic stroke

Retigabine, a drug approved to treat epilepsy, protected the brain against the effects of ischemic stroke in a study conducted at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

12 Feb 2015

Retigabine drug could reduce debilitating impact of strokes

New research suggests that an already-approved drug could dramatically reduce the debilitating impact of strokes, which affect nearly a million Americans every year.

5 Feb 2015

IOM report says white potatoes should be allowed under WIC Nutrition Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture should allow white potatoes as a vegetable eligible for purchase with vouchers issued by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC), says a new report.

4 Feb 2015

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names 15 new Damon Runyon Fellows

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 15 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its fall Fellowship Award Committee review. The recipients of this prestigious, four-year award are outstanding postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators across the country.

31 Jan 2015

Tree nut consumption linked to better nutrient adequacy, diet quality in adults

A new study, published this week in the open access journal Nutrients, compares the nutrient adequacy and diet quality of those who consume tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts), and non-tree nut consumers in a nationally representative population.

19 Jan 2015

Potassium salts in plant foods improve bone health

Latest research from the University of Surrey has found that the potassium salts (bicarbonate and citrate) plentiful in fruit and vegetables, play an important part in improving bone health. For the first time, the results also showed that these potassium salts reduce bone resorption, the process by which bone is broken down, therefore increasing their strength.

15 Jan 2015

Investigational drug maintains normal potassium levels in patients with chronic kidney disease

Research published today found that the investigational drug patiromer decreased high potassium levels and maintained normal potassium levels in patients with chronic kidney disease. The results of a multicenter trial appear in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Nov 2014

Majority of kidney dialysis patients not adequately prepared for emergency or natural disaster

Eighty percent of kidney dialysis patients surveyed were not adequately prepared in the event of an emergency or natural disaster that shut down their dialysis center.

20 Nov 2014

Study identifies new gene for progressive form of epilepsy

A study led by researchers at University of Helsinki, Finland and Universities of Melbourne and South Australia has identified a new gene for a progressive form of epilepsy. The findings of this international collaborative effort have been published today, 17 November 2014, in Nature Genetics.

18 Nov 2014

Study evaluates efficacy, safety of zirconium cyclosilicate drug in patients with hyperkalemia

Mikhail Kosiborod, M.D., of Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and safety of the drug zirconium cyclosilicate in patients with hyperkalemia (higher than normal potassium levels). The study appears in JAMA and is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014.