Nephrology News and Research

RSS

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

Male diabetics found to have lower levels of hydrogen sulfide in their blood

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is commonly associated with smell of rotten eggs, stink bombs and blocked drains but lower blood levels of the gas are possibly linked to cardiovascular complications in some male patients with type II diabetes, according to research recently presented by researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England at the Annual Diabetes UK Professional Conference in Glasgow this week and published in Diabetic Medicine.

16 Mar 2009

Trial of new combination treatment targeting hormone receptor-positive locally advanced breast cancer

Researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have opened a clinical trial, which aims to evaluate a new treatment for breast cancer in combination with one that is already approved for other types of cancers.

16 Mar 2009

Defibrillators may provide little benefit for seniors with two or more illnesses

Older people with comorbidities and those with multiple hospital admissions related to heart failure are unlikely to receive a meaningful survival benefit from implanted defibrillators, found a study in CMAJ by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

16 Mar 2009

First successful transvaginal nephrectomy performed using advanced surgical concepts' tri-port

Dr. Rene Sotelo is pleased to announce the world's first successful live human transvaginal nephrectomy using the Tri-port multi-channel port supplied by Advanced Surgical Concepts Ltd.

15 Mar 2009

Blocking the dual leucine zipper kinase gene may help ease painful nerve condition

Scientists have identified the first gene that pulls the plug on ailing nerve cell branches from within the nerve cell, possibly helping to trigger the painful condition known as neuropathy.

15 Mar 2009

Summary of the latest research into how blood pressure is controlled

The problem of high blood pressure has reached pandemic proportions, causing premature death through heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease in a third of the UK population. For decades, scientists have battled at length over its cause yet still cannot agree; is the kidney or the brain to blame?

15 Mar 2009

The navel shown to be a safe and effective single access route for extracting kidneys

Successful surgery that leaves no scars has become the main objective of the most daring and innovative surgeons.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 12 Mar 2009

Discovery may lead to immunosuppressant drugs that have fewer adverse side effects

Immunosuppressive treatment is necessary to prevent rejection of an organ after transplant and has great potential for treating chronic inflammatory diseases.

12 Mar 2009

Research shed new light on anergia

With the help of a non-invasive method of monitoring human activity, doctors and researchers at Columbia University Medical Center are shedding new light on a syndrome affecting nearly 40 percent of older adults with heart failure: anergia.

11 Mar 2009

Rituximab may be effective in treating membranous nephropathy

Current treatments for membranous nephropathy are limited to steroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and chemotherapeutic agents, all of which have significant side effects.

11 Mar 2009

Study of Rituxan (rituximab) in lupus nephritis misses primary endpoint

Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec has announced that a Phase III study of Rituxan (rituximab) plus mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and corticosteroids in patients with lupus nephritis did not meet its primary endpoint of significantly reducing disease activity at 52 weeks.

11 Mar 2009

New computer models successfully link donors and kidney transplant patients

New computer models can now link strangers in a life-saving chain of kidney transplants, promising to increase the number of transplants and overcome obstacles posed by logistics or donors who renege, a team of researchers report in the current edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Mar 2009

How chemicals present in cranberries prevent urinary tract infections

Chemicals present in cranberries - and not the acidity of cranberry juice, as previously thought - prevent infection-causing bacteria from attaching to the cells that line the urinary tract, as documented in a report published in Journal of Medicinal Food.

10 Mar 2009

Metastatic bone disease patients can walk in Lazarus' footsteps

Osteoplasty - a highly effective minimally invasive procedure to treat the painful effects of metastatic bone disease by injecting bone cement to support weakened bones - provides immediate and substantial pain relief, often presenting individuals who are suffering terribly with the miraculous so-called "Lazarus effect," according to researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 34th Annual Scientific Meeting.

10 Mar 2009

Freezing kidney cancer - interventional cryoablation

Freezing kidney tumors - using a safe minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment that kills the cancer 100 percent effectively without surgery - should be the gold standard or first treatment option for all individuals with tumors that are 4 centimeters in size or smaller.

10 Mar 2009

Breakthrough improves effectiveness of tuberculosis vaccine

A breakthrough strategy to improve the effectiveness of the only tuberculosis vaccine approved for humans provided superior protection against the deadly disease in a pre-clinical test, report scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Nature Medicine 's Advance Online Publication March 1.

8 Mar 2009

Rituximab reduces kidney inflammation in patients with severe lupus nephritis

Treatment with the targeted drug rituximab can significantly benefit some patients with severe lupus nephritis who do not respond to conventional therapy, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).

4 Mar 2009

New database provides valuable new resource for improving dialysis outcomes

A nationwide database called the Comprehensive Dialysis Study (CDS) includes detailed information on a wide range of health factors in US dialysis patients and provides a valuable new resource for improving dialysis outcomes, according to a report in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

4 Mar 2009

Naked mole rats may hold clues to successful aging

Naked mole rats resemble pink, wrinkly, saber-toothed sausages and would never win a beauty contest, even among other rodents.

4 Mar 2009

Measuring quality of life in patients with hereditary kidney disease

A commonly used questionnaire that measures quality of life is not sensitive enough to pick up mental and physical problems experienced by patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).

4 Mar 2009