Kidney News and Research

RSS

72-hour Ecuador booze ban to investigate contamination

After 23 alcohol related deaths the police confiscated 28 containers each holding 55 gallons of contaminated alcohol in Los Rios, a coastal province of Ecuador. A 72-hour national dry law prohibiting the sale of alcohol has been declared to allow authorities to locate and discard the deadly methanol-contaminated liquor that affected so many individuals.

19 Jul 2011

Peak of Australian flu season is imminent so take the necessary precautions now: Experts

The Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) is today warning that high rates of influenza outbreaks have been confirmed in QLD, SA and NSW, but there is still time for most Australians, especially those in at-risk groups, to protect themselves and those around them.

18 Jul 2011

Obesity in kids reaches extreme levels

According to a Victoria's top childhood obesity experts, toddlers are becoming so obese they need hospital treatment and 10-year-olds so overweight they risk heart disease. This comes from Dr Matt Sabin, co-head of the Royal Children's Hospital weight management clinic who labeled Victoria's obesity epidemic as extreme. He said he often saw three-year-olds weighing 35kg - more than double their healthy weight - and 15-year-olds tipping the scales at up to 200kg.

18 Jul 2011

Zocor, Crestor drugs may cause serious muscle and kidney problems

Crestor and Zocor are widely-used prescription strength drugs designed to lower "bad cholesterol". Both drugs are classified as "statins", medicine which lowers blood cholesterol levels by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase.

16 Jul 2011

EC grants marketing authorization for Amgen's XGEVA to prevent skeletal-related events

Amgen today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for XGEVA (denosumab) for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) in adults with bone metastases from solid tumors.

15 Jul 2011

Yervoy, a new melanoma drug approved in Australia

Australia has approved the world’s first drug to prolong the lives of people with advanced melanoma. The drug Yervoy received the nod from the Therapeutics Good Association (TGA) on Friday amid hopes it could add two years to the life of people with the deadliest form of skin cancer but for whom other treatments have failed.

14 Jul 2011

DaVita's catheter-reduction program lowers CVC rates in hemodialysis patients

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced that the company has made landmark progress in reducing "Day 90+" patient central venous catheter (CVC) rates, further cementing its position as the industry leader among large dialysis organizations in catheter reductions through the placement of permanent accesses.

14 Jul 2011

Chimerix initiates CMX001 Phase 2 study for prevention of adenovirus disease following HSCT

Chimerix, Inc., a biotechnology company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced that patient dosing has begun in the AdV HALT Trial (A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-site Phase 2 Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Preemptive Treatment with CMX001 for the Prevention of Adenovirus Disease Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation [HSCT]).

14 Jul 2011

Tips for avoiding heat stroke

As a major heat wave sweeps over the country, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has already treated one patient for heat stroke and is gearing up for more.

13 Jul 2011

Can you drink too much water? Experts say yes

Drinking adequate amounts of water is said to prevent kidney damage, help lose weight and increase concentration. However experts now warn that drinking eight glasses of water a day is not good after all – and could be harmful. They say that scientific claims behind long-standing government guidelines are worse than ‘nonsense’. The NHS – along with leading doctors and nutritionists – advises the public to drink about 1.2 litres (or two-and-a-half pints) of water per day.

13 Jul 2011

SUMO molecules might prevent protein aggregations that typify PD

A small protein called SUMO might prevent the protein aggregations that typify Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study in the July 11, 2011, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology.

12 Jul 2011

Two papers highlight therapeutic potential of human Sertoli cells

Two papers published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation, now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/, highlight the therapeutic potential of human Sertoli cells that are present in the testes and are also called "nurse" or "mother" cells because they nurture the developing sperm cells.

12 Jul 2011

FDA approves protocol for Medtronic's SYMPLICITY HTN-3 for treatment of hypertension

Medtronic, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has conditionally approved the protocol for SYMPLICITY HTN-3, the company's U.S. clinical trial of renal denervation with the Symplicity Catheter System for the treatment of resistant hypertension, an especially dangerous disease affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

From Medtronic 12 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: N.Y. health exchange stalemate; Dick Cheney's heart; vaccine debate refuses to die

Just in case you hadn't noticed, no one has elected Grover Norquist to anything. Still, he looms as a major obstacle to Congress reaching a deficit-reduction agreement needed to raise the federal debt ceiling. … what's revealing about Norquist's passionate advocacy against taxes is that it virtually ignores the main causes of bigger government: Social Security and Medicare.

12 Jul 2011

Cardiology study looks at sodium and potassium in diet

A new study suggests that in addition to cutting the amount of sodium in their diets to improve heart health, Americans should also increase consumption of a key mineral found in many fruits and vegetables, potassium.

11 Jul 2011

Researchers discover how genetic mutations cause rare human diseases

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and in Michigan, North Carolina and Spain have discovered how genetic mutations cause a number of rare human diseases, which include Meckel syndrome, Joubert syndrome and several other disorders.

11 Jul 2011

Arizona E. coli related death triggers warning

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Arizona Department of Health announced last Friday that a man who recently traveled to Germany was infected by the German E. coli outbreak. The man died from kidney complications. This death was the first U.S. fatality of the relentless epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, 52 have been killed in the outbreak.

10 Jul 2011

Mesenchymal stem cells protect and heal

A stem cell that can morph into a number of different tissues is proving a natural protector, healer and antibiotic maker, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and their peers have found.

8 Jul 2011

Novartis Afinitor Phase III trial on tuberous sclerosis meets primary endpoint

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today Phase III trial results that showed more than one-third of patients taking Afinitor tablets experienced a 50% or greater reduction in the size of their subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, non-cancerous brain tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

8 Jul 2011