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.

Most serious side effects in statins may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor)

A post-market analysis of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins indicates that some of the most serious side effects may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor). The drug is the strongest statin available because it has the greatest effect per milligram on low-density lipoprotein ("bad" cholesterol).

26 May 2005

Six deaths in transplant patients now linked to rodent virus

In the latest news on the subject, experts now believe they can link at least six deaths of organ transplant patients to a rodent virus, which raises questions about whether others may have gone undetected and whether the germ also could spread through blood transfusions.

24 May 2005

Virus from rodents kills three transplant recipients

Three transplant patients have died as a result of receiving an organ from a donor who had unknowingly been infected with a common rodent virus. A fourth patient who received a kidney from the organ donor is recovering.

24 May 2005

New cholesterol drug Crestor causes safety concerns

A study by a leading medical journal has concluded that AstraZeneca's controversial drug Crestor produces more than twice as many side effects as other common cholesterol lowering treatments.

24 May 2005

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people with little risk that these patients will seek ever-increasing doses, UCSF medical scientists have found. Younger patients, however, are likely to want to rapidly increase their medication dose, the researchers found, posing serious potential health consequences.

23 May 2005

Australian Medical Association indigenous health report card focuses on low birth weight babies

Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Dr Bill Glasson, has launched Lifting the Weight, the AMA's fourth report card on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

22 May 2005

Study finds benefits, less organ rejection using immunosuppressive combination for heart transplants

A new study led by researchers at the UCLA Heart Transplant Program showed that one particular combination using tacrolimus (TAC or PrografÒ also known as FK506) had significant anti-rejection benefits for heart transplant patients over other combinations.

22 May 2005

Researchers have isolated two biomarkers for interstitial cystitis (IC)

The discovery of these biomarkers could lead to a definitive test for IC and have the potential to lead to new therapies. Results of two studies are being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in San Antonio, and are published in abstracts 69 and 80 of the AUA proceedings.

22 May 2005

Cystatin-C, a new blood test for kidney function, is a better predictor of death and cardiovascular risk among the elderly

Investigators for NHLBI's Cardiovascular Health Study compared the two measures of kidney function, cystatin-C and the standard test creatinine, as predictors of death from all causes, death from cardiovascular causes, and incidence of heart attack and stroke among 4,637 elderly participants in the study.

20 May 2005

New kidney test better elder mortality predictor

A study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) has found that a test of kidney function that measures blood levels of cystatin C -- a protein produced by most cells in the body -- is a far more accurate predictor of mortality risk in elderly people than the current standard kidney function test, which measures levels of the protein creatinine.

20 May 2005

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people with little risk that these patients will seek ever-increasing doses, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) medical scientists have found. Younger patients, however, are likely to want to rapidly increase their medication dose, the researchers found, posing serious potential health consequences.

20 May 2005

Two out of three Americans with type-2 diabetes do not have their disease under control

According to a new survey two out of three Americans with type-2 diabetes do not have their disease under control and are putting themselves at risk of early deaths from stroke, heart attack or kidney failure as well as blindness and limb loss.

18 May 2005

Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in group education programs require less medication

Group-based education resulted in improved diabetes control as reflected by blood glucose levels and patients’ knowledge of diabetes. Evidence also suggested that participants in diabetes group education programs may reduce their blood pressure and body weight and increase self-empowerment, quality of life, self-management skills and treatment satisfaction.

18 May 2005

Nutritional composition of a mother’s breast milk may depend not just on her diet - but on her genes

“It is well known that genes control the nutrient levels in cow’s milk” said Richard B. Weinberg, M.D. “But until now, no one has considered how genes might affect human breast milk. This is the first study to demonstrate a genetic effect on human lactation.” The results were presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2005 in Chicago, Ill.

18 May 2005

Hypertension drug combination yields high rate of blood pressure control in hard-to-treat patients

The study, conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and 118 other sites, was focused on bringing down systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, which is the more difficult number to bring down.

18 May 2005

Routinely reformatting computed tomography (CT) scans to view organs from several different directions may help radiologists improve diagnosis

"You can see things in one view that you might miss in another," said Craig Barnes, M.D., section head of pediatric radiology at Wake Forest Baptist's Brenner Children's Hospital. "It costs no more as relates to scan time or radiation exposure, and we believe it provides added value in diagnosis."

17 May 2005

Improvements in critical care decrease risk of post-injury multiple organ failure

Improvements in critical care and decreased use of blood transfusions over the course of the last decade are associated with decreases in the rate, severity and risk of death from post-injury multiple organ failure, according to a study in the May issue of Archives of Surgery.

16 May 2005

Exaggerated blood pressure reaction to mental stress predicts cardiovascular risk

When mental stress sparks a significant rise in blood pressure, it may be a sign of other existing cardiovascular risk factors, researchers reported today at the American Society of Hypertension’s Twentieth Annual Scientific Meeting.

16 May 2005

Distributing medications in specially designed blister packages rather than in bottles may increase the likelihood that medications will be taken properly

The study found that patients taking lisinopril – a medication used to treat chronic high blood pressure – were more likely to have their prescriptions refilled on time if the medication came in a blister package rather than as loose tablets in a bottle. In this case, the blister package clearly started the day on which to take each pill.

16 May 2005

Unsuspected protein CD147, regulates the production of plaque-forming peptides that are the defining feature of Alzheimer's

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered an unsuspected subunit of the protein complex gamma-secretase, which plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease.

15 May 2005

Nephrology News and Research

Further Reading

Most serious side effects in statins may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor)

Six deaths in transplant patients now linked to rodent virus

Virus from rodents kills three transplant recipients

New cholesterol drug Crestor causes safety concerns

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people

Australian Medical Association indigenous health report card focuses on low birth weight babies

Study finds benefits, less organ rejection using immunosuppressive combination for heart transplants

Researchers have isolated two biomarkers for interstitial cystitis (IC)

Cystatin-C, a new blood test for kidney function, is a better predictor of death and cardiovascular risk among the elderly

New kidney test better elder mortality predictor

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people

Two out of three Americans with type-2 diabetes do not have their disease under control

Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in group education programs require less medication

Nutritional composition of a mother’s breast milk may depend not just on her diet - but on her genes

Hypertension drug combination yields high rate of blood pressure control in hard-to-treat patients

Routinely reformatting computed tomography (CT) scans to view organs from several different directions may help radiologists improve diagnosis

Improvements in critical care decrease risk of post-injury multiple organ failure

Exaggerated blood pressure reaction to mental stress predicts cardiovascular risk

Distributing medications in specially designed blister packages rather than in bottles may increase the likelihood that medications will be taken properly

Unsuspected protein CD147, regulates the production of plaque-forming peptides that are the defining feature of Alzheimer's

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