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.

Rett Syndrome gene discovery

Adrian Bird of the University of Edinburgh and colleagues report in the online issue of Molecular Cell that the "Rett Syndrome protein", MeCP2, only binds to genes with a specific sequence of nucleotide bases. This knowledge will aid in the identification of the genes that are regulated by the gene MECP2

4 Sep 2005

Legs For Life free national screening program can save legs

The screening is essential for diabetics in order to prevent amputation, heart attack and stroke, because one-third have PAD, but most do not present classic symptoms.

1 Sep 2005

Deadly health crisis imminent in New Orleans

In New Orleans, as a result of hurricane Katrina, health specialists are predicting a vast and potentially deadly crisis for residents.

1 Sep 2005

Unrecognized hypertension is common among emergency room patients, especially African Americans

Half of the study participants with high blood pressure reported that they were not under medical care for the condition. Further, the majority of this group stated that they had never been told that they had high blood pressure.

1 Sep 2005

IP 751 a marijuana-derived drug effectively suppresses pain and bladder overactivity in hypersensitive bladder disorders

IP 751, a potent synthetic analog of a metabolite of THC-the principal active ingredient of marijuana-effectively suppresses pain and bladder overactivity in hypersensitive bladder disorders such as interstitial cystitis (IC), according to animal model study results presented today at the annual meeting of the International Continence Society.

1 Sep 2005

Low doses of the active form of vitamin D and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs form one-two punch against prostate cancer cells

Low doses of the active form of vitamin D and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, taken in combination, have been shown to act as a powerful one-two punch that knocks down the growth of prostate cancer cells.

1 Sep 2005

Data show that HIV-infected older people not taking HAART have double the risk of death

HIV is often regarded as a disease of young people, due to its status as a drug-related or sexually transmitted disease. However, the number of people over age 50 who are infected with HIV is significant--and growing--according to an article in the Sept. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

30 Aug 2005

Possibility of a continuously functioning, wearable or implantable artificial kidney

Researchers have developed a human nephron filter (HNF) that would eventually make possible a continuously functioning, wearable or implantable artificial kidney.

30 Aug 2005

Ways to avoid hazards of heart bypass under study

The heart-lung bypass machine that stills the heart while surgeons bypass an adult’s clogged arteries or repair a baby’s malformed heart can also trigger a potentially deadly inflammatory response.

28 Aug 2005

Experimental immunusuppressant drug preserves transplanted kidneys

An international team of transplant physicians has shown that the investigational drug belatacept (LEA29Y) preserves transplanted kidney function as effectively as cyclosporine, the drug most commonly used to prevent the immune system from rejecting transplanted organs.

24 Aug 2005

New drug that selectively blocks immune responses protects kidneys after transplant

In an international clinical trial, a new drug that selectively blocks immune responses has proved as effective in preventing acute kidney transplant rejection as cyclosporine, the standard anti-rejection treatment.

24 Aug 2005

Protein Sirt1 points to new therapies for type 2 diabetes

Opening the possibility of new therapies for type 2 diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a protein called Sirt1 enhances the secretion of insulin in mice and allows them to better control blood glucose levels. Their study appears in the August 17 issue of Cell Metabolism.

18 Aug 2005

Reasons for complications with kidney failure patients

Mayo Clinic researchers searching for explanations of high mortality rates among kidney failure patients undergoing hemodialysis are focusing their attention on the use of heparin, a drug used to reduce clotting of the blood.

18 Aug 2005

Global prevalence of kidney failure among critically ill patients

A multinational study has found that 5 to 6 percent of patients in intensive care units experience acute kidney failure, and about 60 percent of these patients die in the hospital, according to an article in the August 17 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Aug 2005

Decline in energy production by mitochondria appears to be a key problem leading to insulin resistance

A detectable decline in energy production by mitochondria - the organelles that are the cell's furnace for energy production - seems to be a key problem leading to insulin resistance, and thus to type 2 diabetes, according to studies by Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers.

16 Aug 2005

Oral medications may control symptoms of Type II diabetes in children just as well as insulin injections

According to the medical records of 26 children diagnosed with the disease, oral medications reduced levels of a compound in the blood called hemoglobin A1C by an average of 2 percentage points.

15 Aug 2005

DNA chip technology helps with discovery of new type 2 diabetes gene

In a new study appearing in the August 12 issue of the journal Cell, the investigators first identified genes that were altered in their level of expression in islets isolated from people with type 2 diabetes.

13 Aug 2005

Cells direct membrane traffic by channel width

For a glycerol molecule, a measly angstrom's difference in diameter is a road-closed sign: You can't squeeze through unless you are a sleek, water-molecule-sized sports car, say scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

11 Aug 2005

New study points to new treatments for some forms of Lou Gehrig's disease

A new study indicates that mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) enzymes that are associated with an inherited form of Lou Gehrig's disease cause the protein to become sticky in tissues. Partial unfolding of the mutant protein can expose hydrophobic residues that may promote abnormal interactions with other proteins or membranes in the cell.

11 Aug 2005

Open nephron-sparing surgery remains the most desirable for the patients

Urologists often view less-invasive surgery techniques as more desirable for the patient, but in a study of open nephron-sparing surgeries (NSS) from 1985 to 2001 at Mayo Clinic, researchers found that the "gold standard" of open surgery for kidney tumors should remain the first choice for many patients. The study appears online today in The Journal of Urology.

10 Aug 2005

Nephrology News and Research

Further Reading

Rett Syndrome gene discovery

Legs For Life free national screening program can save legs

Deadly health crisis imminent in New Orleans

Unrecognized hypertension is common among emergency room patients, especially African Americans

IP 751 a marijuana-derived drug effectively suppresses pain and bladder overactivity in hypersensitive bladder disorders

Low doses of the active form of vitamin D and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs form one-two punch against prostate cancer cells

Data show that HIV-infected older people not taking HAART have double the risk of death

Possibility of a continuously functioning, wearable or implantable artificial kidney

Ways to avoid hazards of heart bypass under study

Experimental immunusuppressant drug preserves transplanted kidneys

New drug that selectively blocks immune responses protects kidneys after transplant

Protein Sirt1 points to new therapies for type 2 diabetes

Reasons for complications with kidney failure patients

Global prevalence of kidney failure among critically ill patients

Decline in energy production by mitochondria appears to be a key problem leading to insulin resistance

Oral medications may control symptoms of Type II diabetes in children just as well as insulin injections

DNA chip technology helps with discovery of new type 2 diabetes gene

Cells direct membrane traffic by channel width

New study points to new treatments for some forms of Lou Gehrig's disease

Open nephron-sparing surgery remains the most desirable for the patients

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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