Kidney News and Research

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Potential avenue to make an unhealthy heart grow more like a healthy version

Identification of three fatty acids involved in the extreme growth of Burmese pythons' hearts following large meals could prove beneficial in treating diseased human hearts, according to research co-authored by a University of Alabama scientist and publishing in the Oct. 28 issue of Science.

28 Oct 2011

Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis harbor Flt1 protein that blocks blood vessel repair

In some kidney diseases, patients have high blood levels of a protein that blocks blood vessel repair, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

28 Oct 2011

Novel stem cells method may eliminate need for antirejection drugs in transplants

Surgical researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, have pioneered a method using stem cells that may one day eliminate the need for antirejection drugs in transplants. Primary investigator David Mathes, MD, FACS, and his research fellow Jeff Chang, MD, MS, presented their findings today at the 2011 Clinical Congress of the American College Surgeons.

28 Oct 2011

RA drug reduces kidney cyst growth in ADPKD mouse model

Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have discovered that patients with an inherited kidney disease may be helped by a drug that is currently available for other uses.

28 Oct 2011

Sulodexide drug fails to benefit diabetes patients with kidney disease

What was hoped to be a promising new drug to protect the kidneys has failed to benefit diabetes patients with kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

28 Oct 2011

Study: Current lupus classification system is too detailed

The current classification system for kidney complications in patients with lupus is too detailed, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

28 Oct 2011

Diabetic patients with mild kidney disease may benefit from vitamin B6 derivative

A vitamin B6 derivative may help slow or prevent the progression of mild kidney disease in patients with diabetes, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

28 Oct 2011

Simple walking test can predict how well seniors would recover from operations

An elderly person's walking speed can predict how well he or she will fare after an operation, according to new findings presented at the 2011 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. Researchers from the University of Colorado, Denver, reported that a simple, walking test that typically takes less than 20 seconds was a powerful tool for predicting how well seniors would recover from various surgical procedures.

27 Oct 2011

Medtronic initiates Symplicity System clinical study in treatment-resistant hypertension

Medtronic Inc. announced today the start of SYMPLICITY HTN-3, the company's U.S. clinical trial of the Symplicity Renal Denervation System for treatment-resistant hypertension.

From Medtronic 27 Oct 2011

Denver-based dialysis operator is target of federal probe

DaVita Inc., which is the biggest operator of dialysis clinics in the nation, announced that it is the subject of a government probe into payments for drugs it used in the N.Y. Medicaid program.

27 Oct 2011

Study provides details on genetics behind many metabolic diseases

In what is so far the largest investigation of its kind, researchers uncovered a wide range of new insights about common diseases and how they are affected by differences between two persons' genes. The results from this study could lead to highly targeted, individualized therapies.

27 Oct 2011

Exploring palliative care's positives and negatives

What if a new medication for severely ill patients had no role in curing them but made them feel much better despite being sick?

24 Oct 2011

Study finds measuring quality does improve care

The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality was founded on a simple premise: To improve the quality of health care, you must be able to measure it. ... Yet the premise that tracking the quality of care truly prods physicians to change the way they practice medicine has been more accepted than studied.

24 Oct 2011

First Edition: October 24, 2011

Today's headlines include a variety of health policy news developments, including speculation about how the Supreme Court might review the health law and what's happening with the super committee.

24 Oct 2011

FDA's ODAC to review Affymax peginesatide NDA for treatment of CKD-associated anemia

Affymax, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will review the New Drug Application (NDA) for peginesatide proposed for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adult patients on dialysis on December 7, 2011 during the afternoon session.

24 Oct 2011

U-M researchers to study new approach in halting downward spiral of diabetes

University of Michigan Health System researchers will use a $3.5 million federal grant to study a new approach in halting the downward spiral of diabetes.

24 Oct 2011

Clues into how gene defects may cause ARPKD in babies

Babies born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) often develop kidney failure because they have very large kidneys filled with tiny cysts. Even with excellent medical care, about 30% die shortly after birth. New research now provides clues into how gene defects may cause this condition, which occurs in 1 out of 20,000 newborns.

22 Oct 2011

No link between shockwave lithotripsy and diabetes: Study

A Mayo Clinic study finds no correlation between the use of shock waves to break up kidney stones and the long-term development of diabetes. The study was released Friday during a meeting of the North Central Section of the American Urological Association in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

22 Oct 2011

Women can have successful pregnancy after kidney transplantation

A new study recently published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that the ability to successfully carry a pregnancy after kidney transplantation is very high, with 73.5% live birth rates.

21 Oct 2011

No unique link between first-trimester ACE inhibitor use and birth defects

Women who take angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to treat high blood pressure in the first trimester of their pregnancies are at no greater risk of having babies with birth defects than are women who take other types of high blood pressure medication or who take no blood pressure drugs, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

21 Oct 2011