Kidney News and Research

RSS

High blood pressure treatment effective in reversing vascular damage

A hypertension medication called olmesartan medoxomil is effective in reversing the narrowing of the arteries that occurs in patients with high blood pressure, according to a new study.

16 Jun 2008

Collaborative effort by FDA and EMEA expected to yield additional safety data when assessing new drugs

In the first use of a framework allowing submission of a single application to the two agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) worked together to allow drug companies to submit the results of seven new tests that evaluate kidney damage during animal studies of new drugs. The tests measure the levels of seven key proteins or "biomarkers" found in urine that can provide additional information about drug-induced damage to kidney cells, also known as renal toxicity.

15 Jun 2008

Nanoparticles trigger built-in cell-death signal to overcome drug resistance

One of the most vexing problems in treating cancer is the propensity of tumors to develop resistance to a wide range of anticancer drugs. Over 70 percent of ovarian cancer patients, for example, have drug-resistant tumors at the time of their initial diagnosis, and virtually all patients who relapse have drug-resistant tumors.

15 Jun 2008

Scientists identify molecular trick that may explain part of Salmonella's fierceness

Salmonella is serving up a surprise not only for tomato lovers around the country but also for scientists who study the rod-shaped bacterium that causes misery for millions of people.

15 Jun 2008

UT Southwestern surgeons complete the first Lap-Band weight-loss surgery in Texas using single incision as entry point

UT Southwestern Medical Center surgeons have completed the first single-incision Lap-Band weight-loss surgery in Texas.

15 Jun 2008

Subclinical hypothyroidism common in chronic kidney disease

Many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have mild reductions in thyroid function, or subclinical hypothyroidism-a condition that becomes more common as kidney function declines, according to a study in the September 2008 issue of Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

11 Jun 2008

Drug combo offers new approach for reversing type 1 diabetes

Promising results from a study that tested a new approach for reversing Type 1 diabetes are being presented this week at the American Diabetes Association's 68th Annual Scientific Session in San Francisco.

11 Jun 2008

Woman dressed as bumble bee gives birth without realising she was pregnant

A British woman 'out on the town' on a friend's hen night in Blackpool, has given birth to a baby without realising she was pregnant.

10 Jun 2008

Diabetes explosion on the cards for Brits

According to a charity in Britain, unless there is a major change in lifestyle, by 2025 there will be 3.6 million people with diabetes in England.

9 Jun 2008

Latest research suggests tight glucose control for diabetics

It has been found that keeping tight control of blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics reduces the risk of kidney disease by 21 percent, and that weight gain, the use of multiple drug combinations and getting blood sugar too low, too quickly may all have been factors in causing early deaths.

9 Jun 2008

Sun and vitamin D levels may play a strong role in risk of type 1 diabetes in children

In this new study, the researchers found that populations living at or near the equator, where there is abundant sunshine (and ultraviolet B irradiance) have low incidence rates of type 1 diabetes. Conversely, populations at higher latitudes, where available sunlight is scarcer, have higher incidence rates.

5 Jun 2008

Many young children short on vitamin D

A new study by researchers in the United States has found that many young children are lacking in vitamin D.

4 Jun 2008

Kidney cell suicide in diabetes patients

Diabetes is the leading cause of renal failure that requires dialysis. The disease generates such a hostile environment that it forces the kidney cells to kill themselves, progressively reducing the renal functions of the kidneys.

4 Jun 2008

Finance Committee staffers meet with stakeholders about Medicare physician cuts

Democratic staffers for the Senate Finance Committee on Monday met with physician specialty groups to discuss a legislative package proposed by committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would halt a scheduled 10.6% cut to Medicare physicians' payments and institute a 0.5% increase in the payments for next year, CongressDaily reports.

3 Jun 2008

NGAL protein levels in simple urine test speed diagnosis of failing kidneys

Walk into any emergency department complaining of chest pain and you are likely to have blood drawn. Within hours it should be clear whether you've had a heart attack, based on enzyme levels in your blood and whether those levels reveal the tissue damage normally associated with a heart attack or other major cardiac event.

2 Jun 2008

Mouse ovaries and testes age in unique ways

Aging leads to large changes in gene activity in the ovaries of mice, but only limited changes in testes, according to research published in the open-access journal, BMC Biology.

2 Jun 2008

New approach to treating vision loss caused by type 1 Usher syndrome

A new approach to treating vision loss caused by type 1 Usher syndrome (USH1), the most common condition affecting both sight and hearing, will be unveiled by a scientist at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics tomorrow (Tuesday 3 June).

2 Jun 2008

New model predicts whether patients will be free of renal cancer 12 years after initial treatment

A UT Southwestern Medical Center physician and other researchers have developed a unique statistical model that predicts the probability of a patient being cancer free 12 years after initial surgical treatment.

2 Jun 2008

DialysisPPO files provisional patent for dialysis cost containment

DialysisPPO, a Pennsylvania Corporation providing cost containment solutions to the health plan market, has filed a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering its business method that enables health plans to significantly lower their exposure to the high cost of dialysis services while simultaneously improving the benefits to plan participants.

2 Jun 2008

Anti-rejection drug sirolimus may prolong organ life in noncompliant kidney transplant patients

New research from the University of California, San Diego Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, shows that the anti-rejection drug sirolimus (brand name Rapamune) may help prolong the clinical benefit of transplanted kidneys and delay rejection, especially in patients who do not regularly take their prescribed medications (are "non-compliant"). While the transplant field has been highly successful at reducing rejection and graft loss in the first year, post-transplant, reducing risk for graft rejection in the long-term has proved more difficult.

2 Jun 2008