Dialysis News and Research

Latest Dialysis News and Research

State roundup: Calif. hospitals fined for errors; Va. dental health concerns

Grady Memorial Hospital and Fresenius Medical Care have reached a basic agreement on providing dialysis services for 22 immigrants whose regular treatment ended last week. The Grady spokesman, Matt Gove, said that under the new deal, Grady will help cover the cost of dialysis for the patients, who up until two years ago were regularly treated at the hospital's outpatient facility.

9 Sep 2011

Blood levels of FGF-23 can help predict CKD patients at risk of heart problems

The blood levels of a particular hormone can help predict which kidney disease patients will develop heart problems, need dialysis, and die prematurely, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

9 Sep 2011

Medical students may act on unconscious racial preferences

New Johns Hopkins research shows that medical students — just like the general American population — may have unconscious if not overt preferences for white people, but this innate bias does not appear to translate into different or lesser health care of other races.

8 Sep 2011

DOJ investigates Miss. mental health care; N.H. pharmacists win permission to vaccinate

The Justice Department is now investigating Mississippi's mental health system, seeking to determine whether those suffering from mental illness are receiving appropriate treatment. Justice Department officials are expected to return to the Magnolia State later this month, and it's a safe bet they will make similar recommendations against Mississippi as they have against Virginia and other states, said Region 8 Executive Director Dave Van.

7 Sep 2011

DaVita completes acquisition of DSI

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services committed to improving the quality of life for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), announced today that it has closed its acquisition of DSI Renal, Inc.

6 Sep 2011

Immigrant dialysis patients in Atlanta again face treatment crisis

After the collapse of negotiations between Atlanta's public hospital and the world's largest dialysis provider, a dozen immigrants suffering from renal failure were refused treatment at an Atlanta clinic on Thursday and advised to wait until their conditions deteriorated enough to justify life-saving care in an emergency room. Unless the deadlock is broken, 22 patients, most of them illegal immigrants, face a debilitating cycle.

3 Sep 2011

New tool to predict survival after heart transplant

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have developed a formula to predict which heart transplant patients are at greatest risk of death in the year following their surgeries, information that could help medical teams figure out who would benefit most from the small number of available organs.

2 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 2, 2011

On Kaiser Health News' blog, staff writer Julie Appleby writes: "Insurers who offer 'association health plans,' which are often sold through trade groups or other organizations of affiliated members, will face the same scrutiny of premium rate hikes as other types of insurance, federal officials said Thursday."

2 Sep 2011

High risk of serious complications or death in children with SP-HUS

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by infection with pneumococcal bacteria leads to severe illness—with a high rate of irreversible kidney damage—in infants and young children, reports a study in the September issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

30 Aug 2011

Researchers identify molecule that can stop the formation of amyloid fibrils

A molecule which can stop the formation of long protein strands, known as amyloid fibrils, that cause joint pain in kidney dialysis patients has been identified by researchers at the University of Leeds.

29 Aug 2011

Redesigned vancomycin can kill deadliest antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have successfully reengineered an important antibiotic to kill the deadliest antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

25 Aug 2011

Kibow renews exclusive worldwide veterinary licensing and marketing agreement

Kibow Biotech, Inc. today announced that it has renewed its exclusive worldwide licensing and marketing agreement with the current licensing partner specializing in animal health.

24 Aug 2011

Celldex announces key in vivo efficacy results of CDX-1135 in Dense Deposit Disease

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. today announced key in vivo efficacy data for its CDX-1135 program from a collaboration with Drs. Richard Smith and Carla Nester at the University of Iowa.

24 Aug 2011

CJASN: Most dialysis patients are not prepared to effectively handle disasters

Most dialysis patients are not prepared to effectively handle man-made or natural disasters, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

19 Aug 2011

H1N1 vaccine safe, effective for hemodialysis and kidney transplant patients

When the influenza A (H1N1) virus swept around the world in spring 2009, infection was presumed to be more common in immunosuppressed patients, such as those who have had a kidney transplant. Later that year, the International Societies of Transplantation recommended that transplant recipients receive at least one dose of the H1N1 vaccine, although there was no information on the efficacy of the vaccine in that population.

19 Aug 2011

Minocycline, EDTA may combat catheter-related bacterial infections in dialysis patients

Antibiotics can help ward off serious bacterial infections in kidney disease patients who use tubes called catheters for their dialysis treatments. But if antibiotics are used too often, "super bugs" may crop up that are resistant to the drugs.

19 Aug 2011

FDA assigns PDUFA action date for review of Affymax peginesatide NDA

Affymax, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of March 27, 2012 for the review of the investigational agent peginesatide New Drug Application.

12 Aug 2011

Nephros submits new 510(k) application with FDA for clearance of hemodiafiltration system

Nephros, Inc., a medical device company developing and marketing filtration products for therapeutic applications, infection control, and water purification, today announced that on August 11, 2011 it filed a 510(k) application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clearance of its hemodiafiltration system.

12 Aug 2011

FDA acceptance of peginesatide NDA triggers $10M milestone payment to Affymax

Affymax, Inc. today announced that it has received a $10 million development milestone payment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company as part of the companies' exclusive global agreement to develop and commercialize peginesatide (formerly known as Hematide™), Affymax's investigational drug for the treatment of anemia in chronic renal failure patients.

10 Aug 2011

Young blacks with kidney disease more likely to die on dialysis than whites

For years, medical studies have reached the same conclusion: African-American patients do better on kidney dialysis than their white counterparts. But new Johns Hopkins research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that younger blacks - those under the age of 50 - actually do much worse on dialysis than equally sick whites who undergo the same blood-filtering process.

10 Aug 2011