Ceevra, Inc., a San Francisco-based advanced visualization platform for surgeons, today announced that renowned urologic oncology surgeon, Dr. James Porter, has commercially adopted Ceevra’s mobile 3D visualization platform to help plan and perform his kidney cancer operations.
• Between 15 and 22 out of every 100 patients in India with mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease had significant impairment in at least 1 of the 5 domains of quality of life. • Quality of life scores were associated with sociodemographic factors (lower income, poor education, and female gender), with almost no major impact of medical- or disease-related variables.
Study suggests a protein called suPAR could be targeted to prevent dreaded kidney complications in patients undergoing common medical procedures.
• An analysis compared transplant recipients who received kidneys through national kidney paired donation and those who received kidneys from other living donors (such as relatives, friends or other paired exchange mechanisms). • Despite a higher number of risk factors for poor outcomes in the kidney paired donation group, recipients in the two groups had similar rates of organ failure and mortality over a median follow-up of 3.7 years.
High levels of protein in a patient’s urine shortly after an episode of acute kidney injury is associated with increased risk of kidney disease progression, providing a valuable tool in predicting those at highest risk for future loss of kidney function.
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that subtle structural features in kidneys from living donors that can only be seen with a microscope may predict the risk of transplant failure in recipients. The findings are published online in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
• In analyses of biopsies of deceased donor kidneys, a repeat biopsy often showed very different findings than the initial biopsy, calling into question decisions to decline an organ based on the initial biopsy findings. • Although the first biopsy findings were not associated with post-transplant outcomes, findings from the second biopsies—which were performed in a relatively standardized manner at one organ procurement organization and read by the same group of pathologists—provided useful information about how well the organ functioned after transplantation.
• Subtle structural features of donated kidneys—which were observed through biopsies taken at the time of donation—were associated with the longevity of organs after they were transplanted.
Mesenchymal stromal cells from fat tissue and bone marrow are widely used in therapeutic trials for their anti-inflammatory qualities, but new Mayo Clinic research finds that liver cells may be of greater value. The study, published in Liver Transplantation, finds that liver mesenchymal stromal cells have immunoregulatory qualities that make them more effective than similar cells derived from adipose, or fat, tissue and bone marrow.
Qing Zhang, Ph.D., and his colleagues identified a possible way to treat tumors while sparing nearby healthy tissue.
Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center today announced that it became the first hospital in the New Jersey to perform a kidney transplant with a kidney preserved at its own Organ Preservation Center using the LifePort Kidney Transporter, an ex vivo hypothermic machine preservation technology. Hypothermic machine preservation is a cutting-edge, life-saving technology that increases a kidney’s viability and lifespan, improving patient outcomes.
Multiple studies out in Nature indicate that a patient's response to immune checkpoint blockade may depend on B cells located in special structures within the tumor.
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) has developed a Kidney Care First (KCF) Model Calculator, a tool that will help nephrologists anticipate how their practices might perform if they choose to participate in the new payment program.
What's your type? That question could gain new meaning, thanks to scientists who've categorized how humans age into different classes dubbed "ageotypes," reports a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
• In adults followed for a median of 17.5 years, cardiovascular diseases—including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, and stroke—were each linked with a higher risk of developing kidney failure. • Heart failure was associated with the highest risk: adults hospitalized with heart failure had an 11.4-times higher risk of developing kidney failure than individuals without cardiovascular disease.
Washington, DC (January 8, 2020) — The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday, January 8, on the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2019, advancing a long-standing legislative priority of the American Society of Nephrology.
A new Johns Hopkins Medicine-led study provides the strongest evidence to date that hundreds of deceased donor kidneys, discarded each year after being deemed not suitable under current medical criteria, can be transplanted safely and effectively.
• Among patients who experience cardiac arrest while in the hospital, those on dialysis were less likely to have a shockable rhythm and more likely to be outside of the intensive care unit at the time of arrest compared with patients not on dialysis. • Patients on dialysis had lower scores for resuscitation quality, and they were less likely to have defibrillation within 2 minutes. • Patients on dialysis had a similar likelihood of surviving to hospital discharge, and they had better neurological function at the time of discharge.
Today a team of researchers from the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production of the Federico II University of Naples, in collaboration with the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO), at Temple University in Philadelphia, and the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Siena, Itay, has discovered the effectiveness of a new extract, of natural origin, able to prevent nephrotoxicity induced by the mycotoxin Ochratoxin A (OTA), and has published this research in the international Journal of Cellular Physiology.
• In a study of kidney transplant recipients, those with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet were less likely to experience kidney function loss.
Today, seven new members were named to the Kidney Health Initiative (KHI) Board of Directors. KHI is a public-private partnership between the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The famous cancer gene p53, which was thought to be less relevant in kidney cancer, may play a larger role than previously appreciated, suggesting new potential for treatment.
This study identified the types of dialysis facilities in the United States that care for “safety-net reliant” dialysis patients—those who are uninsured or have only Medicaid coverage and do not qualify for Medicare.
Erika Hosey, a cardiovascular technician at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, ended the year by giving a life-changing gift to a patient in need. While performing a routine cardiac stress test, she drummed up a conversation. She learned that her patient, Denise Butvin, had kidney disease and needed transplant surgery. “Erika just blurted out…I’ll give you my kidney,” said Butvin. “I was in shock. I couldn’t believe this was real.” While Butvin is a positive person, she has been through an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs and on waitlists in Ohio and Pennsylvania for five years. Her family and friends were not an organ match. Both her sister and father were on dialysis for many years and passed away from kidney disease, so she knew how pressing this transplant surgery was. Hosey started the process the next day, and after a few weeks of testing turned out to be a perfect donor match. “To be a kidney donor match for someone is really a shot in the dark,” she
In trauma patients with diabetes, poorer long-term control of blood glucose levels is linked to a higher risk of death and trauma-related complications, reports a study in SHOCK®: Injury, Inflammation, and Sepsis: Laboratory and Clinical Approaches, Official Journal of the Shock Society. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today took bold steps in two proposed rules to increase the availability of organs for the 113,000 Americans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant – 20 of whom die each day – and to strengthen support for Americans who choose to be living donors. Both proposed rules advance policy changes the American Society of Nephrology has long been advocating for and is strongly supportive of.
KidneyX received $5,000,000 in the government spending package announced late Monday, December 16. Included as part of two “omnibus” spending packages, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill includes first-time funding for KidneyX for Fiscal Year 2020.
• Among 1,018 children with newly diagnosed chronic kidney disease and 4,072 children with normal kidney function who were seen at primary care practices, 71% and 50%, respectively, received at least one medication that might be toxic to the kidneys over an average follow-up of 3.3 years. • The rate of such prescriptions was 4-times higher in patients with kidney disease than in those without.
University of Illinois at Chicago researchers will study patients with sleep apnea and chronic kidney disease.
• After a Medicare payment policy related to dialysis was implemented in 2011, use of home-based peritoneal dialysis increased significantly. • Increases were seen for both “early” and “late” peritoneal dialysis: more patients initiated dialysis with peritoneal dialysis and more patients switched from hemodialysis to peritoneal dialysis.
Researchers report that among patients with obesity, robotic kidney transplants produce survival outcomes comparable to those seen among nonobese patients. The study includes data collected over 10 years from more than 230 robotic-assisted kidney transplants in patients with obesity.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam have uncovered a possible explanation for the mental sluggishness that often accompanies illness.
• Deletion of the gene that codes for an enzyme called GSTM1 increased kidney injury in mice with hypertension and kidney disease, but supplementing the diet with broccoli powder lessened kidney injury in the genetically altered mice. • In humans, high consumption of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables was linked with a lower risk of kidney failure, primarily in individuals lacking GSTM1.
• Wearable and implantable devices may allow for intensive self-care for patients with kidney failure outside of the clinic. • Additional research must focus on technological improvements to bring such ambulatory devices to patients as envisioned by the recent Executive Order on the “Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative”.
A joint group of researchers at the George Washington University and the University of Pittsburgh have found that dopamine and the dopamine D2 receptor modulate expression via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This pathway is responsible for control of cell proliferation and organ identity and is implicated in cancer, thus having broad implications for health and development of new therapeutics
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is pleased to announce the winners of the new Midcareer Awards, which recognize nephrologists who have distinguished themselves in five key areas of accomplishment early in their careers.
• Combining the Renal Angina Index and measurement of urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin can improve predictions of severe acute kidney injury in critically ill children. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
• Rates of kidney injury in women who are hospitalized during pregnancy are on the rise, especially in women with diabetes. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
• Patients receiving hemodialysis at facilities located in residential areas with a high percentage of Black residents have a higher rate of hospitalization. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
Dr. Agarwal will lead an organization of more than 20,000 health professionals from 131 countries dedicated to leading the fight against kidney diseases.
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) will honor leaders in the fight against kidney disease during ASN Kidney Week 2019, the society’s annual meeting, held November 5–10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
• Peritoneal dialysis performed with an automated wearable artificial kidney was safe and effective for removing toxins from the blood of patients with kidney failure. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
A new risk calculator tool that uses a mix of variables including age, hypertension, and diabetes status can be used to predict accurately whether someone is likely to develop chronic kidney disease within five years.
Supplements of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids (often sold as fish oil) do not help people with type 2 diabetes stave off chronic kidney disease, according to findings from the largest clinical study to date of the supplements in this patient population.
The results of numerous high-impact clinical trials that could affect kidney-related medical care will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
• Few patients who start urgent and unplanned dialysis in clinical centers switch to home dialysis. The potential survival benefits of switching are unclear. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
• A home remote monitoring system may help track the health of patients on dialysis. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
• Many children with chronic kidney disease report fatigue and problems with sleep. • Sleep problems and fatigue were associated with lower executive functioning and more emotional-behavioral symptoms. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right