• From 2008-2015, the number of kidneys donated after circulatory death that were obtained by the country’s 58 donor service areas varied substantially.
• The outcomes associated with these organs were generally excellent.
• The use of these organs could be increased if “cold ischemia times” are limited.
New discoveries about the mechanism responsible for heat generation in the body related to fat tissue oppose classical views in the field and could lead to new ways to fight metabolic disorders associated with obesity, according to a study led by Georgia State University.
Researchers from the University of Toledo (Ohio) College of Medicine and Life Sciences have discovered more than 12,000 different types of noncoding RNA (circRNAs) in the kidney tissue of rats. This type of genetic material, previously thought to have no function, may play a significant role in regulating blood pressure in heart and kidney disease.
No disorder appears to kill more people than atherosclerosis, and hopeful experimental treatments with "good cholesterols" have failed. New research reapproaches them with carefully designed cholesterols in an organ-on-a-chip in highly reproducible experiments.
A new, inexpensive urine test accurately identifies patients at risk for kidney damage after open heart surgery, allowing for corrective action before permanent injury occurs.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded two five-year grants to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center worth more than $5 million to prospectively study the effects of a genetic variation in organ donors that appears to contribute to survival of kidneys after transplantation.
• Among hemodialysis patients admitted to the hospital, nearly a quarter of admissions were followed by an unplanned readmission within 30 days.
• Most readmissions were for a diagnosis different than the one for the initial hospitalization.
• A small proportion of patients accounted for a disproportionate number of readmissions.
Loyola Medicine physicians have proposed a simple new system to improve the reporting of robotic surgeries performed by surgeons in training. The system, called RoboLog, was successfully piloted on 310 urologic robotic surgeries, according to a study published in the Journal of Surgical Education.
Outdoor air pollution may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease and contribute to kidney failure, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs (VA) St. Louis Health Care System. Scientists culled national VA databases to evaluate the effects of air pollution and kidney disease on nearly 2.5 million people over a period of 8.5 years, beginning in 2004. The scientists compared VA data on kidney function to air-quality levels collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The study is published Sept. 21 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
• In a study of US veterans, researchers found a linear relationship between air pollution levels and risk of experiencing kidney function decline and of developing kidney disease or kidney failure.
• From 2006 to 2010, almost two thirds of US dialysis patients received at least one opioid prescription every year and >20% received chronic prescriptions.
• More than 25% of dialysis patients using opioids received doses exceeding recommendations
• Use of opioid medications was linked with higher risks of early death, discontinuation of dialysis, and the need for hospitalization in dialysis patients.
Washington, DC (September 20, 2017)—The world’s largest gathering of kidney health professionals will join forces in New Orleans from October 31–November 5, 2017, and serve as a major forum for the dissemination of advances in basic, clinical, and translational research as well as advances in clinical practice to the basic science and clinical community during the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2017.
A new UCLA-led study published in the September issue of the peer-reviewed journal Transplantation traces how the first three “kidney voucher” cases led to 25 lifesaving kidney transplants across the United States.
Advocates from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the 21 other health care organizations listed below are meeting with their representatives and senators today. They will urge Congress to continue its historic support of research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and to cosponsor and pass the Living Donor Protection Act (H.R. 1270), no-cost legislation to eliminate barriers to living donation and increase access to transplants.
A team led by University of Iowa researchers has identified a gene linked to rare kidney-related birth defects. When working properly, a gene called GREB1L activates a cascade of signals that ultimately tells other genes what they need to do to create a kidney. Results published in the journal Genetics.
People with chronic kidney disease may be especially vulnerable to the deleterious effects of poor sleep, according to a new paper published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
• In individuals with chronic kidney disease, high sleep fragmentation was associated with an elevated risk of developing kidney failure.
• Higher sleep fragmentation and shorter sleep duration were each linked with steeper declines in kidney function over time.
• Subjectively measured daytime sleepiness was associated with an increased risk of early death from any cause.
Nisanne Ghonemi's research seeks to address a universal problem in kidney transplant surgery that can result in failure of the organ graft. Her research will explore the use of a class of drugs known as prostacyclins to reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury to a transplanted kidney from a deceased patient that can result in failure of the organ graft.
Waking up in the morning with the joint pain, swelling and stiffness that accompanies lupus doesn’t exactly inspire a workout. But research in mice and a related pilot study in humans are showing how regular activity and stress reduction could lead to better health in the long run.
Not all kidney cancers are killers, and many small tumors can be left alone or watched over time because there is a low risk they will become dangerous, according to Dr. Brian Shuch at the Yale School of Medicine.
A combination immunotherapy treatment showed better overall survival in patients with previously untreated advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma than current therapy, according to results from a phase 3 clinical trial presented at a symposium for medical oncology in Spain.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have joined together as a single site within the Urinary Stone Disease Research Network (USDRN), which was launched by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the NIH. In total, five sites will collaborate in this nationwide network as it launches a randomized clinical trial, the Prevention of Urinary Stones with Hydration (PUSH) study.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Bayer have agreed on a five-year strategic research alliance to evaluate new drug candidates for the treatment of kidney diseases, with the goal of accelerating the translation of innovative approaches from the laboratory to pre-clinical development.
• In patients with chronic kidney disease and Hepatitis C virus infection, sofosbuvir-based direct-acting antiviral therapy was safe and effective.
• Patients with stage 3 kidney disease who were cured of infection experienced an improvement in their kidney function following treatment.
A synthetic version of low molecular weight heparin is poised for clinical trials and development as a drug for patients with clotting disorders, and those undergoing procedures such as kidney dialysis, heart bypass surgery, stent implantation, and knee and hip replacement.
Young females may have the greatest level of protection against acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin, commonly used to treat lung, ovarian, bladder and stomach cancer. Nearly a third of all people who are treated with Cisplatin develop AKI. The study is the first to investigate combined sex and age differences in the response to kidney injury.
High levels of a protein known as suPAR, which has been shown to be a marker and likely cause of kidney damage, is as reliably predictive in children as in adults, according to results of a study published online today in JAMA Pediatrics, a clinical publication of the American Medical Association.
Margaux Mustian and Laura Hickman say they pursued a career in transplant surgery in part due to the teaching and training they received from longtime UAB transplant surgeon Mark Deierhoi.
• A particular receptor in kidney cells plays an important role in obesity-induced fat accumulation, dysfunction, injury, inflammation, and scarring in the kidney.
• The receptor acts through a certain signaling pathway.
• Targeting this receptor or the signaling pathway may help protect the kidneys of individuals who develop obesity.
As Houston area residents fight to survive Hurricane Harvey’s flood waters and wreckage, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) joins efforts by the American Kidney Fund (AKF) and the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) coalition to provide continuity of care for displaced kidney dialysis patients in need of treatment. ASN Supports Hurricane Harvey Kidney Patient Relief Efforts
Washington, DC (August 23, 2017)—As Houston area residents fight to survive Hurricane Harvey’s flood waters and wreckage, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) joins efforts by the American Kidney Fund (AKF) and the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) coalition to provide continuity of care for displaced kidney dialysis patients in need of treatment.
Today, ASN announces a $10,000 donation to the relief efforts for dialysis patients coordinated by AKF. These funds will help those affected by the catastrophic flooding and damage by helping replace medications, providing transportation t
A team of researchers at the University of Georgia and Virginia Commonwealth University has developed a computer model to help scientists better understand changes in lung function and respiratory mechanics as people age
• In a recent study of healthy young adults, marijuana use was not associated with change in kidney function over time or the appearance of albumin in the urine, which is a sign of kidney damage.
• Additional studies are needed to assess the effects of marijuana in older adults and patients with kidney disease.
• A tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of certain cases of chronic myeloid leukemia slowed cyst growth in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
Biomedical engineering researchers will attack two banes of cardiovascular disease — heart failure after heart attacks and the scourge of resistant high blood pressure — with $4.8 million in National Institutes of Health grants that begin this fall.
A new Michigan State University study now offers new details showing that a certain protein released from fat in the body can cause a non-cancerous cell to turn into a cancerous one. The federally funded research also found that a lower layer of abdominal fat, when compared to fat just under the skin, is the more likely culprit, releasing even more of this protein and encouraging tumor growth.
• There are very few high quality studies on strategies to increase living kidney donation.
• From the limited data available, educational interventions directed at potential recipients and their social networks are the most promising.
• In a new study, individuals with poor kidney function had an increased risk of developing community-acquired infections.
• The relative proportion of lower respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, and sepsis became increasingly higher as kidney function decreased.
• Investigators observed a step-wise increase in the risk of atrial fibrillation with decreasing kidney function. Compared with patients without kidney disease, those with severe kidney disease had a two-fold higher risk for developing atrial fibrillation.
• This link held even after accounting for a range of possible contributors, including measures of cardiovascular health, and it was consistent across subgroups of participants.
Millions of people die every year from dehydration as a result of exposure and illness. In humans, even the most minor dehydration can compromise the kidneys causing lifelong, irreparable issues or even death. However, some animals living in desert environments are able to survive both acute and chronic dehydration. While these animals, like cactus mice, have evolved over time to deal with environmental stressors like dehydration, researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found it’s not the physical makeup that is helping them survive, but rather their genetic makeup.
Given the choice of contrast medium for a computed tomography (CT) scan, most patients wouldn’t know the difference between the two iodine-based options commonly used in cancer cases. But for some patients, particularly in the already fragile and potentially compromised cancer patient, it is important to be aware that iodated contrast media has been linked to kidney impairment and a condition known as Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN).
• Deficits in the ability to smell are common among individuals with chronic kidney disease, and the severity of these deficits increases with the severity of their disease.
• Reductions in several markers of nutrition correlated with patients’ impaired sense of smell.
• Treatment with intranasal theophylline, an asthma drug, led to improvements in the ability to smell in 5 of 7 patients with kidney failure.
An experimental treatment derived from a potentially deadly microorganism may provide lifesaving help for kidney transplant patients, according to an international study led by investigators at Cedars-Sinai. The study found that treating patients with the drug IdeS® before transplantation significantly reduced, and in most cases eliminated, donor-specific antibodies that can cause rejection or failure of the new organ.
A new study has discovered that two microRNAs could be used to develop the first-ever blood test for kidney cancer as well as novel treatments for this condition. These findings were presented today at the 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in San Diego.