Feature Channels: Kidney Disease

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• Among male kidney transplant candidates, prostate cancer screening was not associated with improved patient survival after transplantation. • Screening increased the time to listing and transplantation for candidates under 70 years old with elevated prostate specific antigen levels. • Compared with candidates who were not screened, screened candidates had a reduced likelihood of receiving a transplant regardless of their screening results.

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North Carolina resident Jerry Phillips has known since 2001 that he would one day need a kidney transplant. Fourteen years later, his need was fulfilled by a stranger and his transplant surgery performed by a friend.

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Vitamin D2 supplements taken for 6 months did not reduce dialysis patients’ need for anemia drugs that stimulate red blood cell production.

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Ingesting a drink rich in cocoa flavanols improved blood vessel function and reduced diastolic blood pressure in patients with kidney failure.

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Kidney disease in the United States is both common and under-diagnosed, but two new studies led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers suggest that paying close attention to results of a simple blood test can help predict the likelihood that patients are headed for kidney failure or death.

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Poor kidney function prior to heart surgery can lead to worse outcomes, higher surgical costs, and a longer hospital stay

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University of Michigan researchers have identified an accessible, non-invasive way to identify patients at risk for progression of kidney disease.

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When associate professor of pharmacy practice Tadd Hellwig of South Dakota State University and three pharmacy colleagues at the Sanford USD Medical Center noticed that some hospital patients given two common antibiotics developed kidney failure, they decided to take a closer look. Their study led to closer monitoring of patients receiving vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam due to an increased risk of kidney damage.

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Native Americans have decreased access to kidney transplants and are more likely to die while waiting for a kidney than whites according to new research. Long-term survival outcomes in Native Americans who did receive a kidney transplant were worse than whites, according to a study presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 in San Diego, CA.

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• After 6 months of treatment with hydroxyurea, sickle cell disease patients’ kidney function, as measured by the urinary albumin/creatine ratio, improved significantly.

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• After researchers transplanted kidney tissue generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells into a mouse kidney, the animal’s blood vessels readily connected to the human tissue.

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The Tara Health Foundation announced today a grant of $4.8 million dollars to fund a research collaboration that will investigate how childhood adversity affects children’s health. The Bay Area Research Consortium on Toxic Stress and Health, composed of the Center for Youth Wellness, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and UCSF Medical Center, aims to bolster research and scientific tools to comprehensively address the negative health outcomes associated with exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

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The increasing use of testosterone replacement therapy to treat reduced testosterone level in older men has been accompanied by growing concerns over its long-term safety. Two studies examining the health risks of receiving testosterone will be presented at Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Physiology and Gender conference, supporting opposite conclusions regarding risks.

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An increase in serum phosphorus levels in African Americans with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with faster progression to kidney failure, known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The study confirmed in African Americans what previous studies in Caucasians demonstrated, that an increase in the biomarker predicted ESRD risk. The research, from the Indiana University School of Medicine, was presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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• Higher levels of urinary potassium excretion, which closely correlate with intake amounts, were linked with a slower decline of kidney function and a lower incidence of cardiovascular complications among patients with type 2 diabetes and normal kidney function.

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• Risk of kidney and thyroid cancers was especially high when kidney failure patients were on dialysis. • Conversely, risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma, lung cancer, and certain skin cancers was highest following kidney transplantation, likely due to immunosuppressant medications.

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New advances in nanopore technology could lead to the development of a surgically implantable, artificial kidney. The research, a collaboration between UCSF and Vanderbilt University, was presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), which afflicts more than 26 million Americans, is a condition in which individuals experience a slow loss of kidney function over time. At the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania today presented findings from their analysis of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study to evaluate risk markers for adverse cardiac events in patients with CKD.

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Diets high in meat may lead to an increased risk of developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC) through intake of carcinogenic compounds created by certain cooking techniques, such as barbecuing and pan-frying.

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Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), which afflicts more than 26 million Americans, is a condition in which individuals experience a slow loss of kidney function over time. At the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will present findings from their analysis of the Chronic Renal Insufficiently Cohort (CRIC) study to evaluate risk markers for adverse cardiac events in patients with CKD.

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New equations may help predict the lifetime risk of kidney failure in kidney donor candidates. Living kidney donors who develop diabetes or hypertension are at greater risk for experiencing reduced kidney function. The findings, which point to the need for revised kidney transplant policies, will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Among patients with chronic kidney disease, more severe stages of disease were significant predictors of falling into poverty, as were black ethnicity, low educational attainment, single adult household, and low income. The findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Among patients with chronic kidney disease enrolled in either a telenephrology clinic or a conventional nephrology clinic, compliance with telenephrology visits was shown to be equal to or better than conventional care. The study showed composite clinical outcomes (end stage renal disease, doubling of serum creatinine, and death) did not differ between the groups. This data will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Australian patients with kidney disease who require hemodialysis can travel and not miss their lifesaving dialysis treatments thanks to a new holiday dialysis program created in partnership by Kidney Health Australia and Monash Health. Results from a study of the Big Red Kidney Bus program will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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New research indicates that the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States has stabilized overall. Analysis of the latest NHANES data is consistent with the recent plateau in the number of new patients with end-stage renal disease. The study indicates the need for continued efforts to protect Americans’ kidney health and will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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The results of numerous high-impact clinical trials that could affect kidney-related medical care will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015, November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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The results of numerous high-impact clinical trials that could affect kidney-related medical care will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Increasing median income levels of transplant candidates’ zip codes were associated with higher rates of living donation, but African American candidates living in the wealthiest neighborhoods had only slightly higher rates than rates seen among the lowest median income areas for Caucasians. African American donors had higher rates of complications early after donation. The findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Physicians embarked on a rare operation in an effort to save the lives of one Georgian, one Alabamian.

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Compared with recipients of living related kidney donor transplants, recipients who purchased organs internationally were more likely to develop hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and cytomegalovirus, and they were more likely to experience acute and recurrent rejections and surgical complications. Patient and organ survival rates were also lower in “commercial” recipients. Research that uncovered these risks associated with transplant tourism will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Among patients with type 2 diabetes and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), a shift in gut microbiota diversity in combination with elevated plasma zonulin levels substantially impacts the degree of chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Zonulin could be a potential future target to control inflammatory immune responses, according to a study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) was prevalent among HIV-infected patients and demonstrated a high morbidity rate in a new center-based study. More than half of patients with TDF-associated AKI did not recover baseline kidney function during follow-up, and about one-third of the patients required dialysis, according to research that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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A new streamlined electronic alert protocol that is linked to an intervention bundle has reduced mortality rates due to acute kidney injury (AKI) by 23% in a pilot study. A common condition in hospitals, AKI is fatal in 30% of cases. Results from the STOP-AKI protocol that could help reduce the worldwide burden of AKI will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Five leaders in the kidney health community are being honored by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world's largest organization of kidney disease specialists. The award winners will be honored at ASN Kidney Week, the world’s premier nephrology meeting. More than 13,000 kidney health professionals from around the world will gather in San Diego on November 3–8.

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• A treatment consisting of vascular endothelial growth factor fused to a bioengineered carrier promotes the recovery of kidney function in pigs with a disease frequently observed in patients in which the kidneys’ arteries are blocked.

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The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, in concert with GW Hospital and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, has established the Ron & Joy Paul Kidney Center to raise awareness about kidney disease and increase live kidney donation in Washington, D.C.

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Researchers have identified a protein measured by an inexpensive blood test can predict a person’s chances of developing chronic kidney disease up to five years before kidney damage begins. In findings published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), researchers led by Rush University Medical Center Chairman of Medicine Jochen Reiser, MD, PhD, showed that High levels of the suPAR protein indicate future kidney disease much like cholesterol and blood pressure levels help predict heart disease. “SuPAR promises to do for kidney disease what cholesterol has done for cardiovascular disease,” predicts Reiser.

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The use of hormone replacement therapy may lead to better kidney function in postmenopausal women. Research that uncovered this link will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Shorter sleep duration was significantly linked with a more rapid decline in kidney function among participants in the Nurses’ Health Study. The findings, which point to the importance of sleep for maintaining kidney health, will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Development of a surgically implantable, artificial kidney — a promising alternative to kidney transplantation or dialysis for people with end-stage kidney disease — has received a $6 million boost, thanks to a new grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), one of the National Institutes of Health, to researchers led by UC San Francisco bioengineer Shuvo Roy, PhD, and Vanderbilt University nephrologist William Fissell, MD.

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The National Institutes of Health has awarded a four-year, $6 million grant to investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) to develop an implantable artificial kidney.

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ASN Foundation for Kidney Research announced today that the Research Fellowship Program is fully endowed. The Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation became 6th organization inducted into the ASN Foundation's Founders Circle to fund groundbreaking, innovative kidney research. Since 1996, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the ASN Foundation for Kidney Research have awarded more than $35 million to clinicians, researchers, and educators to advance innovations that can improve care for patients with kidney diseases.

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• The incidence of kidney failure from multiple myeloma decreased by about 20% from 2001–2002 to 2009–2010. • Patients with multiple myeloma who develop kidney failure are living longer. Their likelihood of dying within 3 years after initiating dialysis declined by 28% from 2001–2002 to 2009–2010

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Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of drugs used to treat acid reflux and other acid-related gastrointestinal conditions, may increase the risk for developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Two new studies that reached similar conclusions on the increased CKD risk associated with PPI use will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world's largest organization of kidney health professionals, released the latest in a series of key analyses of the US nephrology workforce authored by George Washington University Health Workforce Institute researchers. Nephrology is a specialty in transition, driven in part by changes in the health care delivery system. Geographic maldistribution of nephrologists and the “all-in” nephrology fellowship Match policy are among the issues that could influence the specialty’s future.

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• Black race, lower neighborhood household income, older age, and Medicaid/Medicare insurance status were each linked with less use of an electronic health record portal by kidney disease patients.

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• Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) create a low-oxygen state to stimulate the body to make more red blood cells. • The drugs generated promising results in several phase 2 clinical trials in kidney disease patients with anemia.

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Each 80 minutes/day (assuming 16 awake hours/day) increase in sedentary duration was linked with a 20% increased likelihood of having chronic kidney disease in a recent study. Research that uncovered the association between sedentary behavior and kidney disease will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3–8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

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Mayo Clinic researchers in Rochester, Minnesota, collaborated with the University of Mississippi Medical Center on a recent study, “Troponin T as a Predictor of End-Stage Renal Disease and All-Cause Death in African-American and Whites From Hypertensive Families.”