Web Symposium - NDT-Educational Over 100

Kidney Donor Evaluation Detects Aneurysm

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago have performed a landmark robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery to remove a renal arterial aneurysm and reconstruct the artery using a graft from a vein in the patient's leg.
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Wearable kidney device may free dialysis patients

LONDON (Reuters) - Patients with chronic kidney failure could be freed from fixed dialysis machines, thanks to a wearable artificial kidney that has shown promising results in a pilot study.
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Reduced kidney function, microalbuminuria increase CV death risk

MedWire News: Patients with reduced kidney function and microalbuminuria are at high risk for cardiovascular (CV) death, study findings indicate.
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Total amount, not intensity, of exercise key to children's BP control

MedWire News: Children who keep physically active have lower blood pressure (BP) than their less active peers, report UK researchers who found the total amount of exercise children do is more important than the intensity.
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High blood pressure tied to dementia: researchers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Elderly people with high blood pressure may be more likely to develop thinking and learning problems that can lead to dementia, researchers said on Monday.
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Study Questions Impact Of Hemoglobin Variations On Mortality In Dialysis Patients

For patients with dialysis related anemia, the risk of death is increased when hemoglobin levels remain persistently low over a period several months not necessarily when they fluctuate over time, according to a study in the January Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Cell transplants may help heart attack victims

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transplanting genetically engineered cells into the heart may help protect people who have survived a heart attack from developing life-threatening heart rhythm problems later on, scientists said on Wednesday.
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One Percent Rate Of Kidney Failure After Major Surgery

Patients undergoing major, non cardiac surgery have a one percent risk of developing kidney failure, and those who do have kidney damage are at increased risk of death within a month after their operation.
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High glycemic index diet may boost diabetes risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular consumption of foods with a high glycemic index appears to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in African-American and Chinese women, according to the results of two studies published Monday.
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Embryonic stem cells made without embryos

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have transformed ordinary human skin cells into batches of cells that look and act like embryonic stem cells -- but without using cloning technology and without making embryos.
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Vitamin D may curb type 2 diabetes risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - During a 17-year follow-up of roughly 4,000 men and women, researchers found that individuals with higher blood levels of vitamin D had a 40 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with lower levels of this vitamin.
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Lowered BP after "no salt added" diet

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Simply avoiding pre-salted foods and not adding salt to foods can result in a modest but statistically significant reduction in blood pressure, study findings suggest.
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Elderly hypertensive patients missing out on lifestyle modification advice

MedWire News: Patients with hypertension older than 60 years are less likely than younger hypertensive patients to receive lifestyle modification advice from their physicians, US researchers report.
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Vaccine could replace pills for hypertensive patients

MedWire News: A novel vaccine that acts on angiotensin II appears to be well tolerated and effective at lowering daytime ambulatory blood pressure (BP) levels, reveal phase IIa clinical trial findings reported at the American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.
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End-Stage Renal Disease Expected To Rise Dramatically With Aging 'Boomers' Rising Diabetes Rates

Although estimates have been adjusted downward in light of the most recent data, researchers still predict sharp increases in the U.S. incidence and prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the years ahead, according to a paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 40th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Francisco.
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Diabetes prevention in India cost-feasible

CHENNAI (Reuters Health) - Lifestyle modifications and long-term treatment with metformin, alone or in combination, are cost-effective measures for preventing type 2 diabetes in individuals who are at risk for this disease, according to the results of a study by the Indian Diabetes Prevention Programme.
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TV raises blood pressure in obese kids: study

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Watching too much television may not only help make children fat, it may also raise their blood pressure, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
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Hemoglobin levels useful for diabetes screening

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Measuring patients' glycosylated hemoglobin levels (A1C) could be used to screen for diabetes, according to California-based researchers.
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Obesity becoming a global problem

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People are getting fatter in all parts of the world, with the possible exception of east Asia, doctors found in a one-day global snapshot of obesity.
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Sleep deprivation may raise women's blood pressure

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who regularly get fewer than 7 hours of sleep each night may have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, a new study suggests.
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New Diagnostic Discovered For Peritoneal Dialysis

Thanks to a discovery by scientists at Robarts Research Institute and The University of Western Ontario, patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis may soon be able to worry less about the risks of infection and lessen their hospital stays.
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Kidney Disease Treatment May Harm Patients - Study Suggests Ways To Reduce Danger

Central venous catheters are commonly used to provide permanent hemodialysis for patients with serious kidney disease. One technique, inserting a catheter through large vessels, has been commonly used worldwide in recent years.
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High BP greatly increases women's diabetes risk

MedWire News: Women with high blood pressure (BP) levels are three times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those with optimal BP levels, irrespective of their body mass index (BMI) and presence of other cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors, US study findings reveal.
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"Knockout mice" designers win Nobel Prize

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Three researchers who pioneered the creation of "designer mice" to demonstrate the roles of different genes in human development and disease won the 2007 Nobel medicine prize on Monday.
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Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Receive Protection From Stroke And Heart Attacks

New research, published in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology by The George Institute for International Health in Sydney, has found that lowering blood pressure protects stroke victims with Chronic Kidney Disease from further strokes or heart attacks. Given the high risk of cardiovascular complications in people with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), these results have significant implications for millions of people across the world.
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Nervous activity varies with hypertension type

MedWire News: Obese and non-obese patients with hypertension have different patterns of sympathetic nervous activity, results from the journal Hypertension indicate.
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Treated hypertension patients require increased coordination of brain blood flow for memory tasks

MedWire News: Blood flow to brain regions that support memory function in patients with hypertension differs from that in people with normal blood pressure (BP) levels, a difference that is compounded by their antihypertensive treatment, report US researchers.
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Breath test for diabetes may be possible: study

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Diabetic children exhale higher levels of a chemical when their blood sugar is too high, U.S. researchers said on Monday, suggesting that a simple breath test could one day replace finger stick testing as a way to monitor diabetes.
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Diabetes may raise risk of death from pneumonia

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with type 2 diabetes or elevated blood sugar are at increased risk of dying after being hospitalized for pneumonia, a new study hints.
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Frequent nocturnal dialysis improves LV mass and QOL

MedWire News: Delivering hemodialysis in six nightly sessions rather than three daytime sessions improves clinical outcomes including left ventricular (LV) mass, a preliminary trial has shown.
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Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Do Not Benefit From Lower Homocysteine Levels

A patient with chronic kidney disease (end-stage) who is treated with high doses of B vitamins and folic acid to reduce homocysteine levels does not experience survival improvements or a lowering of vascular events risk, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), September 12 issue.
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Additional BP lowering in diabetes is major ADVANCE

MedWire News: Lowering blood pressure (BP) with a fixed combination of perindopril and indapamide can significantly reduce cardiovascular disease events and death in a range of Type 2 diabetes patients, ADVANCE study findings show.
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Renal Transplant Recipients' Genetic Makeup Does Not Negatively Impact Fluvastatin Use

Scientists report that when people with a transplanted kidney take fluvastatin, a drug against cardiovascular disease, their response to the drug is not influenced by their genetic composition.
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New blood pressure control found

UK scientists say they have discovered a new way to regulate blood pressure, offering hopes of new drugs to combat strokes and heart attacks.
One in four adults has high blood pressure and although powerful drugs are already available, few manage to achieve target blood pressure levels.
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Hypertension underdiagnosed in children and adolescents

MedWire News: Hypertension and prehypertension are frequently undiagnosed in children and adolescents, US researchers highlight.
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Whole grains may lower odds of high blood pressure

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who get plenty of whole grains in their diet may lower their risk of developing high blood pressure, a large study suggests.
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Excessive exercise in hypertension may speed heart failure progression

MedWire News: Excessive exercise in untreated hypertension may, in the long term, worsen cardiac remodeling and accelerate progression to heart failure, preliminary study findings in rats indicate.
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Progressive Loss Of Kidney Function Halted In Rare Fabry Disease

A combination of two types of blood pressure-lowering drugs -- an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) plus an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB), added to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with agalsidase-beta (Fabrazyme®, Genzyme Corporation, Cambridge, MA) -- is the first treatment shown to stop progressive loss of kidney function in patients with severe kidney involvement due to the rare genetic disorder Fabry disease, reports a study in the September Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Report details salt reduction rationale

MedWire News: A report by the American Medical Association (AMA) describing the cardiovascular health benefits of limiting sodium consumption has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Low vitamin D levels tied to higher blood pressure

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As blood levels of vitamin D drop, blood pressure increases, according to findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).
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ARB treatment effect is short lived in individuals at risk for hypertension

MedWire News: Individuals at high familial risk for hypertension treated with an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) have a reduction in blood pressure, but this positive effect does not persist when the treatment is withdrawn, Danish researchers report.
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Everyone 'should donate organs'

Everyone should be seen as a potential organ donor on their death unless they expressly request not to be, England's chief medical officer says.
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Trimming the waist may trim diabetes, heart risks

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who manage to reduce their waistlines may also lower their risk for diabetes and heart disease, a study suggests.
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A Gene That Protects From Kidney Disease

A combination of mice and patient studies sheds light on cause and possible new therapies of kidney diseases
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Kidneys Could Be Damaged By Angioplasty Procedure

The most common procedure for clearing blocked kidney arteries can also release thousands of tiny particles into the bloodstream that can impair kidney function, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.
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China highlights transplant rules

China's Ministry of Health has issued a statement highlighting the country's new rules on organ transplants.
It says that foreign citizens can only go to China for transplant surgery with the health ministry's approval.
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Diabetes eating disorder warning

Thousands of young women with diabetes could be skipping insulin injections to lose weight, the BBC has learned.
People with type 1 diabetes need daily injections to help them absorb glucose to use as fuel. Failure to take correct doses can lead to rapid weight loss.
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Chocolate 'lowers' blood pressure

A mouthful of dark chocolate each day could reduce blood pressure, cutting the risk of stroke, research suggests.
Forty-four people with raised blood pressure were put into two groups. One ate six grams of dark chocolate daily, the other the same amount of white.
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Diabetic smokers at risk for too-low blood sugar

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with type 1 diabetes who smoke are more than twice as likely to have an episode of severe hypoglycemia, or very low blood sugar, as those who have never smoked, according to a new study.
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Aerobic endurance training reduces BP in hypertensive patients

MedWire News: Aerobic endurance training in patients with hypertension leads to a significant reduction in blood pressure (BP) independently of whether or not they are receiving beta-blocker treatment, study findings indicate.
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Human genome further unravelled

A close-up view of the human genome has revealed its innermost workings to be far more complex than first thought.
The study, which was carried out on just 1% of our DNA code, challenges the view that genes are the main players in driving our biochemistry.
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Exercise training helps control blood pressure

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Exercise training helps patients with high blood pressure, or "hypertension," control their heart rate and reduce their blood pressure, new research shows.
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Passive smoking linked to impaired endothelial function in children

MedWire News: Children exposed to tobacco smoke have impaired arterial endothelial function, which may predispose them to early atherosclerosis, Finnish researchers warn.
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Avastin helps stem kidney cancer progression

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Genentech's cancer drug Avastin helped patients with advanced kidney cancer live twice as long as those on standard therapy alone, according to a study released on Saturday.
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Endothelial apoptosis underlies sleep apnea link with CVD

MedWire News: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have increased levels of circulating apoptotic endothelial cells, correlating with impaired vascular function, research shows.
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High-carb diet linked to higher blood pressure

Carbohydrate-rich diets are associated with slightly higher blood pressure than diets rich in monounsaturated fats, according to the findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Cord blood stem cells produce insulin: researchers

Stem cells taken from the umbilical cords of newborns can be engineered to produce insulin and may someday be used to treat diabetes, U.S. and British researchers reported on Friday.
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Diabetes complications frequently afflict elderly

People who develop diabetes late in life often suffer from a range of diabetes-related complications, and their life expectancy is shorter than that of nondiabetic individuals of the same age, a new study shows.
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Kidney disease is major predictor of cardiac events, mortality

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important risk factor for cardiac and all-cause mortality, with a magnitude of risk akin to that of diabetes, a large US study has found.
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Diabetes control ups dialysis patients' survival

Diabetic patients with kidney disease who are on dialysis live longer if their blood sugar levels are kept under tight control, researchers report.
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ACE Inhibitors Help Preserve Kidney Function In IgA Nephropathy

For young patients with the kidney disease IgA nephropathy (IgAN), early treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can reduce the long-term risk of irreversible kidney damage, suggests a study in the June Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Gender Differences In Blood Pressure And Kidney Damage Under Study

While men and women both get high blood pressure and related kidney disease, the path to get there is shorter, steeper and just different for men, researchers say.
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Blood pressure climbs along with weight

A man's risk of developing high blood pressure rises along with his weight, even when it's within normal range, according to a new study.
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Who Receives A Kidney Transplant First? Fairness Of Kidney Allocation Could Shake Public Trust

While the field of transplantation is quite young, substantial advancements and success have led to the current imbalance between the supply of organs and the demand for them. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) coordinates the nation's transplant system through a point system based primarily on wait time, sensitization and HLA matching.
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Cancer and diabetes a daunting combination

People with cancer who also have diabetes are often treated less aggressively and have a worse overall outlook than those without diabetes, Dutch investigators report.
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Outcome-driven BP thresholds lower than guideline levels

MedWire News: Optimal and normal blood pressure (BP) thresholds based on population-based outcomes are lower than those given in hypertension guidelines, research suggests.
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Novel immunosuppression therapy benefits heart transplant patients

MedWire News: A novel immunosuppression regimen for heart transplant patients can improve kidney function and prevent transplant coronary heart disease, two studies have revealed.
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Pills to avoid diabetes 'unjust'

Taking prescription drugs to prevent diabetes cannot be justified when lifestyle changes are just as effective, say US scientists.
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Hyponatremia predicts longer hospital stays and post-discharge mortality

Heart failure in-patients presenting with hyponatremia are more likely to stay in hospital for longer and to die after being discharged than patients with normal sodium levels, US researchers report.
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Twin Studies Reveal Genes Influence Cardiac And Kidney Disease

Daniel O'Connor, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has studied about 265 twin pairs over the past few years, which has led him to some surprising discoveries.
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Renal Transplantation In Children Younger Than 6 Years Old

Garcia, et al reported their experience with renal transplantation in 38 children (40 transplant), ages 1-5 years over a 16 year period. Demographics as well as patient and graft survivals were all reported.
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Insulin glargine safe for pregnant diabetics

The use of insulin glargine, a man-made type of insulin, for diabetes during pregnancy does not increase the risk of complications for the developing baby, findings from a pilot study indicate.
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Salt may affect more than blood pressure: study

Consuming less salt can not only lower blood pressure, but may reduce the risk of heart disease overall, researchers reported on Thursday.
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Dialysis facility type may affect epoetin therapy

The organization status and ownership of a dialysis facility appears to influence the dose of epoetin that patients with anemia are given, new research suggests.
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Brain hypertension role identified

MedWire News: Inflammation in the brain may play a role in hypertension, scientists report.
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Cocoa, not tea, intake reduces BP

MedWire News: Meta-analysis findings suggest that consuming cocoa lowers blood pressure (BP) levels, whereas tea has no effect.
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Kidney Recipients With Anemia Have Vastly Increased Mortality Rate

According to a new study in American Journal of Transplantation, kidney transplant patients suffering from anemia, a treatable blood deficiency, are more likely to die or suffer from organ failure than other transplant recipients.
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Monkey genes help us see what makes us human

Many of the genes that cause diseases in humans can be found in macaque monkeys but not in our nearest relative, the chimpanzee, researchers reported on Thursday in a study that sheds more light on what makes humans different.
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Kidney Foundation lowers target hemoglobin range

The National Kidney Foundation said on Thursday it plans to cut its recommended target for hemoglobin levels in kidney disease patients -- a move that could hurt sales of lucrative anemia drugs that boost hemoglobin but have come under scrutiny over safety concerns.
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Diabetes 'blocked by stem cells'

Brazilian and US scientists have used transfusions of patients' own stem cells to reverse type 1 diabetes.
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Stem cell transplant promising for type 1 diabetes

In a small study, a treatment that included stem cell transplantation induced prolonged insulin independence in patients with newly diagnosed type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes.
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Hot flashes linked to high blood pressure

While past research has shown a link between menopause and high blood pressure, a new study suggests there is a relationship between hot flashes and high blood pressure, independent of menopausal status.
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Diabetes, hypertension may explain African American's excess HF risk

African Americans are at particularly high risk of developing heart failure (HF), but this may largely be explained by the high prevalence of diabetes and/or hypertension in this ethnic group, findings from the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) show.
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Heart valve grown from stem cells

British scientists have grown part of a human heart from stem cells for the first time.
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Blood groups 'can be converted'

Scientists have developed a way of converting one blood group into another. The technique potentially enables blood from groups A, B and AB to be converted into group O negative, which can be safely transplanted into any patient.
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Beta blockers over-used in elderly with uncomplicated hypertension

Elderly patients with uncomplicated hypertension are too often prescribed beta blockers as first-line therapy, according to a study of patients in Ontario, Canada.
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Kidney Failure Can Result From Iodine Dye Used For X-Rays Data Shows

Performing x-rays using iodine dye places patients with impaired kidney function at increased risk for kidney failure. Known as Contrast-Induced Nephropathy (ne-FROPP-a-thee) or "CIN," this complication is the third most common cause of hospital-acquired kidney failure in the United States and Europe, accounting for 10-12 percent of all such cases.
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Blood pressure linked to sudden cardiac death in HF patients

Blood pressure (BP) levels are inversely related to sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with ischemic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, researchers report.
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Aspirin may cut Staph risk in dialysis patients

Aspirin therapy may protect dialysis patients from infection with the virulent, potentially life-threatening bug Staphylococcus aureus.
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Type 2 diabetes may raise Parkinson's risk: study

Patients with type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease, although the reasons are unclear, Finnish researchers reported on Wednesday.
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Dietary patterns linked to type 2 diabetes risk

Avoiding meats and fatty foods and eating lots of salads and cooked vegetables appears to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to study findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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New Reference Material For Diagnosing Kidney Disease

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a new reference material to help improve the accuracy of clinical diagnostic tests for chronic kidney disease.
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Statins lower blood pressure

Statins produce small but clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure (BP), meta-analysis results indicate.
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United Network For Organ Sharing Considers New Distribution System For Donor Kidneys

The United Network for Organ Sharing has begun to consider a proposal that would "favor young patients over old" in the distribution of donor kidneys to help "wring more life out of donated organs," the Wall Street Journal reports.
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Dialysis Patients With Metabolic Syndrome Show Increased Risk For Heart Disease

A study of kidney dialysis patients found that nearly 70 percent had metabolic syndrome, a set of symptoms that is a predictor of cardiovascular disease, at the time they initiated maintenance dialysis.
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Soft drinks associated with diabetes, report finds

A review of published studies shows a clear and consistent relationship between drinking sugary (non-diet) soft drinks and poor nutrition, increased risk for obesity -- and increased risk for diabetes.
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Diabetes and depression synergistically increase heart disease mortality

Coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with diabetes have an increased risk of death if they are also suffering from depression, say researchers.
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How Aldosterone Keeps Salt In The Body

The hormone aldosterone regulates the amount of sodium (Na ) that we retain in our body and how much excrete in our urine by activating epithelial Na channels (ENaCs). In this way it has a major influence on blood pressure and extracellular fluid volume, thereby influencing the course of cardiovascular and renal diseases.
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Transplant failures linked to drug costs

After children and adolescents receive an organ transplant, more than 90 percent do well at the one-year mark. Thereafter, unfortunately, the rate of loss of the grafted organ increases, investigators report.
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'Freezing' Kidney Tumors Nonsurgically Is Effective, Safe And Less Expensive Than Laparoscopic Surgery

Research presented today at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 32nd Annual Scientific Meeting shows that the nonsurgical image-guided treatment of kidney tumors -- cryoablation - - is as effective as the laparoscopic technique in viable candidates.
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Type 1 diabetes linked to pancreatic cancer risk

It is well known that people with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of pancreatic cancer, and now it seems that the risk extends to those with type 1 diabetes, researchers report. However, they point out that the risk is still very small.
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Nonnarcotic analgesic use raises hypertension risk

Men are at a greater risk for hypertension if they regularly use nonnarcotic analgesics, US investigators have discovered.
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Diabetes-related eye disorder signals stroke risk

Damage to the retina that sometimes comes with diabetes is associated with an increased risk of having a stroke, researchers report.
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Molecular body clock controls blood pressure

A number of genes that play a role in the body's molecular clock also regulate enzymes involved in the regulation of blood pressure and plasma levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, US scientists have discovered.
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Prehypertension increases risk of cardiovascular disease

Prehypertension is common among postmenopausal women, and associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, heart failure (HF), and cardiovascular death, US researchers have found.
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Serum Immunosuppressive Acidic Protein doubling time as a prognostic factor for Recurrent Renal Cell Carcinoma after Nephrectomy

Serum Immunosuppressive Acidic Protein (IAP) levels have been shown to be prognostic in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
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