Feature Channels: Kidney Disease

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• Investigators reveal that Apol1, a protein implicated in kidney disease, is produced mainly by the liver.

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• A healthy diet high in fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, cereals, whole grains, and fiber, and low in red meat, salt, and refined sugars was linked with a reduced risk of early death in an analysis of 7 studies

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Magnets instead of antibiotics could provide a possible new treatment method for blood infection. This involves the blood of patients being mixed with magnetic iron particles, which bind the bacteria to them after which they are removed from the blood using magnets. The initial laboratory tests at Empa in St. Gallen have been successful, and seem promising.

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For the two-thirds of kidney stone patients who need more than just extra hydration to pass their stones, physicians are eager to find non-surgical ways to help. Now, a new review of the medical literature suggests alpha blockers may be useful in some cases.

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According to an annual data report from the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), hospitalization and mortality rates for patients with chronic kidney disease continue to decline in the U.S.

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• A simple home-based walking program improved physical capacity and quality of life in patients undergoing long-term dialysis.

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Smoking may lead to fibrosis in the heart and kidneys and can worsen existing kidney disease, according to a new study. The research team suggests that exposure to cigarette smoke negatively affects genetic messaging that controls tissue scarring.

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Long-term estrogen treatment after menopause may increase the risk of new kidney damage and negatively affect women with abnormal kidney function.

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Patients with diabetes and suffering from acute kidney injury (AKI), proteinuria and uncontrolled blood sugar experience a sharp reduction in the number of years they have healthy renal function before being forced onto dialysis, according to researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

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• New research estimates the projected lives that would be saved if patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease underwent intensive blood pressure lowering. • The findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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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 2016, November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world’s largest organization of kidney health professionals, has elected Eleanor D. Lederer, MD, FASN, as the next ASN President. • Dr. Lederer officially assumes her role as ASN President during the society’s annual meeting, ASN Kidney Week 2016, the largest gathering of kidney care specialists in the world, and will begin her term on January 1, 2017.

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• In a study of patients with chronic kidney disease, each additional hour of nighttime sleep was linked with a 19% lower risk of developing kidney failure. • There was also a significant association between sleep quality and kidney failure risk. • Research that uncovered these findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• Multi-disciplinary care—or coordination of care among different clinicians and specialists—improves the health of patients with kidney disease and reduces costs compared with usual care. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• Researchers have developed a key component needed to create a bioartificial kidney. • The advance will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• A dipstick test for salivary urea nitrogen was accurate for diagnosing kidney disease in adults in Malawi, Africa. • Results of the test also helped predict patients’ risk of early death. • The test will be described at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• Individuals who took proton pump inhibitors or histamine receptor-2 blockers for heartburn, acid reflux, or ulcers had elevated risks of developing kidney stones. • In individuals without acute kidney injury, proton pump inhibitors were linked with a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease or kidney failure compared with histamine receptor-2 blockers. • Research that uncovered these findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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The ASN Foundation for Kidney Research (ASN Foundation) is proud to announce the public launch of its Securing the Future Campaign during ASN Kidney Week 2016. This campaign coincides with the 50th anniversary of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the 20th anniversary of the Career Development Grants Program.

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• Amit X. Garg, MD, PhD will be presented with the ASN-AHA Young Investigator Award during ASN Kidney Week 2016, the world’s premier nephrology meeting where more than 13,000 kidney health professionals from around the world will gather in Chicago, IL from November 15–20.

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• The Live Donor Champion program increased knowledge of live donation and comfort approaching others about live donation, and it boosted live donor referrals. • The program will be described at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• Scientists have developed a method to coax human pluripotent stem cells to mature into cells that go on to form the functional units of the kidney. • The team has demonstrated how the method can be used to study human kidney diseases. • The research will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• In a study of patients with chronic kidney disease, nonsmokers and smokers who successfully quit had slower worsening of their kidney function than those who were unsuccessful at quitting. • Cigarette smoking partially negated the kidney-protective effects of patients’ medications. • Research that uncovered these findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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• Kidney damage was linked with worse performance on tests of global cognitive function, executive function, memory, and attention. • Kidney damage may also be linked with structural abnormalities in the brain. • Research that uncovered these findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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On November 17, 2016, a Wayne State University doctoral student, Matthew Jasinski, will present results from his dissertation at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Nephrology in Chicago. The study demonstrates the value of proactive identification of and family psychoeducation about cognitive impairment in patients with End State Renal Disease or Chronic Kidney Disease (ESRD/CKD). A team from Henry Ford Hospital led by Mark Ketterer, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in the Department of Behavioral Health Services, collaborated with Jasinski, a Wayne State Department of Psychology graduate student, and Mark Lumley, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Wayne State, to conduct a clinical trial that sought to reduce the number of 30-day hospital readmissions by educating patients with ESRD and their family members about the patient’s health needs.

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Cooper will join Joseph Tector as co-director of UAB’s Xenotransplantation Program with their research geared toward using genetically modified pigs to facilitate kidney transplants in humans.

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• In a recent analysis, approximately half of dialysis patients had advance directives, but only 3% specifically addressed dialysis management at the end of life. • Patients were far more likely to address other end-of-life interventions than dialysis in their advance directives.

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• In patients with chronic kidney disease, dietary sodium restriction reduced albuminuria (an indicator of kidney dysfunction) and blood pressure, whereas paricalcitol (a vitamin D receptor activator) in itself had no significant effect on these measures. • The combination of paricalcitol and a low sodium diet resulted in the lowest albuminuria levels in patients.

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• A telemedicine program that partners a national dialysis provider with a rural hospital in Kentucky can surmount traditional barriers to deliver kidney care to rural hospitals. • The program will be described at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15–20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

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A study finds that smoking or being overweight makes it more difficult for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to achieve optimal control of inflammation and symptoms, despite standard of care treatment.

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A new bioinformatic framework developed by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine has identified key proteins significantly altered at the gene-expression level in biopsied tissue from patients with diabetic kidney disease, a result that may reveal new therapeutic targets.

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What: American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week Press Briefing When: Friday, November 18 at 9:45 a.m. CST Where: McCormick Place, Room W473 Embargoed until Saturday, November 19, at 10:30 CST (11:30 EST) Why: Briefing will feature presentations of High-Impact Clinical Trials. Dr. Pascale Lane and Dr. Gretchen Lehman Brandt will moderate and provide context and expert commentary on the science presented.

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An experimental kidney cancer drug outperformed the standard first-line therapy for patients with metastatic disease who are considered at risk for poorer than average outcomes, according to results of a randomized phase II clinical trial by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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Research published by a Houston Methodist team led by John Cooke, M.D., Ph.D., received high accolades at this year’s American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

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Allopurinol, a widely used treatment for lowering serum urate levels, does not appear to increase risk of kidney deterioration in gout patients with normal or near-normal kidney function, according to new research findings presented this week at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in Washington.

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Chronic kidney disease patients who take urate-lowering therapy and achieve target urate levels show improvement in kidney function, according to new research findings presented this week at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in Washington.

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• Individuals with constipation had a 13% higher likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease and a 9% higher likelihood of developing kidney failure compared with individuals without constipation. • More severe constipation was linked with an incrementally higher risk for both chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.

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For the first time, scientists have prevented urinary tract infections in mice by vaccinating them with tiny molecules that UTI bacteria usually use to grab iron from their host and fuel the growth of bacteria in the bladder.

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The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world’s largest organization of kidney health professionals, released the latest analysis of the US adult nephrology workforce authored by George Washington University (GWU) researchers. • GWU’s report details a mixed picture for the specialty. The job market for US medical graduates is improving, yet the inflow of new nephrologists is outpacing the rate of retirement for older physicians. GWU projects a 58% increase in the ratio of adult nephrologists per 10,000 population between now and 2030.

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• New research suggests that transmembrane TNF-alpha may allow HIV to infect kidney cells that not express the major HIV-1 CD4 receptor. The findings could provide insights on how patients develop HIV-1 associated nephropathy.

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Mayo Clinic nephrologists have uncovered a connection between first-time kidney stone formers and chronic kidney disease. In a paper published today in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers announce a persistent decline in kidney functioning following an individual’s first case of kidney stones.

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Inflammation is one of the main reasons why people with diabetes experience heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems and other, related complications. Now, in a surprise finding, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered, in mice, that when certain immune cells can’t manufacture fat, the mice don’t develop diabetes and inflammation, even when consuming a high-fat diet.

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Novel biomedical research uncovers tie between genetic variant and energy expenditure – a potential biological pathway to increase calorie burn and weight loss

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A study by University at Buffalo researchers has shown that physicians in pediatric intensive care units are not using the newest guidelines to diagnose acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill children, a practice that could affect their patients’ long-term health.

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Four years ago, Merlinda Chelette was a hardworking ER nurse who suffered from excruciating back pain. When it became too painful to bear, she initially sought chiropractic care, but the pain got worse.

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• Women are more likely than men to develop kidney damage following cardiovascular surgery, but researchers found no association between sex and risk of kidney damage when they analyzed studies that took patient characteristics and other factors into account.

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DETROIT – Many diabetes patients require continuous or on-demand insulin therapy to manage their disease. Insulin pump therapy offers them more predictable, rapid-acting insulin, providing a more active and normal lifestyle. Over time, foreign body reaction (FBR) occurs to nearly all devices implanted in the body, resulting in fibrotic tissue depositing around the implant surface, a decrease in blood supply around the implant, and a decrease in the molecular transport to the implant. This results in the need to replace the implant. A team of Wayne State University researchers are developing a novel material formulation to be applied to the surfaces of most implantable devices that will aid in resisting FBR and improve the long-term use of devices.

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• Factors secreted by Oxalobacter formigenes, a bacterium that lives in the large intestine, can reduce urinary excretion of oxalate in mice. Such factors may therefore help prevent or treat kidney stones.

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• In analyses of adults who initiated hemodialysis between 2004 and 2012, death rates in patients who had an arteriovenous fistula created prior to starting dialysis were lower than rates in patients who started dialysis using a catheter. • Use of a fistula was associated with a lower risk of death in patients <65 years old, but not in patients aged ≥65 years. • Only 2.3% of deaths were related to complications of vascular access.

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African ancestry contributes to the risk of chronic kidney disease among some Hispanic/Latino adults, according to a study co-authored by Loyola University Chicago researchers.

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• A new analysis indicates that radiocontrast, which is commonly used during imaging tests, may be less hazardous to the kidneys than previously thought. • Among nearly 6 million hospitalized patients, those who received radiocontrast did not develop acute kidney injury at a clinically significant higher rate than other patients.