Nephrology News
First-Void Urine Predicts Renal Events
The albumin:creatinine ratio from a first-void urine sample significantly outperformed other parameters for predicting future renal events in patients with diabetic nephropathy, investigators in a multinational study concluded.
A one-standard-deviation increase in the ratio quadrupled the likelihood of an adverse renal event. The albumin:creatinine ratio based on a first-morning void proved superior to urinary protein excretion, urinary albumin excretion, and urinary albumin concentration for predicting renal events.
The findings have potentially far-reaching implications for following diabetic patients with established nephropathy.
Heart Rate Linked to Progression of Kidney Disease
High resting heart rate and low heart rate variability are both related to the development of renal impairment, researchers found.
Both factors were significantly associated with chronic kidney disease-related hospitalizations and the development of end-stage renal disease, according to Daniel Brotman, MD, of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and colleagues.
The findings have unclear clinical significance, the researchers reported online in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Scientists find clues to kidney transplant success
European scientists have found a full range of markers in the blood of kidney transplant patients which could predict whether their new organ will be a success and whether they need large amounts of medication to help it.
Microalbuminuria Harmful for People With High Blood Pressure
Healthy people with hypertension who excrete a slight excess of protein in the urine raise their risk of developing kidney and heart complications, according to a study published early online and appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.
The results suggest that more attention should focus on the potential health effects of urinary protein excretion in individuals with hypertension.
B-Vitamin Therapy Increases Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy
Hyperhomocysteinemia is frequently observed in patients with diabetic nephropathy. B-vitamin therapy (folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12) has been shown to lower the plasma concentration of homocysteine. A study in this weeks JAMA sought to determine whether B-vitamin therapy can slow progression of diabetic nephropathy and prevent vascular complications. This study found that among patients with diabetic nephropathy, high doses of B vitamins compared with placebo resulted in a greater decrease in GFR and an increase in vascular events.
Donating Kidney Doesn't Shorten Lifespan
A study of over 80,000 American live kidney donors found they were likely to live just as long as people who have two healthy kidneys and that the procedure carries very little medical risk.
You can read about the landmark study by lead author and transplant surgeon Dr Dorry L Segev, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues, online in the 10 March issue of JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association.
New Drug Slows Advanced Kidney Cancer
Treating advanced kidney cancer patients with the drug pazopanib (Votrient) slowed their disease progression by 54 percent, a new study has found.The phase 3 study included 233 patients with previously untreated kidney cancer (also known as renal cell carcinoma) that was locally advanced or had spread, and 202 patients with renal cell carcinoma who had previously been treated with cytokine therapy (interferon or interleukin). The patients were randomly assigned to take pazopanib tablets (290 patients) or a placebo drug (145 patients).
Bypass Anemia Drugs in Chronic Kidney Disease, Expert Says
Anemia in most chronic kidney disease patients should be managed with iron supplements or blood transfusions, if anything, rather than erythrocyte-stimulating agents, a leading nephrologist has recommended. The only good case for long-term use of erythropoietin drugs in this population is in those who are transplant candidates or have severe anemia with a hemoglobin under 9 g/dl that cannot be managed with transfusions, Ajay K. Singh, of Harvard and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, concluded.
Hospital Re-Admission High For Dialysis Patients Treated In Long-Term Care Hospitals
A new study by University of Cincinnati (UC) nephrologists shows that most dialysis patients admitted to long-term care hospitals face readmission to acute care facilities, and those with acute kidney failure don't often recover full kidney function. This study is being published in the advanced online edition of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation.
