Metabolic syndrome describes a set of symptoms that increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Those risk factors are: high blood pressure obesity, particularly extra weight around the waist insulin resistance low good cholesterol higher levels of triglycerides Patients are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome when they have 3 or more of … Continue reading Top News on Metabolic Syndrome for the Week of 8/15/11
Young African Americans More Likely to Die on Dialysis, More Transplants Needed
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that, contrary to long-held beliefs, not all African American dialysis patients fare as well as their white counterparts. After studying 1.3 million ESRD patients, they found that young African Americans under 50 actually do much worse. The news comes as a surprise because earlier studies had never analyzed outcomes … Continue reading Young African Americans More Likely to Die on Dialysis, More Transplants Needed
Potential Kidney Cancer Therapy Starves Cancer Cells of Glucose
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a drug called STF-31 that starves and kills some kidney cancer cells by cutting off their energy supply of glucose. STF-31 works by binding to a particular glucose transporter. Testing in mice inhibited glucose transport by about half and resulted in slowed tumor growth with limited … Continue reading Potential Kidney Cancer Therapy Starves Cancer Cells of Glucose
Researchers Discover Cause of FSGS
A team of nephrologists and researchers at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have discovered a factor in the blood that may be responsible for up to two-thirds of the cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis or FSGS. They found that an excess of serum soluble urokinase receptor (suPAR) activates a protein in the kidney … Continue reading Researchers Discover Cause of FSGS