Two new studies point to interesting evidence that female hormones may protect women’s kidneys from damage, suggesting novel gender-based avenues to safeguard kidney health for women and men. Research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that female hormones may provide greater resistance to kidney damage following a kidney transplant. The scientists found that even when … Continue reading Do Female Hormones Protect the Kidney?
Clues to Inflammation and Damage in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Researchers from UC San Diego have uncovered inflammatory players involved in Type 1 diabetes as well as kidney damage caused by obesity. They traced insulin resistance and deficiency to an increase in a fatty acid in the kidney called sphingomyelin. The increase in sphingomyelin, which was found in mice with Type 1 diabetes and those fed … Continue reading Clues to Inflammation and Damage in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Medicare Spending Billions on Chronic Kidney Disease
The U.S. Renal Data System’s 2015 Annual Data Report shines a light on the huge economic toll of kidney disease, analyzing the prevalence, variety of treatments and burden of the illness. The researchers involved in this comprehensive study hope that it will help identify the best and most cost-effective ways to treat the disease. Here are some important take-aways on Medicare … Continue reading Medicare Spending Billions on Chronic Kidney Disease
Reversing Diabetic Kidney Damage with IL-17A
Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University have found that cytokine IL-17A, which promotes inflammation and contributes to autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s, plays both a harmful and protective role in diabetic kidney disease. They began their studies intending to explore just the harmful effects of IL-17A, but soon found that removing the … Continue reading Reversing Diabetic Kidney Damage with IL-17A
Protein Could Prevent Kidney Failure in Alport Syndrome
Scientists from Japan’s Kumamoto University have discovered a protein that puts the brakes on the progression of Alport syndrome, a rare genetic kidney disease that can affect children and young people and often leads to kidney failure. The protein, known as p53, is a tumor suppressor, already targeted by experimental cancer drugs. Using a mouse model … Continue reading Protein Could Prevent Kidney Failure in Alport Syndrome
Diabetic Kidney Damage May Start During Prediabetes
A prospective cohort study from researchers at University Hospital of North Norway suggests that diabetic kidney damage caused by continually high blood sugar levels may begin during prediabetes, which is much earlier than previously thought. For more than five years, the study followed 1261 people without diabetes between the ages of 50 and 62. At the … Continue reading Diabetic Kidney Damage May Start During Prediabetes