Last week was an exciting one for diabetes news. In addition to our recent post about a new drug that can improve kidney function in Type 2 diabetics, there have been many other interesting discoveries. Newcastle University researchers in England have found that a very extreme diet can reverse Type 2 diabetes in newly diagnosed … Continue reading Top News on Diabetes Research for the Week of 6/20/11
Bardoxolone Methyl Improves Kidney Function in Type 2 Diabetics
Results of a year-long drug trial conducted by researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center show that the experimental drug bardoxolone methyl improves estimated glomerular filtration rates in Type 2 diabetic patients with moderate to severe CKD. Lab tests for those patients revealed decreased blood urea nitrogen, serum phosphorus, uric acid, and magnesium. The new phase … Continue reading Bardoxolone Methyl Improves Kidney Function in Type 2 Diabetics
Pirfenidone Improves Kidney Function in Diabetic Patients
Researchers from UC San Diego, the National Institutes of Health, and the Mayo Clinic have shown that an experimental drug called pirfenidone can stop damage and improve kidney function in diabetic patients. Study participants treated with a small amount of the drug for one year showed improved glomerular filtration rates. Pirfenidone, an anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic … Continue reading Pirfenidone Improves Kidney Function in Diabetic Patients
mTOR Enzyme May be Target for Preventing Diabetic Kidney Disease
Researchers from the University of Freiberg in Germany have identified a metabolic enzyme called mTOR as a target for preventing diabetic kidney disease. They showed that while mTOR is important to early glomerular development, it becomes overactive in diabetics, causing damage to the filtering units of the kidney. Using a mouse model, the scientists inhibited … Continue reading mTOR Enzyme May be Target for Preventing Diabetic Kidney Disease
High Fat, Low Carb Diet Improves Kidney Disease in Diabetic Mice
Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have found that a special diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates, known as the ketogenic diet, can reverse kidney damage in mice with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The 8-week diet completely reversed albuminuria and partially reversed glomerular sclerosis. During the study, the research team discovered … Continue reading High Fat, Low Carb Diet Improves Kidney Disease in Diabetic Mice
New Understanding of Kidney Gene Changes in Diabetic Nephropathy
Researchers at the University of Louisville have used a mouse model to show how human kidney genes change as diabetic nephropathy progresses. By studying gene expression, they discovered that inflammatory genes underwent the most changes. Paul Epstein, Ph.D., acting director of the Kosair Children’s Hospital Research Institute said, “In future studies, we can use this … Continue reading New Understanding of Kidney Gene Changes in Diabetic Nephropathy