There are many unknowns in lupus, an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation, which can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs. There is no cure for lupus. Symptoms are controlled with a variety of drugs that don’t work for everyone and have harmful side effects. Doctors don’t know why around … Continue reading Researchers Find Gene Variants Linked to Kidney Problems in Lupus Patients
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Surprising Mechanism Discovered in PKD
Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine have discovered a new mechanism that affects both the severity and progression of PKD. Previously, cyst growth has been linked to mutations in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes and their associated proteins, polycystin-1 and -2. Scientists have found that defective cilia in renal tube cells also play a … Continue reading Surprising Mechanism Discovered in PKD
Kidney Stones Tied to Raised Heart Disease Risk for Women
Researchers at Columbus Gemelli Hospital in Rome have found that women, but not men, with a history of kidney stones have a higher risk of coronary heart disease, a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. They studied 242,105 men and women in the U.S., 19,678 of whom reported a history of kidney … Continue reading Kidney Stones Tied to Raised Heart Disease Risk for Women
Urine Test Effective in Diagnosing Kidney Transplant Fibrosis
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed a urine test to diagnose and monitor fibrosis or scarring in kidney transplant patients experiencing organ rejection. The simple test could eliminate the need for the many invasive and potentially harmful needle biopsies now used in this situation. Best of all, it would enable doctors to identify and … Continue reading Urine Test Effective in Diagnosing Kidney Transplant Fibrosis
Dendritic Cell Therapy Improves Kidney Transplant Survival
Researchers at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have found a way to prolong kidney transplant survival in monkeys using donor dendritic cells (DCs). DCs are regulators of the immune system, responsible for both immune response and tolerance. In order to promote immune tolerance, the scientists prevented donor DCs from fully maturing and treated a group … Continue reading Dendritic Cell Therapy Improves Kidney Transplant Survival
Poor Maternal and Child Health Linked to Kidney Disease
An international study led by University of Alberta researchers links poor health in the womb and in early childhood with an increased risk of premature high blood pressure, kidney disease, and heart disease. Babies who do not develop properly in the womb may be born with smaller kidneys with fewer nephrons for filtering. Under-developed kidneys … Continue reading Poor Maternal and Child Health Linked to Kidney Disease