A team of researchers, including Dr. Janos Peti-Peterdi and Dr. Alicia McDonough of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has identified a new target for eliminating hypertension, which is a leading cause of kidney disease. The initial research was funded in part by a grant from UKRO. The renin-angiotensin system or RAS regulates blood … Continue reading Absence of Intrarenal ACE Protects Against Hypertension
Dramatic Decrease in Risk of Death for Kids on Dialysis
Transplant is the preferred treatment for children with kidney disease, but 75% of them end up on dialysis. Some are waiting to grow big enough to accept an adult kidney and some are simply waiting for a donor. According to a new study from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Canada, … Continue reading Dramatic Decrease in Risk of Death for Kids on Dialysis
CKD Risk Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency
Researchers from Monash Medical Centre in Australia have discovered that vitamin D deficiency is linked to an increased risk of CKD. Studying a group of men and women aged 25 and older, they found a link between low vitamin D levels and the incidence of albuminuria, or protein leakage in the urine. However, they did … Continue reading CKD Risk Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency
Scientists Bioengineer Functioning Rat Kidneys
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have succeeded in growing bioengineered kidneys in the lab and implanting them into rats. To create the functioning organs, they began by using a detergent solution to strip rat kidneys of their existing cells. This resulted in a collagen scaffold, where a variety of cell types were delicately introduced to … Continue reading Scientists Bioengineer Functioning Rat Kidneys
Protein in Urine Linked to Life Expectancy
In a study of lab results from 810,000 Canadian men and women, researchers from University of Calgary have found that higher levels of protein in the urine are associated with reduced life expectancy. The scientists determined that men aged 40 without proteinuria would outlive those with heavy proteinuria by 15.2 years and those with mild … Continue reading Protein in Urine Linked to Life Expectancy
Smoking and Secondhand Smoke May Affect Teen Kidney Function
A new study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center researchers reveals that smoking and secondhand smoke could harm kidney function in adolescents. The scientists measured blood levels of creatinine, a waste product in the body, and cotinine, a chemical found in tobacco, in a group of 7,516 American … Continue reading Smoking and Secondhand Smoke May Affect Teen Kidney Function