Researchers have been unable to explain why up to 30 percent of organ transplant patients develop diabetes. Immunosuppressant drugs have topped the list of possible causes, leading doctors to believe that diabetes may be inevitable for some patients. A new study from Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania reveals that the culprit may be inflammation caused … Continue reading Inflammation Linked to Diabetes After Transplant
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
Study Shows How Kidneys Protect Themselves from Inflammation
Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University have discovered how the kidneys protect themselves from damaging inflammation. In mouse studies, they found that kidney podocyte cells produce the enzyme IDO in response to inflammation. Human kidney patients also exhibit high levels of the enzyme. Blocking IDO in experiments with mice led … Continue reading Study Shows How Kidneys Protect Themselves from Inflammation
Researchers Tame the Inflammatory Response in Kidney Dialysis
Researchers from Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennyslvania have found a way to temporarily suppress the damaging inflammatory response brought on by dialysis. In earlier studies, the research team showed that polymer-based dialysis filters activate the body’s complement system, a part of the immune system made up of circulating proteins that help antibodies … Continue reading Researchers Tame the Inflammatory Response in Kidney Dialysis
Fighting Inflammation Key to Improved Survival in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Researchers from Keele University and Cardiff University in the UK have uncovered the link between systemic and peritoneal inflammation and PD patient survival. In peritoneal dialysis (PD), the peritoneum, a semi-permeable membrane in the abdomen, is used to filter the wastes, salts, and excess fluids from the bloodstream. According to the statistics, only 1 PD patient … Continue reading Fighting Inflammation Key to Improved Survival in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Researchers Discover Role of White Blood Cells in Kidney Inflammation
Researchers from Australia’s Monash University have made an important discovery about the role of leukocytes, or white blood cells, in kidney inflammation. Leukocytes are immune system cells found throughout the body, where they defend against infectious disease; a high leukocyte count can be a marker of inflammation and disease. Prior to this study, the medical … Continue reading Researchers Discover Role of White Blood Cells in Kidney Inflammation