Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 9/24/08.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Palms Can Foretell Cancer - WebMD, 9/23/08 - "The symptoms: curling or thickening of the palm with swelling of the fingers, making the hand look wooden. It's called PFPAS -- palmar fasciitis and polyarthritis syndrome"

Indian Spice In Turmeric Reduces Size Of Hemorrhagic Stroke - Science Daily, 9/22/08 - "This active ingredient of the Indian curry spice, turmeric, not only lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may reduce the size of a hemorrhagic stroke ... significantly decreases the size of a blood clot" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.

More fish during pregnancy boosts child development: Study - Nutra USA, 9/22/08 - "The children of mothers who had higher intakes of fish during pregnancy were found to have higher development scores than children of women with low fish intake" - [Abstract] - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

New Salvo in Splenda Skirmish - New York Times, 9/22/08 - "Splenda — the grainy white crystals in the little yellow packets — contributes to obesity, destroys “good” intestinal bacteria and prevents prescription drugs from being absorbed"

Calorie-free Natural Sweetener Moves One Step Closer To Use In U. S. - Science Daily, 9/22/08 - "Researchers in Georgia are reporting an advance toward the possible use of a new natural non-caloric sweetener in soft drinks and other food products in the United States. Stevia, which is 300 times more potent than sugar but calorie-free ... In research that eases concerns about stevia's stability, the scientists studied clear glass containers of cola and lemon-lime sodas containing the two major naturally sweet components in stevia. After exposing the beverages to sunlight for one week, they found no significant degradation in either component of the natural sweetener" - See stevia products at iHerb.

'Friendly' Bacteria Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes, Researchers Find - Science Daily, 9/21/08 - "mice exposed to common stomach bacteria were protected against the development of Type I diabetes ... if they were raised in a germ-free environment, lacking "friendly'' gut bacteria, the mice developed severe diabetes. NOD mice exposed to harmless bacteria normally found in the human intestine were significantly less likely to develop diabetes"

Can Taurine Be A Potent Antioxidant Drug In The Future? - Science Daily, 9/19/08 - "Taurine is a potent antioxidant with hepatoprotective effects. Organelle based changes in hepatocytes after taurine treatment in experimental liver fibrosis were searched systematically and organelle injury scores decreased were found to decrease significantly" - See taurine at Amazon.com.

Vitamin C linked to Reduced Bone Loss in Older Men - WebMD, 9/19/08 - "If you don't have enough vitamin C, you don't make bones right. Collagen is the principal protein of bones, accounting for nearly half the volume. What the collagen does is prevent bones from coming apart" - See vitamin C products at Amazon.com.

Cell Phone Use Linked to Male Infertility - WebMD, 9/19/08 - "researchers collected semen samples from 32 men and divided each man's sample into two parts. They placed half of the semen samples 2.5 centimeters away from a 850 MHz frequency cell phone in talk mode for one hour. Most cell phones used in the U.S. are 850-900 MHz. They chose this distance because it is the typical distance between the testes and the trouser pockets ... Semen exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones had higher levels of damaging free radicals, lower sperm motility (the ability of the sperm to move and swim) and sperm viability (the percentage of live sperm), and possibly greater oxidative stress"

Does Probiotic Intervention Induce The Serum Global Lipid Profile Change? - Science Daily, 9/18/08 - "investigated the effect of a three weeks intervention of a probiotic LGG intervention on serum global lipidomics profiles in healthy adults. The result showed that there were decreases in the levels of lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoGPCho), sphingomyelins (SM) and several glycerophosphatidylcholines (GPCho), and increases in triacylglycerols (TAG) in the probiotic LGG group. These changes may contribute, for example, to the metabolic events behind the beneficial effects of LGG on gut barrier function seen in previous studies"

Top-selling Cholesterol Drug Does Little For Women, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 9/17/08 - "Not one of the studies that included women with a mixture of risk factors for heart attacks provided statistically significant support for prescribing Lipitor or other statins to protect against cardiovascular problems. Pfizer’s claims of clinical proof that Lipitor reduces risk of heart attack in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease does not appear to be scientifically supported for large segments of the female population ... Lipitor’s advertising repeatedly fails to report that clinical trials were statistically significant for men but not for women. Unqualified advertising claims of protection against heart attacks may therefore be misleading"

Healthy People With Elevated Levels Of Uric Acid Are At Risk Of Developing Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 9/17/08 - "Elevated uric acid levels in the blood indicate an increased risk of new-onset kidney disease ... it may be appropriate to prescribe uric acid–lowering drugs, such as allopurinol and probenecid, to these otherwise healthy individuals ... individuals in the slightly elevated uric acid group were 1.26 times as likely to develop kidney disease as those in the low uric acid group. The odds of developing kidney disease among volunteers in the elevated uric acid group were 1.63 times greater than that of individuals in the low uric acid group"

Cutting Calories Could Limit Muscle Wasting In Later Years - Science Daily, 9/16/08 - "The researchers found increasing amounts of iron in the muscle cells of aging rats fed a typical unrestricted diet. The older the rats got, the more iron accumulated in the mitochondria and the more damage was done to its RNA and DNA. Rats of the same ages that were kept on a calorie-restricted diet — about 60 percent of the food typically ingested — seemed to maintain more normal iron levels in mitochondria"

A Healthy Lifestyle Halves The Risk Of Premature Death In Women - Science Daily, 9/16/08 - "Over half of deaths in women from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease could be avoided if they never smoke, keep their weight in check, take exercise and eat a healthy diet low in red meat and trans-fats"

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Effects of telmisartan on adiponectin levels and body weight in hypertensive patients with glucose intolerance - Metabolism. 2008 Oct;57(10):1473-8 - "Telmisartan decreased body weight while increasing serum adiponectin levels in hypertensive patients with glucose intolerance. Candesartan did not achieve similar improvements in these patients. Among ARBs, telmisartan may have a larger impact on obesity-related diseases that can lead to cardiovascular disorders" - See telmisartan at OffshoreRx1.com.  Click here for why I feel telmisartan should be the first line treatment for hypertension.

Associations of maternal fish intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding duration with attainment of developmental milestones in early childhood: a study from the Danish National Birth Cohort - Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Sep;88(3):789-96 - "Higher maternal fish intake and greater duration of breastfeeding were associated with higher child developmental scores at 18 mo [odds ratio: 1.29 (95% CI: 1.20, 1.38) for the highest versus the lowest quintile of fish intake, and 1.28 (1.18, 1.38) for breastfeeding for > or =10 mo compared with breastfeeding for < or =1 mo]. Associations were similar for development at 6 mo. ... Maternal fish intake during pregnancy and the duration of breastfeeding are independently associated with better early child development. Future research and consumption guidelines, incorporating nutritional benefits as well as contaminant risks, should consider the overall effect of prenatal fish consumption on child development" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits IL-6 synthesis and suppresses transsignaling by enhancing soluble gp130 production - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Sep 16 - "Results from in vivo studies using a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis model showed specific inhibition of IL-6 levels in the serum and joints of EGCG-treated rats by 28% and 40%, respectively, with concomitant amelioration of rat adjuvant-induced arthritis. We also observed a marked decrease in membrane-bound gp130 protein expression in the joint homogenates of the EGCG-treated group. In contrast, quantitative RT-PCR showed that the gp130/IL-6Ralpha mRNA ratio increased by approximately 2-fold, suggesting a possible mechanism of sgp130 activation by EGCG. Gelatin zymography results showed EGCG inhibits IL-6/soluble IL-6R-induced matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity in RA synovial fibroblasts and in joint homogenates, possibly via up-regulation of sgp130 synthesis. The results of these studies provide previously undescribed evidence of IL-6 synthesis and transsignaling inhibition by EGCG with a unique mechanism of sgp130 up-regulation, and thus hold promise as a potential therapeutic agent for RA" - [Nutra USA]  - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Ferritin concentrations, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and elderly Chinese - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Sep 16 - "Elevated circulating ferritin concentrations were associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and elderly Chinese independent of obesity, inflammation, adipokines and other risk factors. Our data supports the crucial role of iron overload for metabolic diseases even in a country with relatively high prevalence of iron deficiency"

Health Tip:

One of my favorite snacks was homemade yoghurt flavored with Smucker's Simply Fruit (strawberry), which is sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar.  I used to make the yoghurt with 2 one quart envelopes of Milkman brand powdered milk for one quart of water.  The Milkman brand was 1% fat so doubling it like that to make one quart made the yoghurt 2% fat.  Everyone stopped selling that Milkman brand so I called Familiar Foods Inc and they said they stopped producing it.  So I tried to make the yoghurt the same way with two envelopes of the Carnation Non-Fat but it tasted so bad I stopped making it.  I managed to find dry whole milk on Amazon.com so I started just mixing the non-fat dry milk and the dry whole milk to get the fat content I wanted.  A one quart envelope of the Carnation non-fat is one cup so I've just been mixing one envelope of the non-fat with one cup of the full fat for one quart.  So that makes 4% fat yoghurt.  When I run out of the Carnation envelopes I'll just buy it without the envelopes and cut down on the fat.  Maybe a half cup of full fat with 1 1/2 cups of non-fat.  Also see Yoghurt Makers at Amazon.com.  I have the Cuisipro brand with two extra set of cups.  The shipping is high for the milk but if you buy in bulk it should bring the cost down.  See Nestle Nido Instant Milk Powder (England) 2500g and Nestle Nido Instant Milk Powder England 1800g (Case of 6).

The advantage of powdered milk is that you don't have to boil it like with fresh milk.  That's too much of a hassle.  I've read that some recommend boiling the powdered milk mixture also but I haven't been doing that and I haven't had a bad batch yet.

Health Focus (Kidney Disease):

Alternative Kidney Disease News:

• Kidney Disease - Life Extension Foundation
• Oral active vitamin D is associated with improved survival in hemodialysis patients - Kidney Int. 2008 Jul 16 - "Our study shows that hemodialysis patients receiving oral active vitamin D had a survival advantage inversely related to the vitamin dose" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin D Promising Against IgA Nephropathy - Medscape, 6/3/08 - "The patients were given oral calcitriol 0.5 mcg twice weekly for 12 weeks. The team found a progressive decrease in urine protein-creatinine ratio from 1.98 g/g to 0.81 g/g during the first 6 weeks. This persisted throughout the study period ... There was a simultaneous decrease in serum TGF-beta level, and the percentage of decrease in serum TGF-beta level significantly correlated with percentage of change in proteinuria" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin D Linked to Reduced Mortality Rate in Chronic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 5/7/08 - "For patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD), treatment with activated vitamin D may reduce the risk of death by approximately one-fourth" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Kidney damage after renal ablation is worsened in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (-/-) mice and improved by combined administration of L-arginine and antioxidants - Nephrology (Carlton). 2008 Jun;13(3):218-27 - "A combination of L-arginine and antioxidant treatment ameliorated renal damage"
• Calcitriol May Improve Survival in Predialysis Chronic Kidney Disease - Medscape, 2/25/08
• N-Acetylcysteine prevents ifosfamide-induced nephrotoxicity in rats - Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Feb 18 - "NAC markedly reduces the severity of renal dysfunction induced by ifosfamide with a significant decrease in elevations of serum creatinine (57.8+/-2.3 vs 45.25+/-2.1 mumol l(-1)) as well as a reduced elevation of beta(2)-microglobulin excretion (25.44+/-3.3 vs 8.83+/-1.3 nmol l(-1)) and magnesium excretion (19.5+/-1.5 vs 11.16+/-1.5 mmol l(-1)). Moreover, NAC significantly improved the ifosfamide-induced glutathione depletion and the decrease of glutathione S-transferase activity, lowered the elevation of lipid peroxides and prevented typical morphological damages in renal tubules and glomeruli" - See n-acetyl cysteine at Amazon.com.
• Before A CT Scan Or Angiogram, Many People Should Take Inexpensive Drug To Protect Kidneys - Science Daily, 2/18/08 - "The inexpensive drug, called N-acetylcysteine, can prevent serious kidney damage that can be caused by the iodine-containing "dyes" that doctors use to enhance the quality of such scans ... N-acetylcysteine is already widely used to clear mucus in cystic fibrosis patients, and to treat overdoses of acetaminophen" - See n-acetyl cysteine at Amazon.com.
• Effect of green tea on kidney tubules of diabetic rats - Br J Nutr. 2008 Feb 6;:1-8 - "It has been documented that green tea (GT) and its catechin components improve renal failure and inhibit the growth of mesangial cells ... GT treatment significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the serum glucose, glycosylated protein, serum creatinine and blood urea N levels by 29.6 (sem 3.7), 22.7 (sem 5.2), 38.9 (sem 10) and 41.7 (sem 1.9) %, respectively ... the GT-treated group showed a significant 44 (sem 10.8) % higher creatinine clearance (Ccr) ... GT reduced the urea N, creatinine, glucose and protein excretion rates by 30 (sem 7.6), 35.4 (sem 5.3), 34.0 (sem 5.3) and 46.0 (sem 13.0) % compared with the 12 weeks diabetic group. Administration of GT to 12 weeks diabetic rats significantly (P < 0.001) prevented (99.98 (sem 0.27) % less) the accumulation of glycogen in the kidney tubules. These results indicate that in STZ diabetes, kidney function appears to be improved with GT consumption which also prevents glycogen accumulation in the renal tubules, probably by lowering blood levels of glucose. Therefore, GT could be beneficial additional therapy in the management of diabetic nephropathy" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Renoprotective action of l-carnitine in fructose-induced metabolic syndrome - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 Dec 17 - "l-carnitine (CA) administration ... The benefits of CA in this model suggest the therapeutic use of CA to counter the kidney changes associated with metabolic syndrome" - See l-carnitine at Amazon.com.
• Protective Effects of Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Extract on KBrO3-Induced Kidney Damage in Mice - J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Dec 20 - "bilberry extract reduced the degree of oxidative stress and kidney damage induced by KBrO 3. These findings demonstrate that the protective effect of bilberry extract is attributed to its free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect" - See bilberry at Amazon.com.
• Guanidino Compounds After Creatine Supplementation in Renal Failure Patients and their Relation to Inflammatory Status - Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2007 Nov 29 - "Specific guanidino compounds have been described as uraemic toxins and their concentrations are increased in renal failure due to dimished glomerular filtration, whereas the guanidino compound creatine is used as a performance-enhancing substance in athletes. The present study investigates the effects of creatine supplementation on plasma guanidino compounds in a chronic haemodialysis population ... Patients were treated with creatine (2 g/day) or placebo during two treatment periods of 4 weeks ... Upon creatine supplementation, guanidinoacetate concentrations decreased by 15%, due to inhibition of creatine synthesis. Concentrations of alpha-keto-delta-guanidinovaleric acid increased three-fold and argininic acid concentrations doubled" - See creatine at Amazon.com.
• Effect of Curcumin on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Cisplatin-Induced Experimental Nephrotoxicity - J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Nov 15 - "curcumin has a protective effect on cisplatin-induced experimental nephrotoxicity, and this effect is attributed to its direct anti-inflammatory and strong antioxidant profile. Hence, curcumin has a strong potential to be used as a therapeutic adjuvant in cisplatin nephrotoxicity" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Chronic green tea extract supplementation reduces hemodialysis-enhanced production of hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid, atherosclerotic factors, and proinflammatory cytokines - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1539-47 - "Catechins reduce hemodialysis-induced production of hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid, atherosclerotic disease risk factors, and proinflammation" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Metabolic effects of two low protein diets in chronic kidney disease stage 4 5 a randomized controlled trial - Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2007 Nov 2 - "in CKD patients a protein intake of 0.55g/kg/day, compared with a 0.8g/kg/day, guarantees a better metabolic control and a reduced need of drugs, without a substantial risk of malnutrition"
• Fish oil attenuates adrenergic overactivity without altering glucose metabolism during an oral glucose load in haemodialysis patients - Br J Nutr. 2007 Nov 1;:1-7 - "Fish oil decreases adrenal activation induced by mental stress and has an insulin sensitizing effect in healthy subjects ... Fish oil supplementation blunted both re-increase in thermogenic response and concomitant increase in plasma epinephrine, but not in plasma norepinephrine, over the last 2 h of the experiment. Fish oil did not alter either whole-body glucose metabolism or substrate oxidation. These data show that in haemodialysis patients, fish oil attenuates adrenal overactivity induced by oral glucose but does not modulate whole-body glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity"
• Relationship between vitamin D and muscle size and strength in patients on hemodialysis - J Ren Nutr. 2007 Nov;17(6):397-407 - "Treatment with active vitamin D was associated with greater muscle size and strength in this cohort of HD patients"
• Serum levels of folate and cobalamin are lower in depressed than in nondepressed hemodialysis subjects - J Ren Nutr. 2007 Sep;17(5):343-9 - "As with the general population, lower serum folate, RBC folate, and serum cobalamin levels were found in depressed as compared to nondepressed subjects on HD. Plasma levels of these vitamins may be one of many factors related to depression, but larger studies with stronger designs are needed to confirm the results of this study"
• Gamma-tocopherol and docosahexaenoic acid decrease inflammation in dialysis patients - J Ren Nutr. 2007 Sep;17(5):296-304 - "gamma tocopherol (308 mg) and DHA (800 mg) ... In the treatment group, but not in the placebo group, there were significant decreases in IL-6 (21.4 +/- 3.5 to 16.8 +/- 3.7 pg/mL), white blood cell (WBC) count (7.4 +/- 0.3 to 6.9 +/- 0.4 10(3)/microL), and neutrophil fraction of WBCs (4.8 +/- 0.3 to 4.4 +/- 0.3 10(3)/microL), at P < .05 for all"
• Vitamin D levels and early mortality among incident hemodialysis patients - Kidney Int. 2007 Aug 8 - "Compared to patients with the highest 25D or 1,25D levels who received therapy, untreated deficient patients were at significantly increased risk for early mortality"
• Effect of n-3 fatty acids on nutritional status and inflammatory markers in haemodialysis patients - Nephrology (Carlton). 2007 Aug;12(4):331-6 - "There was a significant increase in EPA (P = 0.01) after treatment, and there was a significant decrease in inflammatory markers (IL-6 and TNF-alpha, P = 0.0001) after supplementation in the tested group ... A dietary regime with fish oil could be used in dialysis patients to slow down the development of atherosclerosis and improve nutritional parameters"
• Effects of folic acid and vitamin B complex on serum C-reactive protein and albumin levels in stable hemodialysis patients - Curr Med Res Opin. 2007 Jun 29 - "Folic acid and vitamin B complex co-administration effectively lowers tHcy and hs-CRP levels and increases albumin levels in stable hemodialysis subjects, underscoring their potential benefit to attenuate the state of inflammation and possibly improve the nutritional status in patients on hemodialysis"
• Diabetics With Kidney Disease Lack Vitamin D - Doctor's Guide, 6/5/07 - "Diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease have insufficient levels of vitamin D compared to their non-diabetic counterparts, both before and after treatment, suggesting increased vitamin D supplementation may be necessary in diabetic patients who have chronic kidney disease"
• Fish Oil May Help Kidney Disease Sufferers - Science Daily, 4/30/07 - "daily doses of fish oil in the form of a tablet or liquid had been shown to decrease inflammation - a common problem in people with kidney disease" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease: the Role and Effect of Vitamin D Analogues on Survival - Medscape, 3/30/07
• Vitamin D and outcomes in chronic kidney disease - Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 2007 Mar;16(2):77-82 - "Data currently suggests that the administration of vitamin D confers a survival benefit to patients on dialysis. There is no clear mechanism, however, to explain this association"
• Folic acid 5 or 15 mg/d similarly reduces plasma homocysteine in patients with moderate-advanced chronic renal failure - Nephrology (Carlton). 2006 Apr;11(2):137-41
• Severe vitamin D deficiency in chronic renal failure patients on peritoneal dialysis - Clin Nephrol. 2006 Oct;66(4):247-55 - "Vitamin D deficiency is more common in DM-CRF patients than in non-DM-CRF patients. Our findings suggest that these patients should be considered for vitamin D supplementation"
• Carnitine Treatment Improved Quality-of-Life Measure in a Sample of Midwestern Hemodialysis Patients - JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2006 Jan-Feb;30(1):10-5 - "24 weeks of IV carnitine therapy, SF-36 scores were improved and erythropoietin doses were reduced in hemodialysis patients, relative to the control group" - See iHerb or Vitacost l-carnitine products.
• Effects of Herbal Supplements on the Kidney - Medscape, 11/14/05
• Hemodialysis Causes Antioxidant Loss Leading to Long-Term Complications - Doctor's Guide, 4/8/05 - "the hemodialysis process can cause loss of these necessary antioxidants"
• Vitamin D Injections May Significantly Improve Survival In Dialysis Patients - Science Daily, 3/11/05 - "At the end of the two-year study period, 76 percent of those receiving any form of activated vitamin D were still alive, compared with 59 percent of those not receiving the therapy"
• Dialysis Patients: Longer Lives With Vitamin D? - WebMD, 3/1/05 - "vitamin D injections, given to patients with kidney failure, results in a significantly reduced risk of death compared to those who do not receive the treatment"
• Preventing Kidney Disease? - Dr. Weil, 1/28/05
• No Difference between N-Acetylcysteine and Fenoldopam for Thwarting Contrast-Induced Nephropathy - Doctor's Guide, 11/8/04 - "A randomized study failed to show a significant difference in the ability of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and intravenous fenoldopam (FEN) to prevent the deterioration in renal function"
• Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency in Chronic Kidney Disease. A Single Center Observational Study - Am J Nephrol. 2004 Sep 22;24(5):503-510 - "In the group undergoing maintenance hemodialyis, we found that 97% of the patients had vitamin D levels in the suboptimal range ... vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are highly prevalent in patients with CKD and may play a role in the development of hyperparathyroidism"
• Soy Benefits Type 2 Diabetes - WebMD, 8/3/04 - "Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.  The earliest sign of this complication is small amounts of protein in urine ... Those who added the soy protein powder to their diets had a 10% reduction in protein found in urine ... the soy protein supplement boosted "good" HDL cholesterol by 4%" - [Abstract]
• Innovative Research and Applications for CoQ10 - Life Extension Magazine, 8/04 - "biomedical researchers are discovering that CoQ10 shows promising effects against disorders as far-ranging as kidney failure, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, and macular degeneration"
• The role of fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of IgA nephropathy - Semin Nephrol. 2004 May;24(3):225-43 - "treatment for 2 years with a daily dose of 1.8 g of EPA and 1.2 g of DHA slowed the progression of renal disease in high-risk patients" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com or Vitacost.
• Intravenous administration of vitamin B12 in the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia associated with end-stage renal disease - J Nephrol. 2003 Jul-Aug;16(4):535-9 - "Our results suggest that ESRD patients on dialysis have 'B12 resistance', and that they should have, in addition to their FOL therapeutic regimen, i.v. B12 treatment to reduce their elevated tHcy levels"
• Can Broccoli Prevent Lupus? - WebMD, 11/6/03 - "I3C is believed to act as an anti-estrogen ... I3C-fed mice had far fewer kidney problems than the mice whose diets were not supplemented, and researchers say this is the reason that they lived much longer. Kidney disease is one of the main, life-threatening complications of lupus" - See iHerb I3C products.
• Vitamin B12 Improves Homocysteine Levels and Lipid Profiles in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 10/6/03 - "During Phase 1, patients were prescribed oral doses of folic acid 5 mg/day and vitamin B12 0.6mg/day. Through out Phase 2, participants were given intravenous doses of vitamin B12 1mg every other day in addition to folic acid 5 mg/day ... By the completion of the study, patients exhibited significantly lower serum tHcy (29.4 verses 21.1 mg/dL), total cholesterol (222 verses 196 mg/dL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (139 versus 109 mg/dL). Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels increased significantly among the participants"
• Benefits of fish oil supplementation for hemodialysis patients - J Am Diet Assoc. 2003 Sep;103(9):1174-7 - "One study indicated that pruritus symptoms improved with fish oil supplementation, but not with supplementation with two other oils. In a study designed to determine whether fish oils could prevent vascular access graft thrombosis, graft patency rates were approximately 76% in the fish oil and approximately 15% in the placebo group (P>.03). In a pilot study, subjects given fish oil required 16% less erythropoietin and experienced a 3.6% increase in serum albumin levels"
• Vitamin E supplementation increases LDL resistance to ex vivo oxidation in hemodialysis patients - Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2003 Jul;73(4):290-6 - "Since oral vitamin E supplementation prevents oxidative stress and significantly increases LDL resistance to ex vivo oxidation, supplementation by natural antioxidants such as vitamin E may be beneficial in hemodialysis patients"
• Thiol-Containing Antioxidant Shows Promise in Preventing Contrast Nephropathy - Doctor's Guide, 8/25/03 - "Treatment with acetylcysteine, a thiol-containing antioxidant, shows promise in preventing contrast nephropathy in patients with chronic renal insufficiency"
• Does High Cholesterol Harm Your Kidneys? - Dr. Weil, 8/22/03 - "apparently healthy men with low HDL (high density lipoprotein), the “good” cholesterol, and high LDL (low density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides have twice the normal risk of reduced kidney function ... You can raise HDL by increasing exercise, drinking alcohol moderately, and eating only healthy fats (monounsaturates such as olive oil and omega-3s from sources like salmon and sardines). Taking prescription statin drugs also will help, although I prefer natural alternatives such as red rice yeast"
• Coenzyme Q10 Beneficial for People with Kidney Failure - New Hope Natural Media, 7/17/03
• N-Acetyl Cysteine Prevents Kidney Damage from Coronary Procedure - New Hope Natural Media, 5/1/03 - "Up to 15% of people undergoing coronary angiography may experience kidney damage from the contrast dye ... randomly assigned to receive either 600 mg of oral NAC twice a day on the day before and the day of the procedure or a similar looking placebo ... Only 4% of those taking NAC, compared with 12% of those taking the placebo, experienced a 25% increase in blood creatinine within 48 hours of receiving the contrast dye" - See iHerb or Vitacost NAC products.
• Vitamin C Reduces Oxidant Stress In Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 3/26/03 - "The acute administration of vitamin C reduces oxidant stress in renal failure, and improves nitric oxide-mediated resistance-vessel dilatation ... In addition, vitamin C was found to increase the dilator response to acetylcholine in resistance vessels"
• High-Protein Diets Can Hurt Kidneys - WebMD, 3/17/03
• Remember Sodium? We're Still Getting Too Much - Intelihealth, 3/14/03 - "High sodium levels also raise the risk of osteoporosis and kidney problems"
• Cardiovascular End Points Reduced With Antioxidant Acetylcysteine In Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 2/28/03 - "They were assigned to receive either acetylcysteine 600 mg twice daily or a placebo ... Primary end point was a composite variable composed of cardiac events that included fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, death from cardiovascular disease, necessity for either coronary angioplasty or by-pass surgery, ischaemic stroke, peripheral vascular disease requiring amputation or need for angioplasty ... A primary end point was established in 18 of the 64 [28%] haemodialysed patients who received acetylcysteine, and 33 of 70 [47%] patients undergoing haemodialysis assigned to the control group" - [Abstract] - See iHerb or Vitacost acetyl-l-cysteine products.
• Acetylcysteine for Prevention of Acute Deterioration of Renal Function Following Elective Coronary Angiography and Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial - JAMA, 2/5/03 - "Acetylcysteine protects patients with moderate chronic renal insufficiency from contrast-induced deterioration in renal function after coronary angiographic procedures, with minimal adverse effects and at a low cost" - See iHerb or Vitacost acetyl-l-cysteine products.
• Shining a Light on the Health Benefits of Vitamin D - New York Times, 1/28/03 - "His proudest accomplishments, he says, include discoveries that show how activated vitamin D can be used to treat osteoporosis, kidney failure and psoriasis"
• Acetylcysteine Can Reduce Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Endstage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 10/1/02 - "therapy with acetylcysteine appears to significantly reduce cardiovascular events among haemodialysis patients" - See iHerb or Vitacost acetyl-l-cysteine products.
• Acetylcysteine Prevents Renal Problems After Angiography - Doctor's Guide, 3/18/02 - "Changes in creatinine mean values after 48 hours were -0.4 (+/-0.3) and +0.1 (+/-0.3) mg/dL for treatment and control groups, respectively (p<0.001). The benefit was larger in patients with baseline creatinine levels higher than 2 mg/dL, at -0.4 (+/-0.4) compared to +0.5 (+/-0.3) mg/dL (p<0.001)"
• Calcium Supplementation Prevents Bone Loss in Renal Transplant Patients - Doctor's Guide, 5/13/01

Other Kidney Disease News:

• High Blood Pressure Takes Big Toll On Small Filtering Units Of The Kidney - Science Daily, 9/19/08
• Healthy People With Elevated Levels Of Uric Acid Are At Risk Of Developing Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 9/17/08 - "Elevated uric acid levels in the blood indicate an increased risk of new-onset kidney disease ... it may be appropriate to prescribe uric acid–lowering drugs, such as allopurinol and probenecid, to these otherwise healthy individuals ... individuals in the slightly elevated uric acid group were 1.26 times as likely to develop kidney disease as those in the low uric acid group. The odds of developing kidney disease among volunteers in the elevated uric acid group were 1.63 times greater than that of individuals in the low uric acid group"
• Fatty Liver Linked To Increased Risk Of Diabetic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 5/29/08 - "For patients with type 2 diabetes, a condition called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may be an important risk factor for diabetes-related chronic kidney disease (CKD)" - See my liver disease page for way to reduce the risk of NAFLD.
• Telmisartan is more effective than losartan in reducing proteinuria in patients with diabetic nephropathy - Kidney Int. 2008 May 21 - "telmisartan is superior to losartan in reducing proteinuria in hypertensive patients with diabetic nephropathy, despite a similar reduction in blood pressure" - Just one more reason I feel telmisartan should be the first line treatment for hypertension if natural methods such as coenzyme Q10 don't work.  See telmisartan at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers, or Both for Patients With Proteinuria? A Best Evidence Review - Medscape, 5/20/08 - "Most significantly, the addition of ACEIs to ARBs reduced proteinuria to a greater degree than ARBs alone (ratio of means 0.76 at 1 to 4 months and 0.75 at 5 to 12 months). Combination therapy was also superior to treatment with ACEIs alone ... The 2 important conclusions that can be drawn from this meta-analysis are that ARBs are not superior to ACEIs in improving proteinuria, and that the combination of these 2 treatments appears superior in this outcome compared with either treatment alone ... Two of the biggest safety concerns regarding the combination therapy include the risks for hyperkalemia and acute worsening of renal function. A review of the literature, however, suggests that these risks may not be significantly worse with combination treatment vs monotherapy"
• Creatinine Increase In Elderly Means Increased Renal Disease, Mortality, Study Shows - Science Daily, 4/15/08
• Uric Acid May Provide Early Clues To Diabetic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 3/18/08
• ACE Inhibitors vs ARBs in HTN and in CKD - Medscape, 1/4/08 - "In the setting of chronic kidney disease (CKD), concludes the other study, which is a meta-analysis, ACE inhibitor and ARB monotherapy are similarly effective at reducing proteinuria, but a combination of the two angiotensin-2-suppressing drugs works better than either agent individually [2]. But a blanket recommendation to combine them would be premature, according to the authors, because there is little evidence that the combination would improve clinical outcomes over monotherapy, and the safety of such combination therapy is largely undefined"
• Periodontal Disease Is Associated With Chronic Kidney Disease - Medscape, 1/30/08 - "subjects with periodontal disease and those who were edentulous were nearly twice as likely to have CKD (adjusted odds ratios, 1.60 and 1.85, respectively)"
• Breakdown Of Kidney's Ability To Clean Its Own Filters Likely Causes Disease - Science Daily, 1/29/08
• ACE Inhibitors or ARBs in Hypertension? In Chronic Kidney Disease? - Medscape, 1/17/07 - "ARBs and ACE inhibitors were similarly effective at lowering proteinuria, ARBs were more effective than calcium-channel blockers, and a combination of ARBs and ACE inhibitors was more effective than either agent alone"
• The effect of losartan on hemoglobin concentration and renal outcome in diabetic nephropathy of type 2 diabetes - Kidney Int. 2007 Dec 19 - "Compared with placebo, losartan treatment was associated with a significant decrease of hemoglobin, with the largest between-group difference at 1 year. After adjustment, there were significant relative risk reductions for losartan compared with placebo for ESRD and for ESRD or death regardless of the baseline hemoglobin even in those patients with a baseline hemoglobin below 120 g l(-1). Hence, the renoprotective properties of losartan were maintained despite a significant lowering of the hemoglobin concentration"
• Blood Pressure Drugs: Is Timing Key? - WebMD, 12/13/07 - "The study was small, involving just 32 patients with chronic kidney disease taking more than one blood pressure medication ... When the patients switched just one of their blood pressure drugs from morning to bedtime, 28 experienced normalization of nighttime blood pressure patterns within eight weeks ... Most patients also showed decreases in protein levels in their urine indicative of better kidney function"
• Pioglitazone Lowers Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetic Patients with Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 12/12/07
• Existing Drugs Show Promise For Treating End-stage Renal Disease In Lupus - Science Daily, 11/27/07
• New Way To Detect Lupus-associated Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 11/25/07
• Thiazolidinediones: A novel class of drugs for the prevention of diabetic nephropathy? - Kidney Int. 2007 Dec;72(11):1301-1303 - "Miyazaki et al. report that rosiglitazone, a thiazolidinedione insulin sensitizer and a potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, not only effectively improves glycemic control but also halts progression of albuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients with early-stage diabetic nephropathy. These findings could offer a new prevention of diabetic nephropathy in insulin-resistant diabetic patients"
• Drug May Limit Radiation Kidney Damage In BMT Patients - Science Daily, 11/14/07
• Atorvastatin Helps Protect Kidneys in SPARCL Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/12/07 - "Treatment of stroke patients with atorvastatin can preserve kidney function in patients with or without chronic kidney disease, metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes"
• Chronic Kidney Disease Rises While Most People With The Condition Remain Unaware - Science Daily, 11/9/07
• Adding Carvediol Therapy Prevents Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/6/07
• 13% of Americans Have Kidney Disease - WebMD, 11/6/07 - "Thirteen percent of Americans now have chronic kidney disease, up 3% over the last decade, mostly due to higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure ... A recent CDC report on the same NHANES data suggested that 17% of Americans have chronic kidney disease. Coresh and colleagues came up with a lower number because the CDC analysis included people with earlier signs of kidney disease, while the Coresh team counted only those with persistent kidney disease"
• Rosiglitazone May Increase Mortality Among Diabetic Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 11/5/07
• Renoprotection provided by losartan in combination with pioglitazone is superior to renoprotection provided by losartan alone in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy - Kidney Blood Press Res. 2007;30(4):203-11 - "Renoprotection conferred by losartan combined with pioglitazone is superior to that conferred by losartan alone in subjects with type 2 diabetic nephropathy. The combination is generally well tolerated"
• Genzyme Says FDA OKs Renvela for Dialysis Patients - Medscape, 10/22/07
• Double Cardiovascular Benefit For People With Chronic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 10/5/07
• Higher Death Rates in Kidney Patients With Newly Recognized Disease - Doctor's Guide, 10/1/07
• Kidney Dialysis Best After Dark? - WebMD, 9/19/07
• Lowering Homocysteine Levels Does Not Improve Outcomes For Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 9/11/07
• Rosiglitazone decreases albuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients - Kidney Int. 2007 Sep 5 - "The percentage decrease in albuminuria correlated with the decrease in fasting plasma glucose ... Our study indicates that thiazolidinediones may be useful to prevent nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients"
• ACE Inhibitors, ARBs Improve Survival in Heart Failure Patients With Kidney Disease - Medscape, 7/6/07
• Telmisartan Staves Off Overt Diabetic Nephropathy - Medscape, 6/27/07 - "During a mean follow-up of 1.3 years, transition rates to overt nephropathy were significantly lower with telmisartan 40 mg (22.6%) and telmisartan 80 mg (16.7%) than with placebo (49.9%)"
• Telmisartan May Help Preserve Renal Function in Patients With Hypertension, Diabetes - Medscape, 6/1/07 - "In patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes, telmisartan and ramipril both may help preserve cardiovascular and renal function by increasing nitric oxide (NO) activity of the renal endothelium"
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers in patients with congestive heart failure and chronic kidney disease - Am Heart J. 2007 Jun;153(6):1064-73 - "The inhospital use of either an ACE-I or ARB was associated with significantly reduced 30-day mortality (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.28-0.59) after adjusting for multiple risk factors. Similarly, the discharge prescription of either an ACE-I or ARB was associated with a significant reduction in adjusted 1-year mortality ... Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and ARB are underused in patients with heart failure with chronic kidney disease"
• ACE Inhibitors May Slow Progression of IgA Renal Disease - Medscape, 5/24/07
• Novel ARB Provides Greater Reductions in Proteinuria in Diabetics With Overt Nephropathy - Medscape, 5/22/07 - "One year of treatment with the novel angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) telmisartan provided greater reductions in proteinuria when compared with losartan, a drug approved for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy to prevent renal-disease progression"
• Early Treatment With ACE Inhibitors Urged To Reduce Long-Term Dialysis Risk - Science Daily, 5/21/07 - "For young patients with the kidney disease IgA nephropathy (IgAN), early treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can reduce the long-term risk of irreversible kidney damage"
• ACE Inhibitors Help Preserve Kidney Function in IgA Nephropathy - Doctor's Guide, 5/16/07
• Treating hypertension in the patient with overt diabetic nephropathy - Semin Nephrol. 2007 Mar;27(2):182-94 - "The renoprotective and proteinuria-decreasing effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers recommend these agents as the standard of care in type 2 diabetic nephropathy"
• Statins Linked to Lower Risk of Infection in Kidney Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/10/07
• Do statins have a beneficial effect on the kidney? - Medscape, 1/4/07 - "Statins appear to have a small beneficial effect on the rate of kidney function decline (particularly in patients with cardiovascular disease), and proteinuria"
• High-normal Uric Acid Linked With Mild Cognitive Impairment In The Elderly - Science Daily, 1/3/07 - "older people with serum (blood) uric-acid levels in the high end of the normal range are more likely to process information slowly and experience failures of verbal and working memory ... Higher levels of uric acid are linked with known risk factors for dementia, including high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, Type 2 diabetes and the "metabolic syndrome" of abdominal obesity and insulin resistance"
• NICE Recommends Mimpara(R) (Cinacalcet) for Treatment of a Serious Complication of Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/6/06
• ACE Inhibitors Reduce Kidney Disease Risk in Diabetics with High Blood Pressure - Doctor's Guide, 11/2/06 - "Taking an ACE inhibitor, alone or as part of the combination treatment, provided further protection against diabetic kidney disease"
• Obesity May Up Risk of Kidney Failure - WebMD, 5/22/06
• Fosrenol Significantly Reduces Tablet Burden for End-Stage Renal Disease Patients With Hyperphosphatemia and Improves Patient and Physician Satisfaction, a New Study Reports - Doctor's Guide, 4/21/06
• Lipitor Demonstrates Improvement in Kidney Function in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 3/13/06 - "Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and elevated cholesterol who took Pfizer Inc's cholesterol- lowering medicine Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) experienced improved kidney function, and those improvements were significantly greater among patients taking the highest dose (80 mg)"
• Concern Over Rapid Rise Of Chronic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 3/13/06 - "This figure has doubled over the past decade and is expected to continue to rise by 5-8% annually ... The rise in end stage renal disease worldwide probably reflects the global epidemic of type 2 diabetes and the ageing of the populations in developed countries"
• While Incidence of Acute Renal Failure Rises, Risk Of Death Declines - Doctor's Guide, 2/28/06
• Lipid Marker Linked to Worsening of Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 1/6/06
• New Kidney Disease Drug Saves Lives At Low Cost - Science Daily, 12/3/05
• New Higher Dose Formulation of Fosrenol (lanthanum carbonate) Approved to Reduce Serum Phosphorus in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/28/05
• Results Encouraging with Interferon Alpha Plus Iressa (Gefitinib) or Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma - Doctor's Guide, 11/22/05
• Sevelamer May Be Better than Calcium Carbonate for Treating Hyperphosphataemia in Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/16/05
• Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Effective Against Anaemia of Chronic Kidney Disease, But Potentially Dangerous in Higher Doses - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/05
• StaphVAX Reduces Recurrent Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteraemia in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/05
• Fosrenol Has Long-Term Safety and Efficacy in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Treated for up to 6 Years - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/05
• Atorvastatin Improves Inflammatory State of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/05
• Frequent Use of NSAIDs and COX-2 Inhibitors in the Elderly Can Lead to Rapid Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/05
• Low-Dose Epoetin Beta Offers Improved Renal Anaemia Management for Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/11/05
• Citrate-containing Dialysate an Option for Chronic Dialysis Patients Unable to Receive Anticoagulants - Doctor's Guide, 11/11/05
• Long-Term Exposure to Warfarin Associated with Aortic Valve Calcification in Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/11/05
• Study Finds Patients with Moderate to Severe Chronic Kidney Disease Go Undiagnosed - Doctor's Guide, 11/10/05
• New Publication Demonstrates Long-Term Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Fosrenol - Doctor's Guide, 10/24/05
• Adults with CKD Not Receiving Proper Tests - Physician's Weekly, 10/10/05
• Nocturnal Dialysis Improves Heart Disease In Patients With End-stage Kidney Failure - Science Daily, 10/1/05
• Mayo Researchers Explore Reasons for Complications With Kidney Failure Patients - Doctor's Guide, 8/16/05
• Many with Chronic Kidney Disease Don't Receive Recommended Medical Care - Doctor's Guide, 8/4/05
• Dialysis Treatment Choice Affects Risk of Death in End-Stage Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 8/2/05
• Odds of Hospitalization Appear Lower for Patients Treated with Doxercalciferol Compared to Calcitriol: Presented at WCN - Doctor's Guide, 7/12/05
• New machines offer kidney dialysis at home - MSNBC, 7/11/05
• Lanthanum Carbonate Appears to Reduce Serum Phosphorus Levels in Patients With End Stage Renal Disease Without Compromising Bone Health: Presented at WCN - Doctor's Guide, 7/11/05
• Long-Term Data Finds Lanthanum Carbonate to Have Strong Safety Profile in Patients With End Stage Renal Disease: Presented at WCN - Doctor's Guide, 7/11/05
• Discovery May Prevent Life-threatening Wasting Disease In Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 6/10/05
• FDA Approves Zemplar (Paricalcitol) Capsules For Earlier Treatment Of Kidney Disease Complication - Doctor's Guide, 5/27/05
• Cardiovascular Risk Factors Could Indicate Kidney Problems - Doctor's Guide, 5/12/05 - "While generalized atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries and blood vessels) has been increasingly recognized as a cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a recent study of over 8,500 patients discovered that this same disease also affects renal function in those who do not suffer from ESRD"
• New in Vitro Data Show Fosrenol May Have Greater Phosphate Binding Affinity than Sevelamer Hydrochloride - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/05
• Hemodialysis Causes Antioxidant Loss Leading To Long-term Complications - Science Daily, 4/26/05
• New Data Shows Telmisartan (Micardis/Pritor) Provides Effective and Well-Tolerated Blood Pressure Lowering in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/4/05
• Science waking up to while-you-sleep dialysis - USA Today, 3/25/05
• High Phosphate Levels Linked to Increased Mortality Risk in Chronic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 1/19/05
• Few Americans Are Aware They Have Chronic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 12/29/04 - "Kidney disease can be well advanced before it's found with creatinine alone ... People with chronic kidney disease are at high risk for premature death, heart attacks and strokes as well as hypertension, anemia, bone disease and malnutrition"
• American Society of Nephrology Renal Week 2004 - Medscape, 11/30/04
• First Human Trial Of Bioartificial Kidney Shows Promise For Acute Renal Failure - Science Daily, 11/9/04
• Preventing Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease - WebMD, 11/3/04
• Liquid Amphotericin B Treatment Safe Alternative Treatment in Kidney Dysfunction - Doctor's Guide, 11/3/04
• Epoetin Alfa Shows Impressive Results for Anemia Correction in Pre-Dialysis Kidney Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/1/04
• Specialized Care Provides Edge for Patients with Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/1/04
• Simvastatin Demonstrates Benefits in Patients With Chronic Renal Insufficiency - Doctor's Guide, 11/1/04
• IV Sodium Ferric Gluconate Complex Tops Oral Iron in Anemic Kidney Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/1/04
• Innovative Program Improves Coronary Risk Factors in Kidney Disease Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/1/04
• FDA Approves Fosrenol (Lanthanum Carbonate) To Reduce Phosphate Levels In End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 10/27/04
• Kidney Problems, Heart Failure Deaths Linked - WebMD, 10/19/04
• Chronic Kidney Failure Climbing Rapidly in U.S. - WebMD, 10/8/04
• Studies Strengthen Kidney And Heart Disease Link - Science Daily, 9/29/04
• Even Modest Kidney Disease Ups Heart Risk - WebMD, 9/22/04
• Atorvastatin Improves Renal Function in Patients With CHD - Medscape, 7/2/04 - "In 704 patients not treated with statins, mean decrease in CrCl was 5.2% (P < .001). In 97 patients receiving various statins as part of their usual care, CrCl increased by 4.9% (P = .003). In 783 structured care patients receiving atorvastatin, CrCl increased by 12%"
  • Recognizing the Impact of Anemia-related Fatigue in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease - jcaremanagement.com - "Mild CKD patients are defined as those having CrCl of 50-89 mL/min. Moderate CKD patients are defined as those having a CrCl of 25-49 mL/min. Advanced CKD patients are defined as those having a CrCl of less than 25 mL/min"
• Why Is Hypertension in Chronic Kidney Disease Treated Differently than Other Hypertension? - Doctor's Guide, 4/30/04
• Treatment for Kidney Disease Complication - Physician's Weekly, 4/5/04
• Intensified Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy Slows Renal Disease Progression - Doctor's Guide, 4/1/04
• Osteoarticular Complications Common in Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 3/16/04
• FDA Approves of Sensipar (Cinacalcet HCl) for Treatment of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism - Doctor's Guide, 3/9/04
• FDA Approves New Kidney Disease Drug [Sensipar] - Intelihealth, 3/9/04
• Patients Give More Favourable Ratings to Peritoneal Dialysis Than to Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 2/11/04
• Combination Therapy Important for Management of Diabetic Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 12/29/03
• New Non-Surgical Risk Factors Identified for Primary Access Failure in End Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 12/11/03
• Peritoneal Dialysis May Offer Longer-Term Survival Than Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 12/5/03
• Elevated C-reactive Protein Level Predicts Ischaemic Heart Disease in Patients Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 12/2/03
• Care Questioned For Dialysis Patients - Intelihealth, 12/2/03
• Dialysis in High-risk Patients Appears to Have Limited Effect on Survival - Doctor's Guide, 11/27/03
• No Direct Evidence of Short- or Long-Term Complications Found with Intravenous Iron Therapy - Doctor's Guide, 11/21/03
• Long-Acting Epoetin Safely Treats Anaemia in Elderly or Diabetic Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/21/03
• Cinacalcet Might Put More Dialysis Patients on Target for Parathyroid Hormone - Doctor's Guide, 11/19/03
• Cinacalcet HCl Is Safe and Effective for Secondary Hyperparathroidism in Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/18/03
• Once-Monthly Darbepoetin Alfa Protects Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease From Anaemia - Doctor's Guide, 11/18/03
• Sevelamer Saves Bone in Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/17/03
• Cystatin C Finds Those at Risk for Later Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 11/18/03
• Paricalcitol Safely and Effectively Treats Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/17/03
• Fenofibrate Slows Renal Decline in Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 11/17/03
• At-Home Dialysis An Effective Option for More Patients With Advanced Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/13/03
• Cockroft-Gault Formula Best Tool for Evaluating Renal Function in Diabetes Patients - Doctor's Guide, 10/27/03
• Anaemia in Diabetics Often Unrecognised, Undetected, and Untreated - Doctor's Guide, 10/16/03 - "Although anaemia is a key indicator of renal disease, a significant complication caused by diabetes, most diabetics are not tested for anaemia and remain unaware of an association between anaemia and kidney disease ... reduced quality of life was evident by reports of being down or depressed (21%), very down or depressed (17%), or feeling frustrated (17%)"
• Calcium Acetate Treatment Causes Hypercalcemia and Vascular Calcification in Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 10/9/03
• Haemofiltration Benefits Chronic Renal Failure Patients Undergoing Coronary Procedures - Doctor's Guide, 10/3/03
• Zaleplon Improves Sleep Quality In Patients on Maintenance Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 10/3/03
• Continent Urinary Reconstruction For Severe Bladder Dysfunction Safe, Effective In Pediatric Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 10/1/03
• Multidisciplinary, Timely Preparation of Patients to Enter End Stage Renal Disease May Improve Mortality - Doctor's Guide, 9/30/03
• High-Dose Furosemide Increases Urine Volume and Electrolyte Excretion in Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis Patients Without Affecting Urea, Creatinine Clearance - Doctor's Guide, 9/28/03
• Isolation and Dedicated Equipment May Be Unnecessary For Hepatitis C Infected Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 9/25/03
• Epoetin-Sparing Effect Not Associated With Dialyser Membrane Type In Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 9/25/03
• Study: Pain Killers Do Not Damage Kidneys - Physician's Weekly, 9/15/03
• Sevelamer Reduces Serum Phosphorus Without Causing Hypercalcemia in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 9/15/03
• High-Dose Vancomycin Given During Dialysis Equivalent to Standard Dose After Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 9/12/03
• Anaemia Correction Improves Cardiac and Renal Function in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure - Doctor's Guide, 9/9/03
• Interferon and Ribavirin Safe for Patients With Hepatitis C-Related Renal Insufficiency - Doctor's Guide, 9/8/03
• Captopril Offers Significant Survival Benefit for Patients With Moderate Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/03
• Family Members, Other Patients Important Sources Of Staphylococcus Aureus For Patients On Peritoneal Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/03
• Clopidogrel Plus Aspirin Ineffective for Graft Thrombosis, Increases Bleeding Risk During Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 9/3/03
• Mean Transferrin Saturation, Length of Dialysis, and Albumin Levels Predict Anaemia in Pediatric Patients - Doctor's Guide, 8/25/03
• Oral Heme Iron Polypeptide Effectively Sustains Response To Erythropoietin Therapy In Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 8/15/03
• Hydrostatic Intraperitoneal Pressure Provides Objective Parameter For Determining Dialysis Dose In Children - Doctor's Guide, 8/15/03
• Pyocystis Can Occur In Anuric Patients - Doctor's Guide, 8/13/03
• Early Anaemia in Paediatric Renal Patients Linked to Prolonged Hospitalisation, Death - Doctor's Guide, 8/12/03
• Multi-Dose Epoetin Pen Appears Safe, Effective In Patients With Renal Anaemia - Doctor's Guide, 8/12/03
• Long-term Haemodialysis Patients Show Survival Advantage When Treated with Paricalcitol Over Calcitriol for Secondary Hyperparathyroidism - Doctor's Guide, 7/31/03
• Better Dialysis Survival With Zemplar - WebMD, 7/30/03
• Profound Effects On Immune Function Of Iron Therapy In End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 7/30/03 - "Iron therapy, given to treat anaemia in combination with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), depresses immune function by inhibiting TNF-a production and increasing IL-4"
• High Cholesterol Raises Kidney Risks - WebMD, 7/21/03
• Lower cholesterol for healthy kidneys - USA Today, 7/20/03 - "men who had low levels of HDL or "good cholesterol" and elevated "bad" or LDL cholesterol were twice as likely to have evidence of kidney malfunction"
• Coronary Biomarker Level Increases Associated with Increased Mortality Risk in End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 7/21/03
• Dialysis Dose, Membrane Type Do Not Reduce Infection Risk During Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 7/11/03
• Flucloxacillin Effective Against Staphylococcal Infections During Continuous Venovenous Haemofiltration - Doctor's Guide, 7/7/03
• r.hu-Erythropoietin Therapy May Slow or Reverse Renal Function Loss Process - Doctor's Guide, 7/7/03
• Peritoneal Dialysis May Be More Likely To Achieve Renal Function Recovery In Atheroembolic Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 7/3/03
• Reversing Kidney Failure May Be Possible [morphogenic protein, or BMP-7] - WebMD, 7/2/03
• Phosphate Reduction Starts Within One Week Of Treatment With Fosrenol (Lanthanum Carbonate) - Doctor's Guide, 6/30/03
• Visual Loss After Haemodialysis Can Be Caused By Posterior Ischaemic Neuropathy - Doctor's Guide, 6/26/03
• Daily Night-time Haemodialysis May Provide Advantages Over Other Schedules - Doctor's Guide, 6/26/03
• Diabetic Kidney Disease Often Missed - WebMD, 6/24/03
• Long-Term ACE Inhibitor Treatment Promotes Renal Health and Improved Lipid Profiles - Doctor's Guide, 6/12/03 - "In the group switched from a diuretic, the mean urinary albumin excretion was reduced from 37.0 to 23.2 at 12 months. In that same time period, the urinary albumin excretion decreased from 38.9 to 25.3 in the group switched from calcium channel blockers ... After switching to temocapril, serum total cholesterol in the switched groups was significantly decreased from the baseline value (P<0.05) -- from 223.5 mg/dL to 210.7 mg/dL in the group switched from diuretics; from 215.6 mg/dL to 209.3 mg/dL in the group switched from calcium channel blockers ... Serum levels of low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein were also improved in the switched groups"
• Adding Felodipine to Ramipril Slows Progression in Nondiabetic Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 6/12/03
• Enalapril Has Renoprotective Effect in Chronic Allograft Nephropathy - Doctor's Guide, 6/12/03
• Fosrenol (Lanthanum Carbonate) Demonstrates Long-Term Benefit In End Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 6/11/03
• Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy Linked to Aberrant Tissue Healing - Doctor's Guide, 6/11/03
• Subcutaneous Darbepoetin Alfa Maintains Optimal Haemoglobin Levels in Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 6/10/03
• Diuretic Use Linked to End-Stage Renal Disease [ESRD] - Medscape, 5/16/03 - "We're concerned that there could be a long time lag between use of thiazide diuretics and ESRD, even as long as 10 to 15 years"
• Fosrenol (Lanthanum Carbonate) Shows Favourable Effects On Bone In Bone Biopsy Study - Doctor's Guide, 5/13/03
• Sevelamer Hydrochloride Reduces Hyperparathyroidism in End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 4/29/03
• Experts Release New Chronic Kidney Disease Bone Guidelines - Medscape, 4/8/03
• Kidney Ultrasound Should Be Performed in-House - Medscape, 4/7/03
• Implantable Defibrillators May Save the Lives Of Many Cardiac Patients on Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 4/7/03
• Once-Monthly Aranesp (Darbepoetin Alfa) Maintains Hemoglobin Levels In Chronic Kidney Disease Patients With Anemia - Doctor's Guide, 4/4/03
• Long-Term Fosrenol (Lanthanum Carbonate) Controls Harmful Phosphate In End-Stage Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 4/4/03
• FDA Grants Approvable Letter For Fosrenol (Lanthanum Carbonate) For Treatment Related To Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 3/3/03
• Whirlpools Pose Hidden Danger to Kidney - WebMD, 2/6/03
• Most Haemodialysis Patients Have Headache Before, During Treatment - Doctor's Guide, 2/6/03
• Hypertensive Patients With Renal Impairment Have Fewer Side Effects From Efonidipine - Doctor's Guide, 2/6/03
• Low-Level Lead Exposure Harms Kidneys - Doctor's Guide, 1/22/03 - "the progression of kidney failure was much slower in patients who received chelation therapy compared with those who got the placebo"
• Atherosclerosis Affects Age-Related Renal Changes - Doctor's Guide, 1/2/03 - "Atherosclerosis speeds up kidney shrinkage and increases in serum creatinine levels on top of the known effects of aging ... the investigators conclude that atherosclerosis accelerates the decrease of renal size and the increase in serum creatinine with age"
• FDA Approves New Peritoneal Dialysis Solution Extraneal (Icodextrin) - Doctor's Guide, 12/23/02
• Intravenous Administration Required When Using Eprex/ Erypo (Epoetin Alfa) In Chronic Renal Failure Patients - Doctor's Guide, 12/3/02
• More Deaths In For-Profit Dialysis Centers - WebMD, 11/19/02
• Lowering Systolic Blood Pressure Reduces Risk of Diabetic Nephropathy Progression - Doctor's Guide, 11/7/02
• Periodontal Diseases Increase C-Reactive Protein In Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/7/02
• Renal Transplant Safe, Successful in Wegener's Granulomatosis - Medscape, 11/4/02
• Fosrenol Safe, Effective for Hyperphosphatemia of Hemodialysis - Medscape, 11/4/02
• Hypertension Is Adequately Controlled In Only 30 Percent Of Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Intravenous Push Of Iron Sucrose Safe, Effective In Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Darbepoetin Alfa Once Every Other Week Treats Anaemia In Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Not On Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Once-Weekly Epoetin Alfa Effective Against Anaemia in Chronic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Adequate Dialysis Allows Chronic Renal Failure Patients to Recover Sense of Smell - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Stop Recombinant Human Erythropoetin if Signs of Pure Red Blood Aplasia Appear - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Sirolimus-Based Immunotherapy Allows Elimination Of Cyclosporine, Improves Renal Function - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Cardiac Drugs' Effectiveness Depends on Cardiovascular Status Prior to Starting Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• Fosrenol (Lanthanum Carbonate) Effective, Safe Treatment For Hyperphosphatemia - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/02
• In Hypertensive Individuals, Lead Exposure is Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/3/02
• IV Iron Therapy Better than Oral Iron for Paediatric Patients Undergoing Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 11/3/02
• Treatment of diabetic nephropathy with angiotensin II receptor antagonist - Clin Exp Nephrol. 2003 Mar;7(1):1-8 - "Treatment with irbesartan was associated with a relative risk of endstage renal disease that was 23% lower than that in both other groups [calcium channel blocker or placebo]. These differences were not accounted for by differences in the blood pressures that were achieved"
• Iron Therapy Contraindicated In Haemodialysis Patients' - Doctor's Guide, 10/30/02
• Haemofiltration Better Than Peritoneal Dialysis In Infection-Related Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 9/19/02
• FDA Approves Avapro (Irbesartan) For The Treatment Of Diabetic Nephropathy (Kidney Disease) In Patients With High Blood Pressure And Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/18/02
• Losartan Reduces Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease in Type 2 Diabetics, Also Lowers Cost Burden - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/02
• Surgery In Mild And Moderate Renal Failure Decreases Need For Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 9/3/02
• Nephron Sparing Surgery Controls Cancer, Preserves Renal Function - Doctor's Guide, 8/12/02
• Survival and Quality of Life Support Aggressive Treatment of Acute Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 8/9/02
• Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine Suitable In Children With Chronic Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 8/8/02
• Increased Toxin Concentrations Worsen Renal Function - Doctor's Guide, 8/8/02
• Links Suggested Between Malnutrition, Inflammation and Atherosclerosis in Haemodialysed Patients - Doctor's Guide, 8/2/02
• Once-Weekly Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Maintains Haemoglobin Concentrations in Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 7/19/02
• Dialyzers May Remove Heparin Antibodies and Reduce Occurrence of Severe Thrombocytopenia - Doctor's Guide, 7/19/02
• Undiagnosed but Treatable Fabry Disease Found in End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 7/18/02
• Low Molecular Weight Heparin Superiority in Hemodialysis Due to Endothelium Dependent Mechanisms - Doctor's Guide, 7/18/02
• Age and Comorbidities Predict Outcome After Acute Tubular Necrosis - Doctor's Guide, 7/17/02
• Intravenous Darbepoetin Alfa Is More Effective Than Intravenous Recombinant Human Erythropoetin - Doctor's Guide, 7/17/02
• Heart Disease In Haemodialysis Patients Could Be Related To Mean Platelet Volume - Doctor's Guide, 7/8/02
• Older Dialysis Patients At Greater Risk for Malnutrition - Doctor's Guide, 5/9/02
• Androgen Therapy In Dialysis Patients Shows Benefits Over Erythropoietin - Doctor's Guide, 4/25/02
• Adding Candesartan to Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor in Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 4/25/02
• Study Confirms Recommended Dialysis Dose - Doctor's Guide, 4/23/02
• High-Protein Diets Cause Dehydration - WebMD, 4/22/02
• Darbepoetin Alfa Effective Even When Given at Four-Week Intervals - Doctor's Guide, 4/22/02
• No Evidence that ACE Inhibitors, Aspirin Reduce Mortality in Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/22/02
• At-Home Dialysis Therapy May Benefit A Greater Range of Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/19/02
• Dialysis May Alter Cognitive Function - Doctor's Guide, 4/17/02
• Intervention Can Improve Barriers To Adequate Dialysis Care - Doctor's Guide, 4/17/02
• Helicobacter Status Not Related To Dyspepsia Or Gastroparesis In Uremic Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/12/02
• Overhydration Contributes To Hypoalbuminemia In Peritoneal Dialysis - Doctor's Guide, 4/8/02
• Decline In Renal Function After Dialysis Can Be Halved - Doctor's Guide, 2/11/02
• New Guidelines Urge Easy Tests To Diagnose Kidney Disease In Millions Who Don't Know Organs Are Dying - Intelihealth, 2/5/02
• Working Kidney Built From Embryo Clone - Intelihealth, 1/31/02
• Daily Haemodialysis Reduces Mortality In Acute Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 1/31/02
• Under-Controlled Hypertension Paves Way For Other Ills - Doctor's Guide, 1/16/02
• Study Suggests Time Of Day May Affect Dialysis - Intelihealth, 12/5/01
• Recombinant Human Growth Hormone Improves Malnourished Kidney Failure Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/13/01
• Aspirin Plus Beta-Blocker Reduce Risk of Post-Myocardial Infarction Deaths in Patients with End-stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/12/01
• Inadequate Antibiotic Doses Often Given During Recovery from Acute Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 11/7/01
• Aranesp (Darbepoetin) May Maintain Hemoglobin Levels Despite Infrequent Dosing in Chronic Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 10/16/01
• Blood Pressure Drug May Help Kidneys - Intelihealth, 9/19/01
• Cozaar (Losartan) Slows Progression of Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/19/01
• Irbesartan Protects Against Kidney Disease Progression in Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/01
• Baycol (Cerivastatin) Not To Be Used In Combination With Gemfibrozil, Says Bayer - Doctor's Guide, 7/25/01 - "Statins are known to cause a rare side effect of muscle breakdown ... In a very small percentage of patients, there is a risk of muscle breakdown resulting in kidney damage, which in rare instances can lead to life-threatening kidney failure ... The risk of muscle breakdown is greater in patients taking gemfibrozil as well as other fibric acid derivatives (a group of cholesterol-lowering drugs), cyclosporine (an immunosuppressant), erythromycin (an antibiotic), azole antifungals, or lipid-lowering doses of niacin (nicotinic acid) together with statins including cerivastatin."
• No link between painkillers, kidney failure - USA Today, 7/18/01
• Regular Use of Pain Medicines Doesn't Damage Kidneys - WebMD, 7/17/01
• Kidney Disease Not Identified Early Enough - Doctor's Guide, 7/9/01
• Native Kidney Function More Important To Growth Is Than Dialysis Clearance - Doctor's Guide, 6/29/01
• Peritoneal Dialysis Patients May Not Be Getting Needed Anemia Treatment - Doctor's Guide, 6/29/01
• Multidisciplinary Pre-Dialysis Program Lessens Morbidity In Patients With Chronic Renal Failure - Doctor's Guide, 6/29/01
• Icodextrin Might Decrease Appetite Suppression And Malnutrition In Peritoneal Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 6/28/01
• Peritoneal Dialysis Could Be More Widely Used For Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 6/28/01
• Renagel (Sevelamer) Controls Phosphorus, Avoids Cardiac Calcification in End-Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 6/26/01
• Study Indicates Calcium-Free Kidney Drug May Ward Off Heart Trouble - Intelihealth, 6/26/01 - "The top killer of people on dialysis is not their kidneys, but heart disease. Some experts believe the calcium-based pills given to most kidney patients may also dangerously harden their arteries"
• Irbesartan Protects Against Kidney Disease Progression In Hypertensive Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 6/25/01
• Pravastatin Improves Graft And Patient Survival In Kidney Transplant - Doctor's Guide, 5/28/01
• High Blood Pressure Significant Risk Factor for Kidney Rejection - Doctor's Guide, 5/28/01
• Cozaar (Losartan) Significantly Reduces Progression of Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 5/24/01
• Irbesartan Slows Kidney Disease In Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 5/20/01
• Diovan (Valsartan) Effective in Reducing Microalbuminuria - Doctor's Guide, 5/17/01 - "Diovan® (valsartan), is more effective in reducing microalbuminuria (p<0.001), an early sign of diabetic kidney disease, compared to the calcium channel blocker, amlodipine"
• Under-Treatment of Hypertension Contributing to Chronic KidneyDisease in United States - Doctor's Guide, 5/15/01 - "Hypertension is a leading factor in developing kidney disease. While the majority of people in the study were treated for hypertension, only 11 percent reduced their blood pressure to recommended levels"
• Canada Approves Hectoral (Vitamin D Pro-Hormone) For End-Stage Renal Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 5/4/01
• Weighing In on Kidney Disease Linked to Obesity, Researchers Warn of 'Newly Emerging Epidemic' - WebMD, 4/26/01 - ""It's well established that obesity is related to diabetes -- in fact 80% of diabetics are type 2, and those are almost all people who are at least overweight if not obese. And then we've shown in the past eight or nine years that ... in normal healthy individuals blood pressure goes up ... with a fairly substantial increase in weight, and if you lose weight blood pressure comes back down. The contention is that over a period of time there's going to be a detriment to the kidneys," ... in at least some cases the proteinuria seen in people with ORG can be halted or reversed with weight loss and/or the use of blood-pressure lowering drugs called ACE-inhibitors"
• Midodrine Hydrochloride May Help Avoid Hypotension In Dialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/20/01
• Angiotensin II Antagonist Plus Conventional Treatment Improves Blood Pressure Control, Kidney Function - Doctor's Guide, 4/6/01 - "Adding candesartan cilexetil to conventional therapy significantly reduced albuminuria by a mean of 25 percent, fractional albumin clearance by a mean of 35 percent, 24-hour systolic blood pressure by a mean of 10 mmHg, and GFR by a mean of 5 ml/minute/1.73 m2. The mean reduction in diastolic blood pressure (3 mmHg) was not statistically significant"
• Alert: Pepcid Can Cause Sleepiness in Kidney Failure Patients - WebMD, 3/28/01 - "The warning comes because FDA officials have verified a direct connection between levels of the drug and an increase in creatinine, a waste product found in the urine that is considered a sign of kidney failure"
• Novel Erythropoietin Stimulating Protein Maintains Hemoglobin Concentration, Requires Less Frequent Dosing - Doctor's Guide, 10/19/00
• Daily Dialysis Improves Quality Of Life In End Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 10/18/00
• Another Danger for Smokers: Kidney Disease - WebMD, 10/16/00
• Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Beta Blockers May Postpone Kidney Failure - Doctor's Guide, 10/13/00
• FDA Approves Renagel Tablets (Sevelamer Hydrochloride) For Hemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 7/13/00
• Antihypertensive Therapy May Delay Kidney Failure In Polycystic Kidney Disease - Doctor's Guide, 3/30/00
• Carnitor Approved In US For End Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 12/22/99
• Renal Stenting Improves Kidney Function - Doctor's Guide, 9/27/99
• Low-Protein Diet Postpones Dialysis In Chronic Kidney Failure Patients - Doctor's Guide, 2/16/99
• FDA Approves Renagel Capsules For Patients With End Stage Renal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 11/2/98