COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ — In association with its Italian distributors, ADA SRL, Cylex, Inc. today announced that the value of its patented ImmuKnow assay will be investigated in one part of a major, three-part, Italian trial of aspects of immunosuppression in patients undergoing liver transplantation subsequent to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis of the liver.
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On dialysis and distraught, Dave Riegler had no idea the ideal kidney donor lived nearby.
The 37-year-old Laguna Niguel father and husband had long been camped out on a transplant list with not-so-great odds. He spent hours each week hooked to a detoxifying but dehydrating dialysis machine in Mission Viejo, where senior patients would pay pity to the weakened man who once worked out every day.
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Vitamin D is the key to preventing rickets and osteoporosis, but Rockefeller University scientists suspect it may also play a role in heading off atherosclerosis in people with chronic kidney disease. In a new clinical study, investigators at The Rockefeller University Hospital are examining patients with moderately reduced kidney function to investigate the effect of vitamin D therapy on endotoxemia, a condition that is common among those with renal disease and is widely viewed as a contributor to heart disease. The study, led by Instructor in Clinical Investigation Manish Ponda, is partially funded by a $25,000 grant from the Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
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(BioWorld Today Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Biogen Idec Inc. enrolled the first subject in its Phase III trial of injectable Adentri, which is being tested in a group that is considered particularly hard to treat: patients with worsening heart failure and poor kidney function.
The trial, known as TRIDENT (TReatment with Intravenous BG9928 for patients with acutely DEcompensated heart failure and reNal insufficiency Trial), is expected to enroll 900 patients in the U.S. and other countries. It is likely to take about two years to complete, based on the typical length of cardiovascular trials, a spokeswoman said.
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COLUMBIA — Eric Sherron’s health four years ago was declining, and he didn’t know why. Read the rest of this entry…
He suffered through consistent headaches, horrible tastes in his mouth, and skyrocketing blood pressure.
“The defining moment leading up to my diagnosis was my visual problem,” Sherron, 37, said. “I couldn’t see out of my left eye one day when I was hiking. Everything was blurry.”
A blood test revealed the problem: Sherron’s kidneys were functioning 8 percent as well as they should have been. He would need a transplant, and in April of 2005 his mother, Linda Sherron, donated one of her kidneys.
Broad-leaved Plantain
TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi-based National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) now has an easy solution for kidney stones. Once the NRCB’s ongoing research comes to an end, people no longer need to go in search of juice extracted from plantain stem, sold in roadside carts, a drink widely recommended for those suffering from the problem. The extract with curative properties for urinary stones would be available in the form of tablets across the counters in medical stores.
NRCB has embarked on a project to convert the juice into powder and then into tablets for easy consumption and ready availability. “After a year-long study we have developed a technology to convert the juice into powder while ensuring that the medicinal values of plantain stem are not lost,” says NRCB director M M Mustafa. A team of scientists, headed by Dr C K Narayanan, principal scientist of the centre had commenced the research a year back.
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BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease is another name for kidney failure that is so advanced it can’t be reversed. There are only two treatment options for patients experiencing end-stage renal failure — dialysis or transplantation. The national kidney foundation estimates that about 350,000 people in the U.S. have end stage renal disease and about 67,000 people die of kidney failure each year. If a patient opts to have dialysis it may impose invasive limitations on his or her lifestyle because of the rigorous schedule, diet and side effects that accompany the treatment. A successful kidney transplant provides a better quality of life because it allows greater freedom and often is associated with increased energy levels and a less restricted diet. There are two types of kidney transplants, one that uses a kidney from a living donor, and one that used a kidney from a deceased donor. Because of a shortage of donor kidneys, each year only a small percentage of people who need a transplant actually receive a kidney. The wait for a donor kidney can take years.
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A new study indicates that some kidney patients who undergo hemodialysis following exposure to gadolinium contrast dyes during an MRI may be at less risk of developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). The study, conducted by researchers at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, was recently published in the journal “Radiology”.
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NEW YORK AUG 21, 2008 (Reuters Health) - Being active during adolescence and in adulthood appears to reduce the likelihood of developing kidney cancer later in life, a study shows.
Dr. Steven C. Moore of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland and colleagues analyzed data on nearly half a million people aged 50 to 71 who responded to a survey about their diet and level of physical activity, currently and in their teen years.
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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, UK has rejected four kidney cancer treatments for use on the National Health Service on grounds that the drugs are not cost effective, according to PharmaTimes.
The draft guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), contends that Roche’s Avastin (bevacizumab), Bayer’s Nexavar (sorafenib), Pfizer’s Sutent (sunitinib) and Wyeth’s Torisel (temsirolimus) are costly for the treatment of advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
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