Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Nephrology for April 2008. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Treating Hypertension Doesn't Halt Chronic Kidney Disease
WEDNESDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic kidney disease in hypertensive black patients will still continue to progress when treated with antihypertensive and renin-angiotensin system-blocking therapy, according to research published in the April 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Physicians Lack Feedback on Accuracy of Diagnoses
TUESDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- Clinical diagnosis is a largely open-loop system in which there is no systematic way for clinicians to obtain feedback on the outcome of their diagnoses, according to an article published in a supplement to the May issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
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Palliative Care Can Improve Patient Care Most, Poll Finds
MONDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) -- In an international poll conducted by BMJ to determine which area of health care would enable doctors to make the greatest difference to patients, palliative care for non-malignant disease received the most votes, the BMJ Group announced at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care in Paris this week.
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Heparin Contaminant Activates Contact System
THURSDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- The serious allergic-type reactions recently reported in patients receiving intravenous heparin appear to be due to the presence of a contaminant, oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS), which leads to activation of the contact system and release of vasoactive mediators, according to an article first published online April 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Link Between Obesity and Renal Dysfunction Explored
WEDNESDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that adiponectin may protect the kidney against oxidant stress, and the lower levels of adiponectin seen in obese individuals may predispose them to kidney dysfunction and the development of albuminuria, according to an article published online April 22 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Serum Creatinine Higher in Blacks Than Others on Dialysis
FRIDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with chronic kidney disease using hemodialysis, black individuals had significantly higher serum creatinine concentrations, which are associated with a lower risk of death in dialysis patients, according to research published online April 16 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Individualized Health Care Budgets Improve Care
FRIDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- The U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) should allow patients individual control of their health care budgets, an approach that has been shown in pilot studies to improve outcomes and patient satisfaction in a cost-effective manner, according to an analysis published April 12 in BMJ.
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Raloxifene Effectiveness Unaffected by Kidney Disease
THURSDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Raloxifene increases bone mineral density at the hip and spine better than placebo in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and chronic kidney disease, and also reduces vertebral fractures, according to study findings published online April 9 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Consider Health Literacy Level When Writing for Patients
THURSDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Giving patients clearly written educational materials that convey key messages without resorting to jargon is an important part of engaging patient compliance with treatment and can contribute to health literacy, according to an article published in the April issue of Chest.
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Transplant Teams Should Be Aware of Donor Tuberculosis
THURSDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- An estimated 0.35 percent to 6.5 percent of organ recipients in the United States and Europe will become infected with tuberculosis (TB) via the transplanted organ, according to a report published in the April 4 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Cyst Growth Slowed in Model of Polycystic Kidney Disease
WEDNESDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Drugs that block a chloride transport channel in the kidney, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, result in slowed expansion of cysts in a mouse model of polycystic kidney disease, suggesting that CFTR inhibitors could be used to reduce cyst growth in humans affected by polycystic kidney disease, according to research first published online April 2 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Doctors Vote on the Ways to Make Biggest Difference
WEDNESDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- The BMJ has begun accepting votes on which areas of health care allow doctors to make the biggest difference to patient care, with a shortlist of six areas each being championed by eminent doctors and researchers. The winning topic will gain special coverage in the BMJ and the BMJ Group's 24 other specialist journals and online education products.
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AHA Advises on Resistant Hypertension Management
TUESDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) -- Resistant hypertension, defined as blood pressure that remains elevated despite the concurrent use of three or more antihypertensive medications, is often multifactorial in origin and requires a comprehensive management strategy, according to an American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Statement published online April 7 in advance of publication in the June issue of Hypertension.
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Kidney Function Predicts Risk of Cardiac Arrest in Women
TUESDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) -- Impaired kidney function is an independent predictor of sudden cardiac death among women with heart disease, according to research published online April 7 in Hypertension.
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No Consensus on Optimum Water Intake
THURSDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Although increased water intake is associated with a range of health benefits, there is little scientific evidence to support these claims, according to an editorial published online April 2 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Adverse Effects of Shock Waves for Kidney Stones Studied
WEDNESDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Shock wave lithotripsy treatment of renal or ureteral stones does not appear to increase the rate of new-onset hypertension or diabetes mellitus, according to research published in the April issue of Urology.
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Kidney Damage May Lead to Hypertension
TUESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- Hypertension and kidney disease commonly co-exist, and new research published in the April 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine points to kidney damage as a risk factor for subsequent hypertension.
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