Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Nephrology for May 2011. 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.
Effect Estimates May Be Inflated in Biomarker Studies
TUESDAY, May 31 (HealthDay News) -- Biomarker effects are often overestimated in highly cited studies compared to the effects reported in subsequent meta-analyses of the same associations, according to a review published in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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APOL1 Donor Gene Linked to Renal Graft Survival
TUESDAY, May 31 (HealthDay News) -- Significantly shorter renal allograft survival is seen in recipients of kidneys donated by African-American (AA) donors with two apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) risk variants compared to patients receiving a kidney from a donor with zero or one risk variant, according to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Contact With Drug Industry Linked to Positive Attitudes
WEDNESDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- The extent of contact that medical students have with the pharmaceutical industry is associated with positive attitudes about marketing, according to a review published online May 24 in PLoS Medicine.
Many Medical Students Lack Confidence in Medical Law
FRIDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of medical students lack confidence in their knowledge and skills across many areas of medical law, according to a study published online May 16 in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
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Limiting Gadolinium Use May Avert Renal Systemic Fibrosis
FRIDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Following the adoption of restrictive guidelines for gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) administration, no new nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) cases have been identified in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) examinations, even in patients with a low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), according to a study published online May 17 in Radiology.
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Alemtuzumab May Reduce Renal-Transplant Rejection
WEDNESDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- In renal-transplant patients at low risk of rejection, biopsy-confirmed acute rejection is less frequent with alemtuzumab than conventional induction therapy, according to a study published in the May 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Hydroxycarbamide Effective for Infant Sickle-Cell Anemia
FRIDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Hydroxycarbamide therapy may be safe and effective for treating infants with sickle-cell anemia, according to a study published in the May 14 issue of The Lancet.
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Interest in Nephrology Careers Waning in the United States
FRIDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer and fewer U.S. medical students pursue a career in nephrology each year, despite the growing rates of Americans who have kidney disease or are on dialysis, according to a review published in the May issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Medical Education Participants Recognize Funding Bias
WEDNESDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Although most medical professionals believe that commercial funding of continuing medical education (CME) introduces bias, most are not willing to pay higher fees to offset or eliminate such funding sources, according to a study published in the May 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Severe Vitamin D Deficiency Tied to Mortality in Diabetes
FRIDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Severe vitamin D deficiency may be predictive of increased all-cause mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes, but it is not associated with microvascular complications in the kidney or eye, according to a study published online April 27 in Diabetes Care.
Health Literacy Limited Among Patients on Hemodialysis
FRIDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- A substantial proportion of patients treated with chronic hemodialysis have limited health literacy, especially African-Americans, those with lower educational levels, and veterans, according to a study published online May 5 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Efficacy of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Unclear
TUESDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- Though stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is currently used as a treatment for various solid malignant tumors, there is a lack of evidence confirming its effectiveness and safety, according to a review published online May 2 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Mild Histological Injury After Allogenic Renal Transplant
MONDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Histological changes in the first five years after allogenic renal transplantation are generally mild, and are less severe than previously reported, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
