NN&I - January 2012

Clinical Compiled by Rebecca Zumoff Research shows kidney cells can regenerate Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine say they have uncovered how kidney cells can regenerate and renew themselves during normal kidney function A study published online Dec 4 in Nature Medicine demonstrates an important step toward one day therapeutically coaxing the cells to divide which could be used to treat people with chronic kidney disease researchers said They discovered that podocytes a specialized type of epithelial cell in the kidney can be signaled to regenerate The implication is that podocytes may utilize recognized pathways of regeneration to renew themselves throughout life said lead author Steven Artandi MD PhD People suffering from chronic kidney disease may simply have worn out or outpaced their podocytes capacity for renewal he said Endpoint NephCure ASN unveil grant opportunity The NephCure Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology will co fund a new two year 200000 career development grant the organizations announced This new funding will foster independent careers of junior faculty in research on topics relevant to idiopathic Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis Minimal Change Disease and other diseases that result in Nephrotic Syndrome This is an opportunity to recruit and inspire young innovative researchers in the field NephCures funding and focused approach to its mission make alliances like this possible said ASN president Joseph V Bonventre MD PhD FASN Study identifies genetic mechanisms that help control BP Genes present in the kidneys messenger RNAs and micro RNAs may contribute to hypertension according to a study published in the journal Hypertension Researchers from the University of Leicesters Department of Cardiovascular Sciences uncovered two microRNAs that contribute to the regulation of rennin a hormone long thought to play a part in controlling blood pressure The scientists studied tissue samples from the kidneys of 15 male hypertensive patients and seven male patients with normal blood pressure and compared their messenger RNA and micro RNA Messenger RNA is a single stranded molecule that helps in the production of protein from DNA Genetic information is copied from DNA to mRNA strands which provide a template for the cell to make new proteins MicroRNA is a very small molecule that helps regulate the process of converting mRNA into proteins Treatment Latex gloves lead to lax hand hygiene in hospitals Health care workers who wear gloves while treating patients are much less likely to clean their hands before and after patient contact according to a study published in the December issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology This failure of basic hand hygiene could be contributing to the spread of infection in health care settings the researchers say The researchers reviewed more than 7000 patient contacts in 56 intensive care and acute care wards in 15 United Kingdom hospitals It is one of the largest and most detailed studies on gloves and their impact on hand hygiene Overall the study found that hand hygiene compliance was disappointingly low at just 477 Compliance was even lower in instances where gloves were worn dipping to just over 41 Most lupus nephritis patients with ESRD opt for HD New research shows that more patients with end stage renal disease caused by lupus nephritis choose hemodialysis as their initial kidney replacement therapy over peritoneal dialysis and preemptive kidney transplantation Results of the study now available in Arthritis Care Research also found that African Americans Medicaid recipients those without health insurance and the unemployed had significantly reduced initiation of peritoneal dialysis Study findings indicate that 82 of subjects initiated hemodialysis 12 used peritoneal dialysis while only 3 went straight to kidney transplantation without any type of dialysis Those receiving peritoneal dialysis were more likely to be female and white and to have private insurance compared to Medicare or no insurance Patients who were employed had higher levels of albumin and hemoglobin levels and lower levels of creatinine in the blood were also more likely to use an at home renal replacement therapy Nephrology News Issues January 2012 Subscribe to our free eNewsletter at www NephrologyNews com 16