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"Stage 5 Bass" is my third instrumental album. This one focusing on kidney failure. I'm a retired chemical engineer, lifelong electric bassist, and Navy veteran living with stage 5 kidney failure as a result of Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War. Crafted during ongoing dialysis treatments, "Stage 5 Bass" is an emotionally charged, sonically rich collection of instrumental works, with the electric guitar stepping forward as lead voice. The album dives headfirst into themes of survival, memory, and resilience, each track a snapshot of life lived in a body sustained by machines. With track titles like “Size Fifteen Needles,”...

A research team has investigated structural changes in kidneys of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The results show high blood pressure can lead to abnormalities in the podocytes, specialized cells in the renal filter, even without other pre-existing conditions such as diabetes. The results underline the importance of early detection and consistent treatment of high blood pressure in order to prevent kidney damage. To arrive at results, the research team analyzed kidney tissue from a total of 99 patients. The investigation was conducted on unaffected renal tissue samples from tumor nephrectomies (performed between 2013 and 2018), a surgical...

A research team has discovered that C-reactive protein (CRP) can exacerbate kidney inflammation caused by diabetes, also known as diabetic kidney disease (DKD), through a Smad3-NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent mechanism. Therefore, future research targeting CRP or the Smad3-NLRP3 mechanism may provide new treatment directions for DKD. CRP is an inflammatory protein whose level rises rapidly when the body undergoes an inflammatory response, making it a commonly used clinical marker for inflammation. Recent studies have shown that CRP exacerbates kidney inflammation and fibrosis through the TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway, worsening DKD. The activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is a key factor driving kidney inflammation,...

Mefenamic acid, a common anti-inflammatory drug already approved for pain management, has been found to significantly reduce the formation of a toxic compound known as p-cresol sulfate in people with kidney disease with a minimal dose. "Right now, there's nothing drug-wise we can use to reduce this toxin quickly," says Tony Kiang. The body makes a compound called p-cresol when it breaks down proteins and amino acids. A healthy person's kidneys quickly get rid of the toxic sulfates. However, for the population with chronic kidney disease, they can accumulate to dangerous levels. "High levels of this toxin are correlated with...

Tea consumption offers protective effects on mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study. Jin Li, Ph.D. and colleagues examined the long-term impact of tea consumption among 17,575 patients with CKD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999 to 2018. The researchers found there were 5,835 deaths during follow-up, including 1,823 cardiovascular-related deaths. Compared with never drinking tea, consuming up to four cups of tea per day was significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality among patients with CKD stage 1 to 2 (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.80 to 0.99; P...

Researchers have found that intensive blood pressure (BP) control produces cardiovascular benefits and increases the risk of adverse events in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This approach was initially studied in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a randomized trial with over 9,000 participants. The intervention demonstrated reduced cardiovascular events, mortality, and reduced rates of mild cognitive impairment. Intensive BP control consisted of treatment with antihypertensive medications to maintain a systolic BP below 120 mm Hg, as opposed to <140 mm Hg, the standard target at the time. The study included 85,938 VHA patients (75.7 years, 95% male)...

An FDA-approved medication called glucarpidase could serve as an antidote to kidney toxicity in patients receiving the chemotherapy drug methotrexate (MTX), according to a new study. Using data from 28 major U.S. cancer centers, the researchers examined the association between glucarpidase treatment—which rapidly clears MTX from the blood—and outcomes of patients with MTX-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). They found that patients who received glucarpidase had significantly higher chances of kidney recovery compared to those who did not get this treatment. "Glucarpidase is unique because it's one of the very few potential antidotes available to counteract the high rates of toxicity...

Annual health checkups regularly include urine tests that serve several purposes, including checking for symptoms of kidney disease. The presence of albumin in the urine is one indicator, as is glomerular filtration rate (GFR). In diabetic nephropathy, albuminuria first appears, leading to excessive filtration and eventually a decrease in GFR. In the elderly, however, excessive filtration cannot be detected due to age-related GFR decline. To accurately assess GFR, researchers have come up with a new calculation method. The group led by Dr. Akihiro Tsuda, a lecturer, assessed 180 kidney transplant donor candidates to define a new formula for determining the...

A Texas children’s hospital is refusing to both treat and discharge a young boy in dire need of a new, unvaccinated kidney, despite the fact that he has a matching and qualified donor standing by ready and willing to donate her own kidney – the boy’s mother. Exclusive audio and phone call recordings obtained by National File confirm that Doctors at Medical City Hospital in Dallas refused to disclose the Covid vaccination status of the deceased donor of a previous kidney doctors attempted to transplant. That transplant attempt failed catastrophically, ending with rapid clotting taking over large portions of the...

Researchers have found definitive proof of a kidney microbiome that influences renal health and kidney stone formation, demonstrating that the urinary tract is not sterile and low levels of bacteria are normal. They also identified certain bacteria within the microbiome that could promote or block kidney stone development and showed that antibiotic misuse (commonly associated with kidney stone development in a hospital setting) skewed the microbiome towards stone-promoting bacteria. The team's methods showed that bacteria living in the urinary tract were not only there because of disease, since they found them in the urinary tract of people without evidence of...

Commonly prescribed drugs used to treat high blood pressure have been shown to, over time, wreck the kidneys' ability to filter and purify blood, but exactly how that dangerous side effect unfolded has been a riddle. Researchers say they've solved the mystery. Researchers found that the drugs essentially rewire the kidneys to do something other than the important work of filtering blood. The kidneys start producing more of a hormone called renin; nerve endings grow excessively; cells lining the kidneys' tiny blood vessels get too large; scars form and spread; and inflammation sets in, which "can take a terrible toll...

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have identified a new drug target for weight loss that curbs appetite, boosts energy use, and enhances insulin sensitivity without causing nausea or muscle loss. This discovery may pave the way for effective treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Millions worldwide benefit from weight loss drugs derived from the incretin hormone GLP-1. These medications not only aid in weight management but also enhance kidney function, lower the risk of fatal cardiac events, and show potential in protecting against neurodegeneration. However, many individuals discontinue these medications due to common side effects such as nausea...

A new study details how the accumulation of copper helps clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC)—the most common kidney cancer—grow and advance in stage. Copper is an essential trace element that is required to produce energy in the body and allows humans to live in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. Maria Czyzyk-Krzeska, MD, Ph.D. said that increased accumulation of copper is associated with worse outcomes for patients with ccRCC. Czyzyk-Krzeska and her colleagues established that ccRCC cells accumulate more copper as they advance from stage 1 toward metastatic disease. The team found high copper levels help cancer cells make more of a...

In patients with chronic kidney disease, the loss of podocytes—part of the kidney's glomerular filtration barrier—causes irreversible disease progression. So far, physicians and researchers have found no way to effectively prevent podocyte damage, loss, and deterioration leading to end-stage kidney disease. Laura Perin, Ph.D. conducted a study that is offering promising results. They fed animal models with chronic kidney disease a specialized low-salt, fasting-mimicking diet (LS-FMD) equivalent to the recommended daily intake for human patients with chronic kidney disease. The researchers found that six cycles of this diet slowed the deterioration of kidney structures and function in rodents. Crucially, it...

New research has revealed that the connection between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and kidney damage may be tied to dysregulation of the gut microbiome, which is made up of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. They found that increased PFAS exposure was associated with worse kidney function four years later, and that changes in the gut microbiome and related metabolites explained up to 50% of that decrease in function. The researchers analyzed data from 78 participants, ages 17 to 22, enrolled in the Southern California Children's Health Study, a large-scale longitudinal effort to understand...

Your kidneys are some of the most important organs in your body. Not only do they remove waste and excess fluid from your blood, but they maintain the levels of potassium, sodium and other essential minerals that your body needs to survive. The kidneys also create hormones that regulate important health factors like blood pressure and bone strength. But despite all that, they still remain underappreciated compared to organs like the heart or lungs. The kidneys do a lot, so they can become overworked without your notice. Roughly one in seven American adults has chronic kidney disease, which can cause...

A small clinical trial suggests that a duo of drugs can extend survival for people battling advanced kidney cancer. Researchers developed the new regimen, a combination of pazopanib (Votrient) and bevacizumab (Avastin). Pazopanib is from a class of cancer drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). These drugs work by blocking vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling—a key mechanism that cancer cells need to grow. In prior trials that led to pazopanib's approval by the U.S. FDA, the drug led to an average survival (without cancer progression) of just over 11 months among people diagnosed with kidney tumors. The new...

Patients with advanced kidney cancer are routinely given immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as first-line treatment. The CONTACT-03, phase 3 clinical trial tested the effects of giving ICIs again, as part of a standard second-line therapy. It is the first trial of its kind to compare a standard therapy alone (cabozantinib) to standard therapy plus an ICI (atezolizumab plus cabozantinib) in solid tumors that have progressed after first-line therapy with an ICI. Patients taking atezolizumab plus cabozantinib did not experience longer progression free survival or overall survival compared with those taking cabozantinib alone. An examination of subgroups of patients based on...

For individuals with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) treatment is associated with a reduced risk for kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT) but not death. Elaine Ku, M.D. and colleagues examined the association of ACEi or ARB treatment initiation with rates of KFRT and death using data from completed randomized controlled trials from 1946 through Dec 31, 2023. Data were included for 1,739 participants from 18 trials, and of these patients, 35.9 and 7.6 percent developed KFRT and died, respectively, during a median follow-up of 34 months. The researchers found that the...

Physician scientists found that people with metastatic kidney cancer who orally took a live biotherapeutic product called CBM588 while in treatment with immunotherapy and enzymatic tyrosine kinase inhibitors experienced improved health outcomes. "CBM588 could be exciting in cancer treatment because of its potential to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based treatment, improve patient outcomes and modulate the gut microbiota in beneficial ways," said Pal. "If the positive results observed in this small trial and a previous trial with nivolumab and ipilimumab are confirmed, CBM588 could become a valuable supplement in the treatment of various cancers, particularly for patients treated...