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Stepping into the van guarded by armed soldiers with five surgeons and nurses, Zheng Zhi didn’t know he was entering into a world that would haunt him for the next quarter of a century. Dr. Zheng, then a resident doctor at one of China’s largest military hospitals, knew little more than they were on a “secret military mission” near a military prison located around the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian. A light blue fabric covered the four sides of the vehicle, shielding it from any curious glances. When the door opened, four burly soldiers carried in a man whose limbs...

WARSAW, March 11 (Reuters) - Polish border guards detained a Ukrainian woman who was sentenced in Kazakhstan to 12 years in prison for participating in an organised criminal group trading in human organs and selling 56 kidneys, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The 35-year-old woman, referred to only as Ksenia P. under Polish privacy laws, was detained at a railway crossing between Poland and Ukraine under an Interpol red notice, Marta Petkowska, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office in Przemysl, said in a statement. The prosecutors didn't say why the woman wasn't in prison in Kazakhstan at the time she was...

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...

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...

When it comes to taking care of your body, chances are your kidneys are often overlooked. But this pair of organs does more for your health than you realize. They remove wastes from the body while ensuring that the water, salts and minerals are balanced in your blood. The kidneys also make hormones that create red blood cells, control your blood pressure and maintain your bone health.

An international study has confirmed that semaglutide, a diabetes drug, effectively treats chronic kidney disease and improves overall health. ============================================================================= A new study revealed that semaglutide reduces kidney damage markers in chronic kidney disease patients, sparking interest in further research. The diabetes medication semaglutide, commonly known as Ozempic, benefits patients with chronic kidney damage and obesity. It reduces protein levels in their urine, lowers kidney inflammation, and decreases blood pressure. This was shown in an international study led by clinical pharmacologist Hiddo L. Heerspink of the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. This is the first time that it...

An antibiotic developed some 80 years ago before being abandoned and forgotten could again offer exciting new solutions, this time to the emerging threat of drug-resistant superbugs. Half of the bacteria-killing drugs we use today are variations of compounds that were found nearly a century ago, during the 'golden age' of antibiotics. One called streptothricin was isolated in the 1940s, drawing attention for its potential in treating infections caused by what are known as gram-negative bacteria. Unlike gram-positive bacteria, these microbes lack a robust cell wall that many antibiotics target. Finding alternatives has been one of the big challenges for...

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...

“Of all the passions, the passion for the Inner Ring is most skillful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things.” -CS Lewis Like all demons, he was obsessed with children. Shedding their blood was preferable. Failing that, he could always cut them up, scalp them, sexualize them, incite them to a sexual frenzy, or castrate them. The possibilities were endless, and exciting. Demonic appetite never ceases, and Mephistopheles was hungry. To satisfy his lust, he would need a megalomaniac with a Promethean drive; someone appointed in high places and thus able...

Among adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery, infusion of amino acids reduces the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a study published online. Giovanni Landoni, M.D. and colleagues examined the efficacy of amino acids in reducing the occurrence of AKI after cardiac surgery. The analysis included 3,511 adult patients who were scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass who were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous infusion of either a balanced mixture of amino acids (2 g per kilogram of ideal body weight per day) or placebo (Ringer's solution) for up to three days. The researchers found that...

In a country where 300 million people live on less than a dollar a day, Amit Kumar—nicknamed “Dr. Horror” by the Indian media after his arrest last winter for heading an illicit global kidney-transplant ring—had little trouble finding homegrown organ donors. One favorite hunting ground was a strip of restaurants, shops, and hovels near an Islamic shrine, or dargah, in Mahim, a predominantly Muslim precinct of Mumbai. Devotees of the dargah, which attracts people of all faiths, donate money to restaurants to help feed the beggars who cluster there. Last June, walking past one such restaurant whose kitchen extends to...

Organs for Sale? by: Brittany Fortier, September 11, 2009 For those in need of a kidney transplant, it can be a difficult journey to find a willing donor. Circumstances have become so desperate for those waiting for a posthumous kidney that they sometimes resort to advertising their need on billboards and websites. Even worse, some may turn to the black market. On August 24, 2009, the American Enterprise Institute discussed these issues with Dr. Sally Satel, a resident scholar at AEI and beneficiary of a kidney transplant. Satel argued that the best way to procure more organ donations is to...

MYFOXNY.COM/ AP - The arrests by the FBI of five ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders in New York and New Jersey is making international headlines particualarly in Israel. All three of the country's major newspapers feature pictures of the men busted.

Researchers have identified a potential dietary supplement that may improve recovery following acute kidney injury (AKI). The finding comes from a long-running research program investigating how cells take up a specialized omega-3 lipid called LPC-DHA. A major public health concern, AKI has a mortality rate of 20 to 50%. One of the main causes of AKI is ischemic reperfusion injury, which occurs when the kidney's blood supply is restored after a period of restricted blood flow and poor oxygen delivery due to illness, injury or surgical intervention. In particular, it damages a crucial part of the kidney called the S3...

Experts are speculating that climate change and other factors are driving the increase in kidney stone cases among children and teens. Experts told NBC News that just three decades ago, kidney stones were largely a disease that affected middle-aged White men, but they now increasingly affect children and teens, especially in the summer."My research group has focused on the relationship between temperature and kidney stone presentations for a decade," Dr. Gregory Tasian, a pediatric urologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told Fox News Digital when asked about climate change and kidney stones."The summary is that hot days increase the frequency...

Over the course of the last several decades, the rate of obesity has progressively increased and is now one of the leading causes of death worldwide—650 million adults are classified as obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as the accumulation of excessive fat in the body creating risks for a healthy life. The main causes: changing diets and lifestyles. But what are bad eating habits doing to our blood vessels? A research team led investigated how obesity impacts blood vessels' structure at a molecular level. The team's research illustrates that metabolic disease affects blood vessels in different organs...

Cisplatin is a chemotherapy indicated to fight tumors in many types of cancer. However, it does have major side effects—especially kidney toxicity, that can lead to acute kidney failure. In addition, patients treated with cisplatin also often report high levels of neuropathic pain. Scientists have identified a drug that could be a game changer for patients. Istradefylline, which is already approved for Parkinson's disease, could not only reduce the harmful effects of cisplatin but also improve its anti-tumor properties. These findings will now need to be confirmed in a clinical trial. Cisplatin is a chemotherapy used to treat several types...

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best overall index of kidney function. Normal GFR varies according to age, sex, and body size, and declines with age. The National Kidney Foundation recommends using the CKD-EPI Creatinine Equation (2021) to estimate GFR. NKF and the American Society of Nephrology have convened a Task Force to focus on the use of race to estimate GFR.

Anyone who is taking a diuretic and a renin-angiotensin system (RSA) inhibitor for high blood pressure should be cautious about also taking ibuprofen, according to new research. Diuretics and RSA inhibitors are commonly prescribed together for people with hypertension and are available under various pharmaceutical brand names. Painkillers such as ibuprofen are available over-the-counter in most pharmacies and stores in popular brands. Researchers used computer-simulated drug trials to model the interactions of the three drugs and the impact on the kidney. They found that in people with certain medical profiles, the combination can cause acute kidney injury, which in some...

Herat (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Jobless, debt ridden, and struggling to feed his children, Nooruddin felt he had no choice but to sell a kidney -- one of a growing number of Afghans willing to sacrifice an organ to save their families. The practice has become so widespread in the western city of Herat that a nearby settlement is bleakly nicknamed "one kidney village". "I had to do it for the sake of my children," Nooruddin told AFP in the city, close to the border with Iran. "I didn't have any other option." Afghanistan has been plunged into financial crisis following...