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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...

Inorganic nitrate reduces contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), improves renal outcomes and reduces cardiac events compared to placebo in patients at risk of renal injury undergoing coronary angiography for acute coronary syndrome, according to research. CIN, also termed contrast associated-acute kidney injury, refers to a deterioration in renal function after contrast exposure and is a serious complication of coronary angiography. Research has suggested that nitric oxide is deficient in CIN; therefore, strategies to replace nitric oxide might be of benefit. The NITRATE-CIN trial examined the efficacy of inorganic nitrate for the prevention of CIN in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome...

ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials warned Friday of kidney failure associated with certain products used to cleanse the bowel before colonoscopies and other procedures. The Food and Drug Administration said in an alert to doctors and patients that it has documented 22 cases of acute phosphate nephropathy, a rare but serious form of kidney failure associated with the use of oral sodium phosphates. The products cleanse the bowel by causing patients to loose large amounts of fluid through bowel movements. Of the cases, 21 involved patients given solutions such as Fleet Phospho-soda or Fleet Accu-Prep. One patient had...