Free Republic

Scientists have successfully grown 'mini kidneys' in the lab and grafted them into live mice, revealing new insights into the metabolic defects and a potential therapy for polycystic kidney disease. "Mini kidneys," or kidney organoids, are kidney-like structures grown in the lab using stem cells. In the study, researchers grew the organoids using skin cells derived from patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). People with PKD often progress to end-stage kidney disease between their 50s and 60s, with the standard treatment options available being dialysis or a kidney transplant. One other option is the drug Tolvaptan, which is very costly...

Thomas Weimbs published a clinical study that gives the first indication that ketogenic diets may be safe and effective in patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The idea to use such diets originated from a mouse experiment. Giving less food to lab mice whose genomes were manipulated to give them PKD led to a vast improvement in their kidney disease. The stunning effect was the metabolic state of ketosis. Putting lab animals into ketosis using ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting, or administering the ketone beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) all produced the same effect. The result was so stark the researchers had to double...

Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams is a British made science fiction anthology TV series based on the works of Philip K. Dick. It is currently being shown in the UK on Channel 4. Amazon Video will begin showing in the US sometime in 2018. Here is the trailer: Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams – Official Trailer [HD] | Amazon Video References: WikipediaIMDb Articles: ‘Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams’ 1st Trailer Asks What It Is To Be Human? – NY Comic-Con Explore Philip K. Dick's crazy futures in 'Electric Dreams' trailer Holy Crap, the Philip K. Dick Electric Dreams TV Series...

Celia Care of Plymouth really lives up to her last name. For the Elick family of Hanover Township, Care always will be their "living angel." Care, 28, a mother of four, has agreed to donate one of her kidneys to Scott Elick, 36, of Hanover Township, a father of four adopted children. By providing this generous gift, she is saving his life. Care said her husband, Bob, who serves in the Army National Guard, was stationed in Germany and she knows what it was like for her four kids to be without a father for months. She did not want...