Decline is not inevitable.
A daily, evidence-graded view of everything moving in kidney research : the drugs that slow decline, the science of regeneration, and the mind-body work.
Today brought no new graded research, just one educational article on phosphorus.
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No new graded studies came in today, so there is no fresh evidence to change how you manage kidney disease.
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The National Kidney Foundation posted an article on how people on dialysis handle phosphorus and whether it may affect their chances for a transplant.
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That article is aimed at people on dialysis, so it is background reading for most people with stage 3 kidney disease, not new research.
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A personal recovery video was left out because one person's story is not evidence that something works for others.
It was a quiet day for kidney research. The only item worth noting was an educational article from the National Kidney Foundation about phosphorus and dialysis, and it is not a graded study. If phosphorus is on your mind, it is a good topic to bring up with your care team at your next visit.
Diagnostic accuracy of AI-augmented renal ultrasound for degenerative kidney disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This review looked at 18 studies and found AI added to kidney ultrasound correctly identified degenerative kidney disease in most cases — about 85% accurate for detecting scarring and 78% accurate for staging disease severity. The AI tools were tested on images from real patients, but no study yet shows this improves patient outcomes. A large randomized trial is needed to prove it helps people keep their kidneys longer.
Influence of Donor Age on Graft and Patient Outcomes in Kidney Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
This study pooled earlier research to ask whether an older kidney donor means a worse result for the person who gets the kidney. The authors followed standard review rules (PRISMA 2020) and searched 4 major medical databases. It looked at how long the new kidney keeps working and how long patients live. The excerpt we have does not give the size of the effect, so read the full paper before drawing conclusions about older donor kidneys.
Comparative Cardiorenal Efficacy and Safety of Finerenone, SGLT2 Inhibitors, Semaglutide and Their Combination in Diabetic Kidney Disease.
This review pooled 10 sets of randomized trial data from adults with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. It compared four options for protecting the kidneys and heart: finerenone, SGLT2 inhibitor drugs, semaglutide, and finerenone taken with an SGLT2 inhibitor. It also compared their side effects. The part of the summary we received cuts off before the results, so we cannot yet say which option did best or by how much.
Albumin-Corrected Serum Calcium as a Biochemical Correlate of Left Ventricular Dysfunction Among Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease on Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Study
This study looked at people with kidney failure on regular hemodialysis (blood-cleaning treatment by machine). It checked whether their blood calcium level, adjusted for a blood protein called albumin, was tied to a weaker heart pump, meaning the main pumping chamber was not working well. It measured everyone at one point in time, so it can show a link but not proof that calcium causes heart problems. No abstract was available, so we could not check the numbers.
Clinical application of sugammadex in renal impairment: pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
This article looks at sugammadex, a drug used after surgery to reverse muscle-relaxing medicines, in people whose kidneys do not work well. It covers how the body clears the drug and how well it works when the kidneys filter slowly. The title suggests it is a review of earlier studies, not a new trial, so it is weaker evidence. It may matter to people with kidney disease who are facing surgery. No abstract was available, so we could not check the details.
Association Between Serum Biochemical Parameters and Kidney Stone Disease: An Exploratory Analysis of the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
Researchers used data from a large US health survey (NHANES, 2017 to 2018) to see which blood test results line up with kidney stones. It is an exploratory study, meaning it looked for patterns without testing a set idea ahead of time. It shows links, not proof that any blood level causes stones. No abstract was available, so we could not check the numbers.
Bardet–Biedl Syndrome Presenting with End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Case Report
This report describes one patient with Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a rare inherited condition, whose kidneys had already failed when the illness was found. A report on one person cannot show cause or how common this is. No abstract was available. It matters mainly to families dealing with this rare syndrome.
Dietary macronutrient intake and kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.
Researchers asked 472 people with type 2 diabetes in Tehran, Iran what they eat, using a detailed food questionnaire. They then compared how much protein, fat and carbohydrate people ate with their kidney filtering rate (eGFR) and whether they had diabetic kidney disease. The results were measured at one point in time, so they can show a link but not prove that any diet causes kidney changes. The part of the summary we received cuts off before the findings, so we cannot give the results here.
Development and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the hemodialysis patient care dependency scale (HD-CDS).
Researchers built a new questionnaire to measure how much help people on hemodialysis (blood-cleaning treatment by machine) need with daily care. Until now, the questionnaires used for this were mainly made for stroke patients. This paper reports early testing of whether the new questionnaire is reliable. It is a measuring tool for care teams, not a treatment, and it does not show that anyone's health improves.
Knowledge Gaps and Educational Needs in Organ Donation: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease and Their Families.
Researchers gave questionnaires to people with kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and to their family members. The study ran at 2 large hospitals from December 2020 to September 2021. It looked at how much people knew about organ donation and how that knowledge lined up with their willingness to donate. This kind of survey shows a link between knowledge and attitudes, not proof that more education changes minds.
Beyond the gift: unveiling the impact of donor-recipient relationship on donors’ quality of life and mental health – results of a european bi-center study
This study, run at 2 centers in Europe, looked at people who gave a kidney to someone while alive. It asked whether their relationship to the person who got the kidney, such as spouse, parent or friend, is tied to the donor's quality of life and mental health afterward. It shows links, not proof of cause. No abstract was available, so we could not check the numbers.
Chronic kidney disease prevalence in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries
This paper looks at how common chronic kidney disease is in the Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Studies of how common a disease is can show patterns and links but not causes. No abstract was available, so we cannot give its numbers here.
Diosmetin Restores Endoplasmic Reticulum Homeostasis to Ameliorate Podocyte Injury in Diabetic Kidney Disease by Targeting DNAJC3.
Diosmetin is a natural plant compound found in citrus fruits. Researchers damaged podocytes, the kidney's filter cells, with high sugar and fat in the lab to mimic diabetic kidney disease. They report that diosmetin helped the cells recover by acting on a protein called DNAJC3, which helps cells handle stress. This was in lab cells, not people yet, so it does not show that diosmetin or citrus supplements help human kidneys.
Intercalated cells contribute to the immune responses in renal autoimmune disease
This paper looks at whether intercalated cells, a type of cell in the kidney's small tubes that helps balance acid, also play a part in the immune attack in autoimmune kidney disease. Only the title was available, so we could not check how the study was done or what it found. It is a lab-science question about how kidney cells work, not a treatment tested in people.
Characterization of the neoprotein MUC1-fs in patient-derived cells with ADTKD-MUC1
ADTKD-MUC1 is an inherited kidney disease that often leads to kidney failure in middle age. A faulty gene makes an abnormal protein called MUC1-fs, and it builds up in kidney tube cells. Researchers grew kidney cells taken from patients' urine so they could study how this protein is made and controlled. This work was done in cells in the lab, not in people, and it has not been peer reviewed yet.
C-Reactive Protein as a Biomarker of Inflammation and Graft Injury After Kidney and Heart Allo- and Xenotransplantation Into Non-Human Primates.
Researchers tested whether C-reactive protein (CRP), a common blood marker of inflammation, can signal when a transplanted organ is being rejected. They studied 42 baboons and monkeys that got kidney or heart transplants, including organs from pigs (xenotransplants). They also looked at CRP rises that happened without clear harm to the organ, and compared the two monkey species. This was done in animals, not people yet, so it cannot tell us how well CRP works for human transplant patients.
What People on Dialysis Say About Phosphorus and Kidney Transplantation
The National Kidney Foundation asked people on dialysis how they manage phosphorus, a mineral that builds up in the blood when kidneys fail. It also asked whether their care team talked about phosphorus while checking whether they could get a kidney transplant. Many people wonder if high phosphorus could hurt their chances of getting a transplant. This is a foundation staff article, not a published study, and the excerpt gives no numbers or results yet.
RESISTENCIA A LA INSULINA EN LA DIABETES MELLITUS TIPO 2 Y SU PAPEL EN LA PROGRESIÓN DE LA ENFERMEDAD RENAL CRÓNICA Y LAS COMPLICACIONES CARDIOVASCULARES: UNA REVISIÓN NARRATIVA CRÍTICA CON BÚSQUEDA ESTRUCTURADA
This Spanish-language review article looks at how insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes may speed up kidney decline and heart problems. Insulin resistance means the body responds poorly to insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar. It summarizes earlier studies and has no new data. No abstract was available, so we could not check its conclusions.
Visceral Adiposity and Renal Health: From Pathophysiological Mechanisms to Novel Therapeutic Strategies
This review article looks at how visceral fat, the deep belly fat around the organs, may harm the kidneys, and at new treatments aimed at it. It summarizes earlier research and has no new study results. No abstract was available, so we could not check which treatments it covers or how strong the evidence behind them is.