Close Monitoring of Renal Tumors May Provide Alternative to Surgery

Mount Sinai. US: In patients with small renal tumors confined to the kidneys, close, active monitoring, as opposed to immediate surgery, is associated with low rates of tumor growth or death, according to a study by a researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published in the September issue of the Journal of Urology.

Added benefit of sucroferric oxyhydroxide is not proven

IQWIG. Germany: Sucroferric oxyhydroxide (trade name Velphoro) has been approved since August 2014 for adults with chronic kidney disease on haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined in a dossier assessment whether in these cases the drug offers patients an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapies. According to the findings, an added benefit is not proven because no suitable data were available.

Vitamin B and its derivatives for diabetic kidney disease

Cochrane: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a disorder which results in excessive protein, mainly albumin, loss in urine. DKD is a major cause of kidney failure and cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. Although vitamin B is commonly used in DKD, its effects are unclear.

Kidney disease on the rise, but patients on dialysis or with kidney transplantation living longer

University of Michigan. US: Fewer new cases of end-stage renal disease are being reported in the United States and mortality rates are declining, indicating that patients on dialysis or with a kidney transplant are living longer.The trends were revealed by the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) coordinating center, based at the University of Michigan in partnership with Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, in its 2014 annual data report on the state of kidney disease in the United States.

Membranous glomerulonephritis

Source: Food and Drug Administration. May 2014
Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is a specific type of kidney disease, due to the body’s rejection of its own kidney tissue (autoimmune) or due to another cause (such as an infection).

Acute Renal Failure

Author: Dr Christopher Keller University of California, San Francisco2008-07-28
Acute Renal Failure: Causes, Prognosis, and Treatment

What is acute renal failure?

               Acute renal failure (also known as acute kidney injury) is a decline in kidney function that occurs over hours to weeks.

Nephrotic Syndrome

Author: Dr Sharon Kang University of California San Francisco 2008-05-28  

Introduction

A serious complication of kidney disease, the nephrotic syndrome is a specific collection of signs and symptoms caused by the loss of large amounts of protein from the blood into the urine (more than 3.5 grams per day). The syndrome can occur in infants, children, and adults, as well as in all racial and ethnic groups. Some patients with the nephrotic syndrome are at high risk for end-stage kidney failure. Once a kidney fails, survival is dependent upon either dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Kidney biopsy

Author: Dr Mei Zhu Peng University of California San Francisco 2008-07-28
Introduction

According the recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES III), kidney disease is on the rise in the United States (1). This trend is of concern for a number of reasons. Not only are people with kidney disease at higher risk for heart disease and cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and stroke, but many who have kidney disease are without symptoms and so are not aware that they have the disease; it is often diagnosed with routine blood and urine tests. Moreover, untreated kidney disease can progress to advanced chronic kidney disease, which requires dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Kidney cancer

Author: Dr Brent Yanke Urologist West Orange New Jersey 2008-07-28

The kidneys (or renal units) are organs responsible for cleansing the blood of waste.  Many byproducts of the metabolic processes in the body build up in the blood stream.  A microscopic tubular system within the kidney filters the blood and removes these byproducts before they can accumulate to dangerous levels.  Kidney tissue is separated into two layers, the outer cortex and the inner medulla.  Once the filtered waste passes through these layers, it collects in the renal pelvis which is an open space in the core of the kidney.  The urine then drains from the renal pelvis into the ureter and finally into the bladder. Surrounding the kidney are several protective layers.  A thin capsule encircles the renal cortex and comprises the outer surface of the kidney.  The kidney sits in a pocket of fat that is itself contained in another layer of tissue called Gerota’s fascia.

A renal tumor is an atypical growth of cells that can arise from different segments of the kidney.  Benign renal tumors are non-cancerous and rarely threatening to the patient while a malignant renal tumor, also known as renal cancer, has a more aggressive nature.  In 2007, there were an estimated 51,190 new cases of kidney cancer and 12,890 deaths due to kidney cancer in the United States.¹ This represents 2% of all diagnosed cancers.²  

Hematuria

Author: Dr Brent Yanke Urologist West Orange New Jersey 2008-07-28

Hematuria: Blood in the Urine

KIDNEY ANATOMY AND FUNCTION

The kidneys are organs responsible for cleansing the blood of waste. Many byproducts of metabolic processes in the body build up in the bloodstream. A microscopic tubular system within the kidney filters the blood and removes these byproducts before they can accumulate to dangerous levels. Once blood enters the kidney, it is transported to a collection of small capillary vessels, called the glomerulus. As the blood passes through the glomerulus, the filtrated waste shifts to Bowman’s capsule, a pouch that surrounds the glomerulus and starts the tubular system. Kidney tissue is separated into two layers: the outer cortex and the inner medulla. Once the filtered waste passes through these layers, it reaches the renal papillae which project into the renal pelvis, an open space in the core of the kidney, where the urine collects. The urine then drains from the renal pelvis into the ureter and finally into the bladder. The kidneys and ureters comprise the upper urinary tract, while the bladder and urethra comprise the lower urinary tract (Figure 1).