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Early, intensive therapy for type 1 diabetes prevented kidney disease in long-term study

Maintaining good glucose control early in the course of type 1 diabetes could lessen the long-term risk of kidney disease, as measured by a common test of kidney function.

This finding comes from more than two decades of research on preventing life-shortening complications of type 1 diabetes. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded the longitudinal study. Results will be published online Nov. 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented Nov. 12 at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week in Philadelphia.

Kidney disease care -- what's in store for the future?

Highlights

Medicare will soon reduce reimbursements to some dialysis facilities, which may lead to closures. Patients will have to drive further to get care at other facilities, which could compromise their health.
The Healthy People initiative provides 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People 2020 presents new kidney-related objectives.

Two studies presented during the American Society of Nephrology's Annual Kidney Week provide new information on kidney-related policies in the United States.

Which diabetes drug is best for diabetics with kidney disease?

Highlights

Sitagliptin is as effective as glipizide at lowering blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Sitagliptin is less likely than glipizide to cause dangerously low blood sugar levels.
Patients on sitagliptin tend to lose weight, while those on glipizide gain weight.

Some blood-sugar-lowering drugs have caused kidney problems in patients with type 2 diabetes, so physicians are especially cautious when prescribing these agents to diabetics who also have chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Depression in young people increases risk of heart disease mortality

The negative effects of depression in young people on the health of their hearts may be stronger than previously recognized. Depression or a history of suicide attempts in people younger than 40, especially young women, markedly increases their risk for dying from heart disease, results from a nationwide study have revealed.

The results are published in the November 2011 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Take care with pain meds

Patients who are dependent on opioids (narcotic pain relievers) for pain management before knee replacement surgery have much more difficulty recovering, a study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) has found. These patients tend to have longer hospital stays, more post-surgical pain, a higher rate of complications, and are more likely to need additional procedures, than patients who are not opioid-dependent.

Diet and supplements: What's good and bad for kidney disease patients

Highlights

Pomegranate juice lowers kidney disease patients' cholesterol, blood pressure, and the need for blood pressure medications.
More than 15% of kidney disease patients take herbs or dietary supplements that the National Kidney Foundation says may be harmful to their health.

Two studies presented during the American Society of Nephrology's Annual Kidney Week provide new information on dietary benefits and dangers in kidney disease patients.

Ecological light scattering film for brand protection, packages and consumer products

Applications of the technology include the ability to label genuine brand products with a technical solution that is difficult to counterfeit. Printers can reduce the use of inks with this method, and advertising agencies can create striking packages that are environmentally friendly. Applications further include transparent films and gift wrappings, which can be made more decorative without compromising transparency.

Elderly emergency patients less likely to receive pain medication than middle-aged patients

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A new study finds that people 75 years old or older are less likely to receive any pain medication in hospital emergency departments than middle aged people – those between 35 and 54 years old.

And these differences remained even after researchers took into account how much pain the patients were having, said Timothy F. Platts-Mills, MD, lead author of the study and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

I-mode powers up on alcator C-mod tokamak

A key challenge in producing fusion energy is confining the plasma long enough for the ionized hydrogen to fuse and produce net power. Suppressing plasma turbulence is one approach to this, but the resulting increase in energy confinement is usually accompanied by undesirable increases in particle and impurity confinement, which can lead to plasma contamination and ash accumulation—and reduced power. At MIT's Alcator C-Mod tokamak reactor, scientists are investigating I-mode, an improved confinement regime, which may solve this problem.

Studies agree on the best blood glucose levels for diabetics with kidney failure

Highlights

Results of the PARTNER Trial Cohort A cost effectiveness analysis reported

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 10, 2011 – The cost effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVR) compared to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) depends on whether TAVR is performed via the femoral artery or transapically, through a small incision in the chest, according to a new study.

Quality of life benefits of transcatheter aortic valve replacement differ by access site

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 10, 2011 – Results of the PARTNER Cohort A QOL study demonstrate that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) results in improved quality of life compared with surgical valve replacement, but only when performed via the transfemoral approach. The results of the study were presented today at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

Results of the STACCATO Trial reported at TCT 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 10, 2011 – Researchers leading a clinical trial said that transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation (a-TAVI) may be inferior to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in operable elderly patients. However results were only preliminary as the trial was carried out on 70 patients out of a planned 200 before it was terminated early for safety concerns. Results from the STACCATO trial were presented today at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

Effects of 'mini stroke' can shorten life expectancy

Having a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or "mini stroke," can reduce your life expectancy by 20 percent, according to a new study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"People experiencing a TIA won't die from it, but they will have a high risk of early stroke and also an increased risk of future problems that may reduce life expectancy," said Melina Gattellari, Ph.D., senior lecturer at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine in The University of New South Wales, Sydney and Ingham Institute in Liverpool, Australia.

Results of the PARTNER Trial Cohort B 2-year follow up presented at TCT 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 10, 2011 – A two-year study of patients in the landmark PARTNER trial, which compared transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients who have severe aortic stenosis and are not candidates for open heart surgery, confirm the one-year findings and support the role of TAVR as the standard of care.

Trial results were presented today at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.