PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New study explores how exposure to mix of toxic metals impacts developing kidneys

New study explores how exposure to mix of toxic metals impacts developing kidneys
2023-05-25
(Press-News.org) Chronic kidney disease is a growing problem worldwide and in the aging U.S. population. But could the groundwork for this progressive disease have been laid while its victims were still in utero?

Newly launched research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health seeks to determine if pregnant mothers’ environmental exposure to toxic metals impacts kidney development in their babies, setting the stage for a problem that doesn’t become apparent until the baby is an adult.

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a three-year, $2.2 million “high risk, high reward” grant to Dr. Alison Sanders, an assistant professor in Pitt’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, to assemble a transdisciplinary team of scientists who will collect data and explore the hypothesis from multiple angles.

“In the last two decades, there’s been a lot of research connecting a range of conditions, from cardiovascular to behavioral, to toxic metal exposures in utero. But we think of chronic kidney disease as a late-stage adult disease so it hasn’t received the same attention,” Sanders said. “That is starting to change.”

More than 10% of the world’s population – at least 800 million people – are estimated to have chronic kidney disease, and the number is growing, according to the International Society of Nephrology. It happens when the kidneys aren’t properly filtering blood and eventually progresses to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a transplant.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and family history are the main risk factors for developing chronic kidney disease, but some people get chronic kidney disease of unknown origin.

“It’s a kind of kidney disease occurring in younger people, and it is characterized by more rapid decline in kidney function,” Sanders said. “People go from diagnosis to death in 10 years.”

Sanders suspects that there are certain points during fetal development when small exposure to toxic metals and metalloids, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, can have profound effects on the growing kidneys by reducing the number of functional filtering units in the resulting organ. Heat stress from a warming world may then be enough to tip these lower-quality kidneys into failure, she explained.

For the NIH project, which is part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Superfund research portfolio, Sanders has knit together a team of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, engineers, toxicologists, risk assessors and nephrologists to investigate global data on the mix of toxic metals measured in the blood and urine of women of childbearing age and pregnant mothers. They’ll then look at the effects of these metal mixtures on kidney development using fish, mice and human-derived organoid models. The team comprises Dr. Neil Hukriede and Dr. Jacqueline Ho, both of Pitt, Dr. Nishad Jayasundara of Duke University and Dr. Chris Gennings of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“On their own, each metal may not be at a level high enough to cause concern, but there may be a combination of low levels of many metals that amplify their detrimental effects,” Sanders said.

Different geographical regions are known for the likelihood of finding different combinations of metals in samples from people. For example, coastal areas may have populations with more mercury and cadmium because they become concentrated in seafood, whereas arsenic is more likely to be found in populations that drink from groundwater wells.

By gaining information on whether a certain mix of toxic metals is more detrimental to the kidneys of a developing fetus, and if there are geographical areas where those metals are more likely to be encountered – particularly if those areas are harder hit by climate change – Sanders hopes her team can inform policymakers and help the public be aware of their risks.

“We don’t have a lot of regulatory guidelines for what levels are dangerous when it comes to mixtures of toxic metals during pregnancy; we have guidance for just lead, just mercury, but not combinations,” Sanders said. “If we find that a certain ratio or mixture of metals damages developing kidneys, that could support policies that protect pregnant moms and their babies.”

On June 5 at the Pitt School of Public Health, Sanders and her scientific team will present the Environmental Health Kidney Symposium. Details are available by registering for the event. Additionally, people interested in contributing to the research can contact Sanders at aps109@pitt.edu.  

“Our team is looking to broaden our transdisciplinary approach,” Sanders said. “We hope the symposium encourages people with ideas to attend and get in touch.”

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
New study explores how exposure to mix of toxic metals impacts developing kidneys New study explores how exposure to mix of toxic metals impacts developing kidneys 2 New study explores how exposure to mix of toxic metals impacts developing kidneys 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

University of Cincinnati cancer experts present research at ASCO annual meeting

University of Cincinnati cancer experts present research at ASCO annual meeting
2023-05-25
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center researchers will present abstracts at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting 2023, held in Chicago June 2-6. New trial tests immunotherapy before liver transplant  Liver transplant is the best treatment for early stage liver cancer in patients with liver cirrhosis, but 25% to 35% of patients fail to reach the transplant stage due to the cancer’s progression while waiting for a transplant.  UC’s Davendra Sohal, MD, will present information ...

Types of bacteria vary widely in tumors of people with early vs. late-onset colorectal cancer

2023-05-25
WASHINGTON --- Researchers at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center studied the microbiome of people with colorectal cancer and found the make-up of the bacteria, fungi and viruses in a person’s tumor varied significantly depending on whether they were diagnosed with early-onset disease (age 45 or younger) or late-onset disease (age 65 or older). These results may help answer the riddle of why more young people are developing colorectal cancer, particularly those who ...

ASCO: Luspatercept enables majority of patients with MDS to end reliance on blood transfusions

2023-05-25
ABSTRACT: 7003 Treatment with luspatercept improved red blood cell counts and erythroid responses compared to treatment with epoetin alfa in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), allowing the majority to no longer require regular blood transfusions. Results from the Phase III COMMANDS trial, led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, were reported at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of first-line treatment with luspatercept, which enhances red blood cell maturation, compared with epoetin alfa, a therapy commonly used for low blood cell count, ...

ASCO23: ‘Better sexual health for female patients on endocrine therapy: Strategies across the age spectrum’

ASCO23: ‘Better sexual health for female patients on endocrine therapy: Strategies across the age spectrum’
2023-05-25
MIAMI, FLORIDA (Strictly EMBARGOED Until May 25, 2023, at 5 P.M. EDT) – Breast cancer treatments that can save a woman’s life can seriously harm her sexual health, says Dr. Kristin E. Rojas, a breast cancer surgeon at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Although doctors have not historically been prepared to help patients manage these toxic side effects, Rojas is leading efforts to turn the tide. Rojas, both a fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist and a gynecologic surgeon, is a national leader in treating sexual dysfunction in female ...

ASCO23: ‘Safety & efficacy of the novel BRAF inhibitor FORE8394 in patients with advanced solid & CNS tumors’

ASCO23: ‘Safety & efficacy of the novel BRAF inhibitor FORE8394 in patients with advanced solid & CNS tumors’
2023-05-25
MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL MAY 25, 2023, AT 5 P.M. ET) – An early-phase study led by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine along with other Cancer Centers, suggests that an experimental therapy may have promising results in treating cancers with BRAF gene alterations – including certain mutations not previously targeted by BRAF inhibitors. The Phase 1/2a study looking at safety and dosing enrolled 113 patients and targeted a wide range of cancers, including high-grade glioma, low-grade glioma, colorectal cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, melanoma, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell ...

MD Anderson Research Highlights: ASCO 2023 Special Edition

2023-05-25
CHICAGO ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. This special edition features presentations by MD Anderson researchers at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. In addition to these studies, forthcoming press releases will highlight groundbreaking clinical research, including Phase III trial results evaluating ...

Penn Medicine at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

2023-05-25
CHICAGO –  Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will present data on the latest advances in clinical cancer research at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting from June 2-6 in Chicago, Illinois. Follow us on Twitter @PennMDForum and @PennCancer for updates. Expert Interviews Experts from the Perelman School of Medicine are available to comment on a wide range of topics in cancer science and medicine during the meeting on site and by video call, telephone, or email. To arrange interviews, please contact Meagan Raeke at Meagan.Raeke@pennmedicine.upenn.edu ...

Internal job candidates have a leg up

2023-05-25
AUSTIN, Texas – Internal job candidates have an advantage over external candidates, because they tend to work harder shortly before a hiring decision, according to new research from The University of Texas at Austin. This is true even when an internal candidate’s skills are inferior. Eric Chan, assistant professor of accounting at the McCombs School of Business, found that when a new job is on the line, employees will exert more effort to increase their chances of promotion — especially right before the decision. And managers are more likely ...

C. difficile, emerging pathogens, genomics, and antimicrobial resistance

C. difficile, emerging pathogens, genomics, and antimicrobial resistance
2023-05-25
A new study published in the peer-reviewed OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology identified genes for virulence and antimicrobial resistance in two bacteria that co-occur with C. difficile, suggesting these pathogens as emerging potential threats in planetary health. Click here to read the article now. Thokur Sreepathy Murali, PhD, Ankit Singh Tanwar, Padival Shruptha and colleagues from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India, and co-author Angela Brand, MD, PhD, MPH from Maastricht University, The Netherlands, performed comparative genome analyses of three Clostridia species, ...

Groundbreaking images of root chemicals offer new insights on plant growth

Groundbreaking images of root chemicals offer new insights on plant growth
2023-05-25
On a sunny springtime stroll through a park, it’s easy to ignore the parts of plants that are hidden from view. Plant biologists see things differently. They look below the surface where plant roots are organized in elaborate systems that are critical to the organism’s development. Intricately organized tree root systems, for example, can span as far underground as the tree grows high above the soil. Applying an advanced imaging technology to plant roots, researchers at the University of California San Diego and Stanford University ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Mathematical model illuminates how environment impacts life choices of salmon

Houston Methodist researchers shed light on increased rates of severe human infections caused by Streptococcus subspecies

Auburn University hosts 62nd Hands-On Workshop on Computational Biophysics, featuring the new VMD 2.0

The Salton Sea — an area rich with lithium — is a hot spot for child respiratory issues

University of Maryland-YouGov poll: Alsobrooks dominates Hogan, amendment to state constitution garners broad support

Exposure to particular sources of air pollution is harmful to children’s learning and memory, a USC study shows

Change of ownership in home health agencies may lead to increased Medicare spending and reduced staffing levels, according to UTHealth Houston research

More resources needed to protect birds in Germany

Mission to International Space Station launches research on brain organoids, heart muscle atrophy, and cold welding

nTIDE November 2024 Jobs Report: Disability employment remains near historic highs over past 18 months

Researchers aim to streamline cancer detection with new method for liquid biopsies

New Huntington’s treatment prevents protein aggregation

Bee gene specifies collective behavior

Jennifer Bickel, M.D., named MD Anderson Vice President and Chief Wellness Officer

Evolutionary paths vastly differ for birds, bats

Political pros no better than public in predicting which messages persuade

Investment in pediatric emergency care could save more than 2,100 young lives annually

The dynamic core of black holes

Improving energy production by boosting singlet fission process

Smoking cessation and incident cardiovascular disease

Cannabis use during early pregnancy following recreational cannabis legalization

Research shows Cleveland Clinic’s therapeutic virtual yoga program can be effective for chronic low back pain

Closing in on Parkinson’s Disease proteins in extracellular vesicles in the blood

Regional and global experts convene in Accra, Ghana to update cancer treatment guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa

China University of Geosciences (Beijing) unveils clues to an enigmatic geological process

Fueling greener aviation with hydrogen

Education, occupation, and wealth affect the risk of cognitive impairment

Revealing causal links in complex systems

Alzheimer disease as a clinical-biological construct— an international working group recommendation

Press registration now open for the EULAR 2025 Congress in Barcelona

[Press-News.org] New study explores how exposure to mix of toxic metals impacts developing kidneys