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

Specific kidney cell could be key in the treatment of kidney failure in diabetes

2010-10-06
(Press-News.org) Diabetes is the leading reason for kidney failure in the world, resulting in patients requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. New research has found a cell in the kidney called the podocyte could be the key to understanding why this happens.

The study led by Dr Richard Coward, in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol, is published in Cell Metabolism and funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Diabetes related kidney disease has previously been thought to be mainly due to the high levels of sugar in the blood damaging the small blood vessels in the kidney.

The researchers now have evidence that a cell in the kidney called the podocyte is important in the development of kidney failure in diabetes. This is not due to the effects of high glucose on this cell but rather a lack of sensitivity to the hormone that is important in also controlling the blood sugar levels called insulin.

Dr Richard Coward, MRC Clinician Scientist and Consultant Senior Lecturer in the Academic Renal Unit based at Southmead Hospital, said: "The number of people diagnosed with diabetes is predicted to increase greatly in the future due to the global epidemic of type-2 diabetes.

"Treatments that improve the sensitivity of this cell to insulin may be of great benefit in treating this major global healthcare problem."

To find out whether insulin signalling in podocytes affects kidney function the researchers used mice that genetically had the insulin receptor removed from their podocytes, thereby making only this cell unresponsive to insulin in the body. They found that the mice developed kidney disease with many similarities to that seen in diabetic patients, except that the mice all had normal blood sugar levels.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Building a smaller, lighter future: Understanding polymer behaviors below 1 nanometer

2010-10-06
Kyoto, Japan -- Knowing how to build nanosized assemblies of polymers (long molecular chains) holds the key to improving a broad range of industrial processes, from the production of nanofibers, filters, and new materials to the manufacture of low-energy, nanoscale circuits and devices. A recent paper in Nature Communications sheds light on key behaviors of polymers in specially engineered confined spaces, opening the door to a level of control that has previously been impossible. Scientists in Japan at Kyoto University and Nagoya University have succeeded in manufacturing ...

MEPs and health professionals call for urgent action to tackle chronic diseases

2010-10-06
Members of the European Parliament are calling on the Presidency of the EU and Member States to tackle urgently the problem of chronic non-communicable diseases that are responsible for 86% of all deaths in the WHO European Region. Their call is supported by an alliance of European health professionals, including ECCO – the European CanCer Organisation – and ESMO – the European Society for Medical Oncology. After a meeting later today (Tuesday) between MEPs and the Chronic Disease Alliance of ten not-for-profit European organisations that represent over 100,000 health ...

Lifestyle choices and freedoms limit effectiveness of public health interventions

2010-10-06
The Government's ability to intervene directly to protect people's health and well-being has reached its limits in modern society because the health issues of today are closely tied in with individual lifestyle choice and freedoms, a leading academic will say today (October 5). Public health issues have previously been more amenable to government intervention and included improving sanitation or air quality, or controlling infectious disease. But public health issues today, like smoking, drink and diet, have meant that legislation is a blunt instrument in tackling these ...

Anti-tumor drugs tested by microfluidic device

2010-10-06
Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2010) -- A prototype device developed in Hong Kong will allow laboratory researchers to non-invasively test drugs for their ability to kill tumors by subjecting cancerous cells with different concentration gradients. The new device is built upon microfluidics -- a set of technologies that allows the control and manipulation of fluids at the sub-millimeter scale -- and is described in the American Institute of Physics' journal Biomicrofluidics. Microfluidic valves within the device, said Hongkai Wu of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ...

For future chips, smaller must also be better

2010-10-06
Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2010) -- The explosion of portable communication devices that we enjoy today -- such as cell and smart phones, Bluetooth hands-free units, and wireless Internet networks -- has resulted in part from the development of a wide variety of integrated circuits that create, process and receive the microwave frequencies on which the communication is based. Continuing demand for higher performance over a wider range of frequencies has shrunk the physical size of circuits and fueled the development of new materials in thin-film forms, tested in detail ...

Model unfolds proteins gently

2010-10-06
Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2010) -- Protein molecules inside cells are constantly reorganizing themselves, driven by very tiny forces exerted by all the other molecules in their crowded environment. Most experimental techniques and theoretical/computational models are necessarily built around much greater driving forces. A new theoretical model reported in the Journal of Chemical Physics investigates the unfolding of fibronectin under gentler conditions. "Typical models study very fast processes and consume a lot of CPU time," says author Alessandro Pelizzola of the ...

The effects of hydrogen on growing carbon nanotubes

2010-10-06
Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2010) -- Carbon nanotubes -- long, hollow cylinders of carbon billionths of a meter in diameter -- have many potential uses in nanotechnology, optics, electronics, and many other fields. The exact properties of nanotubes depend on their structure, and scientists as yet have little control over that structure, which is determined during the initial formation -- or growth -- of the nanotubes. In fact, says chemical engineer and materials scientist Eray Aydil of the University of Minnesota, "we do not know precisely how the nanotubes grow." In ...

CAMH selected as field trial site for DSM-5

2010-10-06
For Immediate Release - (October 5, 2010) –Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has been selected as one of seven adult field trial sites in North America and the only site in Canada to test proposed diagnostic criteria for the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Used by health professionals around the world, DSM is the manual that provides descriptions, symptoms and other criteria for diagnosing mental disorders. CAMH is participating in field trials to help assess ...

T cell discovery shows promise for type 1 diabetes treatment: UBC-CFRI study

2010-10-06
A research team from the University of British Columbia and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) at BC Children's Hospital has identified the role of a type of T cell in type 1 diabetes that may lead to new treatment options for young patients. Also known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease primarily affecting children and young adults. In patients with type 1 diabetes, the body attacks itself by destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas that regulate glucose, or blood sugar. Led by Rusung Tan, a Pathology professor in the ...

Science survey ranks top biopharma employers

2010-10-06
### For the complete business office feature with individual company rankings, go to dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.opms.r1000097. The article will be posted at this URL address the evening of 7 October 2010. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Community partners key to success of vaccine clinic focused on neurodevelopmental conditions

Low-carbon collaborative dual-layer optimization for energy station considering joint electricity and heat demand response

McMaster University researchers uncover potential treatment for rare genetic disorders

The return of protectionism: The impact of the Sino-US trade war

UTokyo and NARO develop new vertical seed distribution trait for soybean breeding

Research into UK’s use of plastic packaging finds households ‘wishcycle’ rather than recycle – risking vast contamination

Vaccine shows promise against aggressive breast cancer

Adverse events affect over 1 in 3 surgery patients, US study finds

Outsourcing adult social care has contributed to England’s care crisis, argue experts

The Lancet: Over 800 million adults living with diabetes, more than half not receiving treatment, global study suggests

New therapeutic approach for severe COVID-19: faster recovery and reduction in mortality

Plugged wells and reduced injection lower induced earthquake rates in Oklahoma

Yin selected as a 2024 American Society of Agronomy Fellow

Long Covid could cost the economy billions every year

Bluetooth technology unlocks urban animal secrets

This nifty AI tool helps neurosurgeons find sneaky cancer cells

Treatment advances, predictive biomarkers stand to improve bladder cancer care

NYC's ride-hailing fee failed to ease Manhattan traffic, new NYU Tandon study reveals

Meteorite contains evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago

Self-reported screening helped reduce distressing symptoms for pediatric patients with cancer

Which risk factors are linked to having a severe stroke?

Opening borders for workers: Abe’s profound influence on Japan’s immigration regime

How skills from hospitality and tourism can propel careers beyond the industry

Research shows managers of firms handling recalls should review media scrutiny before deciding whether to lobby

New model system for the development of potential active substances used in condensate modifying drugs

How to reduce social media stress by leaning in instead of logging off

Pioneering research shows sea life will struggle to survive future global warming

In 10 seconds, an AI model detects cancerous brain tumor often missed during surgery 

Burden of RSV–associated hospitalizations in US adults, October 2016 to September 2023

Repurposing semaglutide and liraglutide for alcohol use disorder

[Press-News.org] Specific kidney cell could be key in the treatment of kidney failure in diabetes