AAKP News of the
Month:
Join AAKP at the 37th Annual Convention!
The AAKP 37th Annual Convention is in sunny Tampa, Fla., September 2-4, 2010, at the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. The Annual Convention provides kidney disease patients, as well as their friends and family members, with the opportunity to discuss their concerns and share their experiences while learning about important issues affecting their health care. The Convention will feature three tracks of educational sessions: chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis and transplantation. Additional Convention details will be posted as they become available. Please continue to visit the AAKP Web site for updated information or contact us at (800) 749-2257 or info@aakp.org. |
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| Gene for Devastating Kidney Disease Discovered |
Researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified an important genetic cause of a devastating kidney disease that is the second leading cause of kidney failure in children. The study may provide clues to developing treatments for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). FSGS attacks the kidney's filtering system, causing proteins to be lost into the urine and reducing the kidney's ability to filter wastes from the blood. No effective treatments are known, and years of research have failed to uncover the underlying disease mechanism.
The research team identified the gene by performing a genetic linkage analysis in two large families with FSGS. Linkage analysis is a gene-finding technique that compares affected with unaffected family members, looking for a piece of DNA whose location is already known, and that is inherited only by affected members. Using that piece of DNA as a "signpost," researchers can then look nearby to find the disease gene. Mutations in a gene called INF2 may be relevant in understanding how the disease originates physiologically. |
| Get Your FREE Subscription to At Home with AAKP |
 Contact AAKP today to receive your FREE subscription to At Home with AAKP! At Home with AAKP is a magazine dedicated to providing information and education for individuals participating in home dialysis therapies or those interested in starting home dialysis. The publication includes information about home dialysis therapy options, patient profiles, nutrition and cooking tips, traveling while on dialysis, and much more.
To receive your subscription to At Home with AAKP, please contact AAKP at info@aakp.org or (800) 749-AAKP.
At Home with AAKP is sponsored by DaVita, Inc. and NxStage, Inc. |
| Misuse of Blood Thinners in Dialysis Patients Reported |
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has examined the misuse of two blood thinners, Lovenox and Integrilin, in dialysis patients. The study found about 20 percent of dialysis patients who undergo a procedure to open a blocked artery are given the wrong blood clot medicine. Receiving the wrong medication can increase the chance of significant bleeding. According to researchers, the findings suggest many doctors in the United States ignore warnings on drug labels and the two drugs "are not recommended for use in kidney dialysis patients." |
| AAKP Awards 2010 Medal of Excellence |
 AAKP is pleased to announce Tom F. Parker, III, MD, is the 2010 AAKP Medal of Excellence recipient. The AAKP Medal of Excellence Award acknowledges a renal physician's significant contributions to the progress of patient education and disease treatment in the kidney community. Dr. Parker joins a long list of nephrologists who have excelled in his/her contributions to the renal community including patient care and patient education.
AAKP honors Dr. Parker Saturday, March 13 at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Md, during the Medal of Excellence Award Dinner held in conjunction with the Renal Physician Association's Annual Meeting. Dinner tickets are $99. For more information visit www.aakp.org/events/Medal-of-Excellence/2010. |
| Regadenoson Safe for Stress Tests in ESRD patients |
According to a new study, Regadenoson, approved last year for use in vasodilator stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), can be given to patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) even though it's cleared by the kidney. Researchers studied data from 277 patients with ESRD and 134 with normal kidney function. They found few side effects were reported in both groups, and the ESRD patients tolerated the drug similarly to those with normal kidney function. |
| Submit Your Entry for the AAKP Artwork Contest |
AAKP is pleased to host an Artwork Contest in honor of the upcoming National Kidney Month (March). The goal of this artwork contest is to allow individuals to demonstrate, through their artwork, how kidney disease has affected them and help raise awareness of this chronic disease.
Artwork must be submitted by February 26, 2010 to be eligible. Artwork is publicly judged during National Kidney Month and will be displayed on the AAKP Web site from March 15 - April 15. Winners are announced in April. Entries must adhere to the contest/artwork guidelines and be accompanied by an official entry form.
The top three selected pieces of artwork will be turned into all occasion greeting cards and be offered by AAKP as an Association fundraiser. Winners will receive a complimentary pack of their artwork greeting card along with an award certificate for their accomplishments. Please contact AAKP at (800) 749-2257 or info@aakp.org for questions. |
| Clinical Trials Available for Kidney Disease Patients |
| A new clinical trial is currently underway at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the Kidney Disease Section of NIDDK for individuals with Membranous Nephropathy. The trial studies the safety and effectiveness of the combination of Rituximab plus Cyclosporine for the treatment of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy. Patients will be simultaneously treated with oral cyclosporine for six months and will receive two courses of Rituximab (2 doses each). For more information on participating in this trial, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov or call 1-800-411-1222 and reference study 09-DK-0223. | |
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