As many as 25 million people who can't beat high blood pressure no matter how many drugs they take may soon have a couple of new options, including a new kind of pacemaker that contains sensors that regulate blood pressure, according to a report by WUSTL renal specialist Marcos Rothstein.

References:

1. March 30, 2009 — New hope for folks with high blood pressure in the USA Today

Readily available phosphate-binding drugs could help prevent heart disease in people with chronic kidney disease, a new study in the the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology finds.
WUSTL researchers led by pediatric nephrology specialist Keith Hruska and pediatrics instructor Suresh Mathew comment.

References:

1. April 23, 2008 — Cutting Phosphate May Protect Kidney Patients From Heart Trouble in the The Washington Post

and 11 others.

Matt Lauer hosts this segment and speaks with nutrition experts about new research that suggests that some types of obesity may be linked to a common virus.
WUSTL nutrition researcher Samuel Klein is one of the experts commenting.

References:

1. Aug. 22, 2007 — Dr. Louis Arrone discusses new research showing some obesity may be caused by virus in the NBC Today Show

A flawed Medicare payment plan encourages aggressive use of a risky and costly anti-anemia drug on many kidney dialysis patients, say researchers who warn the system should be changed.
In an accompanying editorial in JAMA, WUSTL renal expert Daniel Coyne said kidney doctors who work with dialysis centers may not know they are "making dubious dosing decisions" because they sign multipage standing orders and turn over anemia management to chain employees.

References:

1. April 18, 2007 — Study Urges Caution on Anemia Drug Use in the Associated Press Online

and 55 others.

A 2002 survey found that more than 80 percent of the doctors on panels that write clinical practice guidelines had financial ties to drug makers.
This article looks at the serious conflict of interest problem that arises when drug companies pay for drug research.
WUSTL professor and kidney specialist Daniel Coyne recently wrote an editorial in an influential journal decrying guidelines written last year by the kidney foundation that encourage doctors to use more of Amgen's drugs to treat anemia in kidney patients despite studies showing that increased use led to more deaths.

References:

1. March 21, 2007 — Doctors' Ties to Drug Makers Are Put on Close View in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

A WUSTL study of kidney dialysis patients found nearly 70 percent had metabolic syndrome, considered a predictor of cardiovascular disease.
Study leader and WUSTL postdoctoral fellow Daniel Young comments.
The study was published in Hemodialysis International.

References:

1. March 9, 2007 — Kidney ills linked to metabolic syndrome in the United Press International

A medical study to be released today suggests that high doses of a best-selling drug used to treat anemia in dialysis and cancer patients may increase the risk of heart problems and deaths.
WUSTL kidney specialist Daniel Coyne comments.

References:

1. Nov. 16, 2006 — Heart Risk Seen in Drug for Anemia in the The New York Times

and 5 others.

People with kidney damage are prone to a chain reaction that increases their risk of heart problems, the leading cause of death among kidney patients. WUSTL researchers, led by senior investigator and nephrology professor Keith Hruska, hope these findings, which will appear in the April issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, will create new possibilities for treating kidney patients suffering from heart-related problems.

References:

1. March 30, 2005 — Study finds link between kidney damage, cardiac problems in the Associated Press

and 34 others.

A new study reports that patients who undergo obesity surgery get far more than cosmetic benefits - many also shed fat-related ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, researchers say. School of Medicine obesity researcher Samuel Klein, who was not involved in the study, comments.

References:

1. Oct. 13, 2004 — Obesity Surgery Could Cure Diabetes in the Associated Press Online

and 17 others.

Transplants of pig cells have cured diabetes in rats without the need for immunosuppressive drugs. The finding was a complete surprise to the researchers, who have yet to explain it. Marc Hammerman, the Chromalloy Professor of Renal Diseases in Medicine at the School of Medicine, transplanted cells taken from the developing pancreas in pig embryos into rats whose insulin-producing pancreatic cells had been destroyed. Half the rats were given immunosuppressants; half were not. Even without drugs, the pig cells survived for more than 40 weeks. "From a practical point of view, if it works, it doesn't matter why," said Hammerman.

References:

1. March 14, 2004 — Pig cells show promise for diabetics in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

and 13 others.