Latest news with #chronicKidneyDisease
Globe and Mail
09-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
ProKidney to Participate in the H.C. Wainwright 4th Annual Kidney Virtual Conference
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProKidney Corp. (Nasdaq: PROK) ('ProKidney' or the 'Company'), a leading late clinical-stage cellular therapeutics company focused on chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced that senior members of the management team will be participating in the upcoming H.C. Wainwright 4 th Annual Kidney Virtual Conference: H.C. Wainwright 4 th Annual Kidney Virtual Conference Date: Monday, July 14, 2025 Time: 1:30pm ET Format: Fireside Chat Webcast: Link The live webcast will be accessible through the 'Events' section of the Investor Relations tab within ProKidney's website at Investors interested in one-on-one meetings should contact their H.C. Wainwright representative. About ProKidney Corp. ProKidney, a pioneer in the treatment of chronic kidney disease through innovations in cellular therapy, was founded in 2015 after a decade of research. ProKidney's lead product candidate, rilparencel (also known as REACT ®), is a first-in-class, patented, proprietary autologous cellular therapy being evaluated in Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies for its potential to preserve kidney function in diabetic patients at high risk of kidney failure. Rilparencel has received Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation from the FDA. For more information, please visit Investor Contacts:
Medscape
03-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Can a Face Mask Diagnose Kidney Disease?
A face mask with specialized sensors was able to detect chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on exhaled levels of ammonia and other metabolites, according to the results of an Italian study. Sensors for ammonia and other relevant molecules achieved a 93.3% true positive rate and 86.7% true negative rate in detecting kidney diseases, reported Corrado Di Natale, professor of electronic engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, and coauthors in a paper in the American Chemical Society's ACS Sensors . The study included 50 patients who had been diagnosed with CKD, alongside 48 healthy control individuals. Control participants were drawn from patients' family members and hospital staff at the same clinic. The test used a breath sensor embedded in a standard face mask. The sensors consisted of coated silver electrodes with a conductive polymer commonly used in chemical sensors. The electrodes were placed between the layers of a disposable medical face mask, with wires attached to allow an electronic readout of exhaled gases. The sensor was designed to detect CKD-related metabolites, including ammonia, ethanol, propanol, and acetone. The project involved people in several departments, including nephrology and electric engineering, Di Natale said. The goal was to make the device easy for medical staff and patients to use, not wanting to add a new complicated process for CKD testing, Di Natale added. 'It was actually very simple, very simple to use,' he said. Expanding Breath Analysis Di Natale told Medscape Medical News that his team plans to continue working on tools for the diagnosis of metabolic disorders and lung cancer via breath analysis. Physicians long have known that CKD and other diseases such as diabetes can affect how breath smells. An emerging field, called volatolomics, or volatilomics, seeks to identify changes in the composition of chemical byproducts expelled normally through breath. Diagnostics based on breath samples would offer an attractive advantage in ease of collection, but there are many hurdles that researchers would need to clear to bring a product like a breath-based CKD test to market, Paul J. Jannetto, PhD, president-elect of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, Washington, DC, told Medscape Medical News . While the research published in ACS Sensors suggests promise, additional validation studies in larger cohorts would be required, Jannetto said. 'These preliminary small-scale studies are just the first step,' explained Jannetto, who is also a professor of laboratory medicine and pathology and vice chair of practice laboratory medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. One of the biggest challenges in efforts to develop breath-based diagnostics is addressing the sheer number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) carried out of the body through exhalation, Jannetto noted. More than 1400 VOCs have been linked to human breath. A single human breath contains hundreds of VOCs, representing various pathophysiological processes that alter a person's metabolic state, wrote Pritish Varadwaj of the Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India, and coauthors in 2023 in Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy . 'Electronic Noses' There's been a long-standing interest in developing breath-based tests, or 'electronic noses,' for lung cancer, including a 2003 paper from Di Natale and coauthors in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics . Researchers in the UK and China have also published recent reports detailing attempts to develop an e-nose. Among the most developed projects in this field is an e-nose collection device currently in a clinical trial of about 119 patients. Gaetano Rocco, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, the principal investigator for this study, said early results indicate the technology agreed with histopathologic results 86% of the time when assessing for lung cancer in very small nodules detected by a CT scan. Further testing continues on the ability of this e-nose device 'to modulate its response according to different phases of the patient's clinical history — ie, to detect the response after treatment of thoracic cancers, irrespective of the type of treatment (surgery, chemo and immunotherapy),' Rocco told Medscape Medical News via email. Successfully developing an e-nose would result in a technology to aid patients at a high risk for lung cancer, as it could 'guide the timing of the imaging, thereby avoiding multiple CT scans,' Rocco added. 'This would decrease costs and radiation exposure; in addition, the miniaturization of the technology will serve the purpose of allowing the patients to self-screen by breathing in the collection device in the comfort of their homes.' Di Natale received financial support from the European Union-NextGenerationEU (project ECS 0000024 Rome Technopole). Rocco and coauthors received support from National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748 and Memorial Sloan Kettering's Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research. Rocco reported having a financial interest with Scanlan International, Merck, and Medtronic. Further author disclosures are available in the text of the paper.
Medscape
19-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
CKD Tied to Depression Risk, More So in Young Patients
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) showed a 2.6-fold higher risk for depression requiring antidepressant treatment than those without CKD. The greatest risk was observed in those younger than 60 years. METHODOLOGY: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric conditions in patients with CKD. However, evidence from large population-based studies on whether CKD increases the risk for depression requiring treatment is limited. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from primary care practices in Germany between 2005 and 2022 to examine the association between CKD and the risk of developing depression requiring treatment. They included 165,787 patients (mean age, 71.6 years; 48.3% women) with CKD and matched them to control individuals without CKD using propensity score matching. Patients with schizophrenia, mood disorders, and neurotic disorders documented within 12 months prior to or on the date of the CKD diagnosis were excluded. The outcome was the diagnosis of depression within up to 10 years following the diagnosis of CKD; antidepressant prescriptions were evaluated in participants with a diagnosis of depression. TAKEAWAY: The 10-year cumulative incidence of depression and depression followed by an antidepressant prescription was significantly higher in patients with CKD than in those without ( P < .001 for both). < .001 for both). Patients with CKD had a 2.6-fold higher risk for depression requiring antidepressant treatment than those without CKD (hazard ratio [HR], 2.63; P < .001), with the strongest effect found in those younger than 60 years (HR, 6.03; P < .001). < .001), with the strongest effect found in those younger than 60 years (HR, 6.03; < .001). Mirtazapine was the most commonly prescribed antidepressant in both CKD and non-CKD groups, followed by citalopram, opipramol, amitriptyline, and escitalopram. IN PRACTICE: "Our findings argue against strict screening protocols for the detection of depression in all patients with CKD. Though, some awareness should be raised for younger patients, given that depression risk was highest in this subgroup," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Andreas Kommer, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. It was published online on June 12, 2025, in Clinical Kidney Journal . LIMITATIONS: This study relied on diagnostic codes, which could have led to miscoding or undercoding. The database lacked information on how depression was diagnosed. Additionally, laboratory values were not available for every patient, making it impossible to track the progression of CKD and the initiation of renal replacement therapy. DISCLOSURES: This study did not receive any grant or funding. Two authors reported receiving support through the Clinician Scientist Fellowship, Else Kröner Research College . One author reported being an employee of IQVIA.
Medscape
11-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
CKD Therapy Unchanged by Patient and PCP Nudge Letters
VIENNA — Sending 'nudge' letters to patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or their general practitioners had no impact on their likelihood of receiving guideline-directed medical care, suggested a prescription analysis of over 22,000 Danish adults with CKD. METHODOLOGY: NUDGE-CKD included all Danish individuals aged 18 years or older on August 19, 2024, who had received a diagnosis of CKD in the previous 5 years during at least one hospital encounter and who were enrolled in the Danish governmental electronic letter system, which has 95% coverage. It also included all Danish general practices contactable via electronic letter that had at least one patient with CKD on their list. For patients, the letter highlighted the potential benefits of kidney and heart health and encouraged a discussion of treatment options, while for general practitioners, the letter focused on the latest treatment guidelines. In the patient arm of the study, 22,627 individuals were randomly assigned to receive a letter (n = 11,223) or no letter (n = 11,394). The average age was 71 years, and approximately 36% were women. For the practitioner arm, 1540 general practices, caring for 28,069 patients with CKD, were assigned to receive a letter (774 practices caring for 13,959 patients) or usual care (766 practices caring for 14,110 patients). The average patient age was 73 years, and approximately 39% were women. Both patients and practices were followed up for 6 months (until February 19, 2025), with the primary endpoint the number of filled prescriptions for a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor (RASi) or SGLT2 inhibitor (SGLT2i). TAKEAWAY: The patient analysis revealed that there was no significant difference in prescriptions of RASi or SGLT2i between those who received a nudge letter and those who did not, at a relative risk of 0.99 ( P = .21). = .21). Very similar results were seen on the general practice analysis, at a relative risk of a RASi or SGLT2i prescription with a nudge letter vs usual care of 0.99 ( P = .41). = .41). No significant differences were seen on the subgroup analysis and when looking at the time to prescription for new users, and there was no interaction between the patient and general practice results ( P = .85). IN PRACTICE: The trial was the 'largest provider-targeted implementation study to date evaluating a scalable, low-cost strategy to improve the use of guideline-related medical therapy in CKD' and the 'first large-scale trial of a digitally delivered strategy targeting patients with a common chronic condition,' said the study presenter. 'While the results were neutral, they may provide valuable insights for future efforts,' he concluded. SOURCE: The research was conducted by Kristoffer Grundtvig Skaarup, MD, Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital — Herlev and Gentofte, Denmark, and colleagues, and described over two presentations at the 62nd European Renal Association (ERA) Congress 2025 on June 7. LIMITATIONS: Skaarup pointed out that, on the general practice side, the intervention was a 'one-time letter…and not linked to specific patients, which may have limited its lasting impact.' He suggested that more integrated approaches timed to clinical encounters or even embedded into existing clinical workflows closer to when prescription decisions are made may be more effective in primary care. Although most patients reported reading the letter, Skaarup said that few acted on it, potentially due to its general, non-personalized content, with no explicit medical therapy recommendations, which may limit its perceived relevance or urgency. DISCLOSURES: No external funding was obtained for the trial. Skaarup received funding through a research grant from the Danish Cardiovascular Academy, which is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Danish Heart Foundation. No relevant financial relationships were declared. Liam Andrew Davenport, MA (Hons), is a UK-based medical journalist and writer with more than 20 years' experience. He studied medical sciences and anthropology at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, England.
Medscape
04-06-2025
- General
- Medscape
Poor Air Quality Linked to Higher Risk for Mortality in COPD
Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were vulnerable to even small increases in fine particulate matter < 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), with significantly higher risk among those with comorbidities such as lung cancer, coronary arterial disease, or chronic kidney disease. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort analysis to assess the association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and all-cause mortality in veterans with COPD. They included 1,124,973 veterans (mean age, 68 years; 95.60% men) diagnosed with COPD between 2016 and 2019 who were enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration. They obtained ambient PM2.5 concentrations from annual air pollution models from 2000 to 2016, available at NASA's Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center; the average 5-year PM2.5 exposure for the cohort was 8.18 µg/m 3 . . The odds of all-cause mortality associated with 5-year average PM2.5 exposure were estimated, and comorbidities associated with mortality were identified. TAKEAWAY: Each 1 μg/m 3 increase in long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with a 3.8% increase in the odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.038; 95% CI, 1.035-1.040) among patients with COPD. increase in long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with a 3.8% increase in the odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.038; 95% CI, 1.035-1.040) among patients with COPD. Individuals with comorbidities such as lung cancer (aOR, 1.051; 95% CI, 1.035-1.068), coronary arterial disease (aOR, 1.039; 95% CI, 1.033-1.044), and chronic kidney disease (aOR, 1.042; 95% CI, 1.034-1.049) showed higher susceptibility to PM2.5 exposure than those without comorbidities. Men, individuals living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods, and those identifying as Asian had higher odds of mortality with increasing PM2.5 exposure. Decreases in PM2.5 concentrations were associated with lower odds of all-cause mortality at all exposure levels for patients with COPD and those with additional comorbidities. IN PRACTICE: 'Our findings suggest that even small decreases in PM2.5 NAAQS [National Ambient Air Quality Standards] will benefit the millions of Americans living with COPD,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Camille Robichaux, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. It was published online on May 2, 2025, in Annals of the American Thoracic Society . LIMITATIONS: The veteran population studied was older, consisted solely of men, and had a higher prevalence of smoking and comorbidities, potentially limiting generalizability. Additionally, the use of modeled data for air pollution exposure, rather than direct measurements, may not have provided an accurate representation of individual exposure levels. DISCLOSURES: This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; and others. Resources and facilities were provided by the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.
