Nephrology News

• Virtual Kidney Transplant Evaluation Helps Maintain Access During COVID-19 A virtual system to evaluate and waitlist patients for kidney transplants may help maintain access to care even when in-person visits are limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent study suggests.
  Reuters Health Information, January 22, 2021
• New AHA Scientific Statement on Mind-Heart-Body Connection Mental health is important to the heart and overall health, the American Heart Association says in a new statement encouraging providers to consider the psychological health of their patients.
  Medscape Medical News, January 25, 2021
• How Likely Are Malpractice Lawsuits From Treating COVID? Fear is high over the risk for coronavirus-related liability claims, but is the worry warranted? Legal experts break down the dangers and share what type of suits are possible.
  Medscape Medical News, January 25, 2021
• Monoclonal Antibody Drops Fat, Ups Muscle in Obesity, Diabetes 'Blockade of the activin receptor with bimagrumab could provide a novel pharmacologic approach for managing patients with type 2 diabetes with excess adiposity,' researchers report.
  Medscape Medical News, January 25, 2021
• Full-Dose Anticoagulation Reduces Need for Life Support in COVID-19 The benefit, along with a trend to lower mortality, was reported in the subgroup of moderately ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19 taking part in three linked trials.
  Medscape Medical News, January 22, 2021
• Trump Pardons a Handful of Physicians on His Way Out One of those pardoned was sentenced in a $70 million Medicare fraud scheme.
  Medscape Medical News, January 21, 2021
• 7 Ways President Biden Could Now Change Healthcare President Biden has spoken about the ways in which he could improve America's healthcare system. Now that he's in office, here's what he could do.
  Medscape Medical News, January 21, 2021
• ACEIs, ARBs Safe to Continue in COVID-19: Trial Published The BRACE-CORONA trial showed no difference in major outcomes for those continuing and those discontinuing these common blood pressure medications.
  Medscape Medical News, January 20, 2021
• Alert FDA Approval Adds Vericiguat (Verquvo) to HF Treatment Options The drug with a novel mechanism among HF meds is indicated for an especially high-risk group: patients with LVEF of 45% or less and a history of HF hospitalization or outpatient IV diuretic therapy.
  FDA Approvals, January 20, 2021
• 'Vicious Cycle' Sent Insulin Costs Through Roof: Senate Committee Insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers refute the findings of the Senate report; activists say it clearly shows profits have been put ahead of peoples' lives.
  Medscape Medical News, January 20, 2021
• Metformin Treatment Again Linked to Fewer Deaths From COVID-19 The latest of several studies, this time in a very diverse population, shows a striking threefold reduction in deaths from COVID-19 in those taking this leading treatment for type 2 diabetes.
  Medscape Medical News, January 20, 2021
• Further Warning on SGLT2 Inhibitor Use and DKA Risk in COVID-19 A cluster of cases of diabetic ketoacidosis in which there was no hyperglycemia supports recommendations that SGLT2 inhibitors be discontinued in patients with type 2 diabetes who become ill with COVID-19.
  Medscape Medical News, January 18, 2021
• Hyperparathyroidism in the Elderly Appears Undertreated Fewer than a third of elderly Medicare beneficiaries who may benefit from parathyroidectomy because of primary hyperparathyroidism actually receive such treatment, according to a population-based cohort study.
  Reuters Health Information, January 14, 2021
• Race Modifier Means Black Patients Miss Out on Kidney Transplants Data from Black patients documents that use of the race coefficient for calculating eGFR systematically excludes more than a third from kidney transplant listing.
  Medscape Medical News, January 15, 2021
• Long-COVID Cases Rise as Stigma of Chronic Fatigue Taunts An estimated 5 million people could be headed toward a long-COVID diagnosis and their care is unclear. Investigators studying viral infection and chronic fatigue have ideas for rehabilitation.
  Medscape Medical News, January 14, 2021
• Pressure Builds on CDC to Prioritize Both Diabetes Types for Vaccine Type 1 diabetes is currently listed in a lower-risk category than type 2 diabetes, despite recent data showing equal or greater COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.
  Medscape Medical News, January 14, 2021
• Biomarker HF Risk Score in Diabetes Seen as SGLT2i Lodestar Together, 4 'easily measured' biomarkers predicted 5-year heart failure risk in patients with diabetes or prediabetes, potentially identifying best candidates for SGLT2 inhibitor therapy, some say.
  Medscape Medical News, January 13, 2021
• Should People Be Paid to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine? Some people have suggested paying US adults $1000 or more to complete the vaccinations to speed herd immunity. Others say that idea has ethical and practical flaws.
  Medscape Medical News, January 12, 2021
• To Fast or Not? The New Dieting Dilemma A number of small studies have shown that adopting some kind of 'fast' as part of a diet can more easily help people lose weight, but a recent randomized controlled trial threw a spanner in the works.
  Medscape Medical News, January 12, 2021
• Need for Speed in Vaccines Heaps Pressure on Health Teams The race to complete COVID-19 vaccinations to help stop the pandemic is adding to the burden of already overloaded clinicians.
  Medscape Medical News, January 11, 2021