Frontline: Artificial kidney studies; fewer daily steps; prebiotic foods

Scientists Make Strides in Artificial Kidney Studies

Researchers are working on a new approach to treating kidney failure that could ultimately free people from needing dialysis or having to take drugs to suppress their immune system after a kidney transplant. A team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center has shown that kidney cells, housed in an implantable device called a bioreactor, can survive inside the body of a test animal and mimic several important kidney functions. The device can work quietly in the background, like a pacemaker.

Eventually, the researchers plan to fill the bioreactor with different kidney cells that perform vital functions like balancing the body’s fluids and releasing hormones to regulate blood pressure, then pair it with a device that filters waste from the blood. The aim is to produce a human-scale device to improve on dialysis, which keeps people alive after kidney failure. The researchers say more studies in animal models are planned, and depending on results, studies in humans would follow.

Fewer Daily Steps Than Previously Thought Offer Critical Health Benefits

It’s long been thought that 10,000 steps per day are needed for a person to stay fit and healthy, but a new study shows that fewer than 5,000 may be enough. An analysis of more than 226,000 people around the world showed 4,000 daily steps was enough to start reducing the risk of premature death of any cause, and just over 2,300 daily steps is enough to benefit the heart and blood vessels. According to a research team composed of scientists from the Medical University of Lodz, in Poland, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in the United States, every extra 1,000 steps beyond 4,000 reduced the risk of dying early by 15%.

Dandelion Greens Top the List of Leading Prebiotic Foods

Most of us are familiar with probiotics, which help maintain gut health, but the less wellknown microorganisms—prebiotics—are important too. In addition to supporting probiotics, prebiotics help with calcium absorption, balancing blood sugar, and moving food through the digestive system quicker. The five foods with the highest prebiotic content, with between 79 and 243 milligrams (mg) of prebiotic per gram, are dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, leeks, and onions, according to a San José State University study. The study evaluated the prebiotic information of 8,690 different types of foods contained in the Food and Nutritional Database for Dietary Studies. Other prebioticrich foods found through the study include onion rings, creamed onions, black-eyed peas, asparagus, and Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal, which all contain around 50 to 60 mg of prebiotics per gram of food.

The post Frontline: Artificial kidney studies; fewer daily steps; prebiotic foods appeared first on University Health News.

Read Original Article: Frontline: Artificial kidney studies; fewer daily steps; prebiotic foods »