Kidney Disease

After six months of painstaking detective work, Johns Hopkins researchers have decoded the molecules that make up the complex gene that causes polycystic kidney disease, the most common inherited disease in the United States.While European scientists had partially identified the gene last year, the Hopkins team finished that work and created a "blueprint" for understanding the biology and evolution of the gene. That means researchers will now be able to figure out how the gene functions -- and why it mutates.

Josephine D. "Josie" Davis, a dialysis patient for 36 years who continued to work for the Social Security Administration during her treatment, died Aug. 19 from kidney disease at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She was 63 and lived in Pikesville. The daughter of a truck driver and a homemaker, Josephine Dorothy Owens was born one of 13 children in Baltimore and raised on China Street. After graduating from Edmondson High School in 1966, she attended Strayer's Business College and the Community College of Baltimore City on an academic scholarship.

Finding that about one in 10 adult Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, researchers have called upon patients and doctors to look for early signs so they can prevent potentially fatal complications. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said doctors should be attuned to the early signs, which can be gleaned from routine blood and urine tests. Early treatment can stave off heart attacks or the need for dialysis or kidney transplants. "At the early stages, there are a number of measures that can slow the progression of kidney diseases and possibly improve quality of life and decrease the risk of heart attacks," said Dr. Josef Coresh, lead author of a study that appears in this month's American Journal of Kidney Disease.

The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland held its second annual Rappel for Kidney Health event June 18 at the Canton Crossing Tower in Downtown Baltimore's Canton community. People of all ages rappeled down the 17-story building to raise money for the Maryland branch of the foundation. Participants included people with connections to kidney disease, transplant donors and recipients, and adventure seekers. Pictured is Thomas Stranger of Owings Mills, who donated a kidney to his brother-in-law, Michael Mullen, of Severn.

Dr. Mackenzie Walser, a noted nephrologist and professor of medicine who wrote widely on the nutritional management of kidney disease, died of a brain tumor Saturday at his Timonium home. He was 82. Dr. Walser was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in New Canaan, Conn. He graduated in 1940 from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. He earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1944, graduated from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1948 and completed his internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Jimmy Boyd Zachary, a retired Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center physician who was a pioneer in the study of kidney disease, died of cancer Feb. 15 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. He was 83 and lived in Ruxton. Born and raised in Pontotoc County, Miss., Dr. Zachary earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Mississippi. He received his M.D. at Harvard Medical School and came to Baltimore as an intern and then chief resident at the old Baltimore City Hospitals, now Bayview.

Sheila Parsons is a big fan of actor Danny Glover and stood in line to get his autograph yesterday. But she wasn't braving frigid, wet conditions at the Inner Harbor just for him, and he wasn't there promoting a new movie. Both participated in Maryland's first Kidney Walk at Rash Field, an event organized by the National Kidney Foundation that drew about 200 people. Some of them, such as Parsons, are suffering from kidney disease and awaiting transplants. "You are truly, truly the faithful out here," Glover said, addressing the crowd huddled beneath a wooden pagoda, before the walk.

Q: Our company doctor told me during a routine physical examination that there was protein in my urine. I have never had any serious illnesses and feel perfectly well now. What is the significance of protein in the urine?A: Protein in the urine (proteinuria) can be benign, but it is also an extremely sensitive marker of kidney disease. Factors that distinguish between benign and significant proteinuria include its persistence, the amount of protein in the urine and the presence or absence of other abnormalities in the urine.

The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland held its second annual Rappel for Kidney Health event June 18 at the Canton Crossing Tower in Downtown Baltimore's Canton community. People of all ages rappeled down the 17-story building to raise money for the Maryland branch of the foundation. Participants included people with connections to kidney disease, transplant donors and recipients, and adventure seekers. Pictured is Thomas Stranger of Owings Mills, who donated a kidney to his brother-in-law, Michael Mullen, of Severn.

Despite suffering from kidney disease in greater numbers, fewer blacks than whites receive transplants or survive them, a leading organ transplant group says.Most donor kidneys, which largely come from whites, are incompatible with blacks because blood types often differ in the two races, according to a report by the American Society of Transplant Physicians.Blacks also often lack the medical insurance needed to pay for a transplant, hospital costs, medicines and follow-up care, the report said.

Dr. Jimmy Boyd Zachary, a retired Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center physician who was a pioneer in the study of kidney disease, died of cancer Feb. 15 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. He was 83 and lived in Ruxton. Born and raised in Pontotoc County, Miss., Dr. Zachary earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Mississippi. He received his M.D. at Harvard Medical School and came to Baltimore as an intern and then chief resident at the old Baltimore City Hospitals, now Bayview.

Eagerness to spread the word about kidney disease is enough to drive local residents up a wall — or down a tower. On June 19, some will take to the side of the 24-story Legg Mason Tower in Harbor East, then rappel down one of Baltimore's most prominent skyscrapers as part of a fundraising approach by the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland. Rappel for Kidney Health is designed to raise awareness about a disease that affects one in nine Marylanders. Each participant must raise at least $1,000 in advance.

The University of Maryland says it is teaming with Maryland companies on 17 research projects to develop products for technologies ranging from wind power to removing nutrients from wastewater. Other projects include restoring vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay and medical technologies for diabetes, kidney disease and other conditions. The companies include Hunt Valley-based Mastix Medica, which is developing a chewing gum to help dialysis patients control phosphorus levels, and Jessup-based American Dynamics Flight Systems, which is working on propulsion systems for unmanned aircraft that can take off and land vertically.

When 10-year-old Sean Menard's battle with kidney disease took a turn for the worse, his former kindergarten teacher's aide offered him one of her kidneys. When it turned out she was not a good match, her husband volunteered. His act of kindness not only enabled Sean to get the kidney he desperately needed, but it became a vital link in a chain of four donors who would give their healthy kidneys to four people in need of new organs. The University of Maryland Medical Center announced the series of donations Tuesday, which marked its first kidney exchange.

When researchers from the University of Michigan surveyed more than 2,000 parents about their children's health, they heard some good news. Despite the growing obesity problem, many of these parents could report that their sons and daughters, at least, were "about the right weight." The numbers, alas, told another story. The parents were also asked to provide information about the children's height and weight - and many of the 6- to 11-year-olds turned out to be obese. Yet more than 40 percent of their parents appeared unaware of this.

The Maryland medical examiner's office has called attention to the cases of 24 kidney dialysis patients who bled to death, usually at home alone, prompting health agencies to alert dialysis centers and patients to take precautions. Dr. David Fowler, the state's chief medical examiner, said the cases of 22 people who died at home and two others who died at dialysis centers since 2000 came to light after he noticed a cluster and asked his staff to review records.

Chester L. Finn, a retired senior investigator for the Baltimore Department of Transit and Traffic who was also the traffic announcer on WFBR-AM and founder of a group to aid kidney-disease patients, died Monday at Baltimore County General Hospital of heart failure. He was 67.Services for the Breitwert Avenue resident will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Hubbard Funeral Home, 4107 Wilkens Ave.Known as Mickey, Mr. Finn began working for city in 1967 in the Bureau of Water Supply of the Public Works Department.