Saturday, April 21, 2012
The Mystery of Kidney Stones
Medical News Today has published an article revealing the reason why certain people are more susceptible to kidney stones than others. An average of one million Americans are affected by kidney stones each year, and say that it is one of the worst pains we could ever experience. Researches from Washington University School of Medicine has discovered why people get kidney stones and others don't; and of course the answer is genes. The experiment was conducted in mice, because their kidneys function in the same way as humans. The gene
claudin-14 is a common genetic variant and is the causing agent of kidney stones. An estimated 65% of people with this variation had a possibility of increased chances of kidney stones. Kidney stones originate from concentrated urine, where minerals are able to crystallize. Although genes play a major role, diet is also important. If you do not drink enough water, or ingest too much sodium you aslo increase your chances. When referring to claudin-14, in a typical human it is not active which allows the kidneys to filter the way they are designed. However, when sodium intake is increased or not enough water is consumed, RNA molecules are released from claudin-14 and begin the process of kidney stones. With this discovery, it would be great if a medicine or an alternate form could be created to stop the creation of these stones. No one would want to experience this pain, knowing from others how it is one of the worst feelings in the world. Keeping up with your diet would be the simplest way to avoid kidney stones, but since genes sometimes do not allow us to decide our own fate, treatment would be useful.
Labels:
claudin-14,
Genetics,
Kidney stones
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Kidney stones are known to be one of the most excruciating pains, it would indeed be great if a cure could be found to reduce the risk of getting one. Although People who are more susceptible to kidney stones should take dieting right seriously if they want to reduce their chances.
ReplyDeleteRNA is more important then its given credit for. Controling a diet is harder to do today because people eat prepacked food. If a way to stop the creation of claudin-14 could be suppresed it would give relief to peole with histories of kidney stones.
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