Maine Medical Center
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Research & Publications

The Division of Nephrology and Transplantation is dedicated to robust and successful activity in clinical research. Areas of investigation include the epidemiology of kidney stone disease, prevention of acute kidney injury, rehabilitation strategies in end stage renal disease, medical education in nephrology and multicenter trials of novel immunosuppressive strategies in kidney transplantation. A clinical translational collaborative, ReMaine Healthy, includes members of the division working with investigators from Hannover Medical School in Germany, Jackson Laboratories and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratories in Maine, and the MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR). ReMaine Healthy focuses on studying promising chronic kidney disease (CKD) biomarkers identified from animal models and assaying for correlates in human CKD populations.

In addition, the division interacts with several principal investigators at MMCRI. Basic science investigation includes cellular regulatory and cytoprotective functions of erythropoietic hormones as well as signaling functions of bone morphogenetic proteins in embryonic kidney development and regeneration after acute kidney injury.

Nephrology fellows have participated in all of the above areas of investigation and also have periodically developed de novo research questions and projects under the guidance of faculty mentors. Six months of research time is specifically allocated in year 2 of training, though fellows often begin projects in year 1 and intermittently dedicate time to investigation while participating in clinical activities.

Fellows complete a course on human subjects investigation offered annually by MHIR. They also have access to dedicated research navigators, data analysts, and statisticians to assist in all aspects of developing and completing a research project. Senior fellows routinely attend and present their work at an annual research conference of the Tufts Medical Center division of nephrology, and also present and publish work at regional and national kidney meetings and in a variety of high impact nephrology journals.

Rossi AP, Vella JP. Hypertension, Living Kidney Donors, and Transplantation: Where Are We Today? Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2015 Mar;22(2):154-164.

Rossi A. Vella JP “Acute Kidney Injury after liver and heart Transplantation” Transplantation, 2015. 100 (3); 506-514

Rodrigue, Vella JP et al. “Pre-Donation Direct and Indirect Costs Incurred by Adults Who Donated a Kidney: Findings from the KDOC Study”. Am J Transplant 2015. 15(9): 2387-2393

Garlo K, Williams D, Lucas L, Wong R, Botler J, Abramson S, Parker MG. Severity of anemia predicts hospital length of stay but not readmission in patients with chronic kidney disease. Medicine 2015; 94 (25) e964

Ouyang F, Parker MG, et al: Enhancing nephrology career interest through ASN Kidney TREKS Program. J Am Soc Nephrol 27(6):1604-7, 2016

Rodrigue JR, Paek M, Whiting J, Vella J, Garrison K, Pavlakis M, Mandelbrot DA.Trajectories of perceived benefits in living kidney donors: association with donor characteristics and recipient outcomes. Transplantation. 2014 Apr 15;97(7):762-8

Rodrigue JR, Fleishman A, Vishnevsky T, Whiting J, Vella JP, Garrison K, Moore D, Kayler L, Baliga P, Chavin KD, Karp S, Mandelbrot DA: Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess fear of kidney failure following living donation. Transplantation Int. 2014 Jun;27(6):570-5

Rossi AP, Vella JP: Hypertension, living kidney donors, and transplantation: where are we today? Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2015 Mar;22(2):154-64

Rossi AP, Vella JP: Acute Kidney Disease After Liver and Heart Transplantation. Transplantation. 2016 Mar;100(3):506-14

Ferraro PM, Curhan GC, Gambaro G, Sorensen MD, Taylor EN. Physical activity, energy intake, and the risk of incident kidney stones. J Urol. 2015; 193(3):864-8.

Vaidya A, Curhan GC, Paik JM, Wang M, Taylor EN: Physical Activity and the Risk of Primary Hyperparathyroidism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Apr;101(4):1590-7

Taylor EN, Hoofnagle AN, Curhan GC: Calcium and Phosphorus Regulatory Hormones and Risk of Incident Symptomatic Kidney Stones. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol April 2015 10:667-675

Rossi A, Vella JP. “Hypertension, Living Donation and Kidney Transplantation: Where are we today?” Am J CKD. 2015 Vol 22, No 2 (March), 2015: pp 154-164

Rodrigue, Vella JP et al. “Pre-Donation Direct and Indirect Costs Incurred by Adults Who Donated a Kidney: Findings from the KDOC Study”. Am J Transplant 2016; 16: 869–876

Garlo K, Dressel D, Savic M, Vella JP “Successful Eculizumab Treatment of Recurrent Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome after Kidney Transplantation” Clin Nephrol epub June 15, 2015

Ferraro PM, Curhan GC, Gambaro G, Taylor EN. Total, dietary, and supplemental vitamin C intake and risk of incident kidney stones. Am J Kidney Dis. 2016; 67(3):400-7.

Taylor EN, Feskanich D, Paik JM, Curhan GC: Nephrolithiasis and Risk of Incident Bone Fracture. J Urol 2015 195(5): 1482-1486

Vaidya A, Curhan GC, Paik JM, Wang M, Taylor EN: Physical Activity and the Risk of Primary Hyperparathyroidism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2016, 101:1590-1597

Maursetter LJ, Parker MG, et al: Enhancing Nephrology Career Interest through the ASN Kidney TREKS Program. Am J Soc Nephrol, March 2016 epub ahead of print

Walsh M, Whitlock R, Garg AX, Legare JF, Duncan AE, Zimmerman R: Effects of remote ischemic preconditioning in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery (Remote IMPACT): A randomized, controlled trial. 188(5):329-336, 2016

Prochaska ML, Taylor EN, Curhan GC. Insights into nephrolithiasis from the Nurses’ Health Studies. Am J Public Health. 2016; 106(9):1638-43.

Ferraro PM, Mandel EI, Curhan GC, Gambaro G, Taylor EN. Dietary protein and potassium, diet-dependent net acid load, and risk of incident kidney stones. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016; 11(10): 1834-44.

Ferraro PM, Taylor EN, Gambaro G, Curhan GC. Vitamin D intake and the risk of incident kidney stones. J Urol. 2017; 197(2): 405-410.

Ferraro PM, Taylor EN, Gambaro G, Curhan GC. Dietary and lifestyle risk factors associated with incident kidney stones in men and women. J Urol. 2017; 198(4):858-63.

Vaidya A, Curhan GC, Paik JM, Wang M, Taylor EN. Body size and the risk of primary hyperparathyroidism in women: A cohort study. J Bone Miner Res. 2017; 32(9):1900-6.

Prochaska M, Taylor EN, Vaidya A, Curhan GC. Low bone density and bisphosphonate use and the risk of kidney stones. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017; 12(8):1284-90.

Prochaska M, Taylor E, Ferraro PM, Curhan GC. Relative supersaturation of 24-hour urine and likelihood of kidney stones. J Urol. 2018; 199(5): 1262-66.

Singh N, Rossi AP, Savic M, Rubocki RJ, Parker MG, Vella JP. Tailored rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction dosing for kidney transplants. 2018 Transplant Direct. 4(2), epub Feb. 2018

Ferraro PM, Gambaro G, Curhan GC, Taylor EN. Intake of trace metals and the risk of incident kidney stones. J Urol. 2018; 199(6):1534-39.

 

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