Charlotte Robinson

This week I talked with writer Alexis Stratton about the new book “Trans Kids, Our Kids” co-authored with Adam Polaski & Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara from the Campaign for Southern Equality & released by Ig Publishing. In these unprecedented times “Trans Kids, Our Kids” provides a narrative look into the challenges facing our transgender young people. This is especially crucial after the recent GOP presidential campaign distorted & targeted transgender issues to regain control of the White House. The new book provides a truthful blueprint addressing trans youth issues by taking a storytelling approach in capturing how people all across the country are meeting the moment to support, protect & live in solidarity with transgender youth & their families. The book is based on more than 50 interviews with transgender youth, their parents & the medical providers, advocates & faith leaders who are leading the fight against the wave of discriminatory legislation that has flooded statehouses since 2022. One primary focus of “Trans Kids, Our Kids” is the attack on trans youth’s access to gender-affirming care. Less than 2 years ago there weren’t any states that had such bans in effect. Currently there are now 26 states that have bans or restricted transgender youth from accessing hormone therapy with the issue coming before the Supreme Court in the case United States v. Skrmetti with oral arguments on December 4th. Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) through their Trans Youth Emergency Project have supported more than 1,000 families of transgender youth in navigating healthcare bans. All royalties from book sales will benefit this project. I talked to Alexis about what they hope to accomplish with “Trans Kids, Our Kids” & their spin on our LGBTQ issues. (Design by Liz Williams) LISTEN

Patients receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT) have a 1.5 to two times greater risk of cancer and cancer-related death. The extent of this heightened risk depends on the type of cancer and KRT. Research shows that even patients with lower-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) may experience a higher cancer risk. However, the reasons for this remain unclear. There may be a causal relationship, the association could be due to factors such as immune suppression and inflammation, or it could result from distortion of the analyses from unidentified variables (confounding).

Alethea Crimmins the widely celebrated "positivity queen" & "international hype girl" will deliver the keynote at the 81st Annual PANJ-EF Tr...

Research has shown an association between chronic kidney disease and inflammatory skin diseases (ISDs), such as atopic dermatitis (AD), acne, and psoriasis. However, research is lacking regarding a potential link between IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the predominant primary glomerular disease, and ISDs.

More than one-fourth of patients discharged from the hospital after AKI will die within the next year, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) being the leading cause. Among patients in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system, the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and existing CVD are higher than in the general population. Blood pressure control is critical for patients who have experienced AKI, yet optimal blood pressure targets and timing of blood pressure control for this population are not defined.

To compare the survival and home time of older adults initiating dialysis within 30 days to those receiving continued medical management, Maria E. Montez-Rath, PhD, and colleagues conducted an observational cohort study using target trial emulation.

Acid/base status in CKD is currently determined using plasma measures, but acidosis may be present before it is observable in plasma. Low urine NH4+ excretion has been proposed as a marker for subclinical acidosis, but low NH4+ excretion could be due to a low capacity or low demand for acid excretion.

The American Urological Association recommends nephron sparing in patients with preexisting CKD, but few studies have examined long-term kidney function in patients with preoperative severe CKD who have extirpative renal surgery.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of noncardiac surgeries. To understand more about AKI prevention, Amit X. Garg, MD, PhD, and other researchers conducted a prespecified substudy of the POISE-3 trial (NCT03505723).

Gearing up for the next holiday in these challenging times the San Francisco Mime Troupe will present the world premiere of “A Red Carol” Michael Gene Sullivan’s deconstructed, activist adaptation of Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.” It runs on stage December 14th to 29th at Z Space in San Francisco, CA. We all know the story about the redemption of a cranky miser at Christmas, a ghost story designed to let an audience feel good about themselves for not being heartless. However Charles Dickens wasn't trying to make people feel good, he was trying to show them a stark reality, scaring them into being more human. He wrote "A Christmas Carol" to shake up society & with “A Red Carol” it re-establishes his story as the revolutionary call-to-action Dickens intended. In Dickens story Bob Crachit tells Scrooge, "People always think this story is about you. But it ain’t about you, it’s about us & how we let ourselves get infected with your ideas, your greed, your lies, it’s you steppin’ over the hungry & homeless & us following your lead, it’s us lettin’ you turn our government into a casino, listenin’ while you say day after day that profit is the new god & us not standin’ up & shouting NO! It ain’t about you it’s about us.” This isn't your average feel-good Christmas tale but it was never supposed to be. With music, joy & plenty of harsh truths about his time & ours “A Red Carol” is the demand for economic & social justice Dickens wanted then & we need now.