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David Isaias Ortiz-Melo

Associate Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Nephrology
2424 Erwin Rd, Suite 605, DUMC Box 2747, Durham, NC 27705
2424 Erwin Rd, Suite 605, DUMC Box 2747, Durham, NC 27705

Selected Publications


A multi-center study on safety and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients with kidney transplant.

Journal Article Kidney Int · July 2021 Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are widely used for various malignancies. However, their safety and efficacy in patients with a kidney transplant have not been defined. To delineate this, we conducted a multicenter retrospective study of 69 patients wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 and the kidney.

Journal Article Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens · January 2016 PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a monocarboxypeptidase that metabolizes angiotensin II (AngII). AngII levels can be modulated by ACE2 in tissues where the enzyme is highly expressed, such as the kidney. In the kidney, ACE2 has ... Full text Link to item Cite

Special deLIVERy: podocyte injury promotes renal angiotensin II generation from liver-derived angiotensinogen.

Journal Article Kidney Int · May 2014 The role of the circulating renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in regulating systemic blood pressure and sodium balance is well established. More recently, researchers have turned their focus to the local generation of angiotensin II (Ang II) in specific tissu ... Full text Link to item Cite

ACE2 deficiency increases NADPH-mediated oxidative stress in the kidney.

Journal Article Physiol Rep · 2014 Abstract Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is highly expressed in the kidney and hydrolyzes angiotensin II (Ang II) to Ang(1-7). Since Ang II is a strong activator of oxidative stress, we reasoned that ACE2 could be involved in the regulation of renal ... Full text Link to item Cite

Role of vaptans in the management of hyponatremia.

Journal Article Am J Kidney Dis · August 2013 Hyponatremia, the most commonly encountered electrolyte abnormality, affects as many as 30% of hospitalized patients. It is a powerful predictor of poor outcomes, especially in patients with congestive heart failure or cirrhosis. The failure to excrete ele ... Full text Link to item Cite

A trip to inner space: insights into salt balance from cosmonauts.

Journal Article Cell Metab · January 8, 2013 The epidemiological association between high salt intake and hypertension is well established. However, in most patients, the specific defect causing salt-dependent hypertension cannot be discerned. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Rakova and associates u ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Latino Health Project: pilot testing a culturally adapted behavioral weight loss intervention in obese and overweight Latino adults.

Journal Article Ethn Dis · 2012 OBJECTIVE: To pilot test a culturally adapted behavioral weight loss intervention in obese and overweight Latino adults. DESIGN: Pilot study. SETTING: Latino community organization in Durham, North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Overweight and obese, self-identif ... Open Access Link to item Cite