How to lose a kidney
Couldn’t figure out how to embed the video so I’ve just posted the link of a daredevil who “exploded his kidney” (according to the video at least) during a bike jump. Just think, somewhere out there there’s a…
Posts by
Nathan Hellman
Minnesota Vikings Players’ Illegal Bumex Use
Having grown up in Minnesota and being a rabid sports fan, I have an obligation to closely follow the Minnesota Vikings, no matter how much trouble with the law the team has encountered in recent years. Here’s a…
Betel Nut Chewing
Following up on the discussion of milk-alkali syndrome, a similar syndrome (hypercalcemia, metabolic alkalosis, and acute renal failure) may also occur due to betel nut chewing. Betel nut chewing is a common habit and cultural practice amongst Indian…
History of the Milk-Alkali Syndrome
Heard about a case of milk-alkali syndrome at Renal Grand Rounds yesterday. This is an interesting condition whose pathophysiologic mechanism really tests your knowledge of calcium and acid-base homeostasis. I won’t attempt to chart the pathway but a…
Acetate-Based Dialysate: The Middle Ages of Dialysis
Us renal fellows are likely to take for granted the fact that virtually all dialysis buffers used today are bicarbonate-based buffer systems. The bicarbonate-CO2 buffer system is the dominant buffer system in the human body, patients without renal…
Genome-Wide Association Study for CKD
A recent article just published in Nature Genetics by Kottgen et al identifies several loci which appear to confer susceptibility to the development of CKD. How did researchers identify these genes? By a genome-wide association study. Briefly, researchers…
Kidney-Themed 30 Rock Episode
The NBC show “30 Rock” featured a humorous, kidney-themed season finale last Thursday. If you don’t feel like watching the full 30-minute episode, you can purchase the full music video for the song “We Need A Kidney” at…
GBM Collagens & Alport’s Syndrome
Alport’s Syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by glomerulonephritis, progression to ESRD, and hearing loss. Intriguingly, it can be inherited in either an X-linked, autosomal recessive, or autosomal dominant manner. Why is the inheritance pattern so complex and…
Big Pharma Nephrology
The following is a list of major pharmaceutical companies, ranked by total revenue. The numbers are staggeringly high. #1 overall is Johnson & Johnson ($ 63,747,000,000 in 2008 total revenue), followed by Pfizer and Bayer. A few of…
Stranded on a Lifeboat
We all know that if you are stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean, you are not supposed to drink the salt water. Why is this the case–shouldn’t the kidney be smart enough to retain…