The water deprivation test is useful in the workup of patients with polyuria under certain situations. The differential diagnosis of polyuria often comes down to the following: does the patient have diabetes insipidus (either central or nephrogenic), psychogenic…
I was recently alerted to a great lecture series on acid-base & electrolytes by Mitch Halperin and colleagues which are published in the Quartery Journal of Medicine (QJM). They are generally case-based articles which use an imaginary physician…
A few basics about the prostaglandins, a major player in renal hemodynamics. Prostaglandins are fatty acid-based compounds which carry out a variety of cellular effects. The pathway begins with phospholipid within the plasma membrane, which is converted to…
Today is the 1-year anniversary of the Renal Fellow Network. I started it towards the end of my 1st (clinical) year of nephrology fellowhip on April 23, 2008…and since this is the 320th post, I’ve done a reasonably…
It is important to realize the difference between HYPOVOLEMIA and DEHYDRATION, two terms which are often used interchangeably but in fact reflect different things. Read the Up-To-Date entry « Dehydration is not synonymous with hypovolemia » by Burton…
Trick question: where was the 9th Banff Conference on Allograft Pathology in 2007 held? Hint: it wasn’t Banff (the beautiful national park in western Canada). Answer: La Coruna, Spain. At this conference a consensus regarding the histopathologic classification…
One logical way to classify the different etiologies of hypocalcemia is to break them down into LOW PTH STATES and HIGH PTH STATES. Today I’ll review the HYPOCALCEMIA WITH LOW PH STATES, or in other words, the causes…
I remember learning about Lesch-Nyhan and thinking it was fascinating early on during a college course on neurology & behavior: affected children with this X-linked disorder develop the bizarre but highly characteristic behavior of self-mutilation, intentional biting of…
Is something missing in your life? Is it the opportunity to take multiple-choice exams? If so, check out this 10-question ASN-sponsored practice test designed to prepare Nephrology Fellows to be ready for the upcoming Nephrology Boards in November….
Patients with ADPKD are predisposed to nephrolithiasis. The postulated reasons for this increased prevalence of stone disease have ranged from metabolic abnormalities (previous reports have shown an increased tendency for hyperoxaluria, hypercalciuria, hypocitraturia, hyperuricosuria, and distal RTA) to…
