Maladie de Berger
The history of IgA Nephropathy is notable, in large part due to the many famous names of medicine which are associated with it. The disease was first described in 1801 by Heberden (of “Heberden’s nodes” fame) in a…
Posts by
Nathan Hellman
K Channels
Potassium is obviously a key ion in nephrologists’ constant battle against reduced renal clearance. What about the potassium channels which are responsible for the trafficking of this ion in & out of the cell? There is a marked…
ENAC Mutations
The ENAC channel in the distal tubule is responsible for sodium reabsorption. It is comprised of 2 alpha, 1 beta, and 1 gamma subunit with each encoded by a separate gene. Interestingly, mutations in ENAC can lead to…
Major Plug for MDIBL Origins of Renal Physiology Course
Today wrapped up the inaugural Origins of Renal Physiology course at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. It’s the first time this has been tried, and though there was significant uncertainty in my mind about what the course would…
What the killifish can teach nephrologists
Killifish are small, brightly-colored tropical fish which number well over a thousand different species. What makes them of interest to renal physiologists is their ability to adapt to both freshwater AND saltwater. It’s not a trivial accomplishment: when…
Phosphate Transporters in the Proximal Tubule
Phosphorus handling is a hot topic in renal physiology, especially considering the advanced being made in bone metabolism suggesting that vascular calcifications may play some role in the high mortality rate of chronic kidney disease patients. But how…
Zebrafish Glomerular Experiments
The zebrafish kidney is being increasingly studied, as it appears to offer several advantages for studying renal function. For one, it is transparent, allowing one to visualize kidney development in real-time. Second, it is a simplified system consisting…
Diuretic effects
Diuretics act at the apical surface of specific segments of the renal tubular epithelium. Question: how do diuretics get to the apical surface? One could imagine several such scenarios, such as diuretics getting filtered at the glomerulus and…
From Fish To Philosopher
Homer Smith is considered the Father of Renal Physiology. He was a PhD (rather than an MD) whose studies on the fish renal system are amongst the first renal physiology experiments. For instance, his work on the goosefish…
Reporting Live from Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratories
I’m coming to you live for the next week from Mount Desert Island Biological Lab (MDIBL) in Maine, where I’m taking a course entitled “Origins of Renal Physiology.“ The course is designed for renal fellows such as myself…