Rituxan is seeing a lot of use these days. Although technically only having formal indications for rheumatoid arthritis and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, it is being used for a number of off-label indications, and in general the results seem to…
The two major forms of amyloidosis are AL amyloidosis (in which light chains form the amyloid deposits) and AA amyloidosis (in which a variety of inflammatory molecules may adopt a beta-pleated structure to deposit as amyloid. A specific…
Nephrotic Syndrome Trivia Question: Name two different athletes, both with nephrotic syndrome due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).Answer: Most people are aware of Alonzo Mourning, the NBA center who was diagnosed with FSGS which forced his temporary retirement…
Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) has recently been linked to the gadolinium-based contrast used for MRI imaging in patients with advanced stage (e.g., Stages 4-5) CKD and ESRD. This appears to be most true for the agent gadodiamide (Omniscan)…
Time for some “Renal Radiology Rounds.” The case involves a 77 year-old man with a history of severe benign prostatic hypertrophy. He had been advised to have a TURP in the past but had repeatedly declined. He was…
This is probably fairly basic to many renal fellows already, but the Hemodialysis Prescription is an integral part of any nephrologist’s routine. The hemodialysis prescription should specify the following: 1. The dialyzer being used. These days, most dialysis…
Don’t confuse “cystinosis” with “cystinuria”: they are different diseases, both genetic and both involving the amino acid cystine–but with decidedly different pathogeneses. Hereditary cystinosis is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the CTNS gene, which encodes…
One of the most exciting new advances in the field of pre-eclampsia has been the relatively recent discovery of the role of sFlt-1 in pre-eclampsia. sFlt-1 (which stands for “soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase) is a circulating protein which…
Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola) is a popular tropical fruit in numerous countries of Asia and South America, and is increasing found in Western countries as well. Why am I writing about this on the Renal Fellow Network? It turns…
Here are a few random pearls that I took away from yesterday’s combined Beth Israel-Brigham-Mass General renal fellows’ educational talk by Burton Rose a.k.a. “The Up-To-Date Guy” and author of the highly-recommended “Clinical Physiology of Acid-Base and Electrolyte…
