Anti-Nephrin Antibodies in Minimal Change Disease
Approach to the Patient with Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Dysfunction- Part 1
Want to write a case report? RFN has you covered with a list of journals to choose from
Have a Nephrology Question? There Might Be A #Tweetorial For That!
Conferences, Courses, & Grants
FOAMed
Interventional Nephrology Series
Focus on Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Nephrology (POCUN) Series
Kidney Biopsy of the Month Series
ACE DD Polymorphism
The human angiotensin coverting enzyme (ACE) gene is located on chromosome 17q23 and is comprised of 26 exons and 25 introns. Importantly, there is an insertion/deletion polymorphism in which a 278-bp fragment is either present or absent within…
What are Randall’s Plaques?
The latest theories on nephrolithiasis involve an anatomical lesion termed “Randall’s Plaques”, which are calcified, whitish plaques in the renal papillae which may be visualized during endoscopy (see arrows in Figure a, taken from a JCI paper by…
Oxalate and Risk for Nephrolithiasis
Hyperoxaluria is one of the well-established risk factors for stone formation; this certainly makes sense as the most common type of kidney stone is of the calcium oxalate variety. Interestingly, having high levels of serum oxalate does not…
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…
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…