When it comes to monitoring proteinuria, some nephrologists prefer following urine albumin levels, whereas others prefer monitoring urine protein levels. While there is nothing inherently wrong with either, it is helpful to keep the following reference values in…
Image from Radiology Picture of the Day http://www.radpod.org/2007/06/19/xanthogranulomatous-pyelonephritis/ Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is a rare but severe complication of chronic UTIs. I think of it (in simplistic terms) as a pyelonephritis so severe that it results in loss of…
MicroRNAs: one of the sexiest topics in the science community these days! Pick up a copy of Science, Nature, or Cell and you can usually find something to do with microRNAs within. What do these have to do…
The Brenner Hypothesis–developed by Barry Brenner of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, author of the well-known Brenner & Rector “The Kidney” textbook–states that individuals with a congenital reduction in nephron number have a much greater likelihood of developing…
Nate Hellman MD PhD, the founder of the Renal Fellow Network, died tragically just over two months ago. He was a wonderful person, who possessed a strong sense of humanity, humor and compassion. Nate touched the lives of…
It is with great sadness and sorrow that I am writing to inform you of the passing of Nathan Hellman, MD, PhD, and founder of the Renal Fellow Network Blog. I worked with Nathan in the Division of…
Just heard an interesting talk on endothelial dysfunction and its relation to nephrology. One thing I learned is that the vascular endothelium is actually “hairy”, as demonstrated from this electron micrograph (taken from this website). These little hairs…
Meet Jennifer Harman. She is apparently one of the most famous female professional poker players in the world, having done quite well at the prestigious “World Series of Poker” tournament. It turns out she is also a kidney…
How common is contrast nephropathy in the general outpatient setting? When you send one of your outpatients to get a CT scan with iv contrast, what is the real risk? Much of the randomized, controlled trial data on…
As much as kidney transplant outcomes have improved over the decades, we’re not perfect: a sizable group of patients end up transitioning to dialysis therapies after the kidney transplant stops working. What should be done with the allograft…
