Licorice–particularly European licorice which contains higher doses of the natural sweetener glycyrrhizic acid (GZA)–needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis of hyperaldosteronism. Here’s how it works: The mineralocorticoid receptor, expressed in cortical collecting duct cells, is the…
The thiazolidinediones (a.k.a. “the glitazones”) are widely used in the treatment of of hyperglycemia. Although they have their side effects (an increased risk of cardiac events according to some epidemiologic studies, plus the possibility of fluid overload or…
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…
In honor of Presidents Day I did a quick search to see if any U.S. Presidents suffered from kidney ailments. The name I keep running across is Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the U.S., who is…
Did you know that a full 20% of all dialysis patient deaths are due to the patient voluntarily withdrawing from dialysis? I’ve heard this statistic several times now and it never ceases to surprise me–this seems a bit…
A few links for today, borrowing heavily from other Nephrology Blogs: There is an interesting interchange on Kidney Notes responding to some highly negative comments made about the field of Nephrology by a practicing nephrologist “Nephrogirl.” The Precious…
I heard a talk today by one of the fellows in our program who is also the senior author on this recent JASN article: Phosphorus Binders and Survival on Dialysis. Interestingly, even though the current KDOQI Guidelines recommend…
In a recent Kidney International Supplement issue dealing entirely with TTP/HUS, there are two interesting articles regarding the Walkerton, Ontario HUS Outbreak: the largest public health disaster involving municipal water in Canadian history. In May 2000, approximately 2300…
The loin pain-hematuria syndrome occurs when glomerular hematuria occurs in conjunction with renal colic, in the absence of glomerulonephritis or a worsening of renal function. It is not a common disorder, though appears to be more common in…
Heard a case this morning regarding an elderly white patient who presented with nephrotic syndrome and minimal hematuria. After going through the extensive differential diagnosis, focusing largely on the likely candidates (membranous nephropathy and minimal change disease), the…
