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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
