Acute toxic nephropathies: clinical pathologic correlations.

Man's ever increasing exposure to numerous drugs and chemicals, which are the results of medical and industrial progress, produces a by-product of acute toxic nephropathies. These include acute toxic renal failure, drug-induced acute oliguric renal failure, acute hemorrhagic glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, tubular disturbances and potassium deficiency. In depth information is provided for the previously mentioned disorders.

The role of visceral epithelial, endothelial and mesangial cells in the formation and turnover of glomerular basement membrane.

Incorporation of 3H-proline in the mouse kidney was studied by electron microscopic radioautography in a pulse-chase mode to establish the role of visceral epithelial, endothelial, and mesangial elements in the synthesis and turnover of glomerular basement membrane. Visceral epithelial and endothelial cells were found to play a significant role in the formation of glomerular basement membrane components, and turnover time for one of the components was found to be under 2 h. The synthesis of second component is slow and make take 8-24 h. The mesangial cells appear to play a significant role in the reabsorption of the component with a faster turnover rate.