Our understanding of the pathogenesis of renal diseases and the ability to accurately classify and diagnose them has improved considerably over the last two decades. Until now, however, this information has not been available in a single, up-to-date and succinct yet comprehensive source. The publication at hand aims at filling this gap, condensing a vast amount of information into easily accessible chapters.After a discussion of basic concepts and principles of renal tissue reactions to injurious agents using a specific cell/compartment approach, a multitude of disorders are looked at, including renal interstitial fibrosis, glomerulosclerosis, various forms of glomerulonephritis and nephropathy, amyloidosis and renal Fanconi syndrome. Some of the chapters address controversial subjects, reporting the current situation and showing areas of future potential research interest. At the end of many of the contributions, a summary is provided, often in the form of a chart to facilitate the understanding of the information and to make it most useful for didactic purposes.This book is intended for students of various disciplines, as well as clinicians and investigators and all those trying to correlate basic research information with clinical issues.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. ​This handbook synthesizes and analyzes the growing knowledge base on life course health development (LCHD) from the prenatal period through emerging adulthood, with implications for clinical practice and public health. It presents LCHD as an innovative field with a sound theoretical framework for understanding wellness and disease from a lifespan perspective, replacing previous medical, biopsychosocial, and early genomic models of health. Interdisciplinary chapters discuss major health concerns (diabetes, obesity), important less-studied conditions (hearing, kidney health), and large-scale issues (nutrition, adversity) from a lifespan viewpoint. In addition, chapters address methodological approaches and challenges by analyzing existing measures, studies, and surveys. The book concludes with the editors’ research agenda that proposes priorities for future LCHD research and its application to health care practice and health policy. Topics featured in the Handbook include: The prenatal period and its effect on child obesity and metabolic outcomes. Pregnancy complications and their effect on women’s cardiovascular health. A multi-level approach for obesity prevention in children. Application of the LCHD framework to autism spectrum disorder. Socioeconomic disadvantage and its influence on health development across the lifespan. The importance of nutrition to optimal health development across the lifespan. The Handbook of Life Course Health Development is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians/professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology/science; maternal and child health; social work; health economics; educational policy and politics; and medical law as well as many interrelated subdisciplines in psychology, medicine, public health, mental health, education, social welfare, economics, sociology, and law.

The podocyte is a key cell that forms the last barrier of the kidney filtration unit. One of the most exciting developments in the field of nephrology in the last decade has been the elucidation of its biology and its role in the pathophysiology of inherited and acquired glomerular disease, termed podocytopathy. In this publication, world-renowned experts summarize the most recent findings and advances in the field: they describe the unique biological features and injury mechanisms of the podocyte, novel techniques used in their study, and diagnosis and potential therapeutic approaches to glomerular diseases. Due to its broad scope, this publication is of great value not only for clinical nephrologists and researchers, but also for students, residents, fellows, and postdocs.

Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related conditions cause more than 40 percent of all deaths globally, and their substantial burden is rising, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Their burden extends well beyond health effects to include significant economic and societal consequences. Most of these conditions are related, share risk factors, and have common control measures at the clinical, population, and policy levels. Lives can be extended and improved when these diseases are prevented, detected, and managed. This volume summarizes current knowledge and presents evidence-based interventions that are effective, cost-effective, and scalable in LMICs.

This book combines the reference material of a nephrology textbook with the everyday relevance of a clinical handbook. This second edition develops and expands upon the success of the first. All the content has been updated and entirely new chapters on acid-base disorders and stone disease have been added. Understanding Kidney Diseases includes over 60 real-life case studies and is illustrated with over 200 figures. Readers can test their knowledge with a bank of multiple-choice questions and put it into practice by answering questions that patients frequently ask. The book provides all that students, residents and fellows need in order to approach a patient with a kidney problem with confidence.

This book provides an overview of the most up-to-date research on diabetic nephropathy and the current understanding of its pathogenesis, clinical features and socio-economic developments. Written by leading experts in the field, it provides a comprehensive synthesis of clinical and pathophysiological aspects from a mechanism-based point of view, and reviews evidence-based treatment modalities for the prevention and management of diabetic nephropathy. In addition, closely related areas such as diabesity, diabetic eye disease and macrovascular involvement in diabetes are addressed. Diabetic Nephropathy will be of interest for nephrologists, diabetologists, internists, transplant physicians, public health professionals, basic scientists, geneticists, epidemiologists, pathologists, and molecular and cell biologists working in the field of diabetes and its complications.

Kidney Development and Disease brings together established and young investigators who are leading authorities in nephrology to describe recent advances in three primary areas of research. The first section describes the use of animal models as powerful tools for the discovery of numerous molecular mechanisms regulating kidney development. The second section focuses on nephric cell renewal and differentiation, which lead to diverse cell fates within the developing kidney, and discusses diseases resulting from the aberrant regulation of the balance between cell fate decisions. The final section concentrates on morphogenesis of the developing kidney and its maintenance after formation as well as the diseases resulting from failures in these processes. Kidney form and function have been extensively studied for centuries, leading to discoveries related to their development and disease. Recent scientific advances in molecular and imaging techniques have broadened our understanding of nephron development and maintenance as well as the diseases related to these processes.

Kampo is a traditional Japanese herbal medicine that takes a holistic approach to healing. Since Kampo is currently being used for the treatment of a wide range of diseases with many reports of clinical effectiveness, it is playing an increasingly important role in Japan's modern-day health care. Juzen-taiho-to (Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang): Scientific Evaluation and Clinical Applications presents a concise overview of the important Kampo formula of Juzen-taiho-to. The book describes the therapeutic indications and traditional uses of Juzen-taiho-to, followed by its taxonomy, cultivation, quality assurance, and chemical constituents and pharmacological actions of raw plant material as the component herbs. Experts in the field discuss up-to-date findings and topics associated with the pharmacology and clinical application of Juzen-taiho-to, including its important immunomodulating, anti-tumor, and anti-metastatic properties, toxicology and side effects, and other related formulations. Today, Kampo medicine is steadily gaining acceptance by Japan's national health insurance system, the medical community, and contemporary society. This book provides a comprehensive review of Juzen-taiho-to and demonstrates how Kampo and other herbal medicines are becoming the popular, practical, and preferred treatments of tomorrow.

As the expense of treating a growing number of end-stage kidney disease patients increases, greater attention has been paid to prevention and early treatment. The study of renal disease, however, suffers due to the complex nature of renal anatomy and physiology and the plethora of different cell types found in the kidney. In Kidney Research: Experimental Protocols, top experts in the field seek to aid researchers by providing a number of specialized techniques developed to examine this intricate system. Through both well-established and novel methods, this volume explores the preparation and culture of the main cell types used to study renal disease mechanisms, the common animal models used to mimic the various forms of human renal disease, and specific applications and techniques used in vivo and in vitro. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, the chapters contain step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Essential and cutting-edge, Kidney Research: Experimental Protocols delivers invaluable guidance to new and experienced laboratory researchers delving into the sophisticated study of the kidney.

Scientific experiments using animals have contributed significantly to the improvement of human health. Animal experiments were crucial to the conquest of polio, for example, and they will undoubtedly be one of the keystones in AIDS research. However, some persons believe that the cost to the animals is often high. Authored by a committee of experts from various fields, this book discusses the benefits that have resulted from animal research, the scope of animal research today, the concerns of advocates of animal welfare, and the prospects for finding alternatives to animal use. The authors conclude with specific recommendations for more consistent government action.