Related topics: kidney disease , kidney function , kidney transplant , transplant
Kidney
hideThe kidneys are paired organs, which have the production of urine as their primary function. Kidneys are seen in many types of animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are part of the urinary system, but have several secondary functions concerned with homeostatic functions. These include the regulation of electrolytes, acid-base balance, and blood pressure. In producing urine, the kidneys excrete wastes such as urea and ammonium; the kidneys also are responsible for the reabsorption of glucose and amino acids. Finally, the kidneys are important in the production of hormones including vitamin D, renin and erythropoietin.
Located behind the abdominal cavity in the retroperitoneum, the kidneys receive blood from the paired renal arteries, and drain into the paired renal veins. Each kidney excretes urine into a ureter, itself a paired structure that empties into the urinary bladder.
Renal physiology is the study of kidney function, while nephrology is the medical specialty concerned with diseases of the kidney. Diseases of the kidney are diverse, but individuals with kidney disease frequently display characteristic clinical features. Common clinical presentations include the nephritic and nephrotic syndromes, acute kidney failure, chronic kidney disease, urinary tract infection, nephrolithiasis, and urinary tract obstruction.
For more information about Kidney, read the full article at
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News tagged with kidney
Anti-aging gene linked to high blood pressure
Aug 19, 2009 |
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Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have shown the first link between a newly discovered anti-aging gene and high blood pressure. The results, which appear this month in the journal ...
Help your kidneys: Pass on salt and diet soda
Nov 01, 2009 |
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Individuals who consume a diet high in sodium or artificially sweetened drinks are more likely to experience a decline in kidney function, according to two papers being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual ...
Researchers effectively treat tumors with use of nanotubes
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Aug 03, 2009 |
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By injecting man-made, microscopic tubes into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second zap of a laser, scientists have discovered a way to effectively kill kidney tumors in nearly 80 percent of mice. Researchers say ...
3D printing for new tissues and organs
Technology / Computer Sciences
Jun 18, 2009 |
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A more effective way to build plastic scaffolds on which new tissues and even whole organs might be grown in the laboratory is being developed by an international collaboration between teams in Portugal and the UK.
Study shows how gene action may lead to diabetes prevention, cure
Dec 11, 2009 |
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A gene commonly studied by cancer researchers has been linked to the metabolic inflammation that leads to diabetes.
Hello wearable kidney, goodbye dialysis machine
Aug 20, 2009 |
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Researchers are developing a Wearable Artificial Kidney for dialysis patients, reports an upcoming paper in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). "Our vision of a technological breakthrough ...
How to ... avoid kidney stones
Jul 17, 2009 |
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These solid masses that form in the kidneys can grow big enough to cause severe pain and even infection as they pass into the urinary tract.
High-sugar diet increases men's blood pressure; gout drug protective
Sep 23, 2009 |
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A high-fructose diet raises blood pressure in men, while a drug used to treat gout seems to protect against the blood pressure increase, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure ...
Blocking protein may help ease painful nerve condition
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Mar 15, 2009 |
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Scientists have identified the first gene that pulls the plug on ailing nerve cell branches from within the nerve cell, possibly helping to trigger the painful condition known as neuropathy.
Baking soda: For cooking, cleaning, and kidney health?
Jul 16, 2009 |
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A daily dose of sodium bicarbonate -- baking soda, already used for baking, cleaning, acid indigestion, sunburn, and more -- slows the decline of kidney function in some patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), ...
Quick test for prostate cancer
May 19, 2009 |
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A new 3-minute test could help in diagnosing prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK, according to scientists.
Reduction in glycotoxins from heat-processing of foods reduces risk of chronic disease
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine report that cutting back on the consumption of processed and fried foods, which are high in toxins called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), can reduce inflammation and ...
With Help from a Bacterium, Cockroaches Develop Way to Store Excess Uric Acid
Nov 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- What life form can use materials as nutrients that we, and most other animals, would consider waste products?
Chain results in 10 kidney swaps among strangers
Mar 11, 2009 |
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(AP) -- When Matthew Jones decided to donate a kidney to a stranger, the Michigan father of five had no idea he'd be starting a lifesaving, "pay it forward" chain. His kidney donation to a Phoenix woman in ...
Is it really only our kidneys that control blood pressure?
Mar 13, 2009 |
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The problem of high blood pressure has reached pandemic proportions, causing premature death through heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease in a third of the UK population. For decades, scientists have battled at length ...
