The reduced number of nephrons with shortening renal tubules in mouse postnatal adverse environment.

Background: The intrauterine adverse environment during nephrogenesis reduces the nephron number, probably associates with impaired ureteric bud (UB) branching.

Methods: The kidneys in C57/BL6 mice were irradiated with a single dose of 10 gray (10 Gy) as adverse environment on postnatal day 3 (irradiated PND3 kidneys) after UB branching ceased. The renal functions and pathological findings of irradiated PND3 kidneys were compared with those of non-irradiated control and 10 Gy irradiation on PND14 (irradiated PND14 kidney) from 1 to 18 months.

Evaluation of ultrastructural alterations of glomerular basement membrane and podocytes in glomeruli by low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy.

Background: Low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LV-SEM) is applied to diagnostic renal pathology.

Methods: To demonstrate the usefulness of LV-SEM and to clarify the optimal conditions of pathology samples, we investigated the alterations of glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and podocytes in control and experimental active Heymann nephritis (AHN) rats by LV-SEM.

Results: On week 15 following induction of AHN, spike formation on GBM with diffuse deposition of IgG and C3 developed.

Radiation-induced premature cellular senescence involved in glomerular diseases in rats.

Currently, cellular senescence has emerged as a fundamental contributor to chronic organ diseases. Radiation is one of the stress factors that induce cellular senescence. Although the kidney is known as a radiosensitive organ, whether and how radiation-induced cellular senescence is associated with kidney diseases remains unclear.

Importance of frequency and morphological characteristics of nodular diabetic glomerulosclerosis in diabetic nephropathy.

The Renal Pathology Society proposed a pathological classification for diabetic nephropathy (DN) (RPS 2010). We retrospectively examined the renal structural-functional relationships using the RPS 2010 classification in 49 DN cases. We also evaluated the importance of the percentage of glomeruli with nodular diabetic glomerulosclerosis and their morphological characteristics (cellular, cellular and extracellular matrix [ECM] or ECM types) in the pathology of DN.