Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, University of Virginia Children's Hospital, PO Box 800386, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA.
Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Pediatr Nephrol. 2021 Apr;36(4):797-807. doi: 10.1007/s00467-020-04534-2. Epub 2020 Apr 29.
Studies of human nephron number have been conducted for well over a century and have uncovered a large variability in nephron number. However, the mechanisms influencing nephron endowment and loss, along with the etiology for the wide range among individuals are largely unknown. Advances in imaging technology have allowed investigators to revisit the principles of renal structure and physiology and their roles in the progression of kidney disease. Here, we will review the latest data on the influences impacting nephron number, innovations made over the last 6 years to understand and integrate renal structure and function, and new developments in the tools used to count nephrons in vivo.
对人类肾单位数量的研究已经进行了一个多世纪,发现肾单位数量存在很大的变异性。然而,影响肾单位数量和损失的机制,以及个体之间差异的原因在很大程度上尚不清楚。成像技术的进步使研究人员能够重新审视肾脏结构和生理学的原理及其在肾脏疾病进展中的作用。在这里,我们将回顾影响肾单位数量的最新数据,过去 6 年来在理解和整合肾脏结构和功能方面的创新,以及用于活体计数肾单位的新工具的发展。