Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THP) from healthy probands inhibits the precipitation of calcium oxalate, whereas THP from individuals who repeatedly develop calcium oxalate stones has no effect or even promotes precipitation. Using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, we found a structural differentiation between these functionally different THPs: a decisive difference in sialic acid content. ...

Renal stones have afflicted humans for millennia but there is still no solution to this problem. This review discusses the laboratory and metabolic aspects of the clinical management of patients with renal stones, both primary and secondary in origin. First, non-pharmacological interventions such as increased fluid intake, decreased protein consumption, dietary changes in sodium, calcium, oxala...

The process of kidney stone formation depends on an imbalance between excretion of water and insoluble stone-forming salts, leading to high concentrations that supersaturate urine and inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) fluid. For common calcium-containing stones, a critical mechanism that has been proposed for integrating water and calcium salt excretions is activation of the cell surface c...

Urolithiasis is a condition that can cause significant morbidity among patients. Dietary manipulations traditionally advised include fluid, protein, oxalate, calcium, citrate, and sodium changes in the diet. Evidence-based practice guidelines suggest that there is not ample evidence to confidently recommend dietary changes, since inadequate studies have been done to quantify the risks of diet i...

Urinary stone disease is a very common disease whose prevalence is still increasing. Stone formation is frequently associated with other diseases of affluence such as hypertension, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. The increasing concentration of lithogenic solutes along the different segments of the nephron involves supersaturation conditions lea...

Patients 120 men (mean age 45 y) who had idiopathic hypercalciuria (urinary calcium excretion > 300 mg/d) on an unrestricted diet, recurrent formation of calcium oxalate stones ( ≥ 2 colic episodes with expulsion of stones or radiographic evidence of retained stones), no known condition commonly associated with calcium nephrolithiasis, no previous visit to a stone disease centre, and no current...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the biochemical stone composition in general population of Qom province, central Iran, and its relationship with high tap water hardness. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a prospective study, from March 2008 to July 2011, biochemical analysis of urinary stones in patients living in Qom province for at least 5 years was performed. Stones were retrieved by ...

A 50-year-old woman presented with a 2-years history of chronic flanc and hematuria. Plain abdominal radiography was performed showing bilateral complete staghorn calculi. Urinalysis and urine culture revealed a urinary infection by Proteus Morganii. Biologic investigations did not show any matabolic disorder. The urinary infection was treated by antibiotics and the stone by a combination of pe...

PURPOSE This study aimed to accurately analyze the relationship between calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone formation and the components of urinary nanocrystallites. METHOD High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction, fast Fourier transformation of HRTEM, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were performed to analyze the components of these nanocr...

A better understanding of the physico-chemical principles underlying the formation of calculus has led to a need for more precise information on the chemical composition of stones. A combined qualitative and quantitative procedure for the chemical analysis of urinary calculi which is suitable for routine use is presented. The procedure involves five simple qualitative tests followed by the quan...