Hereditary renal failure includes a wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from the well-known autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) to rare syndromes. The latter group includes a broad variety of diseases, often with a whole host of extra-renal manifestations. Many of these syndromes are little known among adult nephrologists, be it simply because they are rare, or due to the fact t...

Professor Emil Redlich (1866-1930) of the University of Vienna was born 150 years ago. Raised in a humble environment, he became an eminent researcher and neurology scholar, and succeeded in laying some of the key foundations of neuroanatomy and neuropathology. His name is linked to medical eponyms that define the dorsal root entry zone into the spinal cord, epidemic disseminated encephalomyeli...

Are things clearer now? Yes. A breakthrough came in 1987 when the causative gene for the most common severe form of MD, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD — the field is rich in eponyms, too) was found. Since then, the genes affected in many MDs have been discovered, enabling classification and diagnosis to be put on a much more secure footing. Some traditional disease categories have split as a ...