The Distal Nephron In The Kidney Of Fishes

Original work on the renal structures in three classes of lower vertebrates is presented. By the application of light and electronmicroscopy, histochemistry and the compilation of available information on renal physiology and morphology, further evidence for the homology of nephron segments is forwarded. The results have been correlated with the habitat and evolutionary kinship of the lower vertebrates. A general evolutionary line can be drawn from early vertebrates (e.g. Petromyzontia) via archaic fresh-water fish (e.g. Polyteridae) and lungfish to the amphibian nephron. Renal structures of Elasmobranchs are very complex, but can be compared with the more primitive nephron of the Polyteridae. The morphological basis for the unique ability of the marine Elasmobranchs to build up a high urea concentration in the blood is given by the description of the renal countercurrent system in the lateral bundle zone. The intercalated cells which are prominent in the distal nephron of the mammalian kidney have been traced back via the lungfish and the polypterids to the Petromyzontia. The teleost kidneys appear highly specialized and supply a host of animal models for the study of renal secretion. The morphological information with the compilation of literature on renal physiology in fish is relevant for the understanding of the evolution of the vertebrate kidney and serves as a presentation of animal models for the study of basic renal mechanisms.

This second edition offers a comprehensive overview of the physiological functions of vertebrate kidneys from a comparative viewpoint, with particular emphasis on nonmammalian vertebrates. The topics covered include renal structure; glomerular ultrafiltration; tubular transport of inorganic ions, organic substances, and fluid; and urine dilution and concentration. Mammalian renal function is only considered for purposes of comparison with nonmammalian renal function and as a frame of reference for some of the discussions. The major findings on nonmammalian renal function and the important unanswered questions raised by those findings are described in detail. As such, the book provides comprehensive information on comparative renal function for biological scientists and advanced students of biology with some knowledge of physiology and a desire to know more about renal function in vertebrates, and for mammalian renal physiologists who wish to obtain a broader view of renal function.

"It is my hope," writes the author in his preface, "that the material collected in this monograph will provide a new perspective in some areas for those students, biologists, and physicians interested in the kidney but too involved with their special trees to notice some of the changes occurring in the forest in which they toil." In the first up-to-date compendium to correlate the changes in kidney structure and function from the onset of organogenesis to the end of childhood growth, Dr. Wallace McCrory presents a new aspect of developmental pediatrics, skillfully explains the clinical enigmas surrounding the immature kidney, and suggests possible research areas for productive exploration. Clearly documented with tables and illustrations, the study synthesizes relevant new knowledge from the fields of embryology, biochemistry, and renal and growth physiology as a means of stimulating reappraisals of the current concepts of the pathophysiology of many childhood renal diseases. Included are reproductions of reconstructed micro dissections of the early stages in the developing human kidney taken from Dr. Jean Oliver's monograph Nephrons and Kidneys.

Fish lives in environments with a wide variety of chemical characteristics (fresh, brackish and seawater, acidic, alkaline, soft and hard waters). From an osmoregulatory point of view, fish have developed several mechanisms to live in these different environments. Fish osmoregulation has always attracted considerable attention and in the last years several studies have increased our knowledge of this physiological process. In this book several specialists have analyzed and reviewed the new data published regarding fish osmoregulation. The chapters present an integrative synthesis of the different aspects of this field focusing on osmoregulation in specific environments or situations, function of osmoregulatory organs, general mechanisms and endocrine control. In addition, interactions of osmoregulatory mechanisms with the immune system, diet and metabolism were also reviewed. New emerging techniques to study osmoregulation has also been analysed.

Issues in Physiology, Cell Biology, and Molecular Medicine: 2012 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Applied Physiology. The editors have built Issues in Physiology, Cell Biology, and Molecular Medicine: 2012 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Applied Physiology in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Issues in Physiology, Cell Biology, and Molecular Medicine: 2012 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Winner of Choice Magazines Outstanding Academic Title award, January 2005! Sharks and their relatives are the subjects of tremendous interest. The publics fascination is influenced by their roles in movies and popular literature, while the media races to cover stories of predators endangering helpless humans. The alarming threat to shark popul

The Biology of Lungfishes presents an up-to-date collection of reviews on some of the most important aspects of the life of lungfishes. The book draws on contributions from well-known experts with a long record of scientific work within their respective fields. The general natural history of the three genera of lungfishes, the fascinating fossil st