Main description:

We are pleased to present to our readers the proceedings of the Fourth Bari Seminars in Nephrology. The Topic of these proceedings deals with tubulo- interstitial nephropathies. The Bari Seminars in nephrology are bi-annual meetings attended by a large international audience comprised of clinician-scientists in the various disci- plines of nephrology and related fields. We trust that our readers will find the content of these proceedings reward- ing and interesting. We are indebted for the generous financial support of the Centro Nationale delle Richerche, Italy. Alberto Amerio Pasquale Coratelli Shaul G. Massry TUBULO-INTERSTITIAL NEPHROPATHIES 1 STRUCTURAL, ASPECTS OF THE RENAL INTERSTITIUM W.KRIZ AND K.V. LEMLEY Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, D-6900 Heidelberg 1, F.R.G. Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, Division of Nephrology, Los Angeles, U.S.A. The interstitium of the kidney includes the extravascular inter- tubular spaces of" the renal parenchyma, with their attendant cellular elements and extracellular substances. It is bounded on all sides by tubular and vascular basement membranes.
The lymphatics are considered as part of the interstitium.

Contents:

1. Structural aspects of the renal interstitium.- 2. Experimental models of tubulo-interstitial nephritis (TIN).- 3. Tubulo-interstitial ultrastructural features in nephropathies.- 4. The consequences of tubulo-interstitial changes for renal function in glomerulopathies: a morphometric and cytological analysis.- 5. Medullary sponge kidney (tubular ectasia): a common finding in calcium nephrolithiasis.- 6. Cytological diagnosis of tubulo-interstitial nephritis.- 7. Analgesic nephropathy (AN).- 8. Renal impairment in uric acid excretion in patients with primary gout.- 9. Oxalate nephropathy pathophysiology and biochemical features.- 10. Nephropathy induced by heavy metals.- 11. Acute renal failure due to allergic interstitial nephritis: long term outcome.- 12. Drug-induced tubulo-interstitial nephritis.- 13. Tubulo-interstitial nephropathies by industrial chemicals.- 14. Balkan nephropathy.- 15. Renal papillary necrosis and tubulo-interstitial nephritis.- 16. Reflux nephropathy.- 17. Proteinuria and brush border antigens in reflux nephropathy.- 18. Role of the immune system in obstructive uropathy.- 19. Potassium homeostatis in obstructive uropathy and interstitial nephritis.- 20. Tubulo-interstitial lesions in renal allograft.- 21. Historical review of concept of pyelonephritis.- 22. The nature and role of interstitial infiltrates in bacterial pyelonephritis.- 23. Urinary tamm-horsfall protein excretion in patients with pyelonephritis or glomerulonephritis.- 24. Cell-mediated immunity and recurrent urinary tract infections.- 25. Tissue infiltrates in human chronic pyelonephritis.- 26. Urinary tract infections in pregnancy.- 27. Role of the tubular basement membrane in the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease.- 28. Cystic disease of the kidney: clinical and pathophysiologic aspects.- 29. HLA system in uremics with cystic diseases.- 30. Tubulo-interstitial changes in HIV associated nephropathy: study of 14 cases.- 31. Two cases of renal interstitial granulomatous lesions with improvable renal failure in sarcoidosis.- 32. Acute interstitial nephritis with uveitis in adolescents.- 33. Familial interstitial nephritis in males without hearing loss.- 34. Effect of the ace-inhibitor enalapril on plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide and on glomerular filtration rate in normotensive and hypertensive diabetic rats.- 35. Can plasma-exchange improve survival of patients with acute myeloma renal failure (AMRF).- 36. Morphological and biochemical characteristics of human tubular epithelial cells "in culture" deriving from nephronophthisis.- 37. Short-term effects on renal function of EDTA chelation therapy in lead-associated nephropathy.