Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40225384›Full record

ArticleKidney international reports2025

Estimating Number of Nephrons in Living Pediatric Patients Using Nephrectomy Specimens.

Haruhide Sakaguchi, Daishi Hirano, Yuhei Kawakami, Ai Tokunaga, Naoto Nishizaki, Amane Endo, Hiroki Miyano, Yuki Yuza, Saeko Hatanaka, Takaya Sasaki and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Kidney international reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Nephron Number in Pediatric Patients.Kidney international reports · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Haruhide SakaguchiDepartment of Pediatrics, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Daishi HiranoDepartment of Pediatrics, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Yuhei KawakamiDepartment of Pediatrics, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan.
Ai TokunagaDepartment of Pediatrics, Loco Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
Naoto NishizakiDepartment of Pediatrics, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, Urayasu, Japan.
Amane EndoDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Hiroki MiyanoDepartment of Pediatrics, Juntendo University Nerima Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Yuki YuzaDepartment of Hematology/Oncology, Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Saeko HatanakaDivision of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Takaya SasakiDivision of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Go KanzakiDivision of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Nobuo TsuboiDivision of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Kimihiko OishiDepartment of Pediatrics, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: The number of nephrons is a critical determinant of renal health, because chronic kidney disease often results from a reduction in functional nephrons. Variability in the number of nephrons is influenced by genetic, racial, prenatal, and postnatal factors. Estimating the number of nephrons is crucial for establishing a baseline, before the onset of age-related nephron loss. This study aimed to estimate number of nephrons in pediatric patients by using imaging and histological techniques. Methods: This retrospective study included pediatric patients with renal tumors, who are undergoing nephrectomy and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) between January 2010 and January 2021. Postsurgical renal tissue specimens were fixed, stained, and scanned into high-resolution digital images. Nonsclerotic glomerular density was calculated using stereological methods, whereas renal cortical volume was measured using ITK-SNAP software on CT images. The total number of nephrons was estimated based on cortical volume and glomerular density. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify the correlations between the number of nephrons and clinical factors. Results: Twenty-one children met the inclusion criteria. The cohort comprised 13 boys (61.9%) and 8 girls (38.1%) with a median age at nephrectomy of 2.5 years. The median number of nephrons per kidney was 925,000 (interquartile range [IQR]: 845,000-1,020,000). Higher number of nephrons was significantly correlated with older age at nephrectomy ( Conclusion: This study offers new insights into pediatric nephron endowment, emphasizing the importance of early nephron assessment for predicting long-term renal outcomes.

Indexed as

childrenglomerular filtration ratekidney biopsynephron numbersingle nephron GFR

Identifiers

PMID40225384
PMCPMC11993683

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.