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Updated: Sep 27, 2026

Hydrodynamic Renal Pelvis Injection for Non-viral Expression of Proteins in the Kidney
Published on: January 8, 2018
The renal pelvis: machinery that concentrates urine in the papilla
Terry M Dwyer1, Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular-Renal Research, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 30216-4505, USA.
Abstract:
Two decades ago, Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen and Bruce Graves documented the rhythmic contractions of the renal pelvis in a remarkable video, visually demonstrating how peristaltic waves empty the papilla and how the subsequent elastic recoil draws water from the collecting duct and into the tethered-open ascending vasa recta. Thus a periodic hydrostatic gradient generates an axial osmotic gradient. This review recapitulates the video and offers a link to figures and scenes digitized from the original tape.
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