Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40674617›Full record

ArticleMagnetic resonance in medicine2025

Counting glomeruli in human kidney specimens using ex vivo MRI without contrast agents.

Nyoman D Kurniawan, Aurel J Amar, Luise A Cullen-McEwen, Alexander N Combes, Raeesah Hayatudin, Andrew J Kassianos, Jiaxin Du, Sarah E Gazzard, Helen G Healy, Wendy E Hoy and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Magnetic resonance in medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Are noninvasive measurements of nephron number achievable in humans?Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. 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

12 authors.

Nyoman D KurniawanCenter for Advanced Imaging, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6340-182X
Aurel J AmarCenter for Advanced Imaging, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4671-6860
Luise A Cullen-McEwenDepartment of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2229-5762
Alexander N CombesDepartment of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6008-8786
Raeesah HayatudinDepartment of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1842-6800
Andrew J KassianosConjoint Internal Medicine Laboratory, Chemical Pathology, Pathology Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0994-3588
Jiaxin DuCenter for Advanced Imaging, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Sarah E GazzardDepartment of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Helen G HealyConjoint Internal Medicine Laboratory, Chemical Pathology, Pathology Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4342-5300
Wendy E HoyFaculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8405-1539
John F BertramDepartment of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5863-6464
David C ReutensCenter for Advanced Imaging, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1652-9369

Funding

Australian Research Council DP220102042
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe total number of glomeruli is an important indicator of kidney function and susceptibility to disease. Glomeruli, however, are difficult to image using MRI without contrast enhancement. For this reason, previous studies have used cationic ferritin as a contrast agent to detect glomeruli in ex vivo and in vivo perfused kidneys. This study aimed to develop a new technique using MR microimaging at ultrahigh field, without contrast agents, to visualize and quantify glomeruli in human nephrectomy samples.

methodsMRI was performed at 16.4 T using three-dimensional T

resultsGlomeruli were identified in the MR images as hypointense spheres. High spatial concordance between glomeruli identified by MRI, histology, and confocal microscopy was observed. Statistical analyses showed that glomerular counts from stereology and MR images were similar, with Pearson correlation and intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.98.

conclusionHigh-resolution microimaging at 16.4 T combined with automated segmentation allowed identification and quantitation of human glomeruli ex vivo without the need for contrast agents. The results showed strong agreement with the gold-standard stereological method for glomerular counting.

Indexed as

Kidney GlomerulusMagnetic Resonance ImagingAgedContrast MediaFemaleHumansImage Processing, Computer-AssistedImaging, Three-DimensionalMaleMiddle AgedContrast Mediaconfocal microscopyglomerular countingMRInephrectomyshape recognitionstereology

Identifiers

PMID40674617
PMCPMC12501694

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.