Osmotic nephrosis Osmotic nephrosis Osmotic nephrosis refers to structural changes that occur at the cellular level in the human kidney. Cells, primarily of the straight proximal tubule, swell due to the formation of large vacuoles in the cytoplasm. These vacuoles occur in the presence of large amounts of certain solutes circulating in the tubules. However, despite the condition's name, the solutes do not cause change through osmotic forces but through pinocytosis. Once inside the cytoplasm, pinocytic vacuoles combine with each other and with lysosomes to form large vacuoles that appear transparent under microscopic examination. There may be no symptomatic presentation with this
Transneuronal degeneration outline becomes more pronounced. In axons, similar effects can be seen. There is swelling in mitochondria and other membrane bound organelles. There is also a marked increase in cytoplasmic granularity and the dense packing of the neurotubules. Despite these alterations, synaptic specializations appear unchanged. There are varying degrees of degeneration. In mild degeneration the cytoplasmic areas shrinks and increases in density and mitochondria swell. However, the endomplasmic reticulum and the golgi apparatuses appear unchanged. The nuclear membrane appears intact, but there is some loss in differentiation in nuclear material. In more severely affected cells, the separation between the cytoplasm and