title: Cellular and molecular gateways to urolithiasis: a new insight.
abstract: Urolithiasis is a relevant clinical problem in everyday practice with a subsequent burden for the health system. Urolithiasis is classically explained as the derangement in the process of biomineralization involving the equilibrium between promoters and inhibitors of crystallization: a deficit of one or several inhibitors or an excess of one or several promoters plays a pivotal role in the stone formation. The revolutionary introduction of the molecular biology in medicine has given a new insight in urolithiasis too. Genetic factors have also been postulated to play an important role. A review of the current knowledge on urolithiasis based upon a molecular and genetic approach is reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Padova Medical School, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dal Moro
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: Ivan Matteo
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Tavolini
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.forename: Pierfrancesco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bassi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001693:Biological Transport, Active / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003460:Crystallization; D003545:Cysteine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017616:Magnesium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D000069877:Struvite; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D010710:Phosphates; D014527:Uric Acid; D000069877:Struvite; D003545:Cysteine; D002118:Calcium