Ralph Rabkin, MD
Professor of Medicine, Emeritus
Office Address
Nephrology
3801 Miranda Ave 154L MC: 111R
154L MC: 111R
Palo Alto , CA 94305
(650) 858-3985
Professional Education
- Univ Of Cape Town/Fac Of Med, Capetown , South Africa , 1960
Residency
- University Of Natal, Duban, South Africa, 1961
- University Of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1966
- North Western University , Chicago , 1966-8
Years on Staff
27
Research Interests
Advanced chronic renal failure (CRF) is often complicated by muscle wasting and malnutrition, conditions that adversely affect morbidity and mortality Many factors contribute to the wasted state including acquired resistance to anabolic hormones such as growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1, that are required for normal body and muscle growth. Apart from its impact in uremia, GH resistance has also been implicated as a cause of muscle wasting in a wide range of conditions including CHF, hepatic failure, chronic inflammatory diseases and sepsis. In children with renal failure GH resistance leads to impaired body growth. To some extent uremic GH resistance can be overcome by high doses of GH. In uremic children GH treatment increases body growth and muscle mass and in adults GH has significant anabolic effects and increases lean body mass. Dr Rabkins research is directed at elucidating the pathomechanisms causing the resistance to GH. In particular he is interested in unraveling the defects in GH mediated signal transduction that occurr in uremia. To this end experiments are carried out with cells in culture, rat models of chronic renal failure and finally based on the outcome of these basic experiments, human subjects with advanced renal failure are studied. Dr Rabkin is also engaged in studying the role of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in animal models of diabetic nephropathy.
Publications
- Impaired JAK-STAT Signal Transduction contributes to Growth Hormone Resistance in Chronic Uremia. F Schaefer, Y Chen, T Tsao, P Nouri, R Rabkin. J Clin Invest 108: 467-475, 2001
- Rabkin, R., Therapeutic use of growth factors in renal disease, in Kopple and Massry's Nutrional management of renal disease, J.D. Kopple and S.G. Massry, Editors. 2003, Lipincott and Williams & Wilkens: Philadelphia . p. 581-592.
- Rabkin, R. and F. Schaefer, New concepts: growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I and the kidney. Growth Horm IGF Res, 2004. 14 (4): p. 270-6.
- Growth hormone mediated JAK-STAT signaling in the growth hormone resistant K deficient rat. F Schaefer, S Yoon , P Nouri, T Tsao, E Deng , P Tummala and R Rabkin, . J Am Soc Nephrol in Press 2004
- Chronic uremia attenuates growth hormone induced signal transduction in skeletal muscle. D Sun, L Zheng, P Tummala, J Oh, F. Schaefer, R. Rabkin. J Am Soc Nephrol in press, 2004
- Cardiac resistance to growth hormone in uremia. Z Zheng, D Sun , P Tummala and R Rabkin. Kidney International in press.