Expand your knowledge of kidney health and function for World Kidney Day 2014

What do you kWKDnow about your kidneys and how they work?  Current statistics show that 1 in 10 people have some form of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and that the prevalence of CKD is increasing dramatically, highlighting a need for greater awareness on a global scale. It is well known that kidney diseases can seriously affect your quality of life and also prove to be fatal, but under-reporting of kidney problems can be an issue as these diseases can go largely undetected. So… do you want to learn more about how to look after your kidneys?

Since its launch in 2006, World Kidney Day (WKD) has served to help increase public awareness in an attempt to reduce the impact of kidney disease. This annual global educational event was first set-up as a joint initiative between the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations, in conjunction with the WKD Steering Committee composed of international nephrology and transplantation experts.

This year, World Kidney Day focuses its attention on Chronic Kidney Disease and ageing, and with the tagline ‘Your Kidneys Age, Just Like You’ the campaign promotes activities which encourage kidney health, as well as presenting the risk factors for screening. The event provides the perfect opportunity to get out in the community and share the WKD message with friends, family and people you meet.

BioMed Central is delighted to help promote WKD and the important messages that it conveys. To mark this event, we would like to also highlight key publications from our nephrology journal portfolio and discuss upcoming news from our team.

Challenges of Kidney Transplantation

As part of transplantation researchthe WKD Steering Committee, Prof Jeremy Chapman based at the University of Sydney, focuses on  promoting transplantation as the best-outcome option for kidney failure, and the ethics around organ donation. In his role as Editorial Board member for Transplantation Research, Prof Chapman wrote a review article on the challenges faced in kidney transplantation. Whilst the mortality rate for transplant recipients has decreased significantly over the last 20 years, there has been a shift in the innovations within this field with concerns that improvements to outcomes have slowed in recent years. Key challenges to further improving mortality rates include improved management in cardiovascular health, reducing infection risks and detecting and treating cancer.

 

Special Series in Dialysis and Transplantation

In addition, BMC NeBMC nephrophrology will soon be inviting authors to contribute to a special series looking at ethical issues in dialysis and kidney transplantation, edited by Dr Giorgina Piccoli (University of Torino). This special series will focus on ethical issues surrounding the care of the dialysis patient, in addition to addressing difficult choices in dialysis and transplantation between high and low income countries, and different groups of patients.  It will also discuss what effect the Declaration of Istanbul on organ trafficking and transplant tourism has had on improving reporting policies in renal research.  Please look out for the ‘call for papers’ soon on the BMC Nephrology website. Pre-submission enquiries can be sent to the Senior Executive Editor, Dr Hayley Henderson.

 

New Journal Launch

Canadian Journal of KidneCanadian-Journal-of-Kidney-Health-and-Diseasey Health and Disease, the official journal of the Canadian Society of Nephrology, is our latest addition to our nephrology portfolio. The journal, soon to be launched in early April, is an open access, peer reviewed online journal that aims to promote the highest quality publications focused on clinical, translational and health services delivery research in the field of chronic kidney disease, dialysis, kidney transplantation and organ donation. The journal’s mandate is to promote and advocate for kidney health as it impacts national and international communities.  Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease is now accepting submissions.  You can use the online submission system to submit your manuscript. For all enquiries about the journal, please contact: cjkhd@biomedcentral.com.

 

Show your Support

So show your support for Work Kidney Day 2014 and open-access publishing by drinking a glass of water and reading some of our exciting renal based review and research articles in BioMed Central.

 BMC Nephrology logo

What are the key challenges we face in kidney transplantation today?

Jeremy R Chapman

Transplantation Research 2013, 2(Suppl 1):S1 (20 November 2013)

 

Is the inflammasome a potential therapeutic target in renal disease?

Clare M Turner, Nishkantha Arulkumaran, Mervyn Singer, Robert J Unwin and Frederick WK Tam

BMC Nephrology 2014, 15:21

 

Health information technology (IT) to improve the care of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Clarissa J Diamantidis

BMC Nephrology 2014, 15:7

 

Eligibility for the kidney transplant wait list: a model for conceptualizing patient risk

Bryce A Kiberd, Karthik K Tennankore, Kenneth West

Transplantation Research 2014, 3:2 (8 January 2014)

 

Resolution of the three dimensional structure of components of the glomerular filtration barrier

Kenton P Arkill, Klaus Qvortrup, Tobias Starborg, Judith M Mantell, Carlo Knupp, C Charles Michel, Steve J Harper, Andy HJ Salmon, John M Squire, Dave O Bates and Chris R Neal

BMC Nephrology 2014, 15:24

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