Since laboratory testing and biomarkers are an integral part in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease, Kidney Biomarkers: Clinical Aspects and Laboratory Determination covers currently used biomarkers as well as markers that are in development. Laboratories are increasingly more involved in the follow-up confirmatory laboratory testing and this unique volume showcases the collaboration needed to solve diagnostic clinical puzzles between the laboratory and clinician. This volume provides guidance on laboratory test selection and results interpretation in patients. Sources of inaccurate results in the measurement of kidney biomarkers are discussed along with possibility of eliminating such interferences. Each chapter is organized with a uniform easy-to-follow format with insightful case examples highlighting the collaboration between clinical laboratorians and clinicians.

In the past decade there has been a major sea change in the way disease is diagnosed and investigated due to the advent of high throughput technologies, such as microarrays, lab on a chip, proteomics, genomics, lipomics, metabolomics etc. These advances have enabled the discovery of new and novel markers of disease relating to autoimmune disorders, cancers, endocrine diseases, genetic disorders, sensory damage, intestinal diseases etc. In many instances these developments have gone hand in hand with the discovery of biomarkers elucidated via traditional or conventional methods, such as histopathology or clinical biochemistry. Together with microprocessor-based data analysis, advanced statistics and bioinformatics these markers have been used to identify individuals with active disease or pathology as well as those who are refractory or have distinguishing pathologies. New analytical methods that have been used to identify markers of disease and is suggested that there may be as many as 40 different platforms. Unfortunately techniques and methods have not been readily transferable to other disease states and sometimes diagnosis still relies on single analytes rather than a cohort of markers. There is thus a demand for a comprehensive and focused evidenced-based text and scientific literature that addresses these issues. Hence the formulation of Biomarkers in Disease. The series covers a wide number of areas including for example, nutrition, cancer, endocrinology, cardiology, addictions, immunology, birth defects, genetics, and so on. The chapters are written by national or international experts and specialists.

Nephrology is one of the fastest growing specialties in medicine. Nevertheless, kidney disease is one of the most serious unmet health needs in many countries. To provide healthcare access with the desirable equity worldwide, the nephrology community needs to discuss this public health issue and take part in decisions for elaboration of public health policies with more justice and equity. This book brings together key current public health problems that affect kidney function and illuminates them in contributions by an international group of nephrologists and general practitioners. The chapters review current knowledge and provide guidelines to manage these conditions and decrease the disease burden. At the end, developments in the digital era and their application to kidney disease treatment are synthesized, and a broader outlook on the future of nephrology is given. Ultimately, the publication aims to gather nephrology and public health expertise from researchers from all over the world, providing a broad vision of issues that must be discussed and overcome to guarantee a better treatment for patients with kidney diseases in the world today.

Associated with both acute kidney injury (AKI) and cardio-renal syndromes (CRS), new biomarkers represent both a popular area of investigation and a new opportunity for advancement of therapy. This book contains the resolutions of the most recent ADQI conferences on biomarkers in AKI (Dublin) and on cardio-renal syndromes (Venice). The first part answers specific questions about new biomarkers and their use and utility in AKI: What are the most suitable candidate molecules and physiologic measures, how solid and evidence based is the discovery phase? How can we incorporate the new biomarkers in the AKI conceptual model describing the evolution from susceptibility to insult, decreased GFR and organ death? Even if we have a positive biomarker pattern and we can identify patients at risk or patients with early or even subclinical AKI, how is this information affecting our clinical behavior and practice? The second part is dedicated to the appraisal of the current knowledge about the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in different forms of CRS: it contains contributions on the state-of-the-art knowledge and practice of CRS, particularly focusing on the pathophysiology of the five subtypes. Acute and chronic mechanisms of damage are explored in depth, with particular attention to the primacy of organ involvement and the subsequent pathways of organ crosstalk.Presenting the most recent research in the field of biomarkers, AKI and CRS, this publication is an important educational tool for advanced investigators and clinical experts, but also for students and fellows.

Smith gives a broad presentation of kidney physiology.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious and as yet incompletely understood disorder in which sudden impairment of kidney function occurs secondary to one or more of a variety of underlying conditions. This disorder is very common in (elderly) ICU patients and is associated with very high mortality. Many of those who survive suffer from permanent kidney failure and other long-term morbidities, which may include cardiovascular disease and immune dysfunction. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that AKI is not a single disease, but a syndrome comprised of multiple, often coexisting, etiologies. Being usually part of multiorgan failure syndrome, it calls for multiple organ support therapy.The publication at hand contains sections on prerenal azotemia syndromes, dying ‘of’ or ‘with’ AKI, pathophysiology of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury, developments in prevention / treatment / rehabilitation, and renal support. Reporting the latest recommendations from experts, it provides valuable information for those that are interested in understanding the disorder and its treatment options.

In the past decade there has been a major sea change in the way disease is diagnosed and investigated due to the advent of high throughput technologies, such as microarrays, lab on a chip, proteomics, genomics, lipomics, metabolomics etc. These advances have enabled the discovery of new and novel markers of disease relating to autoimmune disorders, cancers, endocrine diseases, genetic disorders, sensory damage, intestinal diseases etc. In many instances these developments have gone hand in hand with the discovery of biomarkers elucidated via traditional or conventional methods, such as histopathology or clinical biochemistry. Together with microprocessor-based data analysis, advanced statistics and bioinformatics these markers have been used to identify individuals with active disease or pathology as well as those who are refractory or have distinguishing pathologies. New analytical methods that have been used to identify markers of disease and is suggested that there may be as many as 40 different platforms. Unfortunately techniques and methods have not been readily transferable to other disease states and sometimes diagnosis still relies on single analytes rather than a cohort of markers. There is thus a demand for a comprehensive and focused evidenced-based text and scientific literature that addresses these issues. Hence the formulation of Biomarkers in Disease. The series covers a wide number of areas including for example, nutrition, cancer, endocrinology, cardiology, addictions, immunology, birth defects, genetics and so on. The chapters are written by national or international experts and specialists.