Pupils and friends of Professor Franciszek Kokot, specialists in nephrology, hypertensiology and transplantology from Poland and abroad submitted their review articles in this special issue of ”Advances in Medical Sciences”.

Professor Eberhard Ritz stressed that prenatal programming accounts, at least in part for a large segment of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and chronic kidney disease in adults.

Professor Jacek Manitius in his review continues this idea and underlines that intrauterine growth retardation depends on the maternal nutrient supply. In fact low protein diet, increased amount of fructose or alcohol, smoking and hyperuricaemia may be responsible for the small gestational weight and disturbs organogenesis.

Professors Włodzimierz and Andrzej Januszewicz reviewed in details new biological properties of aldosterone. It was recently recognized that besides its important role in the water electrolyte metabolism, aldosterone may directly influence cardiovascular system – independently from angiotensin II.

Professor Stanisław Czekalski discussed in his article the role of kidney damage in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension. Authors predict that detection of albuminuria, as an early marker of kidney injury in general population will be a sensitive marker of increased risk of hypertension in the future.

Professors Jacek Borkowski and Michał Myśliwiec described the anti-inflammatory properties of heparin and also the new anti-haemostatic mechanism of heparin – like drug sulodexide.

Professor Jan Duława mentions in his review that in spite of impressive advances in the renal replacement therapy, acute kidney injury is still the cause of death in about 50% of these patients. In his article a novel markers of acute kidney injury and general prevention measures were also discussed. The useful classification on volume responsive and volume nonresponsive acute kidney injury is proposed.

Professor Marian Klinger submitted an overview of the modern therapeutic methods in patients with most frequent primary glomerular diseases like IgA nephropathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and membranous nephropathy.

Professor Andrzej Więcek and dr hab. Teresa Nieszporek describe the current knowledge concerning the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) or sartans in the treatment of proteinuric chronic kidney disease. However, according to the recently published results of the ONTARGED study dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with ACE-I and sartans leads to increased number of adverse events and worsened major renal outcomes.

Professor Andrzej Książek and his team underline the important role of optimal hydration and nutrition in hemodialysed patients with chronic kidney disease. Authors describe the value of bioimpedance in the assessment of hydration status in these patients.

Team leading by Professor August Heidland share with their clinical experience concerning the use of high-tone external muscle stimulation in the treatment of diabetic and or/uremic peripheral neuropathy. Authors also stressed that functional electrical stimulation improves sarcopenia.

As an interesting completion of the above mentioned review is the paper submitted by the team of Professor Michał Nowicki. Authors describe the role of exercise training during dialysis in the general physical status and skeletal muscle in particular in patients with chronic renal failure. Such rehabilitation improves also nutritional status of these patients. Results presented in this review are based on the own Authors experience.

Professor Zofia Wańkowicz presents an interesting concept of the integrated end-stage renal disease care based on the statement that haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation are complementary methods. However peritoneal dialysis should be offered to these patients as a first choice. In this review the increasing role of home haemodialysis and preemptive transplantation is also mentioned.

Professor Władysław Sułowicz in the line of the above review, describes in details all benefits and limits of peritoneal dialysis.

Professor Bolesław Rutkowski stressed that new definition and classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was introduced some years age. According to this definition about 10-13% of adult population is suffering from CKD. Similar epidemiological results were obtained in the PolNef study performed recently in our country.

Professor Stanisław Woś and Doctor Roman Mrozek share with their more than 20 years experiences concerning the cardiovascular interventions in patients with chronic renal failure. Authors propose their own algorithm for surgery management especially in patients with coronary artery disease and heart value disease.

Professor Magdalena Durlik summarizes in her review both the epidemiology and most important risk factors in the pathogenesis of post transplant cancer disease.

Professor Edward Franek and Profesor Wiktor Jędrzejczak with their collaborators have described the novel method for type 1 diabetes mellitus secondary prevention, using the bone marrow ablation (immunoablation) followed by subsequent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Until now such procedure was performed only in some countries (4 cases in Poland).

Professor Barbara Jarząb and her teams submitted a comprehensive summary concerning the clinical application of positron emission tomography (PET). This method is now recommended in the diagnosis, localization and monitoring of the endocrine gland tumors. According to the large own experience, Authors present also all benefits and limitations of this method.

Finally Professor Jan Zazgórnik, experienced clinicist, internist and nephrologist shares with his personal cogitations obtained during long-term clinical practice in Poland and abroad concerning some ethical and practical aspects of the modern medicine. Such important topics as civilization diseases reparation medicine, use of artificial organs and advances is organ transplantation are discussed.

Prof. dr hab. med. Andrzej Więcek