Advances in Fetal, Neonatal and Pediatric Nephrology

Dear Colleagues,

Premature newborns and those born with congenital abnormalities of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) are at increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) later in life. The risk is greatly increased by a “second hit” to the kidneys, such as hypoxic, ischemic, respiratory, infectious, hemodynamic, and nephrotoxic events. There is an urgent need for better tools that will enable the prediction of future kidney function and renal reserve. Improved definition and diagnosis of those newborns at high risk of later CKD are required for the earlier implementation of monitoring, follow-up, and treatment.

This Special Issue will examine the evolving field of fetal, neonatal, and perinatal nephrology. Fetal nephrogenesis research includes genetic, anatomic, and intrauterine aspects, as well as their impact on the developing nephron mass. Currently, the available tools for the evaluation of neonatal renal function, such as fetal ultrasound, neonatal serum creatinine, and urine output are inadequate. Newer biomarkers, such as cystatin C and NGAL, are not readily available nor standardized. Podocyte senescence has recently emerged as an important mechanism of prematurity-associated CKD, and representative urine biomarkers have been proposed. Early tools that will help clinicians focus on patients at risk for early-onset hypertension, albuminuria/proteinuria, and CKD are much needed.

We invite contributions presenting innovative research, case studies, and clinical and systematic reviews on these important and evolving topics.

Dr. Roxana Cleper
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.