Geraldo Bezerra da Silva Junior – författare

This unique book provides an introduction to the fascinating field of tropical nephrology, covering nephrology, infectious diseases and tropical medicine. These topics are connected since numerous infectious and parasitic diseases affect the kidneys and are endemic in the tropical areas of the globe. Considered neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization, they are largely linked to poverty and lack policies to prevent, treat and decrease their prevalence and incidence.

The tropics currently encompass nearly 150 countries and account for 40% of the world''s population, and it is predicted that by 2050 this figure will rise to 55%. Most of the countries in the tropical regions have been classified by the World Bank as low-middle income countries and have limited access to services, including health care. As such, this highly topical book is of interest to a large number of healthcare professionals and researchers who are in contact with tropical diseases, especially those investigating their complications, such as kidney injury.

Divided into 23 chapters, it describes the most prevalent tropical diseases and conditions that affect the kidneys. It also presents the most recent epidemiological data, clinical manifestations, details of kidney involvement, including the pathophysiology of kidney injury, and the current treatment for each disease.

Our world is facing unprecedented technological development, which affects all the sectors of society. The 4th industrial revolution has brought numerous advances that are currently integrated in our daily life, including artificial intelligence (A.I.), internet of things (IoT), genetic engineering, 3D-printing and robotics. The health care sector is one of the most impacted by these technologies of the so-called digital era. From the simple advent of medical records to robotic surgery, health care has significantly changed from the XX to XXI century and is constantly changing, incorporating novel technologies. Nephrology is itself an innovative branch of medicine, created as a discipline in the 1960s, with breakthrough inventions, such as the dialysis machine, which made it possible to prolong life of those who suffer from chronic kidney disease; kidney transplant, with point-of-care immunosuppression that favours maintenance of kidney allografts for long years; kidney biopsy, which made it possible to discover the mysteries of glomerulonephritis and nephropathology.

Novel technologies, such as A.I., IoT, robotics, stem cells, 3D-printing, mHealth, eHealth and several others are starting to be applied in nephrology, with promising results. It is possible that a great part of these technologies will become routinely available in clinical practice, and the burden of kidney diseases will significantly decrease once prevention, prediction, detection, monitoring and treatment of kidney diseases are more precise, with patients taking part in the process and becoming more and more connected.

This book gathers essential information on the technologies that have been applied in nephrology and that can be applied in the future, with real possibilities of improving the care of kidney diseases. At first glance, this work is directed to the entire nephrology community and all the healthcare professionals that deal with kidney diseases. Researchers from different fields, not directly linked to nephrology, may also be interested in the book since many of the topics presented are related to other areas and serve as examples of their uses in medicine, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data. Finally, the content provides an important resource to medical students, discussing technologies that will certainly be integrated in their professional practice.

Die Welt durchlebt eine beispiellose technologische Entwicklung, die alle Bereiche, besonders den Gesundheitssektor, beeinflusst. Die vierte industrielle Revolution bringt Neuerungen wie KI, das „Internet of Things“, Gentechnik, 3D-Druck und Robotik, die bereits Teil unseres Alltags geworden sind. Diese Technologien haben die Gesundheitsversorgung signifikant verändert, von elektronischen Patientenakten bis hin zur robotergestützten Chirurgie. Die Nephrologie, eine seit den 1960er Jahren bestehende Disziplin, hat durch Entdeckungen wie die Dialyse und die Nierentransplantation große Fortschritte gemacht. Heute beginnen moderne Technologien wie KI und 3D-Druck, die Nephrologie zu revolutionieren, mit dem Potenzial, die Behandlung von Nierenerkrankungen präziser und patientenorientierter zu gestalten.

Das Buch beleuchtet die Anwendung dieser Technologien in der Nephrologie und deren Potenzial, die Versorgung zu verbessern. Es richtet sich an alle in der Nephrologen Tätigen, an Gesundheitsfachkräfte, an Forscher in verwandten Feldern und Medizinstudenten, und zeigt auf, wie diese Technologien die Behandlung von Nierenerkrankungen revolutionieren könnten.