Abstracts of the 11th Congress of the African Association of Nephrology (Dakar, 16th-19th February 2011)

Dakar, 16th-19th February 201

Editorial note

As the official journal of the African Association of Nephrology (AFRAN), the African Journal of Nephrology (AJN) publishes research on kidney diseases by African and other researchers. AJN has reached a significant milestone in this first issue of Volume 20. This is the first issue which was prepared and published using our new web-based platform. We wish to take this opportunity to thank the editorial board, the reviewers and the authors for their role in the successful migration to the new platform.To mark this milestone, and to coincide with the March 2017 AFRAN/AFPNA Congress in Cameroon, we are delighted to publish a special article on the history of AFRAN by Professor Rashad Barsoum, one of the co-founders of AFRAN. Contributions to the success of AFRAN by the International Society of Nephrology, and by colleagues from Europe, America and Africa, are acknowledged. This is an illustrated story of our association told by its founding president, which is now immortalised in AJN.This issue also features an original article reporting on malignant kidney tumours in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Nephroblastoma and renal cell carcinoma remain the leading kidney malignancies, as also reported worldwide.Finally, two interesting case reports conclude this issue: a case of IgG4-related nephropathy and a successful pregnancy in a patient on chronic haemodialysis.Alain G AssoungaEditor-in-Chie

Editorial note

Editorial not

Editorial Note: Welcome to Volume 21 and the year 2018

African Journal of Nephrology (AJN) has completed a full year of operation as a web-based journal. After addressing a few teething problems, the journal is now running smoothly. I wish to thank reviewers, readers and the members of the editorial board for having participated in this endeavour.On behalf of the editorial board, I wish to thank all colleagues who have chosen to submit their valuable work to our journal. A special welcome and thanks to contributors who have submitted their manuscript in French, with an English abstract. They ensure that AJN remains a representative vehicle for nephrology research output in Africa.Volume 20, for the year 2017, has now given way to Volume 21, which will include publications throughout the year 2018. As a tribute, I wish to summarize few highlights of Volume 20. The story of the African Association of Nephrology (AFRAN) by Prof Rashad Barsoum, the founding president of AFRAN, is a very good record of the development of nephrology in Africa. The review of renal physiology in patients with potassium disorders by Prof Mitch Halperin and the review of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis by Prof John Feehally are excellent updates of the two topics. Original articles and case reports from contributors from various African regions are testament to the active production of nephrology knowledge in Africa.Finally, congress proceedings of the AFRAN Congress in March 2017 in Yaoundé (Cameroon) and of the Southern African Transplantation Society Congress in September 2017 in Durban (South Africa) are excellent records of high quality nephrology meetings in Africa.As we are continuing to digitize and preserve our past, I wish to invite everyone to read our archive of publications. I urge everyone who may have copies of old AJN issues or manuscripts that are missing in the archive, to forward them to us to ensure that we make all our past papers available online.In the beginning, AJN started as a newsletter, published by the late Prof Salma Suleiman of Sudan. To complete the AJN archive, we hope to include the past newsletters as a tribute to the late Prof Suleiman. We urge anyone having any copies of the newsletter to forward it to AJN.As in Volume 20 in 2017, Volume 21 will consist of a single issue and include all publications for 2018. They will be added throughout the year as they are accepted for publication. We should expect exciting reviews by experts as in our previous volumes as well as special articles. For our legacy project that was started by Prof Rashad Barsoum, first AFRAN President, we will request the subsequent AFRAN presidents to each submit a review of the period of their tenure. As in the past, we expect to publish original articles as well as interesting case reports, and we encourage regional and national societies to submit the abstracts from their conference proceedings for publication.Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to express my best wishes for the year 2018 to all contributors, reviewers and readers.Alain G AssoungaEditor-in-Chie

The Abuja Declaration on cells, tissue and organ donation and transplantation

Special Article by the participants of the Regional Consultation in the African Region on Cells, Tissue and Organ Donation and Transplantation, Legal and Organisational Aspects, Abuja, Nigeria, July 29-31, 2009

Editorial note

In this issue of the African Journal of Nephrology (AJN Vol 18, No 1) we publish original articles ranging from the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in an African population in general, to the role of HIV in kidney disease. An elegant study of fractionated heparin use in haemodialysis is also presented. Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is an important modality of renal replacement to be considered in Africa in view of its ease of operation. However, beware of potential complications including sclerosing peritonitis as reported in Cape Town (South Africa).As in the past, this issue covers a wide variety of topics with contributions from diverse authors from south to west and North Africa.On behalf of the editorial board, I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of the authors and reviewers who have contributed to this issue of the journal, as well as to the readers for their sustained interest in the African Journal of Nephrology.Prof A. Assounga, Editor-in-chie

Abstracts of the 12th Congress of the African Association of Nephrology (Accra, Ghana, 20-23 February, 2013)

Accra, Ghana, 20-23 February, 201

Editorial note: welcome to Volume 23 and the year 2020

The Editorial Board of African Journal of Nephrology (AJN) and I wish all readers, contributors and reviewers a very happy and successful year 2020. The year 2019 was a very productive year for AJN and the African Association of Nephrology (AFRAN). The 2019 AFRAN congress, held from 25 to 29 September 2019 in Mombasa (Kenya), was a very successful one, with the participation of hundreds of delegates from all regions of Africa. The congress was held in partnership with the Kenya Renal Association and the African Paediatric Nephrology Association (AFPNA). The main congress was preceded by several successful courses. Prof Antony Were from Kenya was elected President of AFRAN. The next AFRAN congress will be held next year in Côte d’Ivoire. In 2019, we published excellent reviews covering global disparities in kidney disease and its treatment as well as the use of data from renal registries in randomised controlled trials. We therefore encourage our readers to participate in the collection of data for registries as well as to make use of registry data for research. The AJN 2019 volume also published excellent original articles that showcased the strength of clinical nephrology research in various regions of Africa. The year 2020 is expected to witness several national and regional nephrology meetings. I urge all convenors to use AJN to publicize their meetings, as well as publish their proceedings. The World Congress of Nephrology will take place in Abu Dhabi from 26 to 29 March 2020. This year, World Kidney Day is scheduled for Thursday, 12 March 2020. The theme is “Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere – from Prevention to Detection and Equitable Access to Care”. I am confident that, in 2020, AJN will continue the trends set in the previous year, by publishing outstanding in-depth review articles as well as interesting original research articles. Finally, I am pleased to announce that this year, the South African Renal Society Congress will take place in Durban at the International Convention Centre, from 25-29 November 2020. The theme of the congress is “Big Data and Access to Quality Renal Care”. As President of the Local Organising Committee, I invite everyone to SARS Congress 2020. WOZA – DURBAN! Alain G AssoungaEditor-in-Chie