EDITORIAL

Welcome to the Journal of Renal and Hepatic Disorders

Jeffrey Halldorson

Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, University of California Medical Center, San Diego, CA, USA

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Journal of Renal and Hepatic Disorders. The aim of the journal is to promote the study and dissemination of research involving both renal and hepatic organ systems and their impact on the whole organism in both healthy and diseased states. In addition, the focus of the journal will provide a unique forum in which the interdependence and interactions between the liver and kidney will be of particular interest.

Although there seems to be a proliferation of open journals in the medical arena, our editorial board feels that the study of the interdependence of organ systems is underrepresented. Those of us in the field of transplantation have an intuitive understanding of the interrelationship between organ systems, given our exposure to patients with dual organ failure. When a single organ system fails, the impact is felt throughout several systems in a cascade of effects that may or may not be reversible once the primary organ failure has been reversed. A common and well-known example of this interaction is the hepatorenal syndrome in end-stage cirrhosis of the liver in which the vasogenic effects of liver disease initially result in acute kidney injury but may progress to irreversible ischemic renal failure if the vasogenic influence of liver failure is not reversed quickly enough (1–3). The increasing importance of this phenomenon is evidenced by the proliferation of simultaneous liver/kidney transplantation over the last decade (4, 5).

Although the pathogenesis and reversal of the hepatorenal syndrome is an excellent example of the area of focus for the journal, the aims of the journal are wider in scope than end-stage disease and transplantation alone. As the kidney and liver are two of the most metabolically influential organs in the body, the potential for the study of physiological and/or pathophysiologic interactions is unlimited. A PubMed search using the title keywords “Kidney” and “Liver” for the year 2015 returned 250 titles widely ranging from exercise physiology to the impact of hepatitis B and C in renal transplant recipients (6, 7). Other sampled articles involved markers of co-toxicities, and micro-RNA profiles involving both organ systems were described due to acetaminophen overdose (8). The emerging pathophysiology of fatty liver disease is a growing topic (9).

The interdependence of homeostatic mechanisms originating from the combined effects of the liver and kidney in maintaining nitrogen balance is exemplified in the recent articles with novel transporter mutations (10, 11).

Furthermore, the impact of inherited disorders such as polycystic disease or nitrogen metabolism may be a fruitful area for further discovery (12).

The editorial board of the Journal of Renal and Hepatic Disorders aims to promote the greater understanding and dissemination of original works in all areas involving the interplay of these two organ systems, both in the basic scientific and clinical realms. Toward this aim, original articles, comprehensive reviews, case reports, short communications, and letters to the editor on any aspects of kidneys and liver are suitable for submission. All submitted manuscripts will undergo a rigorous peer review and will be published in an open access manner for the widest potential dissemination. Our goal is to achieve widespread indexing and continued growth and to increase the prestige of the journal in the scientific community. We look forward to a rewarding and scientifically productive relationship with our community and contributors.

Conflict of interest

JH is one of the Editors-in-Chief of the journal. The author declares no conflicts of interest with respect to research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

1. Kanubhai Sutariya V, Tank A, Ramanlal Modi P. Combined liver-kidney transplantation for hepatorenal syndrome. Int J Organ Transplant Med. 2015;6(3):131–3.
2. Rognant N. Acute kidney injury in patients with chronic liver disease. World J Hepatol. 2015;7(7):993–1000. http://dx.doi.org/10.4254/wjh.v7.i7.993
3. Jindal A, Bhadoria AS, Maiwall R, Sarin SK. Evaluation of acute kidney injury and its response to terlipressin in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. Liver Int. 2016;36(1):59–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/liv.12895
4. Sung RS, Wiseman AC. Simultaneous liver-kidney transplant: Too many or just enough? Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2015;22(5):399–403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.ackd.2015.06.005
5. Brennan TV, Lunsford KE, Vagefi PA, Bostrom A, Ma M, Feng S. Renal outcomes of simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation compared to liver transplant alone for candidates with renal dysfunction. Clin Transplant. 2015;29(1):34–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ctr.12479
6. Mosconi G, Roi GS, Totti V, Zancanaro M, Tacconi A, Todeschini P, et al. Renal function in kidney and liver transplant recipients after a 130-km road cycling race. Transplant Direct. 2015;1(9):e36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/TXD.0000000000000546
7. Pipili C, Cholongitas E. Pharmaceutical management of hepatitis B and C in liver and kidney transplant recipients. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. 2015;6(4):105–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.4292/wjgpt.v6.i4.105
8. Vliegenthart AD, Shaffer JM, Clarke JI, Peeters LE, Caporali A, Bateman DN, et al. Comprehensive microRNA profiling in acetaminophen toxicity identifies novel circulating biomarkers for human liver and kidney injury. Sci Rep. 2015;5:15501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep15501
9. Musso G, Cassader M, Cohney S, Pinach S, Saba F, Gambino R. Emerging liver-kidney interactions in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Trends Mol Med. 2015;21(10):645–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2015.08.005
10. Chan K, Busque SM, Sailer M, Stoeger C, Broer S, Daniel H, et al. Loss of function mutation of the Slc38a3 glutamine transporter reveals its critical role for amino acid metabolism in the liver, brain, and kidney. Pflugers Arch. 2016;468(2):213–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00424-015-1742-0
11. Hack V, Gross A, Kinscherf R, Bockstette M, Fiers W, Berke G, et al. Abnormal glutathione and sulfate levels after interleukin 6 treatment and in tumor-induced cachexia. FASEB J. 1996;10(10):1219–26.
12. Gevers TJ, Hol JC, Monshouwer R, Dekker HM, Wetzels JF, Drenth JP. Effect of lanreotide on polycystic liver and kidneys in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: An observational trial. Liver Int. 2015;35(5):1607–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/liv.12726