Insight

October 18, 2021

 FEATURES
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ISN President and Patient Ambassadors Feature in Film and Article on Chronic Kidney Disease

On September 28, the NCD Alliance launched “Facing Forward,” a series of films and articles produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions. The series is designed to raise awareness of noncommunicable diseases by hearing directly from patients around the world.
We are pleased to share that ISN President Agnes Fogo features in the film on CKD in the series. In addition, the stories of ISN patient ambassadors Abigail Ashley (Ghana), Fabrice Huré (France), Miracle Okon Ekpo (Nigeria), and Vicki Grey (Australia) feature in an article produced for AstraZeneca by BBC StoryWorks highlighting the global experience of CKD.
Read the ISN patient ambassador stories in this article.
Using ISN social media posts, please share these patient stories and the documentary film to help increase understanding of CKD and its impact.
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Read Patient Ambassador Stories on Living Well with Kidney Diseases

To raise awareness of the patient experience globally of kidney disease, patient ambassadors Manvir Victor (Malaysia) and Verónica Martínez (Mexico) share personal accounts of living with kidney conditions.
Manvir Victor was diagnosed with kidney disease in his mid-thirties and had to begin dialysis immediately. The experience initially had a dramatic effect on his emotional and physical well-being, and ultimately led him to become an active patient advocate.
Verónica Martínez was born with only one kidney and contended with kidney infections and additional health issues throughout her childhood and adolescence. Despite these challenges, she sought appropriate treatment enabling her to travel and live a satisfying and independent life.
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Register for the Kidney Ethics Webinar Series: Autonomy in Kidney Care - Ethical and Practical Challenges

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the European Renal Association (ERA), and the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) are delighted to announce the latest webinar in their joint series on kidney ethics, Autonomy in Kidney Care - Ethical and Practical Challenges.
Please join the debate on October 21, 2021 at 2 p.m. CEST to learn more about these important issues.
We invite you to review the joint ASN/ERA/ISN publication, “Ethical challenges in nephrology: a call to action,” prior to the webinar.
Read more here.
 ISN LATEST NEWS
membership

Membership

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KRA members on
World Kidney Day 2021

Celebrating ISN Collective-Member Societies:
The Kenya Renal Association

This edition of ISN’s series on Collective-Member Societies features the Africa region and highlights the Kenya Renal Association (KRA).
We spoke to the outgoing chair of the KRA, Ahmed Twahir, about ongoing local initiatives to raise kidney health awareness and improve kidney care services in the region.
The KRA collaborates with the Kenya Nephrology Nurses Association to conduct annual outreach initiatives in different parts of the country to generate public awareness of the risks associated with kidney disease.
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Watch Episode Two of the ISN Member Open Mic Series: Yannick Nlandu

ISN members are health professionals from across the globe working to reduce the burden of kidney diseases and provide optimal kidney care for patients.
The ISN Member Open Mic series offers ISN members the chance to share their professional experiences with the ISN member community.
In this latest edition, Yannick Nlandu, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, speaks about initiatives and political efforts to bring kidney transplantation to the DRC.
Are you an ISN member with a story to share? Contact khendricks@theisn.org.
Join the ISN community here.
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Advocacy

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Position Paper on Emergency Preparedness to Reduce Future Impact of Pandemics Is the Focus of GCCH Meeting

The Global Circulatory Health Coalition's (GCCH) October meeting, “Responding to COVID-19: Circulatory Health in Crisis,” focused on the recent launch of the position paper, “Preventing the Next Pandemic: The Case for Investment in Circulatory Health.”
Past ISN President Vivekanand Jha was present at the virtual meeting and moderated one of the sessions.
Read the paper here.
Watch a recording of the GCCH webinar here.
The paper reflects the GCCH's efforts to improve NCD services for all patients, including those with kidney diseases. It calls on WHO member states to reduce the impact of future pandemics on patients by adopting a proposed Strategic Framework for Emergency Preparedness.
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The ISN Hosts European Kidney Health Alliance Meeting to Promote Kidney Care Within the EU

The ISN hosted the European Kidney Health Alliance's (EKHA) Board of Directors, September 21-22, 2021. EKHA leaders met virtually with the Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Group for Kidney Health on September 22 to discuss the role of the European Union in promoting kidney health and improving access to kidney disease treatment in LMICs through its Africa-EU and Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) partnerships.
The EKHA urged the MEP Group for Kidney Health to help develop forward-looking policy solutions within EU programs to better integrate and recognize chronic kidney disease. They recommended improving EU screening programs for kidneys and other noncommunicable diseases, promoting transplantation and home-based therapies to improve patients' quality of life, and expanding research and funding for better innovation in kidney replacement therapy.
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Research

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New Global Collaboration to Accelerate Treatments for Kidney Disease

The ISN and the George Institute for Global Health have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a network of patients with kidney disease willing to participate in clinical research projects, accessible through a single global CKD platform.
The aim of the Global Kidney Patient Trials Network (GKPTN) is to accelerate the development of new treatments for kidney disease, which may ultimately benefit millions of people globally.
Finding participants who are suitable for and willing to participate in clinical studies is time-consuming. The GKPTN collaboration will help to establish a global network of willing patients who can be contacted quickly when an appropriate study becomes available. In doing so, the network will expand research capacity and connect the global kidney disease community. It could also help facilitate more rapid translation of new interventions for kidney disease into clinical practice.
To achieve the key objectives of this collaboration, a global umbrella network of established patient trials networks/ registries, “The ISN Patient Trials Network”, will also be created.
By collaborating with other established ventures worldwide, GKPTN will be the initial member of the ISN Patient Trials network.
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Read Chapter Three of the ISN-ACT Narrative-Based Clinical Trials Toolkit on Participating as a Trial Site

The ISN-ACT Clinical Trials Toolkit subgroup members are producing a series of stories based on ISN-ACT Clinical Trials Toolkit topics to facilitate understanding of key clinical trial methodologies.
The third chapter of the Narrative-Based Clinical Trials (ISN-ACT) Toolkit uses a fictional clinical discussion to show what it takes to become a trial site using a fictional clinical discussion. A group of nephrologists aiming to become a trial site for an international clinical study on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) share their experiences as they confront various issues and overcome the challenges involved.
Read more here.
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New Paper on Global Transplantation Capacity Published Using ISN Global Kidney Health Atlas Survey Results

“Global Estimates of Capacity for Kidney Transplantation in World Countries and Regions” is available as a domain paper on the ISN Global Kidney Health Atlas (ISN-GKHA) web page.
The paper reports on findings from the 2018 ISN GKHA survey on the availability and affordability of quality kidney transplantation across countries and regions.
Find out more here.
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research

Grants

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Announcing the 2021 ISN Clinical Research Grant Awardees

The ISN is pleased to announce and congratulate three clinical research grant awardees selected from the 2021 application round.
These awardees will receive support for their respective research proposals through the ISN Clinical Research Program:
Priya Pais, St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India
Costs and Outcomes of PEdiatric (COPE) CKD - a Multicenter Prospective Study from Three Low/Lower-middle-income Countries
Pedro C. Emem-Chioma, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital,
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Goal-directed Incremental Peritoneal Dialysis in Nigeria
Verônica Torres Costa e Silva, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo,
São Paulo, Brazil
Prospective Evaluation of the Long-term Impact of Anticancer Treatment on the Kidney Function of Cancer Patients
The ISN Clinical Research Program supports initiatives that build capacity for clinical research to help detect and manage NCDs such as CKD and AKI in low and middle-income countries. Find out more here.
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Events

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Green Nephrology, Nanotechnology, Genome Editing, and Patient Advocacy: Discover the WCN’22 Plenary Topics and Speakers

Be part of a global gathering to exchange the latest in kidney science and clinical applications.
Join us for the WCN’22 plenary sessions to hear renowned speakers share valuable insights on diverse health issues in kidney care:
Green Technologies in Dialysis/Green Nephrology
Frances Mortimer, UK
Advocacy for Kidney Disease:
Patient View and How to Get Results

Alonzo Mourning, USA, UK
Human Genome Editing, Ethics, and Global Concerns
Indira Nath, India
Nanotechnology, DNA Self-assembly, and New Medical Therapies
Hao Yan, USA
Take advantage of the early bird deadline when you register before midnight CET, November 24, 2021.
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Welcome the 2022 ISN WCN Social Media Team

How does the ISN meet the challenge of providing comprehensive coverage of WCN content across social media platforms in an engaging and informative way?
Meet the 2022 ISN World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) Social Media Team here!
A new ISN WCN SoMe team, made up of volunteers selected from current members of the @ISNeducation team and interested applicants, is selected for each congress through an open application process.
Follow the World Congress of Nephrology’s official hashtag #ISNWCN to stay in touch with the 2022 SoMe team and get updates on congress content.
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Put Your Story on the Map! Submit a Film to the ISN Community Film Event

The ISN Community Film Event, showcasing global stories on kidney care, now has an interactive map highlighting the diverse scope of the competition and offering a further opportunity for worldwide visibility.
The map charts the provenance of films entered in the competition since its launch in 2019. All future films submitted will be pinned to the film event map, highlighting your contribution.
Transform your experience into a narrative of seven minutes or less, submit your film to the ISN Community Film Event, and put your story on the map.
The deadline is December 8, 2021.
Find out more on the event here and follow #ISNFilmEvent to stay up to date.
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Watch the “Community Choice Film Selection” and Vote for Your Favorite

Six film entries to the 2021 ISN Community Film Event that narrowly missed the shortlist now have a chance to be shortlisted for the Best Film Award 2022.
Watch the 2022 Community Choice Film Selection:
  • A kidney transplant patient who decides to become a doctor.
  • Hemodialysis in Togo: a harbinger of death or a source of life-prolonging hope?
  • Retaining personal goals and aspirations with peritoneal dialysis therapy.
  • Everyday heroes: a daughter who overcame obstacles to donate her kidney to her mother.
  • Trevor Monkman’s ten-year journey with kidney failure.
  • A return to normality and improved quality of life after successful renal transplantation.
Online voting will close on December 6, 2021.
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Get Ready for the ISN Frontiers Meeting in Bergamo, Italy: Abstract and Travel Grant Submissions Open Today

The ISN Frontiers Meeting, ‘Complement-related kidney diseases: classification, genetics, and treatment’ will take place in Bergamo, Italy, from June 23-25, 2022.
Accepted abstracts will be presented as posters at the meeting and published in Kidney International Reports. A selection of authors will present their abstracts orally.
The meeting is planned as an in-person event. The ISN is pleased to offer travel grants to ISN members from low-resource countries to attend the meeting.
The deadline to submit abstracts and travel grant applications is February 16, 2022.
The ISN Frontiers Meeting in Bergamo is co-hosted by the ISN and the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research.
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Register for the ISN Webinar on Clinical Management of C3G

The ISN and the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research will hold a webinar on December 9, 2021, at 2 p.m. CEST on:
“New Insights into Clinical Management of C3G”
The webinar will address:
  • The complement system and its role in C3G
  • Personalized clinical management of patients
  • Preliminary results of clinical trials with complement inhibitors
  • New therapeutic perspectives
Supported by an educational grant from    
This webinar is supported by  
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ISN Participates

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Join the ISN President at the 18th International Congress of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Transplantation

ISN President Agnes Fogo will present two talks during the pre-congress sessions on October 20, 2021:
8 a.m. Tehran time:
Updates in Definition and Classification of Lupus Nephritis
2:35 p.m. Tehran time:
Nephropathologic Aspects of Diabetes Mellitus
The 18th International Congress of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Transplantation is hosted by the
Iranian Society of Nephrology and will take place from October 21-24, 2021.
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Awards

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László Rosivall

The ISN Presents Eastern and Central Europe Pioneer Award and Supports CME Course at BANTAO 2021

The 16th BANTAO Congress (Balkan Association of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Artificial Organs) will be in hybrid format from
October 29-31, 2021, in Tirana, Albania.
The event provides a fitting platform to present László Rosivall with the ISN 2021 Pioneer Award for the Eastern and Central Europe region on October 30, 2021, at 11:10 a.m. CEST. ISN President Agnes Fogo will introduce the award ceremony, and Rumeyza Kazancioglu, former ISN Regional Board chair, will highlight László's achievements.
The ISN-supported CME Course, also endorsed by the European Renal Association (ERA), ‘How to slow progression of CKD and its complications,’ will be held the same day with participation from ISN speakers.
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EDUCATION

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Register for the ISN Webinar Based on Findings from the International Home Dialysis Roundtable

Join us on October 28, 2021, at 2.30 p.m. CEST.
The Expanding Utilization of Home Dialysis: Findings of the International Home Dialysis Roundtable, Brussels, Belgium, 28/10/2021-28/10/2021 has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) with 1 European CME credits (ECMEC®s). Each medical specialist should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.
Please note the credit can only be claimed for attendance during the live webinar.
Mallika Mendu, Simon Davies, Daniel Gallego, and Vivekanand Jha will examine best practices, successful strategies, and overcoming challenges in home dialysis based on findings from the International Home Dialysis Roundtable (Roundtable supported by Baxter).
Read the paper “Expanding Utilization of Home Dialysis: An Action Agenda from the First International Home Dialysis Roundtable.”
This webinar is sponsored by industry.

Upcoming Webinars

Tuesday, October 19, 3 p.m. CEST

ISN-IPNA Webinar: Pathophysiology of UTI and
What that Means for Patients Across the Ages

Speakers: Annelie Brauner, Sweden
John David Spencer, USA
Moderator: Olivia Boyer, France
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Tuesday, October 26, 3 p.m. CEST

ISN-ISE Webinar: Bone Disease in CKD
Webinar Part 1: Understanding the Complexities in Managing Bone Disease in CKD

Speakers: Bart Clarke, USA
Ellie Kelepouris, USA
Vivien Lim (Chair), Singapore
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Wednesday, November 3, 1 p.m. CET

Webinar Part 2: Management of Bone Disease in CKD - Complex Case Scenarios

Speakers: Bart Clarke, USA
Ellie Kelepouris, USA
Vivien Lim (Chair),
Angela Wang (Co-chair), Hong Kong
Thursday, October 28, 2:30 p.m. CEST

ISN Webinar:
Expanding Utilization of Home Dialysis - Findings of the International Home Dialysis Roundtable

Speakers: Mallika Mendu, USA
Simon Davies, UK
Daniel Gallego, Spain
Moderator: Vivekananad Jha, India
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Friday, October 29, 4 p.m. CEST

ISN Webinar:
Spotlight on 0BY25 - Implementing Kidney Care in
Low-resource Settings

Speakers: Etienne Macedo, USA
Sanjib Sharma, Nepal
Moderator: Michael Rocco, USA
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Wednesday, November 10, 3 p.m. CET

ISN Webinar Series: MRAs and DKD Management
MRAS in the Future of DKD Management

Speakers: Luis Ruilope, Spain
Katherine Tuttle, USA
Juliana Chan, China
John McMurray, UK
Ian de Boer, USA
Moderators: Roberto Pecoits-Filho, USA
Fergus Caskey, UK
This webinar is supported by
an unrestricted educational grant from
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Recorded Webinars

ISN-KDIGO Webinar:
Glomerular Diseases Guideline Webinar - Part 2

ISN Webinar Series: MRAs and DKD Management
Amplification of the Presentation of the Main Results of the FIGARO Trial

Grand Rounds In Pediatric Nephrology - An ISN-IPNA Sister Centers Initiative:
Pediatric Renal Genetics - New Advances

ASN/ERA/ISN Kidney Ethics Webinar Series:
Inequalities in Uptake of Kidney Care - an Ethical Challenge

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ISN Journals

KI-Editorial

Put Forward Your Research Article for a KI-ISN Early-Career Researcher Award

In recognition of the valuable contribution made by early-career researchers worldwide, Kidney International (KI) and the ISN will select four of the best original research papers published in KI in 2021 to receive a KI-ISN Early-Career Researcher Award.
Discover the 2019/2020 winners and their research papers here.
The winners of these awards (two basic and two clinical science publications) will receive 500 USD each and be invited to present their papers at the 2022 World Congress of Nephrology.
Submit your application before November 30, 2021.
Find out more on award criteria here.
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COVID-19

KI-Covid

Kidney International (KI) on COVID-19

KIR

Kidney International Reports (KIR) on COVID-19

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Kidney International Editorial Selections

KI-Editorial

Shared Decision-making in Hemodialysis Vascular Access

Shared decision-making (SDM) is not broadly applied in hemodialysis vascular access planning despite its ethical imperative. Awareness is growing that commonly delivered prescriptive fistula-centered recommendations for vascular access care might not always be relevant to an individual’s goals of care.
This article reviews the current state of vascular access practice and presents arguments why SDM is necessary for its planning. Barriers and potential solutions to SDM implementation are discussed as well as possible systems of physician-patient participation in the decision-making process of hemodialysis vascular access practice.
KI-Editorial

Development of an International Delphi Survey to Establish Core Outcome Domains for Trials in Adults with Glomerular Disease

Outcomes relevant to treatment decision-making are inconsistently reported in trials involving glomerular disease. The authors present a consensus-derived set of critically important outcomes designed to be reported in all future trials through an online, international, two-round Delphi survey in English.
The most important outcomes for patients/caregivers and health professionals were the need for dialysis or transplant, kidney function, death, cardiovascular disease, remission-relapse, and life participation. Consistent reporting on these outcomes in all trials involving glomerular disease is hoped to improve patient-centered decision-making.
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Kidney International Reports Editorial Selection

KIR-Editorial

Sarcopenia and Frailty - Challenges in Mainstream Nephrology Practice


Sarcopenia, characterized by the loss of muscle mass and function, and frailty - a multi-system impairment associated with increased vulnerability to stressors - are prevalent in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population and commonly associated with a wide range of adverse health outcomes.
This review presents a comprehensive overview of these conditions in CKD patients and the widely recommended interventions to maintain skeletal muscle mass and strength, notably through exercise training and nutritional supplementation.