Aims & Scope
Nephrology Advances publishes mechanistic research elucidating the molecular and cellular pathophysiology of kidney diseases, focusing on disease mechanisms, biomarker discovery, and pathogenic pathways rather than clinical management or therapeutic protocols.
Renal Pathophysiology
Molecular Mechanisms
Biomarker Discovery
Disease Models
Cellular Pathways
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Research Scope: Tiered Structure
Core Domain
Acute Kidney Injury Pathophysiology
- Ischemia-reperfusion injury mechanisms
- Tubular cell death pathways (apoptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis)
- Inflammatory signaling cascades in AKI
- Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress
- Biomarkers of tubular injury (NGAL, KIM-1, L-FABP)
- Endothelial dysfunction and microvascular injury
Typical Fit Example:
"Role of RIPK3-mediated necroptosis in ischemic AKI: molecular pathway analysis in murine models"
Core Domain
Chronic Kidney Disease Mechanisms
- Fibrosis pathways and extracellular matrix remodeling
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mechanisms
- TGF-β signaling and pro-fibrotic mediators
- Podocyte injury and glomerulosclerosis pathways
- Tubular atrophy molecular mechanisms
- Uremic toxin-induced cellular dysfunction
Typical Fit Example:
"Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation in renal fibrosis: mechanistic insights from diabetic nephropathy models"
Core Domain
Glomerular Disease Pathogenesis
- Immune-mediated glomerular injury mechanisms
- Complement activation pathways in glomerulonephritis
- Podocyte cytoskeletal dynamics and proteinuria
- Glomerular basement membrane alterations
- Autoantibody-mediated injury mechanisms
- Mesangial cell proliferation and matrix expansion
Typical Fit Example:
"Nephrin phosphorylation patterns in minimal change disease: molecular basis of podocyte foot process effacement"
Core Domain
Tubular Transport & Electrolyte Disorders
- Ion channel dysfunction in inherited tubulopathies
- Sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter mechanisms
- Acid-base regulation at molecular level
- Aquaporin dysfunction and water balance disorders
- Calcium and phosphate handling mechanisms
- Genetic mutations affecting tubular transport
Typical Fit Example:
"ROMK channel trafficking defects in Bartter syndrome: cellular mechanisms and functional consequences"
Secondary Focus
Kidney-Systemic Disease Interactions
- Cardiorenal syndrome molecular mechanisms
- Diabetic nephropathy pathogenic pathways
- Hypertensive nephrosclerosis mechanisms
- Renal involvement in systemic autoimmune diseases
- Metabolic syndrome effects on kidney function
Secondary Focus
Nephrolithiasis Pathophysiology
- Crystal nucleation and aggregation mechanisms
- Tubular epithelial-crystal interactions
- Genetic factors in stone formation
- Urinary inhibitors of crystallization
- Oxidative stress in stone disease
Secondary Focus
Methodological Innovations
- Novel renal disease models (organoids, microfluidics)
- Advanced imaging techniques for kidney pathology
- Omics approaches (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics)
- Single-cell analysis of renal cell populations
- Computational modeling of kidney function
Emerging Areas
Novel Research Frontiers
- Epigenetic regulation in kidney disease progression
- Non-coding RNA roles in renal pathophysiology
- Gut-kidney axis molecular mechanisms
- Senescence pathways in aging kidney
- Artificial intelligence for biomarker discovery
- Extracellular vesicles in kidney disease
Note: Submissions in emerging areas undergo additional editorial review to ensure mechanistic depth and alignment with journal scope.
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Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Priority 1: Fast-Track Review
Original Research Articles
Systematic Reviews
Meta-Analyses
Methods & Protocols
Mechanistic Studies
Priority 2: Standard Review
Short Communications
Data Notes
Technical Reports
Perspectives
Hypothesis Articles
Rarely Considered
Case Reports (unless exceptional mechanistic insight)
Opinion Pieces
Commentaries
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Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
- ARRIVE for animal studies
- STROBE for observational studies
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- MIQE for qPCR experiments
- CONSORT for randomized trials
Data & Materials
- Raw data deposition required
- Omics data in public repositories
- Reagent availability statement
- Code and software sharing
- Reproducibility documentation
Ethics & Integrity
- IRB/IACUC approval required
- Informed consent documentation
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Funding source transparency
- Author contribution statements
Preprint Policy
- Preprints accepted and encouraged
- bioRxiv, medRxiv posting allowed
- Disclose preprint DOI at submission
- No impact on editorial consideration
- Version control maintained
