As the field of clinical nephrology has become increasingly diverse, it is impossible for any single person to keep up with all the developments in the different areas involved. It is against this background that the editors of the present volume have organized a series of conferences at the Renal Unit of the Ruperto Carola University of Heidelberg, with the aim to provide up-to-date information on various subjects to the nonexpert. The present volume is a reprint of a series of these lectures, first published in a special section of NEPHRON. It covers such diverse aspects of clinical nephrology as the cardiovascular system, transplantation, immunosuppression and dialysis, providing a most interesting overview of recent highlights in the field.
