The Department of Nephrology at The Second Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University was established in 1982 and has since developed into a comprehensive division integrating clinical practice, teaching, scientific research, and physician training. As early as 1979, the department began enrolling postgraduate students specializing in nephrology, cultivating a large number of outstanding professionals. Notable among them is Academician Chen Xiangmei, a renowned nephrology expert who was among the first cohort of postgraduate graduates. Currently, the Department of Nephrology is a National Clinical Key Specialty Construction Project. It serves as the chair unit of the Jilin Provincial Medical Association Nephrology Branch and the Jilin Provincial Physician Association Nephrology Branch. It is also the Jilin Provincial Health Department’s Medical Quality Control Center for Kidney Diseases, one of the first Ministry of Health Peritoneal Dialysis Demonstration Training Centers, the Jilin Provincial Blood Purification Training Center, the Jilin Provincial Blood Purification Specialist Nurse Training Base, the Jilin Provincial Health Department’s Key Research Laboratory for Kidney Diseases, the Jilin Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Nephrology Laboratory for TCM Scientific Research, the Jilin Provincial Health Department’s Key Research Laboratory for Diabetes Complications, and a National Clinical Drug Trial Base.
The department boasts a disciplinary echelon with high academic qualifications, excellent quality, and sustainable development potential. Led by Professor Miao Lining as the academic leader, supported by several academic骨干, and featuring a technically advanced, well-structured medical team with high qualifications and sustainable development potential, the nephrology experts here hold significant influence domestically and within the province in the academic community of nephrology. Currently, there are 24 doctors, 82 nurses, and 6 technicians. Among the doctors, there are 5 professors, 7 associate professors, 4 doctoral supervisors, 7 master's supervisors, 10 with doctoral degrees, and 12 with master's degrees. The medical staff is proportionally well-equipped with a reasonable talent梯队 structure and sustainable development capabilities, meeting the current and future needs of the department. The current medical team is mainly composed of two groups: the Ziqiang Campus medical team led by Professor Luo Ping and Professor Zhang Dongmei, and the Youth Campus medical team led by Professor Lu Xuehong. Each medical team is supported by corresponding associate professors, attending physicians, treating physicians, residents, postgraduate students, and trainees, ensuring the integrity of the three-tier physician ward round system. Each medical team leads domestically in the diagnosis and treatment of glomerular diseases, chronic kidney diseases, and autoimmune systemic diseases.
The department consists of seven parts: outpatient service, inpatient wards, blood purification center, peritoneal dialysis center, renal intensive care unit, renal biopsy pathology diagnosis center, and nephrology research laboratory. It currently has 135 open beds, making it the largest kidney disease diagnosis and treatment center in Jilin Province. The clinical treatment center has 135 beds, and the blood purification center has 129 beds. The blood purification center performs nearly 60,895 dialyses annually, completes 624 cases of continuous blood purification each year, and has performed cumulative renal puncture biopsies and pathological diagnoses for over 4,000 cases. Adhering to the principle of comprehensive development in medical treatment, teaching, and research, the department has achieved fruitful results in scientific research in recent years. Over the past decade, the department has undertaken 69 research projects, including 5 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 3 National 973 Program projects, 2 National 863 Program projects, and 4 National 12th Five-Year Plan projects. The department has won 1 second prize for Provincial Science and Technology Progress, 1 third prize for Provincial Science and Technology Progress, 3 Provincial Science and Technology Achievement Awards, 1 Provincial Natural Science Academic Achievement Award, 1 second prize for Jilin University Medical Achievement, 8 third prizes for Jilin University Medical Achievement, and 2 national patents. It has published over 200 papers, including 79 in core journals, 34 presented at academic conferences, and 36 indexed in SCI. To date, the department has supervised and trained 3 postdoctoral researchers, 14 doctoral students, and over 100 master's students.
The hemodialysis center was established in 1982 and currently has 3 dialysis rooms with a total of 117 dialysis machines. The annual number of dialyses is approximately 55,000, with an average of over 4,300 dialyses per month. Currently, there are over 470 regular hemodialysis patients. The dialysis center was the first in Jilin Province to introduce various new blood purification technologies, such as hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration, adjustable sodium dialysis, high-flux dialysis, and plasma exchange. These technologies have been widely applied among dialysis patients and have received consistent recognition from patients and their families.
Peritoneal dialysis work began in 1983, and in 2010, the department became one of the first Ministry of Health Peritoneal Dialysis Demonstration Training Centers. Over the years, peritoneal dialysis work has flourished. In 2009, the department independently developed China’s first "automated peritoneal dialysis machine," a achievement that received a "national patent" and was included in the National Ministry of Technology’s 12th Five-Year Plan major projects. Leveraging the advantage of independently developing domestically produced automated peritoneal dialysis machines, the department vigorously promotes automated peritoneal dialysis. This not only achieves adequate dialysis for patients with residual renal function but also improves their quality of life, making it a characteristic diagnostic and treatment item of the Department of Nephrology’s peritoneal dialysis therapy.
The intensive care unit is one of the department’s specialties. It is equipped with 4 CRRT machines, the most advanced monitoring systems, and various medical devices, enabling continuous renal replacement therapy. Over the years, it has successfully treated a large number of critically ill patients with acute renal failure and multiple organ failure. The diverse and stable modes of CRRT dialysis have solved many problems in hemodialysis, such as cardiovascular instability, elderly patients, and dialysis hypotension, achieving satisfactory treatment results.
The department was the first in Jilin Province to perform renal biopsy techniques and is the only nephrology department in the province that integrates renal biopsy room, renal pathology laboratory, and renal pathology diagnosis. It is equipped with advanced domestic全套 renal pathology diagnostic equipment. With technically solid and stable renal pathology technicians, the department ensures the accuracy of independent pathological diagnosis reports. Many difficult and complicated cases have been clearly diagnosed through renal biopsy pathological examinations, providing a basis for further guidance on treatment. Each month, the department also accepts a large number of renal biopsy pathology consultations from various regions across the province, solving many medical challenges for other brother hospitals and truly playing a leading role in nephrology in Jilin Province.
In terms of laboratory construction, the department adheres to the development direction of combining clinical practice with basic research. The department’s nephrology research laboratory is recognized as the Jilin Provincial Health Department’s Key Research Laboratory for Kidney Diseases and the Jilin Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Key Research Laboratory for Kidney Diseases. For many years, it has始终坚持对外开放, providing technical support for multiple departments and numerous researchers. The laboratory covers an area of 400 square meters and includes four units: cell biology, molecular biology, pathology, and clinical testing. It can perform various experimental projects such as Western blot, PCR, electrophoresis, cell culture, animal experiments, transgenesis, and immunohistochemistry. In 2013, the laboratory introduced several high-end diagnostic and treatment equipment, including a transmission electron microscope and a multi-viewer microscope. It is the first nephrology specialty in Northeast China to possess a transmission electron microscope for kidney disease diagnosis. While applied in disease diagnosis, it also undertakes a large amount of scientific research and teaching tasks for the department, providing solid technical support for clinical and scientific research. The combination of transmission electron microscopy and optical microscopy has significantly improved the department’s diagnostic level for kidney diseases, currently leading the province.
The department always attaches great importance to and carefully implements the utilization of its good cooperative relationships with the Chinese PLA General Hospital, the University of Louisville (USA), the Beckman Research Institute (USA), the Nephrology Research Institute of Yonsei University (South Korea), the Center for Transplant & Renal Research at Westmead Hospital of the University of Sydney (Australia), and other institutions. It有计划地 arranges for young and middle-aged physicians to undergo advanced training in diagnostic and treatment techniques. To date, 9 young and middle-aged physicians have been sent to the above institutions for exchange studies and joint training at home and abroad. Among them, 4 have returned after completing their studies, and 5 are still abroad for joint training and advanced studies. The young and middle-aged physicians trained abroad publish a large number of scientific research papers and high-impact factor SCI articles each year and participate in numerous domestic and international research projects, playing important roles in the development of various scientific research projects. The department has also sent over twenty medical staff to various nephrology medical centers within China for advanced studies. Meanwhile, it invites renowned domestic and international experts and scholars to give lectures at the hospital; actively hosts international and domestic conferences and workshops; conducts academic exchanges and training for hospitals at all levels in the province; expands the discipline’s influence; and carries out large-scale promotions and普及 of nephrology knowledge on World Kidney Day each year to enhance social service capabilities. To date, the department has supervised and trained 3 postdoctoral researchers, 14 doctoral students, and over 100 master's students.
The overall goal of the department’s construction is to establish a comprehensive key nephrology specialty with international vision, innovative意识, regional radiation effect, and informatization, integrating prevention, diagnosis, treatment, scientific research, and training. It aims to become a domestically and internationally renowned nephrology diagnosis and treatment center, teaching and training center, information exchange center, scientific research攻坚 center, and health education center.
