Introducing the Asian Journal of Urology

We are delighted to publish the inaugural issue through which announces the launch of the Asian Journal of Urology (AJU ). AJU is an international peer-reviewed journal jointly founded by the Chinese Urological Association (CUA) and the Second Military Medical University (SMMU) in Shanghai, China. The journal will publish articles in urologic specialties both scientifically and clinically. These will comprise urologic oncology, endo-urology, urologic stone disease, female urology, erectile dysfunction, pediatrics, renal transplantation, reconstructive surgery, infertility, radiology, pathology, and neuro-urology. We are extraordinarily pleased that several outstanding researchers around the world have agreed to serve on the Editorial Board of the journal. We are also most appreciative for the articles that have been submitted to the first issue of the journal. Our gratitude extends to our colleagues with an understanding how their work, by being published in the journal, will profoundly impact the reputation and standard of excellence that AJU seeks to achieve. Diseases and conditions of the genitourinary system are common health problems that affect people regardless of their demographic backgrounds. Nations and people of Asia share a long intellectual history and tradition of using human intellect and applying natural products for the treatment of many human diseases. In ancient China 1500 years ago, the famous doctor Simiao Sun used green shallots as catheters to relieve acute urinary retention, becoming the de facto predecessor of endo-urology. Others in Asian medicine also made comparable advances. However, a gap has characterized the knowledge and understanding of Asian and Western medicine. This in more recent times has been compounded by a gap between the advances made by basic scientists and clinicians in healthcare research and has thus stimulated an advocacy for translational medicine to bring the two together. On this basis we believe that by establishing the proper infrastructure AJU can serve as a bridge to promote the collaboration and understanding between clinicians and basic scientists so that productive advances can be made between Asian and Western laboratory and clinical research.