Abstract
In 2008, when we first envisaged a professional journal dedicated to pulmonary vascular disease, it was our hope that others in our field would share our conviction that such a journal was needed. The response to our inaugural issue, published this past March, has vindicated that hope beyond expectation. From colleagues, trainees and students we received feedback, including suggestions for improvement, many of which we are incorporating. For example, we are premiering a new feature in this issue, at the foot of this page–corrections or clarifications of points in previous issues either by authors (Corrigenda) or by the editors (Errata). This issue also premieres an exciting new type of contribution, the Snapshot. Each of these will be a single page compilation on a particular topic. This issue's Snapshot is on drugs for pulmonary hypertension.
The lifeblood of any professional journal is the quality of manuscripts it receives. We are now processing a steadily increasing volume of submissions through our web portal (www.journalonweb.com/PC/). The topics of the original research articles in this second issue include the blockade of Ca2+-activated Cl- channels and the role of platelet-derived growth factor receptors in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in mice. The article on safety of air travel for patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) answers a question clinicians frequently are asked in clinics. Two articles deal with the outcome of patients with PH, one with vasoreactivity to inhaled nitric oxide and its impact on long-term survival, the other describing the use of log-transformed ntBNP in predicting response to therapy. In this issue we also present review articles on clinically focused issues for readers working in the clinical management of pulmonary hypertension patients. These include reviews on the current treatment of pulmonary hypertension, on the Doppler echocardiographic assessment in pulmonary vascular disease, on acute respiratory distress syndrome, on pulmonary vascular wall stiffness, and computational models in the pulmonary circulation and gas exchange.
A special highlight in this second issue is the classification of pediatric pulmonary vascular diseases. The Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI) initiated a discussion on this topic during its annual meeting in Panama City early this year, and the pediatric pulmonary hypertension taskforce was given the task of proposing a new classification. In this issue we are proud to present two articles on this topic, which put forward both a new diagnostic classification system for pediatric pulmonary vascular disease and a functional classification of PH in children. On the following page is Robyn Barst's excellent guest editorial that provides the context for both of those articles.
In the 6th Century BCE the Chinese philosopher Laozi (Lao Tzu) wrote in the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The first step of the journey upon which Pulmonary Circulation is now embarked was taken this past March, with the publication of Volume 1, Number 1, and the present issue is our second step. Where will this journey lead? Inevitably, as authors share their work and discoveries with readers, the journey will lead to advances in our field, as this new journal becomes the primary medium of communication between physicians and researchers in the field of pulmonary vascular diseases worldwide. In particular, we hope, our journey will contribute to easing the enormous burden of pulmonary vascular disease in the so-called developing world. Although the research output in the form of publications from these regions is far less compared to elsewhere, we will endeavor to bring high-quality research outputs from these regions to the attention of the so-called developed world.
But in a very real sense, the specific journey that Pulmonary Circulation ends up taking will be determined by you, the clinicians and researchers engaged in this rapidly evolving and exciting field. If you are engaged in clinical, translational or basic science on any aspect of pulmonary vascular disease or physiology, then this journal will provide the ideal home for your research. We encourage you to send in feedback for improvements and, best of all, manuscripts describing your work or the topics you feel of greatest importance to our field. For this all-important feedback, we thank you sincerely in advance.