Published online before print August 11, 2008, doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.119651
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Hypertension. 2008;52:425.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.
Editorial |
Hypertension
Update 2008
From the Editorial Office, Hypertension, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Correspondence to John E. Hall, Editorial Office, Hypertension, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N State St, Jackson, MS 39216-4505. E-mail hypertension{at}physiology.umsmed.edu
 |
Introduction |
|---|
Top
Introduction
Increased Article SubmissionsWe are happy to report continued progress during the past year in achieving the goals outlined previously for Hypertension.1 The readership of the journal has been further expanded; the quality and impact of the published original research continue to increase; the review process appears to be fairly efficient and (we hope you agree) effective in selecting the best papers in the field; and Hypertension provides an important vehicle for disseminating clinically important information and for achieving the mission of the American Heart Association (AHA) and its scientific councils.
The main credit for this progress goes to you, as authors, editorial board members, reviewers, and readers, for your support of Hypertension and for your excellent scientific contributions. In this report we summarize a few statistics and new initiatives and provide a brief perspective on what we can, and should, do better.
|
Increased Article Submissions |
|---|
Figure 1 shows the steady increase in article submissions during the past 5 years. These data do not include submissions for the Proceedings of the AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research, the Inter-American Society of Hypertension, or the International Workshop on Structure and Function of Large Arteries, which include an additional 160 articles for 2007.
|
Articles were submitted from 65 countries. The top 5 countries and their percentages of the total number of articles submitted are shown in Figure 2.
|
Approximately 58% of articles submitted in 2007 were clinical or population science, and 42% were basic science articles.
|
Competitive but Stable Article Acceptance Rates |
|---|
During the last several years, there has been a gradual reduction in article acceptance rates to the present level of 18% to 20%. For 2007, the average acceptance rate was 19.4%. Acceptance rates have remained relatively stable for the past 2 years and appear to be at reasonable levels to ensure publication of the highest-quality articles and still remain within the page budget allocated by the AHA Scientific Publishing Committee.
Many investigators rely on Hypertension to publish their best research, and the editors are committed to ensuring that adequate pages are available for publishing the top hypertension-related basic, clinical, and population research articles. Therefore, as submissions increased, we have sought additional journal pages to maintain a reasonable acceptance rate and to permit publication of special features that are of great interest to the readers of Hypertension. We are grateful that the AHA has provided these additional pages. In 2007, approximately 2600 pages were published in Hypertension compared with approximately 2000 pages when we began our editorship in 2002.
|
"Impact Factor" of 7.194 and Increased Readership |
|---|
The Journal Citation Reports scientific impact factor of Hypertension for 2007 was the highest in the journal’s history at 7.194 and was the highest of any journal devoted to basic or clinical hypertension research. The Journal Citation Reports ranks Hypertension fourth in the category of peripheral vascular disease. The cited half-life of Hypertension articles also increased to 6.1 years, indicating that that articles published in the journal have "staying power" and continue to be cited for many years after they are published. Moreover, the immediacy index, a measure of the frequency of citations to articles during their first year of publication, has risen steadily in the past 3 years.
We continue to seek new avenues to broaden the readership, to reach health care professionals and scientists who may not have traditionally viewed Hypertension as a "must-read" journal, and to increase the journal’s overall scientific and clinical impact. Several initiatives are underway to increase readership of the journal, including increased distribution of the journal contents to clinicians and researchers throughout the world and publication of Hypertension articles in 8 languages.
We believe that the overall impact of the journal will continue to increase as the readership of the journal grows and as we continue to publish the highest-quality original basic, clinical, and population research.
|
Invited Reviews and New Features |
|---|
Based on readership surveys and other information that we have received, Brief Reviews, Hypertension Highlights, and other special features appear to be of great interest to the readers of the journal. During the past year, we introduced 2 new features, Controversies in Hypertension2–5 and Basic Mechanisms of Disease (coming soon). The purpose of Controversies in Hypertension is to present scholarly discussions of controversial topics in hypertension research or clinical practice by leading experts with differing viewpoints. Basic Mechanisms of Disease articles highlight recent advances in fundamental biological mechanisms that may explain underlying scientific concepts of disease. We have targeted these articles to basic or clinical scientists who are interested in hypertension and cardiovascular disease but who may not be specialists in the particular area of the review.
We hope that that you will provide us with suggestions for authors and topics for invited articles that will further enhance the journal’s appeal to its readers and its overall impact on the science and clinical treatment of hypertension and related cardiovascular and renal disease.
|
Providing a Valuable Resource to Healthcare Professionals |
|---|
An important purpose of Hypertension is to provide the information needed for healthcare professionals to translate advances in basic and clinical research into more effective treatment of hypertension. Although we publish cutting-edge original basic, clinical, and population research, we also strive to ensure that Hypertension is a valuable resource to practicing physicians and other healthcare professionals and that the journal contents are distributed as widely as possible. To accomplish these objectives, we will continue to: (1) publish guidelines and articles that are mainly "practical" in their application for effective treatment of hypertension6–9; (2) publish a continuing medical education feature; and (3) publish Hypertension articles in several languages (currently, Polish, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, and English) in order to reach healthcare professionals in countries where English is not the native language.
|
Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness of Article Reviews |
|---|
The time from article submission until first decision averaged 2.6 weeks (17 to 18 days) for 2008 (Figure 3). The high level of efficiency and quality of article reviews has been possible largely because of the excellent work of the editorial board and reviewers and the Hypertension office staff. We will explore additional ways to make journal operations more efficient, although we will not sacrifice quality and fairness of the review process for speed.
|
The time from acceptance to print publication in Hypertension is 7.4 weeks compared with approximately 27 to 29 weeks when we began our editorship (Figure 4). We maintain a policy of no backlog to ensure that publication is as rapid as possible.
|
The time from acceptance to online publication is approximately 4 weeks. Although this time could be reduced dramatically by publishing articles online before the author proofs are completed, Hypertension contains significant clinical information that we believe should be carefully proofed before publication.
|
Acceptance Rates and Balance of Basic, Clinical, and Population Research |
|---|
Approximately 58% of the submitted articles involve clinical or population science studies in humans, and 42% report basic science studies. The numbers of published basic, clinical, and population science articles are nearly proportional to the numbers of articles submitted in each of these categories.
For 2007, 53% of published articles were from clinical and population science studies, and 47% were basic science studies. These data indicate a good balance of basic, clinical, and population research articles submitted to the journal and that these different categories of research fare equally well in the review process.
|
Publication of Meetings Proceedings and Special Initiatives |
|---|
Hypertension is the official journal of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research, the Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease, and the Inter-American Society of Hypertension. We currently publish the proceedings from these meetings using the same rapid and rigorous review procedures as for regular articles.
We also publish selected articles from other important scientific meetings10 using the same criteria for review and selection as we use for the regular original communications published in Hypertension.
In November 2007, Hypertension issued a special call for articles on the topic of "Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease in Women." Our goals were to help convey the importance of prevention and treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in women, to emphasize that hypertension is a critical cardiovascular risk factor in women, and to publish the newest and best research related to hypertension in women.11 The journal received 230 submissions in response to this special call, and 16.3% of the articles were accepted for publication. The accepted articles were published online on February 7, 2008, to coincide with the AHA "Go Red for Women" movement, and the print issue was published with the April issue of Hypertension. We are especially grateful to the AHA for providing the additional 303 pages to publish this special issue.
|
New Editors |
|---|
Drs Richard J. Roman and Jan A. Staessen joined the Hypertension team of editors this past year. Dr Roman is professor of physiology and medicine and director of the Kidney Disease Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr Staessen is head of the Studies Coordinating Center, Division of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, at the University of Leuven in Belgium. The expertise of our newest editors in basic kidney physiology, genetics, clinical hypertension, epidemiology, and several other areas will be very helpful to the journal. Dr Norman Kaplan assumed the role of editor of the continuing medical education feature that was launched in 2007.
|
Summary and "Perspectives" |
|---|
Hypertension is recognized as the top journal in its field, and we can all take pride in the fact that many advances in understanding the causes of hypertension and its impact on cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney disease have been reported in the journal. However, there is room for considerable improvement in the scientific and clinical impact of Hypertension.
We obviously cannot be satisfied that the latest advances in hypertension research are apparently not reaching many health care providers. Suboptimal blood pressure control is still the most important attributable risk for death and, globally, is responsible for 7 million deaths annually.12,13 The number of people worldwide with hypertension in 2000 was estimated at 972 million and is predicted to be more than 1.5 billion by 2025.12,13 The World Health Organization estimates that hypertension accounts for 50% of all coronary heart disease, although lowering blood pressure with inexpensive, safe drugs clearly reduces mortality risk in a wide variety of patient populations.13–15 In general, a 10-mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure produces approximately a 20% to 25% reduction in major cardiovascular events.12
Despite the overwhelming evidence that effective control of blood pressure can do more to reduce cardiovascular risk and total mortality than any other known treatment and that safe and effective drugs are widely available at relatively low cost, we are still doing a poor job in treating high blood pressure. In the United States, two thirds of hypertensive patients are not being controlled to blood pressure levels less than 140/90 mm Hg. The situation is worse in many other countries. However, blood pressure control rates can be substantially improved, even in low-income areas of the United States, such as Mississippi.16 Failure of providers to begin new medications or increase dosages of existing medications when abnormal clinical findings are recorded (ie, "therapeutic inertia") may contribute, at least partly, to the suboptimal control rates.17,18 Hypertension should be an important vehicle not only for reporting the latest research advances but also for educating healthcare providers.
We are committed to ensuring that Hypertension continues to be the outstanding journal you deserve. It is a privilege to serve as editors, and we are grateful for the opportunity. We extend our sincere thanks for your support and outstanding scientific contributions. Please continue to send us your suggestions for improvement of the journal.
|
Acknowledgments |
|---|
We gratefully acknowledge the many reviewers who gave their valuable time to ensure the high quality of the articles published in Hypertension (please see "Acknowledgement to Reviewers" in the October 2007, February 2008, and March 2008 issues). We are especially grateful to our "Hypertension Stars" who reviewed 10 or more articles in 2007 (Table). Dr Paolo Verdecchia was the top "Star" reviewer, with a remarkable 20 reviews and an average time of 7.3 days per review.
|
We thank Heather Goodell, Director of Scientific Publishing for the AHA, and the members of the AHA Scientific Publishing Committee for their excellent support. We also greatly appreciate the dedication and hard work of the Hypertension office staff: Gerry McAlpin (managing editor), Denise Kuo, Renata Gil, and Stephanie Allbritton.
|
References |
|---|
1. Hall JE. Hypertension–update. Hypertension. 2006; 48: 343–346.
2. Calhoun DA. Is there an unrecognized epidemic of primary aldosteronism? (Pro). Hypertension. 2007; 50: 447–453.
3. Kaplan NA. Is there an unrecognized epidemic of primary aldosteronism? (Con). Hypertension. 2007; 50: 454–458.
4. Harsha DW, Bray GA. Weight loss and blood pressure control (Pro). Hypertension. 2008; 51: 1420–1425.
5. Mark AL. Dietary therapy for obesity: an emperor with no clothes. Hypertension. 2008; 51: 1426–1434.
6. Appel LJ, Brands MW, Daniels SR, Karanja N, Elmer PJ, Sacks FM, American Heart Association. Dietary approaches to prevent and treat hypertension: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Hypertension. 2006; 47: 296–308.
7. Brosius FC III, Hostetter TH, Kelepouris E, Mitsnefes MM, Moe SM, Moore MA, Pennathur S, Smith GL, Wilson PW; American Heart Association Kidney and Cardiovascular Disease Council; Councils on High Blood Pressure Research, Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, and Epidemiology and Prevention; Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group; National Kidney Foundation. Detection of chronic kidney disease in patients with or at increased risk of cardiovascular disease: a science advisory from the American Heart Association Kidney and Cardiovascular Disease Council; the Councils on High Blood Pressure Research, Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, and Epidemiology and Prevention; and the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group: developed in collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation. Hypertension. 2006; 48: 751–755.
8. Calhoun DA, Jones DW, Textor S, Goff DC, Murphy TP, Toto RD, White A, Cushman WC, White W, Sica D, Ferdinand K, Giles TD, Falkner B, Carey RM. Resistant hypertension: diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association Professional Education Committee of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research. Hypertension. 2008; 51: 1403–1419.
9. Pickering TG, Miller NH, Ogedegbe G, Krakoff LR, Artinian NT, Goff D. Call to action on use and reimbursement for home blood pressure monitoring: a joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association, American Society of Hypertension, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. Hypertension. 2008; 52: 10–29.
10. Struijker-Boudier HA, Levy BI, Safar ME. Introduction to the Sixth International Workshop on Structure and Function of the Vascular System. Hypertension. 2007; 50: 152–153.
11. Hall JE, Granger JP, Reckelhoff JF, Sandberg K. Hypertension and cardiovascular disease in women. Hypertension. 2008; 51: 951.
12. Perkovic V, Huxley R, Wu Y, Prabhakaran D, MacMahon S. The burden of blood pressure-related disease: a neglected priority for global health. Hypertension. 2007; 50: 991–997.
13. Jones DW, Hall JE. World Hypertension Day 2007. Hypertension. 2007; 49: 939–940.
14. Jones DW, Hall JE. Hypertension: pathways to success. Hypertension. 2008; 51: 1249–1251.
15. Jones DW. Delivering the promise: progress, challenges, opportunities. Hypertension. 2008; 51: 1399–1402.
16. Wyatt SB, Akylbekova EL, Wofford MR, Coady SA, Walker ER, Andrew ME, Keahey WJ, Taylor HA, Jones DW. Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the Jackson Heart Study. Hypertension. 2008; 51: 650–666.
17. Okonofua EC, Simpson KN, Jesri A, Rehman SU, Durkalski VL, Egan BM. Therapeutic inertia is an impediment to achieving the Healthy People 2010 blood pressure control goals. Hypertension. 2006; 47: 345–351.
18. Fine LJ, Cutler JA. Hypertension and the treating physician: understanding and reducing therapeutic inertia. Hypertension. 2006; 47: 319–320.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||