Danger Signals and IL-1 Family

In Allergology International (AI) Vol.59 No.2, we have 6 Review Articles, 9 Original Articles and 1 Letter to Editor article. AI is publishing theme issues that include reviews in important fields of current research activity written by eminent experts. The theme of this issue is "Danger Signals and IL-1 Family".

Alarmin augments allergenicity and alerts the immune system.

It has been proposed for a long time that immune reaction is initiated only when non-self components invade us. However, recent evidences indicate that alarmin also plays an important role in initiating the immune reaction.

Toll-like receptors and NOD-like receptors are known to detect invading pathogenic microbes as non-self antigens. These receptors also sense alarmin (nonmicrobial danger signals) and form large cytoplasmic complexes called inflammasome that activates the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 family, IL-1β and IL-18. In the presence of alarmin, the innate immune system can be stimulated even to non-self components and thus adaptive immune responses begin.

Willart et al. describe how alarmin stimulates dendritic cells and can initiate allergic sensitization. Kambe et al. discuss about the role of inflammasome, especially in the skin diseases. Coban et al. from Akira’s laboratory review the roles of the malarial metabolite hemozoin as an alarmin to initiate immune response and as vaccine adjuvant. Nambu et al. and Nakanishi et al. comprehensively review the roles of IL-1 and IL-18, respectively. The role of a new IL-1 family cytokine, IL-33, which receptor ST2 gene is most susceptible to the onset of allergic asthma and eosinophilia, has been reviewed.

This issue of AI includes a wide variety of topics. Higashi et al. report that curdlan, one of the β-glucans derived from Candia albicans, has the ability to induce dendritic cell-mediated Th17 differentiation. It can be regarded as one of danger signals. Ohta et al. have reported that one year treatment with Omalizumab is effective and well tolerated in Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma.

You will surely enjoy this issue of AI and can update your knowledge about immunotherapy and general Allergology.

Good News for Authors and Readers of AI
We are pleased to announce that the journal citation index* by SCImago^® of AI has jumped up from 0.577 to 2.168. I would like to thank distinguished authors of international scientists who contributed to AI and friends who continuously support AI in this occasion. We are very keen on further expanding the scientific value of AI by receiving the highest quality articles from you and by referring to AI articles by you to your next manuscript.

*As you may certainly know, the 2008 impact factor (published in 2009) is calculated by Thomson Reuters by dividing the number of citation in the year 2008 regarding the articles published in 2006 and 2007 in a certain journal by the number of articles published in 2006 and 2007. Although we have submitted AI to Thomson Reuters for consideration of impact factor calculation (Web of Science^® Citation) in 2009, it will take several years until we get official impact factor. However, SCImago^® Research Group has recently started to publish similar journal ranking citation indexes at freely accessible website (http://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php). When you put“Allergology International” into the search query, Allergology International will show up, and then if you click it, you will find several journal ranking indexes. Cites per Doc (2y) is calculated using the same method as for impact factor. Cites per Doc (2y) index 2.168 of AI is ranked at 6th position in all journals related to allergy and allergology.

Notes from Instruction for Authors
Please note some changes in Instruction for Authors. For example, according to the Declaration of Helsinki in Seoul 2008, we have revised some ethical issues. Clinical trials such as pharmacological interventions now should be preregistered to a public registry approved by WHO. Alternatively, such as for the previously designed studies, the authors should state why they did not preregister. Also, the authors who are not speaking native English are now requested to check and improve the manuscripts by language editing services before submission.

Allergology International (AI) is the official journal of the Japanese Society of Allergology (JSA). It provides an international forum of basic and clinical research in allergology and immunology, especially aiming at advance excellence in research activities for allergology in Asia.

AI publishes original works in the fields of allergy, asthma, immunopathology, immunogenetics, immunopharmacology, mucosal immunity and immunology of infectious and connective tissue diseases. In addition to original papers, it features reviews, case reports, letters and hypothesis. Submissions from all over the world are welcome.

AI editorial board guarantees a fair review process and rapid publication of significant and novel works. The board members make effort to boost the journal up to a world-class level. From the year 2006, articles published in AI are cited in Medline (PubMed) database in NCBI, National Institute of Health, U.S.A. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed). Since then, the citation number is increased more than double according to SCImago^® database (http://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php).