Journal of Intensive Care

Circulating levels of soluble urokinase plasminogen activation receptor (suPAR) have been proposed as a prognostic biomarker in patients with critical illness and sepsis. However, the origin of suPAR in sepsis has remained obscure.
In this article, authors investigated the potential cellular sources of suPAR by analyzing membrane-bound urokinase plasminogen activator receptor to evaluate its clinical relevance in critically ill patients.

Image:  Blausen.com staff (2014). WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). 

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are common procedures performed in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, conservative transfusion approaches have been recommended to avoid RBC transfusions that are not clinically necessary and to achieve optimal patient outcomes. In this study authors aim to examine the utilization and costs of RBC transfusions in medical-surgical ICUs and to compare this information against clinical guideline recommendations for best practice.

Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine offers collections of guidelines on the diagnosis and management of a range of conditions that are related to intensive care medicine.

The clinical practice guideline for the management of ARDS in Japan (2017)

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2016 (J-SSCG 2016) (2018)

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guideline for acute kidney injury 2016 (2018)

Journal of Intensive Care is the official journal of the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM).

The publication costs for Journal of Intensive Care are currently covered by JSICM, therefore no fees will be charged to authors whose articles are accepted for publication in the journal.

Journal of Intensive Care publish set of articles that discuss given topic from opposing standpoints. 

Topic 1:
Acute glycemic control in diabetics. How sweet is optimal? 
Pro:  Sweeter is better in diabetes
Con: Just as sweet as in nondiabetic is better

Topic 2: 
Aggressive fluid management in the critically ill patients.
Pro:  fluids should be aggressively managed in critically ill patients
Con: “aggressive” may lead to “excessive”

More topic to come. 

Neurocritical Care revisited
The second Thematic Series on Neurocritical Care puts together selection of reviews providing different aspects and latest insight into Neurocritical Care.

Cardiovascular intensive care
This thematic series presents 5 review articles providing latest understandings on the management of patients with severe CVD. 

Current overview in pediatric critical care
In this thematic series, the authors review the current management of pediatric sepsis, pediatric organ transplantation, pediatric cardiac surgery and more.

Trauma-induced coagulopathy and critical bleeding
In this thematic series, the authors examine the pathophysiology of trauma-induced coagulopathy and discuss the novel therapeutic strategies for the management of patients with severe trauma.

Point-of-care ultrasound
In this thematic series, the authors review various clinical studies on point-of-care ultrasound, which were carried out based on the ideas of “extraction”, “creation” and “integration”.

Organ dysfunction in sepsis
In this thematic series, the authors review the pathophysiology of organ dysfunction in sepsis. The role of two main pathomechanisms of organ dysfunction, DIC and endothelial cell dysfunction, are also discussed.

Neurocritical care
In this thematic series, the role of monitoring is highlighted to guide the treatment and therapeutic intervention tailored for the pathophysiologic degree of brain injury.

Fluid management
In this thematic series, the principal and practical matters underlying fluid therapy are highlighted to allow intensivists around the world to better understand and manage such primary and consistent intervention as fluid therapy in critically ill patients.

Hiroshi Morisaki, Editor-in-Chief

Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Morisaki also serves as the Director of the General Intensive Care Unit, Keio University Hospital. His professional interests include intensive care and perioperative medicine.

Nobuaki Shime, Deputy Editor

Professor and Chair of the Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Medical School, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan.
Dr. Shime also serves as a Director of the Advanced Emergency and Critical Care Center and Intensive Care Unit and Assistant Head, Hiroshima University Hospital.