PH&C: A new journey in Liverland

Portal hypertension is an important factor affecting the clinical course of patients with cirrhosis, as it can predict the development of cirrhosis-related complications, including ascites, variceal bleeding, and encephalopathy.1,2,3 Cirrhosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, although the health burden and underlying causes differ across regions. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, there were 10.6 million prevalent cases of decompensated cirrhosis, and 112 million prevalent cases of compensated cirrhosis.4 Since the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease launched in 1981, Hepatology has provided an outstanding platform for spreading rapid progress in liver science including portal hypertension and cirrhosis research. Subsequently, a number of excellent liver-related journals have emerged, including the official journal of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, Journal of Hepatology, in 1985 and that of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver APASL, Hepatology International, in 2007. These journals together make up an overall strong foundation for liver research and patient care. However, no dedicated journal focusing on portal hypertension and cirrhosis has yet been created despite the high volume of publications in this area worldwide.

This is about to change. In June 2022, the Chinese Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) will inaugurate its official journal, Portal Hypertension & Cirrhosis (PH&C). This open access, peer-reviewed journal aims to become a desired destination for innovative achievements and practice and a reliable resource for all scientists and clinicians to share cutting-edge research. Meanwhile, this new journal also pursues a role in preserving a land for hepatologists, gastroenterologists, endoscopists, digestive surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, pathologists, primary care providers, specialists, and all of those interested in portal hypertension- and cirrhosis-related sciences and patient care to announce their high-quality findings. As the Editor-in-Chief, I am excited and honored to shape this journal with my fantastic Co-Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Don C. Rockey from the Medical University of South Carolina. Our internationally recognized Editorial Board will monitor and select the best articles from each category, such as cirrhosis, portal hypertension, chronic liver disease, liver fibrosis, acute-on-chronic liver failure, and liver cancer, to form the most interesting and informative issue. PH&C will feature a broad spectrum of publications, including Original Articles, Editorials, Reviews, Meta-Analyses, Case Reports, Clinical Images, Study Protocols, and Letters to the Editor, and more. In addition to these classic features, a novel article type "In Focus" will cover timely reports on our colleagues who advance research and promote patient care in this field around the world. Herein, we sincerely invite your submissions, from clinical to basic to translational research, to PH&C at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/phc, and make it YOUR journal. We promise our authors and readers a rapid response for both the peer-review and online publication processes, as we are aware that only with your generous trust and support, PH&C can grow into an impactful international journal. All submissions will be equally welcomed and evaluated based on their scientific merit.

PH&C is supported by Wiley, an experienced publisher, and hosted by the Chinese Medical Association. In 1915, Dr. Wu Lien-The, the founder of the Chinese Medical Association and the founding Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Medical Journal, said "the journal is always developed as the prosperity of the country." Nowadays, China, as the world's second largest economy, is indeed experiencing a surge in liver disease burden. Of the 1.4 billion population in China, it is estimated that over one-fifth are affected by liver diseases, and as many as 7 million live with cirrhosis, making it an unambiguously major contributor to morbidity and mortality on this land. To address this problem, CHESS was founded in 2016 to shape a world-class leading research platform for the study of portal hypertension and cirrhosis. Through the collaboration of the Chinese Medical Association and Wiley, CHESS will go even further to establish a dedicated, easily accessible, and globally distributed journal. Although local in theme at the beginning, PH&C promises to deliver the science of portal hypertension and cirrhosis to the entire world.

As the founding Editor-in-Chief of PH&C and the founder of CHESS, it is my great privilege to introduce to you the goal of the journal. Rather than plainly disseminating and recording scientific contributions, PH&C is determined to build a COMMUNITY that pledges to embrace innovation-oriented research, multidisciplinary-oriented practice, and patient-oriented care.5 Moreover, PH&C will be devoted to effective translation of novel findings not only from scientists/clinicians to patients with cirrhosis or portal hypertension but also from other directions. Taking advantage of open access publishing, PH&C will facilitate rapid communication and dissemination of information with the hopes of promoting disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment with novel therapies. PH&C also envisions approaches to involve patients in the scientific research for their own benefits.

Following a similar pattern as all other open access journals, it will take some time for PH&C to gain international recognition and indices, for instance, an Impact Factor, but nothing can stop our steps toward timely listing in Index Medicus. Beyond that, the true success of PH&C will be largely defined by the novel findings from international authors and high number of citations from global readers. On the inaugural cover image, the vasculature of the portal venous system was designed as the "Silk Road" to bridge the East and the West as it symbolizes a successful connection between Eastern and Western civilizations (Figure 1). It is our greatest hope that PH&C will strive to exchange the best science and practice of portal hypertension and cirrhosis by connecting the world. We have full confidence that with your kind support, passion of our editorial board, and expertize of our publication staff, PH&C will soon develop into a highly successful international open-access journal. I invite you to engage your curiosity and follow us on our new journey in Liverland.