Dear Readers of Scandinavian Journal of Immunology and ECI2015 Attendees.

Abstract

Scandinavian Journal of Immunology has established itself over the last 40 years as one of the leading journals in the field of immunology through the publication of high-quality original research papers and reviews that reflect the developments in this discipline. The journal has made great strides in the last couple of years in particular, and we would like to bring you up to date on some of the changes made and on our plans for the future. The total circulation of the journal is now well over 4,750. A total of 3,801 institutions in the developing world now enjoy free or a very low rate paid access to the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology through various philanthropic initiatives (INTAS, INASP, Research4Life [HINARI-WHO], AGORA). More than 98% of the subscribers to the journal are currently online subscriptions. Articles from the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology were downloaded a massive 218,799 times in 2014. The journal's top users in 2014 reflect its international appeal: scientists most frequently downloading articles from the journal were from Karolinska Institute, University of Oslo, Zeijang University, University of Sao Paulo, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Harvard University, Seoul National University, Stanford University, National Autonomous University of Mexico and Oxford University. The most frequently accessed articles last year (2014) were as follows: Utility of the Housekeeping Genes 18S rRNA, β-Actin and Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate-Dehydrogenase for Normalization in Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis of Gene Expression in Human T Lymphocytes (Bas, A., Forsberg, G., Hammarström, S. and Hammarström, M.-L, volume 59, issue 6, pp 566–573, June 2004): 2,447 downloads. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit and Stimulate Mixed Lymphocyte Cultures and Mitogenic Responses Independently of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (K. Le Blanc, L. Tammik, B. Sundberg, S. E. Haynesworth and O. Ringdén, volume 57, issue1, pp 11–20, 2003): 1,796 downloads. Influenza Virus: Immunity and Vaccination Strategies. Comparison of the Immune Response to Inactivated and Live, Attenuated Influenza Vaccines (Cox, R. J., Brokstad, K. A. and Ogra, P., volume 59, issue 1, pp 1–15, January 2004): 1735 downloads. A total of 1302 researchers subscribe to the e-toc alert service, through which tables of contents are sent direct to their inbox. There are no page charges or submission fees for authors publishing in the journal. Reviews are freely accessible online, and colour reproduction is free to review authors. Author-funded open access is available for those whose funding bodies mandate publication in an open-access journal. Members of immunological societies can receive the journal at the privileged rate of £30. All papers for Scandinavian Journal of Immunology are submitted and refereed online using Manuscript Central. This has led to enormous savings in the time from submission to acceptance; the average handling time for a paper is now 28 days from submission to first decision and 39 days from submission to final decision. There is also a fast-track facility available for the highest profile papers. The journal operates a stringent peer-review process, and all referees are given feedback on the decisions made on the papers they have reviewed. With published contributions from corresponding authors in 31 countries around the world, Scandinavian Journal of Immunology is truly international in outlook. With great pleasure, we present the ECI2015 issue of Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. It is our sincere hope that the content of this issue with invited review papers produced by Editorial Board members 1-10, without emphasizing any particular immunological topic or subject, reflects the broad international profile of the Journal. These papers cover basic effector functions of T lymphocytes, NK cells and B cells/plasma cells, use of the zebra fish for studying infections, pathogenic mechanisms of systemic lupus erythematosus, biomarkers of type 1 diabetes and novel treatment modalities of congestive heart failure, B cell malignancies and autoimmune disorders.