Letter from the Editors

Abstract

Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics enters its 25th year of publication in 2012. It is a robust independent journal, which prides itself that its Authors are the first priority. This is reflected by the speed that the Editors and Reviewers handle papers, and the extremely rare appeals against Editorial decisions. The median performance statistics for the papers that appeared in the December 2011 issue were: one month for the first decision to revise the paper, one month for the accepted paper to appear on-line as a fully approved typeset manuscript, and a final month to appear within an issue of the journal. AP&T is the fastest journal in Gastroenterology and Hepatology! Authors who want the world to read their work without delay should submit to AP&T, and 16% more have done so compared with a year ago. The Editorial Team has been augmented in 2012 by the appointment of Dr Alex Ford and Professor Peter Hayes as Associate Editors. Alex has been Letters Editor for the last year. The letters column is now a vigorous form of post-publication peer-review, which has been extended to include Invited Commentaries that discuss recent articles. Members of the journal’s International Advisory Board mostly write the commentaries. Peter is a loyal supporter of AP&T, having published 25 papers in the journal, which is almost a record. The Editors now have more defined areas of responsibility: Jon Rhodes – review articles; Jean-Fred Colombel, Jon Rhodes and Susie Kane – inflammatory bowel disease; Paul Martin and Peter Hayes – viral hepatitis and general hepatology, respectively; Nick Talley and Alex Ford – functional bowel disorders, motility and small intestine; Brian Fennerty – oesophageal disorders and endoscopy; Roy Pounder – gastric disorders. Our profound thanks go to the four people who are the energy behind AP&T: Doris Edwards, Editorial Manager, and Lisa Deakin, Journal Manager, in England; Kuthsiyya Peer Mohamed, Production Editor, in Singapore; and Gayathri C, Type-setter, in India. Tribute must also be paid to our Reviewers, at least two of whom provide detailed comments about each paper. If they report within a fortnight, we offer them either a selected CD (it’s impossible to provide free iTunes globally!), or they can ask Wiley-Blackwell to donate a gift to Médecins Sans Frontières. In 2011, their donation to MSF will total £32 292 ($50 797 or €37 746). Thank-you all! In the first issue of AP&T in February 1987, there were only eight papers: Beta-blockers for portal hypertension pH control using H2-antagonists during gastrointestinal bleeding Omeprazole for resistant peptic ulcers Ciclosporin for Crohn’s disease Somatostatin analogue for endocrine tumours Aspirin and gastric damage Smoking and drug absorption Acid and gastrin after omeprazole. So what’s changed in 2012? The hot topics are inflammatory bowel disease and hepatology; Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis have been transformed by the use of biologicals, but they still require chronic treatment, and no cure is in sight. Viral hepatitis and fatty liver are the big growth areas in hepatology. Acid is easily controlled, even over-the-counter, but there are real hazards of achlorhydria. Helicobacter pylori remains something of an enigma, in terms of both epidemiology and eradication. Pre- and probiotics remain of enormous interest to readers, but have still to establish their place in Gastroenterology. Thank you for your support over the last 25 years – please keep sending new papers, and reading and citing our articles! AP&T's future is bright!