Intensive Care Research - Call for Papers for the Special Issue: Encephalopathy in Intensive Care Medicine, from Molecular Basis to Therapy

Guest Editor: 

Prof. Xijing Zhang

Aims and scope

Recently several excellent studies demonstrate high morbidity of neurological disturbances ranging from delirium to coma among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). For example, the prevalence of delirium in the ICU is 32.3%. The group of these neurological disturbances term “encephalopathy”. Various critical diseases associated with encephalopathy include cerebral diseases such as stroke, and trauma, or systemic disorders such as sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and exposure to pharmacological toxins and agents. Currently, the effects of encephalopathy on outcomes of ICU patients raise much interest. There is emerging evidence that encephalopathy is an independent risk factor of mortality and causes the poor outcome of critical patients. Moreover, ICU survivors often suffer long-time cognitive impairment. Although the impact of encephalopathy on patients admitted to ICU is increasingly recognized, its potential molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood and standardized clinical management is lacking. There is great interest in identifying the molecular mechanisms of encephalopathy and developing effective preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Main topics and quality control

The goal of this Special Issue is, therefore, to collate state-of-the-art research focused on developing effective preventive and therapeutic interventions on encephalopathy in ICU. We are particularly interested in studies that improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of encephalopathy in ICU. We welcome the submission of Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory, Perspectives, Clinical Trials, and Original Research articles that allow narrowing existing knowledge. gaps. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Predictive analytics of encephalopathy in ICU
• Treatment strategies for ICU patients with encephalopathy
• Clinical application of analgesics and sedatives in ICU patients with encephalopathy
• Monitoring and nursing management of ICU patients with encephalopathy
• Exploring the molecular mechanisms of encephalopathy in ICU

Full papers will be subject to a strict review procedure for final selection to this special issue based on the following criteria:

1. Quality and originality in theory and methodology of the special issue.
2. Relevance to the topic of the special issue.
3. Research orientation which exhibits novelty.
4. If there is a funding, the details of the funding must be provided.
5. Presence of the following statements (if applicable): disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, research involving human participants and/or animals, informed consent.

Important date

Open date:                                         24 Mar. 2022

Submit your paper

All papers have to be submitted via the Editorial Manager online submission and peer review system. Instructions will be provided on screen and you will be stepwise guided through the process of uploading all the relevant article details and files associated with your submission. During submission authors should indicate that their manuscript belongs to the special issue “Encephalopathy in Intensive Care Medicine, From Molecular Basis to Therapy” (this question will appear at “Additional Information” step). All manuscripts must be submitted in English.

To access the online submission site for the journal, please visit https://www.editorialmanager.com/icrs/default1.aspx (this opens in a new tab). Note that if this is the first time that you submit to the Intensive Care Research, you need to register as a user of the system first.

NOTE : Before submitting your paper, please make sure to review the journal's Author Guidelines (this opens in a new tab) first.

After acceptance

This special issue will be published as a virtual collection that will be accessible at SpringerLink.  Accepted papers will be published online within about 20 days after acceptance, fully citable by DOI (Digital Object Identifier), prior to publication in the issue.”

Introduction of the Guest Editor

[Xijing Zhang]

Dr. Xijing Zhang is the chief physician and professor of the Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Xi’an, China. His major research interests include sepsis-associated encephalopathy, ICU-associated encephalopathy, and multiple organ dysfunction in special military environments. As the first author, he has published more than 20 academic papers (science citation indexed). He serves as an editorial board member of the Chinese edition of Critical Care Medicine, the executive editorial board member of Critical Care, the editorial board member of the Journal of Clinical Military Medicine, the Journal of Trauma and Critical Care Medicine, and the Journal of Trauma.