Aims & Scope
International Journal of Heart Research (JH) publishes mechanistic investigations into cardiac physiology, cardiovascular system function, and physiological modeling of heart disease processes. We focus on understanding how the cardiovascular system works at molecular, cellular, organ, and systems levels.
Core Research Domains
Cardiac Electrophysiology
- Ion channel function and regulation in cardiac myocytes
- Action potential generation and propagation mechanisms
- Cellular basis of arrhythmogenesis
- Gap junction physiology and electrical coupling
- Autonomic modulation of cardiac electrical activity
- Computational modeling of cardiac electrical systems
"Mechanistic investigation of L-type calcium channel kinetics during prolonged action potentials in ventricular myocytes, with computational modeling of arrhythmia susceptibility"
Cardiovascular Hemodynamics
- Myocardial contractility and force-length relationships
- Ventricular pressure-volume dynamics
- Cardiac output regulation and determinants
- Vascular resistance and flow distribution
- Blood pressure regulation mechanisms
- Fluid dynamics in cardiovascular structures
"Pressure-volume loop analysis revealing altered ventricular compliance mechanisms in response to chronic volume overload, with mathematical modeling of chamber mechanics"
Vascular Physiology
- Endothelial function and nitric oxide signaling
- Vascular smooth muscle contraction mechanisms
- Arterial stiffness and compliance regulation
- Microcirculatory flow regulation
- Autoregulation of organ blood flow
- Vascular remodeling physiology
"Endothelium-dependent vasodilation mechanisms mediated by shear stress-induced calcium signaling in resistance arteries, with quantitative flow-mediated response modeling"
Cardiac Metabolism & Energetics
- Myocardial oxygen consumption and supply balance
- Substrate utilization in cardiac muscle
- Mitochondrial function in cardiomyocytes
- Energy transfer and phosphocreatine kinetics
- Metabolic regulation during physiological stress
- Coupling of metabolism to contractile function
"Quantitative analysis of myocardial oxygen consumption during graded workload increases, revealing substrate switching mechanisms and efficiency of ATP production"
Secondary Focus Areas
Neurohumoral Regulation
Autonomic nervous system control of heart rate and contractility, baroreceptor reflex mechanisms, hormonal modulation of cardiovascular function, and integration of neural-cardiac signaling pathways.
Exercise Physiology
Cardiovascular adaptations to acute and chronic exercise, mechanisms of training-induced cardiac remodeling, oxygen delivery during physical stress, and physiological limits of cardiac performance.
Developmental Cardiac Physiology
Physiological changes during cardiac development, fetal-to-neonatal circulatory transitions, maturation of cardiac function, and age-related alterations in cardiovascular physiology across the lifespan.
Cardiac Mechanotransduction
Cellular responses to mechanical stress, stretch-activated channels, mechanosensitive signaling pathways, and physiological mechanisms of cardiac adaptation to hemodynamic load.
Computational Cardiovascular Modeling
Mathematical models of cardiac electrophysiology, hemodynamic simulations, multi-scale modeling from cells to organs, and in silico prediction of physiological responses.
Comparative Cardiovascular Physiology
Cross-species investigations of cardiac function, evolutionary adaptations in cardiovascular systems, and translational insights from animal models to human physiology.
Emerging Research Frontiers
Cardiac Optogenetics
Light-based control of cardiac electrical activity, optogenetic mapping of conduction pathways, and novel approaches to studying cardiac electrophysiology with temporal precision. Note: Requires strong mechanistic physiological component for consideration.
Single-Cell Cardiac Physiology
High-resolution investigation of cardiomyocyte heterogeneity, single-cell electrophysiology and calcium dynamics, and cellular mechanisms underlying organ-level function.
Cardiac Biomechanics
Tissue-level mechanical properties, stress-strain relationships in myocardium, biomechanical modeling of cardiac chambers, and mechanistic links between structure and function.
Systems Physiology Integration
Multi-organ interactions affecting cardiac function, integration of cardiovascular with respiratory and renal systems, and whole-body physiological regulation of circulation.
Explicitly Out of Scope
- Clinical Outcome Studies: Patient survival rates, treatment efficacy trials, comparative effectiveness research, or clinical management protocols without mechanistic physiological investigation.
- Diagnostic Technology Development: Clinical imaging technique optimization, diagnostic algorithm validation, or biomarker discovery studies focused solely on clinical utility rather than physiological mechanisms.
- Surgical Technique Reports: Procedural descriptions, surgical outcomes, operative innovations, or device implantation studies without physiological mechanism investigation.
- Epidemiological Studies: Population-based risk factor analysis, disease prevalence surveys, or public health interventions lacking mechanistic physiological components.
- Pharmaceutical Development: Drug efficacy trials, pharmacokinetic studies, or therapeutic agent testing without detailed investigation of physiological mechanisms of action.
- Case Reports: Individual patient presentations, clinical observations, or rare disease descriptions unless they reveal novel physiological mechanisms with broader implications.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Expedited Review
Mechanistic investigations with high physiological impact receive accelerated editorial handling (target: 21 days to first decision).
Regular Review Timeline
Solid physiological investigations with standard review process (target: 35 days to first decision).
Case-by-Case Evaluation
Considered only when presenting exceptional physiological insights or methodological innovations.
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
- ARRIVE 2.0 for animal studies
- STROBE for observational research
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- Transparent reporting of methods
- Statistical analysis pre-specification
Data Transparency
- Raw data deposition encouraged
- Code availability for modeling studies
- Reproducible analysis workflows
- Supplementary physiological recordings
- Protocol registration for prospective studies
Ethical Requirements
- IACUC approval for animal research
- IRB approval for human studies
- Informed consent documentation
- Ethical statement in manuscript
- Conflict of interest disclosure
Preprint Policy
- Preprints welcomed and encouraged
- bioRxiv/medRxiv deposition supported
- No impact on novelty assessment
- Cite preprint DOI in submission
- Version control maintained
Ready to Submit Your Research?
If your work investigates cardiovascular physiological mechanisms and aligns with our scope, we invite you to submit your manuscript for peer review.
