Editorial review

Journal conception

This journal started as an idea proposed by the committee of the Association for Comparative Haematology formed by the founding editors, Drs Geoff Brown and Chas Mifsud, with Professors Paul Sibbons, Nemi Jain, and Derek Hall, in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Around this time the Animal Chemistry Association and Association for Comparative Haematology merged to become the Association for Comparative Clinical Pathology (ACCP).

Launched in Feb 1991, Comparative Haematology International went from success-to-success transforming into Comparative Clinical Pathology in 2000. Since then, the journal has progressed to be an essential resource for veterinarians, toxicologists, students and researchers in animal sciences. It also aids in refining existing testing methods and/or developing new tests to more accurately determi toxicity of a novel compound, assisting veterinarian’s diagnosis of diseases and disorders, and serves as a valuable resource for researchers utilising both older technologies and developing new methodologies.

Historically there has also been much interest in the testing, for safety and efficacy, of traditional medicines (herbal and homeopathic remedies) to provide a more scientific justification for use of these as therapies. Manuscripts in this area have been published in Comparative Clinical Pathology where the analyses fall within the scope of the journal, however, the profiling of these extracts and remedies is not a specified aim of the journal and manuscripts submitted for publication are therefore assessed on the description of the extracts as well as the analyses they contain, and treated on a case-by-case basis.

An area of primary interest for our readership and the scope of the journal are biomarkers, as many are used in translational medicine. Some translational biomarker tests used or developed for use in research and/or pre-clinical testing are carried through to veterinary and human clinical trials for regulatory submission and subsequent registration (e.g. MHRA, FDA, EMA, etc.), and continue to be used in appropriate population monitoring as part of due diligence. Other areas of interest include newer testing modalities (flow cytometry, transcriptomics and spatial biology), and advances in ELISA technology, cytokine analysis, and automation, have propelled clinical pathology testing into a more advanced future and Comparative Clinical Pathology wants to help disseminate information about these technologies to our readers.

The upsurge in immunotherapies following the catastrophic phase 1 clinical trial of TeGenero's monoclonal antibody in 2006 {designed to activate immune system T cells}, focussed greater attention on the pre-clinical testing of new therapies. The introduction of the ICH S8 testing guidelines in 2006 for immunotoxicity potential intended to provide guidance for assessing low molecular weight compounds, and supports the growth of our interest in publishing this kind of research in Comparative Clinical Pathology.

Publishing in high-quality, recognised journals such as Comparative Clinical Pathology, is paramount to advancing good quality research, and is also a great place to publish case histories in the aforesaid arenas.

Prime functions of comparative clinical pathology

The principles for which the ACCP was originally set up—namely, disseminating current research and interests in pharmaceutical, toxicology, pre-clinical, veterinary sciences, and biotechnology industries, promoting education and training in the subjects, and encouraging research and publication of data – persist today and are actively encouraged and supported by Springer Nature (Driving academic publishing since 1842!).

The ACCP is a UK charity funded by registration fees for meetings, and supports the promotion and discussion of all aspects of comparative clinical pathology, offering lectures, classes, seminars, training courses, help and advice. The involvement of the ACCP in the Editorship, Editorial Board and reviewer pool of Comparative Clinical Pathology since its inception plays a major part in disseminating the research that underpins the science upon which the ACCP was founded and which our members perform on a daily basis.

More information about the ACCP, it’s constitution, aims and scope, and past and future events that demonstrate the work of this group can be found on the website at: https://www.accp.org.uk/, or by contacting the editors of this journal.

The editorial board

2016 saw a change of Chief Editor from Professor Sibbons to a job-share between Dr Brenda Finney and myself. Since taking over the Editorship, we have encouraged more involvement of our ACCP colleagues, have recruited and on-boarded additional Associate Editors [AE’s] and reconstructed the Editorial Board.

Our current AE’s reflect the diverse list of subjects of interest to Comparative Clinical Pathology and includes researchers from the pre-clinical and toxicology fields {AE’s: Drs Matthew Hartness, Joanna Harding, Michael Burgess-Wilson and Dina Rešetar Maslov}. I should also mention supporters of the ACCP and journal who have served on the AE board, Dr Peter Cotton {recently retired} and Professor Peter O’Brien, who has recently transitioned from the AE group to the Editorial Board.

The current Editorial Board comprises of Professors in veterinary haematology {Peter O’Brien, Claire B. Andreassen, Milica Kovacevic Filipovic, and Gheorghe Solcan), Professor Paul Sibbons {Director, Head of Surgical Sciences, NPIMR}, and those in veterinary clinical chemistry {Andjelo Beletic, Serafeim Chaintoutis, Panagiotis Katsoulos, Arianna Miglio, Ahmed N.F. Neamat-allah, Tanmoy Rana, Paul Sibbons, and Juan Carlos Troiano}. These members proudly reflect the global reach of our group from countries such as Argentina, Egypt, Greece, India, Italy, and the UK.

Comparative clinical pathology – what it means to us

Comparative aspects of our work refer to differences in amount, number, degree, or quality from normal or expected findings, and is related to comparison between differing mammalian species (including human), but is not exclusive and may include avian and aquatic species where deemed relevant, or of interest to the readership.

While histology and pathological assessments can be part of studies to support clinical pathology assessments and findings, manuscripts should include multiple assay types such as clinical chemistry, haematology or cytological analyses. The editors will always try to initially assess a manuscript on the following factors:

• 1. Relevance to the stated journal scope

• 2. Scientific quality and presentation

• 3. Potential interest to the readership

To this end, published manuscripts have ranged from, and include such diverse subjects as:

Methodological assessments: e.g.

• The effects of blood collection tube components on canine routine biochemistry and hormone assays: Elham Rezaei et al. (Volume 31, issue 4, August 2022)

• Quality control in blood cell analysis: P. W. Helleman (Vol 1, Issue 1—February 1991)

• The assay of canine serum haptoglobin and its diagnostic implications. A comparison of two assay techniques: D. R. E. Jones & D. E. Hall (Vol 1, Issue 1—February 1991)

• The validation and application of the technicon H*1 for the complete automated evaluation of laboratory animal haematology: D. T. Davies & G. V. Fisher (Vol 1, Issue 2—August 1991)

Clinical case histories: e.g.

• Effects benefits and hazards of honey bee venom on wound healing and serum biochemical changes in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Abdolrasoul Namjou et al. (Volume 31, issue 4, August 2022)

• The haematological consequences of immune-mediated anaemia in the dog: D. R. E. Jones & T. J. Gruffydd-Jones (Vol 1, Issue 3—August 1991)

• Haemostasis and antithrombin III in the full-term newborn foal: B. J. Darien C. & Carleton J. Travis (Vol 1, Issue 3—August 1991)

• Disseminated intravascular coagulation in the rat: A case history from a toxicological study: B. A. Ganney & G. Brown (Vol 1, Issue 3—August 1991)

Research subjects: e.g.

• Mechanisms underlying the hepatoprotective effect of silymarin on fluoxetine-induced liver injury in rats: the implication of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ): Gellan Alaa Mohamed Kamel et al. (Volume 31, issue 4, August 2022)

• CD138 mRNA expression from peripheral blood of patients with follicular and diffuse large B cell lymphoma: relation to disease progression and treatment response: Soheir Elsaid Abd elmohsen et al. (Volume 23, issue 4, July 2014)

• Thin layer chromatography of erythrocyte membrane glycolipids from type A and type B cats: M. Butler et al. (Volume 1, issue 4, November 1991)

Reference data: e.g.

• Evaluating the hemato-biochemical indices in relation to the different etiologies of chronic diarrhea in dairy cattle and buffalo: Nuzhat Hassan et al. (Volume 31, issue 4, August 2022)

• First record of hematologic values in free-living silky anteaters (Cyclopes didactylus: Xenarthra: Cyclopedidae): Flávia R. Miranda et al. (Volume 31, issue 1, February 2022)

• Leucocyte values in rats and mice following carbon dioxide euthanasia: G. O. Evans & D. E. C. Smith (Volume 1, issue 4, November 1991)

Call for papers and participants in the journal’s future

As the journal grows, we welcome submission of papers and manuscripts from all authors of any work connected with research and interests in the pharmaceutical, toxicology, pre-clinical, veterinary sciences, education and biotechnology industries. We are establishing two collections for which we specifically invite manuscripts. These are:

• 1. Reviews Collection – Manuscripts in this collection should cover overviews on topics relevant to clinical pathology

• 2. Methods and Biomarkers Collection – Manuscripts in this collection should cover either specific assay methods or biomarker analysis with clear and specific details, including reference ranges and control data.

Authors wishing to submit articles/research work/case histories/papers/manuscripts/other relevant comparative clinical pathology material conforming to the scope of the journal, will find submission guidelines on Springer’s website at: https://www.springer.com/journal/580/submission-guidelines.

All work (new publications, reviews, etc.), are welcome and so a call for prospective publications is now requested.