Clinical Rheumatology is an international journal devoted to publishing, in the English language, original clinical investigation and research in the general field of rheumatology with accent on clinical aspects at postgraduate level.

Studies carried out anywhere in the world will be considered, the basic criterion for acceptance being the medical and scientific standard of the work described. Manuscripts submitted for publication are scrutinised by independent expert assessors and once accepted will be published promptly.

Clinical Rheumatology succeeds Acta Rheumatologica Belgica, which was originally founded in 1945 as the official journal of the Belgian Rheumatology Society. Since the journal's international audience is concentrated in Eastern and Southern Europe, the Society has broadened the scope of the journal and adapted the editorial board and the title of the journal accordingly.

Rheumatology in Europe is not restricted to inflammatory rheumatic diseases but also includes non-surgical bone diseases, in general, and rehabilitation. The aim of the editorial board is for Clinical Rheumatology to reflect the field of rheumatology in its wider aspects. Hence, Clinical Rheumatology aims to cover all modern trends in clinical and experimental research as well as the management and evaluation of diagnostic and treatment procedures connected with the inflammatory, immunologic, metabolic, genetic and degenerative soft and hard connective tissue diseases.

Original publications, short communications, editorials, and reviews in relation to these topics will be accepted. Letters to the editor are welcome as enhancement to discussions. Case Reports are no longer accepted but instead authors are invited to submit a Case Based Review: a case report of extreme clinical interest incorporating a mini literature review in an area of new knowledge.

Editor-in-Chief
Shinya Kaname,
Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, 
the First Department of Internal Medicine, 
Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo,Japan
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Toshiki Moriyama, 
Osaka University Health and Counselling Center, Osaka, Japan

Akira Shimizu 
Department of Analytic Human Pathology, 
Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan

Associate Editors
Masafumi Fukagawa,
Division of Nephrology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, 
Department of Internal Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan

Keiju Hiromura, 
Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, 
Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma,Japan

Yoshitaka Isaka,
Department of Nephrology,
Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

Kazunari Kaneko, 
Department of Pediatrics, 
Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan

Shuzo Kobayashi,
Kidney Disease and Transplant Center,
Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan

Daisuke Koya, 
Division of Diabetes & Endocrinology, 
Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan

Mariko Miyazaki, 
Department of Nephrology, Endocrinology and Vascular Medicine,
Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan

Masashi Mukoyama,
Graduate School of Medical Sciences,
Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan

Satoru Muto, 
Department of Urology, 
Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Michio Nagata, 
Kidney and vascular Pathology, 
Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, 
Majors of Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Masaomi Nangaku,
Division of Nephrology and Endocrinology, 
The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Shinichi Nishi, 
Division of Nephrology and Kidney Center, 
Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan

Hirokazu Okada,
Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, 
Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan

Mototsugu Oya, Department of Urology, 
Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Takashi Shigematsu, 
Division of Nephrology & Blood Purification Medicine,
Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan

Hitoshi Sugiyama,
Department of Human Resource Development of Dialysis Therapy for Kidney Disease,
Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 
Okayama, Japan

Tsukasa Takemura, 
Kushimoto Municipality Hospital, Wakayama, Japan

Yoshio Terada, 
Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nephrology,
Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan

Kazuhiko Tsuruya, 
Department of Nephrology, Nara Medical University, Nara, Japan

Shinichi Uchida, 
Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences,
Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

Takashi Wada,
Department of Nephrology and Laboratory Medicine,
Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine,
Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan

Tatsuo Yamamoto,
Department of Nephrology, 
Fujieda Municipal General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan

Kunimasa Yan, 
Department of Pediatrics, 
Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Motoko Yanagita, 
Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, 
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Takashi Yokoo, 
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, 
Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Deputy Editors
Katsuhiko Asanuma,
Department of Nephrology,
Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan

Shin Goto,
Division of Clinical Nephrology and Rheumatology, 
Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan

Shinji Kume,
Department of Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan

Consulting Editors
Naoki Kashihara, Okayama, Japan
Yukio Yuzawa, Aichi, Japan
Keiko Uchida, Tokyo, Japan
Masafumi Fukagawa, Kanagawa, Japan
Masaomi Nangaku, Tokyo, Japan
Yoshifumi Ubara, Tokyo, Japan
Yoshitaka Isaka, Osaka, Japan
Yoshio Terada, Kochi, Japan
Takashi Wada, Ishikawa, Japan
Hirokazu Okada, Saitama, Japan
Shinichi Nishi, Hyogo, Japan

International Advisory Board
Robert C. Atkins, Melbourne, Australia 
Jürgen Floege, Aachen, Germany 
Wilhelm Kriz, Heidelberg, Germany 
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Isehara, Japan 
Ira Kurtz, Los Angeles, USA
Florian Lang, Tübingen, Germany
William E. Mitch, Galveston, USA
Heini Murer, Zurich, Switzerland 
Pierre M. Ronco, Paris, France 
Jan J. Weening, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Editorial Board
Shuji Arima, Osaka, Japan
Tomohiko Asano, Saitama, Japan
Franco Ferrario, Milan, Italy
Yoshihide Fujigaki, Tokyo, Japan
Shoichi Fujimoto, Miyazaki, Japan
Kei Fukami, Fukuoka, Japan
Megumu Fukunaga, Osaka, Japan
Kengo Furuichi, Ishikawa, Japan
Norio Hanafusa, Tokyo, Japan
Naoyuki Hasebe, Hokkaido, Japan
Nobuhito Hirawa, Kanagawa, Japan
Xu Hong, Shanghai, China
Kazumoto Iijima, Hyogo, Japan
Kenji Ishikura, Tokyo, Japan
Toshihiko Ishimitsu, Tochigi, Japan
Shuichi Ito, Kanagawa, Japan
Takafumi Ito, Shimane, Japan
Yasuhiko Ito, Aichi Japan
Masayuki Iwano, Fukui, Japan
David R.W. Jayne, Cambridge, UK
Yuji Kamijo, Nagano, Japan
Hiroshi Kawachi, Niigata, Japan
Yukihiko Kawasaki, Fukushima, Japan
Yasuhiro Komatsu, Gunma, Japan
Tsuneo Konta, Yamagata, Japan
Matthias Kretzler, Ann Arbor, USA
Hiroo Kumagai, Saitama, Japan
Takahiro Kuragano, Hyogo, Japan
Takao Masaki, Hiroshima, Japan
Kosuke Masutani, Fukuoka, Japan
Toshio Mochizuki, Tokyo, Japan
Orson W. Moe, Dallas, USA
Kiyoshi Mori, Shizuoka, Japan
Takefumi Mori, Miyagi, Japan
Daisuke Nagata, Tochigi, Japan
Koichi Nakanishi, Okinawa, Japan
Genevieve Nguyen, Paris, France
Tomoya Nishino, Nagasaki, Japan
Akira Nishiyama, Kagawa, Japan
Hiroshi Nonoguchi, Saitama, Japan
Jennifer S. Pollock, Augusta, USA
Richard J. Quigg, Chicago, USA
Robert B. Robey, White River Junction, USA
Yoshihiko Saito, Nara, Japan
Shigeru Satoh, Akita, Japan
Tetsuo Shoji, Osaka, Japan
Tetsuro Takeda, Saitama, Japan
Masahito Tamura, Fukuoka, Japan
Motoko Tanaka, Kumamoto, Japan
Tetsuhiro Tanaka, Tokyo, Japan
Jan W.C. Tervaert, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Napier M. Thomson, Victoria, Australia
Peter Tipping, Victoria, Australia
Tadashi Tomo, Oita, Japan
Naotake Tsuboi, Aichi, Japan
Maki Urushihara, Tokushima, Japan
Joichi Usui, Ibaraki, Japan
Yasunori Utsunomiya, Tokyo, Japan
Hideki Wakui, Akita, Japan
Ryohei Yamamoto, Osaka, Japan

Statistical Editors
Tsuneo Konta, Yamagata, Japan 
Ryohei Yamamoto, Osaka, Japan