Functional Morphology of the Developing and Mature Cardiovascular System

Dear Colleagues,

Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease (JCDD) launches a Special Issue on functional morphology of the developing and mature cardiovascular system. During the past two decades, remarkable advances were made in our understanding of the genetic, molecular and cellular backgrounds of normal and defective cardiovascular functions during prenatal and postnatal life. Such knowledge has, for example, led to a replacement of some of the traditional, morphology-based classifications of human diseases by molecular-based classifications. Due to the remarkable achievements of “molecular medicine”, morphology-based sciences may appear as old-fashioned disciplines, which nowadays may have only a very limited potential to provide new and clinically important insight into cardiovascular functions. During the past two decades, however, remarkable advances were made in the field of morphology-based research, which possibly may have escaped public attention. For example, new imaging techniques and simulation models were used to unravel the mystery of the three-dimensional structure of the ventricular myocardium and its functional significance in the normal and failing human heart. New in vivo imaging techniques and model simulations were also used to study the solid- (morphological) and fluid-dynamic of the embryonic cardiovascular system in diverse model organisms. Data from such studies, disclosed form-function relationships that were important for proper patterning of blood vessels as well as proper development of the myocardium, the cardiac conduction system and the heart valves. New imaging data, additionally, have stimulated new studies on the nature and role of valveless pumping phenomena in the developing and mature cardiovascular system. This Special Issue will provide a platform for the presentation of recent advances in knowledge on form-function relationships in the developing and mature cardiovascular system coming from diverse scientific disciplines.

Prof. Dr. Jörg Männer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.