Thank you and good-bye from the former Editor

We all know that future cannot be planned. Things tend to develop their own momentum. This is true also for my planning of my engagement for the Journal of Endotoxin Research as Editor-inChief. When I agreed to undertake this task (starting in May 2004), I was thinking of a longer lasting engagement beyond my retirement in 2 months (end of April 2006). Now, the burden of this task along with increasing burdens of my main job as scientist and chief of a relatively large research group – in particular in connection with the approaching date of my retirement – caused too much stress, which finally had a severe impact on my health status. Thus, I have to ask for your understanding that for reasons of stress reduction and health improvement I had to decide to resign as Editor-in-Chief.