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Authors are the souls of any journal, and deserve much respect. To publish a journal manuscripts are needed from authors. Authors have a great responsibility for producing facts of their work in terms of number and results truthfully and an individual honesty is expected from authors in this regards. Both ways its true "No authors-No manuscripts-No journals" and "No journals–No manuscripts–No authors". Reviewing a manuscript is also a very responsible and important task of any peer-reviewed journal and to be taken seriously. It needs knowledge on the subject, sincerity, honesty and determination. Although the process of reviewing a manuscript is a time consuming task butit is expected to give one's best remarks within the time frame of the journal.
Salient features of the JCDR: It is a biomedical, multidisciplinary (including all medical and dental specialities), e-journal, with wide scope and extensive author support. At the same time, a free text of manuscript is available in HTML and PDF format. There is fast growing authorship and readership with JCDR as this can be judged by the number of articles published in it i e; in Feb 2007 of its first issue, it contained 5 articles only, and now in its recent volume published in April 2011, it contained 67 manuscripts. This e-journal is fulfilling the commitments and objectives sincerely, (as stated by Editor-in-chief in his preface to first edition) i e; to encourage physicians through the internet, especially from the developing countries who witness a spectrum of disease and acquire a wealth of knowledge to publish their experiences to benefit the medical community in patients care. I also feel that many of us have work of substance, newer ideas, adequate clinical materials but poor in medical writing and hesitation to submit the work and need help. JCDR provides authors help in this regards.
Timely publication of journal: Publication of manuscripts and bringing out the issue in time is one of the positive aspects of JCDR and is possible with strong support team in terms of peer reviewers, proof reading, language check, computer operators, etc. This is one of the great reasons for authors to submit their work with JCDR. Another best part of JCDR is "Online first Publications" facilities available for the authors. This facility not only provides the prompt publications of the manuscripts but at the same time also early availability of the manuscripts for the readers.
Indexation and online availability: Indexation transforms the journal in some sense from its local ownership to the worldwide professional community and to the public.JCDR is indexed with Embase & EMbiology, Google Scholar, Index Copernicus, Chemical Abstracts Service, Journal seek Database, Indian Science Abstracts, to name few of them. Manuscriptspublished in JCDR are available on major search engines ie; google, yahoo, msn.
In the era of fast growing newer technologies, and in computer and internet friendly environment the manuscripts preparation, submission, review, revision, etc and all can be done and checked with a click from all corer of the world, at any time. Of course there is always a scope for improvement in every field and none is perfect. To progress, one needs to identify the areas of one's weakness and to strengthen them.
It is well said that "happy beginning is half done" and it fits perfectly with JCDR. It has grown considerably and I feel it has already grown up from its infancy to adolescence, achieving the status of standard online e-journal form Indian continent since its inception in Feb 2007. This had been made possible due to the efforts and the hard work put in it. The way the JCDR is improving with every new volume, with good quality original manuscripts, makes it a quality journal for readers. I must thank and congratulate Dr Hemant Jain, Editor-in-Chief JCDR and his team for their sincere efforts, dedication, and determination for making JCDR a fast growing journal.
Every one of us: authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher are responsible for enhancing the stature of the journal. I wish for a great success for JCDR."
Thanking you
With sincere regards
Dr. Rajendra Kumar Ghritlaharey, M.S., M. Ch., FAIS
Associate Professor,
Department of Paediatric Surgery, Gandhi Medical College & Associated
Kamla Nehru & Hamidia Hospitals Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462 001 (India)
E-mail: drrajendrak1@rediffmail.com
On May 11,2011
Dr. Shankar P.R.
"On looking back through my Gmail archives after being requested by the journal to write a short editorial about my experiences of publishing with the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR), I came across an e-mail from Dr. Hemant Jain, Editor, in March 2007, which introduced the new electronic journal. The main features of the journal which were outlined in the e-mail were extensive author support, cash rewards, the peer review process, and other salient features of the journal.
Over a span of over four years, we (I and my colleagues) have published around 25 articles in the journal. In this editorial, I plan to briefly discuss my experiences of publishing with JCDR and the strengths of the journal and to finally address the areas for improvement.
My experiences of publishing with JCDR: Overall, my experiences of publishing withJCDR have been positive. The best point about the journal is that it responds to queries from the author. This may seem to be simple and not too much to ask for, but unfortunately, many journals in the subcontinent and from many developing countries do not respond or they respond with a long delay to the queries from the authors 1. The reasons could be many, including lack of optimal secretarial and other support. Another problem with many journals is the slowness of the review process. Editorial processing and peer review can take anywhere between a year to two years with some journals. Also, some journals do not keep the contributors informed about the progress of the review process. Due to the long review process, the articles can lose their relevance and topicality. A major benefit with JCDR is the timeliness and promptness of its response. In Dr Jain's e-mail which was sent to me in 2007, before the introduction of the Pre-publishing system, he had stated that he had received my submission and that he would get back to me within seven days and he did!
Most of the manuscripts are published within 3 to 4 months of their submission if they are found to be suitable after the review process. JCDR is published bimonthly and the accepted articles were usually published in the next issue. Recently, due to the increased volume of the submissions, the review process has become slower and it ?? Section can take from 4 to 6 months for the articles to be reviewed. The journal has an extensive author support system and it has recently introduced a paid expedited review process. The journal also mentions the average time for processing the manuscript under different submission systems - regular submission and expedited review.
Strengths of the journal: The journal has an online first facility in which the accepted manuscripts may be published on the website before being included in a regular issue of the journal. This cuts down the time between their acceptance and the publication. The journal is indexed in many databases, though not in PubMed. The editorial board should now take steps to index the journal in PubMed. The journal has a system of notifying readers through e-mail when a new issue is released. Also, the articles are available in both the HTML and the PDF formats. I especially like the new and colorful page format of the journal. Also, the access statistics of the articles are available. The prepublication and the manuscript tracking system are also helpful for the authors.
Areas for improvement: In certain cases, I felt that the peer review process of the manuscripts was not up to international standards and that it should be strengthened. Also, the number of manuscripts in an issue is high and it may be difficult for readers to go through all of them. The journal can consider tightening of the peer review process and increasing the quality standards for the acceptance of the manuscripts. I faced occasional problems with the online manuscript submission (Pre-publishing) system, which have to be addressed.
Overall, the publishing process with JCDR has been smooth, quick and relatively hassle free and I can recommend other authors to consider the journal as an outlet for their work."
Dr. P. Ravi Shankar
KIST Medical College, P.O. Box 14142, Kathmandu, Nepal.
E-mail: ravi.dr.shankar@gmail.com
On April 2011 Anuradha
Dear team JCDR, I would like to thank you for the very professional and polite service provided by everyone at JCDR. While i have been in the field of writing and editing for sometime, this has been my first attempt in publishing a scientific paper.Thank you for hand-holding me through the process.
Dr. Anuradha
E-mail: anuradha2nittur@gmail.com
On Jan 2020
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Full Version
The significance of oestrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Varghese C.,Mumbai INDIA
Email: varghesechrista@hotmail.com
It was 40 years ago, that the importance of steroid hormone receptors in the biology of breast cancer was recognized. This important finding was the result of a study in which radiolabelled oestrogens concentrated preferentially in the oestrogen-influenced target organs of animals, and also in human breast cancers. Thus, the concept of an oestrogen receptor (ER) was established. Ever since, it has been observed that human breast cancers are dependent upon oestrogen and/or progesterone for growth, and that this effect is mediated through ERs and progesterone receptors (PRs). Thus ER and PR are both found to be overexpressed in malignant breast tissue. Oestrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone receptor (PR) expressing breast cancers are found to have different clinical, pathological, and molecular features. They have been found to play a significant role in the prognosis and treatment of breast cancers. Recent developments which provided new insights into hormone receptor biology and the increasing array of proteins that can modify their function, have helped modulate better therapies for breast cancer.(eg). ,Selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMS), which are drugs that interact with the oestrogen receptor, have been approved for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. Also, less expensive, simpler, and possibly more accurate measurements of ER and PR have been made possible by methods for assaying receptor proteins.
oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, prognosis, breast cancer, tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors
Introduction
Female reproductive activity is mainly regulated by oestrogen and progesterone receptors. Oestrogen and progesterone regulate the normal development of the ovary, the uterus and the mammary gland through their cognate receptors, and play key roles in the tumorigenesis of these tissues. It has been observed that oestrogen controls the early ductal morphogenesis of the mammary gland, whereas progesterone controls ductal branching and alveolar development of the mammary gland during pregnancy, as has been demonstrated by studies on the oestrogen receptor (ER) and PR knockout mice(1).
In spite of considerable homology between these receptor forms, it is their structural and functional differences that may be important for tissue and promoter- specific regulation of gene expression.
Breast cancers classified by oestrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone receptor (PR) expression have different clinical, pathological, and molecular features. Exposure to oestrogen during reproduction carries a high risk of ER-positive tumour formation, than ER-negative tumour formation. Nulliparous women and those who had delayed childbearing, carry a high risk to develop ER positive tumours than ER-negative tumours. ER/PR positive tumours were found to be associated with early menarche than ER-negative/PR-negative tumours. The possibility of increased oestrogen synthesis in adipose stores and greater bioavailability, has been reflected in hormone receptor positive tumours. It is probably due to this reason, that postmenopausal obesity has been found to be more consistently associated with increased risk of hormone receptor-positive, than hormone receptor-negative tumours(2). Oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive and/or progesterone receptor (PR)-positive) breast cancer patients are found to have lower risks of mortality after their diagnosis, compared to women with ER- and/or PR-negative disease (3). A lower rate of cell proliferation and histological evidence of tumour differentiation has been found to be favourable prognostic features in patients with positive receptor status. ER and PR have their greatest significance in predicting response to hormonal therapy, both in the adjuvant setting, and for advanced disease(4),(Table/Fig 1)
About the receptors
Both ER and PR belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, that includes the androgen and retinoid receptors. Being located in the cytosol of target cells, they operate as ligand-dependent transcription factors. The DNA-binding sites on the receptor are unmasked by the attachment of a lipid-soluble hormone to the ligand-binding domain . This causes the receptors to migrate into the nucleus, and bind to specific hormone responsive elements near the genes that are responsible for the physiologic actions of the hormone. This is followed by transcription of messenger RNA and ribosomal RNA, and the eventual synthesis of new proteins(5).
Oestrogen receptor
It has been observed that only about 50 to 70 percent of breast cancers require the female hormone oestrogen (oestradiol) to grow; other breast cancers are able to grow without oestrogen. Molecules called hormone receptors, which are essential for the cell to use oestrogen for growth, are produced by oestrogen-dependent breast cancer cells. These hormone receptors can be either oestrogen or progesterone receptors, or both. The development and growth of breast cancers are promoted by oestrogens and genetic changes together. ER is present in more than half of breast tumours, because oestrogenic hormones act via the oestrogen receptors (ERs), ER-alpha and ER-beta, and thus, this receptor has been the most widely targeted protein in breast cancer therapy. Women are significantly more likely to benefit
Treatment of cancer patients can be revolutionized by the identification and exploitation of biomarkers that may predict response to anti-cancer treatments. In breast cancer, the oestrogen receptor (ER) and the progesterone receptor (PR) are known to have a significant predictive value in determining sensitivity to endocrine therapies. Clinical outcome is affected by tumour expression of ER or PR, and this information is often used to determine a patient's optimal treatment regimen. However, the measurement of ER and PR alone is more complex than originally thought, and due to the recently identified isoforms of ER (ERα and ERβ) and PR (PRA and PRB), as well as several variant and mutant forms, the choice of treatment remains difficult. The recent advances in genomic- or proteomic-based approaches has enabled to understand the molecular picture of breast cancers , which in turn, allows biomarkers of response and prognosis to be identified and characterized more accurately than before. In the future, to maximize the therapeutic benefit of the patients, they could be treated according to the molecular portrait of their tumour biomarker expression(22).
Oestrogen and progesterone receptors are known prognostic indicators in breast cancer. The response of breast cancer to a particular therapy can be determined by its oestrogen receptor positivity status. Breast cancer drugs like tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors act by suppression of oestrogen receptor activity.
Conflict of Interest: None Declared
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