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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
Case report
Full Version
Campylobacter Infection Associated Intestinal Perforation: A Case Report
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Suseela V Kundoly,
Professor, Department of Microbiology, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur-680555, Kerala, India.
E-mail: suseelasubru@yahoo.com
Campylobacter is an agent of diarrhoeal illness and can potentially lead to intestinal obstruction. This condition manifests as acute abdomen and requires exploration. A 22-year-old male who had been receiving empirical treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis for four days was admitted with severe abdominal pain. Laparotomy revealed intestinal obstruction and perforation. Histopathological examination of the intestinal wall and omentum showed granulomatous lesions suggestive of tuberculosis. On the third day after laparotomy, the patient developed septicaemia. Blood and peritoneal fluid yielded campylobacter on culture. The present case report emphasises the importance of considering campylobacter infection in cases of intestinal obstructions and granuloma formation.
Granuloma, Intestinal obstruction, Tuberculosis
A 22-year-old male was brought to the hospital with mild abdominal pain and dyspnoea. He was admitted to the Department of Pulmonary Medicine. His medical history revealed recurrent evening fevers and weight loss over the past seven months. He also experienced nocturnal cough, dyspnoea on exertion, loss of appetite, and vomiting for the past two weeks. Physical examination showed dullness on the right-side of the thorax upon percussion and crepitations upon auscultation. A chest Computerised Tomography (CT) scan revealed moderate pleural effusion on the right-side, along with multiple enlarged necrotic mediastinal and right supraclavicular lymph nodes. Based on these findings, the possibility of pulmonary tuberculosis or lymphoma was considered (Table/Fig 1).
Laboratory tests for infections including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C were negative. Liver and renal function tests were normal. The patient’s haemogram showed haemoglobin level was 12.4 grams/100 mL, Erythrocytes Sedimentation Rate (ESR) was 14 mm/hour, total white blood cell count was 4710/cubic mm, with neutrophils at 74%, lymphocytes at 20%, eosinophils at 4%, and basophils at 2%. Thoracoscopy did not detect any pleural thickening. Pleural biopsy on histopathological examination could not detect tuberculosis and Acid-fast Bacilli (AFB) were absent in the sputum and pleural fluid. The Cartridge-based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) using the GeneXpert system from Cepheid failed to detect genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the pleural fluid. Based on the radiological findings, the patient was started on Anti-tuberculous Treatment (ATT) with an intensive phase therapy of a fixed-dose combination containing four drugs: isoniazid (H) 75 mg, rifampicin (R) 150 mg, pyrazinamide (Z) 400 mg, and ethambutol (E) 275 mg (HRZE). The patient was discharged with instructions to take four tablets per day based on their weight category.
However, after four days, the patient experienced severe abdominal pain and was admitted to the General Surgery Department. An abdominal CT scan revealed features of subacute small bowel obstruction with a transition point at the mid-distal ileum, likely indicating a stricture. The scan also showed free fluid in the peritoneal cavity with peritoneal thickening and enhancement, necrotic nodes in the mediastinum, extensive mesenteric and omental fat stranding, a mild hydropneumothorax on the right-side, mild pericardial effusion, and hepatosplenomegaly (Table/Fig 2). During laparotomy, an ileostomy was performed for acute intestinal obstruction and perforation. Following the surgery, the patient developed fever and signs of septicaemia. Campylobacter was isolated from the blood and peritoneal wash collected during the laparotomy (Table/Fig 3). Subsequent biopsy of the intestinal wall revealed granuloma suggestive of tuberculosis. On the fourth day following the laparotomy, despite aggressive treatment, the patient unfortunately died from cardiopulmonary arrest. Molecular analysis identified the isolated strain of Campylobacter as C. jejuni (Table/Fig 4)a,b.
Campylobacters are spiral microaerophilic Gram Negative Bacilli (GNB) and are important agents of enteritis (1),(2). Acute diarrhoeal illness caused by Campylobacter species is usually seen in infants and is a significant cause of food poisoning (3). The disease typically presents as loose stool with mucus and sometimes blood.
Intestinal symptoms are usually self-limiting or can be relieved with antibiotics. Inflammatory changes can be observed through endoscopic examination and histopathology of the intestine. Since most infections are self-limiting, patients may not seek medical assistance. In the case presented, there was a history of loss of appetite and vomiting, but not diarrhoea. Infections can lead to intestinal obstruction and perforation, and timely identification of the cause can save the patient (4). In the present case, the patient required emergency laparotomy due to intestinal obstruction. Life-threatening complications such as septicaemia have also been reported (5). Invasive infections can progress to peritonitis from enterocolitis, preceded by intestinal obstructions (4). In the presented case, intestinal perforation was only discovered during exploratory laparotomy and managed accordingly. Patients with complications usually have a history of previous gastroenteritis. In the presented case, the patient was initially investigated for respiratory illness and not for gastrointestinal disease during the first admission. The radiological findings suggested pulmonary tuberculosis, and ATT was initiated. After four days of ATT, the patient was admitted on an emergency basis due to abdominal symptoms. Histopathological examination revealed granuloma in the intestinal wall and omentum. Mesenteric lymph nodes were also involved. Granulomatous enteritis and reactive mesenteric lymph nodes can be observed in Campylobacter infections (6). Although chronic granulomatous infection with weight loss is not commonly reported in humans, such clinical presentations have been documented in animals in the literature (7). There are no reports of granulomatous infection with weight loss caused by Campylobacter infections in humans, but in veterinary practice, there are reports of granulomatous enteritis with weight loss and septicaemia (7). In the present patient, evidence of tuberculosis could not be confirmed through pleural biopsy and pleural fluid analysis. However, granulomas were found in the intestinal wall and omentum.
Other reported complications associated with Campylobacter infections include irritable bowel syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and reactive arthritis (8). However, in the presented case, there were no symptoms suggestive of these conditions, except for a history of loss of appetite and vomiting.
Having epidemiological knowledge is crucial for timely treatment. In the population of the presented case, Campylobacter infections have been reported, albeit infrequently (9). These infections are considered zoonotic and are often associated with food poisoning. The bacteria can spread through contaminated water and food, particularly poultry (10). Due to their requirement for microaerophilic conditions and selective media for isolation, the reporting of these bacteria from clinical samples is limited, potentially representing only a small portion of the actual cases.
Campylobacter infections typically respond to erythromycin in uncomplicated enteritis. However, drug resistance has been reported (11). Therefore, the possibility of drug resistance should also be considered when treating such infections.
The present case is presented to raise awareness that in cases of intestinal obstruction and perforations, infectious causes, particularly Campylobacter infection, should be considered and promptly treated to save the patient.
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2023/66285.18711
Date of Submission: Jun 28, 2023
Date of Peer Review: Aug 04, 2023
Date of Acceptance: Oct 14, 2023
Date of Publishing: Nov 01, 2023
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. Yes
PLAGIARISM CHECKING METHODS:
• Plagiarism X-checker: Jul 01, 2023
• Manual Googling: Aug 26, 2023
• iThenticate Software: Oct 12, 2023 (5%)
ETYMOLOGY: Author Origin
EMENDATIONS: 5
- Emerging Sources Citation Index (Web of Science, thomsonreuters)
- Index Copernicus ICV 2017: 134.54
- Academic Search Complete Database
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
- Embase
- EBSCOhost
- Google Scholar
- HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme
- Indian Science Abstracts (ISA)
- Journal seek Database
- Popline (reproductive health literature)
- www.omnimedicalsearch.com