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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
Abdominal Cocoon Syndrome: A Rare Sequelae of Intestinal Perforation
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Abhilasha Bhargava,
Junior Resident, Department of General Surgery, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha-442001, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: abhilasha0318@gmail.com
Abdominal cocoon syndrome is a rare clinical presentation that has been associated with abdominal tuberculosis in rural India. It is also known as sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis, where the small bowel becomes encapsulated by a fibrous membrane due to unclear causes, leading to obstipation. Common symptoms include vomiting, nausea, and constipation. Due to these general clinical symptoms, it can be mistaken for other gastrointestinal disorders, resulting in delayed diagnosis, which may lead to adverse outcomes or even mortality. Surgery is often used to free the entrapped bowel and remove the fibrous tissue, while supportive care and problem management are crucial. The present case involves a 55-year-old male who presented with a distended abdomen and obstipation, leading to intestinal perforation and sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis, which was managed through resection and anastomosis of the small intestine. The patient was followed-up after three months with no new complaints. The present case helps in understanding the sequelae of acute intestinal perforation that can result in abdominal cocoon syndrome.
Acute abdomen, Case report, Constipation, Perforation peritonitis, Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis
A 55-year-old male presented to the emergency ward with a distended abdomen, complaints of obstipation, and vomiting for two days. On examination, the patient had tachycardia and was normotensive. There was no history of similar complaints or any past surgeries. Perabdominal examination showed the abdomen to be tender, rigid with guarding, and distended. On percussion, a dull note was appreciated over the abdomen. On auscultation, the bowel sounds were sluggish. He presented with leucocytosis, hypoalbuminaemia, and marginally high liver enzymes. He was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for close monitoring. The ultrasound of the abdomen could not determine the level of perforation as most of it was obscured by bowel gas. Therefore, a Contrast-enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) abdomen was performed, which suggested a jejunal perforation along with a mass approximately 9.2×8.4 cm adhered to small bowel loops in a capsulated form resembling a cocoon and gross ascites. Based on the CECT findings, a radiological diagnosis of abdominal cocoon syndrome with intestinal perforation and gross ascites was made (Table/Fig 1). The patient underwent emergency exploratory laparotomy. Intraoperatively, upon incising the peritoneum, 2.5-3 litres of clear fluid were suctioned out. Evidence of a mass comprising loops of small intestine covered with a thick, translucent, whitish membrane resembling a cocoon was observed (Table/Fig 2),(Table/Fig 3). After careful dissection of the membrane and probing the loops of the small intestine, a jejunal perforation of 2×2.5 cm was found, 200 cm distal to the Double J (DJ) flexure (Table/Fig 4). In the present case, jejuno-jejunal resection and anastomosis were performed to correct the intestinal perforation. After addressing the aetiology of the perforation, the patient was closely monitored until the recovery of normal peristalsis. As the patient passed stools and was asymptomatic postoperatively, no active intervention was required apart from observation and regular follow-up.
The postoperative Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay of the patient was uneventful. The abdominal drain was removed on postoperative day 5, and suture removal was performed on day 10. During the follow-up after three months, the patient presented with a healthy scar site and no new complaints.
‘Abdominal cocoon syndrome’ is also known as ‘Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis’. Sclerosing encapsulated peritonitis was first identified in 1907 by Owtschinnikow and was termed as ‘Abdominal cocoon’ in 1978 by Foo KT et al., (1). The disorder is called ‘cocoon syndrome’ due to an abnormal membrane surrounding some portion or all of the small intestine. Common clinical presentations of this disease include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal mass, or distension (2). An unclear inflammatory process has been listed as an underlying cause of this acquired disorder. Males are more likely to have abdominal cocoon syndrome compared to females with a ratio of 1.2-2:1 (3) and has been classified into primary and secondary based on disease aetiology, occurrence without any underlying cause is primary and disease presentation with known underlying reasons is termed as secondary (4). However, a female predominance has been reported in India (5). It is distinguished by a dense, concertina-like grayish-white fibrotic membrane that envelops the small intestine either entirely or partly. Acute intestinal obstruction is the most frequent manifestation of symptomatic abdominal cocoon (4),(6). Cases of abdominal cocoon syndrome reported in recent research literature have been listed in (Table/Fig 5) (2),(6),(7),(8),(9),(10),(11),(12),(13),(14),(15),(16),(17),(18),(19). On the contrary, this case presented with obstipation and abdominal distension. The pathophysiology of this illness is subject to several hypotheses, with a previous history of abdominal tuberculosis being one of the common reasons in rural areas of India (20). There was no history of abdominal tuberculosis noted in this patient. The differential diagnosis based on presenting features included encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis, small bowel obstruction, gross ascites, calcifying fibrous tumour of mesentery, omental rhabdomyosarcoma, and abdominal tuberculosis, which was ruled out intraoperatively as it was found to be a localised mass consisting of adhered bowel loops. Abdominal cocoon syndrome carries a high morbidity and mortality rate. The overall mortality rate of abdominal cocoon syndrome has been reported as 35%-74% based on the severity of the disease (21). Surgical management is recommended due to the nature of adhesions and bowel entrapment. A complete sclerosing membrane is removed for resolution of associated complications and recurrence with resection/anastomosis required only in cases of iatrogenic damage (22),(23).
The preoperative diagnosis might be incidental in cases of abdominal cocoon syndrome, as clinical symptoms are unclear and delayed diagnosis is related to adverse outcomes, including mortality. Radiological methods can aid in preoperative confirmation of the diagnosis, thereby assisting in surgical management.
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2024/69380.19345
Date of Submission: Jan 01, 2024
Date of Peer Review: Jan 31, 2024
Date of Acceptance: Mar 18, 2024
Date of Publishing: May 01, 2024
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? No
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. Yes
PLAGIARISM CHECKING METHODS:
• Plagiarism X-checker: Jan 02, 2024
• Manual Googling: Feb 03, 2024
• iThenticate Software: Mar 15, 2024 (6%)
ETYMOLOGY: Author
EMENDATIONS: 8
- 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