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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
Original article / research
Full Version
The effect of oral salbutamol on the metabolism of electrolytes in asthmatic children
Correspondence Address :
Dr A N Nagdeote
Associate Professor in Biochemistry
ESI Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research,
Andheri east, Mumbai. 400093
E-mail: abhayanuaru@rediffmail.com
Background: Experimental evidence suggests that sodium and potassium may affect the responsiveness of airways. In asthma, the electrolyte metabolism is also affected during the course of anti-asthmatic therapy by using β2-agonist drugs like salbutamol. Objective: To determine whether the therapy for the treatment of asthma affects the sodium and potassium metabolism. Method: 50 children between 2 to 12 years of age with asthmatic attack were selected for the study. 18 children had a severe attack of asthma. Blood samples were collected from them and the therapy for the treatment of asthma was started, which included β2-agonists like salbutamol. Children with severe asthmatic attack were treated with nebulized salbutamol along with corticosteroids. After 15 days, the asthmatic children were again called for a follow up study and their blood samples were collected. The serum levels of sodium and potassium were measured on an Ion Selective Electrode (ISE) based electrolyte analyzer. Results: The results showed a significant decrease in the serum potassium levels in children receiving the β2-agonists. The decrease in the potassium levels was irrespective of the severity of the asthmatic attack in both the sexes. There was no significant change in the serum sodium levels. Conclusion: The use of β2-agonists may lead to hypokalaemia. The inappropriate and continuous use of such drugs may also cause hypokalaemic paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The monitoring of the electrolytes may be warranted in asthmatic children to decrease the mortality.
Asthma, β2-agonists, salbutamol, hypokalaem
It has been suggested that sodium and potassium levels influence the responsiveness of the airway smooth muscles (1)(2). The interest in the electrolyte disturbance in asthma patients has so far been focused on the serum potassium levels which are especially linked to the therapy with β2-agonists (3)(4)(5). Tremors, tachycardia, palpitations, and anxiety are the wellknown side effects of such treatments (6). The mortality rate in patients with asthma is still rising and has been partly attributed to the adverse effects of the β2-agonists which are administered for asthma management (7).
The present study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College, Nagpur, over a period of one and a half years. The study protocol was approved by the institutional ethical committee. 50 (26 males and 24 females) children between 2 to 12 years of age with asthmatic attack, who attended the pediatric OPD were selected for the study. 32 asthmatic children had mild symptoms, while 18 children had a severe attack of asthma with no medical emergency. Venous blood samples were collected from them and the therapy for treatment of asthma was started, which included β2-agonists like 2 mg tds salbutamol in the form of syrups for 15 days. Children with a severe attack of asthma were treated
with nebulized salbutamol along with steroids until the severe attack was resolved. Thereafter, a similar treatment was given, as was given to mild asthmatics. After 15 days, the asthmatic children were again called for follow up study, out of which only 45 (26 males and 19 females) children could come for the clinical check up. Blood samples were again collected and the serum sodium and potassium levels were measured by using an ISE based electrolyte analyzer, Easylyte, from Transasia (8). Thus, the asthmatic children were divided into two groups. Group 1 included the asthmatic children whose serum electrolytes were measured before receiving the treatment and group 2 included the asthmatic children whose serum electrolytes were measured after receiving the treatment. All the statistical comparisons were done by using the PairedStudent’s ‘t’ test with the help of the SPSS Statistical Software v15.0.
For acute asthma, repeated doses of nebulized β2-agonists and to a lesser extent, IV aminophylline, is the mainstay therapies which are used to relieve bronchospasms and airway obstruction (8)(9). Children suffering from mild symptoms are generally treated with oral β2- agonists in the form of syrups. Only few numbers of asthmatic children had severe symptoms which required initial nebulization and steroids, followed by oral medication.It was observed in the present study, that asthmatic children receiving β2 agonists in form of the salbutamol syrup (Group2) showed a highly significant decrease in the potassium levels, as compared to (Group 2). A statistically highly significant decrease in the serum potassium levels was observed following the use of β2 agonists; the clinical significance of which is not known and warranted further study, as 5 study subjects were not presented for the follow up. This limitation can be overcome by undertaking further studies. Earlier studies also found decreased serum potassium levels to be the earliest form of electrolyte disturbance in asthma, and it was related to the use of β2-agonists (3)(4)(5). Mildly decreased serum potassium levels have also been reported in untreated patients with severe asthma due to the stress of the asthmatic attacks (10).
There were no significant differences in the serum sodium levels in the two groups. This may be due to the fact that a maximum number of asthmatic children were having mild symptoms(Table/Fig 1). In the present study, the decrease in the serum potassium levels in the group 2 asthmatic children was within normal limits, but the decrease was highly significant as compared to that in the group 1 asthmatic children.
The decreased serum potassium levels may occur due to the active inhibition of potassium secretion in the cortical collecting tubule, which is possibly caused by the stimulation of the membranesodium potassium-dependent adenosine triphosphatase that results in the hyperpolarization of the cellular membrane potential (11)(Table/Fig 2). So, the use of such therapies will increase the derangement of the existing abnormal electrolyte levels. Consequently, this may pose potential cardiac and respiratory hazards in the form of myocardial depression, ventricular arrhythmia (12) and respiratory muscle fatigue, which may consequently increase the incidence of fatal asthma (13)(Table/Fig 3). It is likely that these complications may occur especially in the presence of hypoxia or acidosis, or in asthmatic patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease (14). Therefore, the measurement of the serum electrolyte levels before and during the management of asthma with bronchodilators may reduce such risks, if they are corrected.
The treatment of asthma with oral β2- agonists may lead to hypokalaemia. The inappropriate and continuous use of such drugs may also cause the hypokalaemic paralysis of the respiratory muscles. β2 agonist administration by a dry powder inhaler or by nebulization 3 times per day can be considered worthwhile, since the dose of such an administration is very less. However, this is not always feasible in small children and if the asthmatic attack is acute, repeated doses of nebulized β2 agonists are essential. Thus, the monitoring of the electrolytes with immediate correction may be warranted in asthmatic children to decrease the mortality.
The authors duly acknowledge the timely help from the Department of Pediatrics, Govt. Medical College, Nagpur.
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