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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
Sociodemographic Profile of the Organophosphorus Poisoning Cases in Southern India
Correspondence Address :
Kora S A
‘Shailaja Nilaya’, Mahaveer Road
Bagalkot- 587 101
Karnataka, India.
E-mail: shreeramkora@yahoo.co.in
Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the patterns, the social factors and the clinical outcomes of Organophosphorus poisoning in north Karnataka region.
Materials and Methods: All the OP poisoning cases who were admitted to the emergency department of S.N.Medical College and Hanagal Shree Kumareshwar Hospital and Research Center, Bagalkot, during the period of one year from Jan 1st to Dec 31st 2010 were studied.
Results: 148 cases of OP poisoning were studied out of a total of 232 poison cases. In the present study, 52.8% cases were females and a majority of the cases were from the urban areas (56.75%). Females were more in both the married and unmarriedcategories, with the highest number of cases in the age group of 21 to 30 years (46.62%). The commonest motive was suicide (95.94%). The mean time interval for the hospital admission was 4.27 hours, with a mean hospital stay of 5.17 days. Winter was commonest season for the poisoning, with 41 cases being observed in winter. The poison was consumed mainly in the afternoon (43.95%). Housewives were found in high numbers in this study (55 cases). The mortality rate was 4.72%.
Conclusion: There was a high incidence of OP poisoning with mortality in this region. The OP compounds were readily available at low costs in the market. A time of stress and frustration can lead to their use as a common poison to commit suicide with.
Organophosphates, Poisoning, Sociodemographic
Introduction
Poisons are subtle and silent weapons which can be easily used without violence and often, without arousing suspicion. At present, due to the vast development in all the fields of life like industries, medicine and agriculture, a significant number of new compounds have appeared as new poisonous substances. Organophosphorus (OP) compounds can produce significant pesticide related illnesses and death in developing countries, including India.
Acute OP poisoning is a medical emergency and the patients are invariably admitted to the hospital through emergency services. The poisoning may be suicidal, accidental or homicidal. Accidental organophosphate poisoning may occur through inhalation while spraying pesticides on crops. We have reported a case of inhalational OP poisoning which required ventilator support. (This paper was presented at the Karnataka Medico Legal Society, 18th State Conference, FORENSICON – 2010). Because the OP compounds are readily available and relatively cheap and have a rapidly lethal action even in smaller doses, they are widely used as suicidal poisons (1).
The insecticides which have been developed to protect crops are now themselves causing significant morbidity and mortality by means of environmental pollution and suicidal use. Although extensive data is available regarding the pattern of OP poisoning in India, there is only little information regarding the victim profiles and the factors which influence mortality in southern India. The present study aimed to analyze the patterns, the social factors and the clinical outcomes of OP poisoning in this region.
This study reviewed all the acute OP poisoning cases who were admitted to the S.N. Medical College and the H.S.K. Hospital and Research Center, Bagalkot, in north Karnataka, a region ofSouthern India, during one year period from Jan 1st, 2010 to Dec 31st, 2010. A total of 148 cases of OP poisoning were studied. The diagnosis of the poison which was consumed was based on reliable information from the victim, his/her relatives and friends and also from the police. Examination of the container from which the poison had been consumed and the clinical findings were also noted. A few cases were confirmed by a postmortem examination. In a selected few cases, the serum pseudo cholinesterase levels were evaluated to confirm the diagnosis and to aid in the management of the patients. Confirmation of the nature of the poison was obtained from the viscera analysis in the postmortem cases.
Out of a total of 232 cases of poisoning, 148 cases (63.8%) were of OP poisoning, 65 (43.92%) were males and 83 (52.08 %) were females, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.27(Table/Fig 1)(Table/Fig 2).
Most of the cases were from the urban areas (84 cases -56.75%) and they were distributed equally among the educated and the illiterate people (50% each)(Table/Fig 3)(Table/Fig 4).
The total percentage of the married cases was 67% and females were more in both the married and unmarried categories(Table/Fig 5).
The highest number of cases (46.62%) was from the age group of 21 to 30 years and housewives topped the list was reported incidence of 55 cases (37.16%)(Table/Fig 6).
The OP poisoning occurred mainly during the later part of the day (43.92%) and was almost evenly distributed in all the seasons, with the highest number of cases occurring in winter (41 cases)(Table/Fig 7).
The commonest route of poisoning was oral in the suicidal cases and there were 6 accidental poison cases with 3 cases of inhalational OP poisoning, in which one required ventilator support(Table/Fig 8).
The time which elapsed between the poison intake and the start of the treatment, varied from 30 minutes to one day and a majority of the cases reached the hospital within 3 to 6 hours (37.16%), with a mean time interval of 4.27 hours. The mean hospital stay was 5.17 days, with a majority of the cases staying for 3 to 7 days in the hospital (73.64%)(Table/Fig 9).
The mortality in the present study was 4.72% (seven cases), with nine patients (6.08%) being on the ventilator for respiratory paralysis(Table/Fig 10).
OP Poisoning is common in India, as ours is an agriculturally based society and as the OP compounds are easily available at a cheap rate. Organophosphates are the commonest class of pesticides which have been implicated in cases of poisoning. (in the present study, it was 63.8%) (2),(3).
The present study had more number of OP cases from the urban areas as compared to other studies, because now a days these compounds are easily available in the urban areas. This hospital catered to an urban population and so there were more urban cases. Even we could think of changing trends in the urban population.
The present study had an equal number of educated and illiterate cases and this could be explained on the basis that the more number of urban cases led to the more number of educated cases in this study.
A majority of the victims were in the age group of 21-30 years (in the present study, it was 46.62%), which is similar to that in other studies. (4), (5), (6), (7), (8) This age group was the most active one, physically, mentally and socially and so, it was more prone to stress during life. The three cases which were seen under the age of 10 in this study were accidental.
Most of the studies from India (3),(8),(9),(10),(11) and from other countries (4),(5),(12),(13),(14), (15) showed that suicide (in the present study, it was 95.94%) was the commonest reason for the non-accidental poisoning.
The reasons for the suicide in males may include lack of employment, poverty, urbanization and various other stress related factors. In females, it may be due to marital disharmony.
Both unmarried and married females were mostly affected in the present study, which was in contrast to the findings of other studies (4),(8) where unmarried males were more affected. This could be explained by the fact that this study included more urban, unmarried females who were students. Our study correlated well with Sahin et al’s study (5).
In India, when a woman gets married, she has to leave her home and join an entirely new family with different traditions, rituals and customs. (8) In southern part of India, the husband’s family was the first place where a woman faced violence and ill treatment (10), which correlated with the findings of our study, where out of 83 females, 55 were house wives. (8), (16).
In the present study, the victims who were more prone to the OP poisoning were housewives, farmers and students, which correlated with the findings of other studies. (11) But one interesting fact in this study was that other than the occupation which wasspecified, there were 42 cases from other occupational categories, which depicted the changing trend in the urban population in this region, that OP poisoning was the commonest way for suicide for the public at large from all the categories of life.
In this study, a majority of the cases consumed OP during the afternoon i.e. 12 noon to 6 pm (44%), which correlated well with the findings of other studies. (13),(2),(8) Season-wise, here the cases were distributed equally in all seasons, with winter topping the list. This could be explained on the basis of the more number of urban cases in this study and the changing trends here. In other studies, the commonest season was summer.
The time interval between the intake of the poison and the attendance by a doctor was 4.27 hours, which was the same in other studies. (5),(8).
The hospitalization time varied between 15 min to 30 days, with a mean hospitalization time of 5.17 days, which was similar to that which was found in other studies. (4),(5),(8).
The mortality rate in the present study was 4.72%, which correlated with that in other (5),(17),(15) studies. The mortality rate directly depended on the time at which the patient received the treatment and in one study it was 47% (8), because in that study, the treatment was given late.
It is obvious that the younger generation has become the victims of OP poisoning, with the number of cases increasing every year. It is essential to strengthen the legistrature on the availability of the OP compounds and it is also more essential to strengthen the preventive measures like educating people through drug awareness programmes, promoting poison information centers, introducing separate toxicological units in hospitals and upgrading the peripheral health centers to manage the cases of OP poisoning in an emergency. So, to conclude, it is important to design an appropriate health education programme for the prevention of both suicidal and accidental OP poisoning for the benefit of the public at large.
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