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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
Disseminated Tuberculosis with Neurotuberculosis Presenting as Status Epilepticus: A Case Report
Correspondence Address :
Sourya Acharya,
Doctors Qtrs, ABVR Hospital, DMIMSU Sawangi, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: souryaacharya74@gmail.com
Disseminated Tuberculosis (TB) results when the infection spreads though lymphohaematogenous route involving multiple organ systems. Irrespective of the availability of diagnostic modalities and treatment, it is usually diagnosed late increasing the mortality. Though, it usually occurs in immunocompromised patients, yet, incidence of disseminated TB is rising in immunocompetent subjects. This case report describes a 48-year-old male who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with status epilepticus. Investigations revealed neurotuberculosis along with generalised tubercular lymphadenopathy involving cervical, axillary, mediastinal and abdominal lymphnodes. Diagnosis was confirmed after Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) and lymphnode biopsy. He was started on first line antitubercular drugs and tapering dose of tab. Prednisolone over one month. He was discharged after two weeks of hospitalisation. At 15 days follow-up the patient was asymptomatic.
Biopsy, Cerebrospinal fluid, Immunocompetent, Lymph node
A 48-year-old male presented to the ED with history of three episodes of generalised tonic clonic seizures since last four hours. He was received in the ED in postictal confusion. Glasgow coma scale was 9 (E-2,M-3,V-4). As per the history provided by the relatives the patient had fever for four weeks, which was intermittent in nature especially with high spikes at night associated with profuse sweating. He visited a local medical practitioner and was given some pills, details of which were not available. There was no history of cough, expectoration, haemoptysis, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, headache, vomiting. There was significant weight loss (approximately 7 kg) in one month.
On examination, axillary temperature was 100 F°. Pallor was present. Jugular venous pressure was normal. SpO2, while breathing ambient air, was 96%. The CNS examination revealed the following- pupils were normal sized bilateral reacting to light, he was moving all four limbs, deep tendon reflexes were brisk and extensor planter response was present bilaterally. Coordination and sensory examination could not be performed. There was terminal neck stiffness present. An immediate blood sugar value was 180 mg%. Patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and given a loading dose of intravenous Phenytoin sodium, i.v. Lorazepam 2 mg. Computed Tomography (CT) scan, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain revealed tiny peripherally-enhancing lesion in the right temporal lobe with perilesional oedema (Table/Fig 1).
Two hours after stabilisation, repeat clinical examination revealed multiple cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy. The cervical and axillary lymph nodes were discrete to matted, firm in consistency and non tender. Inj. Phenytoin 100 mg i.v. 8 hourly, empirically i.v. ceftriaxone 2 grams 12 hourly was initiated, while the patient was investigated further.
Further investigations revealed: Haemaglobin (Hb)-9 gm%, platelets- 2.5 lacs/cumm, Total Leukocyte Count (TLC)- 3800 cells with 45% neutrophils and 50% lymphocytes. Kidney function test showed blood urea-28 mg/dL, serum creatinine-0.9 mg/dL, sodium-141 mEq/L, potassium-4.3 mEq/L. Liver function tests showed serum bilirubin of 2.1 mg% with 1.6 conjugated fraction, AST-98 U/L, ALT-136 U/L, Alkaline phosphatase-312 U/L. The Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate was 110 mm in 1st hour. A lumbar puncture was performed and examination of CSF showed 18 cells (12 lymphocytes, 4 neutrophils and 2 monocytes), protein of 115 mg/dL and glucose of 44 mg/dL. A Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) on CSF was positive for M. tuberculosis. Sputum AFB was negative.
Chest radiograph revealed mediastinal widening (Table/Fig 2), High- Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) thorax revealed nodular infiltrates, ground glass opacities and patchy consolidation in
bilateral lung fields. (Table/Fig 3), CT also revealed multiple enlarged matted lymphnodes in bilateral axilla, paratracheal and abdomen (Table/Fig 4).
A cervical lymph node biopsy confirmed TB lymphadenitis (Table/Fig 5). A diagnosis of disseminated TB was made because of involvement of central nervous system, lymphatics and liver in view of altered liver enzymes. Patient was started with first line antitubercular therapy, (2EHRZ, 7HRE; E-tab. Ethambutol 800 mg OD, H-tablet Isoniazide 300 mgOD, R-capsule Rifampicin 450 mg OD, P-Pyrazinamide 750 mg BID) as initiation therapy for two months, and; HRE for next seven months as continuation phase along with Tab.prednisolone 40 mg OD for two weeks then tapered in next three weeks, and anti-epileptics (Tablet levetiracetam 500 mg BID). The patient did not have further episodes of seizure. Fever responded in the next four days and he was discharged after a week. At 15 days follow-up, the patient did not have any complaints and was asymptomatic.
There are multiple, well organised granulomas formed by the epithelioid cells which are modified macrophages having abundant pale cytoplasm with an elongated slipper-shaped nuclei (green arrow in section (Table/Fig 5) a). These epithelioid cells appear to fuse, to form multinucleated giant cells with nuclei arranged in the cell periphery in a characteristic horse-shoe shaped pattern. (Langhans Giant Cells) (red arrow in section b). Section showing many surrounding lymphoid follicles. Histopathological features are suggestive of tubercular lymphadenitis.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis was first identified by a German physicist, Robert Koch in the eighteenth century hence also known as Koch’s bacillus (1). Irrespective of advances in medicine and development of first line and second line antitubercular drugs still TB kills more than estimated 1.7 million people each year. The global incidence of TB, according to a WHO report in 2010, was 8.8 million cases. In 2014, there were estimated 133 cases per 100,000 population that is equivalent to 9.6 million cases of TB globally (2). It is estimated that less than 2% of all cases of TB in immunocompetent persons account for disseminated TB with military shadows on radiographs (3).
The basic risk factors for TB infection are poverty, overcrowding, malnutrition, chronic alcoholism and immunocompromised states like diabetes, chronic liver and kidney diseases, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and immunosuppressive chemotherapeutic drugs including prolonged corticosteroid therapy (4). Although the exact mechanism of dissemination of primary and postprimary TB is vaguely understood, one evident mechanism is once the primary focus present in the lungs breaks the pulmonary alveolocapillary barrier and enters the pulmonary veins the bacilli through the pulmonary veins are drained into the left-side of the heart and disseminate to the systemic circulation involving multiple organ systems. Miliary TB can be a manifestation of dissemination of bacilli through lymphohaematogenous spread via the right side of the heart (5),(6),(7),(8),(9).
Tuberculous meningitis is a catastrophic complication of disseminated TB. Clinical presentation may range from headache, vomiting to mental obtundation and seizures. Seizures occurring early in the clinical course of meningitis are usually due to raised intracranial tension and cerebral oedema. Late onset of seizures is due to secondary vasculitic infarction, obstructive hydrocephalus or metabolic cause like hyponatremia because of syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone. Tuberculoma of brain can also present as seizures. If not managed properly then recurrent seizures may progress to chronic epilepsy (10).
Rarely, seizures may be the first manifestation of disseminated TB. Esposito SB et al., described a case of an immunocompetent male who presented with severe headaches, examination revealed signs of meninges irritation. A diagnostic lumbar puncture suggested bacterial meningitis. But the CSF culture and PCR was negative for bacteria and virus. A chest radiograph (CXR) suggested TB. Further the tests confirmed disseminated TB in the brain, spinal cord, meninges, muscle, joint and bone. The patient responded to first line ATT (11).
Mbizvo GK et al., described a case of disseminated TB presenting with epilepsiapartialis continua and haemophagocytic syndrome. MRI brain revealed multiple ring enhancing lesions. The 54-year-old female responded to anti TB therapy and also received etoposide and dexamethasone based chemotherapy for haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (12). In a case described by Baudel JL et al., a 22-year-old male presented with prolonged seizures and paraplegia. MRI brain revealed tuberculomas in brain stem and spinal cord. Chest radiograph revealed miliary mottling. The CSF Ziehl-Nelson staining revealed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (13).
The dilemma in diagnosis of disseminated TB prevails because of lack of precise clinical presentations, localising signs, normal chest X-rays (cryptic TB), choroid tubercules in fundus, and a negative tuberculin skin test (14),(15).
Irrespective of the immunologic status disseminated TB should be suspected in any patient who presents with prolonged fever, loss of weight, fatigue, night sweats, abnormal haematologic parameters (anaemia, pancytopenia), variable neurologic signs, hepatosplenomegaly, abnormal liver function tests, renal function tests. The paramount importance is to identify and target the organs involved and obtaining adequate samples for appropriate diagnosis (16). In addition to the conventional gold standard sputum microscopy and culture, use of NAATs; especially Gene Xpert MTB/ RIF assays are mandatory for it has got a sensitivity of 98-100% in patients with sputum positive cases and 57-83% in sputum negative cases (4). Imaging modalities like CT scan thorax, abdomen, CSF studies, neuroimaging and when signs are present then biopsy specimens can give appropriate diagnosis of disseminated TB (17). Biomarkers like adenosine deaminase and interferon gamma related assays in pleural fluid, ascites, and CSF has also been used for diagnosis of TB (18).
As far as evidence for management of disseminated TB is concerned, no data exists till date and whatever is available is on the treatment of pulmonary TB (19). Evidence generated suggests that when antitubercular therapy is started early the outcome remains favourable though the optimum duration is not defined (20). Apart from the conventional six months regimen, long duration therapy is usually indicated in cases with high disease burden, CNS TB, TB of bone and joints, immunosuppressive states. In susceptible cases of disseminated TB the conventional four drug regimen of rifampicin, isoniazide, ethambutol/streptomycin and pyrazinamide is given daily for two months as initiation therapy and isoniazide and rifampicin are then continued for four more months as continuation therapy. In some cases the continuation therapy may extended to 7 months. Many evidence suggest that the response of first line anti TB therapy is good (3),(21).
Tuberculous meningitis and tuberculoma are rare presentations of disseminated TB. Clinical features are usually vague in form of low-grade fever, malaise and headache that may persist for days to weeks. Altered mental status, focal neurodeficits, epilepsy are late manifestations. Along with the anti-TB therapy, adjuvant corticosteroids are given to reduce mortality. Data suggest that addition of steroids reduce the mortality by approximately 30%. The mortality rate of disseminated TB with tuberculous meningitis remains as high as 65% and nearly 50% of survivors residual neurodeficit remains.
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2022/52973.16852
Date of Submission: Oct 22, 2021
Date of Peer Review: Dec 11, 2021
Date of Acceptance: Jan 29, 2022
Date of Publishing: Oct 01, 2022
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: Oct 26, 2021
• Manual Googling: Jan 20, 2022
• iThenticate Software: Sep 11, 2022 (6%)
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