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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
Short Communication
Full Version
Youth and Zero Incidence, Zero Prevalence of Cancer in India- An Achievable Goal?
Correspondence Address :
Dr. HS Sreeshyla,
Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, JSS Dental College and Hospital, JSSAHER, Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
E-mail: dr.sreeshylahs@jssuni.edu.in
Cancer is one of the main leading causes of high mortality and morbidity. It is also one of the preventable diseases with known risk factors in many of the cases. Youth are like double edged sword, by being the highly vulnerable group as well as the group with strong potential for disease prevention. Health education, creating strong awareness on the known avoidable risk factors among the young adults can prevent the occurrence of cancer. Simultaneously, using the educated young group to dissipate their knowledge to curb the cancer is the need of hour. Thought of zero incidence and prevalence of cancer in India looks unachievable. However, with the youth centred programmes, by the youth, for the youth and to the general public, such goals can be achieved.
Deaddiction, Health education, Morbidity, Mortality, Tobacco
Cancer has entangled the world with its vicious cradle and has become a great global concern. The associated socio-economic psychological encumbrance and high mortality-morbidity poor quality of life calls for immediate action to tackle this burden (1),(2),(3). There is an increased literacy rate in the country, an abundance of research added to the cancer literature every day, availability of highly advanced early diagnostic modalities and praiseworthy attempts made by government bodies, private organisations, educational institutions, healthcare units, Non Government Organisation (NGO) and various other officialdoms to increase awareness on cancer among the general public (4),(5),(6). Public awareness messages in the cinema halls and through social media are reaching wider audience (7). Inspite of all the persistent efforts, the cancer still remains a major health issue.
The update from Globocan 2020, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer deaths in 2020. If nothing is done about this now, IARC has estimated global cancer burden to rise by 47%, a total of 28.4 million cases by 2040 (8),(9). The projected incidence of cancer occurrence in India was 679,421 among males and 712,758 among females for the year 2020. The cancer registry data has estimated that there will be about 800,000 new cancer cases in India every year (10),(11). In 2019, an estimated 1,335,100 new cancer cases and 397,583 cancer-related deaths occurred among Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) worldwide (12). These cancer statistics in India from Globocan survey, Indian cancer registry and National Cancer Control Programme are highly distressing. The continuation of the present trend can lead to highly alarming statistics in next 20-50 years, especially with more youth succumbing to cancer death (8),(13). These darker stats force us at thriving towards its suppression at the earliest. Well-planned short-term projects with good outcomes, spread over longer duration, aiming to achieve zero incidence and zero prevalence of cancer, are essential and crucial.
YOUTH- THE DELIVERERS AND THE BENEFICIARIES
The possibility of creating a cancer-free future by facilitating awareness and sensitising the adolescent-youth population about cancer, its causes, prevention and detrimental effects can aid India in lessening the competition for resource allocation between prevention of communicable diseases and cancer. As important as it is to help and support those with cancer and those with loved ones suffering from cancer, going forward, it is more important to promote its prevention.
The National Youth Policy of India-2014 has defined youth as persons in the age group 15-29 years (14). Youth comprises the major potential section of the society. Youth force is dynamic in nature and the youth of the nation are trustees of prosperity. They can play the dual role of being the participants as well as the deliverers. Globally, India has the largest youth population and will continue to do so for the next 20 years, as estimated by the National Statistical Commission of India (15). The present challenge is to channel this dynamic potential and resource for the welfare of people.
“The world’s biggest power is the youth” (Chanakya) and “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future” (Franklin D Roosevelt). Quotes like these reinforce that youngster are energetic, enthusiastic, creative, innovative and challenge seekers. Youth are identified as both the key beneficiaries as well as deliverers (16). Therefore, it is time we develop youth centred programmes with the involvement of youth, for both youth and the other population (17).
PREVENTIVE MEASURES AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION
Major areas where World Health Organisation contribute to cancer prevention are Tobacco Control, Palliative Care and Human Resource Development (10),(13). Human resource section should include youth as the major segment. Young trained personnel in various specialities, at various levels should play the key changers.
HEALTH EDUCATION
Education and health are interdependent. While the health status impacts the academic achievement, the academic status will have an impact on health. When combined, health education can have a great bearing (18). Adolescence provides a great window of opportunity for cancer education and intervention. Such an education should be targeted at this group, as they are in an age of active learning as well as in a stage where risky behaviours, such as smoking, begins (19),(20).
Primary prevention is the most effective mode of combating this situation. Health education is an important tool for prevention and early detection of cancers. The cancer associated risk factors are highly preventable. Hence, risk factor modification should be the prime facade. This health education should be provided to children when they are still impressionable, when the new habits they develop or the knowledge they obtain about health and diseases will have an impact on their future health. The best places to introduce this shift are in schools and universities. Teenagers and young adults encountering peer pressure in these settings try out new behaviours. It is necessary to train and equip college and high school professors to spread information about oral cancer and its simple prevention. Risk factors, healthy lifestyles, preventative actions, and advice about the negative consequences of alcohol and cigarettes should be added to the curricula of schools and universities. Also, strict measures to engage the youth in any kind of activity- be it sport or cultural, be made mandatory. This will keep them healthy, busy and away from the unwanted habits (10),(20),(21). This has to be approached together as lifestyle modification should be adopted in young age, for proficient results. Public health officials and education department must collaborate to sustenance quality school health programs that meet the changing needs of today’s youth (10),(18). Educational interventions and platforms should address obstacles to preventative behaviour and target specific areas of cancer prevention, such as avoiding tobacco products, maintaining healthy diet and limiting sun exposure. Educating adolescents on cancer prevention is essential to lower their risk of cancer in the future (19),(20).
Just like ‘Red Ribbon Clubs’ that are formed in schools and colleges to tackle Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), schools and colleges should also have groups formed by the youth, for the youth wherein students are the mentors as well as the counsellors. When any valuable health information is given by peers, it is well accepted by youth. The participation of the youth not only as the receiver but also as the contributor is a powerful psychological boost for the youths (22). Regular discussions, Interactions, question and answer sessions will keep the information fresh. Freshers’ introduction program should include briefly about tobacco and its ill-effects. This should be followed by an interaction program regularly to keep reminding the youth about the ill-effects of tobacco and its future, i.e., cancer.
Anti-tobacco Programmes
A 50% of all cancers in males are tobacco related and teen age is the most sensitive, vulnerable and easily tangled state (10),(13),(23). Anti-tobacco programs targeting the young are the need of the hour. There are legislations to enforce anti-tobacco laws and sale restrictions (23). However, their strict enforcement is possible with the involvement of the beneficiaries. Student committee’s at all educational institutes should be mandated to monitor strict enforcement of these regulations to yield better outputs. Counselling and deaddiction centres should work towards zero youth tobacco registries at their centres and the counselled youth should be employed and encouraged to take up the responsibility of further counselling the needy. This prevents them from re-addiction and the experience makes them the expert counsellors. Government level inventiveness for development of youth wing, employing the youth dedicated for cancer prevention will be a great initiative.
Media Education
Health magazines that are led by and contributed by youth about cancer facts and experiences should be initiated at national and regional levels with focus on local language. Educative materials in the form of audio-videos, posters, leaflets, flipcharts etc., has to be developed and advertised in the leading dailies for creating awareness about cancer among the general public. Interactive programme which provides an interface to the people with experts on cancer issues and moderated by youth should be conducted to educate the public. This in turn, becomes self-educative too. At every interaction each of us will learn something new as a take home message. Conducting campaigns and parades for cancer awareness will be more effective if conducted in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) hotspots like malls, multiplexes and academic institutions rather than conducting them on a busy road on a busy and hot day. Sensitising the youth on a consistent basis will help them generate an innate memory of the shortcomings and create a sense of consciousness and responsibility towards this malady. To effectuate, giving out brochures about cancer awareness along with movie tickets, gift hampers, purchase bills will prove helpful (24),(25).
Information, Education and Communication (IEC) is the key to tackle cancer. Social media can be a remarkable tool in achieving this. Discussion forums, YouTube, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram to name a few, are all at our finger tips. Using this social media, general public and youth in particular can be targeted. Authentic information about anything related, from tobacco, its side-effects, need for healthy lifestyles, risk factors for cancer should be made available. This information should be advertised while visiting the social media site. Just like other product ads which pop up while we watch a video or visit a site, information about ill-effects of tobacco, its relation to cancer, how to quit tobacco, helpline numbers, contact of tobacco intervention centres should also be displayed which cannot be skipped, but need to be viewed. Personalised, interactive educational program using already established resources will allow for the promotion of cancer prevention.
Social media platforms like “Know Your Lemons”, awareness for breast cancer, Caped India, for cervical cancer and many other Non Profit Organisations (NPOs) promote awareness and provide facilities for early detection and prevention of certain cancers. This has made cancer education accessible and easy. Certain months of the year have been allocated specifically for cancer awareness, like Oral Cancer awareness month (April), Breast Cancer awareness month (October), where campaigns and screening camps are installed to access people who cannot be accessed otherwise through the internet (5),(6).
Since youth are a reservoir of creativity, new ideas, energy and volunteering in NPOs will prove beneficial. Youth should be involved to spread awareness on importance of practising genital hygiene and safe sexual practices. Messages by youth icons in this regard will have a great impact. Celebration of Cancer Awareness Days, No Tobacco Day, Specific Cancer Days/weeks/months and such Cancer specific programmes can be made more fruitful if they are youth centred. Health melas, dramas, street acts, rallies, competitive events and theatre plays by the youth at large public gatherings and educational institutions will be great motivators (13),(16),(17). Well planned strategies, keeping targets, monitoring the implementation, and usefulness of these programme by the youth and finally recognising the outstanding efforts of the youth is necessary to streamline these endeavours.
These youth centred strategies can be distributed and implemented for now, worked upon for better tomorrow to achieve the goal of zero incidence and prevalence of cancer. It should initially begin with modifying the lifestyles of the current youth, deaddicting the habituated youth, improving the quality of cancer affected youth, educating the school children and the AYA comprehensively regarding cancer, involving the youth to percolate the message to all other sections of the society and ensuring continuous monitoring, revisiting and evaluation.
Reduction of once upon a time dreadful diseases like tuberculosis, leprosy, plague should be the driving motive at achieving the zero incidence and zero prevalence of cancer in the future, which even though appeared unachievable, has been made possible with involvement of youth. The measures adopted for cancer control in the developed countries may not be applicable to the Indian context. Under such situations, acting locally and youthfully will be the best solution. Employing and nourishing youth oriented community programs, workshops to prevent substance use and develop sportsmanship, can educate and reduce the exposure to cancer risk factors, improving the healthy lifestyle and social wellbeing of the society.
Authors contribution: Dr. Sreeshyla- literature search, Concept, manuscript preparation, editing, final proof; Dr. Jaishankar- Concept, literature search, editing, final proof; Dr. Shashidara- Concept, Design, final proof; Dr. Usha Hegde- manuscript preparation, final proof; Dr. Priyanka Nitin- literature search, final proof.
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2022/57748.17320
Date of Submission: May 13, 2022
Date of Peer Review: Jun 06, 2022
Date of Acceptance: Oct 14, 2022
Date of Publishing: Dec 01, 2022
Author declaration:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. NA
PLAGIARISM CHECKING METHODS:
• Plagiarism X-checker: May 16, 2022
• Manual Googling: Aug 23, 2022
• iThenticate Software: Oct 11, 2022 (4%)
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