Article in PDF
How to Cite
Citation Manager
Readers' Comments (0)
Audio Visual Article Statistics
Link
to PUBMED
Print this Article
Send to a Friend
Advertisers
Access Statistics Resources
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
Occurrence of Extensive Scrofuloderma in an Immunocompromised Child: A Rare Case Report
Correspondence Address :
Vishwas Rahangdale,
Pragati Colony, Station Road, Bhandara-441904, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: vishwasrahangdale@gmail.com
Scrofuloderma also called Tuberculosis colliquativa cutis is one of the variants of cutaneous tuberculosis. It can be a skin manifestation of concealed tuberculosis infection. It is most common in developing countries like India. It is possible that the individual suffering from Scrofuloderma may not have underlying tuberculosis however, the patient may have come in contact with a tuberculosis patient in the past and due to his/her immunocompromised state the disease manifests. Here, we describe the case of a four-year-old boy presented to the Outpatient Department (OPD) with all the classical sign and symptoms of tuberculosis as low-grade fever, multiple ulcerated nodules at the site of lymph nodes over the neck, axillae, anterior chest wall and inguinal region with history of rupture and extensive crusting. On the basis of presentation and examination the differential diagnosis was made in which Scrofuloderma was first listed. To confirm the diagnosis all the relevant investigations were advised in which Mantoux test, Erthrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) came positive and chest X-ray revealed old resolved tuberculosis. After correlating, clinical findings and laboratory investigations a confirmed diagnosis of scrofuloderma was made and the patient was treated with standard Antitubercular Treatment (ATT). After the completion of standard prescribed period of treatment and specific puckered healing of the ulcerated lesions again confirmed the diagnosis. The aim of reporting is presentation of lesions as superficial bacterial infection and healed old tuberculosis.
Cutaneous, Humans, Lymphadenitis, Tuberculosis
A four-year-old male patient, presented to the OPD of dermatology with chief complaints of intermittent fever, lesions in the neck, axillary and chest area for one year (Table/Fig 1).
Patient was apparently alright one year back when he started complaining of intermittent low-grade fever, insidious in onset and non-progressive in nature, multiple lesions over neck, axillae, anterior chest wall and inguinal region associated with history of intermittent rupture, crusting, scarring. The rupture was associated with non foul smelling, seropurulent discharge from the lesions. The patient was examined by several physicians and traditional healers and received a multitude of oral and injectable antibiotics without any relief or healing of the lesions. Details of the injectables and medicine were unknown as parents were unable to provide details. On cutaneous examination the patient had ulcerated lesions with serosanguinous discharge. Patient was previously diagnosed as a case of tuberculosis and was provided with ATT but was unable to complete the treatment and became a defaulter. There was no history of similar complaints in the family. Patient belonged to low socioeconomic background. On basis of clinical examination, the first differential diagnosis was cutaneous tuberculosis that is Scrofuloderma as examination suggested multiple lymph node involvement. Other differential diagnoses included impetigo, ecthyma and ecthyma gangrenosum.
On further investigation by chest X-ray, an old healed focus of Tuberculosis was seen, ESR was raised (90 mm at one hour). Mantoux test was also positive with 15 mm induration. After correlating of clinical and investigative findings, it was decided that the patient should be given ATT and was referred to Respiratory medicine department for the same and was provided ATT Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol under the guidelines of National Tuberculosis Eradication Program (NTEP)- Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) strategy from DOTS center and showed remarkable improvement at one month (after enquiry when patient turned up for follow-up after six months), the lesions resolved completely at the completion of treatment after six months (Table/Fig 2). Other treatments advised were wet dressing to remove crusting and by application of antibiotic cream (Mupirocin 2%).
The present case is rare as there was extensive involvement of multiple lymph node regions and an excellent response to ATT in the prescribed period was noted.
In India, tuberculosis is the forerunner among the major health crises. It accounts for 2.2 million reported cases every year (1),(2). Furthermore, in the dermatology OPD cutaneous tuberculosis is seen only in 0.1-0.9% of total patients. The adolescents (10-14 years of age) are more commonly affected ones (1),(3),(4). According to a study done by Shrestha SB et al., Scrofuloderma remains the most prevalent skin manifestation of tuberculosis, which accounts for almost 47% (8/17) of all cases of cutaneous tuberculosis in children (5). The skin over neck, axillae and groin regions is most commonly involved. On clinical examination, it presents as a solid subcutaneous mass that grows, unites, ulcerates, develops sinuses, and expels necrotic material (1),(6). A cutaneous abscess with an ulcer was observed histopathologically, along with a significant necrotic debris containing many bacilli and scattered histiocytosis with few lymphocytes (1),(7). Scrofuloderma is a type of cutaneous tuberculosis, which develops in people who have some level of immunodeficiency and is brought on by reinfection from an intrinsic focus (usually lymphatic or osseous) (8),(9). Approximately, 1.5% of all extrapulmonary tuberculosis is cutaneous (3). An 18% to 82% of all cutaneous tuberculosis cases in children are skin tuberculosis. In children there are the two most prevalent clinical manifestations, firstly scrofuloderma and secondly, lupus vulgaris (10). There is no preference for one gender over another, and the infection is more common in children aged between 10 to 14 years. A highly common intra-family cause of tuberculosis has been noted (3).
Scrofuloderma and lupus vulgaris can feature several lesions and extensive involvement. Children are most frequently affected by scrofuloderma that progresses to gingival lesions (Scrofuloderma gumma). In youngsters, morbidity, and deformities are more persistent (10).
While children acquire infected through domestic contact, adults seem to be more likely to contract the infection outside the house. According to a study, it was found that 69% of children with cutaneous tuberculosis were from close-knit households (11). The prevalent impairment of the immune response may also lead to defects in mycobacterial-specific cellular responses in children, which are thought to be responsible for the development of both cutaneous tuberculosis and leprosy in some cases. Tuberculosis is more prevalent in low socioeconomic status. In addition, parental carelessness repeatedly leads to missed visits to a dermatologist early in the illness. Delayed medication can cause the disease to spread, disfigured scars that lead to joint contractures and malformations that lead to a bizarre appearance (12).
Geographical environmental pressures, weigh the causation of cutaneous tuberculosis. Cutaneous mycobacterial infection has a distinct clinical appearance that can be acquired in a number of ways, such as external inoculation of the infection and spread to the skin from other areas, or it can be caused by an allergic reaction to the infection (6). Scrofuloderma is primarily caused by an underlying tuberculosis lesion that spreads through the lymph nodes to the overlying skin (13). The consumption of raw or non pasteurised milk in non-urban areas can be one of the contributing factors for infection (14).
Despite significant steps being taken to treat tuberculosis, there are serious reports of delays in diagnosing and adequately treating tuberculosis patients in India, which remains a considerable concern (15). The diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis, as in this case, was based on medical history and complete cutaneous examination. Histopathological testing, Lowenstein Jensen media culture or BACTEC 460 TB culture system, and polymerase chain reaction test are used to diagnose cutaneous tuberculosis. Furthermore, Mantoux test positive and a favourable treatment test with antitubercular medications are considered indicators of tuberculosis. An elaborate clinical approach and extensive investigations to pinpoint systemic disease are recommended, since the latter influences therapy duration. Cutaneous tuberculosis in children is treated in accordance with the guidelines for extrapulmonary tuberculosis treatment (3). If isolation of bacilli is not possible using newer diagnostic methods, a positive Mantoux test and treatment attempts can be recommended as an aid in diagnosing cutaneous tuberculosis (16).
Scrofuloderma is a treatable condition however, it is advised that it should be diagnosed at the earliest and treated accordingly. The main aim of was to let the practitioners know that clinical presentation, Mantoux test positivity and healing of ulcerated lesions with puckering scar are significant findings to diagnose scrofuloderma. In the present case, the patient defaulted on ATT initially and further consulted traditional healers in seeking relief of symptoms because of lack of awareness. The patient was diagnosed clinically and ATT was started at the earliest. After taking the treatment for six months without defaulting the patient showed symptomatic and cosmetic improvement. Hence, early diagnosis and treatment of the patient is encouraged for better prognosis.
We are sincerely thankful to the patient for giving consent for the photographs.
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2023/62865.17649
Date of Submission: Jan 12, 2023
Date of Peer Review: Feb 04, 2023
Date of Acceptance: Feb 17, 2023
Date of Publishing: Mar 01, 2023
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: Jan 13, 2023
• Manual Googling: Feb 03, 2023
• iThenticate Software: Feb 14, 2023 (8%)
ETYMOLOGY: Author Origin
- 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