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Greetings! I hope you are well.

I am writing on behalf of an international publishing house, Science and Education Publishing, USA (http://www.sciepub.com).

Science and Education Publishing (SciEP) is a multidisciplinary open access publisher of Journals covering the fields of Science, Technology and Medicine. All SciEP publications are subject to high-quality peer review, editorial and production processes and are freely available online.

Welcome to the April, 2013 edition of SciEP newsletter, providing monthly summaries of articles on science & education related topics of interest to scientist and professionals. The mission of our journals is to provide an open access forum for publishing new findings on issues pertinent to scientific and academic field. We also invite you to submit original research papers, review articles, short reports, or case studies are considered for publication in our Multidisciplinary Journals.

American Journal of Public Health Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-1-1-3

The Implementation of a Tele-Homecare System with Service Oriented Architecture and HL7 Message Transmission Standard
Ching-Sung Wang

American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajmbr-1-1-2

The Influence of Ethanol on Pyruvate Kinases Activity in Vivo, in Vitro, in Silico
Lelevich Sergey Vladimirovich, Khrustalev Vladislav Victorovich, Barkovsky Eugene Victorovich, Shedogubova Tatyana Aleksandrovna

American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
DOI: 10.12691/ajmsm-1-1-1

Clinical and Histological Features in Wegener Granulomatosis
Li Cavoli Gioacchino, Passantino Rita, Bono Luisa, Tortorici Calogera, Ferrantelli Angelo, Giammarresi Carlo, Rotolo Ugo

American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
DOI: 10.12691/ajidm-1-1-2

The Curse of Lymphatic Filariasis: Would the Continual Use of Diethylcarbamazine Eliminate this Scourge in Papua New Guinea?
Anne Lanham, Lillian Mwanri

We have released issues of some journals on February 2013.
American Journal of Public Health Research
American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
American Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
American Journal of Clinical Medicine Research
American Journal of Nursing Research
American Journal of Cancer Prevention
American Journal of Medicine Studies
American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research
American Journal of Biomedical Research
American Journal of Mechanical Engineering
American Journal of Microbiological Research
Journal of Preventive Medicine
American Journal of Food and Nutrition
American Journal of Hypertension Research
American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment
American Journal of Zoological Research
Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology
American Journal of Microbiological Research
Biomedical Science and Engineering

We are pleased to announce that submissions are now being accepted for peer review for all the journals across all our subject areas in SciEP.

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David Rain
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Science and Education Publishing (http://www.sciepub.com)

Case Report Communications to a Scientific Journal: An Insight

K V Ramana

Professor of Microbiology, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar, India

Abstract: This editorial reemphasizes the importance of case report communications to a scientific medical journal. It defines a case report, the content of a case study, significance and contribution of medical case reports to the advancement of medicine and medical education. This editorial also presents in brief the beneficial role of case communications in preventing and controlling the emergence of epidemics and pandemics in the public health perspective.

Keywords: case reports, scientific journal, public health

Received August 07, 2013; Revised August 27, 2013; Accepted August 28, 2013

Citation: K V Ramana, Case Report Communications to a Scientific Journal: An Insight. American Journal of Medical Case Reports, 1 (1). 1-2. January 2013. doi:10.12691/ajmcr-1-1-1

1. Introduction

Case reports in medicine and allied sciences can be defined as those scientific communications that describe the discovery of a new disease, unusual clinical presentation of an established disease/ infection, newly observed therapeutic complication/side effect of a chemotherapeutic agent, newer diagnostic approach, and success of treating a clinical condition in an alternate method using different technology/pharmacological agent. [1] A case (from Latin casus) meaning an event/happening/occurrence is used to describe not the patient but the clinical condition he is suffering from. [2] There would be many dimensions of defining a case communication with respect to various subjects of medical sciences including the anatomy, surgery, pediatrics, dermatology, orthopedics, infectious diseases, psychiatry and others. Case reports normally are not observations of a single case, but a cluster of such incidences (case series) related to a particular aspect of a disease/infection. Case reports of any type will be considered as contributing necessary tools in developing hierarchies for the management of various clinical conditions hither to difficult with available literature and thereby complementing the current knowledge on the subject and help in evolving new strategies and insights in to evidence-based medicine [3].

2. Significance of Case Reports in Medical Literature

Case reports describing a single or a series of case presentations necessarily form the basis for first documentary evidence related to a particular infectious disease that has the ability to outbreak in future to epidemics/pandemics and such early descriptions would be useful for future planning regarding the necessary action to be taken to prevent and control. There have been such descriptions of infectious diseases (malaria, plague, syphilis) in ancient literature [4,5].

Documentation of case reports assume greater significance in public health perspective where infectious diseases like the influenza, which spreads across continents are difficult to contain without adequate first hand information on its possible emergence and other related matter regarding the mode of spread and the intensity of the disease in terms of morbidity and mortality it causes. [6] Previous studies have highlighted the importance of case report documentation in the management of various clinical conditions to medical practitioners by providing them up-to-date knowledge. [7,8,9,10] It is opined that case reports normally should be made by specialists/clinicians/medical practitioners in their subjects, communications regarding their personal observations related to patient care and management, outcome of a newer drug therapy, unusual presentations, and possible success with alternate methodology of treatment that forms basis for future preparedness. [11] Clinical case reports of rare medical syndromes are hindered by ethical issues, financial constraints and statistical limitations [12].

3. Reporting a Single Case

There is a feeling that a single case report does not add significantly to the literature, and most of the journals discourage such communications. But one should not undermine such case reports as they describe possible newer predisposing factors, different morphological features of a microorganism, that is already an established infectious disease agent as in case of Kingella kingae which normally causes invasive disease in pediatric age group and rarely isolated from adult patients. [13,14,15] It should be noted that isolated case reports of parasitic infections reinvent the possible prevalence of the parasite hither to unknown in that geographical region and throw a light on probable underlying causes and laboratory methods to employ in diagnosing and treating such infections [16,17,18].

4. Conclusion

Though case reports describing a single case cannot be generalized to the public at large, it certainly adds to the already available knowledge. Emphasis on how to present a case, what should be considered as a genuine case report was described in detail in previous studies. [19,20] Cases detailing on a newer therapeutic agent and its adverse effects, reports defining a newer or an emerging and reemerging microorganism, case report describing advanced technology in diagnosing and management of a disease, communications on an abnormal presentation of a common clinical condition should be encouraged for publication as case reports in medical journals.

The American Journal of Medical Case Reports is an international peer reviewed open access scientific medical journal published by Science and Education Publications (SiEP) that is devoted to publish cases describing cause and pathogenesis of a disease/infection, monitoring medication and its side effects, drawing attention of medical community to a potentially new, emerging and remerging microorganisms/infectious agents, unusual presentation of a common illness, uncommon syndromes, evidence and newer insights in to treatment and management of diseases, advanced technology and innovative methods of diagnosis.

References

[1]   | Özçakar Levent, Franchignoni Franco, Negrini Stefano, Frontera Walter. Writing a Case Report for the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: 2013; 92(2):183-186.
[2]   | Trygve Nissen, Rolf Wynn. The recent history of the clinical case reports: A narrative review. J R Sos Med Sh Rep 2012; 3: 87.
[3]   | Carey JC. Significance of case reports in the advancement of medical scientific knowledge. Am J Med Genet A. 2006 Oct 1; 140(19):2131-4.
[4]   | Brier B: Infectious diseases in ancient Egypt. Infect Dis Clin North Am 2004, 18:17-27.
[5]   | Norn S, Permin H, Kruse E, Kruse PR: Mercury: a major agent in the history of medicine and alchemy. Dan Medicinhist Arbog 2008, 36:21-40.
[6]   | Novel Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Investigation Team, Dawood FS, Jain S, Finelli L, Shaw MW, Lindstrom S, Garten RJ, Gubareva LV, Xu Bridges CB, Uyeki TM: Emergence of a novel swine- origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. N Engl J Med 2009, 360:2605-2615.
[7]   | Wiwanitkit: The usefulness of case reports in managing emerging infectious disease. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011 5:194.
[8]   | Francoise Salager-Meyer. The Importance of medical Case reports. European Science editing. 2012; 38 (2): 38-39
[9]   | Henry Cohen. How to write a patient case report. Am J Health-syst Pharm 2006; 63: 1888-1892
[10]   | Shigeru Ehara. Assessing the scientific and educational value of case reports: an editor’s view. Jpn J Radiol 2001; 29: 1-2.
[11]   | Yitschaky et al.: Case report on trial: Do you, Doctor, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011 5:179.
[12]   | Kidd MR, Hrynaszkiewicz I: Journal of Medical Case Reports’ policy on consent for publication. J Med Case Reports 2010, 4:173.
[13]   | Ramana, K.; Mohanty, S. An adult case of urinary tract infection with Kingella kingae: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports, North America, 311 05 2009.
[14]   | Ramana KV, Kareem MA, Sarada C, Sebastian S, Lebaka R, Ratnamani MS, Rao R. Chryseomonas luteola bacteremia in a patient with left pyocele testis with Fournier's scrotal gangrene. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2010;53:574-5
[15]   | Ramana et al.: Diphyllobothriasis in a nine-year-old child in India: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011 5:332.
[16]   | Ramana KV, Rao SD, Rao R, Mohanty SK, Wilson CG. Human Dipylidiasis: A Case Report of Dipylidium caninum Infection from Karimnagar. Online J Health Allied Scs. 2011;10(2):28 URL: http://www.ojhas.org/issue38/2011-2-28.htm
[17]   | Ramana KV, Kumar MV, Rao SD, Akhila R, Sandhya, et al. Pulmonary Cryptococcosis Secondary to Bronchial Asthma Presenting as Type I Respiratory Failure- A Case Report with Review of Literature. Virol Mycol 2012, 1:107.
[18]   | Kandi V, Lal SK, Akhila, Shruthi, Sandhya K, Simar H, Pranuthi M, Kumar MV, Anand K, Rao SD. Persistent pediatric gastro-intestinal myiasis: A case report of fly larval infestation with musca domestica with review of literature. J Global Infect Dis 2013;5:114-7.
[19]   | Protopapas and Athanasiou: Evolving dimensions in medical case reporting. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011 5:164.
[20]   | Francoise Salager-Meyer. The importance of medical case reports. European Science Editing 2012; 38(2): 38-39.