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| Year : 2023 | Volume
: 66
| Issue : 2 | Page : 235-236 |
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| From Editor's desk |
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Bharat Rekhi
MD, DNB, MIAC, FICP, MCAP(Affl.), FRC-Path, Professor/Pathologist, Department of Surgical Pathology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Click here for correspondence address and email
| Date of Web Publication | 17-Apr-2023 |
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How to cite this article:
Rekhi B. From Editor's desk. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2023;66:235-6 |
Dear Readers,
I am delighted to bring to you another issue of IJPM. I take this as an opportunity to share some information with the several authors who have made their interesting submissions so far as well as those who intend to make future submissions. As we are in the world of evidence-based medicine, it is important to note that case reports and short series constitute the second lowest level of evidence, while systematic reviews are at the top of the evidence-based pyramid.[1] This has been one of the possible reasons for certain journals to reduce acceptance rates for case reports, to maintain a high impact factor. Case reports are associated with lower citation rates that influence the impact factor of a journal.[2],[3],[4]
Nonetheless, case reports and short series have their own importance.[5] A case report can be a forerunner to new research, for example, the identification of a new entity can influence further advancement in clinical practice for that particular disease entity. It can reinforce logical thinking in a young pathologist and help him/her in carefully noting all the details that can lead to the most precise diagnosis. Accordingly, I would like to appeal to the authors to critically evaluate their manuscripts including case reports before submission. The priority would be for those offering additional or new insights, are hypothesis-generating, and most importantly, reflect a contributory effect toward patient management in a significant way. It is always a unique and wonderful feeling of coming across a relatively uncommon case/diagnosis during routine sign-outs. This is reflective of the fact that a healthy brain likes to be challenged. However, before deciding to formulate that into a case report submission, it would be prudent if the author can critically evaluate the level of novelty and its value addition to the existing literature. Uncommon/rare cases are good teaching resources and may be included in the teaching archives. I would also request the authors to carefully read the scope of the journal while making a submission. Apart from the quality of content, compliance with journal guidelines would also influence the overall chances of acceptance of a manuscript.
The current issue contains an interesting mélange of original articles, case reports, brief communications, and catechism. In their study, Kucuk et al.[6] observed the association of Zeb1, an epithelial-mesenchymal transformation marker, with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and overall survival in cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas. In another study, Goes et al.[7] reported a significant immunohistochemical expression of BRAFV600 in mandibular ameloblastomas, which could possibly have therapeutic implications. Adhikari et al.[8] have described a significantly higher number of sporadic colon cancers in young Indian patients, including their association with mismatch repair protein deficiency. In another study, Tomar et al.[9] reported a significantly more frequent expression of CD44, a cancer stem cell marker, in cases of triple-negative breast carcinomas. I hope that the other articles covering various aspects of pathology will help in enhancing and updating the knowledge of the readers. I hope the authors feel more inspired to pursue quality research and share their best research for publication in IJPM. I thank all the members of the editorial board and the reviewers for their continued support.
 References | |  |
| 1. | Burns PB, Rohrich RJ, Chung KC. The levels of evidence and their role in evidence-based medicine. Plast Reconstr Surg 2011;128:305-10.  |
| 2. | Albrecht J, Werth VP, Bigby M. The role of case reports in evidence-based practice, with suggestions for improving their reporting. J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;60:412–8. |
| 3. | Erivan R, Dartus J, Villatte G, Marcheix PS, Descamps S, Boisgard S. Bibliometric analysis of case report citations and their effect on the impact factor: How does publishing case reports impact journals? Orthop Traumatol Surg Res 2020;106:1463-7. |
| 4. | Patsopoulos NA, Analatos AA, Ioannidis JP. Relative citation impact of various study designs in the health sciences. JAMA 2005;293:2362–6. |
| 5. | Carey JC. A species not extinct: Publication of case reports and scientific knowledge. Am J Med Genet A 2006;140A:801–3. |
| 6. | Kucuk U, Ekmekci S, Talu CK, Pekcevik Y, Cukurova I. Relationship of E-cadherin, Beta-catenin, N-cadherin, ZEB1 and a-SMA as epithelial mesenchymal transition markers with prognostic factors in early and advanced stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2022. doi: 10.4103/ijpm.ijpm_530_21. |
| 7. | Goes CF, Spadigam A, Dhupar A, Carvalho KM, Cota J, Syed S. Detection and evaluation of the presence of the BRAF V600E mutation in ameloblastomas in an Indian population. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2023;66:246-51. [Full text] |
| 8. | Adhikari C, Bandyopadhyay R, Bandyopadhyay U, Sarkar S, Basu K. Mismatch repair protein deficiency assessed by immunohistochemistry in sporadic colorectal carcinoma. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2023;66:252-7. [Full text] |
| 9. | Tomar R, Rakheja G, Verma N, Thakur S, Khurana N, Ghuliani D. Role of CD44 as cancer stem cell marker in triple-negative breast cancer and its association with histological grade and angiogenesis. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2023;66:258-63. [Full text] |
Correspondence Address:
Bharat Rekhi
MD, DNB, MIAC, FICP, MCAP(Affl.), FRC-Path, Professor/Pathologist, Department of Surgical Pathology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0377-4929.374251
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