Humberto Reyes B

Ética de las publicaciones en revistas médicas

Authors of clinical articles have similar motivations and rulesthan authors in other scientific fields. In addition, medical research must obey specific ethicalrules that apply to studies involving human subjects, including biological samples, tissues,cellular or sub cellular samples obtained from them. When submitting their reports forpublication, authors must declare that they have followed such ethical rules and also shoulddeclare any possible conflict of interest that may have arisen. External peer reviewers and theeditors should also conform to limitations by eventual conflicts of interest. Authors shouldrespect specific ethical norms that apply to the process of submitting, publishing andreproducing their manuscripts. In recent years, the editors of Revista Medica de Chile havebecome aware of five instances of misconduct committed by authors of articles submitted oralready published. Four correspond to redundant publications and one exhibits overtplagiarism in the text and syntax. Appropriate actions have been taken followingrecommendations published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, theWorld Association of Medical Editors and other groups. The present article stresses that authorsand their sponsoring institutions must be aware of the importance of following ethical ruleswhen reporting scientific work (Rev Med Chile 2007; 135: 529-33).(

Honestidad y buena fe: dos pilares en la ética de las publicaciones biomédicas

: The editors of medical journals should take the steps necessary to assure its readers that the contents of their publications are based in true data, that they are original and fulfill the ethical rules of biomedical and clinical research, including its reporting. This editors role has become increasingly difficult since the pressure to publish scientific papers is progressively stimulated by the role that those papers play in curricula vitae when the authors apply for university positions, academic promotions, research grants and for their personal prestige. As a consequence, increasing instances of misconduct in scientific publications are detected. Some cases are noticed during the editorial process, mostly when peer reviewers identify redundant publications or plagiarism. Other cases are denounced after a manuscript was published. It is the editors duty to verify the misconduct, request an explanation from the authors and, if their answer is unsatisfactory, report the problem to the institutional authorities supporting the authors. The editors should denounce the situation in a forthcoming issue of the journal. Universities should enforce the teaching of ethical rules that govern the report of scientific information. Revista Medica de Chile follows recommendations given by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the World Association of Medical Editors and other groups, but honesty and good faith in all the actors involved in the process of biomedical publications (authors, reviewers, editors) remain the cornerstones of scientific good behavior.

Chile se pone de pie otra vez

: One of the biggest earthquakes recorded in human history has recently devastated a large part of the Chilean territory and, followed by a Tsunami, destroyed cities, seaports, fishermens coves, bridges, and countryside houses. This cataclysm affected a large proportion of our population, leaving homeless families, no working tools for work places, hospitals, schools, public buildings, museums. However, the loss of human Uves was small compared to similar disasters. It destroyed part of the national heritage as well as damaged peoples living conditions. A national movement started immediately to help and recover, and international resources, both human and technological were also set in motion. As after previous earthquakes in Chile, young M.D.s and medical students were organized in voluntary groups backed by institutions or by their own organizations and went from large cities as Santiago and others to provide medical and psychological care to those in most need. Young members and students of other health professions (nurses, physical therapists, etc.) were included in these groups or worked in their own ones. National and international experience indicates that the forthcoming months require special care of psychological reactions and sequel (posttraumatic stress symptoms) and health consequences after water pollution, restrictions in housing and deteriorated sanitary conditions. Nevertheless, our country will stand up once more.

V Simposio Chileno de Revistas en el Área de la Salud

: In August, 2001, the Editors of over 40 Chilean journals in biological, medical and health issues were gathered in Santiago, Chile, by the Chilean Association of Biomedical Journal Editors, together with guest librarians from Chile and Brazil, in a 2-day symposium. The main topics discussed were: the educational role of biomedical journals in Chile; how can Chilean journals become included in international databases; requisites for authorship in scientific articles; how to attract more and better manuscripts; advantages and limitations of the peer-review system; ethical problems and conflicts of interest in the editorial process; electronic tendencies in scientific publications. This was the fifth meeting on similar topics held in Chile, starting in 1972, and the interchange of experiences and opinions among editors, librarians and other experts was fruitful and stimulating.

Qué es Medicina Interna

Internal Medicine can be defined as a medical specialty devoted tothe comprehensive care of adult patients, focused in the diagnosis and non surgical treatment ofdiseases affecting internal organs and systems (excluding gyneco-obstetrical problems) and theprevention of those diseases. This position paper reviews the history of Internal Medicine, the birthof its subspecialties and the difficulties faced by young physicians when they decide whether topractice as internist or in a subspecialty. In Chile as in most occidental countries formal trainingin a subspecialty of internal medicine requires previous certification in internal medicine but theproportion of young physicians who remain in practice as general internists appears to beconsiderably lower than those who choose a subspecialty. The main reasons for this unbalancecan be related to financial advantages (by the practice of specialized technologies) and thepatients’ tendency to request direct assistance by a professional thought to be better qualified totake care of their specific problems. Training programs in internal medicine should consider agreater emphasis in comprehensive outpatient care instead of the traditional emphasis fortraining in hospital wards (Rev Med Chile 2006; 134: 1338-44).(

Ulceras gástricas sangrantes y hepatitis aguda: dos reacciones adversas simultáneas por nimesulida, en un caso

A 66 year-old obese woman with arthrosis, self-medicated with oral nimesulide, 200 mg daily. After 6 weeks she developed nausea, jaundice and dark urine. Two weeks later she had recurrent hematemesis and was hospitalized. Besides obesity and anemia her physical examination was unremarkable. An upper GI endoscopy revealed 3 acute gastric ulcers and a 4th one in the pyloric channel. Abdominal ultrasonogram showed a slightly enlarged liver with diffuse reduction in ecogenicity; the gallbladder and biliary tract were normal. Blood tests demonstrated a conjugated hyperbilirubinemia (maximal total value: 18,4 mg/dl), ALAT 960 U/l, ASAT 850 U/l, GGT 420 U/l, alkaline phosphatases mildly elevated, pro-time 49% and albumin 2.7 mg/dl. Serum markers for hepatitis A, B and C viruses were negative. ANA, AMA, anti-SmA, were negative. Ceruloplasmin was normal. A liver biopsy showed bridging necrosis and other signs of acute toxic liver damage. Gastric ulcers healed after conventional treatment and hepatitis subsided after 2 months leaving no signs of chronic liver damage. The diagnosis of toxic hepatitis due to nimesulide was supported by the time-course of drug usage, sex, age, absence of other causes of liver disease, a compatible liver biopsy and the improvement after drug withdrawal. Peptic ulcers or toxic hepatitis have been previously described as independent adverse reactions in patients taking nimesulide or other NSAIDs but their simultaneous occurrence in a single patient is a unique event that deserves to be reported (Rev Med Chile 2000; 128: 1349-53).

Análisis de las publicaciones biomédicas chilenas indizadas en PubMed, en los años 2008 y 2009

Background: During the years 2008 and 2009, 1191 biomedical articles authored by Chilean investigators working in Chile were indexed in PubMed. Aims: To evaluate the potential visibility of those articles, according to scientometric indexes of the journals where they were published. Methods: Those journals where the articles had been published were identified and each journal’s Impact Factor (JIF), 5-year JIF, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), SCImago Quartiles (Q) for 2010 and the Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) for 2008-2009 were identified. Results: Three hundred and twelve articles (26,2%) were dedicated to experimental studies in animals, tissues or cells and they were classified as “Biomedicine”, while 879 (73,8%) were classified as “Clinical Medicine”; in both areas the main type of articles were original reports (90% and 73.6%, respectively). Revista Medica de Chile and Revista Chilena de Infectologia concentrated the greater number of publications. Articles classified in Biomedicine were published more frequently in English and in journals with higher scientometric indexes than those classified in Clinical Medicine. Conclusions: Biomedical articles dealing with clinical topics, particularly case reports, were published mostly in national journals or in foreign journals with low scientometric indexes. It can be partly attributable to the authors’ interest focused in reaching local readers. The evaluation of research productivity should combine several scientometric indexes, selected according to the field of research, the institutional and investigators’ interests, with a qualitative and multifactorial appreciation.

El plagio en publicaciones científicas

Similar to what occurs in literature, art and other human endeavours, every scientific report is based in previous work done by others. The new paper should add something original but a basic law of scientific honesty demands that any mention ideas, observations or thinking that has been previously proposed or published by others, should be acknowledged properly in the text and in the references. Plagiarism is identified when the authors of a scientific report use ideas or text that belong to others and present them as original, the previous source is concealed or it is referred to in a different context. The authors of a paper that contains plagiarism have the intention to mislead the readers, pretending to be the original authors of an idea that was expressed previously by others, or to be the owners of results shown by them. Plagiarism is a dishonest behaviour and, when discovered, may have dangerous consequences because the editors of the journal may publish a notice of retraction that will be inserted by Medline in both papers: the plagiarized and the plagiarizer, to be noticed by everyone who accesses to either of them in the Internet.

El aniversario 135 de la Revista Médica de Chile

: Revista Medica de Chile was founded 135 years ago and it has been published monthly since then, being now the 23rd oldest biomedical journal in the world and the second oldest published in Spanish (Table 1). It is included in the major international data bases and it adheres since their first version to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (ICMJE) and to the recommendations established by the World Association of Medical Journal Editors (WAME) . The number of articles submitted for publication to the Revista has increased in the last decade, including manuscripts coming from other countries and these are published in English when the authors do not have Spanish as their original language. The rejection rate in 2006 raised to 35% and the time-lag for publication of accepted manuscripts did not differ importantly from other regional or international journals (Table 2). This 135th Anniversary pictures the Revista as a respected medical publication in Chile and in a relevant position among those biomedical journals whose main publication language is not English.

Control de calidad de los médicos que inician el ejercicio profesional en Chile: Declaración de la Academia Chilena de Medicina del Instituto de Chile

The Chilean Academy of Medicine supports the 2009 law by which all medical graduates from Chile as well as from foreign countries that wish to start their medical practice should have approved the National Board Examination in Medicine (“Eunacom”). Success in this examination of basic clinical knowledge and competences is mandatory to become attending physicians at the Public Health Care System and to apply to state-funded postgraduate education. Annually, about 90% Chilean graduates approve this examination, while no more than 20 % of foreign graduates do. Given the shortage of primary care physicians, some members of the Parliament have proposed to simplify the test or to exempt foreign medical graduates from it in order to broaden the coverage of primary care and decrease the waiting lists. The Chilean Academy of Medicine considers this shortcut strategy as dangerous for the Chilean population and unfair for our graduates. This Declaration has been sendto the National Health Authorities, to Deans of all Medical Schools, and to public press media.