Submissions

Editorial

It is an article that presents an impartial analysis and, in general, the point of view on a current problem in the field of health sciences or of scientific relevance for the readers; It can be scientific or opinion. Scientific editorials focus the debate on a topic in question and opinion editorials focus on the points of view of the scientific community on a certain topic of common interest.

MediCiego publishes editorials commissioned by the editorial committee or upon request by interested authors.

• Authors: one author
• Maximum length: 1,000 words
• Bibliographic references: up to six

Original article

Original article

It is a written report that communicates for the first time the results of a scientific investigation with a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed approach; It must contain sufficient and available information so that the results can be assessed and reproduced.

• Authors: up to six.
• Maximum length: 5,000 words, not including bibliographical references.
• Bibliographic references: up to 30.
• Tables, figures or graphs: up to six.

These works will have the following structure: structured abstract, keywords, and text (introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions and bibliographical references). Between figures and tables, a maximum of six will be accepted.

Title: brief, understandable, informative and in correspondence with the objective of the article. It should not include acronyms, abbreviations, chemical formulas or proprietary names. Avoid interrogative titles, matches with punctuation marks and serial titles.

Abstract: it must be written in Spanish and English, in impersonal style and past tense, with an extension of no more than 250 words and three to 10 keywords. It must be structured in: introduction, objective, methods, results and conclusions. It should not contain abbreviations or acronyms. The keywords will be obtained from the Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS). In addition, the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) can be consulted for the English language. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh

Introduction: it will be written in the present tense. It must show the published background that briefly substantiates the work done. It will describe how the subject is situated in previous science and in the international, national, municipal and local contexts. In addition, it must explain its relevance (reference is made to the general scientific and research problem) and justification for carrying out the study, and it will include a last paragraph where its main objective is clearly stated. It should not contain tables or figures.

Methods: they must be written in the past tense; The type of investigation or study, period of duration and place where it was carried out will be expressed. The criteria that characterize the subjects under investigation, the selection of the population, the inclusion, exclusion and exit criteria will be described, as well as the justification for the selection of the sample if necessary and the type of sampling used.

The variables analyzed must be clearly described. It must contain the way and sources of data collection and the procedure followed with the main techniques, including statistics. The classifications, algorithms, flowcharts or other types of scientific contributions from other authors that are used in the research must be duly referenced following the Vancouver style.

Statistical methods should be described in sufficient detail to allow verification of results from the data, report indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals), and avoid relying only on statistical hypothesis testing, such as the use of p values, which do not give information about the magnitude of the effect. The computer programs used and their version must be specified.

For more information on the selection and correct reporting of statistical methods, see the Statistical Analyzes and Methods in the Published Literature (SAMPL) Guidelines.

At the end, it must be declared, in detail, how the particular ethical aspects for the study were fulfilled.

This section must provide sufficient information so that the research can be reproduced by another author if necessary.

Results: they will be written in past tense, with the complement of tables and figures. The results must be in correspondence with the objective of the work and the research methods applied. They will be described with a logical sequence of text, tables and figures. The same information from tables and graphs must not be duplicated in the text.

Discussion: it constitutes a separate section of the results. It must contain a critical review of the study results in light of the works published in the literature on the subject and highlight the novel aspects. Explain in the paragraph prior to the conclusions the scope and limitations of the study, taking into account possible sources of bias or imprecision and their influence on the results, as well as the possible applicability and generalizability of the results.

Conclusions: they are written in past tense. They must originate in the work itself, as statements derived from the study carried out and coincide with the objectives of the research. They should not be a simple repetition of the results, but legitimate elaborations of the authors, built from the most important implications, of the findings identified in the study and where the contribution made to science is declared.

Bibliographic references: they should be written following the Vancouver style. Citations of relevant published documents will be included, updated (75% of the last five years) and national and international literature will be represented. Mention of personal communications and unpublished documents should be avoided, unless they provide essential information and are not available from public sources, in which case the name of the person providing the information and the date of the communication must be cited between parentheses in the text.

All the authors of the cited text will be listed (if there are seven or more authors, the first six will be listed, followed by "et al."). Journal titles will be abbreviated by Index Medicus. For titles that do not appear related in the Index Medicus, the NLM Catalog (journals referenced in NCBI databases), journal abbreviation entries in PubMed and MEDLINE and the ISI Journal Abbreviation Index (exclusive list of periodical publication abbreviations) will be available for consultation.

Attention must be paid to the ordering of the bibliographic elements and the use of punctuation marks prescribed by the style. The electronic addresses (URL) of the document references on the Internet must always be those corresponding to the full text and not only to the abstract.

Tables

The author must take into account the aspects indicated below regarding tables, figures, units of measurement, abbreviations and symbols. The tables collect the data in a summarized way and present it efficiently; they also allow information to be displayed with the desired level of detail and precision. The inclusion of data in the tables, instead of in the text, usually allows us to reduce its length.

Each table will be contained in the text of the article, exactly where it is cited and, therefore, will be shown consecutively numbered according to the order of presentation. Each table should be accompanied by a short title. Tables should be laid out in a simple (standard) grid and each column should contain a brief or abbreviated header and a legend footer.

Explanations should be included in table footnotes, not in titles or headings. Any unusual abbreviations will be explained in the footnotes to the table. The following symbols must be used, following the same order presented: *, †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, **, ††, ‡‡

Statistical measures of dispersion, such as the standard deviation or standard error of the mean, should be appropriately identified. Authors must ensure that each table is properly referenced in the text. If data from other sources, published or not, are presented in the tables, the corresponding permissions must be obtained and the sources in question must be publicly acknowledged. Decimal numbers will be separated by commas and not by points.

Figures

The figures must be elaborated and photographed with professional quality, or send digital reproductions of photographic quality. The figures must be in a format that allows the reproduction of high-quality images in the electronic version of the journal (for example, JPG, PNG or GIF). The authors must check these images on the computer and verify that they meet the necessary quality requirements before sending them.

In the cases of x-rays, ultrasounds or other diagnostic imaging techniques, as well as photographs of pathological specimens or microphotographs, clear and glossy black and white or color photographic reproductions will be used, generally 127 × 173 mm in size. The letters, numbers and symbols included in the figures must be clear and uniform, and of sufficient size so that each character remains legible in the reduced version of the published article. Figures should be as self-explanatory as possible, as many will reproduce directly as slides for scientific presentations. However, titles and detailed explanations should be included in the legends, not in the body of the figures.

Photomicrographs will contain scale markers. The symbols, arrows or letters included in the photomicrographs must stand out clearly against the background. If photographs of people are used, they must not be identifiable, or they must be accompanied by the corresponding written authorization that allows their use. Whenever possible, specific permission should be obtained for the publication of these materials.

The graphics will be made in color (on a white background) and with its corresponding legend. The data reflected in the body of the chart must be duly highlighted over its colors, so that it can be viewed correctly.

Each figure will be contained in the text of the article, exactly where it is cited and, therefore, will be shown consecutively numbered according to the order of presentation. If a previously published figure is used, the original source must be identified and written permission from the copyright owner to reproduce the material must be submitted with the work. Unless it is a document in the public domain, this permission is required regardless of who the authors or publishing company are.

The legends of the illustrations will be located at the bottom of them. When symbols, arrows, numbers or letters are used to identify parts of the figure, the meanings of all of them must be clearly identified and explained in the legend. The internal scale of the image should also be explained. The staining method used should be described in the photomicrographs.

Measurement units

Metric units (meters, kilograms, or liters) must be used or their decimal multiples for measurements of length, height, weight, and volume. The temperature will be expressed in degrees Celsius. Blood pressure should be measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), unless the journal expressly requests the use of other units.

The results of clinical laboratory tests will be reported in units of the International System, or allowed by it. If it is necessary to use the traditional units, they will be written in parentheses. Example: blood glucose: 5.55 mmol/L (100 mg/%/100 ml).

MediCiego supports international initiatives to increase the quality of medical reports and adheres to the recommendations and guidelines contained in the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR Network). It is recommended to consult the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guide for reporting observational studies.

Brief communication

They are works with the same characteristics as the original articles, but published in an abbreviated form due to the specification of their objectives and results. Its structure will be the same as that of the original articles, with a structured abstract of 150 words.

• Authors: up to three.
• Maximum length: 2,000 words, not including bibliographical references.
• Bibliographic references: up to 15.
• Tables, figures or graphs: up to three.

Case Report

Those presentations that are of interest due to their novelty, low frequency of presentation, clinical variant, modification of surgical technique, or other characteristics that highlight the need for their publication are accepted.

• Authors: up to three.
• Maximum length: 3,000 words, not including bibliographical references.
• Bibliographic references: up to 30.
• Figures: up to six.

Title: it must correspond to the most interesting phenomenon (e.g. symptom, disease, diagnosis, test, intervention) that gives rise to the clinical description, treatment or technical variant used. Include the words “case report” in the title.

In Spanish and English. It should not include acronyms or abbreviations. If institution names are used, they must be official and up-to-date.

Abstract: structured as follows: Introduction that includes what the case brings new; Aim; Presentation of the case with the main symptoms of the patient, clinical findings, diagnoses, interventions and results; Conclusion where the main lessons learned with the clinical case are synthesized. It must have a limit of 250 words, and written in Spanish and English.

Keywords: from two to five words that will be obtained from the Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS).

Introduction: briefly summarize the background of the clinical case presented, making reference to the pertinent medical literature. At the end, the objective and the reasons for presenting the case must be declared.

Patient information: Describe demographic information (age, gender, skin color, profession); individual, family and psychosocial medical history – including diet, lifestyle and genetic information whenever possible – and details of comorbidities and previous interventions and their results.

Compliance with the ethical component of clinical research: describe the case approval process by the institution's research ethics committee and explain the procedure for obtaining informed consent from the patient to disclose their health situation (includes their permission to publish the pictures). These two supporting documents can be requested from the authors by the editorial committee if it is considered necessary. Adherence to removal of identifying information from all patient-related data must also be declared.

Patient Perspective: The patient should communicate their perspective or experience in the medical care received, whenever possible.

Clinical findings: Clinical findings: summarize the findings when performing the physical examination or examination of the patient. Regarding the main symptoms and signs in the patient, the onset, evolution and current state of the condition must be made explicit.

Calendar: Describe important dates and times in the case. For this, tables or figures can be used, always following the indications established for the original articles.

Diagnostic evaluation: summarize, preferably in paragraph format, the evaluation of laboratory, imaging, pathological and other diagnostic procedures; What makes the picture presented by the patient a peculiar case should be highlighted. Reference should also be made to economic, linguistic, cultural or other problems, which constituted limitations in the carried out diagnosis. Also describe the diagnostic reasoning, including other possible diagnoses considered and prognosis where appropriate.

Therapeutic intervention: describe the type or types of intervention (pharmacological, surgical, preventive, self-care); administration of the intervention (dose, concentration, duration); and any changes made with its justification.

Follow-up and results: summarize the follow-up to the case, including: results evaluated by the doctor and the patient, important results of the diagnostic tests of follow-up, evolution of the case and adverse and unexpected events.

In the previous paragraphs, a maximum of six figures will be used (photos, tables, family trees), signs (arrows, circles, or others) must be used to identify the structures commented on in the text.

Discussion: analyze and compare the main findings with other reported cases and with the pertinent medical literature. Point out the pathology, pathophysiology and its meaning. Analyze theories or hypotheses about the implications of the findings. Discuss differential diagnoses. Describe the difficulties in establishing the diagnosis or treatment of the case presented, highlight the strengths and limitations of the study and their possible influence on the results.

Conclusions: they must be clear, justify the presentation of the case and include the contributions to scientific knowledge, as well as the main lessons learned from the case report.

Bibliographic references: they must be written following the Vancouver stile. Citations of relevant published documents will be included, updated (50% of the last five years) and national and international literature will be represented.

The mention of personal communications and unpublished documents should be avoided, unless they provide essential information and not available in public sources; in which case, the name of the person providing the information and the date of communication must be cited in parentheses in the text.

All the authors of the cited text will be listed (if there are seven or more authors, the first six will be listed, followed by "et al."). Journal titles will be abbreviated by Index Medicus.For titles that do not appear related in the Index Medicus, the NLM Catalog (journals referenced in NCBI databases), journal abbreviation entries in PubMed and MEDLINE, and the ISI Journal Abbreviation Index (exclusive list of periodical publication abbreviations) can be consulted.

Attention must be paid to the ordering of the bibliographic elements and the use of punctuation marks prescribed by the style. The electronic addresses (URL) of the document references on the Internet must always be those corresponding to the full text and not only to the abstract.

Review article

It is a bibliographic study in which published information on a subject is collected, analyzed, synthesized, interpreted and discussed; includes a critical review of the state of knowledge reported in the literature. It must provide an answer to a problem that has a conceptual or practical connotation and when this is not definitive, at least guidelines for future research must be indicated.

• Authors: up to three.
• Maximum length: 6,000 words, not including bibliographical references.
• Bibliographic references: 25 to 50, exceptionally more.
• Tables, figures or graphs: up to five.

Title: As established in the common requirements for all types of articles.

Abstract: structured in Introduction, Objective, Methods, Development and Conclusions, with a maximum limit of 250 words in Spanish and English. The keywords must comply with the provisions for original articles.

Introduction: present the brief, clear and appropriate background with its bibliographical foundation. It must be a topic of importance and relevance. The scientific problem that originates the review must be substantiated and the objective(s) of the work must be clearly described.

Methods: it must contain the theoretical methods used, the search criteria and justification for the selection of the sources, the search engines used, the period taken for the review, and the languages of consultation. Make reference to the number of articles consulted and of them, how many were selected, as well as the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Aspects to take into account: scientific credibility of the source of origin of the articles, the reproducibility of the method, the objectivity of the evaluations, the diversity of the results and their correct combination. Critiques should be in sufficient detail to allow readers to assess the methodological quality of the studies.

Development: exposition with the subtitles that the author deems appropriate in accordance with the objectives of the work. Figures and tables, in a maximum of five, that highlight the relevant aspects without incurring repetitions of information. Interpretation of the results indicated in the consulted literature. Contrast the differences and coincidences with the studies analyzed. Critique the results of the study in light of the published papers and declare the professional and research experiences of the authors on the subject. Include new aspects to consider (if necessary). Declare the limitations of the study and its possible influence on the results, in the paragraph prior to the conclusions.

Conclusions: they respond to the objectives of the study. They present clear, concrete and pertinent conclusions, as well as the contributions of the review to scientific knowledge.

Bibliographic references: they should be written following the Vancouver style. Citations of relevant published, updated documents (70% of the last five years) will be included and the relevant national and international literature on the subject must be represented.

Mention of personal communications and unpublished documents should be avoided, unless they provide essential information and not available in public sources, in which case the name of the person providing the information and the date of communication should be cited in parentheses in the text.

All the authors of the cited text will be listed (if there are seven or more authors, the first six will be listed, followed by "et al."). Journal titles will be abbreviated by Index Medicus.For titles that do not appear related in the Index Medicus, the NLM Catalog (journals referenced in NCBI databases), journal abbreviation entries in PubMed and MEDLINE, and the ISI Journal Abbreviation Index (exclusive list of periodical publication abbreviations) can be consulted.

Attention must be paid to the ordering of the bibliographic elements and the use of punctuation marks prescribed by the style. The electronic addresses (URL) of the document references on the Internet must always be those corresponding to the full text and not only to the abstract.

Letter to the editor

The Letter to the editor is a brief comment that expresses an agreement or disagreement with aspects contained in the works published in MediCiego: concepts, methodologies, interpretations, results, among others. It may have other purposes, including commenting on health issues and related social issues, journal format issues, biomedical writing, medical education, or making an announcement of interest to the scientific community.

The letters allow interesting ideas and opinions to be exchanged between authors and readers of the journal, which can enrich the evaluation of the original article or the subject matter.

• Authors: up to three.
• Maximum length: 1,000 words, not including bibliographical references.
• Bibliographic references: up to 15.

The title must be informative and concessions not accepted in other original articles are allowed: they can be striking, in an interrogative, exclamatory or through the use of puns. It must appear in Spanish and English.

The opening paragraph must begin with an explicit and clear reference to the fact that motivates the letter, be it the article published in the journal or another cause; From there, an exhibition scheme will be developed progressively

The following paragraphs should be the argument for or against, or additional comments regarding the reason for the letter. If original data are to be presented, the main characteristics of the methodology should be briefly explained (more summarized than in the original article). In the following paragraphs the discussion that is made from the reasoning or data provided should appear and end with a last paragraph by way of conclusions.

Does not include abstract. Bibliographical references must be 70% current.

Featured Images in Medicine

Digital images of interest to the scientific community will be published, as they are considered novel findings or of necessary dissemination for the exercise and learning of medical sciences. It is not a case report, the basic element is the images in sequence and the accompanying text is to comment on it.

• Authors: up to two.
• Abstract: unstructured; summarizes the topic addressed. Up to 100 words
• Maximum length: 200 words.
• Bibliographic references: not required.
• Figure one with up to six panels.

The images must contain relevant visual information obtained in logical sequences during the application of the clinical method, from the physical examination, the exploratory or resolving surgical intervention, the macroscopic and microscopic diagnostic results, imaging, electrocardiographic, ultrasound, or any other obtained by perform clinical evaluation of the patient. The title must not have more than eight words. It must be sent in GIF, JPG or JPEG format with good technical quality; it can be single or divided into panels (Panel A, Panel B, Panel C); where arrow markings can be used to identify structures discussed in the accompanying text.

The sending of the image must be accompanied by a brief report, the text of which must refer to important clinical elements with the patient's history, clinical, imaging, pathological and laboratory findings, evolution and treatment.

The ethical component of clinical research must be complied with, by explaining the procedure to obtain the patient's informed consent to disclose the health situation and including their permission to publish the photos. These two supporting documents can be requested from the authors by the editorial committee if deemed necessary. Also, adherence to the removal of identifying information from all patient-related data must be declared.

Medical education

What distinguishes this type of article is the field of study focused on medical education. They must comply with what is indicated in the instructions for specific sections according to the type of article: original or review. Detailed reference should be made to the theoretical and empirical methods used.

Medicine history

Articles that respond to this topic will be included in this section. They must comply with what is indicated in the instructions for specific sections according to the type of article: original or review. Detailed reference should be made to the theoretical and empirical methods used.

Student Section

The awarded research results will be published in student scientific conferences or events. The works that are sent will be governed by the rules of the type of article in question. Each submission must be accompanied by a scanned copy of the certification of the prize awarded to the work with the approval of publication of the jury evaluating the event.

Guest Article

It is that article that is of interest to MediCiego readers, with the prior authorization of the author and the journal where it is originally published. On occasions, an expert on a particular subject may be invited to collaborate for this section to provide comments regarding the contextual, relevant and transcendental aspects of the topic discussed in the article.

Special Section

In this section, articles will be published that MediCiego considers relevant due to their characteristics, for recognitions or special awards or others whose content has a high connotation and impact on the care of the health-disease process at the individual, family or population level. They will meet the methodological requirements according to the type of article in question.

Report of Events

This section refers to the dissemination of the results of conferences or other scientific events of an international, national and provincial nature carried out in the province by the Chapters of the Council of Scientific Societies and by other institutions of the health sector.

It will have a limit of no more than 1,000 words and up to three figures (logos, maps or photographs).

MediCiego publishes event reports commissioned by the editorial committee or upon request by interested authors.