Oman Medical Journal

Time 2020-09-19 07:02:45

Web Name: Oman Medical Journal

WebSite: http://www.omjournal.org

ID:51870

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Oman,Medical,Journal,

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Ibrahim Al-Zakwani, BSc, MSc, MS, PhD Welcome to the home of the Oman Medical Journal. The OMJ was established in 1984 and has been published under the Oman Medical Specialty Board since 2007. Initially, we started with one issue a year, which later increased to four and then to six in 2011. We currently publish over 100 articles a year covering all aspects of medicine and healthcare. These are selected by our committed and multi-disciplinary Editorial Board. We take a no barriers approach to publishing and are proud to offer the journal free to all those who wish to read it and charge no publication fees to authors/researchers. We publish a wide range of articles, including original research, case reports, and preliminary studies. We also publish editorials and letters intended to inform and spark debate about key medical issues. We do this to complement OMSB’s mission to provide quality healthcare through quality medical education. As part of this commitment, we are listed and indexed in over 35 databases, and this number continues to grow. We have added some exciting new features to this website. We now offer our authors and readers the opportunity to access articles before they are published in print with our Ahead-of-Print facility.On behalf of the entire OMJ team, thank you for visiting the online home of the OMJ. We hope you will find this site to be a helpful resource. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or comments you have. Ibrahim Al-Zakwani The Possible Link Between Vitamin D Levels and Exudative Age-related Macular Degeneration Objectives: We sought to evaluate the possible correlation between serum vitamin D levels and exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study including 95 patients with exudative AMD and 95 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. The participants’ serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) levels were measured, and the results were classified into three categories: deficient ( 20.0 ng/mL), insufficient (20.1–29.9 ng/mL), and sufficient ( 30.0 ng/mL). We compared serum 25(OH)D3 levels between the two study groups and the AMD ratio between the patients with deficient serum 25(OH)D3 levels and those with levels in the sufficient and insufficient ranges. Results: The median 25(OH)D3 levels were significantly lower in patients with AMD compared to the control subjects (p =0.042). The frequencies of patients with AMD among the vitamin D categories were statistically significant (p =0.043). Subgroup analysis showed that the frequency of patients with AMD and deficient vitamin D levels was significantly higher than that found in the patients who had sufficient and/or insufficient ranges of vitamin D levels (55.0% vs. 36.0%, p =0.043, respectively). Conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D3 levels may have an impact on the neovascular type of AMD. As 25(OH)D3 levels decrease, the frequency of AMD increases.Keywords: Age-Related Macular Degeneration; Vitamin D; Vitamin D Deficiency. Article history: Immune-mediated Skin Disorders and their Oral Manifestations in the Omani Population: A Hospital-based Study Objectives: We sought to determine the prevalence of immune-mediated skin disorders (IMDs), their oral manifestations, and the related comorbidity among Omani patients with IMDs attending the outpatient Department of Dermatology and Dental Clinic at Al Nahdha Hospital, Muscat. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 236 newly-diagnosed patients with IMDs who attended the outpatient clinic between September 2014 and September 2017. Data, such as age, sex, investigations, diagnosis, comorbidity, and associated oral manifestations of the affected individuals, were collected from the hospital health information system. Results: Of the 236 diagnosed cases of IMD, lichen planus substantially comprised over half of the total cases (59.7%). This was followed by relatively fewer cases of discoid lupus erythematosus (11.0%), systemic lupus erythematosus (10.2%), and erythema multiforme (8.1%). Pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigus comprised only 3.0% and 4.2% of the total studied cases, respectively. The other less common disorders found in our study were toxic epidermal necrolysis (1.7%), pemphigus foliaceus (1.3%), and gestational pemphigoid (0.8%). Oral mucosal involvement was seen more commonly with lichen planus (78.7%), pemphigus vulgaris (71.4%), and erythema multiforme (75.0%), while systemic lupus erythematosus and discoid lupus erythematosus were shown to appear with more comorbidities compared to the other skin disorders studied. Conclusions: Several IMDs have considerable oral involvement. These oral manifestations of the diseases may be overlooked by other specialists leading to a delay in the diagnosis and its management. In order to circumvent this delay, the analysis and evaluation of a disease need to be done by a team comprising of a dental surgeon, dermatologist, and an oral medicine specialist. Keywords: Dermatology; Dental Clinics; Comorbidity; Oman. Article history: Home Accidents among Children: A Retrospective Study at a Tertiary Care Center in Oman Objectives: We sought to identify the prevalence, commonest causes, and severity of home accident injuries and their effects on children who present to the emergency department (ED) of a university-tertiary hospital in Oman. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study among children aged ≤ 18 years old who presented with home accidents to the ED between January and June 2017. A checklist for data collection was designed to include demographic data, causes and effects of home accidents, and treatment outcomes. The data was retrieved from the hospital electronic patient records. Results: A total of 1333 children presented to the ED over six months as a result of unintentional home accidents, giving a prevalence of 7.7% from all children who visited the ED. There was a significant male to female ratio of 1.7:1. The most prevalent causes for home accidents were ‘falls’ in 716 (53.7%) children, followed by ‘struck by/against-animate/inanimate mechanical force’ in 201 (15.1%) children. ‘Poisoning’ was the third major cause in 117 (8.8%) children. Severity scale showed that around 36.0% of children suffered from severe injuries and 5.4% were admitted to the hospital. Conclusions: Despite this study being a single-center study in Oman, it indicates a high prevalence and severity of unintentional home accidents among children. The study findings suggest the need for implementing strategies to raise public awareness of child safety at home and to improve the preparedness of healthcare providers in ED to deal with such accidents. Keywords: Accidents, Home; Child; Accidental Falls; Retrospective Studies; Accidental Injuries; Oman. Article history: Objectives: We sought to identify the epidemiological characteristics of the first case series of patients with COVID-19 in Oman. Methods: We included national surveillance data of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from 24 February to 17 April 2020. Analyses were performed using descriptive and univariate statistics. Results: Of the 1304 patients studied, the mean age was 37.0±13.0 years old, 80.3% were males, and 35.8% were Omanis. The other mostly affected nationalities were Indian (29.1%), Bangladeshi (20.0%), and Pakistani (10.7%). Out of the total, 80.1% were from the Muscat governorate. Omani patients were significantly more likely to be males than females and aged between 20 and 59 years old (p 0.001). On presentation, 95.9% cases were mild, 3.6% moderate, and 0.5% severe. The case fatality rate was 0.5%. All deaths were from Muscat governorate; four from Mutrah, one from A'Seeb, and one from Bawshar. Conclusions: This case series provides epidemiological characteristics as well as the early outcomes of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19.Keywords: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Coronavirus; Oman. Article history: Role of Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy in the Rapid Diagnosis of Sputum Smear-negative Disseminated Tuberculosis with Pulmonary Miliary Infiltrates Objectives: We sought to evaluate the role of bronchoscopy-related procedures such as bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), bronchial wash (BW), bronchial brush (B brush), transbronchial biopsy (TBB), and post-bronchoscopy sputum (PBS), alone or in combination, in the rapid diagnosis of negative sputum smear disseminated tuberculosis (TB). Methods: We performed a secondary post hoc analysis of data collected from our previous study entitled “Disseminated tuberculosis among adult patients admitted to Hamad General Hospital, Qatar: A five-year hospital-based study” with a modified objective. Results: We identified 27 patients. BAL fluid was positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear in 7/27 (25.9%) patients and were culture-positive for Myobacterium tuberculosis in 17/27 (63.0%) cases, while BW collections were smear-positive in 9/27 (33.3%) cases and culture-positive for M. tuberculosis in 18/27 (66.7%) cases. TBB showed caseating granulomas in 10/16 (62.5%) cases and one case of non-caseating granuloma (6.3%). PBS was positive for AFB in 4/8 (50.0%) patients. The combination of these procedures enabled us to diagnose disseminated TB rapidly in 22 (81.5%) cases. Conclusions: Bronchoscopy proved to be an effective method for the rapid diagnosis of disseminated TB in patients in whom sputum smear microscopy was negative.Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Miliary; Bronchoscopy; Sputum; Bronchoalveolar Lavage. Article history: Factors Related to Relapse in Patients with Substance-related Disorders under Methadone Maintenance Therapy: Decision Tree Analysis Mehdi Moradinazar, Vahid Farnia, Mostafa Alikhani, Ali Kazemi Karyani, Satar Rezaei, Shahab Rezaeian, Behzad Karami Matin, Farid Najafi Objectives: We sought to determine the main factors related to relapse in patients with substance-related disorders (SRDs) who received methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) using decision tree (DT) analysis. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 4175 patients referred to the 45 MMT centers in Kermanshah province, west of Iran. We included all patients who were under MMT for at least one year. All information was collected through an interview by a psychologist. Descriptive statistics and univariate and multiple regression models were used in statistical analysis. The Gini index was calculated to determine the cut-off point of nodes. We used the Classification and Regression Trees algorithm to create the DT. Results: The relapse rate was 76.6% for all participants, with no significant gender differences. The DT resulted in a five-level model of significant factors affecting substance abuse relapse. These included lower cost for buying substances, lower age at first substance use, history of quitting substances without medication, frequency of substances utilization per month, and frequency of methadone therapy. Conclusions: Knowing the main factors associated with substance abuse relapse could be important for health care providers to make better decisions for improving the treatment outcomes of SRDs.Keywords: Substance-Related Disorders; Decision Trees; Methadone; Iran. Article history: Evaluation of Hospital Referral Notes for Pulmonary Function Tests at Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Oman Ruqaia Al Hinai, Anan Al Jabri, Balaji Jothi, Nasra Al Sinawi, Hajar Al Rajaibi, Khamis Al Hashmi, Deepali Jaju Objectives: There is substantial increase in referrals for investigations at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH). Evaluating the quality of hospital referral notes (RNs) is necessary from diagnostic, patient, and economic perspectives. RNs for pulmonary function tests (PFTs) can be considered as representative of the array of tests performed at SQUH. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the quality of RNs based on ‘completeness’ for all consecutive patients referred for PFTs at SQUH over six months. Evaluation included documentation of demographic features, RNs date, priority for investigation, referral reason, pulmonary and relevant medical and smoking history for spirometry RNs, and addition of hemoglobin level for full lung functions (Full-LuFs) tests. The proportion of complete RNs was determined and analyzed separately to study association of spirometry and full-LuFs tests with source and reasons for referral. Results: Only 644 of 683 RNs were available for analysis. Smoking history was stated in only 3.3% of all RNs; hence, it was excluded from the analysis. RNs were complete only in 12.4% of cases for spirometry and 14.4% for full-LuFs tests. RNs for patients who primarily had pulmonary disease were proportionately incomplete than those for patients with other reasons (p 0.050). There was no significant association between incompleteness of RNs and referral hospital (SQUH vs. non-SQUH) and SQUH inpatient or outpatient status implying that the overall proportion of completeness of RNs from all concerned referral locations was similar and low in both types of RNs. Conclusions: There is a need to improve the quality of RNs at SQUH. Referring doctors must be made aware of the importance of completeness of RNs to improve test reporting, patient management and satisfaction, and reduce financial burden on hospital exchequer.Keywords: Respiratory Function Tests; Spirometry; Referral and Consultation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Oman. Article history: Increased QT Interval Dispersion is Associated with Coronary Artery Involvement in Children with Kawasaki Disease Objectives: Coronary artery (CA) involvement is the most well known complication of Kawasaki disease (KD). Previous studies have suggested that QT dispersion has a predictive value in diagnosing cardiac ischemia, ventricular arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death. However, limited data exits regarding the application of QT dispersion in KD. Therefore, we sought to determine whether there is a relationship between QT dispersion and CA involvement in patients with KD. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of all consecutive patients with KD who were followed-up at the Pediatric Rheumatology Department (Pediatrics Center of Excellence affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran) from September 2013 to November 2015. Patients who met the criteria for KD, based on the American Heart Association guideline, were enrolled in the study. We collected data regarding patients’ demographics, clinical manifestations, laboratory, and echocardiographic findings. Results: A total of 70 KD patients were identified, including 43 males (61.4%) and 27 females (38.6%). The median age of patients was 21.0 (11.0–48.0) months. We found statistically significant differences between age, gender, and platelet count among patients with and without CA involvement (p 0.050). Median corrected QT dispersion in patients with CA involvement calculated from 12 leads in the acute phase was significantly higher compared to the non-CA involvement group (108.0 (89.5–138.5) ms vs. 63.0 (54.0–74.5) ms, respectively (p 0.001)). Conclusions: Prolonged QT dispersion (corrected or non-corrected) during the acute and convalescence phases in patients with KD is associated with coronary involvement.Keywords: Aneurysm; Kawasaki Disease; Electrocardiography. Article history: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Common Eye Diseases among the Omani Population: How Far Have We Come? For Authors The Oman Medical Journalaccepts manuscript submissions through an external website, Editorial Manager. The Journalhas specificinstructions and guidelinesfor submitting articles. Please read and review them carefully.Articles that are not submitted in accordance with our instructions and guidelines are more likely to be rejected. Aims and scope Oman Medical Journal is an Open Access International Journal, which intends to engage and inform doctors, researchers and other health professionals by publishing a wide range of peer-reviewed articles. Our background is solidly grounded in publishing a high degree of articles covering all aspects of medicine. Information for subscribers Oman Medical Journal is published six times a year by Oman Medical Specialty Board. It is distributed free to all medical doctors and allied health professionals in various institutions locally and internationally. Charges: There is no charges for submission, publication, and subscription. Each author must contribute a significant segment and should take responsibility for the content and authenticity of the work as a whole. Authors must complete an Authorship form clearly stating their responsibilities, contribution and financial sources. Authors must supply an email address as all correspondence will be by email. Abstracting and indexing services The journal is listed in PubMed and PubMed Central, and indexed in Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Google Scholar, CrossRef, Index Copernicus, CINAHL, DOAJ, Global Health, Academic OneFile, Academic Science in Context, Academic Journals Database, CAB Abstracts, CABI Publishing, Chemical Abstracts, Cornell University Library, EBSCO Publishing Electronic Database, Embase, Electronic Journals Library (EZB), Expanded Academic ASAP, Genamics JournalSeek, Gale and Open J-Gate, GFMER, Health Reference Center, ICMJE, Newjour, SCIRUS, SCImago Journal & Country Rank, Scopus, Summon by Serial Solution, The John Rylands Library, UlrichsWeb Directory. Ethical considerations In all experiments and studies on humans or animals, authors must state whether formal approval from an Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee was obtained in the Methods section of the manuscript. In the absence of such committee, the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines must be followed and be clearly stated. All studies on human subjects must include a statement that the subjects gave informed consent. Patient anonymity should be preserved. Photographs need to be cropped to prevent human subjects being recognized. Experiments involving animals must be demonstrated to be ethically acceptable and should conform to national guidelines for animal usage in research. Open access agreement:Published manuscripts become the permanent property of Oman Medical Specialty Board. This open access journal is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License (CC-BY-NC), permitting non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Editor-in-Chief Assoc.Prof. Ibrahim Al-Zakwani, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Associate Editors Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Mahrezi, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Murtadha Al-Khabori, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Abdulhakeem Al-Rawahi, Oman Medical Speciality Board, Oman Prof. Samir Al-Adawi, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Prof. Yasser Wali, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Assoc.Prof. Abdullah Al-Mujaini, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Adhra Al-Maawali, Ministry of Health, Oman Dr. Ahmed Al-Hashmi, Al-Nahdha Hospital, Oman Dr. Ahmed Al-Jahwari, Armed Forces Hospital, Oman Dr. Ahmed Al-Waily, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Faryal Al-Lawati, Royal Hospital, Oman Dr. Hatem Al-Lawati, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Khalid Al-Thuhli, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman Assoc.Prof. Khalid Al-Rasadi, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Assoc.Prof. Khamis Al-Hashmi, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman Dr. Khulood Al-Maamari, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Marwa Al-Riyami, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Mujahid Al-Busaidi, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Nihal Al-Riyami, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Rahma Al-Kindi, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Assoc.Prof. Rashid Al-Abri, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Assoc.Prof. Saif Al-Yaarubi, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Dr. Saud Al-Shabibi, Royal Hospital, Oman Prof. A G Pusalkar, Lilaviti Hospital, India Prof. Dimitri Mikhailidis, University College London, United Kingdom Prof. Gordon Ferns, University of Surrey, United Kingdom Prof. Kichu Nair, University of New Castle, Australia Prof. Thomas Walsh, Yale University, United States Prof. Walter Rosser, Queens University, Canada Prof. Dirk Deleu, Weil Cornell Medical College, Qatar Dr. Amy Young, Baylor College of Medicine, United States Dr. Bassem Saab, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon Dr. Celia Rodd, McGill University, Canada Dr. Helen Batty, University of Toronto, Canada Dr. Kenneth Mattox, Baylor College of Medicine, United States Dr. Khalid Al-Jabri, Al Mufraq Hospital, United Arab Emirates Dr. Mahfooz Farooqi, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Dr. Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, McGill University, Canada Dr. Michael Shevell, McGill University, Canada Dr. Murtada Shabrawi, Cairo University, Egypt Dr. Mustafa Afifi, Jumeira University, Dubai, UAE Dr. Thomas Harle, Emeritus at Wake Forest University Medical School, United StateThe OMJ expects that the articles it publishes will not have been published or released elsewhere before they are published in the OMJ. This allows time for the independent peer review of scientific findings before it is available to the public and protects the originality of content. Authors should also not release the details of their findings to the mass media before their work can is peer reviewed and published. The OMJ uses a peer-review process to evaluate manuscripts for scientific accuracy, novelty, and importance. The careful editing process often requires extensive revisions and assures detailed checking for accuracy. Authors will be responsible for checking the accuracy of the final edit. All submitted manuscripts are read by the Editor-in-chief and at least one other board member. Only those papers that seem most likely to meet our editorial criteria are sent for formal review. Those papers judged by the Board Members to be of insufficient general interest or otherwise inappropriate are rejected without external review.Manuscripts judged to be of potential interest to our readership are sent for formal review, typically to two or three reviewers. The editors then make a decision based on the reviewers' advice, from several possibilities: Accept for publication without alteration. Accept after revision/extensive revision. Authors are invited to revise their manuscript to address specific concerns before a final decision is reached. Reject, but indicate to the authors that further work might justify a resubmission. Reject outright, typically on grounds of relevance, lack of novelty, or major technical and/or interpretational problems.Reviewers are welcome to recommend a particular course of action, but they will be considered along with other reviewers who may have different technical expertise and/or views. Typically, the Board Members make decisions based on conflicting advice and their understanding of the research. It can be the case that we do not always follow the recommendations of reviewers. We do not send details of the final decision to reviewers. In cases where the authors have been asked to revise their manuscript, we may return to reviewers for a second review. When reviewers agree to assess a paper, we consider this commitment to review subsequent revisions. We do not edit reviewers' reports; any comments that were intended for the authors are transmitted. Therefore, we asked that reviewers remain respectful in their comments avoiding statements that may cause needless offense. Manuscripts will be edited for brevity, clarity, grammar, spelling, and style. When the editing is extensive, with the possibility of altered meaning, queries are sent to the corresponding author by email. When a manuscript has been edited and prepared for publication, these will be sent to the author along with any final queries from the Copy Editor. Authors are expected to check the proof carefully, paying particular attention to the accuracy of equations, tables, illustrations, other numerical matter and references (which have been corrected for style but not checked for accuracy, which remains the responsibility of the author), and answer any queries. With page proofs, we request that the authors make the fewest possible alterations other than corrections of errors, and wherever a change is essential, only substituting as few words as possible occupying an approximately equal amount of space. If no corrections are received, the Editors reserve the right to correct the proof themselves. Equally, the Editors reserve the right to dismiss any changes that do not follow OMJ style or introduce errors in language. Corrections are generally not made to a manuscript once it has been published unless there is a significant error.The Editorial Board is a group of individuals committed to helping the OMJ produce an excellent multidisciplinary scientific publication of the highest quality. The publisher/editor-in-chief appoint editorial Board members. The editorial board is made up of an interdisciplinary mix from a wide range of disciplines. The main responsibilities of editorial board members are to provide strategic and operational advice (unsolicited, as well as in editorial board meetings) and to guide papers in their area of expertise through the peer-review process.Any manuscript submitted by an Editorial Board member will be treated in the same manner as any other manuscripts with both the Editorial Board member and reviewers blinded to one another in the review process.Material submitted to the OMJ journals must not be discussed with the media, except in the case of accepted contributions, which can be discussed with the media only once published. Authors that are contacted by the media about any OMJ should ask that the OMJ is credited in any news stories. The OMJ Editorial Board and publication staff keep all information about a submitted manuscript confidential and limited to those involved in the evaluation, review and publication process. The OMJ used a double-blind review process so that authors’ names and affiliations are not revealed to reviewers nor are reviewers’ names revealed to authors. Only information on accepted articles is archived for future reference. It is the responsibility of every person listed as an author of an article published in OMJ to have contributed in a meaningful and identifiable way to the design, performance, analysis, and reporting of the work, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Authors must complete an authorship form clearly stating their responsibilities, contribution, and financial sources. According to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), as revised in 2013, authorship credit should be based on the following 4 criteria:  substantial contributions to conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and drafting of the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and final approval of the version to be published; and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All those designated as authors should meet all four criteria for authorship, and all who meet the four criteria should be identified as authors. Those who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged.All authors (ie, the corresponding author and each coauthor) must read, complete, and submit an electronic Authorship Form with signed statements on Authorship Responsibility, Criteria, and Contributions and Confirmation of Reporting Conflicts of Interest and Funding.A conflict of interest may exist when an author (or the author’s institution or employer) has financial or personal relationships or affiliations that could influence (or bias) the author’s decisions, work, or manuscript. All authors are required to complete and submit the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest: This form will be requested after a manuscript has been submitted, but authors should also include conflict of interest disclosures in the Disclosure section of the manuscript. Authors are expected to provide detailed information about all relevant financial interests, activities, relationships, and affiliations. Peer-reviewers are also expected to declare any conflicts of interest as part of their review. For all manuscripts reporting data from studies involving human participants, formal review and approval, or formal review and waiver, by an appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee is required and should be described in the Methods section. Such studies must also be in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (revised in 2008). For investigations of humans, state in the Methods section the manner in which informed consent was obtained from the study participants (ie, oral or written) and whether participants received a stipend. Editors may request that authors provide documentation of the formal review and recommendation from the institutional review board or ethics committee responsible for oversight of the study.The OMJ uses the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) definition of scientific misconduct as described below:  Falsifying data: fabrication of data, selective reporting or omission, suppression or distortion of data.  Plagiarism: using the published or unpublished language, ideas or thoughts of another writer without crediting the source and presenting them as one’s own. Plagiarism includes duplicate publication (publication of an article in more than one journal or in another language). Authorship issues: exclusion of involved researchers or inclusion of researchers who have not contributed to the work or publication without permission from all authors.  Violation of generally accepted research practice: including manipulating experiments/statistics to get biased results or improper reporting of results.  Failure to follow legal requirements: violating local regulations and laws involving the use of funds, care of human subjects, investigational drugs, recombinant products, new devices or radioactive, biological or chemical materials.  Inappropriate behavior in cases of misconduct: including false accusations of misconduct; failure to report misconduct; not providing relevant information in a misconduct claim and retaliation against people claiming or investigating misconduct.All allegations of misconduct will be referred to the Editor-In-Chief. Authors will be contacted in writing with any concerns and asked to state their case and explain the circumstances. Until a decision about the manuscript is reached, work on the manuscript will be stopped. The Editor-in-Chief will make a final decision on the handling of the manuscript. General information All advertisements must comply the Oman Medical Journal advertising policy. Advertisers must be honest about their products and services. They should avoid misleading or offensive content to reader. Any advertisement showing racial, ethnic, sexual, or religious bias will be rejected. Oman Med J have the right to decline any types of advertisement that is inappropriate and damaging to the content of the journal. Oman Med J may change the terms at any time, excluding advert approved prior to changes. Advertisers are hold liable for the content of their advertisements (including text, illustrations, trademarks, labels, or other copyright). Approval All advertisements are subject for the approval of Oman Med J which may take up to five working days. Oman Med J have the right to reject and discontinue any advertisement for any reason. Advertisement is not related in any way to editorial decision, it is separate from the content of Oman Med J. Restricted products Advertisements relating to alcohol and tobacco will not be accepted as these are known to be harmful to health. Printing Details Oman Medical J is publishing every two months (bi-monthly). The schedule of publications are January, March, May, July, September, and November. If you want the advert to be included in an issue, the deadline of submission will be one month before the month of release. Example: advert for March issue should be submitted on or before February 1. Regarding the advert specification, we accept PDF, EPS, or TIFF format with 300 DPI or above. One full page is as big as A4 size (8.3” x 11.7”), and the price will vary according to the size and the page where the advert will appear. (Please see price below) All advert are printed in full color. Oman Med J has the right to reject or discontinue any advertising for any reason including advertising that does not follow the publication’s standard. The advertiser is liable for the completeness and correctness of the advert. File that will be submitted to Oman Med J for advert is considered as a final and approved file. Cancellation Policy Cancellation should be made 15 days before the month of release. No cancellation is allowed less than 15 days before the month of release unless otherwise agreed by both parties in writing. Contact Us "Our background is solidly grounded in publishing a high degree of articles covering all aspects of medicine." ADDRESS OMAN MEDICAL JOURNAL Oman Medical Specialty Board Way #443, Bldg. 18, Block 244, Plot 404, North Azaiba, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

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