A new era for Journal of Laboratory Physicians

The Journal of Laboratory Physicians has served the biomedical fraternity in India and South-East Asia as the chosen platform to publish emerging clinical content and biomedical investigations from the fields of clinical biochemistry, pathology, clinical microbiology, pharmacology, and molecular medicine. It has been a great journey for the journal, where in 2023, the journal received its maiden impact factor and from 2024, the journal will be published in a new look and feel for its readers as the journal migrates to a new publishing house of Scientific Scholar. The new website for the journal is https://jlabphy.org/ and the new submission site will be https://editorialassist.com/#/login/jlp. Furthermore, from this year, articles that are unique in their clinical presentation will also be covered by the media, and the authors of the chosen articles will get the opportunity to feature in media interviews, where they will be able to describe the significance of their finding and clinical importance to the global audience in detail.

The journey so far would have not been possible without the immense and valuable contribution from our editorial board members and reviewers, but more importantly from our esteemed authors who have been enriching the journal over the past decade with diverse clinical contents. This has resulted in the journal attaining its current glory and prestige. As the journal now competes in the impact factor ladder, we look forward to sustained contributions from our authors and believe that our readers will immensely appreciate the content that will be published ahead in our issues.

In the year 2023, the journal published diversified contents, which were engaging, informative, and educative for our reader base. Some of the notable mentions, based on the clinical message, and article metrics, are as follows:

• Stillbirth investigations: An iconographic and concise diagnostic workup in perinatal pathology^[1]

• Effect of statins on the inflammatory markers in patients with coronary artery disease^[2]

• Toluidine blue stain as a rapid onsite tool for preliminary diagnosis in imprint smears of bronchoscopic biopsy: A cytohistopathological correlation^[3]

• A simple, rapid, and cost-effective polymerase chain reaction procedure for detection of NUDT15 gene variants in Vietnamese patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia^[4]

• Prevalence and impact of HMOX1 polymorphism (rs2071746: A > T) in Indian sickle cell disease patients^[5]

• Pathological spectrum and β-amyloid precursor protein immunoreactivity as a diagnostic tool of diffuse axonal injury following traumatic brain injury: A novel classification^[6]

• Early and effective diagnosis of sepsis using flow cytometry^[7]

• A comparative review of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), World Health Organization (WHO), and European Medicines Agency (EMA) guidelines for good clinical laboratory practices^[8]

• Evaluation of serum mammaglobin as an alternative biomarker in the diagnosis of breast tumors^[9]

• Prevalence and risk factors of soil-transmitted helminthic infections in the pediatric population in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis.^[10]

As we can see, in 2023 the journal published diversified contents addressing various pathophysiological and related clinical investigations. Authors not only from various parts of India published their manuscripts in the journal, but also authors from outside the country continue to publish with us, showing that Journal of Laboratory Physicians has established itself as the Journal of Choice for clinical laboratory investigations. The journal published molecular investigations such as gene variants associated with leukemia, gene polymorphisms associated with sickle cell anemia, and alternate biomarkers for breast tumors. We published neonatal and pediatric investigations addressing phenomenon such as stillbirth pathology and national status of helminthic infections. The journal continued to bring changing trends in clinical approaches by publishing investigations including the role of statins in coronary artery disease, novel classification in axonal injury, significance of toluidine blue stain for bronchoscopic biopsy diagnosis, and efficient use of flow cytometry in sepsis management. Furthermore, to continue its role as the torchbearer of publishing best practices in clinical laboratory practices, the journal published a comparative review of guidelines from the top governing bodies of the world including ICMR, WHO, and EMA.

In its new “Avatar” the JLP will also publish Medical Audits focusing on Laboratory Audits, where in authors can scientifically audit and debate the deficiencies and negligences committed by others leading to mismanagement and irrepairable harm caused to the patients. This section will be unique in its own.

Prof. Sarman Singh,

Editor in Chief, Journal of Laboratory Physicians,

Director Medical Research, Aarupadai Veedu Medical College (AVMC), Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, Pondicherry.