This year's announcement of the Journal Citation Report (JCR) heralds a dream come true in the 44-year history of the Balkan Medical Journal. Balkan Medical Journal became the 2nd quarter journal with an impact factor of 3.57. http://balkanmedicaljournal.org/pdf.php?&id=2414  

Balkan Medical Journal adopts the WAME recommendations on ChatGPT and Chatbots related to scientific publications http://www.balkanmedicaljournal.org/static.php?id=10  

COVID-19 affects a number of organs, including the female reproductive system. However, less attention has been given to the effects of COVID-19 on the female reproductive system due to their low morbidity. http://balkanmedicaljournal.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_BMJ_2497.pdf  

In the field of computer science, known as artificial intelligence, algorithms imitate reasoning tasks that are typically performed by humans. The techniques that allow machines to learn and get better at tasks such as recognition and prediction, which form the basis of clinical practice, are referred to as machine learning, which is a subfield of artificial intelligence. http://balkanmedicaljournal.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_BMJ_2461.pdf

Type 1 interferonopathy is a novel context reflecting a group of inborn disorders sharing common pathway disturbances. This group of diseases is characterized by autoimmunity and autoinflammation caused by an upregulation of type 1 interferons (IFN)s due to certain genetic mutations. http://balkanmedicaljournal.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_BMJ_2501.pdf

Many cytokines are released during inflammation, and they can start the phagocytic process, which caused the degradation of infected cells along with healthy ones. Therefore, targeting the pathological mechanisms, such as microglial activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress, that should be involved in the treatment program is important. http://balkanmedicaljournal.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_BMJ_2430.pdf  

The publisher of our journal has been changed. As of January 2022, Balkan Medical Journal started working with GALENOS. We will continue to use the same online manuscript tracking system (Manuscript Manager). However, there have been some changes to our website. We wanted to inform all our authors, readers, and reviewers.

The effort to maintain the editorial freedom has posed distinct challenges arising from regional dynamics in the Balkan region, as in any part of the world. For a journal to be successful in the international arena, reasonably organized managerial processes are required. Clear definitions of work packages, workflows, duties and responsibilities, and assignment and dismissal criteria are essential for the transparency of managerial processes. The journal’s owner, editor-in-chief, editorial board, publisher, and authors effectively communicating with each other within the framework of rules will prevent chaotic and destructive conflicts that may harm the reputation and its mission. The attempt to establish a legal regulation, an agreement between the owner and the editor, and an ombudsman began approximately five years ago for Balkan Medical Journal. Throughout this process, the journal’s management has endeavored to consult the opinions of the journal’s owner and the university legal regulation committee to establish a legal regulation for the journal that is ethical, practical, sustainable, and conforms to the national laws and international scientific values. We believe the journal legal regulation, finalized in January 2019 and presented below, serves as a role model for all scientific circles and the Balkans and will contribute to the advancement of institutional scientific publications of medicine in the region. The journal’s editorial board extends its gratitude to all current and past employees, the Dean’s of the Faculty of Medicine of Trakya University, and to the current rectorate of Trakya University for their valuable contributions and encouragement to building the development of the journal legal regulation to protect editorial freedom and provide successful journal management of all Trakya University scientific journals.