Conflict of Interests: Authors should declare any conflict of interest. When authors submit a manuscript, whether an article or a letter, they are responsible for disclosing all financial and personal relationships that might bias their work. To prevent ambiguity, authors must state explicitly whether potential conflicts do or do not exist.
Authors must acknowledge and declare any sources of funding and potential conflicting interest, such as receiving funds or fees by, or holding stocks and shares in, an organization that may profit or lose through publication of your paper. Declaring a competing interest will not lead to automatic rejection of the paper, but we would like to be made aware of it.
Note: According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), “Conflict of interest exists when an author (or the author’s institution), reviewer, or editor has financial or personal relationships that inappropriately influence (bias) his or her actions (such relationships are also known as dual commitments, competing interests, or competing loyalties)…. The potential for conflict of interest can exist whether or not an individual believes that the relationship affects his or her scientific judgment” (URL: http://www.icmje.org/ethical_4conflicts.html)