I am pleased to start the last editorial of 2008 with excellent news. An agreement between the Index Copernicus database (which the Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Cardiovascular/Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery (RBCCV/BJCVS) is part of) and Google Scholar will make possible to digitalize and offer free editions of scientific journals that are not yet available on the Internet. This is a unique opportunity that we must not miss. Our collection of previous journals is very scarce. For some issues, the BSCVS has only one copy. This is a request to colleagues who have collected the previous editions to contact us so we can have duplicate numbers and send the originals to be scanned in Europe. They promise to return the originals, but I have fear of losing this historic inventory if the journals are not returned.

The printed copies of BJCVS from 1986 to 1996 that are not yet available on the Internet will be scanned. There is still no date set for all volumes to be published online, but when this occurs, they will become an important source of research and consultation, equating our journal to the best worldwide cardiac surgery journals available.

Similarly, I would like to inform you all that dossier for indexing RBCCV/BJCVS in Thomson Reuters (formerly ISI) was sent in October. The report was carefully prepared with the essential participation of Editorial Assistant and PhD Professor Rosangela Monteiro, and teams of Bireme and Scielo. I am convinced that, as we saw with Medline, we will be accepted. This will make the BJCVS more accessible and more frequently cited, with positive repercussions in the Impact Factor.

What makes me sure about this acceptance is that we are getting every closer to the international standard in quality and quantity of studies. This year, we published 49 original articles, a record since I took over as Editor in 2002.

The high number shows that the BJCVS has become established as a prestigious journal, attracting more and better articles. It's always good to remember that this process started with the internationalization at the end of 2002, when the journal became to be available in English in Scielo through the establishment of its own site in 2005 (www.rbccv.org.br), with an online bilingual edition and culminating with the indexing in PubMed/Medline in 2007. This is also reflected in the number of hits. In October, there were almost 50,000 hits on the site, or more than 1,600 per day counting only the BJCVS site, and not including the more than 1,000 Scielo hits, with which we reach about 2,600 hits per day (with peaks of more of 3,000). In other words, more than 10,000 pages are visited a day, in many different countries of the planet.

The growing requirement for qualification to be accepted in the international databases and the change of criteria of the CAPES and Scielo make the need for evolution and adaptation urgent. In this sense, it was necessary to limit the number of case reports per issue in order to maintain an appropriate proportion with regard to the Original Articles.

In recent issues, the BJCVS had published five Case Reports per edition. From now on, there will be only three at most. Consequently, the waiting time for publication of such articles will increase to around one year. I hope colleagues will understand the decision, and if they want to send a Case Report, they must report a relevant fact. Our intention is to further enhance the Original Articles and Review, which provide more relevance to the Journal.

Continuing an innovation that began in Issue 23.3, readers will access the journal through the link http://www.rbccv.org.br/video2/fechamento.htm. Here, they will also be able to access the video of a closure of the interventricular muscle communication of the right ventricular inflow tract. The report is written on page 589. Again, I ask the colleagues who have interest to disclose interesting procedures recorded on video to the BJCVS. Contact us.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new Board of Directors of the Brazilian Society of Cardiovascular Surgery (BSCVS), which takes office on Dec. 12 and takes over in January 2009, with President and PhD Professor Gilberto Barbosa, whose capacity is recognized by all. He and other members of the Board will find a lot of work ahead, but they have the necessary experience to overcome any challenges and succeed according to the desires of Brazilian cardiovascular surgeons. The BJCVS opens its doors to cooperation whenever possible.

One of the first tasks will be the 36th Conference of BSCVS, which takes place from 26 to 29 March 2009 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. As it always happens, the event will be marked by scientific upgrades, discussion of issues related to professional protection and socializing among colleagues. The Scientific Director, PhD Professor Walter Gomes, and the coordinator, PhD Professor Eduardo Augusto Victor Rocha and his team are working diligently to provide unforgettable moments.

Unlike what has happened in recent years, the schedule of the Conference will not be previously delivered to the registry's address of members, but it will be delivered on the first day of the event. Questions regarding the schedule can be answered on our website: www.sbccv.org.br/36Congresso.

As with every conference, we have requested CNPq for financial help for publishing, and look forward to their decision. The budget has been very important for our journal to continue investing in improvements and providing more resources, especially on the website, such as the possibility of recommending the articles by e-mail directly from the website by clicking on the item "recommend this article", which is on the bottom of each page.

The system of Continuing Medical Education (CME) is in testing for its final adjustments. It is expected to be established in early 2009, giving readers another way to expand their knowledge. If the answers are correct, a certificate will be issued, which will count for points for obtaining and renewing the Title (still subject to approval).

We are publishing the list of reviewers who collaborated with BJCVS this year on page 595. Without their careful and anonymous work, our journal would not have reached its current status. This is the way we would like to thank them.

As the year is coming to a close, I want to compliment the editorial board of the journal for their dedication; the directors and employees of BSCVS for their support, and the advertisers for their reliability. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a 2009 full of achievements.

My warmest regards,