Clinics is a gold open access electronic international journal that publishes peer-reviewed research in continuous flow of interest to clinicians and researchers in medical and biomedical sciences based on its originality, importance, conclusions and interest to readers. CLINICS also publishes Comments and Editorials. The journal is committed to the principles of ethics, respect for the individual, humanization, honesty, pioneering spirit and excellence.Clinics is the Official Scientific journal of Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HC-FMUSP).