Worldwide research productivity of paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning: a bibliometric analysis (2003-2012)

Biodegradation of acetaminophen: Current knowledge and future directions with mechanistic insights from omics

Acetaminophen (APAP), one of the most frequently used antipyretic and analgesic medications, has recently grown into a persistent organic contaminant of emerging concern due to its over-the-counter and widespread use. The excessive accumulation of APAP and its derivatives in various environmental matrices is threatening human health and the ecosystem. The complexity of APAP and its intermediates augments the need for adequate innovative and sustainable strategies for the remediation of contaminated environments. Bioremediation serves as an efficient, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable approach to mitigate the toxic impacts of APAP. The present review provides comprehensive insights into the ecotoxicity of APAP, its complex biodegradation pathways, and the various factors influencing biodegradation. The omics approaches viz., genomics/metagenomics, transcriptomics/metatranscriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have emerged as powerful tools for understanding the diverse APAP-degraders, degradation-associated genes, enzymatic pathways, and metabolites. The outcomes revealed amidases, deaminases, oxygenases, and dioxygenases as the lead enzymes mediating degradation via 4-aminophenol, hydroquinone, hydroxyquinol, 3-hydroxy-cis, cis-muconate, etc. as the major intermediates. Overall, a holistic approach with the amalgamation of omics aspects would accelerate the bioaugmentation processes and play a significant role in formulating strategies for remediating and reducing the heavy loads of acetaminophen from the environmental matrices.

Analyzing global research trends and focal points in the utilization of laser techniques for the treatment of urolithiasis from 1978 to 2022: visualization and bibliometric analysis

Laser lithotripsy is gaining global prominence and is a dynamically progressing field marked by a continual influx of new and comprehensive research each year. Recently, there has been a noticeable shift toward the adoption of various kinds of lasers, such as holmium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) and thulium fiber (TFL) lasers. Consequently, we aim to conduct a bibliometric analysis to analyze key areas of research activity within scientific publications that center on the utilization of laser techniques in urolithiasis. A search of the literature spanning from 1978 to 2022 was carried out on 25 December 2023 using the Scopus database to explore research related to the application of laser techniques for urolithiasis treatment. Visualization analysis was performed using VOSviewer software (version 1.6.20). We examined 962 publications that met the specified criteria, 791 (82.22%) of which were original articles. The analysis of the retrieved publications indicated a consistent increase in research output from 1978 to 2022; a particularly noteworthy surge occurred after 2003. In particular, the U.S. claimed the leading position as the most productive country, contributing 211 articles (21.93%). However, India had the highest research productivity according to the adjustment index of 19.08. In the European region, 324 publications (33.68% of the total) originated from 25 countries. The Journal of Endourology contributed the most between 1978 and 2022 (n = 96, 9.98%). The most cited paper examined the effectiveness of holmium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) lasers, while a subsequent study focused on the use of a thulium fiber laser (TFL), an emerging laser technology that has gained increased recognition. Co-occurrence analysis revealed three distinct clusters focusing on the types of laser technology, minimally invasive approaches, and success rate/postoperative complications. This comprehensive investigation delves into the global landscape of laser use for the treatment of urolithiasis. This review supports the emerging clinical concept of using various types of laser technology for urolithiasis treatment. Moreover, the hot issues that researchers should focus on based on the findings of this study are the use of different types of laser lithotripsy in view of the surgical approach, success rate and complications.

Emerging global trends and development in forensic toxicology: A review

This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of forensic toxicology research trends, publication patterns, author's contributions, and collaboration. Utilizing the Scopus database, we scrutinized 3259 articles across 348 journals spanning from 1975 to 2023. Analysis employed diverse software tools such as VOSviewer, RStudio, MS Excel, and MS Access to dissect various publication aspects. We observed a notable surge in publications post-2007, indicating heightened research interest. Leading contributors included the United States, Germany, and Italy, with Logan B.K. emerging as the most prolific author. Forensic Science International stood out as the primary journal, publishing 888 articles and accruing significant citations. Keyword co-occurrences such as "forensic toxicology," "forensic science," and "toxicology" underscored core thematic areas in the field. Moreover, extensive research collaboration, especially among Western nations in Europe, was evident. This study underscores the imperative for enhanced collaboration between developing and developed nations to foster further advancements in forensic science. Strengthened partnerships can catalyze innovation, facilitate knowledge dissemination, and address emerging challenges, thereby propelling the field of forensic toxicology toward new frontiers of discovery and application.

Physicochemical quality assessment of various brands of paracetamol tablets sold in Freetown Municipality

Paracetamol is a widely used over-the-counter drug for managing fever and pain, but its quality may vary among different brands, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where counterfeit and substandard medicines are prevalent. This study evaluated the physicochemical properties of fifteen brands of 500 mg paracetamol tablets sold in various pharmacies in Freetown, Sierra Leone using identification tests, friability tests, assay, dissolution tests, and mass variation. The results showed that three brands were not registered with the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, and two brands did not meet the requirement for labelling (no manufacturing date). All the brands met the requirement for mass variation, friability tests and assays. The percentage assay of the different brands ranged from 96.17 %w/w to 101.97 %w/w. However, two brands did not meet the specification for dissolution, with P012 releasing about 21.23 % ± 5.76 of the drug within 45min. Most of the paracetamol brands evaluated met the physicochemical test specification. However, two brands failed the dissolution test, two brands did not meet the labelling requirement and three brands were identified as unregistered products with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority in Sierra Leone. This study underscores the necessity of enhancing monitoring and post-market surveillance of pharmaceuticals in Sierra Leone to ensure they comply with regulatory requirements.

Tissue engineering in otorhinolaryngology: A knowledge-based analysis

Objective

To analyze the impact, performance, degree of specialization, and collaboration patterns of the worldwide scientific production on tissue engineering in otorhinolaryngology at the level of countries and institutions.

Methods

Two different techniques were used, performance and science mapping analyses, using as samples all the available documents regarding tissue engineering focused on otorhinolaryngology applications. The dataset was retrieved from the Core Collection of the Web of Science database from 1900 to 2020. Social structure was analyzed using science mapping analysis with VOSviewer software.

Results

The United States was the main producer, followed by Germany, and Japan. Malaysia and Germany had the highest Relative Specialization Index, indicating their greater relative interest in this area compared to other countries. The social structure analysis showed that the United States and Germany had significant co-authorship relationships with other countries. The University of California System, Kyoto University, and Harvard University were the leading institutions producing literature in this field. These latter two institutions showed the largest number of collaborations, although most of them were with institutions within their own country. There was a lack of connections between different communities of research.

Conclusion

The United States is the main country driving progress in this research area, housing the most notable institutions. However, significant collaborations between these research centers are currently lacking. Encouraging greater cooperation among these institutions and their researchers would promote the exchange of knowledge, ultimately facilitating and accelerating advancements in this field.

Comparative assessment of chewing sugar-free gum and conventional analgesic drugs in alleviating self-reported pain associated with fixed orthodontic appliances: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effect of chewing sugar-free gum towards alleviating self-reported orthodontic treatment (OT) pain compared with conventional analgesic drugs (CADs).

SEARCH SOURCES

An unrestricted search of indexed databases and manual searching was performed up to September 2021.

DATA SELECTION

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the impact of chewing gum and CADs on relieving self-reported orthodontic pain were included.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data screening, extraction and risk of bias (RoB) assessment were performed by two authors. Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model. The quality of available evidence was assessed using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

RESULTS

Nine RCTs were included. Eight RCTs used the Visual Analogue Scale for self-reported pain assessment, while one RCT used the Numeric Rating Scale. Five RCTs had a high RoB and four RCTs had a moderate RoB. Power analysis for sample size estimation was performed in six RCTs. Separate meta-analyses were performed by pooling quantitative data from five RCTs that compared self-reported orthodontic pain between chewing gum and ibuprofen groups for the following timepoints: baseline; immediately; 2 hours; 6 hours; bedtime; 24 hours; 2 days; 3 days; 5 days; and 7 days after the placement of orthodontic appliances. None of the timepoints individually indicated a difference in self-reported pain scores between chewing sugar-free gum and ibuprofen groups. The overall level of evidence was very low.

CONCLUSION

Chewing sugar-free gum is a potentially useful alternative to CADs towards pain alleviation during fixed OT.

A bibliometric analysis of global publications on graft-versus-host disease research

BACKGROUND

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a fatal complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is an enormous burden on the patient economy and related health systems. Nevertheless, only a few bibliometric studies have examined the direction of research and the major findings within the field.

METHODS

Statistical and visualization bibliometric analysis was performed in April 2021. Our research data were retrieved from the Web of Science using an advanced search strategy. We then used bibliometric analysis to determine the current general research direction and trend of publications and established the most prolific and distinguished authors, institutions, countries, funding agencies, and keywords in GVHD research. We employed VOSviewer (Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands), Microsoft Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, State of Washington), and GunnMap (https://lert.co.nz/map/) to retrieve, integrate, and visualize the results.

RESULTS

Overall, 15,378 publications from 500 journals were extracted from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science Core Collection database based on our analysis, of which the United States and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center were the most prolific countries and institutions, respectively. Moreover, we identified future research trends and the current status of GVHD research based on the top 10 most cited articles. Finally, influential authors' analysis demonstrated that Blazar, BR were both the most productive and most cited among all authors.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides an exhaustive and objective overview of the current status of GVHD research. This information would be highly beneficial to anyone seeking information on GVHD and would serve as a reference guide for researchers aiming to conduct further GVHD research.

Patterns of publications in social media-based co-creation: a bibliometric analysis

Purpose

Today social media capabilities have enabled businesses and enterprises to more collaboration, engagement and co-creation with their customers. So the current paper expands on this notion. The aim of this study is a bibliometric analysis to examine the trends of publications in the field of co-creation based on social media.

Design/methodology/approach

To data collection of quantitative analysis, Scopus database was selected and the collected data were analyzed using Bibliometrix-package. The Web of Science also was selected to retrieve highly cited and hot papers for qualitative part of analysis besides top 10 Scopus highest citation per year documents on June 6, 2020.

Findings

The results indicate insights into research trends pertaining to social media-based co-creation, as follows: starting jump to the publications occurred in this researches from the year 2008 and the growth trend is progressing in recent years; the stressful points are “co-design,” “co-creation” and “value co-creation” and concepts such as “open innovation,” “co-innovation” and “co-new product design” are new topics that guide future direction; the USA and UK are leaders in number of multiple and single publications; the most active and top journals that are better suited to achieving a high citation rate per year for a related paper were introduced. In addition, the top documents and highly cited papers were qualitatively analyzed on the basis of times cited per year.

Research limitations/implications

The current study is not free of limitations. The database was limited to only Scopus. So the patterns and trends generated in the study may not be generalized to all social media-based co-creation research. Of course, the authors did not intend to ignore other contributions. It is mainly because of the number of documents retrieved from Scopus database and the coverage, Scopus was selected. Moreover, other types of research techniques such as correspondence analysis can be incorporated to generate additional meaningful insight.

Originality/value

In this time of social media and user-generated content portals, co-creation through social media has become quite popular. So the main innovation of this study is providing a visual presentation of the trends and patterns in the evaluation of social media-based co-creation from the first document about the research area published till 2020. The results of this paper can shed light on the factors that strengthen the contribution of studies in a research area. Generally, the bibliometric items the authors analyzed essentially show the entire field picture and guide researchers toward understanding future trends to produce impactful studies.

Using Kano diagrams to display the most cited article types, affiliated countries, authors and MeSH terms on spinal surgery in recent 12 years

Background

Citation analysis has been increasingly applied to assess the quantity and quality of scientific research in various fields worldwide. However, these analyses on spinal surgery do not provide visualization of results. This study aims (1) to evaluate the worldwide research citations and publications on spinal surgery and (2) to provide visual representations using Kano diagrams onto the research analysis for spinal surgeons and researchers.

Methods

Article abstracts published between 2007 and 2018 were downloaded from PubMed Central (PMC) in 5 journals, including Spine, European Spine Journal, The Spine Journal, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, and Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques. The article types, affiliated countries, authors, and Medical subject headings (MeSH terms) were analyzed by the number of article citations using x-index. Choropleth maps and Kano diagrams were applied to present these results. The trends of MeSH terms over the years were plotted and analyzed.

Results

A total of 18,808 publications were extracted from the PMC database, and 17,245 were affiliated to countries/areas. The 12-year impact factor for the five spine journals is 5.758. We observed that (1) the largest number of articles on spinal surgery was from North America (6417, 37.21%). Spine earns the highest x-index (= 82.96). Comparative Study has the highest x-index (= 66.74) among all article types. (2) The United States performed exceptionally in x-indexes (= 56.86 and 44.5) on both analyses done on the total 18,808 and the top 100 most cited articles, respectively. The most influential author whose x-index reaches 15.11 was Simon Dagenais from the US. (3) The most cited MeSH term with an x-index of 23.05 was surgery based on the top 100 most cited articles. The most cited article (PMID = 18164449) was written by Dagenais and his colleagues in 2008. The most productive author was Michael G. Fehlings, whose x-index and the author's impact factor are 13.57(= √(13.16*14)) and 9.86(= 331.57/33.64), respectively.

Conclusions

There was a rapidly increasing scientific productivity in the field of spinal surgery in the past 12 years. The US has extraordinary contributions to the publications. Furthermore, China and Japan have increasing numbers of publications on spinal surgery. This study with Kano diagrams provides an insight into the research for spinal surgeons and researchers.

An assessment of parents' knowledge and awareness regarding paracetamol use in children: a cross-sectional study from Palestine

BACKGROUND

Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is one of the most common antipyretic and analgesic over-the-counter (OTC) medicines administered to children due to its efficacy, safety, and availability in many pharmaceutical forms, including suppositories, syrup, and drops. Parents frequently administer the wrong dose of paracetamol by mistake for their children, as reported by many previous studies. We aimed in this study to assess parents' knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding paracetamol dosing and toxicity, as well as their awareness regarding paracetamol-containing products.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study that targeted parents of children seeking healthcare services at primary health care centers in the Nablus area in the West Bank, Palestine. We used questionnaire-based interviews with parents for data collection.

RESULTS

A total of 300 parents were included in the study. Most of the caregivers surveyed were (87%) females (mothers). About half the parents (50.9%) reported previously using paracetamol as an antipyretic in children under the age of six. A quarter (25.4%) preferred the syrup forms, while 33.8% preferred the suppository dosage form. Medical personnel was the primary source of information for half the caregivers (51.2%). The mean knowledge score about paracetamol was 2.1 (SD = 1.4) out of 6, and the median was 2.0 with an interquartile range of 1.0-3.0. Two hundred seventy-four (95.5%) of the participants scored less than 80% and were considered to have insufficient knowledge. Only 50.9% of parents recognized that paracetamol overdose could result in serious harm.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a serious lack of knowledge regarding paracetamol dosing, administration, and potential toxicity among Palestinian parents. We recommend raising awareness regarding this problem among healthcare providers and authorities and working on plans that aim to provide caregivers with accurate and adequate information on dosing, formulation, side effects, and other aspects of paracetamol use, as well as developing effective educational plans targeting healthcare providers, as well as the public.

Bibliometric profile of global scientific research on digoxin toxicity (1849-2015)

Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside derived from the common foxglove digitalis purpurea and has been available for several centuries as a medicinal agent. Despite extensive patient experience over many years, there remains some controversy regarding the possibility that digoxin might have a deleterious effect on survival. This study was constructed to assess trends in digoxin toxicity research using well-established qualitative and quantitative bibliometric indicators. The current study is based on publications that have been indexed in Scopus. Articles referring to the subject of digoxin toxicity between 1849 and 2015 were assessed according to the document type, publication language, countries/territories, institutions, journal, impact factors, total number of citations, h-index, average number of citations per publication, and international collaborations. There were 2900 publications that included 2542 (87.7%) original research articles, while 5.3% were reviews and 4.6% letters. The country of origin was the USA in 849 publications, Germany in 241, the UK in 150, and France in 143. The USA and the UK had the highest number of international collaborations. The average number of citations per publications related to digoxin toxicity was 8.1, and the h-index was 59. The USA and Canada had the highest h-indices by country at 46 and 22, respectively. This study presents the first bibliometric analysis on digoxin toxicity publications. The USA was the most important contributors to digoxin toxicity literature with the greatest international collaboration, largest number of articles and highest h-index, followed by Germany and the UK. There has been a trend towards reduced publication numbers related to digoxin toxicity at global level, although it is still an important issue and we present the current research themes related to digoxin toxicity that were identified.

The Prediction of Infectious Diseases: A Bibliometric Analysis

OBJECTIVE

The outbreak of infectious diseases has a negative influence on public health and the economy. The prediction of infectious diseases can effectively control large-scale outbreaks and reduce transmission of epidemics in rapid response to serious public health events. Therefore, experts and scholars are increasingly concerned with the prediction of infectious diseases. However, a knowledge mapping analysis of literature regarding the prediction of infectious diseases using rigorous bibliometric tools, which are supposed to offer further knowledge structure and distribution, has been conducted infrequently. Therefore, we implement a bibliometric analysis about the prediction of infectious diseases to objectively analyze the current status and research hotspots, in order to provide a reference for related researchers.

METHODS

We viewed "infectious disease*" and "prediction" or "forecasting" as search theme in the core collection of Web of Science from inception to 1 May 2020. We used two effective bibliometric tools, i.e., CiteSpace (Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and VOSviewer (Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands) to objectively analyze the data of the prediction of infectious disease domain based on related publications, which can be downloaded from the core collection of Web of Science. Then, the leading publications of the prediction of infectious diseases were identified to detect the historical progress based on collaboration analysis, co-citation analysis, and co-occurrence analysis.

RESULTS

1880 documents that met the inclusion criteria were extracted from Web of Science in this study. The number of documents exhibited a growing trend, which can be expressed an increasing number of experts and scholars paying attention to the field year by year. These publications were published in 427 different journals with 11 different document types, and the most frequently studied types were articles 1618 (83%). In addition, as the most productive country, the United States has provided a lot of scientific research achievements in the field of infectious diseases.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides a systematic and objective view of the field, which can be useful for readers to evaluate the characteristics of publications involving the prediction of infectious diseases and for policymakers to take timely scientific responses.

The difficulties experienced during the preparation and administration of oral drugs by parents at home: a cross-sectional study from Palestine

BACKGROUND

Failure to properly administer drugs to children at home may cause adverse events, which makes it a challenging job for parents or caregivers. The main goal of this study was to investigate the problems and difficulties that parents or caregivers faced when administering oral drugs to their children at home.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire consisting of 'yes/no' and multiple-response questions to assess parents' experiences and problems with administering medication to their children at home. Data was collected from parents who visited primary health care centres in Nablus. Descriptive analysis was conducted to describe the characteristics of the sample.

RESULTS

We interviewed 420 parents. 91.9% of the parents used drugs without prescription from a doctor, and the most commonly used non-prescription medicines were antipyretics (n=386, 100%), influenza drugs (n=142, 36.8%), cough drugs (n=109, 28.2%) and antibiotics (n= 102, 26.4%). The study showed that 21.7% of parents used teaspoon and 7.1% used tablespoon in administering liquid medications to their children. When the children refused taking liquid medications, almost two-thirds of the parents (65.7%) insisted their children take them, 21.5% mixed it with juice, 5.2% mixed it with food and 4.7% mixed it with milk. 12.4% of the parents reported that they gave drugs in doses higher than prescribed by the doctor to treat their children more quickly. Also, our study revealed that 80.5% of the parents gave medications at incorrect intervals.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has shown that there is a proportion of caregivers or parents who administer oral drugs to their children incorrectly, which may involve giving them at the wrong intervals or doses, using incorrect instruments, or mixing them with food, juice or milk. The development of educational programs that will provide parents with education about medication administration is therefore recommended.

Suspected paracetamol overdose in Monrovia, Liberia: a matched case-control study

Background

A cluster of cases of unexplained multi-organ failure was reported in children at Bardnesville Junction Hospital (BJH), Monrovia, Liberia. Prior to admission, children’s caregivers reported antibiotic, antimalarial, paracetamol, and traditional treatment consumption. Since we could not exclude a toxic aetiology, and paracetamol overdose in particular, we implemented prospective syndromic surveillance to better define the clinical characteristics of these children. To investigate risk factors, we performed a case–control study.

Methods

The investigation was conducted in BJH between July 2015 and January 2016. In-hospital syndromic surveillance identified children with at least two of the following symptoms: respiratory distress with normal pulse oximetry while breathing ambient air; altered consciousness; hypoglycaemia; jaundice; and hepatomegaly. After refining the case definition to better reflect potential risk factors for hepatic dysfunction, we selected cases identified from syndromic surveillance for a matched case–control study. Cases were matched with in-hospital and community-based controls by age, sex, month of illness/admission, severity (in-hospital), and proximity of residence (community).

Results

Between July and December 2015, 77 case-patients were captured by syndromic surveillance; 68 (88%) were under three years old and 35 (46%) died during hospitalisation. Of these 77, 30 children met our case definition and were matched with 53 hospital and 48 community controls. Paracetamol was the most frequently reported medication taken by the cases and both control groups. The odds of caregivers reporting supra-therapeutic paracetamol consumption prior to admission was higher in cases compared to controls (OR 6.6, 95% CI 2.1–21.3). Plasma paracetamol concentration on day of admission was available for 19 cases and exceeded 10 μg/mL in 10/13 samples collected on day one of admission, and 4/9 (44%) collected on day two.

Conclusions

In a context with limited diagnostic capacity, this study highlights the possibility of supratherapeutic doses of paracetamol as a factor in multi-organ failure in a cohort of children admitted to BJH. In this setting, a careful history of pre-admission paracetamol consumption may alert clinicians to the possibility of overdose, even when confirmatory laboratory analysis is unavailable. Further studies may help define additional toxicological characteristics in such contexts to improve diagnoses.

Guillain-Barre syndrome and Zika infection: identifying leading producers, countries relative specialization and collaboration

Zika virus (Zikv) infection implies a significant public health issue due to the different syndromes associated. It is related to several central nervous system problems, such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. In this way, the first document about the relation of Guillain-Barre Syndrome and Zika indexed in Web of Science was published in 2014. Therefore, the primary goal of the present study is to analyze the leading scientific producers, the relative specialization of the countries and the collaboration network in the research area. A total of 384 manuscripts were identified. Two manuscripts were published in 2014 and 2015; the remaining documents are distributed during 2016 (136), 2017 (186) and 2018 (59) (until April). In conclusion, Zikv and Guillain-Barre Syndrome research has experienced a significant increase in the last years. This may be related to the topic is an important issue of public health concern in the countries affected by Zikv outbreaks. In that sense, Brazil, India and Colombia make a great effort, considering their economic and social resources, in research. However, this study implies a preliminary overview of the research on this topic, a more extended period is needed to define the lines of research and collaboration between countries and authors.

Global scientific trends on aflatoxin research during 1998-2017: a bibliometric and visualized study

BACKGROUND

Aflatoxins are fungal metabolites associated with contaminated food products. Intake of aflatoxin-contaminated food results in serious health hazards and even death. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the global scientific output of research of aflatoxin by using bibliometric techniques.

METHODS

This bibliometric study was conducted using Scopus database and classified the retrieved publications were classified from different aspects, including the countries/region of focus, journals, authors, institutes, citations, and content analysis to discover any hot and emerging topics. In addition, the bibliometric analysis of the international collaborative network and hot research topics were generated by VOSviewer© software version 1.6.10. The publication period was restricted in the search for two decades (1998-2017).

RESULTS

The search engine of the Scopus database found 9845 documents published in the field of aflatoxin. The USA is the top publishing source in the world (22.85%), followed by China (11.85%), India (9.32%), and Italy (5.25%). In earlier years, researchers focused on terms related to the topics of "sources and biosynthesis of aflatoxin", "health effects by aflatoxin", and "detoxification and treatment of aflatoxin". However, in recent years, researchers pay more attention to the topic of detection and quantification of aflatoxin.

CONCLUSIONS

The quantity of research in global aflatoxin has substantially increased over the past two decades. The evaluation of the historical status and development trend in aflatoxin scientific research can guide future research, and ultimately provide the basis for improving management procedures for governmental decisions, healthcare, industries, and educational institutions.

Worldwide research productivity in the field of full-endoscopic spine surgery: a bibliometric study

PURPOSE

To investigate the quantity and quality of articles in the field of full-endoscopic spine surgery (FESS) from different countries and assess characteristics of worldwide research productivity.

METHODS

Articles published from 1997 to July 23, 2018, were screened using the Web of Science database. All studies were assessed for the following parameters: the number of total publications, h-index, contribution of countries, authors, journals, and institutions.

RESULTS

A total of 408 articles were identified between 1997 and 2018. Between 1997 and 2017, the number of published articles tended to increase by 41 times. The largest number of articles was from China (30.15%), followed by South Korea (28.68%), the USA (13.97%), Germany (9.31%), and Japan (4.90%). The highest h-index was found for articles from South Korea (23), followed by the USA (18), Germany (16), China (11), and Japan (7). The highest number of articles was published in World Neurosurgery (12.50%), followed by Pain Physician (10.29%), Spine (6.62%), European Spine Journal (4.66%), and Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine (4.17%). Wooridul Spine Hospital published the largest number of articles (10.29%), followed by Tongji University (5.88%), University of Witten/Herdecke (5.39%), Brown University (5.15%), and Third Military Medical University (3.43%).

CONCLUSIONS

The number of articles published in the field of FESS has increased rapidly in the past 20 years. In terms of quantity, China is the most contributive country based on the number of publications. High-quality papers as measured by h-index and the large quantity is from South Korea (second only to China). These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Publication Trends in Drug Delivery and Magnetic Nanoparticles

This bibliometric study investigated the public trends in the fields of nanoparticles which is limited to drug delivery and magnetic nanoparticles' literature published from 1980 to October 2017. The data were collected from the Web of Science Core Collections, and a network analysis of research outputs was carried out to analyse the research trends in the nanoparticles literature. Nanoparticles and its applications are progressing in recent years. The results show that documents in the field of nanoparticles in chemistry and material science have improved in citation rate, as the authors were researching in multidisciplinary zones. Top-cited documents are mainly focusing on drug delivery, magnetic nanoparticles and iron oxide nanoparticles which are also the top research keywords in all papers published. Top-cited papers are mostly published in Biomaterials journal which so far has published 12% of top-cited articles. Although research areas such as contrast agents, quantum dots, and nanocrystals are not considered as the top-ranked keywords in all documents, these keywords received noticeable citations. The trends of publications on drug delivery and magnetic nanoparticles give a general view on future research and identify potential opportunities and challenges.

Trends in surgical and ablative treatment of localised renal cell carcinoma: A review of publication trends over 16 years (2000-2015)

Objective: To investigate the bibliometric (publication) trends in surgical and ablative treatment of localised renal cell carcinoma (RCC) over a period of 16-years, from 2000 to 2015, as publication trends reflect clinical practice and new innovations.

Material and methods: We performed a systematic review using PubMed over a 16-year period from 2000 to 2015 for all published papers on surgical and ablative management of renal tumours. Data were further analysed in two time periods, period-1 (2000–2007) and period-2 (2008–2015).

Results: During the last 16 years a total of 2415 papers were published on surgical (n = 1662, 69%) and ablative (n = 753, 31%) management of RCC. This included partial nephrectomy (PN; n = 1662, 69%), cryoablation (CA; n = 405, 17%), and radiofrequency ablation (RFA; n = 348, 14%). When comparing the two time periods for PN, during period-2, the change was +189% (P < 0.001), +69% (P = 0.004) and +4600% (P < 0.001) for open PN, laparoscopic PN and robotic PN, respectively. Regarding ablative techniques, a change of +109% (P = 0.002) and +78% (P = 0.036) was seen for CA and RFA, respectively. There was also a significant rise in percutaneous CA when compared to laparoscopic CA (P < 0.002).

Conclusions: There has been a rise in all forms of PN and ablative techniques over the last 16 years. This rise has been particularly steep for robotic PN potentially reflecting a change in surgical practice.

Abbreviations: CA: cryoablation; CC: correlation coefficient; MIS: minimally invasive surgery/surgical; NSS: nephron-sparing surgery; (L)(O)(R)PN: (laparoscopic) (open) (robotic) partial nephrectomy; PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; RFA: radiofrequency ablation; RN: radical nephrectomy; SRM: small renal mass

Antihepatotoxic benefits of Poria cocos polysaccharides on acetaminophen-lesioned livers in vivo and in vitro

In our previous study, preliminary data indicates that Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) shows beneficial hepatoprotection against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury in mice. However, biological molecular mechanism warrants to be further discussed. In current study, a number of biochemical tests and immunoassays were subjected to respective PCP-dosed mice in vivo and liver cells in vitro. As a result, PCP-treated mice showed reduced contents of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-β and TNFsR-I), enzymological molecules (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase [LDL]), and heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) after APAP exposure. Additionally, immunostaining assays exhibited that lowered-positive cells of cleaved-caspase-3, cleaved-poly ADP ribose polymerase, and Hsp90-labeled cells in PCP-treated livers were observed, and increased cluster of differentiation 29 (CD29), CD73-positive cells in the spleen were detected. Further, PCP-treated mouse liver cells resulted in increased cell growth, reduced LDL level. Increased proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-labeled cells and decreased Hsp90-positive cells in APAP-exposed liver cells were observed dose-dependently after PCP cotreatments. Collectively, our present experimental findings elucidate that PCP beneficially play hepatoprotective effects against APAP-lesioned liver cells in vivo and in vitro, potentially through the molecular mechanisms of suppressing cell death, reducing hepatocellular inflammatory stress and Hsp90 bioactivity.

Investigating global trends in paraquat intoxication research from 1962 to 2015 using bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Paraquat is considered to be the main pesticide involved in accidental and intentional poisoning, and is responsible for a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to present a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of paraquat intoxication-related research.

METHODS

Data was retrieved in March 2017 from the Scopus database. An overview of the research on paraquat intoxication was presented alongside the information related to several bibliometric indicators, such as research trends, countries with their h-index, collaboration, hot issues, top-cited publications, journals, and institutions.

RESULTS

There were 1971 publications related to paraquat intoxication in the Scopus database that were published between 1966 and 2015. There was increasing research output in the field of paraquat intoxication during the period 2006-2015. The USA published the highest number of publications (n = 338), followed by Japan with 228 publications, and China with 159 publications. The USA and the UK achieved the greatest h-index values (h-index values of 49 and 31, respectively). The USA also achieved the highest number of publications involving international collaboration, with 55 publications, followed by the UK, with 18 publications. The most prevalent topics in this field were "acute paraquat intoxication," "toxic effects of paraquat to the lung," and "mechanism of paraquat toxicity."

CONCLUSIONS

Although a substantial amount of research has been produced on paraquat intoxication for most developed countries, there are research gaps regarding the international research agenda in this research area. The findings could be applied for prioritizing and organizing future research efforts related to paraquat toxicity.

Estimates of global research productivity in using nicotine replacement therapy for tobacco cessation: a bibliometric study

BACKGROUND

Tobacco use is a major healthcare problem worldwide. Tobacco smoking remains the most important risk factor for both cancer and heart diseases. This study was initiated due to the lack of published data concerning the real progress in research output in the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for tobacco cessation. This study was aimed to use bibliometric analysis to estimate the NRT literature indexed in Scopus database at global level.

METHODS

Core of the search strategy was the documents that contained specific words or phrases regarding NRT as keywords in the title. Publication output of most prolific countries was adjusted to the gross domestic product and population size. All citations analysis were accomplished on December 22, 2017.

RESULTS

A total of 2138 references were retrieved and published from 56 countries, which were published between 1970 and 2016. The USA has the most number of published articles accounted to 986, followed by the UK (312 publications) and then Australia (102 publications), and Sweden (102 publications). No data related to NRT were published from 156 countries. No significant correlation was found between the country population size or 2016 gross domestic product values and the number of publications of the top-10 most prolific countries in the field of NRT (r = - 0.156, P = 0.664; and r = - 0.173, P = 0.632, respectively). Furthermore, there is no correlation between prevalence of tobacco smoking and number of publications of the top-10 most prolific countries in the field of NRT (r = - 0.235, P = 0.514).

CONCLUSIONS

The present data reveal a solid mass of research activity on NRT. The USA was by far the predominant country in the amount of NRT-based research activity. NRT-based research activities were low or not available in most countries. The results of this study delineate a framework for better understanding the situations of current NRT research and prospective directions of the research in this field which could be applied for managing and prioritizing future research efforts in NRT research.

Trends of intervention for paediatric stone disease over the last two decades (2000-2015): A systematic review of literature

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain the publication trends of interventions for paediatric kidney stone disease (KSD) we conducted a systematic review of literature over the last 16 years.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

With a rise of paediatric KSD and related interventions, a systematic review using PubMed was done over the last 16 years for all published papers on 'Paediatric stone disease intervention - ureteroscopy (URS), shockwave lithotripsy (SWL), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), open stone surgery, and laparoscopic stone surgery'. The search was limited to English language articles with a published abstract, whilst case reports, animal and laboratory studies, were excluded. We also analysed the data in two time periods, period-1 (2000-2007) and period-2 (2008-2015).

RESULTS

During the last 16-years, 339 papers were published on paediatric stone disease intervention on PubMed. This included papers on URS (95), PCNL (97), SWL (102), open stone surgery (34) and laparoscopic stone surgery (11). During period-1 and period-2 there were 30 and 65 papers on URS, 16 and 81 papers on PCNL, 33 and 60 papers on SWL, nine and 25 papers on open surgery, respectively. When comparing the two periods, there were 92 published papers for all interventions in period-1 and this had risen almost threefold to 247 papers in period-2.

CONCLUSIONS

Our systematic review shows that intervention for KSD in the paediatric age group has risen over the last 8 years. Whilst URS, SWL, open surgery and laparoscopic surgery have all doubled, PCNL has risen fivefold reflecting an increase in the new minimally invasive PCNL techniques.

Global research production in glyphosate intoxication from 1978 to 2015: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) has been used as a broad-spectrum herbicide that has been widely used in the agricultural industry and also available for home use. The main aim of this study is to present a general overview of glyphosate intoxication-related publications from its introducing since the early 1970s using bibliometric technique.

METHODS

On June 23, 2016, a literature search of the Scopus database was performed. We then extracted and analyzed the data using well-established qualitative and quantitative bibliometric indices: Publication year, affiliation, document type, country name, subject category, journal name, publishing language, and collaboration and citation patterns.

RESULTS

We recognized a total of 3735 publications on glyphosate published between 1973 and 2015. There were 875 publications related to glyphosate intoxication in the Scopus database published between 1978 and 2015. Articles (757) comprised 86.5% of the total publications, followed by reviews (41; 4.7%). Most publications were published in English (87.9%), followed by Portuguese (6.6%). The number of publications related to glyphosate intoxication increased from 44 in 1978-1987 up to 152 in 1996-2005 and then quadrupled in 2006-2015. The United States was the leading country with 180 documents representing 20.6%, followed by Brazil (120; 13.7%), Canada (78; 8.9%), Argentina (61; 7.0%), and France (57; 6.5%). The 85.6% of the publications was cited, and the average of citation per document was 17.13 with h-index of 55. Furthermore, the United States achieved the highest h-index of 33. Most of the global international collaborations are made with researchers from the United States, who collaborated with 23 countries/territories in 44 publications.

CONCLUSIONS

The trends in global glyphosate-related research between 1978 and 2015 were evaluated by a bibliometric technique. Results showed that English was the leading publishing language, and the major publication type was original article. Findings showed that number of research publications related to glyphosate intoxication increased significantly in the last decade. The United States and Brazil are the two most productive countries in research on glyphosate intoxication. This study will be beneficial to policy makers by identifying areas that need greater investment and research funding to target appropriate agriculture sectors so as to improve glyphosate safety in a global setting.

Bibliometric Analysis of Worldwide Publications on Antimalarial Drug Resistance (2006-2015)

BACKGROUND

In response to international efforts to control and eradicate malaria, we designed this study to give a bibliometric overview of research productivity in antimalarial drug resistance (AMDR).

METHODS

Keywords related to AMDR were used to retrieve relevant literature using Scopus database.

RESULTS

A total of 976 publications with an h-index of 63 were retrieved. The number of publications showed a noticeable increase starting in the early 1990s. The USA was the most productive country with 337 publications equivalent to one-third of worldwide publications in this field. More than two-thirds of publications by the USA (236, 70.03%) were made by international collaboration. Of the top ten productive countries, two countries were from Mekong subregion, particularly Thailand and Cambodia. The Malaria Journal was the most productive journal (136, 13.93%) in this field. Mahidol University (80, 8.20%) in Thailand was the most productive institution. Seven articles in the top-ten list were about artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, one was about chloroquine resistance, one was about sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance, and the remaining one was about general multidrug resistance.

CONCLUSION

Eradication and control of AMDR require continuing research activity to help international health organizations identify spots that require an immediate action to implement appropriate measures.

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for chronic non-cancer pain in children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Pain is a common feature of childhood and adolescence around the world, and for many young people, that pain is chronic. The World Health Organization guidelines for pharmacological treatments for children's persisting pain acknowledge that pain in children is a major public health concern of high significance in most parts of the world. While in the past, pain was largely dismissed and was frequently left untreated, views on children's pain have changed over time, and relief of pain is now seen as important.We designed a suite of seven reviews on chronic non-cancer pain and cancer pain (looking at antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and paracetamol as priority areas) in order to review the evidence for children's pain utilising pharmacological interventions in children and adolescents.As the leading cause of morbidity in children and adolescents in the world today, chronic disease (and its associated pain) is a major health concern. Chronic pain (lasting three months or longer) can arise in the paediatric population in a variety of pathophysiological classifications: nociceptive, neuropathic, idiopathic, visceral, nerve damage pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and chronic abdominal pain, and other unknown reasons.Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is one of the most widely used analgesics in both adults and children. The recommended dosage in the UK, Europe, Australia, and the USA for children and adolescents is generally 10 to 15 mg/kg every four to six hours, with specific age ranges from 60 mg (6 to 12 months old) up to 500 to 1000 mg (over 12 years old). Paracetamol is the only recommended analgesic for children under 3 months of age. Paracetamol has been proven to be safe in appropriate and controlled dosages, however potential adverse effects of paracetamol if overdosed or overused in children include liver and kidney failure.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the analgesic efficacy and adverse events of paracetamol (acetaminophen) used to treat chronic non-cancer pain in children and adolescents aged between birth and 17 years, in any setting.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) via the Cochrane Register of Studies Online, MEDLINE via Ovid, and Embase via Ovid from inception to 6 September 2016. We also searched the reference lists of retrieved studies and reviews, and searched online clinical trial registries.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials, with or without blinding, of any dose and any route, treating chronic non-cancer pain in children and adolescents, comparing paracetamol with placebo or an active comparator.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently assessed studies for eligibility. We planned to use dichotomous data to calculate risk ratio and numbers needed to treat, using standard methods where data were available. We assessed GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) and planned to create a 'Summary of findings' table.

MAIN RESULTS

No studies were eligible for inclusion in this review. We rated the quality of the evidence as very low. We downgraded the quality of evidence by three levels due to the lack of data reported for any outcome.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There was no evidence from randomised controlled trials to support or refute the use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) to treat chronic non-cancer pain in children and adolescents. We are unable to comment about efficacy or harm from the use of paracetamol to treat chronic non-cancer pain in children and adolescents.We know from adult randomised controlled trials that paracetamol, can be effective, in certain doses, and in certain pain conditions (not always chronic).This means that no conclusions could be made about efficacy or harm in the use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) to treat chronic non-cancer pain in children and adolescents.

Global Trends in Aspirin Resistance-Related Research from 1990 to 2015: A Bibliometric Analysis

Aspirin resistance can be defined as the inability of the usual dose of aspirin medication to produce its antithrombotic effect. Patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease are at higher risk of stroke, myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death due to aspirin resistance. The aim of this bibliometric study was to identify and analyse the status and trends of aspirin resistance research production at global level through publications indexed in the Scopus database; this will shed new light on future research trends and help researchers predict dynamic direction of research. Literature search using the Scopus database was conducted to assess publications related to aspirin resistance. The selected publications included the terms related to aspirin resistance in the title, abstract or keywords. The searching was accomplished on 20 March 2016 and can be considered to include all publications up to 31 December 2015. Global cumulative publication output on aspirin resistance consists of 986 papers during 1990-2015. Among the 986 documents, 19 (1.9%) were published before 2000, 567 (57.5%) were published from 2000 to 2009 and 400 (40.6%) were published from 2010 to 2015, with peak of publications on this topic in 2008. The leading country in the field of aspirin resistance was the United States, which had the greatest counts of independent articles (165) and international collaboration articles (44). Turkey was in the second rank with 78 articles, followed by Italy (68), the UK (62) and Poland (60). The total number of citations for all documents was 26,342, and the average citations per document were 26.7. The h-index for all aspirin resistance publications was 82. This study presents the results of the first bibliometric study (including quantitative and qualitative analysis) of scientific publications in the field of aspirin renitence at global level. Aspirin resistance-related researches have notably increased in the last years, especially from 2000 to 2015. The United States is the most prolific country, not only in research quantity but also in quality. Furthermore, Turkey and European countries provided more research related to aspirin resistance than other regions such as the developing countries.

Global Research Trends in Lithium Toxicity from 1913 to 2015: A Bibliometric Analysis

Lithium salts have been used to treat psychiatric disorders since the 1940s and are currently used in prophylaxis and treatment of depression and bipolar disorder. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess lithium toxicity-related publications using bibliometric approaches from a health point of view to assess global research trends in the lithium toxicity field to offer guidance to future research in this field. The data were retrieved from the online version of Scopus database on 6 August 2016. All records with the term 'lithium' in the title were retrieved, and those related to lithium toxicity were evaluated. There were a total of 1241 publications related to lithium toxicity published from 1913 to 2016. Articles (971 or 78.2%) were the most common type, followed by letters (179 or 14.4%) and reviews (61 or 4.9%). The annual publication of articles increased slightly after 1950 and the total number of publications related to lithium toxicity fluctuated with three peaks occurred in 1978, 1985 and 2014. The USA was the predominant country (25.38%), followed by the UK (7.82%), France (6.85%) and Canada (3.55%). Denmark had the highest productivity of publication after standardization by gross domestic product and population size. The average number of citations per article was 9.24, and the h-index for all publications in the field of lithium toxicity was 46. The highest h-index value was achieved by the USA (31) followed by the UK (21) and Canada (13). The Lancet was the highest ranked journal with 27 articles, followed by American Journal of Psychiatry with 23 articles. This study provides a bibliometric analysis on the global research trends in lithium toxicity studies during 1913-2015. There has been a progressive increase in the number of publications related to lithium toxicity published in the last decade, and most of the studies related to lithium toxicity arose from the USA and the UK.

Trends of 'urolithiasis: interventions, simulation, and laser technology' over the last 16 years (2000-2015) as published in the literature (PubMed): a systematic review from European section of Uro-technology (ESUT)

Purpose

To look at the bibliometric publication trends on ‘Urolithiasis’ and aspects of treatment and training associated with it over a period of 16 years from 2000 to 2015. To this end, we conducted this study to look at the publication trends associated with urolithiasis, including the use of simulation, laser technology, and all types of interventions for it.

Materials and methods

We performed a systematic review of the literature using PubMed over the last 16 years, from January 2000 to December 2015 for all published papers on ‘Urolithiasis’. While there were no language restrictions, English language articles and all non-English language papers with published English abstracts were also included. Case reports, animal and laboratory studies, and those studies that did not have a published abstract were excluded from our analysis. We also analyzed the data in two time periods, period-1 (2000–2007) and period-2 (2008–2015).

Results

During the last 16 years, a total of 5343 papers were published on ‘Urolithiasis’, including 4787 in English language and 556 in non-English language. This included papers on URS (n = 1200), PCNL (n = 1715), SWL (n = 887), open stone surgery (n = 87), laparoscopic stone surgery (n = 209), pyelolithotomy (n = 35), simulation in Endourology (n = 82), and use of laser for stone surgery (n = 406). When comparing the two time periods, during period 2, the change was +171% (p = 0.007), +279% (p < 0.001), and −17% (p = 0.2) for URS, PCNL, and SWL, respectively. While there was a rise in laparoscopic surgery (+116%), it decreased for open stone surgery (−11%) and pyelolithotomy (−47%). A total of 82 papers have been published on simulation for stone surgery including 48 papers for URS (67% rise in period-2, p = 0.007), and 34 papers for PCNL (480% rise in period-2, p < 0.001). A rising trend for the use of laser was also seen in period 2 (increase of 126%, p < 0.02, from 124 papers to 281 papers).

Conclusions

Published papers on intervention for Urolithiasis have risen over the last 16 years. While there has been a steep rise of URS and minimally invasive PCNL techniques, SWL and open surgery have shown a slight decline over this period. A similar increase has also been seen for the use of simulation and lasers in Endourology.

Bibliometric analysis of literature on antifungal triazole resistance: 1980 - 2015

BACKGROUND

Triazole antifungal agents play an important role in the treatment of a wide range of fungal infections. Little is known about antifungal triazole drug resistance when compared to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, this study was carried out to give a bibliometric overview of literature on triazole antifungal drug resistance.

METHODS

Keywords related to triazole drug class and resistance were used in a search query in the Scopus search engine. The time span was set from 1980 to 2015. Data pertaining to growth of publications, the most active countries and institutions, the most cited articles, and mapping of molecular mechanisms of resistance were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 1648 journal articles were retrieved with an average of 20.46 citations per article. Annual growth of triazole resistance showed an increasing pattern during the study period. The United States of America (n=446; 27.06%) ranked first in productivity followed by the United Kingdom (UK) (n=176; 10.68%), and China (n=133; 8.07%). Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre (n=69, 4.19%) in the Netherlands ranked first in productivity, while the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ranked first (n=255; 15.47%) in publishing articles on triazole resistance. Mapping mechanisms of resistance showed that efflux pump and mutations in target enzyme are major mechanisms described in resistance to triazoles.

CONCLUSION

There was a growth of publications on triazole resistance in the past two decades with the bulk of publications on triazole resistance in Candida species. The data presented here will serve as baseline information for future comparative purposes.

Global cocaine intoxication research trends during 1975-2015: a bibliometric analysis of Web of Science publications

BACKGROUND

Cocaine is subject to recreational abuse as a stimulant and psychoactive agent, which poses a major worldwide health problem. The aim of the present study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of publication related to cocaine intoxication an insight of the research trends at a global level to enable recommendations for future research strategies in this field.

METHODS

Publications about cocaine intoxication were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database on December 28, 2016, and analysed regarding the following bibliometric indicators: research trends, document types, languages, countries/territories with their h-index, collaboration patterns, journals with their impact factors (IF), and institutions.

RESULTS

In total, 2,902 scientific publications from 1975 to 2015 were retrieved from the WoS database. The annual number of publications related to cocaine toxicity increased slightly after 1990 and reached a peak of 148 in 1992, with an average of 103 publications per year. The USA outranked other countries/territories with 2,089 publications, of which 1,927 arose exclusively from the USA and 162 involved international collaborations. The h-index for all publications related to cocaine was 212, and the h-index for all publications related to cocaine intoxication was 99. Moreover, the USA had the highest h-index of 95, followed by Spain with h-index of 24, and Canada with h-index of 24. The main research topics were consistently reproductive toxicity, clinical management of acute cocaine exposure, laboratory methods for detection of exposure to cocaine, cocaine metabolism, and cocaine toxicity in animals.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first bibliometric approach to examining research related to cocaine toxicity and shows that research activity has become more global and extensive since 1990. The USA remains the leading country regarding published literature, the highest h-index, and greatest role in international collaborations.

Intravenous Lipid Emulsion as an Antidote for the Treatment of Acute Poisoning: A Bibliometric Analysis of Human and Animal Studies

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the role of intravenous lipid formulations as potential antidotes in patients with severe cardiotoxicity caused by drug toxicity. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of all human and animal studies featuring lipid emulsion as an antidote for the treatment of acute poisoning. The Scopus database search was performed on 5 February 2016 to analyse the research output related to intravenous lipid emulsion as an antidote for the treatment of acute poisoning. Research indicators used for analysis included total number of articles, date (year) of publication, total citations, value of the h-index, document types, countries of publication, journal names, collaboration patterns and institutions. A total of 594 articles were retrieved from Scopus database for the period of 1955-2015. The percentage share of global intravenous lipid emulsion research output showed that research output was 85.86% in 2006-2015 with yearly average growth in this field of 51 articles per year. The USA, United Kingdom (UK), France, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, China, Turkey and Japan accounted for 449 (75.6%) of all the publications. The total number of citations for all documents was 9,333, with an average of 15.7 citations per document. The h-index of the retrieved documents for lipid emulsion research as antidote for the treatment of acute poisoning was 49. The USA and the UK achieved the highest h-indices, 34 and 14, respectively. New Zealand produced the greatest number of documents with international collaboration (51.9%) followed by Australia (50%) and Canada (41.4%) out of the total number of publications for each country. In summary, we found an increase in the number of publications in the field of lipid emulsion after 2006. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of publications in the field of lipid emulsion were published by high-income countries. Researchers from institutions in the USA led scientific production on lipid emulsion research. There is an obvious need to promote a deeper engagement through international collaborative research projects and funding mechanisms.

Bibliometric analysis of literature on female genital mutilation: (1930 - 2015)

Background

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a common harmful traditional practice in many communities in Africa and to a lesser extent in Middle East and other regions in the world. In order to better understand publishing on this topic, we conducted a bibliometric study on FGM/C. Bibliometric analyses can be used as an indicator of the extent of interaction of researchers, health authorities, and communities with a particular health issue.

Methods

Scopus database was used to retrieve data on FGM/C. Keywords used were “female genital mutilation”, “female genital circumcision”, “female genital cutting” and “female circumcision”. Specifically, the number of publications, top productive countries and institutions, highly cited articles, citation analysis, co-authorships, international collaboration, role of African countries, top active authors, and journals involved in publishing articles on FGM/C were reviewed and analyzed. We indirectly assessed the impact of publications using total number of citations received, average number of citations per article, Hirsch-index, percentage of highly cited articles, and journal’s impact factor.

Results

One thousand and thirty-five publications on FGM/C were retrieved. The h-index of retrieved articles was 37. A steep rise in number of publications was noticed in mid-1990s and again in 2012. More than half of retrieved articles were published from 2006 – 2015. A total of 65 countries contributed. The top ten productive countries included ones from Northern America, Europe and Africa. Nigeria and Egypt were the most active African countries in FGM/C publications. At least nine African academic institutions were actively involved on FGM/C publications. Articles on FGM/C that received the highest number of citations were those that focused on negative physical and psychosexual consequences of FGM/C. Journal topic areas were obstetrics/gynecology, public health, and psychological sociology. Collaboration between African and European countries on FGM/C research was evident.

Conclusion

Bibliometric analysis reveals that research publications on FGM/C have been increasing since the l970s, with collaboration between African and Western countries, and articles are being published in higher impact journals, not only obstetrics, but also public health and social sciences. FGM/C research can be helpful to international health agencies and governments not only to document negative outcomes, but also to identify best practices, and to note gaps in implementation and practice.

The 100 most influential publications in paracetamol poisoning treatment: a bibliometric analysis of human studies

BACKGROUND

Analysis of the most influential publications within paracetamol poisoning treatment can be helpful in recognizing main and novel treatment issues within the field of toxicology. The current study was performed to recognize and describe the most highly cited articles related to paracetamol poisoning treatment.

METHODS

The 100 most highly cited articles in paracetamol poisoning treatment were identified from the Scopus database in November 2015. All eligible articles were read for basic information, including total number of citations, average citations per year, authors' names, journal name, impact factors, document types and countries of authors of publications.

RESULTS

The median number of citations was 75 (interquartile range 56-137). These publications were published between 1974 and 2013. The average number of years since publication was 17.6 years, and 45 of the publications were from the 2000s. A significant, modest positive correlation was found between years since publication and the number of citations among the top 100 cited articles (r = 0.316; p = 0.001). A total of 55 journals published these 100 most cited articles. Nine documents were published in Clinical Toxicology, whereas eight documents were published in Annals of Emergency Medicine. Citations per year since publication for the top 100 most-cited articles ranged from 1.5 to 42.6 and had a mean of 8.5 citations per year and a median of 5.9 with an interquartile range of 3.75-10.35. In relation to the origin of the research publications, they were from 8 countries. The USA had the largest number of articles, 47, followed by the UK and Australia with 38 and nine articles respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first bibliometric assessment of the top 100 cited articles in toxicology literature. Interest in paracetamol poisoning as a serious clinical problem continues to grow. Research published in high-impact journals and from high income countries is most likely to be cited in published paracetamol research.

Global research trends of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: a bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a virus that causes severe viral pneumonia in humans, known to have a high mortality rate and a similarity in clinical symptoms with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first isolated in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in 2012 and after that, MERS-CoV exhibited outbreaks in several regions of the world. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of publications involving MERS-CoV at global level by using a bibliometric analysis.

METHODS

Scopus database was searched on March 4, 2016 for MERS-CoV publications published between 2012 and 2015. It was performed on the same day in order to avoid the possible bias came from update on the database because the metrics are changing over time. All publication types were considered; however publications as errata were excluded. Analysis parameters include year of publication, publication type, patterns of international collaboration, research institutions, journals, impact factor, h-index, language, and times cited.

RESULTS

A total of 883 MERS-CoV research publications were published across the world. The MERS-CoV-associated publications were originated from 92 countries/territories, indicating the international spread of MERS-CoV research. The USA was the largest contributor, with 319 articles published over 4 years, followed by KSA (113 articles). The total number of citations for these publications has already achieved 8,015, with an average of 9.01 citations per each publication. The h-index for MERS-CoV-associated publications was 48. The USA also have the highest h-index (32), followed by KSA (26) and UK (22). Netherland produced the greatest proportion of publications with international research collaboration (72.7 %) followed by the UK (71 %) and Germany (69.1 %) out of the total number of publications for each country.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a rapid increase in research activities related to MERS-CoV from 2012 to 2015. This study demonstrates that the MERS-CoV related literature has grown to be more extensive and global over the past 4 years. The bulk of publications in the field of MERS-CoV research are published by high-income countries such as the USA. Furthermore, the USA, the UK and KSA may have higher quality of articles according to the value of h-index.

Dengue research: a bibliometric analysis of worldwide and Arab publications during 1872-2015

BACKGROUND

Dengue is an important emerging and re-emerging arboviral infection globally as a rapidly growing and widespread public health problem, with transmission occurring in more than 128 countries in Asia, Americas, southeast Africa, western Pacific, and eastern Mediterranean regions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize and quantify the scientific output of dengue research in Arab countries relative to that worldwide by using a bibliometric analysis.

METHODS

The standardized search approach based on the use of the the keyword "dengue" in the title, abstract, and keyword field was used to get research output related to dengue at a global level. All data related to dengue were collected from the past to December 31, 2015.

RESULTS

A total of 19,581 dengue-related documents identified in the Scopus database. The results show that the study of dengue exhibits an overall upward trend from 1872 to 2015 with peak publications in 2014. The leading countries in dengue research were the USA (4,709; 24.05 %), India (1,942; 9.92 %), Brazil (1,530; 7.81 %), Thailand (1,260; 6.43 %), the UK (1,129; 5.77 %), and France (1,087; 5.55 %). Only 226 (1.16 % of the overall global research effort in the dengue field) articles were published from the Arab region. The total number of citations for all publications was 352,710, with an average of 18.0 citations per publication. Furthermore, the h-index for all extracted data related to dengue research was 186. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was the most productive country in Arab region with 102 documents representing 45.1 %. Furthermore, the h-index for all extracted data related to dengue research was 27. The USA was Arab's most main cooperative partner (46, 20.4 %), followed by India (36, 15.9 %).

CONCLUSIONS

The amount of literature related to dengue research has considerably increased over the last decade. This bibliometric analysis has demonstrated the leading role that the USA, India, Brazil, Thailand, the UK, and France play in dengue research. The Arab world produced fewer publications related to dengue with lower quality than other world countries.

Worldwide research productivity in the field of spine surgery: a 10-year bibliometric analysis

PURPOSE

Bibliometrics is increasingly used to assess the quantity and quality of scientific research output in many research fields worldwide. However, the bibliometric studies in the field of spine surgery are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the worldwide research productivity in the field of spine surgery using bibliometric methods and to provide an insight into the spine research for surgeons and researchers.

METHODS

Articles published between 2004 and 2013 were retrieved using the Scopus database in 5 spine journals, including Spine, European Spine Journal, The Spine Journal, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, and Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques. The number of articles, trend of publications, countries' contribution and h-index, authorship, subspecialty, funding source, journal pattern, institutions, and top cited articles were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 13,115 publications were identified in the database of Scopus from 2004 to 2013. The time trend of the number of articles showed a significant increase of 1.9-fold between 2004 and 2013 (p = 0.000). The largest number of articles in the field of spine surgery was from United States (39.17%), followed by Japan (10.74%) and China (8.62%). United States also have the highest h-index (106), followed by Canada (60) and United Kingdom (54). China (p = 0.000) and South Korea (p = 0.000) have a significantly increasing trend of contribution proportion to the world spine production over time in years, but h-index was still low (39 and 38, respectively). Spine published the highest number of articles (45.44%), followed by European Spine Journal (21.43%) and Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine (13.32%). The most productive institutions were University of California, San Francisco (1.98%), followed by Thomas Jefferson University (1.61%) and University of Toronto (1.41%).

CONCLUSIONS

There has a rapid increase of scientific research productivity in the field of spine surgery during the past 10 years. United States has special contributions to the body of spine publications. China and South Korea have increasing contributions to the field of spine surgery.

Assessing worldwide research activity on probiotics in pediatrics using Scopus database: 1994-2014

BACKGROUND

A wide variety of probiotic products has been introduced into the market in the past decade. Research trends and activity on probiotics help understand how these products were evolved and their potential future role in medicine. The objective of this study was to assess the research activity on probiotics in pediatrics using bibliometric indicators and network visualization.

METHODS

Original and review articles on probiotics in pediatrics published worldwide were retrieved from SciVerse, Scopus (1994-2014) and analyzed. VOSviewer was used for network visualization.

RESULTS

The total number of documents published on probiotics in pediatrics was 2817. Research activity on probiotics in pediatrics showed approximately 90- fold increase during the study period. Approximately 22 % of published articles originated from USA and has the greatest share, however, Finland ranked first when data were stratified by population or income. The most productive institution in this field was Turku University in Finland with 82 (2.91 %) articles. Half of the prolific authors were also from Finland. Most of the published research activity appeared in Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Most frequently encountered title terms include nutrition, infant formula, necrotizing enetrocolitis, allergy, and diarrhea. The total number of citations for the retreived documents documents was 70991, and the average citation per article was 25.20.

CONCLUSIONS

Interest in probiotic research and its potential benefits in pediatric ailments is relatively recent but significantly increasing. Bibliometric analysis can be used as an indicator of the importance and growth of probiotic use in pediatrics.

Worldwide research productivity on tramadol: a bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Pain management and safe use of analgesics is an important medical issue. Tramadol is an old analgesic with controversial properties. Evaluation of worldwide scientific output on tramadol has not been explored. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to give a bibliometric overview of global research productivity on tramadol.

METHODS

SciVerse Scopus was used to retrieve and quantitatively and qualitatively analyze worldwide publications on tramadol.

RESULTS

A total of 2059 original and review research articles on tramadol were retrieved from Scopus. Forty-six documents (2.23 %) were published in Anesthesia and Analgesia Journal whereas 30 (1.46 %) were published in Arzneimittel Forschung Drug Research Journal. Retrieved tramadol documents were published from 71 countries and appeared in 160 peer reviewed journals. Although the United States of America (259; 12.86 %) had the largest contribution to tramadol publications; the contribution by other countries like Turkey (232; 11.27) India (189; 8.09 %) and Germany (176; 8.56 % was not far away from that of USA. The most productive institution was Grunenthal, Germany (47; 2.28 %) followed by Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran (29; 1.41 %), and, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Incorporated, USA (25; 1.21 %). Of the 2059 documents, there were 370 documents about dependence. The leading institution in documents pertaining to tramadol dependence was Grunenthal GmbH (18; 4.86 %) followed by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Incorporated (17; 4.59 %).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study showed that there is an obvious interest in tramadol research. More efforts are needed to clarify the abuse potential and safety profile of tramadol to help in determining the legal status of tramadol. Collaboration among pharmaceutical industry, clinical researchers and academic institutions can improve research quantity and quality on tramadol.

Scientific research related to calcium channel blockers poisoning: Bibliometric analysis in Scopus, 1968-2012

PURPOSE

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) were the most common agents associated with a significant morbidity and mortality rate. The main objective of this study was to examine the publication pattern related to CCBs poisoning at the global level using bibliometric analysis of articles published in SciVerse Scopus online database.

METHODS

Data were searched for documents that contained specific words regarding CCB poisoning as keywords in the title. No time period limitations were specified in the search regarding the starting year. The ending date of the search was 31 December 2012.

RESULTS

The criteria were met by 713 publications from 53 countries. The largest number of articles associated with CCBs was from the United States (30%), followed by the United Kingdom (7.4%), Japan (6%), and Germany (5.6%). No data related to CCBs were published from 159 (75%) of 212 countries registered in World Bank online database. There was no correlation between the number of published articles in the country and its population size (r = 0.03, p > 0.926). United Kingdom and Australia were the leading countries in terms of number of CCBs publications per million inhabitants (0.83 and 0.82 articles per million inhabitants, respectively), followed by the United States (0.68). Countries with a large population, such as India, tended to rank relatively low (0.01 articles per million inhabitants). The total number of citations at the time of data analysis (23 October 2014) was 6462, with an average of 9.1 citations per document. The highest median (interquartile range) number of citations was 8 (8-18) for the United States, followed by 6 (1-21) for Australia, 5 (1-15) for the United Kingdom, and 5 (1-24) for Canada. The h-index of the retrieved documents was 37.

CONCLUSIONS

Scientific production on CCBs poisoning is increasing; nonetheless, the international collaboration is still rare. The amount of CCBs-based research activity was low or not available in most countries. More regional epidemiological studies are required to bridge the gap in CCBs-based research and to promote better evaluation of CCBs poisoning worldwide.

Global methaemoglobinaemia research output (1940-2013): a bibliometric analysis

Bibliometric studies, which involve the use of statistical methods, are increasingly being used for research assessment. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to evaluate the publication pattern of methaemoglobinaemia research output at the global level based on the Scopus database. We analysed selected documents with "methemoglobinemia", or "methaemoglobinaemia" as a part of the title and reported the following parameters: trends of publication output, country of publication, journal pattern, collaborative measures, citations pattern, and institute productivity. A total of 1770 articles were published worldwide. The time trend for the number of articles showed an increase after 2000. The highest number of articles related to methaemoglobinaemia was from the USA (24.8 %), followed distantly by the UK (4.5 %), India (3.7 %), and France (3.7 %). No data related to methaemoglobinaemia were published from 152 countries. The total number of citations at the date of data collection was 10,080, with an average of 5.7 citations per document. The USA and UK had the highest h-index of 31 and 14, respectively, and six countries had an h-index of 9-14. It is notable that Canada was ranked eighth in the number of publications but fourth in h-index and India was ranked third in the number of publications but eighth in h-index. Furthermore, Canada produced the most internationally collaborated papers out of the total number of publications for each country (16.1 %), followed by the UK (13.9 %). This bibliometric analysis provides data contributing to a better understanding of the methaemoglobinaemia research field. The number of publications on methaemoglobinaemia increased significantly after 2000. The USA was the most productive country as measured by total publications. The USA and UK achieved the highest h-index in the field of methaemoglobinaemia research, signifying a higher quality of research than other countries.