Mass gathering in Qatar 2022 World Cup. What should be especially monitored?

OBJECTIVES

At the end of 2022, the football world championship will be held in Qatar. These types of meetings require a risk analysis. It proposes an approach to determine which health risks should be prioritized.

METHOD

We use a mixed methodology (Hierarchical Process Analysis, World Health Organization STAR and European Commission INFORM) to determine the risk level of a total of 12 health entities.

RESULTS

Our analysis identifies 6 health entities with a moderate risk. There are 4 whose valuation is as low risk and 2 as very low.

CONCLUSIONS

In our work we focus the analysis from a point of view of the route of transmission or presentation of health events, which facilitates a visualization of the preventive measures to be implemented, both organizationally and individually by the attendees.

Bibliometric analysis of the Spanish scientific production in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology (2014-2021)

INTRODUCTION

The profound impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, together with other factors such as globalisation and climate change, has emphasised the growing relevance of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology.

METHODS

The Spanish scientific production in both categories of the Web of Science databases over the period 2014-2021 has been analysed.

RESULTS

8037 documents have been identified in Infectious Diseases and 12008 documents in Microbiology (6th most productive country worldwide in both cases, with growth rates of 41% and 46.2%, respectively). Both areas present a high degree of international collaboration (45-48% of the documents) and between 45-66% of the documents have been published in journals of excellence (first quartile) according to the rankings of the Journal Citation Reports.

CONCLUSIONS

Spain is in a prominent position worldwide in both areas, with an outstanding scientific production in journals of high visibility and impact.

Bibliometric and thematic characterization of the research on HIV-AIDS in Spain (2010-2019)

INTRODUCTION

The establishment of the Spanish AIDS Research Network (RIS) was a milestone for the promotion of HIV research in Spain. We analyse Spanish HIV research, assessing the role that RIS has played in it.

METHODS

We identified publications on HIV-AIDS with the participation of Spanish institutions in the Web of Science over the period 2010-2019, characterising research activity by means of bibliometrics and identifying the thematic areas of research through a cluster analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 3960 documents have been identified (average of 396 documents/year), 42% of which have been signed in international collaboration. RIS researchers have participated in 60% of the documents, presenting a scientific production and citation significantly higher than authors not linked to the RIS. Five thematic clusters articulate the research, focusing on the clinical and therapeutic approach to people living with HIV, co-infection and co-morbidity with other diseases, the genetic characterisation of the virus, the development of vaccines and the study of its transmission in specific groups or associated with sexual behaviour.

CONCLUSION

Spanish HIV research, largely driven by RIS groups, has reached a stage of maturity, with a notable increase in scientific production, participation in international cooperative networks and an outstanding impact and visibility.

Trends in hospitalizations and deaths in HIV-infected patients in Spain over two decades

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of HIV infection dramatically improved after the introduction of triple antiretroviral therapy 25 years ago. Herein, we report the impact of further improvements in HIV management since then, looking at all hospitalizations in persons with HIV (PWH) in Spain.

METHODS

A retrospective study using the Spanish National Registry of Hospital Discharges. Information was retrieved since 1997-2018.

RESULTS

From 79 647 783 nationwide hospital admissions recorded during the study period, 532 668 (0.67%) included HIV as diagnosis. The mean age of PWH hospitalized increased from 33 to 51 years (P < 0.001). The rate of HIV hospitalizations significantly declined after 2008. Comparing hospitalizations during the first (1997-2007) and last (2008-2018) decades, the rate of non-AIDS illnesses increased, mostly due to liver disease (from 35.9 to 38.3%), cardiovascular diseases (from 12.4 to 28.2%), non-AIDS cancers (from 6.4 to 15.5%), and kidney insufficiency (from 5.4 to 13%). In-hospital deaths occurred in 5.5% of PWH, declining significantly over time. Although most deaths were the result from AIDS conditions (34.8%), the most frequent non-AIDS deaths were liver disease (47.1%), cardiovascular events (29.2%), non-AIDS cancers (24.2%), and kidney insufficiency (20.7%).

CONCLUSION

Hospital admissions in PWH significantly declined after 2008, following improvements in HIV management and antiretroviral therapy. Non-AIDS cancers, cardiovascular events and liver disease represent a growing proportion of hospital admissions and deaths in PWH.

Research on Emotion Recognition and Dementias: Foundations and Prospects

BACKGROUND

The study of emotion recognition could be crucial for detecting alterations in certain cognitive areas or as an early sign of neurological disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the study is to characterize research development on emotion recognition, identifying the intellectual structure that supports this area of knowledge, and the main lines of research attracting investigators' interest.

METHODS

We identified publications on emotion recognition and dementia included in the Web of Science Core Collection, analyzing the scientific output and main disciplines involved in generating knowledge in the area. A co-citation analysis and an analysis of the bibliographic coupling between the retrieved documents elucidated the thematic orientations of the research and the reference works that constitute the foundation for development in the field.

RESULTS

A total of 345 documents, with 24,282 bibliographic references between them, were included. This is an emerging research area, attracting the interest of investigators in Neurosciences, Psychology, Clinical Neurology, and Psychiatry, among other disciplines. Four prominent topic areas were identified, linked to frontotemporal dementia, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's and Huntington disease. Many recent papers focus on the detection of mild cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSION

Impaired emotion recognition may be a key sign facilitating the diagnosis and early treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases as well as for triggering the necessary provision of social and family support, explaining the growing research interest in this area.

Scientific HIV research in Africa and the Middle East: a socio-economic demographic analysis

Background: In Africa, HIV/AIDS research is concentrated in certain countries, particularly South Africa. This distribution may not accurately reflect the disease prevalence or the true research efforts of countries.Objectives: To identify HIV/AIDS research productivity of countries in Africa and the Middle East, in absolute terms and adjusted for people living with HIV, population size and economic development.Methods: We identified all the articles and reviews on HIV and AIDS in the Web of Science Core Collection in which African or Middle Eastern countries had participated. After determining the number of documents produced by each country, we adjusted the findings for the number of people living with HIV, number of inhabitants, gross domestic product and gross national income per capita.Results: African and Middle Eastern countries participated in 21.52% (n = 14 808) of all 68 808 documents analysed. East and Southern Africa produced 17.8% of all documents (n = 12 249), West and Central Africa accounted for only 3.34% (n = 2300), and the Middle East and North Africa, 1.18% (n = 814). South Africa produced 40.94% (n = 6 063) of all publications. Only two other African countries - Uganda (12.97%; n = 1 921) and Kenya (10.71%; n = 1 586) - produced more than 10% of these publications. The indices used for adjusting research productivity revealed the effort and contribution of other countries.Conclusion: Our study confirmed the leading role of South Africa in driving HIV/AIDS research, but also highlighted the contribution of countries such as Uganda, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Systematic analysis of the scientific literature on population surveillance

Introduction

Population surveillance provides data on the health status of the population through continuous scrutiny of different indicators. Identifying risk factors is essential for the quickly detecting and controlling of epidemic outbreaks and reducing the incidence of cross-infections and non-communicable diseases. The objective of the present study is to analyze research on population surveillance, identifying the main topics of interest for investigators in the area.

Methodology

We included documents indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection in the period from 2000 to 2019 and assigned with the generic Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) “population surveillance” or its related terms (“public health surveillance,” “sentinel surveillance” or “biosurveillance”). A co-occurrence analysis was undertaken to identify the document clusters comprising the main research topics. Scientific production, collaboration, and citation patterns in each of the clusters were characterized bibliometrically. We also analyzed research on coronaviruses, relating the results obtained to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

We included 39,184 documents, which reflected a steady growth in scientific output driven by papers on “Public, Environmental & Occupational Health” (21.62% of the documents) and “Infectious Diseases” (10.49%). Research activity was concentrated in North America (36.41%) and Europe (32.09%). The USA led research in the area (40.14% of documents). Ten topic clusters were identified, including “Disease Outbreaks,” which is closely related to two other clusters (“Genetics” and “Influenza”). Other clusters of note were “Cross Infections” as well as one that brought together general public health concepts and topics related to non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular and coronary diseases, mental diseases, diabetes, wound and injuries, stroke, and asthma). The rest of the clusters addressed “Neoplasms,” “HIV,” “Pregnancy,” “Substance Abuse/Obesity,” and “Tuberculosis.” Although research on coronavirus has focused on population surveillance only occasionally, some papers have analyzed and collated guidelines whose relevance to the dissemination and management of the COVID-19 pandemic has become obvious. Topics include tracing the spread of the virus, limiting mass gatherings that would facilitate its propagation, and the imposition of quarantines. There were important differences in the scientific production and citation of different clusters: the documents on mental illnesses, stroke, substance abuse/obesity, and cross-infections had much higher citations than the clusters on disease outbreaks, tuberculosis, and especially coronavirus, where these values are substantially lower.

Conclusions

The role of population surveillance should be strengthened, promoting research and the development of public health surveillance systems in countries whose contribution to the area is limited.

HIV/AIDS research in Africa and the Middle East: participation and equity in North-South collaborations and relationships

BACKGROUND

HIV/AIDS has attracted considerable research attention since the 1980s. In the current context of globalization and the predominance of cooperative work, it is crucial to analyze the participation of the countries and regions where the infection is most prevalent. This study assesses the participation of African countries in publications on the topic, as well as the degree of equity or influence existing in North-South relations.

METHODS

We identified all articles and reviews of HIV/AIDS indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. We analyzed the scientific production, collaboration, and contributions from African and Middle Eastern countries to scientific activity in the region. The concept of leadership, measured through the participation as the first author of documents in collaboration was used to determine the equity in research produced through international collaboration.

RESULTS

A total of 68,808 documents published from 2010 to 2017 were analyzed. Researchers from North America and Europe participated in 82.14% of the global scientific production on HIV/AIDS, compared to just 21.61% from Africa and the Middle East. Furthermore, the publications that did come out of these regions was concentrated in a small number of countries, led by South Africa (41% of the documents). Other features associated with HIV/AIDS publications from Africa include the importance of international collaboration from the USA, the UK, and other European countries (75-93% of the documents) and the limited participation as first authors that is evident (30 to 36% of the documents). Finally, the publications to which African countries contributed had a notably different disciplinary orientation, with a predominance of research on public health, epidemiology, and drug therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

It is essential to foster more balance in research output, avoid the concentration of resources that reproduces the global North-South model on the African continent, and focus the research agenda on local priorities. To accomplish this, the global North should strengthen the transfer of research skills and seek equity in cooperative ties, favoring the empowerment of African countries. These efforts should be concentrated in countries with low scientific activity and high incidence and prevalence of the disease. It is also essential to foster intraregional collaborations between African countries.

From cut-points to key players in co-authorship networks: a case study in ventilator-associated pneumonia research

In co-authorship networks, some nodes play the key role of cut-point, facilitating the integration of other authors and favoring connectivity among different research communities. The present study uses bibliometric and network embeddedness indicators to analyze the scientific activity on ventilator-associated pneumonia and the roles of 17 research communities and 30 cut-points therein. In addition to fostering network connectivity and cohesion, cut-points are characterized by other differential features compared to other authors, including a much higher level of productivity and greater participation in leadership positions, higher betweenness values, lower clustering coefficients and higher levels of constraint. The cut-points identified have different characteristics in terms of the connectivity they facilitate between research communities: some cut-points have established weak intercommunity ties in the form of bridges with a single author from a different community; in other cases, they serve as gatekeepers due to their connection with different authors of a community that they link with their own; cut-points may also act as structural folds, that is, actors with an overlapping role between two cohesive communities. The cut-points present very diverse connectivity degrees, with some cut-points whose elimination would provoke severe network fragmentation and others who are responsible for linking far fewer external authors to their network. The cut-points that present both the main mechanisms for obtaining social capital—that is, filling structural holes and participating in cohesive network structures—can be considered key actors/players because their participation is crucial for ensuring both integration into the main research focus of some communities with high research performance and the overall cohesion of a co-authorship network.

Cytokine levels predict 30-day mortality in octogenarians and nonagenarians with community-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective observational study

To analyze the value of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10) as predictors of mortality at 30 days in octogenarians and nonagenarians hospitalized in an internal medicine unit for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). An observational, analytical, retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Department of Internal Medicine at Alicante General University Hospital between January 2014 and December 2015. Blood samples were frozen at - 80 °C, and cytokines were measured by ELISA. We included 115 patients, of whom 54% were men, with a mean age of 86.4 (standard deviation 4.5) years. There is a moderate correlation between IL-10 levels and CURB-65 score (p < 0.001) and a weak correlation with creatinine levels (p = 0.012) and urea levels (p = 0.032). Forty-five (39.1%) patients died within 30 days. In a multivariate analysis, the variables associated with mortality at 30 days were the following: age (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] 1.134, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02, 1.26), male sex (ORa 2.85, 95% CI 1.14, 7.14), IL-8 of 19 pg/mL or more (ORa 4.09, 95% CI 1.67, 10.01), and IL-10 of 11.29 pg/mL or more (ORa 4.00, 95% CI 1.58, 10.12). High IL-8 and IL-10 levels were shown to predict 30-day mortality in elderly patients with CAP. The inflammatory response in these patients seems to condition their prognosis. Further research in this line would provide more understanding about the physiopathological mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for improving survival.

A snapshot of pneumonia research activity and collaboration patterns (2001-2015): a global bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

This article describes a bibliometric review of the scientific production, geographical distribution, collaboration, impact, and subject area focus of pneumonia research indexed on the Web of Science over a 15-year period.

METHODS

We searched the Web of Science database using the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) of "Pneumonia" from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2015. The only document types we studied were original articles and reviews, analyzing descriptive indicators by five-year periods and the scientific production by country, adjusting for population, economic, and research-related parameters.

RESULTS

A total of 22,694 references were retrieved. The number of publications increased steadily over time, from 981 publications in 2001 to 1977 in 2015 (R² = 0.956). The most productive country was the USA (38.49%), followed by the UK (7.18%) and Japan (5.46%). Research production from China increased by more than 1000%. By geographical area, North America (42.08%) and Europe (40.79%) were most dominant. Scientific production in low- and middle-income countries more than tripled, although their overall contribution to the field remained limited (< 15%). Overall, 18.8% of papers were the result of an international collaboration, although this proportion was much higher in sub-Saharan Africa (46.08%) and South Asia (23.43%). According to the specific MeSH terms used, articles focused mainly on "Pneumonia, Bacterial" (19.99%), followed by "Pneumonia, Pneumococcal" (7.02%) and "Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated" (6.79%).

CONCLUSIONS

Pneumonia research increased steadily over the 15-year study period, with Europe and North America leading scientific production. About a fifth of all papers reflected international collaborations, and these were most evident in papers from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Scientometrics analysis of research activity and collaboration patterns in Chagas cardiomyopathy

Background

Chagas cardiomyopathy is a serious and common complication of Chagas disease.

Methods

Through bibliometric and Social Network Analysis, we examined patterns of research on Chagas cardiomyopathy, identifying the main countries, authors, research clusters, and topics addressed; and measuring the contribution of different countries.

Results

We found 1932 documents on Chagas cardiomyopathy in the MEDLINE database. The most common document type was ‘journal article’, accounting for 79.6% of the total (n = 1538), followed by ‘review’ (n = 217, 11.2%). The number of published records increased from 156 in 1980–1984 to 311 in 2010–2014. Only 2.5% were clinical trials. Brazil and the USA dominated the research, participating in 53.1% and 25.7%, respectively, of the documents. Other Latin American countries where Chagas is endemic contributed less, with Bolivia, where Chagas disease is most prevalent, producing only 1.8% of the papers. We observed a high rate of domestic collaboration (83.1% of the documents published in 2010–2016) and a lower but significant rate of international collaboration (32.5% in the same time period). Although clinical research dominated overall, the USA, Mexico and several countries in Europe produced a considerable body of basic research on animal models. We identified four main research clusters, focused on heart failure and dysfunction (physical symptoms, imaging techniques, treatment), and on myocarditis and parasitemia in animal models.

Conclusions

Research on Chagas cardiomyopathy increased over the study period. There were more clinical than basic studies, though very few of the documents were clinical trials. Brazil and the USA are currently leading the research on this subject, while some highly endemic countries, such as Bolivia, have contributed very little. Different approaches could help to redress this imbalance: encouraging researchers to conduct more clinical trials, launching international collaborations to help endemic countries contribute more, and strengthening links between basic and clinical research.

Scientific production on Chagas cardiomyopathy has grown considerably since the turn of the 21st century, probably reflecting the increased incidence of Chagas disease in non-endemic areas like the USA and Europe. Brazil and the USA dominate the research, but we found a very small proportion of clinical trials on Chagas cardiomyopathy and a low scientific production in several endemic countries with a high prevalence of the disease such as Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Bolivia. We observed a polarity between endemic and non-endemic countries where clinical research and basic research predominate, respectively. Different approaches could help to redress the observed imbalance of research on Chagas cardiomyopathy: encouraging researchers to conduct more clinical trials, launching international collaborations to help endemic countries contribute more, and strengthening links between basic and clinical research. It is crucial to foster translational research in order to link basic knowledge on the physiology of the disease with clinical applications in diagnosis and treatment.

Patrones y estrategias en la colaboración científica: la percepción de los investigadores

La colaboración constituye una práctica generalizada en las actividades de investigación, cuyas características e implicaciones se han analizado generalmente a partir de las coautorías de las publicaciones científicas. Con el objeto de profundizar en el conocimiento de este fenómeno, se ha administrado un cuestionario a una muestra de 3070 investigadores de las universidades de la Comunidad Valenciana (España), analizando por ramas de conocimiento (Artes y Humanidades, Ciencias, Ciencias de la Salud, Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas e Ingeniería y Arquitectura), categorías académicas y sexo, cómo se establecen los contactos entre los investigadores (pre-colaboración), el desarrollo de la colaboración como proceso (tareas y motivos principales para colaborar, número de colaboradores habituales y factores personales y a nivel de grupos de investigación que hacen que la colaboración resulte exitosa), el grado de satisfacción con la plasmación del trabajo en colaboración a través de las publicaciones científicas e identificando los problemas y barreras que dificultan la colaboración.

Dominance and leadership in research activities: Collaboration between countries of differing human development is reflected through authorship order and designation as corresponding authors in scientific publications

Introduction

Scientific collaboration is an important mechanism that enables the integration of the least developed countries into research activities. In the present study, we use the order of author signatures and addresses for correspondence in scientific publications as variables to analyze the interactions between countries of very high (VHHD), high (HHD), medium (MHD), and low human development (LHD).

Methodology

We identified all documents published between 2011 and 2015 in journals included in the Science Citation Index-Expanded categories’ of Tropical Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, and Pediatrics. We then classified the countries participating in the publications according to their Human Development Index (HDI), analyzing the international collaboration; positioning and influence of some countries over others in cooperative networks; their leadership; and the impact of the work based on the HDI and the type of collaboration.

Results

We observed a high degree of international collaboration in all the areas analyzed, in the case of both LHD and MHD countries. We identified numerous cooperative links between VHHD countries and MHD/LHD countries, reflecting the fact that cooperative links are an important mechanism for integrating research activities into the latter. The countries with large emerging economies, such as Brazil and China stand out due to the dominance they exert in the collaborations established with the United States, the UK, and other European countries. The analysis of the leadership role of the countries, measured by the frequency of lead authorships, shows limited participation by MHD/LHD countries. This reduced participation among less developed countries is further accentuated by their limited presence in the addresses for correspondence. We observed significant statistical differences in the degree of citation according to the HDI of the participating countries.

Conclusions

The order of signatures and the address for correspondence in scientific publications are bibliographic characteristics that facilitate a precise, in-depth analysis of cooperative practices and their associations with concepts like dominance or leadership. This is useful to monitor the existing balance in research participation in health research publications.

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pyogenic liver abscess in people 65 years or older versus people under 65: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

To analyse the clinical, epidemiological, microbiological and prognostic differences of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) in older (≥ 65 years of age) versus younger patients (< 65 years).

METHODS

Multicentre, retrospective cohort study in all patients with PLA admitted to two Spanish hospitals from January 2000 to January 2014. Cases were divided into two age groups (< 65 years and ≥65 years) for comparison of clinical, epidemiological and microbiological characteristics as well as treatment.

RESULTS

Of 98 patients analysed, 40 patients were younger than 65, and 58 were aged 65 or older. Significant associations in the older group were found with female sex (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] 9.0; 95% CI 1.4, 56), non-cryptogenic origin (ORa 14.5; 95% CI 1.6, 129), absence of chronic liver disease (ORa 14; 95% CI 1.3, 155), Escherichia coli infection (ORa 7.7; 95% CI 1.03, 58), and incidence of complications (ORa 2.3; 95% CI 1.04, 5.4). Mortality was 8.2% overall, although all deaths occurred in the older group (8/58; 13.8%) (p = 0.02).

DISCUSSION

Our results are in consonance with other published studies. Older patients with PLA tend to present more anomalies in the biliary tract (Kai et. al, World J Gastroenterol 18: 2948-295, 2012, Rahimian et. al, Clin Infect Dis 39:1654-9, 2004, Seeto, Medicine (Baltimore) 75:99-113, 1996, Kao et.al, Aliment Pharmacol Ther 36:467-76, 2012, Lai et. al, Gastroenterology 146:129-37, 2014), while younger patients are more often male and present more commonly with previous liver disease (especially related to alcohol) and cryptogenic PLA.

CONCLUSION

In patients aged 65 or older, PLA was more common in women and in those with a history of biliary disease, and E. coli was the most frequent bacterium. Mortality was also higher in the older group.

[Mass gatherings: a systematic review of the literature on large events]

We reviewed the literature on mass gatherings published worldwide to determine event types and topics or epidemiologic aspects covered. Articles using the term mass gatherings indexed in the Scopus database between 2000 and 2015 were reviewed. Of the 518 returned, we selected 96 with relevant information. The main event types studied were related to sports (46%), music (25%) or religious/social content (23%), and the most commonly studied locations were the United States (n=21), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (n=17), Australia (n=11), and the United Kingdom (n=10). The four most often studied events were the Hajj (n=17), the Olympic games (n=13), World Youth Day (n=8), and the FIFA World Cup (n=6). The main topics studied were models of health care (n=55), health care evaluation by means of rates of patients presenting for care or transferred to hospitals (n=21), respiratory pathogens (n=18), syndromic surveillance (n=10), and the global spread of diseases (n=10). Mass gatherings are an emerging area of study addressed by various medical specialties that have focused on studying the health care models used at such events. Emergency medicine is particularly involved with this research topic.

HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS 1 (HTLV-1) AND HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS 2 (HTLV-2): GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH TRENDS AND COLLABORATION NETWORKS (1989-2012)

Publications are often used as a measure of research work success. Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type 1 and 2 are human retroviruses, which were discovered in the early 1980s, and it is estimated that 15-20 million people are infected worldwide. This article describes a bibliometric review and a coauthorship network analysis of literature on HTLV indexed in PubMed in a 24-year period. A total of 7,564 documents were retrieved, showing a decrease in the number of documents from 1996 to 2007. HTLV manuscripts were published in 1,074 journals. Japan and USA were the countries with the highest contribution in this field (61%) followed by France (8%). Production ranking changed when the number of publications was normalized by population (Dominican Republic and Japan), by gross domestic product (Guinea-Bissau and Gambia), and by gross national income per capita (Brazil and Japan). The present study has shed light on some of the defining features of scientific collaboration performed by HTLV research community, such as the existence of core researchers responsible for articulating the development of research in the area, facilitating wider collaborative relationships and the integration of new authors in the research groups.

Evolution of Cooperation Patterns in Psoriasis Research: Co-Authorship Network Analysis of Papers in Medline (1942-2013)

Background

Although researchers have worked in collaboration since the origins of modern science and the publication of the first scientific journals in the eighteenth century, this phenomenon has acquired exceptional importance in the last several decades. Since the mid-twentieth century, new knowledge has been generated from within an ever-growing network of investigators, working cooperatively in research groups across countries and institutions. Cooperation is a crucial determinant of academic success.

Objective

The aim of the present paper is to analyze the evolution of scientific collaboration at the micro level, with regard to the scientific production generated on psoriasis research.

Methods

A bibliographic search in the Medline database containing the MeSH terms “psoriasis” or “psoriatic arthritis” was carried out. The search results were limited to articles, reviews and letters. After identifying the co-authorships of documents on psoriasis indexed in the Medline database (1942–2013), various bibliometric indicators were obtained, including the average number of authors per document and degree of multi-authorship over time. In addition, we performed a network analysis to study the evolution of certain features of the co-authorship network as a whole: average degree, size of the largest component, clustering coefficient, density and average distance. We also analyzed the evolution of the giant component to characterize the changing research patterns in the field, and we calculated social network indicators for the nodes, namely betweenness and closeness.

Results

The main active research clusters in the area were identified, along with their authors of reference. Our analysis of 28,670 documents sheds light on different aspects related to the evolution of scientific collaboration in the field, including the progressive increase in the mean number of co-authors (which stood at 5.17 in the 2004–2013 decade), and the rise in multi-authored papers signed by many different authors (in the same decade, 25.77% of the documents had between 6 and 9 co-authors, and 10.28% had 10 or more). With regard to the network indicators, the average degree gradually increased up to 10.97 in the study period. The percentage of authors pertaining to the largest component also rose to 73.02% of the authors. The clustering coefficient, on the other hand, remained stable throughout the entire 70-year period, with values hovering around 0.9. Finally, the average distance peaked in the decades 1974–1983 (8.29) and 1984–2003 (8.12) then fell over the next two decades, down to 5.25 in 2004–2013. The construction of the co-authorship network (threshold of collaboration ≥ 10 co-authored works) revealed a giant component of 161 researchers, containing 6 highly cohesive sub-components.

Conclusions

Our study reveals the existence of a growing research community in which collaboration is increasingly important. We can highlight an essential feature associated with scientific collaboration: multi-authored papers, with growing numbers of collaborators contributing to them, are becoming more and more common, therefore the formation of research groups of increasing depth (specialization) and breadth (multidisciplinarity) is now a cornerstone of research success.

[Bibliometric analysis of the Spanish scientific production in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology]

INTRODUCTION

The bibliometric analysis of production and impact of documents by knowledge area is a quantitative and qualitative indicator of research activity in this field. The aim of this article is to determine the contribution of Spanish research institutions in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology in recent years.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Documents published in the journals included in the categories "Infectious Diseases" and "Microbiology" of the Web of Science (Science Citation Index Expanded) of the ISI Web of Knowledge from the year 2000-2013 were analysed.

RESULTS

In Infectious Diseases, Spain ranked fourth worldwide, and contributed 5.7% of the 233,771 documents published in this specialty. In Microbiology, Spain was in sixth place with a production rate of 5.8% of the 149,269 documents of this category. The Spanish production increased over the study period, both in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, from 325 and 619 documents in 2000 to 756 and 1245 documents in 2013, with a growth rate of 131% and 45.8%, respectively. The journal with the largest number of documents published was Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica, with 8.6% and 8.2% of papers published in the categories of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, respectively, and was the result of international collaborations, especially with institutions in the United States. The "index h" was 116 and 139 in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, placing Spain in fifth place in both categories within countries of the European Union.

CONCLUSIONS

In recent years, Spanish research in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology has reached a good level of production and international visibility, reaching a global leadership position.

South American collaboration in scientific publications on leishmaniasis: bibliometric analysis in SCOPUS (2000-2011)

OBJECTIVES

Evaluate the production and the research collaborative network on Leishmaniasis in South America.

METHODS

A bibliometric research was carried out using SCOPUS database. The analysis unit was original research articles published from 2000 to 2011, that dealt with leishmaniasis and that included at least one South American author. The following items were obtained for each article: journal name, language, year of publication, number of authors, institutions, countries, and others variables.

RESULTS

3,174 articles were published, 2,272 of them were original articles. 1,160 different institutional signatures, 58 different countries and 398 scientific journals were identified. Brazil was the country with more articles (60.7%) and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) had 18% of Brazilian production, which is the South American nucleus of the major scientific network in Leishmaniasis.

CONCLUSIONS

South American scientific production on Leishmaniasis published in journals indexed in SCOPUS is focused on Brazilian research activity. It is necessary to strengthen the collaboration networks. The first step is to identify the institutions with higher production, in order to perform collaborative research according to the priorities of each country.

[Scientific production and cancer-related collaboration networks in Peru 2000-2011: a bibliometric study in Scopus and Science Citation Index]

A bibliometric study was carried out to describe the scientific production on cancer written by Peruvians and published in international health journals, as well as to assess the scientific collaboration networks. It included articles on cancer written in Peru between the years 2000 and 2011 and published in health journals indexed in SCOPUS or Science Citation Index Expanded. In the 358 articles identified, an increase in the production was seen, from 4 articles in 2000 to 57 in 2011.The most studied types were cervical cancer (77 publications); breast cancer (53), and gastric cancer (37). The National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases (INEN) was the most productive institution (121 articles) and had the highest number of collaborations (180 different institutions). 52 clinical trials were identified, 29 of which had at least one author from INEN. We can conclude that, cancer research is increasing in Peru, the INEN being the most productive institution, with an important participation in clinical trials.

Evolution of coauthorship networks: worldwide scientific production on leishmaniasis

INTRODUCTION

Collaboration is one of the defining features of contemporary scientific research, and it is particularly important with regard to neglected diseases that primarily affect developing countries.

METHODS

The present study has identified publications on leishmaniasis in the Medline database from 1945 to 2010, analyzing them according to bibliometric indicators and statistics from social network analysis. Examining aspects such as scientific production, diachronic evolution, and collaboration and configuration of the research groups in the field, we have considered the different types of Leishmania studied and the institutional affiliation and nationality of the authors.

RESULTS

Seven-hundred and thirty-five authors participate in 154 prominent research clusters or groups. Although the most predominant and consolidated collaborations are characterized by members from the same country studying the same type of Leishmania, there are also notable links between authors from different countries or who study different clinical strains of the disease. Brazil took the lead in this research, with numerous Brazilian researchers heading different clusters in the center of the collaboration network. Investigators from the USA, India, and European countries, such as France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy, also stand out within the network.

CONCLUSIONS

Research should be fostered in countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan, and Ethiopia, where there is a high prevalence of different forms of the disease but limited research development with reference authors integrated into the collaboration networks.

Bibliometric analysis of leishmaniasis research in Medline (1945-2010)

Background

Publications are often used as a measure of success of research work. Leishmaniasis is considered endemic in 98 countries, most of which are developing. This article describes a bibliometric review of the literature on leishmaniasis research indexed in PubMed during a 66-year period.

Methods

Medline was used via the PubMed online service of the US National Library of Medicine. The search strategy was Leishmania [MeSH] or leishmaniasis [MeSH] from 1 January 1945 until 31 December 2010. Neither language nor document type restrictions were employed.

Results

A total of 20,780 references were retrieved. The number of publications increased steadily over time, with 3,380 publications from 1945-1980 to 8,267 from 2001-2010. Leishmaniasis documents were published in 1,846 scientific journals, and Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (4.9%) was the top one. The USA was the predominant country by considering the first author’s institutional address (16.8%), followed by Brazil (14.9%), and then India (9.0%), however Brazil leads the scientific output in 2001-2010 period (18.5%), followed by the USA (13.5%) and India (10%). The production ranking changed when the number of publications was normalised by population (Israel and Switzerland), by gross domestic product (Nepal and Tunisia), and by gross national income per capita (India and Ethiopia). For geographical area, Europe led (31.7%), followed by Latin America (24.5%).

Conclusions

We have found an increase in the number of publications in the field of leishmaniasis. The USA and Brazil led scientific production on leishmaniasis research.

Scientific authorships and collaboration network analysis on Chagas disease: papers indexed in PubMed (1940-2009)

Chagas disease is a chronic, tropical, parasitic disease, endemic throughout Latin America. The large-scale migration of populations has increased the geographic distribution of the disease and cases have been observed in many other countries around the world. To strengthen the critical mass of knowledge generated in different countries, it is essential to promote cooperative and translational research initiatives. We analyzed authorship of scientific documents on Chagas disease indexed in the Medline database from 1940 to 2009. Bibliometrics was used to analyze the evolution of collaboration patterns. A Social Network Analysis was carried out to identify the main research groups in the area by applying clustering methods. We then analyzed 13,989 papers produced by 21,350 authors. Collaboration among authors dramatically increased over the study period, reaching an average of 6.2 authors per paper in the last five-year period. Applying a threshold of collaboration of five or more papers signed in co-authorship, we identified 148 consolidated research groups made up of 1,750 authors. The Chagas disease network identified constitutes a "small world," characterized by a high degree of clustering and a notably high number of Brazilian researchers.

Scientific publications and research groups on alcohol consumption and related problems worldwide: authorship analysis of papers indexed in PubMed and Scopus databases (2005 to 2009)

BACKGROUND

The research of alcohol consumption-related problems is a multidisciplinary field. The aim of this study is to analyze the worldwide scientific production in the area of alcohol-drinking and alcohol-related problems from 2005 to 2009.

METHODS

A MEDLINE and Scopus search on alcohol (alcohol-drinking and alcohol-related problems) published from 2005 to 2009 was carried out. Using bibliometric indicators, the distribution of the publications was determined within the journals that publish said articles, specialty of the journal (broad subject terms), article type, language of the publication, and country where the journal is published. Also, authorship characteristics were assessed (collaboration index and number of authors who have published more than 9 documents). The existing research groups were also determined.

RESULTS

About 24,100 documents on alcohol, published in 3,862 journals, and authored by 69,640 authors were retrieved from MEDLINE and Scopus between the years 2005 and 2009. The collaboration index of the articles was 4.83 ± 3.7. The number of consolidated research groups in the field was identified as 383, with 1,933 authors. Documents on alcohol were published mainly in journals covering the field of "Substance-Related Disorders," 23.18%, followed by "Medicine," 8.7%, "Psychiatry," 6.17%, and "Gastroenterology," 5.25%.

CONCLUSIONS

Research on alcohol is a consolidated field, with an average of 4,820 documents published each year between 2005 and 2009 in MEDLINE and Scopus. Alcohol-related publications have a marked multidisciplinary nature. Collaboration was common among alcohol researchers. There is an underrepresentation of alcohol-related publications in languages other than English and from developing countries, in MEDLINE and Scopus databases.

Mapping of Chagas disease research: analysis of publications in the period between 1940 and 2009

INTRODUCTION

Publications are often used as a measure of success in research work. Chagas disease occurs in Central and Southern America. However, during the past years, the disease has been occurring outside Latin America due to migration from endemic zones. This article describes a bibliometric review of the literature on Chagas disease research indexed in PubMed during a 70-year period.

METHODS

Medline was used via the PubMed online service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine from 1940 to 2009. The search strategy was: Chagas disease [MeSH] OR Trypanosoma cruzi [MeSH].

RESULTS

A total of 13,989 references were retrieved. The number of publications increased steadily over time from 1,361 (1940-1969) to 5,430 (2000-2009) (coefficient of determination for linear fit, R²=0.910). Eight journals contained 25% of the Chagas disease literature. Of the publications, 64.2% came from endemic countries. Brazil was the predominant country (37%), followed by the United States (17.6%) and Argentina (14%). The ranking in production changed when the number of publications was normalized by estimated cases of Chagas disease (Panama and Uruguay), population (Argentina and Uruguay), and gross domestic product (Bolivia and Brazil).

CONCLUSIONS

Several Latin American countries, where the prevalence of T. cruzi infection was not very high, were the main producers of the Chagas disease literature, after adjusting for economic and population indexes. The countries with more estimated cases of Chagas disease produced less research on Chagas disease than some developed countries.

Comparison between two five year periods (1998/2002 and 2003/2007) on the production, impact and co-authorship of publications on tobacco and smoking by Spanish authors using the Science Citation Index

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the production, impact and co-authorship of publications by Spanish authors on smoking and tobacco between two time periods (1998/2002 vs 2003/2007) using Science Citation Index (SCI).

METHODS

The literature search was performed in the SCI-Expanded on 20 November 2008. All types of documents by Spanish authors were selected. The search was restricted to the title, and the key words used were "smok*" and "tobac*". The statistical analysis was descriptive (95% CI).

RESULTS

A total of 588 documents were obtained, with 399 (67.85%) original papers, 54 (9.18%) letters to the editor, and 35 (5.95%) editorials. Productivity increased between the 98/02 to 03/07 periods: 234 (39.8%) documents versus 354 (60.2%). We have found significant differences between the two periods (98/02 vs 03/07) in total mean annual documents (47 ± 8 vs 71 ± 16 [p=0.024]) and total mean annual original papers (34 ± 6 vs 46 ± 9 [p=0.041]). The mean number of citations per document was 14.1 ± 2.1 for 98/02 period and 5.6 ± 2.5 for 03/07 period (p=0.003). The co-authorship annual index had increased; with a mean of 6.77 signatures/document for 98/02 period to a mean of 6.87 for 03/07 period. Authors and institution networks collaborations had increased between the two periods.

CONCLUSIONS

Spanish production and co-authorship of documents on smoking and tobacco have increased between these two periods. The earlier period documents received more citations.

[Twenty years of Spanish psychological research in Psicothema (1989-2008)]

Twenty years of Spanish psychological research in Psicothema (1989-2008). Scientific collaboration and gender equality are two spheres of great interest for the organizations responsible for instigating scientific policies. We have identified the research groups and women's contribution to one of the most outstanding Spanish psychology journals. We have selected papers published during the 1989-2008 period in Psicothema. A bibliometric and network analysis was carried out using the Pajek Software tool. We have analysed 1,718 papers, written by 2,423 authors, 53.45% men and 47.54% women. We have identified 86 research groups made up of 293 researchers. We have observed a high increase of productivity and collaboration in the 1999-2008 period, as well as the consolidation, growth, and evolution of many incipient groups identified in the 1989-1998 period, benefiting from the increased interest and prestige of the journal. Despite the increase in the number of women, rising from 35.71% in 1989 to 48.48 in 2008, we have observed an imbalance with regard to productivity and the order of signatures, where women are relegated to intermediate positions.

Cardiovascular scientific production in Spain and in the European and global context (2003-2007)

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

The publication of research articles has increased considerably in recent years in all biomedical fields. The present study examines the position of Spanish quality research in cardiology in the European and world context, and its evolution during the 5-year period 2003-2007.

METHODS

Using the Science Citation Index Expanded of Thomson Reuters as data source, we compared Spanish cardiovascular scientific production with that of the rest of countries in the European Union and of the most important countries worldwide, along with relative productivity as per number of inhabitants and Gross Domestic Product, and the number of citations in the journals of the <<Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems>> area of the Journal Citation Reports (CCS-JCR).

RESULTS

Spain ranks sixth in the European Union and ninth worldwide in scientific production (tenth worldwide if only the journals of the first quartile of the CCS-JCR area are considered). As regards the number of citations received, Spain ranks seventh in the European Union and eleventh worldwide. In terms of relative productivity as per number of inhabitants and Gross Domestic Product, the Spanish ranking is less favorable (positions 15 and 18, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The ranking of Spanish cardiovascular research is similar to that of other biomedical fields, though its position is less favorable in relation to certain demographic and economical indicators. In order to maintain adequate investigational levels, it is necessary for the European governments and scientific societies to regard the promotion of high-quality cardiological research as a priority concern.

A study of the bibliometry and areas of the research groups of Archivos de Bronconeumología (2003-2007)

INTRODUCTION

Scientific cooperation is essential for the advance of biomedical research. Scientists set up informal groups to work together on common issues, who are the main units in the research funding system. Bibliometric and Social Network Analysis methods allow informal groups in scientific papers to be identified and characterised. The objective of the study is to identify research groups in Archivos de Bronconeumología between 2003 and 2007 period with the aim of characterizing their scientific collaboration patterns and research areas.

METHODS

Co-authorships, institutional collaboration relationships and the main research areas of papers published in Archivos de Bronconeumología have been identified. Co-authorship networks and institutional collaboration networks have been constructed by using Pajek software tool.

RESULTS

A total of 41 research groups involving 171 investigators have been identified. The Collaboration Index for articles was 5.59 and the Transcience Index was 73.11%. There was institutional collaboration in 60.33% of papers. The collaboration between institutions of the same region prevails (41.03%), followed by collaborations between departments, services or units of the same institution (39.74%), inter-regional collaboration (14,97%) and international collaboration (6.83%). A total of 83.03% of articles were cited. The main research areas covered by groups were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lung neoplasm, bronchogenic carcinoma, smoking and pulmonary embolism.

CONCLUSIONS

The scientific production of a large number of Respiratory System Spanish research groups is published in Archivos de Bronconeumología. A notable collaboration and citation rate has been observed. Nevertheless, it is still essential to encourage inter-regional and international collaboration.

Gender analysis of papers published in ACTAS ESPANOLAS DE PSIQUIATRIA (1999-2006)

INTRODUCTION

The governments and organizations responsible for scientific policies try to encourage equality of gender, among their priorities that of obtaining equal participation and full integration of women in all aspects of the scientific profession. The study analyzes the scientific production of women in the areas of Psychiatry by means of the bibliometric study of the papers published in ACTAS ESPANOLAS DE PSIQUIATRIA.

METHOD

A total of 458 papers published from 1999- 2006 period were downloaded from the Science Citation Index-Expanded database, these including original research papers, review articles and clinical cases. A bibliometric study broken down by gender was carried out to determine the existence or inequalities between men and women regarding scientific productivity, type of document, order of author signatures, on the institutional and geographical level.

RESULTS

The papers were published by 1,194 different authors. The gender of 977 authors was identified, 587 (60.08%) men and 390 (39.92%) women. The percentage of women authorship has risen from 29.92% in 1999 to 38.86% in 2006. A total of 42.92% of authors having one published article were women, while <<the multiple article producing women>> (those with more than nine articles) only accounted for 33%.

CONCLUSION

Bibliometric studies on scientific activity provide essential information to promote gender equality. An annual increase over 1% in the number of female authors in the journal has been observed, which if it continues will lead to a parity in coming years.