Worldwide trends in quantity and quality of published articles in the field of infectious diseases

BACKGROUND: Trying to confront with the widespread burden of infectious diseases, the society worldwide invests considerably on research. We evaluated the contribution of different world regions in research production in Infectious Diseases. METHODS: Using the online Pubmed database we retrieved articles from 38 journals included in the "Infectious Diseases" category of the "Journal Citation Reports" database of the Institute for Scientific Information for the period 1995–2002. The world was divided into 9 regions based on geographic, economic and scientific criteria. Using an elaborate retrieval system we obtained data on published articles from different world regions. In our evaluation we introduced an estimate of both quantity and quality of research produced from each world region per year using: (1) the total number of publications, (2) the mean impact factor of publications, and (3) the product of the above two parameters. RESULTS: Data on the country of origin of the research was available for 45,232 out of 45,922 retrieved articles (98.5 %). USA and Western Europe are by far the most productive regions concerning publications of research articles. However, the rate of increase in the production of articles was higher in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia during the study period. The mean impact factor is highest for articles originating in the USA (3.42), while it was 2.82 for Western Europe and 2.73 for the rest of the world (7 regions combined). CONCLUSION: USA and Western Europe make up a striking 80% of the world's research production in Infectious Diseases in terms of both quantity and quality. However, all world regions achieved a gradual increase in the production of Infectious Diseases articles, with the regions ranking lower at present displaying the highest rate of increase

An age-period-cohort study of completed suicides in Greece: Patterns and implications for suicide prevention

Suicide is a dynamic phenomenon. Psychiatric medication intake, illicit drug and alcohol use or the preference for particular suicide methods shift continuously over time. To capture such variations –and their potential implications for suicide prevention-, we researched the forensic records of suicide cases for the period 1992–2016 at a large department of forensic medicine and conducted age-period-cohort (APC) analyses of our sample (1162 suicides, 77.45% males, 22.25% females). We primarily investigated socio-demographic and toxicological parameters. Benzodiazepine, alcohol and illicit drug use increased considerably towards the younger cohorts. The segment of individuals of foreign nationality raised significantly too; likewise, the proportion of prison suicides. Hanging appears increasingly preferred by the younger APCs (the opposite is true for jumping). Hanging seems more popular among males, prisoners, and those under the influence of illicit drugs; jumping by females and those less likely to have consumed alcohol or illicit drugs. Given that the method of a prior attempt, if a highly lethal one, usually gets repeated in the completed suicide, a history of an attempt by hanging should never be underestimated. The mental health needs of immigrants and prisoners look inadequately addressed. Young-middle aged immigrant prisoners appear a group at high suicide risk. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Characteristics of completed suicides after Greek financial crisis onset: A comparative time-series analysis study

Severe financial crises could influence a country’s suicide trends and characteristics. We aimed to highlight differences among suicide completers before and after the onset of Greece’s serious debt crisis of 2010 based exclusively on forensic data. The sample’s size permitted a further elaboration by means of a time series analysis too. Data were collected from the Piraeus Department of Forensic Medicine for the period 1992–2016. We extracted information on sociodemographic parameters, psychiatric medication and alcohol intake, suicide method, place and month of suicide. The “after crisis onset” group (2011–2016) was significantly older (p = 0.039)—primarily due to differences in the 55–64 age group—, had more frequently used psychiatric medications (p < 0.001), less often alcohol (p = 0.001) and died more frequently by immolation (p = 0.001). These differences were—almost exclusively—due to changes regarding male suicidal behavior. Time series analysis indicates that no strong increasing trend in total (male + female) suicide count can be observed, despite a local increase in 2009–2010. Antidepressant-positive suicides show an increase after 2010, whereas alcohol-positive suicides show a decrease. Future predicted forecasts for antidepressant-positive suicides indicate a decrease (from 5.6 per year in 2018 to 4.3 per year in 2025) whereas an increase is predicted in alcohol-positive suicides (7.7 per year in 2017, 9.36 per year in 2025). Middle-aged men, compared to middle-aged women, presumably found it harder to adjust to economic hardship after the crisis onset. Finally, comparatively more men than women who died by suicide appear to have started and/or complied with psychiatric treatment after 2010. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature