A bibliometric analysis of research productivity in Parasitology by different world regions during a 9-year period (1995–2003)

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to estimate the research productivity of different world regions in the field of Parasitology. METHODS: Using the PubMed database we retrieved articles from journals included in the "Parasitology" category of the "Journal Citation Reports" database of the Institute for Scientific Information for the period 1995–2003. Research productivity was evaluated based on a methodology we developed and used in other bibliometric studies by analysing: (1) the total number of publications, (2) the mean impact factor of all papers, and (3) the product of the above two parameters, (4) the research productivity in relation to gross domestic product of each region, and (5) the research productivity in relation to gross national income per capita and population of each region. RESULTS: Data on the country of origin of the research was available for 18,110 out of 18,377 articles (98.6% of all articles from the included journals). Western Europe exceeds all world regions in research production for the period studied (34.8% of total articles), with USA ranking second (19.9%), and Latin America & the Caribbean ranking third (17.2%). The mean impact factor in articles published in Parasitology journals was highest for the USA (1.88). Oceania ranked first in research productivity when adjustments for both the gross national income per capita (GNIPC) and population were made. Eastern Europe almost tripled the production of articles from only 1.9% of total production in 1995 to 4.3% in 2003. Similarly, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia doubled their production. However, the absolute and relative production by some developing areas, including Africa, is still very low, despite the fact that parasitic diseases are major public health problems in these areas. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that more help should be provided by the developed nations to developing areas for improvement of the infrastructure of research

Index medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean region

The study provides the rationale, history and current status of the Index Medicus for the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region. The Index is unique in combining the geographic coverage of peer-reviewed health and biomedical journals (408 titles) from the 22 countries of the Region. Compiling and publishing the Index coupled with a document delivery service is an integral part of the WHO Regional Office's knowledge management and sharing programme. In this paper, bibliometric indicators are presented to demonstrate the distribution of journals, articles, languages, subjects and authors as well as availability in printed and electronic formats. Two countries in the Region (Egypt and Pakistan) contribute over 50% of the articles in the Index. About 90% of the articles are published in English. Epidemiology articles represent 8% of the entire Index. 15% of the journals in the Index are also indexed in MEDLINE, while 7% are indexed in EMBASE. Future developments of the Index will include covering more journals and adding other types of health and biomedical literature, including reports, theses, books and current research. The challenges and lessons learnt are discussed

Radiological research activity 1998–2007: relationship to gross domestic product, health expenditure and public expenditure on education

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of the radiological research activity from 1998 to 2007 to the gross domestic product (GDP), health expenditure and public expenditure on education. Methods The population-adjusted research activity determined by the number of articles published, the cumulative impact factor (IF) and the cumulative IF per capita were correlated with per capita values of the GDP, health expenditure and public education expenditure. Linear regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results The cumulative IF per capita correlated with the GDP per capita (R = 0.94, P  0.05). Conclusion Radiological research activity demonstrates a close relationship to the GDP, health expenditure and public expenditure on education. The last factor independently predicts research activity

World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) guidelines for management of skin and soft tissue infections

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Presence and release of phthalic esters and other endocrine disrupting compounds in drinking water

7 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables.-- Available online Sep 21, 2006.An analytical method was developed to analyze 5 phthalate esters (dimethylphthalate, diethylphthalate, di-n-butylphthalate, butylbenzylphthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), nonylphenol, bisphenol A and BADGE (Bisphenol A diglycyleter) in distribution and bottled water. They are all industrial chemicals used in the manufacture of epoxy resins or paints, polycarbonate and polyethylene plastics (global production of phthalates over 4 Mton/year) or surfactants and have been classified as persistent, with high migration potential from plastic containers and with endocrine disrupting properties. The present paper reports a specific extraction protocol using solid phase extraction with Oasis 60 mg or C18 cartridges, followed by gas chromalography coupled to mass spectrometric detection using an appropriate surrogate and internal standard for process control. Quality parameters are reported, making special emphasis to limits of detection, reproducibility and blank analysis, which permitted to detect ng L−1 concentrations. In an application step, the method was used to determine target compounds in 7 distribution water and 9 mineral water bottled in polyethylene, polyethyleneter phthalate and glass containers which were analysed upon purchase and after 10 week storage at temperatures up to 30 °C. Distribution water coming from different aquifers which at some point are in contact with plastic or painted concrete reservoirs and pipes, contained dimethylphthalate, diethylphtalate, nonylphenol, buthylbenzylphthtalate and DEHP at concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 0.331 μgL−1, depending on the sampled crea whereas bottled water showed levels up to 1.7 μg L−1 of some of the studied compounds, attributed to 10 week storage conditions.This work has been supported by the Col.legi Oficial de Farmacèutics de Catalunya.Peer reviewe