Celebrating the 50th Issue of Qatar Medical Journal: Editorial Letter

It is with great pride that we celebrate the 50th issue of Qatar Medical Journal (QMJ) that has achieved significant growth recently. Our mission is to encourage authors to submit high-quality and innovative research promoting medical advancements. In the past two years, manuscripts submissions have tripled in number and were enriched by a more diverse pool of authors with global representation, resulting in an increase in the number of published issues moving from being a biannual to a triannual journal. Additionally, the number of articles published in an issue has doubled. QMJ continues to be an open-access peer-reviewed journal, publishing original research work, reviews, editorials, and case reports that are particularly relevant to medicine and free of charge to authors. It is indexed in several renowned and highly ranked platforms such as PubMed Central, Scopus, Scimago, Google Scholar, and the Directory of Open Access Journals. It was also recently indexed in the World Health Organization's Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR). We look forwards to becoming the highest-rated medical journal, in terms of impact factor, regionally.

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Letter from the Editors

Journal of Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs ◽

10.36013/jrdod.v2i.33 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Editorial Office

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Medical Journal ◽

Open Access ◽

Drug Development ◽

Orphan Drug ◽

Rare Diseases ◽

Case Reports ◽

Orphan Drugs ◽

Original Research ◽

Orphan Drug Development

Last year we successfully introduced a new journal: The Journal of Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs (JRDOD) is a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal that publishes original research, reviews, case reports, and letters covering a broad field of its specialty. We intend to publish articles stimulating to read, educate, and inform readers with the most up-to-date research in genetics, rare diseases, and new orphan drug development in different stages of clinical trials. Journal topics are centered on patients living with undiagnosed rare diseases, the importance of a diagnosis, individual approaches to treatments. We hope that this journal will increase awareness of many difficult to diagnosed and treat medical conditions.

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Bioengineering International joins the Family of Platinum Open Access Journals

Bioengineering International ◽

10.33263/bioegnineering11.001001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 001-001

Author(s):

Nicolas Anton ◽

Alexandra Catalina Birca ◽

Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu ◽

Michael R Hamblin ◽

Laurence J. Walsh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Open Access ◽

Materials Science ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Research Work ◽

Open Access Journal ◽

Original Research ◽

Scientific Databases ◽

Access Policy ◽

Open Access Journals ◽

The Family

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new platinum open access journal entitled Bioengineering International. Bioengineering International is a peer-reviewed journal that encourages worldwide academic and scientific researchers to share their original research work, reviews and commentaries. The journal will provide an extensive platform for this interdisciplinary blend of chemistry, biology and materials science, with their synergistic effects on the progress of biomedicine and bioengineering. The purpose of Bioengineering International journal is to provide comprehensive and facile access to the latest contributions of academic and scientific researchers and to facilitate their publication completely free of charge including review papers, original research articles, communications and short notes. AMG Transcend Association (Romania) covers all economic costs of the publishing process. Platinum Open Access policy provides permanent free and open access for worldwide readers, both the scientific community and the general public. The Bioengineering International journal will ensure the high visibility of the published papers, by ensuring their appearance in most important scientific databases, such as Scopus (Elsevier), Science Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics), Scilit (MDPI) and Chemical Abstracts (CAS). Therefore, we encourage all research scientists interested in the field of bioengineering to submit their papers to Bioengineering International.

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Are Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region on Track towards Meeting the World Health Assembly Target for Anemia? A Review of Evidence

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052449 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2449

Author(s):

Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh ◽

Mandy Taktouk ◽

Radhouene Doggui ◽

Zahra Abdollahi ◽

Baseer Achakzai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Iron Deficiency ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

World Health ◽

Deficiency Anemia ◽

Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽

World Health Assembly ◽

The World

Anemia is a multifactorial condition, with a complex etiology that involves nutritional and non-nutritional factors. The misconception that iron deficiency is equivalent to anemia may mask the need to address other potential causative factors. This review paper aims to (1) assess the burden of anemia vs. iron deficiency anemia (IDA) amongst women of reproductive age (WRA), pregnant women (PW), and children under five years old (underfive children, U5C) in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR); (2) evaluate trends in anemia prevalence and whether countries are on track towards meeting the World Health Assembly (WHA) target for 2025; and (3) characterize anemia reduction efforts and provide a road map for future programs. A search of pertinent literature and databases was conducted. Anemia prevalence in the EMR ranged between 22.6% and 63% amongst PW, 27% and 69.6% amongst WRA, and 23.8% and 83.5% amongst U5C. Data showed that the EMR is not on course towards meeting the WHA target. The contribution of IDA to anemia was found to be less than half. Other potential contributors to anemia in the region were identified, including micronutrient deficiencies, parasitic infestations, and poor sanitation. A framework of action was proposed as a roadmap to meet the targets set by the WHA.

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Conservation: A New Open Access Journal for Rapid Dissemination of the Transdisciplinary Dimensions of Biodiversity Conservation

Conservation ◽

10.3390/conservation1010002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 17-20

Author(s):

Antoni Margalida ◽

Luca Luiselli ◽

José L. Tella ◽

Shuqing Zhao

Keyword(s):

Open Access ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Case Reports ◽

Digital Publishing ◽

Open Access Journal ◽

Research Articles ◽

Original Research ◽

Rapid Dissemination

We are pleased to launch the new peer-reviewed open access journal, Conservation, published by MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute), which offers an exciting new opportunity to publish comprehensive reviews, original research articles, communications, case reports, letters, commentaries, and other perspectives related to the biological, sociological, ethical, economic, methodological, and other transdisciplinary dimensions of conservation [...]

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Publishing at any cost: a cross-sectional study of the amount that medical researchers spend on open access publishing each year

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. e047107

Author(s):

Mallory K. Ellingson ◽

Xiaoting Shi ◽

Joshua J. Skydel ◽

Kate Nyhan ◽

Richard Lehman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Open Access ◽

Senior Author ◽

High Impact ◽

Open Access Publishing ◽

Original Research ◽

Potential Cost ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Review Articles ◽

Open Access Journals ◽

Medical Researchers

ObjectiveTo estimate the financial costs paid by individual medical researchers from meeting the article processing charges (APCs) levied by open access journals in 2019.DesignCross-sectional analysis.Data sourcesScopus was used to generate two random samples of researchers, the first with a senior author article indexed in the ‘Medicine’ subject area (general researchers) and the second with an article published in the ten highest-impact factor general clinical medicine journals (high-impact researchers) in 2019. For each researcher, Scopus was used to identify all first and senior author original research or review articles published in 2019. Data were obtained from Scopus, institutional profiles, Journal Citation Reports, publisher databases, the Directory of Open Access Journals, and individual journal websites.Main outcome measuresMedian APCs paid by general and high-impact researchers for all first and senior author research and review articles published in 2019.ResultsThere were 241 general and 246 high-impact researchers identified as eligible for our study. In 2019, the general and high-impact researchers published a total of 914 (median 2, IQR 1–5) and 1471 (4, 2–8) first or senior author research or review articles, respectively. 42% (384/914) of the articles from the general researchers and 29% (428/1471) of the articles from the high-impact medical researchers were published in fully open access journals. The median total APCs paid by general researchers in 2019 was US$191 (US$0–US$2500) and the median total paid by high-impact researchers was US$2900 (US$0–US$5465); the maximum paid by a single researcher in total APCs was US$30115 and US$34676, respectively.ConclusionsMedical researchers in 2019 were found to have paid between US$0 and US$34676 in total APCs. As journals with APCs become more common, it is important to continue to evaluate the potential cost to researchers, especially on individuals who may not have the funding or institutional resources to cover these costs.

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis of the Beijing Genotype in Iran and the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Meta-Analysis

Microbial Drug Resistance ◽

10.1089/mdr.2017.0160 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 693-698 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sven Hoffner ◽

Leyla Sahebi ◽

Khalil Ansarin ◽

Siamak Sabour ◽

Parviz Mohajeri

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

World Health Organization ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

World Health ◽

Beijing Genotype ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

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Self-medication with antibiotics in WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-39213/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Reza Negarandeh ◽

Shah Jahan Shayan ◽

Rajab Nazari ◽

BSc. Frank Kiwanuka ◽

MSc. Sanaz Akhavan Rad

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

World Health ◽

Common Source ◽

Self Medication ◽

Inappropriate Use

Abstract Background Recently, inappropriate use of antibiotics has been correlated with life-threatening side-effects such as adverse effects, increased cost of treatment, and the higher rate of microbial resistance. Besides, it leads to a waste of resources. Therefore, this review sought to determine the pooled prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics, self-medicated illness, reasons for self-medication, antibiotics used for self-medication, source of obtaining antibiotics, the inappropriate practice of antibiotics and suggested recommendations for talking self-medication with antibiotics in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization (EMRWHO). Methods Review conforms to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Database search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science using a combination of keywords which included; antimicrobial, antibacterial, antibiotic, self-medication, self-treatment, self-prescription, non-prescribed, irrational use, inappropriate use, misuse, abuse and Eastern Mediterranean Region of WHO countries. The lists of references of the selected articles were also hand-searched to obtained additional relevant articles. Studies published in English from 2000 to 2018 were included in the review. Results We report on data from 60 articles and 49629 participants in this review. The overall prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics in EMRWHO was 47.2% (95% CI 41.6% – 52.9%). Yemen has the highest pooled rate with a rate of 75.0% (95% CI 63.4% − 83.9%), whilst Lebanon has the lowest pooled rate with a prevalence of 28.7% (95% CI 18.4% − 41.8%). The most common illnesses implicated in antibiotic self-medication were upper-respiratory infections and the most common antibiotic was Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid. The commonest reasons for antibiotic self-medication include: saving time and money. Pharmacies pointed out as the most common source of obtaining antibiotics for self-medication. Conclusion Self-medication with antibiotics is significantly high in the member states of EMRWHO. Intervention such as an educational program for communities’ members to change their behaviors, policy on the mechanism of distribution of antibiotics is called for in this area.

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