scholarly journals Authorship characteristics of retracted COVID-19 articles

Author(s):  
Rafaela Carolina da Silva ◽  
Hadiseh Heidari ◽  
Amanda Mendes da Silva

Following the explosion of publications about COVID-19, some of these articles were retracted. These articles are potentially dangerous to public health as they can mislead about the nature of the virus. The growth and sensitive nature of retracted papers led to bibliometrics studies on them, although few, which focused more on the level of documents. This study, instead, examines the characteristics of the authors of these articles. 54 retracted COVID-19 articles that fit our study’s criteria were identified. The results revealed that 32% of these authors were MD, and about one-fifth of them had a past history of publishing retracted articles. The average number of authors per article was 6. Also, according to their profile in the Scopus, the mean number of documents, citations and their H-index were 61, 3159 and 12, respectively. Women also appeared in one-third of the articles as first and last authors. Continued research about retracted COVID-19 articles can continue to help prevent the further dissemination of questionable research findings.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pandey U

Introduction: Postpartum haemorrhage is one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide and it accounts for nearly one-quarter of all maternal deaths and almost half of all postpartum deaths in low-income countries. Primary postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the most common form of major obstetric haemorrhage. Materials and Methods: The study protocol was comprised of Consent, Measurement of Pre-delivery Hemoglobin, Administration of the Intervention, Measurement of postpartum blood loss and Measurement of Post-delivery (24-48 hours) Hemoglobin. Blood loss was measured using a calibrated drape. The drape was placed beneath the parturient buttocks and secured around her abdomen with ties. Blood loss was monitored for a minimum of one hour and was continued in the second hour in case of persistent bleeding. The drape with the collected blood was weighed on a scale. The weight of the drape and the container in which it is placed was deducted from the total recorded weight in order to obtain the weight of the blood collected in the drape. Blood loss weight in grams was converted to milliliters by dividing the figure in grams by 1.06 (blood density in grams per milliliter). Results: The cross tabulations were used to study the demographic, obstetrical and medical factors in women with obstetrical haemorrhage. Table 1 shows the selected sociodemographic characteristics of the study population. The mean age of cases and controls are 26.333.559 and 26.853.873 respectively. On comparison, they are statistically insignificant. (p=0.324). The educational, occupational and socioeconomic status was comparable between cases and controls (p >0.05). Table 2 shows Antenatal, intra-partum and post-partum data in cases and controls. Discussion & Conclusion: It is a study done in North India comparing the Oxytocin kept at room temperature with failure of maintenance of cold chain during transport and storage and the refrigerated Oxytocin. It is the common understanding and general training that Oxytocin must be stored in the refrigerator, failing which its efficacy reduces i.e. it, will not be effective in controlling PPH. During the study we compared the mean blood loss and change in hemoglobin levels in cases and control and despite the fact that major risk factor for PPH for example past history of PPH, past history of D&C, prolonged third stage labour duration, manual removal of placenta were comparable in both cases and controls, still the mean blood loss and change in hemoglobin values was more in cases than controls. This could be attributed to usage of market oxytocin which had failed cold chain maintenance resulted in less effective oxytocin in prevention of PPH, Hence causing more blood loss and drop in hemoglobin values. This shows the need of room temperature stable uterotonic drug in LMIC’s like ours. Recently room temperature stable carbetocin shows the potential as an effective uterotonic drug for the prevention of PPH. However according to various studies carbetocin cannot be used for induction or augmentation of labour so it cannot replace oxytocin fully, rather it acts as a part of collective PPH reduction strategy.


Author(s):  
Brittany A. Trottier ◽  
Danielle J. Carlin ◽  
Michelle L. Heacock ◽  
Heather F. Henry ◽  
William A. Suk

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program (SRP) funds university-based, solution-oriented research to understand how hazardous substances contribute to disease and how to prevent exposures to these hazardous substances. A unique aspect of the SRP is that, beyond the biomedical, environmental sciences, and engineering research projects, SRP-funded centers are required to include community engagement to build partnerships with affected communities and research translation to communicate and facilitate the use of research findings. The SRP views both as effective ways to inform and advance science for protection of public health. The purpose of community engagement within the centers is to ensure bidirectional communication between the researchers and the community, identify best practices and activities in community engagement for prevention and intervention activities, enhance knowledge, and support the needs of the communities impacted by hazardous waste sites. The SRP views research translation as communicating and facilitating the use of research findings emanating from the center in a manner most appropriate for their application and for the advancement of a center’s research objectives. The SRP has a strong history of seeking opportunities to work with communities and stakeholders, by translating and sharing research findings in an impactful and informative manner with long-lasting benefits to improve public health.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Deuffic-Burban ◽  
Philippe Mathurin ◽  
Alain-Jacques Valleron

Two national HCV projections have been published in France which assumed that a part of observed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) deaths is a consequence of HCV epidemic. They applied the back-calculation method, in combination with a Markov model, to reconstruct the past history of HCV infection and then to predict HCV-related mortality. A preliminary model was first developed in the absence of effective therapy. It allowed testing many assumptions to model HCV natural history that were compatible with observed incidence of HCV-related HCC deaths. This model was then updated to take into account the availability of treatment and more recent epidemiological data. These two models are described in detail and results are discussed with a view to addressing the models' limitations. The models offered a useful tool to assess public health policy scenarios in planning healthcare responses to the HCV epidemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1719
Author(s):  
Souheil Zayet ◽  
Hajer Zahra ◽  
Pierre-Yves Royer ◽  
Can Tipirdamaz ◽  
Julien Mercier ◽  
...  

(1) Background. Post-COVID-19 syndrome is defined as the persistence of symptoms after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. (2) Methods. ANOSVID is an observational retrospective study in Nord Franche-Comté Hospital in France that included adult COVID-19 patients confirmed by RT-PCR from 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020. The aim was to describe patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome with persistent symptoms (PS group) and to compare them with the patients without persistent symptoms (no-PS group). (3) Results. Of the 354 COVID-19 patients, 35.9% (n = 127) reported persistence of at least one symptom after a mean of 289.1 ± 24.5 days after symptom onset. Moreover, 115 patients reported a recurrence of symptoms after recovery, and only 12 patients reported continuous symptoms. The mean age of patients was 48.6 years (19–93) ± 19.4, and 81 patients (63.8%) were female. Patients in the PS group had a longer duration of symptoms of initial acute SARS-CoV-2 infection than patients in the no-PS group (respectively, 57.1 ± 82.1 days versus 29.7 ± 42.1 days, p < 0.001). A majority of patients (n = 104, 81.9%) reported three or more symptoms. The most prevalent persistent symptoms were loss of smell (74.0%, n = 94), fatigue (53.5%, n = 68), loss of taste (31.5%, n = 40), and dyspnea (30.7%, n = 39). These were followed by pain symptoms (26.8% (n = 34), 26.0% (n = 33), 24.4% (n = 31); headache, arthralgia, and myalgia, respectively). More than half of patients reporting persistent symptoms (58%, n = 73) were healthcare workers (HCWs). Among outpatients, this population was more present in the PS group than the no-PS group ((86.6%) n = 71/82 versus (72.2%) n = 109/151, p = 0.012). Post-COVID-19 syndrome was more frequent in patients with a past history of chronic rhinosinusitis (8.7% (n = 11%) versus 1.3% (n = 3), p < 0.001). No significant difference was found regarding clinical characteristics and outcome, laboratory, imaging findings, and treatment received in the two groups. (4) Conclusions. More than a third of our COVID-19 patients presented persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly through loss of smell, loss of taste, fatigue, and dyspnea, with a high prevalence in HCWs among COVID-19 outpatients.


2003 ◽  
Vol 182 (5) ◽  
pp. 428-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn Baker ◽  
Elaine Hunter ◽  
Emma Lawrence ◽  
Nicholas Medford ◽  
Maxine Patel ◽  
...  

BackgroundDepersonalisation disorder is a poorly understood and underresearched syndrome.AimsTo carry out a large and comprehensive clinical and psychopathological survey of a series of patients who made contact with a research clinic.MethodA total of 204 consecutive eligible referrals were included: 124 had a full psychiatric examination using items of the Present State Examination to define depersonalisation/derealisation and 80 had either a telephone interview (n=22) or filled out a number of self-report questionnaires. Cases assessed were diagnosed according to DSM–IV criteria.ResultsThe mean age of onset was 22.8 years; early onset was associated with greater severity There was a slight male preponderance. The disorder tended to be chronic and persistent. Seventy-one per cent met DSM–IV criteria for primary depersonalisation disorder. Depersonalisation symptom scores correlated with both anxiety and depression and a past history of these disorders was commonly reported. ‘Dissociative amnesia’ was not prominent.ConclusionsDepersonalisation disorder is a recognisable clinical entity but appears to have significant comorbidity with anxiety and depression. Research into its aetiology and treatment is warranted.


2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (A) ◽  
pp. 579-582
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Lovisari ◽  
Tatiana F. Laganá ◽  
Katharina Borm ◽  
Gerrit Schellenberger ◽  
Thomas H. Reiprich

The baryonic composition of galaxy clusters and groups is dominated by a hot, X-ray emitting Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM). The mean metallicity of the ICM has been found to be roughly 0.3 ÷ 0.5 times the solar value, therefore a large fraction of this gas cannot be of purely primordial origin. Indeed, the distribution and amount of metals in the ICM is a direct consequence of the past history of star formation in the cluster galaxies and of the processes responsible for the injection of enriched material into the ICM. We here shortly summarize the current views on the chemical enrichment, focusing on the observational evidence in terms of metallicity measurements in clusters, spatial metallicity distribution and evolution, and expectations from future missions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (4) ◽  
pp. 5139-5148
Author(s):  
Jenny G Sorce ◽  
Stefan Gottlöber ◽  
Gustavo Yepes

ABSTRACT Galaxy clusters can play a key role in modern cosmology, provided their evolution is properly understood. However, observed clusters give us only a single timeframe of their dynamical state. Therefore, finding present observable data of clusters that are well correlated to their assembly history constitutes an inestimable tool for cosmology. Former studies correlating environmental descriptors of clusters to their formation history are dominated by halo mass–environment relations. This paper presents a mass-free correlation between the present neighbour distribution of cluster-size haloes and the latter mass assembly history. From the Big Multidark simulation, we extract two large samples of random haloes with masses ranging from Virgo to Coma cluster sizes. Additionally, to find the main environmental culprit for the formation history of the Virgo cluster, we compare the Virgo-size haloes to 200 Virgo-like haloes extracted from simulations that resemble the local Universe. The number of neighbours at different cluster-centric distances permits discriminating between clusters with different mass accretion histories. Similarly to Virgo-like haloes, clusters with numerous neighbours within a distance of about two times their virial radius experience a transition at z ≈ 1 between an active period of mass accretion, relative to the mean, and a quiet history. In contrary, clusters with few neighbours share an opposite trend: from passive to active assembly histories. Additionally, clusters with massive companions within about four times their virial radius tend to have recent active merging histories. Therefore, the radial distribution of cluster neighbours provides invaluable insights into the past history of these objects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Asim Al-Ansari ◽  
Muhammad Nazir

Introduction. Obesity and dental caries are global public health problems. There are conflicting reports about the relationship between caries and obesity. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the association between obesity and dental caries among male adolescents. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study included a sample of 258 male students’ aged 12 to 15 years from schools in Dammam/Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The study involved measuring caries prevalence and DMFT estimates, assessing body mass index (BMI), and administering a self-completion questionnaire. Independent samples Student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA test, Pearson’s correlation test, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results. Caries prevalence of the sample was 79.8%, and the mean score of DMFT was 3.55 ± 2.94. The mean BMI of participants was 23.42 ± 6.82 and 18% were obese (BMI > 30). The obese participants had a higher mean DMFT score (4.46 ± 3.54) than nonobese participants (3.35 ± 2.77) (P=0.021). Similarly, the mean untreated caries was higher in obese (4.17 ± 3.22) than in nonobese participants (3.01 ± 2.66) (P=0.010). In the logistic regression analysis, after controlling for father’s education, family history of obesity, meals per day, fast food per week, and physical activity in the final model, the participants with high caries experience (DMFT = 5–15) were 2.21 times more likely to have obesity than those with low caries experience (DMFT = 0–4) (P=0.04). No/school education of father (odds ratio 3.54, P=0.011), family history of obesity (odds ratio 3.27, P=0.002), and not performing physical activity (odds ratio 4.37, P=0.002) were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of obesity. Conclusion. The prevalence of caries and obesity was high in male adolescents in Saudi Arabia. Obesity was significantly associated with untreated caries and caries experience. Children with high caries experience were more likely to have obesity than children with low caries experience. Preventive programs and policies should address public health issues related to caries and obesity in male teenagers.


Breast Care ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tunc Eren ◽  
Adem Aslan ◽  
Ibrahim A. Ozemir ◽  
Hakan Baysal ◽  
Julide Sagiroglu ◽  
...  

Background: Breast pain is one of the leading complaints that ends up with referral to breast surgery clinics. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors that cause mastalgia, and its relation with benign or malignant breast disease. Methods: The study was performed in 700 patients. Data obtained from surveys, and imaging findings were prospectively recorded, and analyzed. Results: The mean age was 45.20 ± 10.78 years. The mastalgia group included 500 cases; the asymptomatic group comprised 200 individuals. Stressful lifestyle, caffeine consumption, and smoking were associated with mastalgia (p < 0.05). Rates of women who had breast fed 3 times or more were higher in the mastalgia group (p < 0.05). Increased breast density, and breast imaging-reporting and data system (BI-RADS) 2 mammography findings were related with mastalgia (p < 0.05). Cysts and fibroadenomas were more common in the mastalgia group (p < 0.05). The incidence of a past history of malignant breast disease was significantly higher in the mastalgia group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Stress, caffeine, smoking, lactation frequency, and benign disorders were factors detected to be related with mastalgia. Although a significant relation between mastalgia and malignant breast disease was detected in our study, more controlled studies are still required to investigate this issue further.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-34
Author(s):  
DK Thapa ◽  
N Lammichhane ◽  
S Subedi

OBJECTIVE: Benzodiazepines are one of the most frequently prescribed psychotropic drugs. They confer a therapeutic value in a wide range of conditions. They exert sedative/ hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and amnesic action. Nearly all of the disadvantages of benzodiazepines result from long term use leading to development of tolerance, dependence and withdrawal. This study was done to determine if the pattern of benzodiazepines prescription among the psychiatric patients is consistent with the guideline. METHODS: This was a descriptive, hospital based cross- sectional study done in the psychiatry department at Gandaki Medical College. The consecutive 50 patients who either had a past history of treatment with or were still regularly on prescription for any of the following medication; alprazolam, chlordiazepoxide, clonazepam,diazepam, and lorazepam were included in the study. The psychiatric diagnosis of the patients, duration and types of benzodiazepines dispensed to patients were worked up. The duration of study was 6 months (Jan- June 2013). RESULTS: The total numbers of subjects enrolled in the study was 50. Female constituted 28 (56%), majority were married 45 (90%) and most of the subjects 31 (62%), were from the local district of Kaski. The mean age of the subjects was 41.1 ± 15 .3 years. Among the types of benzodiazepines prescribed, clonazepam was the most frequently prescribed benzodiazepine. Dispensing of less than 30-days or 1 month supply of benzodiazepines, a practice typically recommended by practice guidelines, occurred in only 5 ( 10%) of the users. The study showed that there was a huge variation regarding the duration of benzodiazepines use, ranging from the period of less than of 1 month to the maximum duration of 192 months or 16 years. The mean duration of the benzodiazepine use was 34.8 ± 50 months i.e. near about 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Despite guideline cautions, long-term benzodiazepines use remains a common treatment pattern. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jucms.v2i1.10489   Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2014) Vol.2(1): 30-34


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