scholarly journals Worldwide inequality in access to full text scientific articles: the example of ophthalmology

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Boudry ◽  
Patricio Alvarez-Muñoz ◽  
Ricardo Arencibia-Jorge ◽  
Didier Ayena ◽  
Niels J. Brouwer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Full Text ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Pubmed Central ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Improve Access ◽  
Limit Access

Background The problem of access to medical information, particularly in low-income countries, has been under discussion for many years. Although a number of developments have occurred in the last decade (e.g., the open access (OA) movement and the website Sci-Hub), everyone agrees that these difficulties still persist very widely, mainly due to the fact that paywalls still limit access to approximately 75% of scholarly documents. In this study, we compare the accessibility of recent full text articles in the field of ophthalmology in 27 established institutions located worldwide. Methods A total of 200 references from articles were retrieved using the PubMed database. Each article was individually checked for OA. Full texts of non-OA (i.e., “paywalled articles”) were examined to determine whether they were available using institutional and Hinari access in each institution studied, using “alternative ways” (i.e., PubMed Central, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and Online Reprint Request), and using the website Sci-Hub. Results The number of full texts of “paywalled articles” available using institutional and Hinari access showed strong heterogeneity, scattered between 0% full texts to 94.8% (mean = 46.8%; SD = 31.5; median = 51.3%). We found that complementary use of “alternative ways” and Sci-Hub leads to 95.5% of full text “paywalled articles,” and also divides by 14 the average extra costs needed to obtain all full texts on publishers’ websites using pay-per-view. Conclusions The scant number of available full text “paywalled articles” in most institutions studied encourages researchers in the field of ophthalmology to use Sci-Hub to search for scientific information. The scientific community and decision-makers must unite and strengthen their efforts to find solutions to improve access to scientific literature worldwide and avoid an implosion of the scientific publishing model. This study is not an endorsement for using Sci-Hub. The authors, their institutions, and publishers accept no responsibility on behalf of readers.

scholarly journals Policy and Science for Global Health Security: Shaping the Course of International Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavita Berger ◽  
James Wood ◽  
Bonnie Jenkins ◽  
Jennifer Olsen ◽  
Stephen Morse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
International Health ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Public Health Decision

The global burden of infectious diseases and the increased attention to natural, accidental, and deliberate biological threats has resulted in significant investment in infectious disease research. Translating the results of these studies to inform prevention, detection, and response efforts often can be challenging, especially if prior relationships and communications have not been established with decision-makers. Whatever scientific information is shared with decision-makers before, during, and after public health emergencies is highly dependent on the individuals or organizations who are communicating with policy-makers. This article briefly describes the landscape of stakeholders involved in information-sharing before and during emergencies. We identify critical gaps in translation of scientific expertise and results, and biosafety and biosecurity measures to public health policy and practice with a focus on One Health and zoonotic diseases. Finally, we conclude by exploring ways of improving communication and funding, both of which help to address the identified gaps. By leveraging existing scientific information (from both the natural and social sciences) in the public health decision-making process, large-scale outbreaks may be averted even in low-income countries.

Application of high-throughput serological tests for controlling zoonotic viral infection in Amazon rainforest and as a strategy to prevent future pandemics (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Santiago Pacheco De Azevedo ◽  
Daniela Gomes Ribeiro ◽  
Felipe Rocha Da Silva Santos ◽  
Siomar De Castro Soares ◽  
Vasco Ariston De Carvalho Azevedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Preventive Health Care ◽  
Amazon Rainforest ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Serological Tests

UNSTRUCTURED From the bubonic plague on the 14th century to the new Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), pandemics have profoundly changed societies function. Infectious disease outbreaks are getting shorter and shorter due to our densely populated cities, global travel, and nature mass exploration. In this regard, there is a particular concern about fires occurring in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, one of the most biodiverse places on earth that facilitates cross-species transmission giving rise to the emergency of new virulent pathogens. Situation is further complicated because Amazon spans across eight developing countries with limited preventive health care services. In this perspective, this review highlights the role of new methodologies best suited for epidemiological monitoring in low-income countries, such as high-throughput serological tests. Phage immunoprecipitation sequencing (Phip-Seq), for example, can evaluate antibody-repertoire binding specificities using oligonucleotides libraries encoding epitopes covering the DNA sequences from all human pathogenic viruses or all Arboviruses already described. After incubation with an individual's serum, these libraries can be immunoprecipitated for subsequent analysis by DNA sequencing. Data are analyzed revealing peptides recognized by the antibodies present in the sample. Being a technique at a relatively low cost, its implementation in developing countries is feasible and can generate very interesting scientific information.

scholarly journals From printing to Scielo and Pubmed Central

2014 ◽  
pp. 5-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Eduardo Bravo
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Digital Repository ◽  
Pubmed Central ◽  
The Us ◽  
Academic Communication ◽  
The Impact

The first issue of Philosophical Transactions from the Royal Society published in 1665 is widely regarded as the beginning of modern academic communication through journal articles. This form of presentation was an alternative to books for facilitating the exchange of ideas among scholarly circles. Soon journal collections and scientific libraries were created and eventually an evaluation of the quality of research activity was sought through noting the impact of their publications1. With guidance from the National University of Colombia and support from Scielo Brazil, in 2013 the standards of the US-NLM were implemented and technical endorsement by Pubmed Central was attained. Colombia Médica´s retention over time is guaranteed by the US-NLM; as of 2014 it will become part of PubMed Central, the free digital archive of biomedical and biological sciences of the U.S. National Institute of Health, which is considered to be the most important digital library in the world. The guidance of the journals by multidisciplinary teams, the policy of free access to its contents, and the technological transfer with the use of free software will help the journals of middle and low-income countries to overcome barriers to diffusion and to maintain technological independence from commercial publishers. Colombia Médica makes an impassioned plea to WHO/PAHO to support BIREME, Brazil and convert SciELO into a certified digital repository.

Improving Online Access to Medical Information for Low-Income Countries

2004 ◽  
Vol 350 (10) ◽  
pp. 966-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Aronson
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Online Access

scholarly journals Medical services provided on the ‘Harmonious Mission—2017’ Peace Ark from China

2021 ◽  
pp. e001659
Author(s):  
Bihan Tang ◽  
Y Han ◽  
X Liu ◽  
H Zhang ◽  
M Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Cataract Extraction ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
General Internal ◽  
Classification Of Diseases

IntroductionThe Chinese Naval ship Peace Ark provided humanitarian medical services to people in eight low-income countries in Africa and Asia during the 2017 “Harmonious Mission’. The expedition lasted 155 days. Our study aimed to analyse the details of the medical services provided including outpatient care, medical patrol, operations, examinations and medications.MethodThe patient demographic data and medical information were extracted from electronic medical records. The diagnoses and procedures aboard were coded by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). The sociodemographic data of the medical staff aboard were collected via questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and statistical software (SAS, V.9.4) were used to analyse the data.ResultsIn total, 115 Chinese military medical personnel participated in the mission, completing a total of 50 758 outpatient visits, 10 232 medical patrols and 252 operations. The five most frequently used outpatient departments were ophthalmology, general surgery, general internal medicine, orthopaedics and traditional Chinese medicine. The five most common operations were lipoma excision, cataract extraction, skin tissue removal (such as warts and cysts), pterygium transposition and herniorrhaphy.ConclusionsOur study revealed the medical services in demand during the ‘Harmonious Mission—2017’. It is essential to report their experiences so that future ventures can provide medical services more effectively.

scholarly journals DOES TECHNOLOGY MATTER FOR COMBATING ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIME? A PANEL DATA STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
pp. 1-39
Author(s):  
Monica Violeta Achim ◽  
Sorin Nicolae Borlea ◽  
Viorela Ligia Văidean
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
High Income ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Financial Crime ◽  
Policy Perspective ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Development Expenditure ◽  
Using Data

In this paper we analyze the influence of technology on the level of the economic and financial crime, using data for 185 countries over the 2012–2015 time period and controlling for many important variables. First, we find that on average, the size of the economic and financial crime in low income countries is about double compared to that of high income countries, while their Research and development expenditure (as % of GDP) are about four times lower than in high income countries. We find clear evidence that increased technology reduces the size of the economic and financial crime. In addition, we find that Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) matter more in reducing the economic and financial crime in low income countries than they do in high income countries. Our main findings are generally stable after conducting some robustness checks. From a policy perspective, our study may prove to be of great use to decision makers of the states, to government and non-governmental enterprises and to potential investors within different markets.

scholarly journals The Role of Humanitarian Donations in Decreasing Preventable Mortality From Cancer in Low-Income Countries: Models to Improve Access to Life-Saving Medicines

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Pat Garcia-Gonzalez ◽  
Gilberto Lopes ◽  
Erin Schwartz ◽  
Lawrence N. Shulman
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Improve Access ◽  
Preventable Mortality

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: Impacts, Challenges, and Mitigation Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 117863022110294
Author(s):  
Belay Desye
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Full Text ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Electronic Database Search ◽  
And Control

Background: In order to protect public health during the outbreaks of infectious diseases including the pandemic COVID-19, provision of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services is important. The challenges of inaccessible WASH services along with the pandemic COVID-19 in low-income countries can lead to a devastating problem. Method: A systematic search of published articles was identified using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, on relevant studies of COVID-19 and WASH services. Published articles were identified using abstracts and titles of the articles, followed by assessed for eligibility, and screening of the full text reports of relevant studies. Results: Electronic database search identified 798 articles from which 28 full text articles were included in the systematic review. A lack of access to WASH services in households, schools, health care facilities, and other public spaces were the main identified COVID-19 related public health risks. A lack of adequate data and financial shortages were the challenges for mitigating the problems of COVI-19 and WASH services. Conclusion: This systematical review identified the impacts and challenges of COVID-19 in the provision of WASH services. The results implied that COVID-19 has significant impacts on WASH services that can affect the health of the public. Therefore, strengthening and ensuring access to WASH services are important for preventing COVID-19 and realizing human rights. Community engagement also can be used to support for prevention and control of COVID-19. Countries need to be expand their investment in WASH services as an important mechanism for mitigating COVID-19.

Three Cases of Joubert Syndrome in a Consanguineous Syrian Family and a Interesting Case of Multinational Collaboration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davor Petrović ◽  
Vida Čulić ◽  
Zofia Swinderek-Alsayed
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Autosomal Recessive ◽  
Autosomal Recessive Disorder ◽  
Joubert Syndrome ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Ocular Motor ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Motor Apraxia

AbstractJoubert syndrome (JS) is a rare congenital, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a distinctive brain malformation, developmental delay, ocular motor apraxia, breathing abnormalities, and high clinical and genetic heterogeneity. We are reporting three siblings with JS from consanguineous parents in Syria. Two of them had the same homozygous c.2172delA (p.Trp725Glyfs*) AHI1 mutation and the third was diagnosed prenatally with magnetic resonance imaging. This pathogenic variant is very rare and described in only a few cases in the literature. Multinational collaboration could be of benefit for the patients from undeveloped, low-income countries that have a low-quality health care system, especially for the diagnosis of rare diseases.

Reviewing the Development of Rural Finance in Vietnam

2013 ◽  
pp. 121-136
Author(s):  
Duong Pham Bao
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial System ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Rural Finance ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Rural Credit ◽  
Rural Organizations ◽  
Doi Moi

The objective of this article is to review the development of the rural financial system in Vietnam in recent years, especially, after Doi moi. There are two opposite schools of thought in the literature on rural credit policies in developing countries. One is the conventional supply-side (government-led) approach while the other is called “a new paradigm” that emphasizes the importance of the viability of financial providers and the well functioning of rural credit markets. Conventional theories of rural finance contend that rural finance in low-income countries is generally accompanied by many failures. Contrary to these theories, rural finance in Vietnam does not encounter the above-mentioned failures so far. Up to the present time, it is progressing well. Using a supply-side approach, methodologically, this study reviews the development of the rural financial system in Vietnam. The significance of this study is to challenge the extreme view of dichotomizing between the old and the new credit paradigms. Analysis in this study contends that a rural financial market that, (1) is initiated and spurred by government; (2) operates principally under market mechanisms; and (3) is strongly supported by rural organizations (semi-formal/informal institutions) can progress stably and well. Therefore, the extremely dichotomizing approach must be avoided.

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