The 100 most cited articles in ectopic pregnancy: a bibliometric analysis.

Ectopic pregnancy (EP) remains a major gynecological emergency and is a cause of morbidity or even mortality in women. As a consequence, top citation analysis of EP research in database of the Science Citation Index Expanded is needed to assess the publication trends of leading countries/territories and institutes as well as the research hotspots of EP. A total of 4881 articles relevant to EP were retrieved in the database of the Science Citation Index Expanded from 1965 to present, in which the 100 top-cited articles were selected for further analysis. The number of citations ranged from 81 to 482 (131.57 ± 69.76), with a time span of 40 years between 1969 and 2009. These citation classics came from 14 countries, and 65 of the articles came from the United States. Yale University in Connecticut led the list of classics with six papers. The 100 top-cited articles were published in 32 journals, in which the journal of Fertility and Sterility published the most (23 papers). Stovall TG and Ling FW published the highest number of studies (6 papers each). Articles that originated in the United States and that were published in high-impact journals were most likely to be cited in the field of EP research. Bibliometric analysis was used to provide a historical perspective on the progress in EP research over the past 50 years. Citation analysis is a feasible tool to comprehensively recognize the advances of EP research in the past and future research.

Serum salusin-ß levels are associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess whether serum salusin-ß levels are correlated with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We measured serum salusin-ß levels in 278 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) for the evaluation of CAD and in 126 healthy controls. Serum salusin-ß levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The severity of CAD was assessed by angiographic coronary atherosclerosis index score system. RESULTS: Serum salusin-ß levels were significantly higher in patients undergoing CAG (n = 278) than those in healthy controls (n = 126) (3.81 ± 0.99 vs 4.34 ± 1.40 nmol/L, P < 0.01). In patients undergoing CAG, patients with CAD (n = 160) had significantly higher serum salusin-ß levels compared to patients without CAD (n = 118) (4.65 ± 1.44 vs 3.94 ± 1.23 nmol/L, P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that serum salusin-ß levels were independently associated with the presence of CAD (odds ratio, 1.439; 95% confidence interval, 1.176-1.760; P < 0.01). Serum salusin-ß levels were positively correlated with the coronary atherosclerosis index score (r = 0.316, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum salusin-ß levels were associated with the presence and severity of CAD. Salusin-ß in serum might serve as a potential biomarker for reflecting the development and progression of CAD. Therapeutic treatment by inhibiting salusin-ß interaction to prevent CAD warrants further investigation.

Serum S100A12 concentrations are correlated with angiographic coronary lesion complexity in patients with coronary artery disease.

The neutrophil activation marker S100A12 is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine and a potential biomarker for a range of inflammatory diseases. This study aims to investigate whether serum S100A12 concentrations are associated with angiographic coronary lesion complexity in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We enrolled 240 CAD and 68 healthy controls. Coronary lesion complexity was assessed by coronary angiography (CAG). Serum S100A12 concentrations were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We demonstrated that serum S100A12 concentrations were independently associated with the presence of complex lesion in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) (Odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.04; p < 0.01). In addition, among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who had significantly higher serum S100A12 concentrations than SAP patients (140.8 [interval 109.4-208.6] vs. 120.8 [interval 96.1-145.9] µg/L, respectively, p < 0.01), those with multi-complex lesions had significantly higher serum S100A12 concentrations than those with no or one complex lesion (156.3 [interval 116.2-247.4] vs. 129.2 [interval 99.8-165.2] µg/L, respectively, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that S100A12 in serum might be a potential biomarker for providing valuable information regarding coronary plaque vulnerability in patients with CAD.

[Association of ABCG2 gene C421A polymorphism and susceptibility of primary gout in Han Chinese males].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between a C421A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in exon 5 of ATP-binding cassette, sub-family G (WHITE), member 2 (ABCG2) gene and susceptibility of primary gout in Han Chinese males. METHODS: For 200 male patients with primary gout and 235 controls, the genotype of C421A locus was analyzed by PCR and direct sequencing. Blood glucose, uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine and urea nitrogen was measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, there was a higher frequency for AA genotype and A allele of the rs2231142 SNP in gout patients (22.5% vs. 8.5% by genotype; 44.9% vs. 32.3% by allele). The association with gout reached significance (chi-square =15.91, P< 0.001, crude OR=3.02, 95% CI:1.36-4.90 and OR (adjusted by age)=1.80, 95% CI: 1.32-2.45 by dominant mode; chi-square=6.82, P=0.009, OR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.54-2.27 by recessive mode). Blood glucose, uric acid, triglycerides, creatinine and urea nitrogen levels in gout patients were significantly higher than those of controls (P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: The C421A SNP, in particular AA phenotype, may be associated with susceptibility of primary gout in Han Chinese males.