COVID-19 and diabetes: Analysis of the scientific production indexed in Scopus.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: COVID-19 has affected the world population, with a higher impact among at-risk groups, such as diabetic patients. This has led to an exponential increase in the number of studies related to the subject, although their bibliometric characteristics are unknown. This article aims to characterize the world scientific production on COVID-19 and diabetes indexed in Scopus. METHODS: Articles on the subject were retrieved using a search strategy and bibliometric indicators of production, visibility, collaboration and impact were studied. RESULTS: The total scientific production was 1956 documents, which have 35086 citations and an h-index of 67. Articles published in Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews (n = 127), as well as those by researchers from the United States (n = 498) predominated. Articles by Chinese authors (n = 314) had the highest impact according to the received citations (n = 21757). India, China and Spain are leading countries in terms of the research in which they participate. There is extensive international scientific collaboration led by China, the United States and Italy. CONCLUSION: The volume of publications on COVID-19 and diabetes and their scientific impact show the incentive that the study of these diseases represents for the scientific community worldwide.

Acupuncture therapy for Alzheimer's disease: A protocol for an overview of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the fifth-leading cause of death in people more than 65 years old. Acupuncture therapy has been traditionally used to treat various kinds of health problems including AD. This protocol aims to summarize the available evidence from current systematic reviews (SRs) for the efficacy of acupuncture therapy for AD. METHODS: Seven databases will be searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Chongqing VIP (CQVIP), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). SRs/meta-analyses (MAs) of acupuncture therapy for AD which were reported in Chinese or English will be included. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of the study quality will be performed independently by 2 or more reviewers. And the methodological quality, report quality and evidence quality will be evaluated by Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) tool, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses Statement (PRISMA) checklist and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system, respectively. RESULTS: The article in this overview will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: We expect to compile evidence from multiple systematic reviews of acupuncture therapy in AD patients in an accessible and useful document.Registration number: INPLASY202040035.

Progress and impact of the publications of the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis: A 55 years study.

BACKGROUND: Over the past few years, efforts have been made to ensure that the teachers of the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis (FMT) cite their affiliation to the FMT and the University of Tunis El Manar in addition to their hospital institutions and their research structure in their publications. AIMS: In this study, we proposed to evaluate the FMT's membership in the publications of its teachers, to identify the different types of publications and to estimate the real number. METHODS: In this bibliometric cross-sectional study, we retrieved the FMT publications indexed in medline/pubmed database (1964-June2019). We have chosen the keywords corresponding to the publications of group1 (referenced FMT) and group2 (referenced FMT or annexed hospital-university institutions). Next, we calculated the rate of group1 on group2 and sorted the different types of items in group2. Finally, We estimated, after randomization, the actual number of FMT publications for a 99% confidence interval (99% CI). RESULTS: For groups 1 and 2, 1477 and 5194 publications were retrieved, respectively. The FMT membership rate averaged 28% ranging from 4% (1990-2010) to 44% (2011-2019). Of the FMT publications, 30% were free of charge and 55% were original articles. After a draw for 300 group2 publications, the estimated number of total FMT publications was between 4519 and 4934 for a 99% CI. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to mention its affiliation to «the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis¼ and to «the University of Tunis El Manar¼ in order to improve the visibility and ranking of our two academic institutions.

Identification of biomedical journals in Spain and Latin America.

OBJECTIVES: Journals in languages other than English that publish original clinical research are often not well covered in the main biomedical databases and therefore often not included in systematic reviews. This study aimed to identify Spanish language biomedical journals from Spain and Latin America and to describe their main features. METHODS: Journals were identified in electronic databases, publishers' catalogues and local registries. Eligibility was determined by assessing data from these sources or the journals' websites, when available. FINDINGS: A total of 2457 journals were initially identified; 1498 met inclusion criteria. Spain (27.3%), Mexico (16.0%), Argentina (15.1%) and Chile (11.9%) had the highest number of journals. Most (85.8%) are currently active; 87.8% have an ISSN. The median and mean length of publication were 22 and 29 years, respectively. A total of 66.0% were indexed in at least one database; 3.0% had an impact factor in 2012. A total of 845 journals had websites (56.4%), of which 700 (82.8%) were searchable and 681 (80.6%) free of charge. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the identified journals have no impact factor or are not indexed in any of the major databases. The list of identified biomedical journals can be a useful resource when conducting hand searching activities and identifying clinical trials that otherwise would not be retrieved.