Abstract
BackgroundDiseases of the kidneys and genitourinary tract are common health problems that affect people of all ages and demographic backgrounds. In this study, we compared the quantity and quality of nephrological and urological articles published in international journals from the three major regions of China: the mainland (ML), Hong Kong (HK), and Taiwan (TW).MethodsNephrological and urological articles originating from ML, TW, and HK that were published in 61 journals from 1999–2008 were retrieved from the PubMed database. We recorded the numbers of total articles, clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, case reports, impact factors (IF), citations, and articles published in the leading general-medicine journals. We used these data to compare the quantity and quality of publication output from the three regions.ResultsThe total number of articles increased significantly from 1999 to 2008 in the three regions. The number of articles from ML has exceeded that from HK since 2004, and surpassed that from TW in 2008. Publications from TW had the highest accumulated IF, total citations of articles, and the most articles published in leading general-medicine journals. However, HK publications had the highest average IF. Although ML produced the largest quantity of articles, it exhibited the lowest quality among the three regions.ConclusionThe number of nephrological and urological publications originating from the three major regions of China increased significantly from 1999 to 2008. The annual number of publications by ML researchers exceeded those from TW and HK. However, the quality of articles from TW and HK was higher than that from ML.
Highlights
Diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary tract are common health problems that affect people of all ages and demographic backgrounds
We sought to analyze the contributions of Chinese authors in three major regions of China - the Mainland (ML), Hong Kong (HK), and Taiwan (TW) - to research in the fields of nephrology and urology. This retrospective study examined 61 journals related to nephrology and urology that were selected from the ‘‘urology and nephrology systems’’ category of the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) subjects provided by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) [8]
We identified relevant articles published in the leading general-medicine journals [The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Lancet, British Medical Journal (BMJ), and Annals of Internal Medicine (AIM)]
Summary
Diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary tract are common health problems that affect people of all ages and demographic backgrounds. The increasing incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have become a global public health challenge [1]. Usually caused by primary glomerular disease, constituted the leading cause of end-stage renal failure (ESRD) in China, followed by diabetic and hypertensive nephropathies [3]. The annual rate of dialysis in Mainland China was 79.1 per million people (pmp) in 2008 [4]. A cohort study of a Chinese population found a high rate (46.3–61%) of regional lymph node involvement or distant metastasis upon initial prostate cancer diagnosis [6]. Methods that increase the early detection and downstaging of prostate cancer, such as PSA screening and digital rectal examinations, are not routinely used. We compared the quantity and quality of nephrological and urological articles published in international journals from the three major regions of China: the mainland (ML), Hong Kong (HK), and Taiwan (TW)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
