Global Health Journals Research Articles

Harnessing peer mentorship as a tool to turn human resource for health brain drain into brain gain: a case study of a Nigerian peer-mentored research group

BackgroundPeer mentorship can be a potential tool to reduce the disparities in health research capacity between high- and low- and middle-income countries. This case study describes the potential of peer mentorship to tackle two critical issues: bridging health research capacity of doctors from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the transformation of human resource for health brain drain into "brain gain".Case presentationIn 2021, a virtual peer mentorship group was established by 16 alumni of the University of Benin College of Medical Sciences' 2008 graduating class, residing across three continents. This program aimed to facilitate research collaboration and skill development among colleagues with diverse research experience levels, fostering a supportive environment for career development in research. The group relied heavily on digital technology to carry out its activities due to the different geographical locations of the group members. Led by experienced peer leaders, the group fostered a collaborative learning environment where members leveraged each other's expertise. Within 18 months, we published two research papers in high-impact peer-reviewed global health journals, launched a mixed-methods research study, and conducted training sessions on research design and implementation. Findings from our work were presented at conferences and workshops. However, logistical hurdles, competing priorities, structural constraints, and uneven participation presented challenges.ConclusionThe peer mentorship collaboration has achieved some successes so far, and this model can be emulated by other cohorts of medical professionals across LMICs. Despite the group's success at a micro- or individual level, there remain significant structural barriers to research capacity building in LMICs that can only be addressed at the meso- and macro-levels by institutions and government, respectively. A systems-level approach is required to develop and support research capacity building and foster global research collaboration and effectively turn brain drain into brain gain.

Amid Explosions in Gaza, The Silence from the Bioethics Community is Deafening.

Bioethicists, through their writings, have been known to represent the conscience of the times. Speaking up against injustices, they have acted as moral compasses in the past. The events of October 7, 2023 and the resulting armed onslaught of Israeli forces on Gaza has created a huge humanitarian crisis. However, response of the global bioethics community appears muffled. In order to gain an objective insight, we conducted a scoping review of articles published on the current conflict in the top ten bioethics journals, as classified by Google metrics. Broadening this search, we included relevant grey literature and selected medical and global health journals in our review. All types of articles published from the initiation of the conflict to the end of March 2024 were included. Findings from our exercise highlight the paucity of articles published on this crisis. This apparent indifference towards the Gaza crisis can be explained either by reluctance by bioethicists to write on this issue or perhaps due to editorial restraints. We argue that bioethicists, instead of focusing on esoteric issues, have a greater moral responsibility to speak out against injustices in Gaza. Their silence amounts to complicity and erodes the very foundations of the discipline of bioethics.

The impact of COVID-19 on global health journals: an analysis of impact factor and publication trends

BackgroundCOVID-19 has affected research productivity across all areas of knowledge. Current evidence suggests that COVID-19 has had a blockbuster effect on journal impact factors (JIFs) and publication trends, while little...

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on Editorial Boards of Global Health Journals.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41649-023-00243-8.

Estimating the prevalence of COPD in an African country: evidence from southern Nigeria.

Though several environmental and demographic factors would suggest a high burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in most African countries, there is insufficient country-level synthesis to guide public health policy. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health and African Journals Online identified studies reporting the prevalence of COPD in Nigeria. We provided a detailed synthesis of study characteristics, and overall median and interquartile range (IQR) of COPD prevalence in Nigeria by case definitions (spirometry or non-spirometry). Of 187 potential studies, eight studies (6 spirometry and 2 non-spirometry) including 4,234 Nigerians met the criteria. From spirometry assessment, which is relatively internally consistent, the median prevalence of COPD in Nigeria was 9.2% (interquartile range, IQR: 7.6-10.0), compared to a lower prevalence (5.1%, IQR: 2.2-15.4) from studies based on British Medical Research Council (BMRC) criteria or doctor's diagnosis. The median prevalence of COPD was almost the same among rural (9.5%, IQR: 7.6-10.3) and urban dwellers (9.0%, IQR: 5.3-9.3) from spirometry studies. A limited number of studies on COPD introduces imprecision in prevalence estimates and presents concerns on the level of response available across different parts of Nigeria, and indeed across many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

New opportunities of therapeutic hyperthermia (literature review)

An electronic search for publications on the results of the use of hyperthermia in medicine was carried out using the Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Global Health, CyberLeninka,RSCI, international and regional journals, materials of international congresses, congresses and conferences.
 The review analyzes the results of experimental and clinical studies of the therapeutic effect of hyperthermia or in various non-inflammatory diseases. Experimental studies have shown a pronounced damaging effect of hyperthermia on some types of parasites and therapeutic effect on mice genetically predisposed to type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus. Clinical studies have shown that hyperthermia significantly improves the condition of patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary insufficiency, depressive syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, psoriasis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, limb lymphedema, post-radiation fibrosis and Peyronie's disease. It has been shown that the effectiveness of hyperthermia is associated with a wide range of biological and physiological reactions of cells and tissues to heat exposure, including the expression of heat shock proteins. At the same time, the results obtained in an experiment and in a clinic without randomization require further research and confirmation.

Learning from women who trade sex in Kenya about the antiblackness of Global Health

Sex work and violence have become co-constituted, routinized, and even sanitized in Global Health journals dispassionately advocating for intervention. This paper situates ethnographically shared experiences of Kenyan sex working women within the global condition of antiblackness. By grounding our conceptual analytic in Black Feminist scholarship, we illustrate how antiblackness subtends the conditions of possibility for women's entry into sex work, their subsequent experiences with interpersonal and institutional forms of predatory violence, and lack of recourse for their material needs and suffering. This analysis requires a meditation on the relationships between the types of violence conditioning Kenyan women's lives and the limitations of Global Health's conceptual logics and disciplinary practice. Our discussion reflects on the ways Global Health practice can neglect conceptual foundations in antiblackness, thus complicit in upholding violence against the very groups it purports to assist. In charging Global Health “as usual” as methodologically violent and sustaining global antiblackness, we call for disciplinary transformations beginning from a shared consciousness regarding the ways global antiblackness structures health inequities. Beyond critique, our meditation is an invitation for all committed to dignified Global Health to contribute creative, non-hierarchically collaborative work engaged with those in material, structural, and immaterial need.

Authorship Distribution and Under-Representation of Sub-Saharan African Authors in Global Oncology Publications.

PURPOSELocal researchers must be engaged in research conducted in their populations. However, local authors from low- and middle-income countries are often under-represented in global health journals. This report aims to assess and describe the representation of authors in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Global Oncology (JCO GO).METHODSThis retrospective cross-sectional study describes data from JCO GO articles published between October 2015 and March 2020. Data were collected on studied countries, authorship position, classified as first, middle, or last, and country of authors' institutional affiliations. Countries were then categorized on the basis of their World Bank region and income classifications. We describe aggregate authorship distribution and distribution by region and income classification. Additionally, we explore the relationships between author's country and studied country.RESULTSOf the 608 articles identified, 420 (69.1%) studied a single country population. Although articles represented studies from all World Bank regions, the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region accounted for the highest number (n = 145; 34.5%). In all other regions except SSA, most of the first (66.7%-100%) and last authors (56.6%-95.2%) had primary institutional affiliations based in the same region as the studied country. However, among articles about SSA countries, SSA first authors (n = 65; 44.8%) and last authors (n = 59; 40.7%) were under-represented. In fact, there were more North American first (n = 74; 51.0%) and last authors (n = 72; 49.6%) than SSA authors. There was higher SSA representation among middle authors (n = 97; 68.8%) in studies from the region. A similar trend was also noted with the under-representation of authors from low-income compared with high-income countries.CONCLUSIONSSA authors are under-represented in global oncology articles. Concerted strategies are needed to build local capacity, promote meaningful engagement, and foster equity.

Geography, gender, and collaboration trends among global health authors

Background Imbalances in global health authorship have previously been documented, but the extent of the problem has yet to be examined longitudinally across many journals. This paper investigates the gender (2002-2020) and geographic distribution (2014-2020) of authors publishing in peer-reviewed global health journals. We also examined the amount of global health research collaboration among different income groups and continents. Methods This cohort study analyzes articles published in 46 peer-reviewed global health journals. Gender-API assigned genders to 190,809 individuals who authored a combined 33,854 articles. The country affiliations of authors were categorized by continent and World Bank income groups. Descriptive analyses were conducted to assess collaboration between first and last authors belonging to different World Bank income groups and continents. Findings Women made up 39.3% of global health authors, and there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of women authors between 2002 and 2020. The proportion of all global health authors who are women was highest in high income countries (45.9%) and lowest in low income countries (28.2%). Authors from middle income countries comprised of an increasing proportion of global health authors between 2014 and 2020. For articles with multiple authors, 16.0% and 24.1% have first and last authors from different income groups and continents, respectively. Conclusions While women and LMIC researchers are increasingly represented in global health publications, authorship gaps continue to persist. More research on structural determinants is necessary to elucidate how we improve authorship equity and support underrepresented global health expertise.

Social determinants of the disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 infection among African Caribbean and Black (ACB) population: A systematic review protocol.

The challenges of identifying and eliminating racial disparities regarding the exposure, transmission, prevention, and treatment of communicable diseases within the healthcare system have been a mounting concern since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) populations in Canada represent a fast-expanding and underprivileged community, which have been previously found to have higher susceptibility to communicable diseases and lower sensitivity to intervention measures. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to adequately identify racial patterns in the prevalence and healthcare utilization among the ACB population within the context of the ongoing pandemic. Our proposed study will explore the association between the social determinants of health (SDH) and COVID-19 health outcomes in ACB populations in high-income countries (UK, US, Australia, Canada). We will explore the current evidence through a systematic review of COVID-19 pandemic literature covering the period between December 2019 and October 2020. The objectives include investigating the effect of SDH on the ACB populations’ risk to COVID-19 health outcomes, including COVID-19 infection incidence, severity of disease, hospitalization, mortality and barriers to the treatment and management of COVID-19 for Black people in Canada. In addition, this project aims to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on ACB communities in Ontario by examining the challenges that front-line healthcare workers and administrators have during this pandemic as it pertains to service provisions to ACB communities. A systematic review of original and review studies will be conducted based on the publications on eleven databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, NHS EDD, Global Health, PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus, Proquest, and Taylor and Francis Online Journals) Primary outcomes will include the rate of COVID-19 infection. The systematic review will include a meta-analysis of available quantitative data, as well as a narrative synthesis of qualitative studies. This systematic review will be among the first to report racial disparities in COVID-19 infection among the ACB population in Canada. Through synthesizing population data regarding the risk factors on various levels, the findings from this systematic review will provide recommendations for future research and evidence for clinical practitioners and social workers. Overall, a better understanding of the nature and consequences of racial disparities during the pandemic will provide policy directions for effective interventions and resilience-building in the post-pandemic era. Significance for public health Since the outbreak of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing concern regarding the challenges in identifying and eliminating racial disparities in exposure to transmission of communicable diseases and access to preventive and curative healthcare services. This is particularly the case for the countries that experience high numbers of immigrants, including Canada, where the racial inequality remains a major public health concern. Existing research suggests that the African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) population in Canada represent a fast-expanding and underprivileged community previously found to have higher susceptibility to communicable diseases and lower sensitivity to intervention measures. However, currently there is no systematic research on the social determinants that underlie the disproportionately higher prevalence of COVID-19 among the ACB population. The findings of our systematic review will contribute to evidence-based policy making targeted at addressing the COVID-19 related vulnerabilities among ACB population and thereby ensuring more effective containment of the pandemic.

Voices in the wilderness: how exclusionist article processing charge policies of academic journals underscore what is wrong with global health

Voices in the wilderness: how exclusionist article processing charge policies of academic journals underscore what is wrong with global health

Systemic racism in global health: a personal reflection

Systemic racism in global health: a personal reflection

The gender and geography of publishing: a review of sex/gender reporting and author representation in leading general medical and global health journals

IntroductionDiverse gender and geographical representation matters in research. We aimed to review medical and global health journals’ sex/gender reporting, and the gender and geography of authorship.Methods542 research and non-research articles...

Hyperthermia in the treatment of patients with non-oncological diseases (literature review)

An electronic search for publications on the results of the use of hyperthermia (HT) in medicine was carried out using the Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Global Health, CyberLeninka, RSCI, international and regional journals, materials of international congresses, congresses and conferences. The review analyzes the results of experimental and clinical studies on local hyperthermia (LHT) in inflammatory, allergic and other diseases. In vitro experiments have shown that LHT increases the antibacterial activity of serum, as well as the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Clinical studies have established a therapeutic effect of LHT in rhinitis of various etiologies, purulent sinusitis, viral human papilloma, fibromyalgia, injuries of the musculoskeletal system, chronic prostatitis. Analysis shows that the therapeutic effect of LHT is associated not only with direct bacteriostatic and bactericidal actions, but also with an indirect effect on the course of the disease, namely, modulation of the activity of antigen-presenting cells, increased blood and lymph circulation, and increased metabolism. It is also important that LHT increases the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in drug-resistant forms of the inflammatory process.
 Thus, the wide range of biological action of LHT allows us to consider it as a promising therapeutic method in various fields of medicine.

What is considered as global health scholarship? A meta-knowledge analysis of global health journals and definitions

Despite the rapid growth of the global health field over the past few decades, consensus on what qualifies as global health scholarship or practice remains elusive. We conducted a meta-knowledge...

Geographic, Subject, and Authorship Trends among LMIC-based Scientific Publications in High-impact Global Health and General Medicine Journals: A 30-Month Bibliometric Analysis

The globalization of medical research and global health’s increasing popularity worldwide have resulted in greater geographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of studies published in the scientific literature. Yet the geographic distribution, authorship representation, and subject trends among Low-/Low-Middle-Income Country (LIC/LMIC)-based scientific publications remain largely unknown. This analysis assesses these gaps in knowledge. We performed a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of all scientific articles published between January 2014 and June 2016 in the four most prominent general medicine and five most prominent general global health journals based on impact factor. The African region, containing 24% of the global LIC/LMIC population, accounted for 49.9% of all publications. Corresponding authors with either exclusive or joint appointment to a LIC/ LMIC institution were present in 26.2% of all included articles. Over one-quarter (28.8%) of all publications did not list a local author. Nearly two-thirds (62.1%) of articles published in global health journals and roughly half (52.4%) in general medicine journals involved infectious diseases. Non-HIV infectious disease studies were by far the most frequent subject areas across all journals. The trends identified in this study may help to inform the evolution and prioritization of future research efforts, thereby allowing global health to remain truly global.

What happens to global health research: analysis of the full-length publication rates of research abstracts presented at two major global health conferences.

Global health research has been expanding rapidly. The Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) and Global Health and Innovation Conference (GHIC) are the two major conferences for global health research. It is unclear how much of the presented research goes on to full-length publication. This study sought to determine publication rates and journals of CUGH and GHIC research. A total of 1449 abstracts from CUGH and GHIC from 2014 to 2015 were searched by title, author and keywords using Google Scholar and PubMed. Publications were categorised according to WHO Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) categories. Research was published in 293 journals at a rate of 34.0%, within an average of 15.1months. The 15 MEDLINE indexed global health journals accounted for just 5.5% of publications. Despite growth in global health research, publication rates from the two major conferences are low. The majority of publications in journals are not MEDLINE indexed global health journals. Improved publication and consolidation of global health research is critical. Global health conference publication rates are low. Effective dissemination is critical as the field grows. This may require increased publishing support, improved indexing and consolidation of global health research.

Burden of musculoskeletal-related disorders resulting from non-fatal road traffic collisions in Africa: a protocol of a systematic review

IntroductionIn addition to their high mortality rates, road traffic collisions (RTC) are considered a burden within those who do survive. In Africa, injuries related to RTC have been identified as...

The Eighth Working Meeting of Serial Periodicals of the People's Medical Publishing House and the Meeting of the Ninth Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal for Clinicians and the Second Editorial Board of Global Health Journal were successfully convened

The Eighth Working Meeting of Serial Periodicals of the People's Medical Publishing House and the Meeting of the Ninth Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal for Clinicians and the Second Editorial Board of Global Health Journal were successfully convened

The Organization, Implementation, and Functioning of Dengue Surveillance in India-A Systematic Scoping Review.

Dengue´s re-emerging epidemiology poses a major global health threat. In India, dengue contributes significantly to the global communicable disease burden, and has been declared highly endemic. This study aims to identify and critically appraise India’s dengue surveillance system. We conducted a systematic literature review, searching Medline, Web of Sciences, Global Health, and Indian Journals. We conducted a narrative synthesis and thematic analysis. Eighteen studies fulfilled eligibility. Organizationally, most studies referred to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, primarily responsible for overall vector and disease control, as well as the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, responsible for reporting, outbreak identification, and integration. Surveillance implementation was mostly framed as passive, sentinel, and hospital-based. Reporting varies from weekly to monthly, flowing from primary healthcare centres to district and national authorities. Dengue confirmation is only recognized if conducted with government-distributed MAC-ELISA tests. The surveillance system predominantly relies on public reporting units. In terms of functioning, current surveillance seems to have improved dengue reporting as well the system’s detection capacities. Emergency and outbreak responses are often described as timely; however, they are challenged by underreporting, weak data reliability, lack of private reporting, and system fragmentation. Concluding, India’s dengue surveillance structure remains weak. Efforts to create an infrastructure of communication, cooperation, and integration are evident, however, not achieved yet.