Institute For Scientific Information Research Articles

Advance in grey system theory and applications in science and engineering

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize the advances in grey system theory research and various application achievements in science and engineering. At the same time, it commemorates the 40th anniversary of the birth of grey system theory and the 10th anniversary of Grey Systems–Theory and Application.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, the innovations of theoretical research in grey system theory were summarized and some of the widely recognized new results are briefly described. By searching and combing the research results of grey system theory in China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) database and Web of Science by Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), this paper shows the rapid development trend of grey system theory in the past 40 years, and the successful applications of grey system theory in the fields of social sciences, natural sciences and engineering technologies.FindingsMore than 227 thousands literature were found by input 10 phrases such as grey system, grey number and sequence operator etc. in CNKI database. After entering the new century, the number of grey system papers included in CNKI database is increasing rapidly. Since 2008, more than 10 thousands papers have been included per year and more than 15 thousands papers have been included per year since 2014. Grey system method and model are widely used in physics, chemistry, biology and other fields of natural science, as well as transportation, electric power, machinery and other fields of engineering technology, and a large number of valuable results have been achieved.Practical implicationsIt can be seen that the grey system theory plays an important role in promoting China’s scientific and technological progress, innovation and development and high-level talent training from tens of thousands of literatures marked with important national science and technology projects and a large number of grey system literatures published by China’s double first-class universities and double first-class discipline construction universities.Originality/valueBoth innovations of theoretical research and practical application play important role in the growth of new theory. The innovations of theoretical research provide methods and tools for practical application, which is conducive to improve application efficiency and broaden application fields. A large number of practical applications needs have become the source of theoretical innovation and the solid background for the birth of theoretical innovation achievements.

Trends in Research on Forest Ecosystem Services in the Most Recent 20 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis

Forest resources and the flow of ecosystem services they provide play a key role in supporting national and regional economies, improving people’s lives, protecting biodiversity, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Based on the ISI (Institute of Scientific Information) Web of Science (WoS) database, we used a bibliometric approach to analyze the research status, evolution process, and hotspots of forest ecosystem services (FES) from a compilation of 8797 documents published between 1997 and 2019. The results indicated that: (1) research on forest ecosystem services has developed rapidly over the past 23 years. Institutions in the United States and other developed countries have significantly contributed to undertake research on the topic of ecosystem services. (2) The 11 hotpot key focus areas of completed research were payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, forest governance, ecosystem approaches, climate change, nitrogen, ecosystem management, pollination, cities, ecological restoration, and policy. (3) The trade-off relationships among ecosystem services, ecosystem resilience and stability have become the research frontier in this field. (4) Future research on FES will likely focus on the formation and evolution mechanism of ecosystem services; the interaction, feedback and intrinsic connections of ecosystem services at different scales; analysis of the trade-offs and synergies; unified evaluation standards, evaluation systems, model construction and scenario analyses; in-depth studies of the internal correlation mechanism between forest ecosystem services and human wellbeing; and realization of cross-disciplinary and multi-method integration in sustainable forest management and decision-making.

A bibliometric analysis of global publications on graft-versus-host disease research.

Background:Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a fatal complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is an enormous burden on the patient economy and related health systems. Nevertheless, only a few bibliometric studies have examined the direction of research and the major findings within the field.Methods:Statistical and visualization bibliometric analysis was performed in April 2021. Our research data were retrieved from the Web of Science using an advanced search strategy. We then used bibliometric analysis to determine the current general research direction and trend of publications and established the most prolific and distinguished authors, institutions, countries, funding agencies, and keywords in GVHD research. We employed VOSviewer (Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands), Microsoft Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, State of Washington), and GunnMap (https://lert.co.nz/map/) to retrieve, integrate, and visualize the results.Results:Overall, 15,378 publications from 500 journals were extracted from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science Core Collection database based on our analysis, of which the United States and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center were the most prolific countries and institutions, respectively. Moreover, we identified future research trends and the current status of GVHD research based on the top 10 most cited articles. Finally, influential authors’ analysis demonstrated that Blazar, BR were both the most productive and most cited among all authors.Conclusion:Our study provides an exhaustive and objective overview of the current status of GVHD research. This information would be highly beneficial to anyone seeking information on GVHD and would serve as a reference guide for researchers aiming to conduct further GVHD research.

Association between ABO blood group and COVID-19 infection: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

The relationship between ABO blood group and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 - coronavirus disease 19 [COVID-19]) infection has been investigated, and several studies have reported discordant findings. This systematic review and meta-analysis study were conducted to investigate the relationship between ABO blood group and COVID-19 infection. The international databases Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)/Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus were systematically searched from 1 January 2020 through 14 June 2021. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis including 23,285 COVID-19 case subjects and 590,593 control subjects. The odds of having each blood group among COVID-19 patients compared with control subjects were calculated. The random effects model was used to obtain the overall pooled odds ratio (OR). Publication bias and subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. According to the random effects model, the results indicated that the pooled estimates of OR (95% confidence interval) for blood groups A, O, B, and AB were 1.26 (1.13-1.40), 0.77 (0.71-0.82), 1.05 (0.99-1.12), and 1.11 (0.99-1.25), respectively. Therefore, individuals infected with COVID-19 have higher odds of having blood group A and lower odds of having blood group O. In conclusion, this study indicated that individuals with blood group A are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection, whereas those with blood group O are less susceptible to COVID-19 infection. However, further studies are warranted to support these findings.

Iranian Native Medicinal Plants Affecting Staphylococcus aureus as Septic Pathogens: An updated Review

Staphylococcus aureus is the second leading pathogenic cause of nosocomial infections and plays an important role in the development of food poisoning and purulent, systemic and nosocomial infections. This bacterium is responsible for infections such as abscess, food poisoning, third grade burns, traumatic ulcers, surgical incisions, bed sores or atrophic ulcers. Long-term use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains in infectious diseases. Due to increased resistance of bacteria to chemical drugs and the few side effects of medicinal plants, medicinal plants have nowadays attracted much more attention of researchers. In this regard, studies have been done on the effectiveness of medicinal plants against infectious agents such as S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Therefore, in this review study, native Iranian herbs that are effective on S. aureus were reported. In this review study, search terms including Staphylococcus aureus, herbs, extracts and essential oils were used to retrieve articles indexed in databases such as the Institute for Scientific Information, PubMed, Scopus, Scientific Information Database, Magiran, and Google Scholar. Garlic, pomegranate, Anethum graveolens, coriander, eucalyptus, Lawsonia inermis, Descurainia sophia, Figworts, artemisia, thyme, etc. are some of the most important anti-staphylococcal herbs.

ARE FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENTS USING JOURNALS PERTINENT TO THEIR DISCIPLINE IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA?

Background: Today's clinicians have to adapt to rapidly changing medical environment and information overload. It has also been observed that family medicine residents study articles from journals of other specialties for updating their clinical knowledge base. The objective of this study was to determine the family medicine resident’s journal selection preferences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials & Methods: This descriptive study was conducted from Dec 2018-May 2019 at Department of Family & Community Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Our population included 265 family medicine residents, taken as sample. After pilot testing, a confidential but anonymous questionnaire was mailed to 265 residents. Sex, age groups, training site were demographic, while choice of family medicine journals, selection of articles, patterns of educational activities and reasons for choosing specific journal were research variables. All data was categorical and was described as count and percentage with 95%CI. Results: The questionnaire response rate was 45.28% (120/265). Out of 120, 51 (42.5%) were men and 69 (57.5%) women. 84% belonged to age group 25-30 years. Most residents 55 (46.2%) were from Ministry of Health Centers. American Family Physician journal was most frequently accessed (94.16%), whereas Annals of Family Medicine was least accessed (15.83%). Journals selection criteria were based on EBM (45.43%) in most cases, while it was based on Institute for Scientific Information in 0.83% cases. Most (76.66%) residents were utilizing case study, while minimum (18.33%) residents were using journal club as learning tool. Majority of residents were choosing journals based on suggestions by colleagues (54.16%), while minimum by medical representatives (22.50%). Conclusion: The awareness of family practice journals that can make a family medicine resident think as a family physician was very low. By reading the high-quality family medicine journals they can learn to develop a family physicians’ approach which they can apply to the person rather than the disease alone. Supportive mentorship and guidance from a devoted faculty mentors should ensure the maintenance of this approach and should be maintained throughout the residency years.

Educational violence: a systematic review

This article aims to map the main educational violence in the period from 2015 to 2020, in the scientific database of the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology - IBICT. It is the result of a systematic review. The main authors identified in the research works, in order of recurrence, were: Abramovay (2002), Fante (2005), Lopes Neto (2005), Debarbieux (2001, 2002), Charlot (2002), Antunes (2010), Silva (2010), Bourdieu (2014), Franco (2014), Beane (2010), Priotto (2006), Michaud (2001), Sardenberg (2007), Rossato and Rossato (2013), Tudisco (2011), Laterman (2000), Sposito (2001). Also, it was verified the most recurrent types of educational violence, the institutions by State that produced the most research on the subject, the prevention and confrontation strategies of educational violence in the 24 scientific works (18 dissertations and six theses). Abramovay is the author with more recurrence in productions, quoted in 16 of the 24 studies studied. In summary, it was possible to perceive the contributions of the authors mentioned above in understanding the complex phenomenon of violence, the plurality of terms on school violence and its causes and consequences of violence in the lives of children and adolescents.

Revisiting technological entrepreneurship research: An updated bibliometric analysis of the state of art

Technological entrepreneurship (TE) constitutes a mega trend in entrepreneurship research as demonstrated by the increase in the publications number. An updated review of TE is needed to underline the influential research areas and the structure of literature on technology based ventures’ creation and development. This paper is an attempt to analyze extant literature on TE through systematic literature review approach and bibliometric analysis of data extracted from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science's database. Based on the findings, we classify the chronological evolution of TE into three stages: initiation, development and consolidation. Moreover, we underline the structure of the literature through the most productive authors and the most cited papers. Furthermore, using the network analysis, we identify four major research clusters and provide further research avenues.

Effects and Mechanisms of Medicinal Plants on Healing Scars: A Systematic Review

Background: Scars can be a cosmetic disfigurement and can tremendously impact psychological, emotional, and social well-being. Some medicinal plants exert anti-scar properties via various mechanisms of action, many of which have not been clearly defined. Objective: This study will evaluate the effects of these medicinal plants with anti-scar properties and review the known underlying mechanisms related to the treatment and prevention of hypertrophic scars. Methods: The keywords used in the literature search included (Wound healing OR Re-epithelialization OR Regeneration) AND (Medicinal plants OR Phyto* OR herb) AND (Cytokines OR Collagen OR Fibroblasts). Publications indexed in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and PubMed databases were included in the review. Articles with no accessible full texts, non-English language articles, review articles, studies with non-positive effects, and studies that were not related to the study’s aim were excluded from the study. The agreement for exclusion required all authors to concur. Finally, after reviewing all available literature, 61 articles were included in this systematic review. Results: Currently available evidence shows that medicinal plants and their derivatives seem to have properties that can prevent hypertrophic scars. This is achieved by accelerating the scar healing process, reducing inflammatory cytokines, suppressing proliferation, and inducing apoptosis in scar fibroblasts by regulating several signaling pathways. Additionally, they can reduce collagen deposition and have antimicrobial effects at the wound site. Conclusion: Topical use of medicinal plants as complementary medicine with varying mechanisms of action can reduce scar formation. They exert these properties mainly due to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Therefore, these mechanisms reduce the healing time of the wound and thus prevent the formation of hypertrophic scars. Medicinal plants can be used safely and efficiently when applied topically to improve or prevent hypertrophic scars.

The Effects of Clofibrate on Neonatal Jaundice: A Systematic Review.

Background:Neonatal jaundice is a prevalent disease that causes many complications, including kernicterus and even death. Previous studies have shown that clofibrate as an aryloxy isobutyric acid derivate can be effectively applied for the treatment of neonatal jaundice. Thus, this review was carried out to investigate the effects and mechanism of action of clofibrate on neonatal jaundice.Methods:The keywords such as “Clofibrate” in combination with “Neonatal jaundice” or “Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia” or “Newborn Jaundice” were used to search for relevant publications indexed in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Finally, after reviewing the studies, 24 papers were included in this study.Results:Results showed that the processes of albumin-bound bilirubin transfer to the hepatocytes, hepatic uptake, and storage via ligandin, hepatic conjugation via uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1), conjugation into the bile via MRP2 represent the main action mechanism of clofibrate that turns it into the bilirubin conjugates and expels it from the bile. Besides, clofibrate has been shown to reduce the level of Total Serum Bilirubin (TSB) in infants even at a dosage of 25 mg/kg without leaving side effects.Conclusions:The results of this review revealed that clofibrate effectively reduces TSB in short-term usage and can even have a promising effect at the dosage of 25 mg/kg in full-term infants. Most studies have shown this property over a short period in term infants, and there is no evidence about long-term usage in this regard.

Цифровые и аналоговые пространства: VIII Международная научная конференция «География искусства»

The VIII International Scientific Conference Geography of Art was held in May 2022. This is a new step in a long-term project devoted to the issues of “mastering” geographical space through art, including the semiotics of spaces created by artists, sculptors, and architects. Among other aspects, the conference examined how art creates geographical images and fantasy worlds, which always have a trace of the real world’s spatial regularities. Since 1994, the project has existed in the form of collections of scientific articles, and since 2009—in the form of conferences as well. The project was conceived by Russian geographer Yury Vedenin, and later Olga Lavrenova, philosopher and culturologist, picked up the initiative. In recent years, the conference has been organized by the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Arts, GIRT Film and Television School, and the Russian State University for the Humanities. In 2022, the Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technology of the HSE University joined the team of organizers. A separate section of the conference was dedicated to media, photo and cinema. There were reports on the historical and cultural aspects of creating virtual spaces, and on the images of the territories created by screen arts. Following the tradition, conferees considered the role of territorial factors in the formation of art schools and individual art works. This year, the discussions focused on digital media. An important place was given to photography as a tool for shaping geographical images and fixing them in time. The combination of a digital replica of the world with new landscape art creates a new augmented reality as a work of art. The geography of fashion and musical culture are also expressed in digital reality. A separate subject is the structures of chaos and order in cinema—the very concepts of space, which are yet another traditional talking point at the conference. These topics are in the mainstream of the discussion of semiotics of space created through art, as well as the geographical aspects of art development, including digital art.

A Global Perspective of Vibrio Species and Associated Diseases: Three-Decade Meta-Synthesis of Research Advancement.

Outbreaks of Vibrio infections have a long history of global public health concern and threat to the aquaculture industry. This 3-decade (1990-2019) meta-synthesis of global research progress in Vibrio species and associated disease outbreaks was undertaken to generate the knowledge needed to design effective interventions with policy implications. Using PRISMA protocol, we obtained data on the online version of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Web of Science (WOS), and Scopus from January 1990 to September 2021 by title search of the keywords “Vibrio species OR Vibrio spp. OR vibriosis.” On the 3-decade survey, the result has shown that a total of 776 publications document types were published on the subject, with an average of 24.25 ± 13.6 published documents per year with an annual growth rate of 4.71%. The year 2020 recorded the highest output of 52 published documents accounting for 6.70% of the total. The most prolific author, Blanch A., published 12 articles on the subject and has received citations of 1003 with an h-index of 10. While the most global cited paper author is the journal of J. Bacteriol (Bassler et al), receiving total citation (TC) (550) and per Year (22). The top active corresponding authors country is the United States of America with (92) articles, freq. 12.40%; TC of 3103. The observations in this study, such as the collaborations network map, and index, which have outlined a big difference between countries based on economic status, have underscored the need for a sustained research mentorship program that can define future policies.

The books and booklets on librarianship published in post-Soviet Russia (1992–2020 bibliological review)

The publishing business in post-Soviet Russia differs a lot from that of the Soviet period. The number of books and brochures has significantly increased, though the circulations have drastically decreased, which is evidenced by the national press statistics without interpreting indicators related to the subject. After USSR’s collapsed, many complete and reliable resources have appeared to study librarianship publishing repertoire in various aspects, e. g.: target readership of publications, their target audience, publishing chronology, main publishers; circulations. With these criteria, expert assessment of key publishing repertoire components is made. The Russian Book Chamber databases based on acquired mandatory copies of publications, as well as Rosinforkultura, Institute of scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, largest library catalogs and several bibliographic catalogs and indexes on the subject under examination, make the main source of statistical and bibliographic information for the authors. The authors identify the main problems and trends in librarianship publishing so to change situation to the better. The authors also focus on publication identification elements, i. e. their imprint.

Impact of Nutritional Intervention on Taste Perception—A Scoping Review

The aim of the present scoping review was to evaluate the impact of experimental meal loads or observational diet changes/habits on taste tests in both healthy subjects and patients. A systematic search performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science electronic databases retrieved, respectively 2981, 6258, and 7555 articles from January 2000 to December 2020. A total of 17 articles were included for full-text review. Literature results were stratified according to the observational/interventional approach, the involvement of healthy subjects or patients, the taste test, and the meal/dietary changes. The present scoping review reinforced the notions postulating that certain taste tests (for example focusing on fatty acid, salt, or sugar) might be specifically influenced by the nutritional intervention and that other ones might be susceptible to a wide span of changes beyond the extent of tastant included in the specific food changes. This could also depend on the inhomogeneity of literature trend: The short duration of the intervention or the random type of meal load, unsuitability of the taste test chosen, and the presence of underlying disorders. Future studies for a better comprehension of taste tests reliability in relation to specific food changes are thus to be fostered.

Comparative Analysis of Information Retrieval Behavior of Scientific Bibliographic Databases Users

Statistical study of the information retrieval behavior of information resources users, generated by Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of RAN (INION RAN), in the search for scientific information over the past decade for two groups of users: guests and registered users, has been carried out. The results of the study are compared with that of the similar studies made in earlier periods to detect changes and trends. Comparative analysis showed a decrease in the search activity of users with the status of a guest, both in terms of the duration of the search session and the use of unique search operations, while the behavior of registered users has not changed. For the analysis, the following indicators were used: search session duration, number of unique operations per session, use of various databases and interfaces types. Such analysis of the information retrieval behavior is relevant for understanding effectiveness of information retrieval resources. The statistical data can be used to design new search interfaces for various categories of users.

Relationship between abdominal obesity (based on waist circumference) and serum vitamin D levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies.

Although previous observational studies have investigated the association between waist circumference (WC) values and serum vitamin D levels, findings have been inconsistent. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of abdominal obesity (based on WC) on vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency in adults. A systematic search of the published literature up to September 2020 was conducted in electronic databases, including MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) (Web of Science), Scopus, and Google Scholar, for observational studies that investigated the association between abdominal obesity (based on WC) or different categories of WC as the exposure and serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels as the outcome. Eighteen cross-sectional studies were included in the review. The relationship between WC values and combined serum vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency (<30 ng/mL) or vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) was evaluated. Combining 8 effect sizes from 5 investigations, including 7997 individuals, illustrated that the highest category of WC, compared with the lowest category of WC, was related to 82% increased odds of combined serum vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency (<30 ng/mL) (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.34, 2.49). Moreover, in studies that investigated both genders together, the highest category of WC, compared with the lowest category of WC, was associated with 61% increased odds of serum vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) (OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.12, 2.31). The same results were obtained for almost all subgroups for several covariates. This meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies confirmed that increased WC was related to the elevated risk of combined vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in adults. More prospective studies are needed to confirm causality. PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020190485.

Binge Drinking: The Top 100 Cited Papers.

We conducted a review to analyze the 100 most-cited studies on binge drinking (BD) in the Web of Science (WoS) database to determine their current status and the aspects that require further attention. We carried out a retrospective bibliometric analysis in January 2021. The year of publication, authors, design, subject, journal, institution and lead author’s country, as well as the definition of BD, were extracted from the articles. The data on the country, year, thematic category of the journals and their rank were obtained from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Journal Citation Reports 2020. The number of citations was collected from the WoS, and the h index was collected from the Scopus database. The citation density and Bradford’s law were calculated. The majority of the articles were empirical quantitative studies with a cross-sectional design published between 1992 and 2013 in 49 journals. There were 306 authors, mostly English-speaking and from the USA. The definitions used to describe BD are not homogeneous. The most-cited topics were the analysis of consequences, determinants and epidemiology. There is a need to unify the definitions of BD and base them on scientific evidence. The multidisciplinary nature of BD is not well reflected in each of the thematic areas discussed in this work.

Effects of Medicinal Plants on Human Hosts and Zoonotic Helminthic Infections: A Systematic Review

Parasitic worm infections are a major health issue around the world, which cause numerous physiological damages in the patient's infected organ(s). The aim of this review was to investigate the anthelmintic properties of various medicinal plants. In this systematic review, all Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental and experimental studies examining the anthelmintic effects were retrieved from databases, including Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and PubMed from 1988-2019 by interesting keywords. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that many medicinal plants, including their compounds and derivatives, have anthelmintic properties through various Mechanisms Of Action (MOA). Examples of MOAs include paralysis of the helminths’ central nervous system, tegumental (outer body covering) destruction, interference with enzyme functioning, increased autophagy and apoptosis and reduction in cell viability and count. These actions lead to a reduction in the helminth ability to reproduce, decrease in egg count, inhibition of energy generation, damage to digestive tissues, lipid and ion accumulation, and change in and binding to different regulatory proteins and disruption of the helminth motor activity. These MOAs can also be used for the treatment of parasitic worms. Medicinal plants and their compounds have been the primary sources of new therapeutics, and are comparably more cost-effective than synthetic drugs and provide effective methods to combat parasitic worms that have entered into the human body. Therapists must take into account the effective dose of these compounds in treating the patients and also consider their overall health status, including comorbidities. There is an urgent need to conduct clinical trials using certain approaches, such as clinical interventional trials, to identify the effectiveness of herbal medicines in treating human host and zoonotic helminthic infections.

Effect of enteral immunomodulatory nutrition formula on mortality and critical care parameters in critically ill patients: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Enteral immunomodulatory nutrition is recommended as an adjuvant therapy for patients in intensive care units (ICU), but its effectiveness is incompletely understood. The aim of this review was to examine the effect of a commonly used immunomodulatory formula-omega-3 fatty acids, γ-linolenic acid, and antioxidants-on clinical outcomes and mortality risk in critically ill patients. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). PubMed, Scopus, and Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge databases were searched until 18 February 2021. RCTs that used the immunomodulatory formula in the ICU were included. Ten RCTs (1166 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. The immunomodulatory formula reduced the duration of ICU stay weighted mean difference [(WMD): -2.97 days; 95%CI: -5.59, -0.35)], mechanical ventilation (WMD=-2.20 days, 95%CI: -4.29, -0.10), sequential organ failure assessment and multiple organ dysfunction scores (Hedge's g: -0.42 U/L; 95% CI: -0.74, -0.11), decreased 8-day overall mortality risk (RR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.91), and extended the ICU-free days (WMD: 4.06 days, 95% CI: 0.02, 8.09). The improvement in respiratory function and reduction in mortality risk was more in patients with acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Furthermore, the reduction in mechanical ventilation and mortality risk was more evident in older (>60 years) vs young adults. Taken together, the immunomodulatory formula may enhance clinical practice for critical care nurses, such that the prevalence and/or susceptibility to secondary conditions commonly encountered in the ICU (ie, ALI and ARDS) could be attenuated, ultimately allowing critical care nurses to focus their care on the primary reason for which a patient is in the ICU. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO.

Phytotherapy in Burn Wound Healing: A Review of Native Iranian Medicinal Plants

Studies have shown that burn wounds are one of the most severe forms of trauma which may cause disability, morbidity and mortality, stupendous hospital costs, and emotional disturbance. In spite of the therapeutic effects of synthetic drugs, due to their unwanted side effects, the tendency of people to use these drugs has been decreasing, contrary to the use of natural origin drugs. Medicinal plants that can be formulated to treat and repair the wound should be identified. Therefore, in this article a number of native Iranian medicinal plants that have been studied and their healing effects on burn wounds have been reported are discussed. In this review article, the keywords medicinal plants, burn, burn wound repair, burn wound and Iran were used to search for relevant articles indexed in databases such as IranMedex, Scientific Information Database, Google Scholar, Scopus, Institute for Scientific Information, Web of Science and PubMed. Based on the results, the medicinal plants Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f., Matricaria chamomilla L, Quercus brantii Lindl., Cydonia oblonga Mill., Scrophularia striata, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, Portulaca oleracea L, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, Achillea talagonica Boiss., Olea europaea L., Hypericum perforatum L., Cucurbita pepo L., Teucrium polium L., Myrtus communis, Brassica oleracea L., Plantago major L., Malva sylvestris L., Arnebia euchroma (Royle) I.M.Johnst., Cucurbita moschata Duchesne, Achillea millefolium L., Lythrum salicaria L., Crocus sativus L. and Allium sativum L. are some of the most important herbal remedies to repair burn wounds. According to the various researches on the medicinal plants, the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antimicrobial effects of these plants have been scientifically demonstrated, which has led to information that can be used to produce antimicrobial drugs for infectious and burn wounds.