Open Access Journals Research Articles

Quality of Life: A Comprehensive Review on Impact of Interventions among Breast Cancer Patients

ABSTRACT The effect of various therapeutic interventions on quality of life (QoL) among breast cancer patients is vital. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate therapies that target patients with breast cancer’s health-related QoL (HRQoL). The literature search was carried out in the Cochrane, Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases and PubMed between January 2015 and March 2023 which included published theses and articles from a variety of national and international databases. To extract pertinent material, the text and abstract of the chosen articles were carefully reviewed and evaluated. By applying the PRISMA guidelines, the Google search engine’s search parameters were expanded to encompass open-access articles, guaranteeing a greater variety of resources for the research. Following the screening of various citations, 284 full-text articles were examined. In the end, 14 articles were included. The reviews emphasized the effectiveness of therapies meant to improve HRQoL in individuals with breast cancer. The physical, psychological, and social domains saw therapeutic effects from these therapies, which resulted in a major improvement in the HRQoL of breast cancer patients. The importance of including different therapies in the treatment of patients with breast cancer is underscored by the persistent evidence of noteworthy enhancements in HRQoL. Overall, the review supports the recommendation for incorporating counseling, psychological interventions, educational programs, and supportive therapies such as progressive muscle relaxation as essential components of comprehensive care for breast cancer patients. By addressing the multidimensional needs of patients, these interventions contribute to improved HRQoL and overall well-being throughout the breast cancer journey.

Organizational Factors Correlated with Work Alienation: A Systematic Review

Work alienation is a global concern for both public and private organizations. It has adverse effects on organizational productivity and individual performance. Academic scholars and practitioners have called for a systematic review to understand the factors behind this theoretical and practical problem. This study responds to these calls and aims to conduct a systematic review of potential organizational factors correlated with work alienation in both public and private organizations. The search engines that were used to find the study articles include Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, JSTOR, ERIC, ScienceDirect, the Directory of Open Access Journals, ScienceOpen, and the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Initially, 102 scientific articles were selected using the PRISMA methodology. After applying inclusion criteria 40 scientific papers were finally reviewed. The results of the study revealed that job design, organizational culture, workload, leadership styles, and career development opportunities are correlated with work alienation. The study suggests further review of studies on organizational factors correlated with work alienation using other forms of scientific knowledge that were not included in the study. Future studies in this direction can explore organizational factors using books, proceeding papers, and information extracted from seminars and conferences.

Community and Cultural Influence on Child Schooling: A Case Study of the Fulani people of Nigeria

Recent studies in both developed and developing societies have established a connection between socio-cultural background and child upbringing. While socio-cultural activity is an important factor in a child’s upbringing, there is a dearth of research about how socio-cultural factors hinder child development. This study employs the sociocultural theory of learning to review how the socio-cultural practices of the Fulani people impact the schooling of Fulani children in Nigeria. The Fulani people of Nigeria own over 90 percent of about 15.3 million heads of cattle. It is noted that beef production from Fulani’s cattle farm constitutes a significant portion of the animal protein consumed by the people of Nigeria. However, despite Fulani’s prowess in cattle rearing, which contributes significantly to the economy of Nigeria, their children are highly disadvantaged when it comes to access to qualitative education. The researcher searched through the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for literature published between 2014 to 2024 using keywords like cultural influence, sociocultural learning theory, and the schooling of Fulani children. While the study employs the content analysis method to review the existing literature, the question that this presentation seeks to answer is: Why are the children of Fulani people disadvantaged educationally? What does this tell us, the community engagement advocates, about community culture/socio-economic activities, and children’s schooling? How can we organize community engagement and development to support socio-cultural re-engineering efforts?

Engineering the Future: TESEA's Commitment to Quality and Innovation

Deputy Editor Oscar Acevedo discusses the journal's most recent achievements and commitment to quality and innovation. The editorial highlights TESEA's inclusion in SCOPUS in 2023, its Q4 ranking in the Scimago Journal Rank (SJR), and its acceptance for indexing in the Directory for Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

The Commonalities of Socially Responsible Investment With Islamic Finance: A Bibliometric Analysis

This study aims to evaluate the number of overviews on the commonalities of socially responsible investment (SRI) with Islamic finance by providing critical thinking in terms of the investment screening process. The main critical reviews are obtained from the articles, paperwork, and previous related studies from reputable open access journals such as Emerald, SSRN databases, and other indexed-Scopus on the Web of Science. This study finds that the commonalities of socially responsible investment with Islamic finance has seemingly been characterized as a slow-moving but unstoppable works since global movements aspire to prevent a transgression of Earth's boundaries towards financial risks. Intertemporal choice accounts for how reliable constitutes for transitioning and adapting planetary boundaries in investment decisions. The challenge is to bridge the postulated gap on the commonalities of SRI with Islamic finance leading into social and financial return aspects in order to construct long-term predictions and scenarios embodying the Islamic finance concept through environmental, social and governance (ESG) approach.

Hidden From Sight—From the Closet to the Paywall: A Rapid Evaluation of Restricted and Monetized Access to LGBTQ+ Inclusive Palliative, End-of-Life, and Bereavement Care Research

IntroductionLGBTQ+ people experience higher burdens of life-limiting illnesses, poorer health outcomes, and multilevel barriers to accessing palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care. High quality evidence is needed to inform interventions to address these inequities, and inform inclusive practices and policies. Despite global initiatives to improve availability of peer-reviewed journal articles, the minority of research is open access (OA). We aimed to evaluate accessibility of literature related to LGBTQ+ inclusive palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care. MethodsA rapid review of the evidence regarding LGBTQ+ inclusive palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care was conducted; OA status of identified articles was assessed. Articles from three published systematic reviews were included (2012, 2016, and 2020). Review articles were updated using the original search and inclusion/exclusion strategies. Results66 articles related to LGBTQ+ inclusive palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care were identified between 1990-2022. Of these, only 21% (n=14) were OA. Of the OA articles, 79% were published between 2017 and 2022, and 50% were published between 2020-2022, reflecting more recent shifts towards OA publishing. DiscussionHealth and social care professionals and policy makers rely on access to high quality evidence to inform their work. Failing to make articles related to the needs of LGBTQ+ people and populations OA risks further marginalisation and worsened inequities. Innovative journal policies and funding are needed to enable access, particularly for research that foregrounds the needs of marginalised communities. Where articles are currently behind paywalls, there is a need for accessible summaries or policy briefs to inform inclusive policy and practice.

Unsolicited scam invitations from predatory publications and fraudulent conferences: Radiology-in-training experience

PurposeRadiology faculty across various specialties have been reported to receive an average of 20.7 invitations to submit manuscripts to bogus journals and 4.1 invitations to speak at unsuitable events over a two-week span. Radiology trainees also receive a fair number of unsolicited invitations from unknown senders to submit manuscripts and speak at meetings. Trainees can be more vulnerable to predatory invitations due to potential naivety. We aimed to determine the prevalence of these spam invitations received by radiology trainees. Material and methodsThe designed survey for evaluating the experience of radiology trainees regarding phishing scams of predatory publications and conferences was sent to radiology residency and neuroradiology fellowship program leadership to redistribute amongst their trainees, and was advertised on social media platforms. The survey was first sent out on September 28, 2023, and was closed two weeks later October 12, 2023. Spearman’s correlation, univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed. ResultsOur study included 151 respondents who completed the survey. Of the survey respondents, 53 % reported receiving unsolicited emails from predatory publications (mean = 6.76 ± 7.29), and 32 % reported receiving emails from fraudulent conferences (mean = 5.61 ± 5.77). Significant positive correlation was observed between number of unsolicited email invitations with number of PubMed indexed publications, number as corresponding author, number in open access journals and number of abstract presentations. ConclusionsTrainees in radiology receive many unsolicited invitations to publish papers as well as to present at meetings that are not accredited. This could lead to wasted time and financial resources for unsuspecting trainees.

Open Access Models of Russian Academic Journals

Open access (OA) to publications has been a global trend in publishing academic journals for a long time. The number of OA journals, including Russian ones, is growing steadily. The purpose of this study was to determine the main trends in the implementation of open access publishing models in Russian research journals. The article presents the results of a study of 396 journals included in the Russian Science Citation Index database: title of a journal; website address; international classification code (OECD group); quartile; Science Index indicator; open access model; license type; section of a journal’s website that contains information about the absence or presence and amount of an article processing charge (APC). It is concluded that the majority of journals implement Bronze OA which, firstly, does not comply with the key principles of open access, because it does not use open licenses, and, secondly, does not provide any guarantees that open access will continue to be open. The lack of accessible and transparent information about the conditions for further use of publications can create serious legal issues for the licensee. In turn, it will most likely be a problem for authors to calculate the amount of publication fee.

Finding Medical Photographs of Patients Online: Randomized, Cross-Sectional Study.

Photographs from medical case reports published in academic journals have previously been found in online image search results. This means that patient photographs circulate beyond the original journal website and can be freely accessed online. While this raises ethical and legal concerns, no systematic study has documented how often this occurs. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to provide systematic evidence that patient photographs from case reports published in medical journals appear in Google Images search results. Research questions included the following: (1) what percentage of patient medical photographs published in case reports were found in Google Images search results? (2) what was the relationship between open access publication status and image availability? and (3) did the odds of finding patient photographs on third-party websites differ between searches conducted in 2020 and 2022? The main outcome measure assessed whether at least 1 photograph from each case report was found on Google Images when using a structured search. Secondary outcome variables included the image source and the availability of images on third-party websites over time. The characteristics of medical images were described using summary statistics. The association between the source of full-text availability and image availability on Google Images was tested using logistic regressions. Finally, we examined the trend of finding patient photographs using generalized estimating equations. From a random sample of 585 case reports indexed in PubMed, 186 contained patient photographs, for a total of 598 distinct images. For 142 (76.3%) out of 186 case reports, at least 1 photograph was found in Google Images search results. A total of 18.3% (110/598) of photographs included eye, face, or full body, including 10.9% (65/598) that could potentially identify the patient. The odds of finding an image from the case report online were higher if the full-text paper was available on ResearchGate (odds ratio [OR] 9.16, 95% CI 2.71-31.02), PubMed Central (OR 7.90, 95% CI 2.33-26.77), or Google Scholar (OR 6.07, 95% CI 2.77-13.29) than if the full-text was available solely through an open access journal (OR 5.33, 95% CI 2.31-12.28). However, all factors contributed to an increased risk of locating patient images online. Compared with the search in 2020, patient photographs were less likely to be found on third-party websites based on the 2022 search results (OR 0.61, 95% Cl 0.43-0.87). A high proportion of medical photographs from case reports was found on Google Images, raising ethical concerns with policy and practice implications. Journal publishers and corporations such as Google are best positioned to develop an effective remedy. Until then, it is crucial that patients are adequately informed about the potential risks and benefits of providing consent for clinicians to publish their images in medical journals.

Towards an All-Ireland Diamond Open Access Publishing Platform: The PublishOA.ie Project—2022–2024

The Government of Ireland has set a target of achieving 100% open access to publicly funded scholarly publications by 2030. As a key element of achieving this objective, the PublishOA.ie project was established to evaluate the feasibility of establishing an all-island [Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland] digital publishing platform for Diamond Open Access journals and monographs designed to advance best practice and meet the needs of authors, readers, publishers, and research funding organisations in Irish scholarly publishing. It should be noted in this context that there is substantial ‘north–south’ cooperation between public bodies in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, some of whom operate on what is commonly termed an ‘all-island’ basis. The project commenced in November 2022 and will run until November 2024, with the submission of a Final Report. This article originated as an interim project report presented in September 2023 at the PubMet2023 conference in Zadar, Croatia. The project is unique in its mandate to report on the feasibility of a shared platform that will encompass scholarly publishing across the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, which are now, post-Brexit, inside and outside the European Union (EU): the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. The project is co-led by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), Ireland’s leading body of experts in the Sciences and Humanities, and the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts & Humanities Research Institute of Trinity College Dublin. There are sixteen partners and affiliates from universities and organisations from the island of Ireland. The feasibility study will be based on a review of the publishing practices in the island of Ireland, with gap analysis on standards, technology, processes, copyright practices, and funding models for Diamond OA, benchmarking against other national platforms, and specifications of the requirements, leading to the delivery of a pilot national publishing platform. A set of demonstrator journals and monographs will be published using the platform, which will be actively trialled by the partner publishers and authors. PublishOA.ie aims to deliver an evidence-based understanding of Irish scholarly publishing and of the requirements of publishers to transition in whole or in part to Diamond OA. This paper provides an interim report on progress on the project as of September 2023, ten months after its commencement.

Factors Influencing the Achievement of Social Development Goals in Public Universities

Achieving Social Development Goals (SDGs) within public universities is essential for fostering sustainable development globally. Despite the extensive research on sustainability in higher education, significant gaps remain regarding specific factors influencing SDG achievement in public universities. This study addresses these gaps by examining the integration of green human resource management (HRM) practices, green organizational culture, green knowledge sharing, stakeholder engagement, curriculum integration, and infrastructure and policy updates. Utilizing a systematic literature review spanning from 2013 to 2024, this research synthesizes findings from Scopus and Web of Science databases, focusing on open-access articles relevant to the scope of the study. The results reveal that while traditional factors such as adequate funding, education and training, partnerships, and accountability are well-studied, the newer dimensions of green practices and stakeholder involvement are less explored yet critically important. This study underscores the multifaceted nature of sustainability efforts in higher education and advocates for a comprehensive strategy that incorporates both established and innovative practices. By highlighting these underexplored factors, this research provides valuable insights and practical recommendations for public universities to enhance their contribution to sustainable development, ultimately promoting a more sustainable future.

Considering planetary health in health guidelines and health technology assessments: a scoping review protocol

BackgroundThis protocol outlines a scoping review with the objective of identifying and exploring planetary health considerations within existing health guidelines and health technology assessments (HTA). The insights gained from this review will serve as a basis for shaping future Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) guidance on planetary health.MethodsWe will adhere to the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. We will conduct a comprehensive search and screening of results in all languages across various databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Global Health, Health Systems Evidence, Greenfile, and Environmental Issues. Additionally, we will supplement this search with resources such as the GIN library, BIGG database, Epistemonikos, GRADE guidelines repository, GRADEpro Guideline Development Tool Database, MAGICapp, NICE website, WHO websites, and a manual exploration of unpublished relevant documents using Google incognito mode. Two independent reviewers will screen and assess the full texts of identified documents according to the eligibility criteria. The following information from each full text will be extracted: document title; first author’s name; publication year; language; document type; document as a guideline or HTA; the topic/discipline; document purpose/study objective; developing/sponsoring organization; the country in which the study/guideline/HTA report was conducted; definition of planetary health or related concept provided; types of planetary health experts engaged; study methods; suggested methods to assess planetary health; use of secondary data on planetary health outcomes; description for use of life cycle assessment; description for assessing the quality of life cycle; population/intended audience; interventions; category; applicable planetary health boundaries; consideration of social justice/global equity; phase of intervention in life cycle related to planetary health addressed; the measure of planetary health impact; impact on biodiversity/land use; one health/animal welfare mention; funding; and conflict of interest. Data analysis will involve a combination of descriptive statistics and directed content analysis, with results presented in a narrative format and displayed in tables and graphs.DiscussionThe final review results will be submitted to open-access peer-reviewed journals for publication when they become available. The research findings will also be disseminated at relevant planetary health conferences and workshops.Systematic review registrationOpen Science Framework (https://osf.io/3jmsa).

Welcome to Therapeutics: A Note from the Editor-in-Chief

It is an honor to serve as the founding Editor-in-Chief of the open access journal /Therapeutics/ [...]

PECULIARITIES OF TRAINING PERSONNEL RESOURCES OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE SPHERE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY

Aim. An analysis of educational approaches to the training of specialists in the public health system in the field of epidemiology in Ukraine and the world was carried out with the definition of the main competencies, in accordance with the best educational international practices. Conducting an analysis of educational approaches to the training of specialists in the public health system in the field of epidemiology in Ukraine and the world with the definition of core competencies, in accordance with the best educational international practices. Materials and methods. Critical narrative literature review, based on scientific works indexed in the scientometric databases Medline, Google Scholar, PubMed, with directory of open access journals (Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)) and data from the global network educational (TEPHINET) was conducted. Results. The world experience of training specialists in the field of epidemiology, with the aim of strengthening the health care system, shows that efforts are being directed to the training of practically oriented specialists. The main subject areas are necessary for the modern training of epidemiologists in the field of public health: epidemiological method and biostatistics, epidemiological surveillance and biosafety, epidemiology of infectious and non-infectious diseases, communication, management and leadership, computer skills. An epidemiologist must possess basic competencies: apply epidemiological research methods, synthesis of knowledge and interpretation of data to monitor diseases, respond to outbreaks, manage public health surveillance, manage staff and resources, develop written and oral communications. There is a valid opinion that competences in the field of epidemiology should be standardized, which would make the epidemiologist universal in different countries aimed at formation qualified and experienced epidemiologists who can detect, investigate and control disease outbreaks; conduct observations; analyze epidemiological data; measure the impact of interventions; and conduct applied epidemiological studies. Conclusions. The practical orientation of educational programs should provide a strong component for creating a sustainable capacity to respond to emergency situations in the field of health care at the national, regional and global levels. The Ukrainian approach to the training of epidemiologists requires changes using programs that combine theoretical learning with the predominant experience of practical work, taking into account the basic competencies with elements of mentoring and peer training, should meet modern standards of andragogy and approaches to motivating future specialists to learn throughout their lives.

To What Extent Are Informal Healthcare Providers in Slums Linked to the Formal Health System in Providing Services in Sub-Sahara Africa? A 12-Year Scoping Review.

The contributions of informal providers to the urban health system and their linkage to the formal health system require more evidence. This paper highlights the collaborations that exist between informal providers and the formal health system and examines how these collaborations have contributed to strengthening urban health systems in sub-Sahara Africa. The study is based on a scoping review of literature that was published from 2011 to 2023 with a focus on slums in sub-Sahara Africa. Electronic search for articles was performed in Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, African Journal Online (AJOL), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Hinari, ResearchGate, and yippy.com. Data extraction was done using the WHO health systems building blocks. The review identified 26 publications that referred to collaborations between informal providers and formal health systems in healthcare delivery. The collaboration is manifested through formal health providers registering and standardizing the practice of informal health providers. They also participate in training informal providers and providing free medical commodities for them. Additionally, there were numerous instances of client referrals, either from informal to formal providers or from formal to informal providers. However, the review also indicates that these collaborations are unformalized, unsystematic, and largely undocumented. This undermines the potential contributions of informal providers to the urban health system.

In vitro fertilization as an option for couples with genetic disorders

Errors in human DNA may cause genetic disorders. Technological developments have raised hopes for reducing the risks of genetic inheritance among married couples who have a history of such disorders. Among the developments in reproductive health technology that reduce those risks is the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process. This review aimed to describe the current strategies using IVF and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), which would be effective for couples with genetic disorders to have healthy offspring. The literature review included full-text, open-access research articles from ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar that were published between 2013 and 2023, with 65 articles obtained from various journals. The keywords were “in vitro fertilization,” “reproductive genetic disorders,” “PGT-A,” “PGT-M,” “PGT-SR,” and “oocyte donor.” A total of 46 articles were selected as the most relevant to the review topic, and the results show that the IVF process can be an option for couples with a history of genetic disorders. Several additional procedures can be performed following IVF, such as oocyte donation and PGT, to help couples who want to have offspring without transmitting their genetic disorders. IVF can be an option for couples who have or carry genetic disorders. With IVF, couples can undertake several procedures such as oocyte donation and PGT for aneuploidy, monogenic disorders, or structural rearrangement.

Effect of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level and structural changes following myocardial infarction: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundSodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are anti-hyperglycemic drugs and have been proven to have cardiovascular protective effects for patients with heart failure regardless of their diabetes status. However, the benefit of SGLT2i following myocardial infarction (MI) remains incompletely established. This review aimed to investigate the impact of SGLT2i on NT-proBNP levels and structural changes post-MI. MethodMedline, ClinicalTrial.gov, Scopus, and Directory of open-access journals were searched to retrieve the relevant articles. Eligible studies were randomized clinical trials that assessed NT-proBNP and cardiac structural changes in patients who received SGLT2i compared to placebo following MI. Two reviewers independently screened articles, extracted data, and assessed study quality. ResultFour studies were included in this review, including patients with and without diabetes. While two studies showed no marked decrease from the baseline in NT-proBNP levels between the SGLT2i group and the control group, two studies reported a substantial reduction. The meta-analysis included three of these studies, with a total of 238 participants. The meta-analysis did not find a statistically significant drop in NT-proBNP levels post-MI in the SGLT2 inhibitors group compared to placebo (pooled SMD = 0.16, 95% CI 0.57–0.26, P 0.45). Furthermore, different echocardiographic parameters were reported in the included trials, yet no meta-analysis could be conducted to assess the influence of SGLT2i on cardiac remodeling post-MI. ConclusionSGLT2i did not result in a statistically significant reduction of NT-proBNP level subsequent to myocardial infarction. A knowledge gap exists regarding the impact of these agents on cardiac remodeling post-MI. Future high-quality clinical trials are needed to provide more robust evidence.

Burden of Childhood Diarrhea and Its Associated Factors in Ethiopia: A Review of Observational Studies.

Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to: i) determine the pooled prevalence of acute diarrhea; and ii) synthesize and summarize current evidence on factors of acute diarrheal illnesses among under-five children in Ethiopia. Methods: A comprehensive systematic search was conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, HINARI, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Global Index Medicus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Cochrane Library. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. The methodological quality of each included article was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) quality assessment tool for cross-sectional and case-control studies. A random-effect meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of diarrheal illnesses. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using I2 test statistics and Egger's test, respectively. The statistical analysis was done using STATA™ software version 14. Results: Fifty-three studies covering over 27,458 under-five children who met the inclusion criteria were included. The pooled prevalence of diarrhea among under-five children in Ethiopia was found to be 20.8% (95% CI: 18.69-22.84, n = 44, I2 = 94.9%, p < 0.001). Our analysis revealed a higher prevalence of childhood diarrhea in age groups of 12-23 months 25.42% (95%CI: 21.50-29.35, I2 = 89.4%, p < 0.001). In general, the evidence suggests that diarrheal risk factors could include: i) child level determinants (child's age 0-23 months, not being vaccinated against rotavirus, lack of exclusive breastfeeding, and being an under-nourished child); ii) parental level determinants {mothers poor handwashing practices [pooled odds ratio (OR) = 3.05; 95% CI:2.08-4.54] and a history of maternal recent diarrhea (pooled OR = 3.19, 95%CI: 1.94-5.25)}; and iii) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) determinants [lack of toilet facility (pooled OR = 1.56, 95%CI: 1.05-2.33)], lack handwashing facility (pooled OR = 4.16, 95%CI: 2.49-6.95) and not treating drinking water (pooled OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.50-3.46). Conclusion: In Ethiopia, the prevalence of diarrhea among children under the age of five remains high and is still a public health problem. The contributing factors to acute diarrheal illnesses were child, parental, and WASH factors. A continued focus on improving access to WASH facilities, along with enhancing maternal hygiene behavior will accelerate reductions in diarrheal disease burden in Ethiopia.

Understanding the association between family planning and fertility reduction in Southeast Asia: a scoping review

ObjectivesWe aimed to explore and understand the extent and type of evidence on fertility reduction and its association with family planning (FP) in Southeast Asia.DesignScoping review, following the methodological principles...

A Systematic Review of Retracted Publications in Clinical Orthopaedic Research

BackgroundRetracted publications are an often-overlooked issue affecting the scientific community, and recent data confirms the overall number of retracted publications is rising. While this has previously been looked at within orthopaedic surgery, a contemporary understanding of retractions is required due to the rapid expansion in publications. Our study aimed to assess the retracted publications within clinical orthopaedic research to evaluate for characteristics and trends. MethodsA systematic review was conducted on December 14, 2023, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. There were 4 databases that were queried to identify retracted publications in clinical orthopaedics that assessed operative and nonoperative orthopaedic interventions (excluding basic science). Articles were independently screened by 2 reviewers; those meeting the inclusion criteria were evaluated for various characteristics, including reasons for retraction based on Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines. ResultsThere were 233 studies that met the inclusion criteria and were retracted between January 1, 1990, and December 14, 2023. Clinical orthopaedics represented 1.18% of all retracted publications identified through PubMed over this period. There were 87 articles that were retracted in 2023, up from 17 in 2022 (a 412% increase). Retracted studies were published in journals with 2022 impact factors up to 9.3, with an average of 3.1 (SD [standard deviation] 1.9). A total of 39.5% of the retracted studies were published in orthopaedic journals, and 60.9% of the retracted articles were published in exclusively open-access journals. The mean time from electronic publication to retraction was 2.1 years (SD 2.2). Retracted articles have been cited up to 180 times (mean 8.6; SD 20). Reasons for retraction included misconduct (45.9%), plagiarism (11.6%), redundant publication (11.6%), unethical research (10.3%), error (9.4%), and others (10.7%). ConclusionsThe prevalence of retractions in the clinical orthopaedic literature is increasing. Clinical research is the basis for clinical practice guidelines, the gold standard for informing medical decision-making. Retractions may be one harbinger of lower-quality publications; researchers, institutions, and journals together play important roles in maintaining scientific integrity.