Background Psoriasis is a relatively common inflammatory skin disease with systemic implications. Psoriasis data seem to arise from a select number of countries, while other areas in the world with different genetics and ethnicities, especially Arab countries have a questionable input. Aim This study aims to quantitatively assess Arab countries contributions in psoriasis research. Methods The number of publications related to psoriasis for each of the 22 Arab countries was found on PubMed for every year between 2004 and 2019, and then, the total for each country was normalised according to three parameters: average population, Gross Domestic Product and psoriasis disability‐adjusted life years. In addition, the number of psoriasis articles was also retrieved for 2 other groups: South America and Far East Asia, for comparison. Results Only 1.53% of all psoriasis research published between 2004 and 2019 originates from Arab countries (vs. 2.06% from South American countries and 13.2% from Far East Asian countries), and psoriasis articles make up only 0.15% of the total publications from Arab countries (vs. 0.10% for both South American and Far East Asian countries). Egypt scored the highest number of psoriasis‐related articles and accounted on its own for almost half the number of psoriasis publications (47.9%) from Arab countries. When normalised according to the 3 parameters, other Arab countries also rose to prominence; Kuwait had the highest number of publications per million persons, and Tunisia had the highest number of publications per GDP. However, Egypt ranked once again first as having the highest number of publications per 1% psoriasis‐related DALY. Among the three parameters, the average population size proved to be the most strongly correlated with the number of psoriasis publications in a given country. Conclusion There is an incontestable need for more research related to psoriasis in Arab countries as the numbers are still very low reflecting many difficulties standing In the way of research in general in the Arab world.
Introduction Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of animal parts into humans. This study's aim is to assess the Lebanese medical students’ attitude toward xenotransplantation and their knowledge of its related ethical issues. Methods A questionnaire was answered by 120 Lebanese medical students. Statistical analysis and ethical reflections were performed on the results. Results Out of the 120 participants, 100 already knew about xenotransplantation, and 61.7% of the students believe that it is applied clinically. Only 25% trust that the animals need to be genetically modified for the organs to be eligible for transplantation. About 25.8% and 46.7% of the students, respectively, strongly agree that the patients’ and physicians’ beliefs play an important role in agreeing to the procedure. Students were likely to accept the animal organ for transplantation if the transplant could completely cure or improve the course of an untreatable disease (86.6% and 75.0%) or if the outcomes and risks were the same as with a human transplant with a shorter waiting period (71.7%). Students who agreed that animal rights and welfare/wellbeing should be respected tended to disagree with the statement that it is acceptable to use animals for human ends (p = .026). Conclusion Medical students proved to be knowledgeable on the ethical dilemmas related to xenotransplantation and showed a favorable attitude toward this procedure, which is crucial in its establishment as an absolute clinical reality in the near future and in the development and strengthening of research in this field.
Background: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autoinflammatory, multisystem disease affecting the populations of the Mediterranean basin. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the research input of Arab countries on FMF between 2004 and 2019. Methods: The Medline database (PubMed) was accessed for FMF-related publications. The number of publications was normalized to average: population size, GDP and number of physicians for every country. VOSViewer was used to create a co-occurrence bibliographic map. Results: Between 2004 and 2019, 69 articles relating to FMF were published in the Arab world, accounting for 0.03% of the total number of publications originating in Arab countries, and 3.60% of all articles relating to FMF worldwide. After normalizing to average population size, GDP and number of physicians, Lebanon ranked first with 4.44, 0.64 and 1.99 publications per million persons respectively. Moderate positive correlations were found between number of publications and average population size (r = 0.385) and average number of physicians (r = 0.513). Half of the articles were published in journals ranked Q1 and Q2. An abundance of keywords relating to genetics hint at a main focus on the genetic aspect of the disease. Conclusion: The low number of publications could be a result of the absence of research funding and the political and military instability in the Arab world. Given that many articles were published in high quality journals, Arab countries should focus on providing a clinical aspect to their studies and working on regional and international collaborations.
Background: Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the acute onset of weakness and paralysis with reduced muscle tone. This study explored the incidence and different aspects of AFP in Lebanese children between 2009 and 2019. Methods: AFP data were collected from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. Incidence rate according to year, age groups, clinical data, follow-up, diagnosis, and vaccination status was analyzed in the 11-years period. Results: AFP incidence rates increased importantly from 0.63 per 100,000 in 2009 till 4.96 per 100,000 in 2019. Most of the patients were children under ten years of age, 40.6% of all cases were under five years old, and 37.9% were between 5 and 9 years old. Follow-up revealed that approximately two out of five patients experienced residual weakness. As for the final diagnosis, around 30% of cases were diagnosed as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Most cases were children having received between 3 and 5 doses of polio vaccine. Conclusions: The rise in cases coincided with the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and the progressively deteriorating economy in the country; yet, incidence rates were in the lower margin compared with other countries. Keywords: Acute flaccid paralysis; Epidemiology; Guillain-Barré Syndrome; Lebanon; Pediatrics.
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