bims-evares Biomed News
on Evaluation of research
Issue of 2019–11–03
23 papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society



  1. Future Oncol. 2019 Nov;15(31): 3597-3608
      Aim: To investigate secular trends in article retractions in the oncology literature, particularly relating to cancer treatments and data available to patients. Methods: A bibliometric analysis of article retractions from PubMed in the period 2000-2018. Results: Analysis shows that article lifetime - that is the time period from initial publication to ultimate retraction - has decreased in recent years. It also shows that the retraction rate has also increased over the same period. Furthermore, over 20% of retracted oncology publications analyzed in this study relate to treatment-relevant topics such as clinical trials and studies in the anticancer properties of supplements. Conclusion: The causes and context of these trends are discussed and reference made to the dangers of scientific misconduct in oncology.
    Keywords:  article retractions; oncology retractions; patient information; pseudoscience; science publishing; scientific fraud; scientific misconduct
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2019-0233
  2. BMJ Open. 2019 Oct 30. 9(10): e031909
       OBJECTIVE: Analyses of the impact of a body of clinical trial reports subject to research misconduct have been few. Our objective was to examine the impact on clinically relevant research of a group of researchers' trial reports ('affected trial reports') affected by research misconduct, and whether identification of misconduct invoked a reappraisal.
    DESIGN: In 2016, we used five databases and search engines to identify 'citing publications', that is, guidelines, systematic and other reviews, and clinical trials citing any of 12 affected trial reports, published 1998-2011, eventually retracted for research misconduct. The affected trial reports were assessed more likely to have had impact because they had hip fracture outcomes and were in journals with impact factor >4. Two authors assessed whether findings of the citing publications would change if the affected trial reports were removed. In 2018, we searched for evidence that the citing publications had undertaken a reassessment as a result of the potential influence of the affected trial reports.
    RESULTS: By 2016 the affected trial reports were cited in 1158 publications, including 68 systematic reviews, meta-analyses, narrative reviews, guidelines and clinical trials. We judged that 13 guidelines, systematic or other reviews would likely change their findings if the affected trial reports were removed, and in another eight it was unclear if findings would change. By 2018, only one of the 68 citing publications, a systematic review, appeared to have undertaken a reassessment, which led to a correction.
    CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence that this group of affected trial reports distorted the evidence base. Correction of these distortions is slow, uncoordinated and inconsistent. Unless there is a rapid, systematic, coordinated approach by bibliographic databases, authors, journals and publishers to mitigate the impact of known cases of research misconduct, patients, other researchers and their funders may continue to be adversely affected.
    Keywords:  hip fractures; impact; randomised controlled trials; scientific misconduct
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031909
  3. J Am Coll Surg. 2019 Oct 15. pii: S1072-7515(19)32123-4. [Epub ahead of print]
       BACKGROUND: Propensity score (PS) analysis is a statistical method commonly used in observational trials to account for confounding. Improper use of PS analysis can bias the effect estimate. The aim of this study is to review the use and reporting of PS methods in high-impact surgical journals with a focus on propensity score matching (PSM).
    STUDY DESIGN: The 10 surgical journals with the highest impact factor were searched to identify studies utilizing PS analysis from January 1st, 2016 to December 14th, 2018. We selected evaluation criteria for the conduct of PS analysis based on previous reports. Two authors systematically appraised the quality of reporting of PS analyses. Univariate and multivariate regression was performed to determine the relationship between appropriate use of PSM and study conclusion.
    RESULTS: Three hundred and three studies using PS analysis were included. Ninety one percent (n=275) of studies included the covariates used to generate the PS and 79% (n=239) included the type of regression model used. Ninety percent (n=272) of studies did not justify the covariates included in their PS. Eighty four percent of studies used PSM (n=254), with 48% (n=156) failing to assess covariate balance between groups. We found that justification of the selection of covariates included in the PS and the characterization of unmatched patients were both associated with lower odds of the study finding a significant result (OR 0.37, 95%CI 0.16-0.87, p=0.02, and OR=0.35, 95%CI 0.17-0.75, p=0.007 respectively at multivariate logistic regression).
    CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that even in research published in high-quality surgical journals, several studies report their PS methodology inadequately. The inadequate conduct of PS analysis may impact a study's conclusion.
    Keywords:  Propensity score; statistical analysis; surgery; surgical literature
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2019.10.003
  4. PLoS One. 2019 ;14(10): e0223994
      Systematic scientometric reviews, empowered by computational and visual analytic approaches, offer opportunities to improve the timeliness, accessibility, and reproducibility of studies of the literature of a field of research. On the other hand, effectively and adequately identifying the most representative body of scholarly publications as the basis of subsequent analyses remains a common bottleneck in the current practice. What can we do to reduce the risk of missing something potentially significant? How can we compare different search strategies in terms of the relevance and specificity of topical areas covered? In this study, we introduce a flexible and generic methodology based on a significant extension of the general conceptual framework of citation indexing for delineating the literature of a research field. The method, through cascading citation expansion, provides a practical connection between studies of science from local and global perspectives. We demonstrate an application of the methodology to the research of literature-based discovery (LBD) and compare five datasets constructed based on three use scenarios and corresponding retrieval strategies, namely a query-based lexical search (one dataset), forward expansions starting from a groundbreaking article of LBD (two datasets), and backward expansions starting from a recently published review article by a prominent expert in LBD (two datasets). We particularly discuss the relevance of areas captured by expansion processes with reference to the query-based scientometric visualization. The method used in this study for comparing bibliometric datasets is applicable to comparative studies of search strategies.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223994
  5. Mol Biol Cell. 2019 Nov 01. 30(23): 2878-2879
      For scientific research to have an impact, its findings need to be communicated. Usually, such communications take the form of published papers in a journal. Given that most papers are rarely cited, yet consume a great deal of a scientist's time, treasure, and talent, the value of scientific publication as an enterprise merits consideration. What is a paper really worth? In this Perspective, I consider three potential values: career, science, and society.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E19-08-0458
  6. J Clin Epidemiol. 2019 Oct 22. pii: S0895-4356(19)30461-5. [Epub ahead of print]
       OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the completeness of intervention description in ClinicalTrials.gov and corresponding journal articles for registered and published drug-drug interaction (DDI) trials, because complete and transparent description of interventions is particularly important for DDI.
    STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational study of completed interventional trials on DDIs with up to 2 drugs within the Intervention registration element in ClinicalTrials.gov until October 2015. We used the Template for Intervention Description and Replication items to assess the quality of intervention description in both ClinicalTrials.gov Descriptive Information section and matching publications. Corresponding articles were identified in March 2019.
    RESULTS: The description of 1180 drug interventions registered for 642 DDI trials mostly lacked information on the intervention provider (99.7%), adherence strategies (99.2%), procedure (83.8%), location (71.3%) and dosage form (60.7%). Generic name (82.5%), dose (70.8%) and duration of administration (65.6%) were most frequently reported. Among 51 trials that had data reported both in ClinicalTrials.gov and publication, 60.8% were in phase 1. Less than half of 96 interventions had clear and matching description of dosage form, procedure and route of administration in both sources.
    CONCLUSION: DDI trials did not sufficiently report components required for complete intervention description. Further improvements in ClinicalTrials.gov registration requirements, including phase 1 trials, and more stringent publishing requirements for essential data on drug interventions are needed to prevent patient risk in clinical practice regarding concomitant medication use.
    Keywords:  Bias; Databases; Description of drug intervention as topic; Drug interaction; Reporting
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2019.10.002
  7. J Surg Orthop Adv. 2019 ;28(3): 175-179
      The objective of this analysis was to compare the efficiency of scholarly activity withinmilitary orthopaedic training programs. The authors obtained the lists of abstracts accepted for presentation at the 2009 through 2014 Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS) annual meetings. Data were extracted for each individual presentation. Three primary groups were compared: a traditional program, a research program, and a hybrid program. The hybrid program produced the highest percentage of the presentations (28.6%). The traditional program contributed the most presentations (3.32) and publications (2.16) per resident and had the highest publication rate (87.7%) and the shortest time to publication (14.4 months). The research program published in the highest average impact journals (3.2). The addition of a research year does not improve the number of academic presentations or published papers but may improve the impact factor of the journals in which the projects are published. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 28(3):175-179, 2019).
  8. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Oct 10. pii: E3825. [Epub ahead of print]16(20):
      With the characteristics of low cost and open call, crowdsourcing has been widely adopted in many fields, particularly to support the use of surveys, data processing, and the monitoring of public health. The objective of the current study is to analyze the applications, hotspots, and emerging trends of crowdsourcing in the field of public health. Using CiteSpace for the visualization of scientific maps, this study explores the analysis of time-scope, countries and institutions, authors, published journals, keywords, co-references, and citation clusters. The results show that the United States is the country with the most publications regarding crowdsourcing applications for public health. Howe and Brabham are the two leading authors in this field. Further, most of the articles published in this field are found in medical and comprehensive journals. Crowdsourcing in public health is increasing and diversifying. The results of this study will enable and support the analysis of the specific role of crowdsourcing in the public health ecosystem.
    Keywords:  CiteSpace; bibliometrics; crowdsourcing; public health
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203825
  9. J Neurosurg. 2019 Nov 01. pii: 2019.8.JNS191256. [Epub ahead of print] 1-9
       OBJECTIVE: Neurosurgery is consistently one of the most competitive specialties for resident applicants. The emphasis on research in neurosurgery has led to an increasing number of publications by applicants seeking a successful residency match. The authors sought to produce a comprehensive analysis of research produced by neurosurgical applicants and to establish baseline data of neurosurgery applicant research productivity given the increased emphasis on research output for successful residency match.
    METHODS: A retrospective review of publication volume for all neurosurgery interns in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2018 was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar. Missing data rates were 11% (2009), 9% (2011), and < 5% (all others). The National Resident Matching Program report "Charting Outcomes in the Match" (ChOM) was interrogated for total research products (i.e., abstracts, presentations, and publications). The publication rates of interns at top 40 programs, students from top 20 medical schools, MD/PhD applicants, and applicants based on location of residency program and medical school were compared statistically against all others.
    RESULTS: Total publications per neurosurgery intern (mean ± SD) based on PubMed and Google Scholar were 5.5 ± 0.6 in 2018 (1.7 ± 0.3, 2009; 2.1 ± 0.3, 2011; 2.6 ± 0.4, 2014; 3.8 ± 0.4, 2016), compared to 18.3 research products based on ChOM. In 2018, the mean numbers of publications were as follows: neurosurgery-specific publications per intern, 4.3 ± 0.6; first/last author publications, 2.1 ± 0.3; neurosurgical first/last author publications, 1.6 ± 0.2; basic science publications, 1.5 ± 0.2; and clinical research publications, 4.0 ± 0.5. Mean publication numbers among interns at top 40 programs were significantly higher than those of all other programs in every category (p < 0.001). Except for mean number of basic science publications (p = 0.1), the mean number of publications was higher for interns who attended a top 20 medical school than for those who did not (p < 0.05). Applicants with PhD degrees produced statistically more research in all categories (p < 0.05) except neurosurgery-specific (p = 0.07) and clinical research (p = 0.3). While there was no statistical difference in publication volume based on the geographical location of the residency program, students from medical schools in the Western US produced more research than all other regions (p < 0.01). Finally, research productivity did not correlate with likelihood of medical students staying at their home institution for residency.
    CONCLUSIONS: The authors found that the temporal trend toward increased total research products over time in neurosurgery applicants was driven mostly by increased nonindexed research (abstracts, presentations, chapters) rather than by increased peer-reviewed publications. While we also identified applicant-specific factors (MD/PhDs and applicants from the Western US) and an outcome (matching at research-focused institutions) associated with increased applicant publications, further work will be needed to determine the emphasis that programs and applicants will need to place on these publications.
    Keywords:  ACGME = Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; ChOM = Charting Outcomes in the Match; NRMP = National Resident Matching Program; National Resident Matching Program; match; neurosurgery residency; publications
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3171/2019.8.JNS191256
  10. Neurosurg Focus. 2019 Nov 01. pii: 2019.8.FOCUS19507. [Epub ahead of print]47(5): E5
       OBJECTIVE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health problem and more than 70% of trauma-related deaths are estimated to occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Nevertheless, there is a consistent lack of data from these countries. The aim of this work is to estimate the capacity of different and heterogeneous areas of the world to report and publish data on TBI. In addition, we wanted to estimate the countries with the highest and lowest number of publications when taking into account the relative TBI burden.
    METHODS: First, a bibliometric analysis of all the publications about TBI available in the PubMed database from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018, was performed. These data were tabulated by country and grouped according to each geographical region as indicated by the WHO: African Region (AFR), Region of the Americas (PAH), South-East Asia Region (SEAR), European Region (EUR), Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), and Western Pacific Region (WPR). In this analysis, PAH was further subdivided into Latin America (AMR-L) and North America (AMR-US/Can). Then a "publication to TBI volume ratio" was derived to estimate the research interest in TBI with respect to the frequency of this pathology.
    RESULTS: Between 2008 and 2018 a total of 8144 articles were published and indexed in the PubMed database about TBI. Leading WHO regions in terms of contributions were AMR-US/Can with 4183 articles (51.36%), followed by EUR with 2003 articles (24.60%), WPR with 1507 (18.50%), AMR-L with 141 articles (1.73%), EMR with 135 (1.66%), AFR with 91 articles (1.12%), and SEAR with 84 articles (1.03%). The highest publication to TBI volume ratios were found for AMR-US/Can (90.93) and EUR (21.54), followed by WPR (8.71) and AMR-L (2.43). Almost 90 times lower than the ratio of AMR-US/Can were the ratios for AFR (1.15) and SEAR (0.46).
    CONCLUSIONS: An important disparity currently exists between countries with a high burden of TBI and those in which most of the research is conducted. A call for improvement of data collection and research outputs along with an increase in international collaboration could quantitatively and qualitatively improve the ability of LMICs to ameliorate TBI care and develop clinical practice guidelines.
    Keywords:  AFR = African Region; AMR-L = Latin America; AMR-US/Can = North America; EMR = Eastern Mediterranean Region; EUR = European Region; HIC = high-income country; ICP = intracranial pressure; LMICs; LMICs = low- and middle-income countries; PAH = Region of the Americas; SEAR = South-East Asia Region; TBI = traumatic brain injury; WPR = Western Pacific Region; global neurosurgery; publication; research; traumatic brain injury
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3171/2019.8.FOCUS19507
  11. Soc Sci Med. 2019 Oct 11. pii: S0277-9536(19)30591-X. [Epub ahead of print]242 112596
      This paper investigates the genealogy of social science research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by piecing together the bibliometric characteristics of this branch of research. Drawing on the Web of Science as the primary database, the analysis shows that while academic interest in AMR has increased substantially over the last few years, social science research continues to constitute a negligible share of total academic contributions. More in-depth network analysis of citations and bibliometric couplings suggests how the impact of social science research on the scientific discourse on AMR is both peripheral and spread thin. We conclude that this limited social science engagement is puzzling considering the clear academic and practical demand and the many existing interdisciplinary outlets.
    Keywords:  Antimicrobial resistance; Bibliometrics; Health policy; Network analysis; Social science
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112596
  12. Scientometrics. 2019 Mar;188(3): 787-808
      A key decision in scientific work is whether to build on novel or well-established ideas. Because exploiting new ideas is often harder than more conventional science, novel work can be especially dependent on interactions with colleagues, the training environment, and ready access to potential collaborators. Location may thus influence the tendency to pursue work that is close to the edge of the scientific frontier in the sense that it builds on recent ideas. We calculate for each nation its position relative to the edge of the scientific frontier by measuring its propensity to build on relatively new ideas in biomedical research. Text analysis of 20+ million publications shows that the United States and South Korea have the highest tendencies for novel science. China has become a leader in favoring newer ideas when working with basic science ideas and research tools, but is still slow to adopt new clinical ideas. Many locations remain far behind the leaders in terms of their tendency to work with novel ideas, indicating that the world is far from flat in this regard.
    Keywords:  idea adoption; impact factor; new ideas; novelty; science
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2991-4
  13. J Med Internet Res. 2019 Oct 31. 21(10): e16390
      This viewpoint celebrates the accomplishments of the Journal of Medical and Internet Research on its twentieth anniversary and reviews accomplishments around research publications, journal innovation, and supporting people.
    Keywords:  JMIR; digital health; digital medicine; eHealth; knowledge dissemination; publishing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2196/16390
  14. J Surg Orthop Adv. 2019 ;28(3): 180-188
      As the treatment of proximal humerus fractures remains controversial in the literature, this study aims to identify highly cited articles and examine trends and characteristics. Scopus was used to identify the highest cited articles of proximal humerus fracture research. SPSS 23 was used for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations for the relationship between citation count and density. Average citation count was 233 ± 164 with an annual citation density of 14 ± 7. Total citation count was associated with total citation density, 5-year citation count, and 5-year citation density. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery-American produced the most articles with 15 (30%). Thirty-five articles originated in Europe. The five most represented authors published three articles each. Finally, 13 (26%) papers appear in the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Curriculum Guide. This study compiles a collection of articles investigating proximal humerus fractures for future review and demonstrates citation count to be an acceptable measure of an article's contemporary academic influence. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 28(3):180-188, 2019).
  15. PeerJ. 2019 ;7 e7674
       Objectives: In recent years, with the development of biological materials, the types and clinical applications of stents have been increasing in pancreatic diseases. However, relevant problems are also constantly emerging. Our purpose was to summarize current hotspots and explore potential topics in the fields of the application of stent implantation in the treatment of pancreatic diseases for future scientific research.
    Methods: Publications on the application of stents in pancreatic diseases were retrieved from PubMed without language limits. High-frequency Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms were identified through Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder (BICOMB). Biclustering analysis results were visualized utilizing the gCLUTO software. Finally, we plotted a strategic diagram.
    Results: A total of 4,087 relevant publications were obtained from PubMed until May 15th, 2018. Eighty-three high-frequency MeSH terms were identified. Biclustering analysis revealed that these high-frequency MeSH terms were classified into eight clusters. After calculating the density and concentricity of each cluster, strategy diagram was presented. The cluster 5 "complications such as pancreatitis associated with stent implantation" was located at the fourth quadrant with high centricity and low density.
    Conclusions: In our study, we found eight topics concerning the application of stent implantation in the treatment of pancreatic diseases. How to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and improve the prognosis of patients with pancreatic diseases by stent implantation could become potential hotspots in the future research.
    Keywords:  Bibliometrics; Hotspots; MeSH terms; Pancreatic diseases; Stents
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7674
  16. Heliyon. 2019 Oct;5(10): e02634
      This study provides a systematic analysis of research on the electricity sector in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the period 1983-2018. GCC countries have experienced tremendous economic growth in the past few decades. This was accompanied by a corresponding increase in electricity consumption. Therefore, a thorough review is needed to understand the research conducted on the electricity sector in GCC countries. This study reviewed articles published in five well-known energy journals: Applied Energy, Energy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. The articles were classified into seven categories based on the analysis tools implemented in the papers: 1. Simulation tools, 2. Scenarios tools, 3. Equilibrium tools, 4. Top-down tools, 5. Bottom-up tools, 6. Operations optimization tools, and 7. Investment optimization tools. This study also provides an overview of the research, including the increase in publications over time, an authorship analysis, a keywords analysis, and an analysis of the length of the publications.
    Keywords:  Analysis tools; Demand and supply; Electricity; Energy; Energy conservation; Energy economics; Energy sustainability; GCC; Literature review; Renewable energy; Renewable energy resources; Urban energy consumption
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02634
  17. World Neurosurg. 2019 Oct 23. pii: S1878-8750(19)32706-8. [Epub ahead of print]
       OBJECTIVE: Although the overall publication trends in Parkinson's disease (PD) and characteristics of top-cited articles have been reported, there was only one literature analysis published in 2012 with a special focus on stem cells. It is necessary to evaluate and update the global publication trends in stem-cell research of PD.
    METHODS: We identified the publications designated as "article" about stem-cell research of PD between 1999 and 2018 in the Web of Science Core Collection. We used HistCite to analyze annual outputs, journals, countries/regions, and institutions every five years and visualized global collaborations between publications by VOSviewer. Moreover, to track the growing hotspots, MeSH terms of each publication were obtained by Medical Text Indexer according to the title and abstract.
    RESULTS: We described the publication trends and topic hotspots of stem-cell research of PD by bibliometric analysis of 1,709 papers. Researchers showed growing interest in publishing relevant scientific literature in journals associated with stem cells or multidisciplinary science. Stem-cell research of PD was more common in developed countries and regions. The United States of America was the most contributive country throughout accounting for 33% of total publications and ranking first in all five-year periods. Harvard University was the most productive institution in this area ranking first during 1999-2003, 2004-2008, and 2009-2013. The application of induced pluripotent stem cells was at the forefront of cell therapies for PD.
    CONCLUSION: These bibliometric findings suggest that stem-cell research consistently promotes the understanding and treatment of PD.
    Keywords:  Parkinson’s disease; VOSviewer; bibliometric analysis; publications; stem cells
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2019.10.087
  18. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019 Oct 29. 194599819886119
      Although women represent an increasing proportion of the physician workforce, barriers to the professional advancement of women persist, particularly within surgical fields such as otolaryngology. Authorship of scientific opinion articles serves as an important opportunity for professional development. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to characterize the authorship patterns of scientific opinion articles by gender in leading otolaryngology journals between 2013 and 2018. Outcome measures were the number and proportion of female physician first authors and female last authors as compared with the proportion of the otolaryngology workforce. Between 2013 and 2018, female authors accounted for 24.1% of first of multiple authors, 30.4% of sole authors, and 25.3% of last authors. Women were equitably represented in comparison with the proportion of practicing female otolaryngologists (17.1% in 2017). The proportion of female first authorship increased from 20.0% in 2013 to 32.0% in 2018. Additional efforts are necessary to support the equitable advancement of women in otolaryngology.
    Keywords:  gender; opinion; parity; perspective; women
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599819886119
  19. Can Urol Assoc J. 2019 Jun 17.
       INTRODUCTION: The fund of knowledge on benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) has been growing since the 1970s. Citation analysis is a tool by which we can quantify influence of specific articles and assess the growth of a certain topic. This paper seeks to identify trends, as well as draw attention to the most influential papers, authors, and journals. Many analogous studies have been done, but none have been done in the field of BPH.
    METHODS: We used Thomson Reuters Web of Science to collect articles pertaining to BPH in a two-step fashion. We identified 117 keywords relevant to BPH and using these 117 words, we were able to identify 7302 total articles. These articles were organized by number of citations. Of the top 200 articles, 100 articles were excluded based on title and abstract analysis. One hundred articles were included for final analysis, as this is the standard of citation analysis.
    RESULTS: Overall, total citations were slightly correlated with journal impact factor. Author analysis revealed no significant difference between authorship and average citations. Topic analysis showed the most cited topic was surgical management with 657.35 citations per year. Study design analysis showed the predominant study design was the randomized control trial.
    CONCLUSIONS: By using the two-step methodology, we were able to create a list of the top 100 most influential articles in the field of BPH. In doing so, we illustrated the growth of the field over time and paid tribute to the myriad of papers, authors, and journals that have shaped the field to this day.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.5831
  20. J Laryngol Otol. 2019 Oct 31. 1-7
       OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to highlight the key studies that have led to the current understanding and treatment of head and neck cancer.
    METHOD: The Thomson Reuters Web of Science database was used to identify relevant manuscripts. The results were ranked according to the number of citations. The 100 most cited papers were analysed.
    RESULTS: A total of 63 538 eligible papers were returned. The median number of citations was 626. The most cited paper compared radiotherapy with and without cetuximab (3205 citations). The New England Journal of Medicine had the most citations (23 514), and the USA had the greatest number of publications (n = 66). The most common topics of publication were the treatment (n = 45) and basic science (n = 19) of head and neck cancer, followed by the role of human papillomavirus (n = 16).
    CONCLUSION: This analysis highlighted key articles that influenced head and neck cancer research and treatment. It serves as a guide as to what makes a 'citable' paper in this field.
    Keywords:  Bibliometric Analysis; Bibliometrics; Head And Neck Cancer; Head And Neck Neoplasms; Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of Head And Neck
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1017/S002221511900224X
  21. J Med Internet Res. 2019 Oct 31. 21(10): e16172
      The Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) has attained remarkable achievements in the past twenty years. By depth, JMIR has published the most impactful research in medical informatics and is top ranked in the field. By width, JMIR has spun off to about thirty sister journals to cover topics such as serious games, mobile health, public health, surveillance, and other medical areas. With ever-increasing data and research findings, academic publishers need to be competitive to win readers' attention. While JMIR is well-positioned in the field, the journal will need more creative strategies to increase its attention base and maintain its leading position. Viable strategies include the creation of online collaborative spaces, the engagement of more diverse audience from less traditional channels, and partnerships with other publishers and academic institutes. Doing so could also enable JMIR researchers to turn research insights into practical strategies to improve personal health and medical services.
    Keywords:  JMIR; digital health; impact; knowledge translation; medical informatics; peer-to-peer community; publishing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2196/16172
  22. Ann Surg. 2019 Oct 28.
       OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine characteristics of the most cited publications in the history of the American Surgical Association (ASA).
    SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The Annals of Surgery has served as the journal of record for the ASA since 1928, with a special issue each year dedicated to papers presented before the ASA Annual Meeting.
    METHODS: The top 100 most cited ASA publications in the Annals of Surgery were identified from the Scopus database and evaluated for key characteristics.
    RESULTS: The 100 most cited papers from the ASA were published between 1955 and 2010 with an average of 609 citations (range: 333-2304) and are included among the 322 most cited papers in the Annals of Surgery. The most common subjects of study included clinical cancer (n = 43), gastrointestinal (n = 13), cardiothoracic/vascular (n = 9), and transplant (n = 9). Ninety-three institutions were included lead by Johns Hopkins University (n = 9), University of Pittsburgh (n = 8), Memorial Sloan-Kettering (n = 7), John Wayne Cancer Institute (n = 7), University of Texas (n = 7), and 5 each from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and University of Chicago. The majority of manuscripts came from the United States (n = 85), followed by Canada (n = 7), Germany (n = 5), and Italy (n = 5). Study design included randomized controlled trials (n = 19), retrospective matched cohort studies (n = 11), retrospective nonmatched studies (n = 46), and other (n = 24).
    CONCLUSIONS: The top 100 most cited publications from the ASA are highly impactful, landmark studies representing a diverse array of subject matter, investigators, study design, institutions, and countries. These influential publications have immensely advanced surgical science over the decades and should serve as inspiration for all surgeons and surgical investigators.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000003633