Predatory journals have a significant impact on researchers in developing countries. These journals often target researchers from countries with limited resources who are looking to publish their work and gain recognition in their field. Predatory publishers often use deceptive practices to lure these researchers into submitting their work, such as falsely claiming to have a rigorous peer-review process or promising quick publication times [1].
For researchers in developing countries, publishing in predatory journals can have significant negative consequences. These journals are often not recognized or respected by the academic community, leading to a lack of credibility for the author and their work. In addition, the high publication fees charged by predatory journals can be a significant burden for researchers from countries with limited resources [2]. This can lead to a situation where researchers are paying to have their work published in low-quality journals, rather than investing in reputable publications that could advance their careers and contribute to the broader scientific community.
Another issue with predatory journals in developing countries is the potential for exploitation by Western researchers or institutions. Some researchers or institutions may use predatory journals to publish low-quality research in developing countries, in order to meet publication quotas or to fulfill grant requirements [3]. This can further damage the reputation of researchers and institutions in developing countries, and perpetuate a cycle of exploitation and inequality in the academic publishing industry.
To address the issue of predatory journals in developing countries, it is important to increase awareness of the risks associated with these publications. This includes providing education and training on how to identify predatory journals and avoid soliciting emails, as well as promoting the use of reputable journals and publishers. It is also important to address the root causes of the problem, such as limited resources and lack of access to reputable publishing outlets, by increasing funding for research and promoting collaboration and partnership between researchers and institutions in developed and developing countries [4,5].
In conclusion, predatory journals have a significant impact on researchers in developing countries, and addressing this issue requires a concerted effort from the academic community. By promoting awareness of the risks associated with predatory journals and investing in reputable publishing outlets, we can help to mitigate the negative consequences of these publications and support the advancement of research in developing countries.
Okba F. Ahmed, Omar Modhafer Hamodat, Fakher Abdullah, Muhammad Hassan Ali, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Dlsoz M. Hussein, Rawezh Qadir M. Salih, Suhaib H. Kakamad, Bnar J. Hama Amin, Berun A. Abdalla, Shvan H. Mohammed
Capitonnage Method for Surgical Management of Pulmonary Hydatid Cysts: A Case Series
Okba F. Ahmed, Omar Modhafer Hamodat, Fakher Abdullah, Muhammad Hassan Ali, Fahmi H. Kakamad,...
Introduction
Hydatid disease of the lung, which is caused by Echinococcus granulosus, is commonly found in Mediterranean countries. Surgery is the primary mode of treatment for patients with pulmonary hydatid disease. This study aims to assess the efficacy of capitonnage in the management of the condition.
Methods
This retrospective study was done between February 2017 and December 2019, in Al-Jumhoory Teaching Hospital, Al-Khansaa Teaching Hospital, and Al-Rabee Private Hospital in Mosul, Iraq. Patients with different presentations of pulmonary hydatid disease were treated surgically with cyst enucleation and capitonnage technique.
Results
A total of 118 patients with pulmonary hydatid cyst cases were included in our study. There were 73 males and 45 females, with a mean age of 30 years. More than one-third (45 patients) were asymptomatic, and 73 complained of chest pain, cough, and/or respiratory distress. Other organs were involved in 27 patients, 22 in the liver, 3 in the spleen, and 2 in both. Forty-nine patients had intact cysts that were extracted intact, while the remaining 69 had ruptured cysts, and 6 patients of the latter group presented with pneumothorax. A small number of these patients developed prolonged air leakage, and the majority stayed in the hospital for one day. No death occurred in our study.
Conclusion
We concluded that when the capitonnage technique is used carefully on the foldings of pericystic tissue, the rate of atelectasis and distortion is very low and may be beneficial in reducing the risk of postoperative air leak.
Hiwa O. Baba, Aso S. Muhialdeen, Abdulwahid M. Salih, Yadgar A. Saeed, Ismael Y. Abdullah, Aras J. Qaradakhy, Karzan M. Salih, Soran H. Tahir, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Hiwa O. Abdullah, Berun A. Abdalla, Shvan H. Mohammed
Redo Thyroidectomy Modified Technique to Eliminate Complications: A Cohort Study
Hiwa O. Baba, Aso S. Muhialdeen, Abdulwahid M. Salih, Yadgar A. Saeed, Ismael Y. Abdullah, Aras...
Introduction
Reoperation is the most challenging task in thyroid surgery because of the high risk of complications. This study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of a modified thyroidectomy technique in decreasing associated complications to almost zero in recurrent thyroidectomy.
Methods
This single-group cohort study enrolled consecutive patients who had a recurrent thyroidectomy. The procedures were done by high-volume surgeons using a modified thyroidectomy technique, which included the following steps: 1) Preserving parathyroid glands before searching for the recurrent laryngeal nerve; 2) Expecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve in any area of the neck until it is found; 3) Initiating dissection in the suprasternal notch and moving to the tracheoesophageal groove; 4) If the nerve was not found in the suprasternal notch, the search would continue at the nerve's expected entrance to the cricoid cartilage.
Results
In total, 195 cases with redo thyroidectomy were enrolled in this study. Female patients (173, 88.7%) were predominant compared to males (22, 11.3%). The most common ultrasonographic finding was multinodular goiter in 138 cases (70.7%). Most of the cases underwent total thyroidectomy (160, 82%), and thyroid lobectomy was performed in 35 cases (18%). In all the cases that underwent total thyroidectomy, both recurrent laryngeal nerves were explored, and the concerned lateral recurrent laryngeal nerve was seen during the thyroid lobectomies. There was no injury to recurrent laryngeal nerves, and only 15% of the cases suffered from temporary hypocalcemia.
Conclusion
Recurrent thyroidectomy without significant complications is possible when conducted by high-volume surgeons, and a modified technique is used.
Abdulwahid M. Salih, Lana R.A. Pshtiwan, Ari M. Abdullah, Aras J. Qaradakhy, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Halkawt Omer Ali, Karzan M. Salih, Hawbash M. Rahim, Berun A. Abdalla, Marwan N. Hassan, Shvan H. Mohammed
Carcinoma in Situ Raised from Fibroadenoma: A Case Series of a Rare Combination
Abdulwahid M. Salih, Lana R.A. Pshtiwan, Ari M. Abdullah, Aras J. Qaradakhy, Fahmi H. Kakamad,...
Introduction
Fibroadenomas are the most frequent cause of palpable breast lumps in young women. Although it’s a benign lesion, malignancy can occur in extremely rare cases; this risk is higher in complex fibroadenomas and in patients with a family history of the disease. The aim of the current study is to report a case series of rare combination of two breast tumors (carcinoma in situ within fibroadenoma).
Methods
This is a retrospective case series study. The cases were managed in a single private center specific for breast diseases. They were evaluated and treated during the four previous years (January 2018-May 2022). It included all patients who had a fibroadenoma with malignant changes.
Results
The study included nine cases. The mean age was 41 years ranged from 31 to 51 years. Six cases were ductal carcinoma in situ within fibroadenoma and three cases were lobular carcinoma in situ.
Conclusion
Although fibroadenomas are the most common benign breast mass, it is rarely associated with malignant transformation.
Cancer Publications in One Year (2022): A Cross-Sectional Study
Fenk Mariwan Mohemed, Binaiy Nasih Fatih, Abdullah Abdulrahman Qadir, Shalaw H. Abdalla, Zana H....
Introduction
Cancer is the uncontrollable and abnormal division of cells in a specific part of the body, which can spread to adjacent areas. The number of scientific publications on cancer has increased significantly over the past few decades. The objective of the current study is to evaluate scientific publications on cancer in 2022.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted on published papers on cancer in 2022. The data were collected online from the Google Scholar search engine and recorded in Microsoft Excel 2010. The extracted data were calculated and thoroughly re-evaluated, and they were presented as frequencies and percentages.
Results
A total of 167,129 medical studies on cancer in various body organs were collected for the study, with 37,500 studies specifically focused on breast cancer. This represented the highest number of studies in 2022, while only 4 articles were specific to glottis cancer, marking the lowest number in that year.
Conclusion
The existence of a gap between the incidence rate of each cancer type and scientific literature may lead to a defect in our understanding of the nature of the diseases.
Ameer M. Salih, Bilal A. Mohammed, Karzan M. Hasan, Fattah H. Fattah, Zana B. Najmadden, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Soran M. Ahmed, Honar Othman Kareem, Shvan H. Mohammed, Berun A. Abdalla, Suhaib H. Kakamad
Mitigating the Burden of Meningitis Outbreak; ChatGPT and Google Bard Recommendations for the General Populations: General Practitioners and Pediatricians
Ameer M. Salih, Bilal A. Mohammed, Karzan M. Hasan, Fattah H. Fattah, Zana B. Najmadden, Fahmi H....
Introduction
ChatGPT and Bard are large language models, both are artificial intelligence designed to understand natural language and generate human-like responses to text-based inputs. The aim of this study is to assess the ChatGPT and Bard Recommendations for the general populations; general practitioners and pediatricians for reducing the burden of meningitis outbreaks.
Methods
We asked ChatGPT PLUS and Bard, on 5 April 2023 for their advice and recommendations in controlling the meningitis outbreak, the same question was repeated three times, one for the general population, one for the general practitioners, and the last one for the pediatricians. The responses were recorded, compared assessed.
Results
ChatGPT and Bard replied to the three questions with general advice including early recognition of the disease, insisting on the vaccination, strict hygiene, infection control strategy, and staying up to date about the latest developments regarding the outbreak.
Conclusion
ChatGPT and Bard have the potential to be valuable tools for the general population during outbreaks of infectious diseases. However, advanced information for professionals might be impossible to be provided by ChatGPT PLUS and Google Bard at the time being.
Bnar J. Hama Amin, Dana H. Mohammed Saeed, Hadi Mohammed Abdullah, Zana H. Mahmood, Karokh Fadhil Hamahussein, Hussein M. Hamasalih, Sabah Jalal Hasan, Sanaa O. Karim, Marwan N. Hassan, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Berun A. Abdalla, Fakher Abdullah, Hiwa O. Abdullah, Jihad Ibrahim Hama, Sasan Mohammed Ahmed, Shvan H. Mohammed
Cardiopulmonary Complications Following COVID-19 Vaccinations: A Systematic Review
Bnar J. Hama Amin, Dana H. Mohammed Saeed, Hadi Mohammed Abdullah, Zana H. Mahmood, Karokh Fadhil...
Introduction
Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines were insufficient to detect uncommon adverse outcomes that are crucial for risk-benefit analyses and informing clinical practice post-vaccination. As a result, detection of infrequent adverse events has become a global research priority. The current study aims to estimate the rate of cardiopulmonary complications associated with COVID-19 vaccination.
Methods
Two databases and one search engine were explored to identify English language-related studies published up to January 2023.
Results
The literature search turned up a total of 3974 relevant studies. Of them, 37 articles matched the inclusion criteria. Overall, seven studies from the United States. The mean age of patients was 25 years and about 77% of them were male. The most common reported consequence was inflammatory heart disease (myo-peri-cariditis), followed by pulmonary embolism (17%), and myocardial infarction (5%). The majority of complications were reported following mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly following the administration of the second dose. Pfizer has a slightly higher risk of cardiac complications following vaccination (4.1 per 100000 persons) than Moderna (3.7 per 100,000 persons).
Conclusion
Although cardiopulmonary complications associated with COVID-19 vaccinations are uncommon, they can be life-threatening. Therefore, more large-scale observational studies and review articles of those studies are strongly recommended.
Hawbash M. Rahim, Omer Ates, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Marwan N. Hassan, Berun A. Abdalla, Hiwa O. Abdullah, Shvan H. Mohammed, Rawezh Q. Salih, Fakher Abdullah
The Role of G1/S Phase Cyclins in Colorectal Cancer: A Review
Hawbash M. Rahim, Omer Ates, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Marwan N. Hassan, Berun A. Abdalla, Hiwa O....
Colorectal cancer is a highly prevalent cancer with a high mortality rate. Although the colorectal carcinogenesis mechanism is not fully understood yet, it has been proven that most cancers result from the accumulation of genetic mutations, mostly in the genes responsible for cell cycle regulation, leading to uncontrolled and excessive cell growth. Hence, cyclins may have a significant role in cancer development and progression. Although many studies have been carried out on the expression of these cyclin proteins to indicate their role in colorectal cancer development and their correlation with patient outcome, the currently available data is quite controversial; thus, no certain conclusions can be made. This review article summarizes current knowledge regarding the role of G1/S cyclins, such as cyclin D, E, and A, in colorectal cancer and discusses their potential as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Hence, it may provide the groundwork for future research.
Non-Sacrococcygeal Pilonidal Sinus: A Systematic Review of a Growing Rare Disease
Ranj A. Hasan, Fakher Abdullah, Bokan Talib Saeed
Introduction
Clinical courses and management options for non-sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus diseases have never been agreed on by the experts. The aim of this review is to collect, analyze, present, and discuss the management of pilonidal sinuses occurring in the body other than the sacrococcygeal regions.
Methods
PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE and Google Scholar were explored for the related keywords. The inclusion criteria included those articles that mentioned at least the presentation and management of non-sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinuses. The collected data were re-analyzed (meta-data) and presented in the form of tables for a few variables and others were presented without analysis (review data).
Results
In 56 studies, 447 cases of non-sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinuses were found. About 367 (82%) were male. The mean age of presentation was 24.66 ranging from 8 to 70 years. The most prevalent site was the umbilicus (390 cases; 87.2%) followed by the mammary region (17 cases; 3.8%). The most prevalent clinical presentation of umbilical pilonidal sinus was swelling, discharge, and pain (83%). Only discharge was found in 20% and in 1.5% of the cases associated with bleeding. The most common management modality (187, 47.9%) was hair removal with regular dressing.
Conclusion
Non-sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus is a rare variant of the disease. Among them, umbilical pilonidal sinus is the most prevalent one. Swelling, discomfort, and discharge are the usual presenting symptoms. Non-sacrococcygeal PNDs are managed by excision and primary suturing apart from umbilical PND which is usually treated by conservative measures.
Soran H. Tahira, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Dlsoz M. Hussein, Shorsh A. Mohammed, Rezheen J. Rshid, Karzan M. Salih, Shvan H. Mohammed, Hussein M. Hamasalih, Abdulwahid M. Salih
Behcet’s Disease Presenting with Focal Fibrosing Mediastinitis and SVC Thrombosis: A Case Report with Review of Literature
Soran H. Tahira, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Dlsoz M. Hussein, Shorsh A. Mohammed, Rezheen J. Rshid,...
Introduction
Behcet's disease is a rare, multisystemic disease marked by vasculitis and a triad of recurrent oral and genital mucosa ulcers, as well as relapsing uveitis and thrombophlebitis. Mediastinal fibrosis is extremely rare in Behcet's disease.
Case presentation
We present ultrasound and computed tomography (CT scan) in a 26-year male with mediastinal fibrosis and superior vena cava (SVC) thrombosis, with thrombus in left internal jugular veins (IJV) associated with Behcet’s disease.
Conclusion
Behcet's disease can cause mediastinal fibrosis in rare cases. CT and MRI are efficient methods for detecting mediastinal fibrosis and superior vena cava thrombosis.
Aortic Root Enlargement During Redo Aortic Valve Replacement for Prosthetic Aortic Valve Dysfunction: A Case Report
Saif S. Almodhaffer, Okba F. Ahmed, Zaid A. Zaid, Fahmi H. Kakamad, Dana H. Mohammed-Saeed, Berun...
Introduction
A variety of procedures for enlarging the aortic root have been described. The aim of the current study is to report a case of Redo aortic valve replacement that underwent Aortic root enlargement using a novel method.
Case presentation
A 32-year-old female with a history of severely stenotic aortic valve prothesis developed recurrent attacks of syncope and dyspnea on minimal effort. She had a past surgical history of AVR. Under general anesthesia in supine position re-sternotomy was done. The newly developed technique was done for the aortic root enlargement. There were no significant intra-operative complications. The patient remained two days in the Cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) and 15 days in the ward.
Conclusion
The technique previously described by Yang et al. can be used safely and efficiently to enlarge the aortic root in patients who have had redo aortic valve replacement.
