BackgroundTo meet the future challenges of infectious diseases and limit the spread of multidrug resistant microorganisms, a better understanding of published studies in the field of infectious diseases is needed. The objective of this study was to analyze the quantity and quality of research activity in the field of infectious diseases in Arab countries and compare it with that in non-Arab countries.MethodsDocuments published in Arab countries within the research category of “infectious diseases” were extracted and analyzed using the Web of Science database. The data analyzed represent research productivity during the time interval between 1900 – 2012.ResultsWorldwide, the total number of documents published in the field of infectious diseases up to 2012 was 227,188. A total of 2,408 documents in the field of infectious diseases were published in Arab countries, which represents 1.06% of worldwide research output. Research output from Arab countries in the field of infectious diseases was low for decades. However, approximately a five-fold increase was observed in the past decade. Arab countries ranked 56th to 218th on the standard competition ranking (SCR) in worldwide publications in the field of infectious diseases. Egypt, with a total publication of 464 (19.27%) documents ranked first among Arab countries, while Kuwait University was the most productive institution with a total of 158 (6.56%) documents. Average citation per document published in Arab countries was 13.25 and the h-index was 64. Tuberculosis (230; 9.55%), malaria (223; 9.26%), and hepatitis (189; 7.8%) were the top three infectious diseases studied as according to the retrieved documents.ConclusionThe present data reveals that some Arab countries contribute significantly to the field of infectious diseases. However, Arab countries need to work harder to bridge the gap in this field. Compared with non-Arab countries in the Middle East, research output from Arab countries was high, but more efforts are needed to enhance the quality of this output. Future research in the field should be encouraged and correctly directed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2049-9957-4-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Osteoporosis is an important health problem with serious consequences. Evaluation of osteoporosis scientific output from Arab countries has not been explored and there are few internationally published reports on research activity about osteoporosis. The main objectives of this study were to analyze the research output originating from Arab countries and 3 Middle Eastern non-Arab countries, particularly Israel, Turkey and Iran in the field of osteoporosis. Original scientific articles or reviews published from the 21 Arab countries, Israel, Turkey and Iran about “osteoporosis” were screened using the ISI Web of Science database. The time frame for the result was up to year 2012. The total number of original and review research articles published globally about osteoporosis was 43,571. The leading country in osteoporosis research was United States of America (14,734; 33.82%). Worldwide, Turkey ranked 16th while Israel and Iran ranked 24th and 31st respectively. Among Arab countries, Egypt and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came on positions 41 and 45 respectively. A total of 426 documents about “osteoporosis” were published from Arab countries which represents 0.98% of the global research output. Research about osteoporosis from Arab countries was very low until 2002 and then increased steadily. The total number of citations for osteoporosis documents from the Arab world was 5551 with an average citation of 13.03 per document and an h- index of 35. Thirty (7.04%) documents published from Arab countries about osteoporosis were published in Saudi Medical Journal. Egypt, with a total publication of 117 (27.47%) ranked first among the Arab countries in research about osteoporosis while American University in Beirut was the most productive institution with a total of 47 (11.03%) documents. Compared with other non-Arab countries in the Middle East, the research productivity from the Arab countries was lesser than that from Turkey and Israel but higher than that from Iran. The present data showed low research productivity in osteoporosis field in Arab countries. Research output can be improved by investing in more international and national collaborative research projects in the field of osteoporosis.

Background Pharmacogenomics testing aims to optimise therapy and reduce the inter‐individual variation in drug response. One of the major barriers against the implementation of pharmacogenomics testing is the low level of knowledge on the topic. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the need for pharmacogenomics education among pharmacists in the West Bank of Palestine. Methods This study was cross‐sectional and included 370 pharmacists, among different cities in the West Bank of Palestine between October and December 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 25 close‐ended questions that evaluated the exposure to pharmacogenomics education, attitude toward the role of pharmacogenomics testing in clinical practice and self‐capability of pharmacists in pharmacogenomics testing. Results It was found that 60% of the respondents disagreed that pharmacogenomics was an integral part of the pharmacy school curriculum and/or experiential education. The vast majority of the respondents (94%) agreed that pharmacists should be required to have some knowledge of pharmacogenomics. The majority of the respondents (88.6%) believe that pharmacogenomics testing will improve pharmacists' ability to more effectively control drug therapy expenditures. However, only 38% of the respondents could identify medications that require pharmacogenomics testing, and only 35.1% could identify reliable sources of information regarding pharmacogenomics for healthcare providers and patients. Conclusion It is seen from the results of this study that there is a high need to learn about pharmacogenomics testing, which can help the pharmacists make pharmacotherapy decisions. Additionally, current pharmacists have low self‐confidence in making decisions depending on the results of pharmacogenomics testing. It is recommended to increase the exposure of pharmacogenomics knowledge by including the subject in courses and workshops in pharmacy school curricula in the West Bank of Palestine.

Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is characterized by pre- and post-natal growth restriction that spares head growth, feeding difficulties, and variable dysmorphic facial features without major malformations. Hypomethylation of the paternal 11p15 imprinting control region 1 (ICR1) and maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 are found in 50-60% and in 5-10% of SRS patients, respectively. We report on the pre- and post-natal features of three unrelated SRS patients with unusual congenital heart defects (CHDs). Two patients born prematurely had total anomalous pulmonary venous return and died shortly after birth, and a third patient, now 4 years old, had cor triatriatum sinistrum, which was surgically corrected. In all three patients, the underlying molecular defect was 11p15 ICR1 hypomethylation. Based on a large cohort with molecularly proven SRS, the prevalence of CHD in SRS is estimated at 5.5%. We suggest that the occurrence of CHD in SRS with 11p15 ICR1 hypomethylation is not coincidental, but specific to this genotype.

Purpose This study aims to assess the effect of the COVID‐19 confinement on the population wellbeing using the EQ‐5D questionnaire. Methods After receiving the written permission from the EuroQol Research Foundation, an online‐based survey was prepared and a total of 1380 participants were recruited via social media. The relationships of all the factors were studied as well as the scores of the EQ‐5D including EQ‐5D Index, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and each of the EQ‐5D dimension. Linear regression for the Index and VAS and Logistic regression model was used to examine each dimension. Results The median EQ‐5D Index and VAS scores were 0.65 (0.5‐0.75) and 80 (60‐90), respectively. The most frequently reported problem was anxiety/depression (67.3%), followed by usual activities (48.6%). The statistical analysis showed that factors significantly associated with more reported problems in at least one EQ‐5D dimension ( P < .05) were: females, ageing, being unmarried, low income, school studies, living in refugee camps, and villages, unemployment, having chronic diseases or pain, and obesity. It is important to note that participants who responded in November showed more problems compared with December 2020. On the other hand, more problems were reported by participants who were infected, had known affected persons, had no enough information, perceived negative effect of confinement, and indicated having a high infection chance ( P < .05). Conclusions This work provides important evidence on the health status and wellbeing during the COVID‐19 confinement in a sample of the Palestinian population, affecting almost all the aspects of the health state and wellbeing. This effect could be minimised by improving the COVID‐19 preventive education and monitoring that can play an important role in all health and life aspects among the Palestinian population in facing this pandemic.