Publication activity in water treatments: Web of Science-based bibliometric analysis of the last two decades.

We evaluated the quantity and quality of scientific publications linked with water treatments using the Web of Science (WoS) database. The WoS was searching by using the following terms "hydrotherapy," "balneotherapy," "spa therapy," "spa treatment," "creno-balneotherapy," "water treatments," and "aqua therapy," on February 10th, 2022. The recorded data were the total number of articles, year of articles, country of articles, journal, document type, index data, and citation data. Also, the studies performed with natural source mineral water were marked to make a further subgroup analysis through quality and quantity. We obtained 816 articles; 667 (81.74%) were original research articles, and 149 (18.26%) were review articles. A statistically significant and increasing trend was shown in the publication about water treatments (p < 0.01). About three-quarters of the trials were sourced from high-income countries. Italy (n = 98; 12.01%); Turkey (n = 75; 9.19%); Australia (n = 65; 7.97%); Brazil (n = 46; 5.64%); and France (n = 38; 4.66%) were the most productive countries. Calculating the number of articles per million population, Hungary (3.38), Australia (2.53), and Italy (1.64) ranked in the top three. According to 100 billion dollars GDP, the top three countries were Brazil (24.41), Hungary (21.15), and Turkey (10.41). In the average citation calculation, the Netherlands (60.84), Israel (29.86), and Australia (29.06) were in the top three. The International Journal of Biometeorology was the leading journal for publication trials about water treatments. In the subgroup analysis, we found the total number of studies performed with natural source mineral water and non-specified source water trials as 430 and 386, respectively. We also presented that the natural source and non-specified water trials had a statistically significant and increasing trend between 2000 and 2021 (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). The trials performed with natural source water mainly were sourced from Italy (n = 79; 18.37%), Turkey (n = 61; 14.19%), France (n = 38; 8.84%), Poland (n = 30; 6.98%), and Hungary (n = 29; 6.74%), the trials performed with non-specified water were sourced from Australia (n = 61; 15.80%), Brazil (n = 46; 11.92%), USA (n = 27; 6.99%), Italy (n = 19; 4.92%), and England (n = 18; 4.66%). The top journal of the natural source water trials was the International Journal of Biometeorology (n = 65; 15.12%), and for the non-specified water trials, it was the International Journal of Sports Physiology (n = 12; 3.11%).Our study presented an increasing trend in trial publications regarding water treatments between 2000 and 2021. Most of the trials were from high and upper-middle-income countries. We suggest that by demonstrating global productivity worldwide, our results can create more scientific attention on this topic and may promote the quantity and quality of the trials.

YouTube as a source of information for water treatments.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the quality and reliability of YouTube videos as a source of information in water treatments. We searched videos on YouTube ( www.youtube.com ) using the following keywords: "health resort medicine," "spa treatment," "spa therapy," "hydrotherapy," "thermal medicine," "balneology," and "balneotherapy" on June 17th, 2021. The global quality scale (GQS) was used to evaluate the quality of the videos. The assessment of reliability was evaluated using the modified DISCERN tool. Some other video parameters and sources of the videos were also recorded. One hundred twenty-one (121) videos were analyzed. The most common video source was advertisement (46.3%). GQS and modified DISCERN median scores were generally low. They were superior for "hydrotherapy" and "balneotherapy" and were also higher in videos uploaded by health-related persons or organizations (physicians, health-related professionals, and health-related websites). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between investigated parameters (like view ratio, number of likes, video power index, video length) and GQS. Only video length was correlated with modified DISCERN for investigated parameters. The median video power index scores were statistically higher for "spa therapy" and "spa treatment." The YouTube content linked with water treatments has poor quality and reliability most of time. The hydrotherapy and balneotherapy keywords have the best quality and reliability.We think that designers of water treatment videos should involve health professionals more often so that the content of their video will better explain the details of medical conditions or interventions.The scientific experts should ensure a consensus in terminology to straighten the awareness of water treatments for patients and physicians.

The importance of body core temperature evaluation in balneotherapy.

It is not wrong to say that there are no application standards or best practices in balneotherapy considering traditional applications. There is not enough information about how changes in body temperature, duration, and frequency of exposure to heat affect therapeutic outcomes of balneotherapeutic applications. Body core temperature (BCT) is probably the best parameter for expressing the heat load of the body and can be used to describe the causal relationship between heat exposure and its effects. There are several reasons to take BCT changes into account; for example, it can be used for individualized treatment planning, defining the consequences of thermal effects, developing disease-specific approaches, avoiding adverse effects, and designing clinical trials. The reasons why BCT changes should be considered instead of conventional measures will be discussed while explaining the effects of balneotherapy in this article, along with a discussion of BCT measurement in balneotherapy practice.

Serum fetuin-A levels in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: One of the functions of fetuin-A is the restriction of formation and expansion ofextraosseous hydroxyapatite crystals. TIhe exact correlation of fetuin-A with bone mineral density (BMD) has not been clearly elucidated yet. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between BMD and fetuin-A in postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty postmenopausal women (25 with osteoporosis, 25 healthy controls) were included in the study. All participants were comparable for age and body mass index. None of the osteoporotic patients had received any medical treatment for osteoporosis. Serum fetuin-A levels were measured by ELISA method. RESULTS: BMD scores of the groups were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Serum fetuin-A levels of the osteoporosis group were significantly lower compared to the control group (P = 0.009). Additionally, there was there was a mild to moderate positive correlation between fetuin-A and lumbar (r = 0.381, P = 0.06) and femoral (r = 0.143, P = 0.50) BMD in the osteoporotic group, though it did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Decreased fetuin-A levels in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis suggest that fetuin-A may have a role in the development of osteoporosis. Further studies are required to define the exact role of fetuin-A in bone metabolism.

Evaluation of secondary causes that may lead to bone loss in women with osteoporosis: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Secondary causes (SC) that may lead to bone loss and their frequencies have been rarely studied among the population with osteoporosis. In this study, we aimed to describe the frequencies of SC in women with osteoporosis based on outpatient clinic data. METHODS: This is a retrospective chart review of 1,004 osteoporotic women (947 postmenopausal; 57 premenopausal) attended to our outpatient clinic at a tertiary-care centre between March 1998-July 2005. SC and their frequencies were detected in their patient data. RESULTS: At least one SC was observed in 221 patients (22%). A total of 200 of them were at postmenopausal stage and 21 of them were at premenopausal stage. Hypercalciuria (n = 94), thyrotoxicosis (n = 39), and glucocorticoid therapy (n = 29) were the most common disorders in our patient group. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of SC that may lead to bone loss among women with osteoporosis is not as low as estimated. All premenopausal osteoporosis patients should be examined for SC. SC should be also taken into account postmenopausal patients as well.

Magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium levels in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Can magnesium play a key role in osteoporosis?

INTRODUCTION: There has been a resurgence of interest in studies concerning the role of elements in the development and maintenance of the skeleton. The aim of the study was to assess the plasma and red blood concentrations of some elements in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-seven postmenopausal women with osteoporosis aged 61 years (median interquartile range, 7.5; range, 46 to 74) and 61 age- and BMI-matched healthy postmenopausal women aged 60 years (median interquartile range, 8.0; range, 44 to 76) were included in the study. Element concentrations in plasma and red blood cells including magnesium (Mg), zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in both postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and healthy postmenopausal women. RESULTS: Only statistically significant difference between the osteoporotic (51.51 [15.40] microg/mL) and healthy subjects (54.54 [15.42] microg/mL) was observed in red blood cell (RBC) magnesium concentration (Z=-2.07, P=0.039). However, no significant difference was found between patient and control groups, both in plasma and in red blood concentrations, for zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium. CONCLUSION: Mg levels in red blood cells are significantly lower in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. It is concluded that Mg transport mechanism(s) into the cell could be affected in patients with osteoporosis.

Does mud pack treatment have any chemical effect? A randomized controlled clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to reveal the efficacy of mud pack treatment in patients with knee osteoarthritis and to find the contribution of chemical factors to the build up of these effects. METHODS: Sixty patients were randomly assigned to directly applied mud pack (study) group or to nylon-covered mud pack (control) group. Thirty patients in the study group had mud application 15 times to both knees: heated mud, up to 43 degrees C, was applied to skin directly for 30 minutes. Thirty patients in the control group had the same treatment as the study group except heated mud was applied over an impermeable nylon pack. Primary outcome measures of the study were the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index, pain intensity on a visual analog scale (VAS), patient's assessment of disease severity index, physician's assessment of disease severity index, and analgesic consumption. The patients were evaluated before and after (end of 15th application) the intervention and followed up for 24 weeks at 4-week intervals. The results were assessed on an intent-to-treat basis. RESULTS: As compared to the baseline, significant decreases were observed in WOMAC, pain intensity, disease severity index scores, and analgesic consumption in both groups after the intervention. Observed improvements in the study group were found to be superior to the control during the whole postintervention follow-up, except for analgesic consumption in the third week. A significant number of patients in the study group showed minimal clinically important improvement as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Mud pack treatment significantly improved the pain and functional status of patients with knee osteoarthritis, whether applied directly or coated with nylon. Direct application was found to be superior, which implies chemical properties of the mud contribute to the build up of therapeutic effect.

Lipophilic components of different therapeutic mud species.

OBJECTIVE: Mud, which contains organic and mineral ingredients, is used for the treatment of several degenerative diseases. It has been proposed that beneficial effects of mud are not only related to its local thermal effects, but also to its chemical components. Unlike hydrophilic components, the lipophilic components of the mud extract have not been described precisely thus far. Thus, we aimed to determine the lipophilic components of the different mud species. METHODS: Three different mud species (e.g., krenogen, tone, and fango) were analyzed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: There were organic substances with fatty-acid structures found in the structure of mud. Torf mud species contain the most compounds. The compounds of three mud species differ from each other. CONCLUSIONS: The chemical structure of mud does not only contain hydrophilic organic substances, such as humic, fulmic, and ulmic acids, but also low-molecular-weighted organic substances composed of fatty acids in the majority. Moreover, it would not be appropriate to explain mud with a single term, since it has different chemical structures and a new classification of the mud species is required.

Plasma soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 levels are increased in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) is a mediator in the recruitment of leukocytes in the glomerular cells. The role of ICAM-1 in diabetic complications is still a matter of debate. This study was performed to investigate the relation of plasma soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) to nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Ninety-three patients (24 males and 69 females) with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included into the study. Fifty patients had nephropathy, and 43 were free from nephropathy. Fifty healthy subjects (14 males and 36 females) served as the control group (group 1). Twenty-five of the diabetic patients had microalbuminuria (group 2), 25 had macroalbuminuria (group 3), and 43 had neither micro- nor macroalbuminuria (group 4). The plasma sICAM-1 levels were measured in blood samples drawn after fasting. RESULTS: The mean plasma sICAM-1 levels were not different in the 93 diabetic patients as compared with the healthy controls (392.7 +/- 119.5 vs. 350.1 +/- 90.2 ng/ml, p > 0.05). The mean sICAM-1 level was significantly higher in the diabetic patients with nephropathy than in those without nephropathy (430.3 +/- 78.2 vs. 368.2 +/- 122.5 ng/ml, p = 0.03) and in the controls (430.3 +/- 78.2 vs. 350.1 +/- 90.2 ng/ml, p = 0.016). The difference in sICAM-1 levels between groups 2 and 3 was not significant (p > 0.05). The plasma sICAM-1 levels were significantly higher in both groups 2 and 3 than in both groups 1 and 4 (434.5 +/- 129.2 vs. 427.2 +/- 113.7 ng/ml and 368.2 +/- 122.5 vs. 350.1 +/- 90.2 ng/ml, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The plasma sICAM-1 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are not significantly different from those in nondiabetic subjects. High levels of sICAM-1 suggest that sICAM-1 may play a role in the development of nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.