Global Bibliometric Analysis of Leishmaniasis Literature for the Last 20 Years and Investigating the Contribution of Türkiye.

OBJECTIVE: Leishmaniasis is a global health problem seen in more than 98 countries. The aim of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of worldwide scientific outputs related to leishmaniasis and to provide a perspective for researchers on this topic. It also aimed to investigate the contribution of Türkiye to the leishmaniasis literature. METHODS: This study was conducted using scientometric methodologies on leishmaniasis in the Web of Science database between 2003 and 2022. The visualizations were made with Vosviewer program. The most published institutions and organizations, countries, authors, trends in the number of publications and citations by year, H-indexes of the mostly publishing countries, the most popular keywords, scientific collaborations between countries, and many other bibliometric parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: In the last 20 years, research on Leishmania has been conducted in 143 different countries/regions. Brazil is the leading country with 4.463 articles (29.071%). The United States of America, India, Iran, and Spain published more than 1.000 articles, followed by European countries (Spain, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy). CONCLUSION: The number of publications, especially in endemic areas, was found to be limited other than Brazil. Studies in this area should be supported to ensure the eradication of the disease.

Syphilis seroprevalence among HlV-infected males in Istanbul, Turkey / Seroprevalencia de la sífilis entre hombres infectados con el HIV en Estambul, Turquía

Abstract Syphilis has become a serious issue for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients worldwide in recent years; however, the studies related to HIV coinfection and syphilis reinfections in Istanbul, Turkey, are limited. Ourobjective was to determine the seroprevalence of syphilis among HIV-infected men in the city which has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in Turkey. Two hundred and forty four (244) HIV-positive men were evaluated at Istanbul Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology from March to June 2018. Serum samples were screened for the presence of antibodies against Treponema pallidum using the chemilumines-cent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). Samples found to be positive were investigated with the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test and the T. pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA). The patients completed a questionnaire for sociodemographic data. The mean age was found to be 41.8 years; 35.6% were men who havesexwith men (MSM). The overall seroprevalence of syphilis among the patients was 19.3%. MSM had a significantly higher seroprevalence than heterosexual patients (28.7%). In Turkey, there is a high seroprevalence of syphilis in HIV-infected patients, MSM being the most affected group. Therefore, HIV-infected patients should be screened for syphilis at least annually and should be informed about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Resumen En los últimos años, la sífilis se ha convertido en un problema grave para los pacientes infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (HIV) en todo el mundo; sin embargo, los estudios relacionados con la coinfección por HIV y las reinfecciones por sífilis en Estambul, Turquía, son limitados. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar la seroprevalencia de la sífilis entre los hombres infectados por el HIV en Estambul, ciudad con las tasas de prevalencia del HIV más altas de Turquía. Se evaluaron 244 hombres con HIV entre marzo y junio de 2018 en la Facultad de Medicina de Estambul, Departamento de Microbiología Médica. Las muestras de suero se analizaron para detectar la presencia de anticuerpos contra Treponema pallidum con un inmunoensayo de micropartículas quimioluminiscentes (CMIA). Las muestras que resultaron positivas en dicha prueba se investigaron con la prueba de reagina plasmática rápida (RPR) y el ensayo de hemoaglutinación T. pallidum (TPHA). Los pacientes completaron un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos. La media de la edad fue de 41,8 anos; 35,6% eran hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH). La seroprevalencia global de sífilis entre los pacientes fue del 19,3%. Los HSH tuvieron una seroprevalencia significativamente mayor que los pacientes heterosexuales (28,7%). En Turquía, existe una alta seroprevalencia de la sífilis en pacientes infectados por el HIV y los HSH son el grupo más afectado. Por lo tanto, los pacientes infectados por el HIV deben someterse a la detección de sífilis al menos una vez al año y deben ser informados sobre las enfermedades de transmisión sexual (ETS).

Syphilis seroprevalence among HIV-infected males in Istanbul, Turkey.

Syphilis has become a serious issue for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients worldwide in recent years; however, the studies related to HIV coinfection and syphilis reinfections in Istanbul, Turkey, are limited. Our objective was to determine the seroprevalence of syphilis among HIV-infected men in the city which has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in Turkey. Two hundred and forty four (244) HIV-positive men were evaluated at Istanbul Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology from March to June 2018. Serum samples were screened for the presence of antibodies against Treponema pallidum using the chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). Samples found to be positive were investigated with the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test and the T. pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA). The patients completed a questionnaire for sociodemographic data. The mean age was found to be 41.8 years; 35.6% were men who have sex with men (MSM). The overall seroprevalence of syphilis among the patients was 19.3%. MSM had a significantly higher seroprevalence than heterosexual patients (28.7%). In Turkey, there is a high seroprevalence of syphilis in HIV-infected patients, MSM being the most affected group. Therefore, HIV-infected patients should be screened for syphilis at least annually and should be informed about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).