Evaluation of Open-Access Journals in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

A retrospective observational study was conducted to evaluate open-access journals in obstetrics and gynaecology, published between 2011 and 2019. Journals were classified based on their registration in open-access journal directories. Of 176 journals, 47 were not registered. Journals registered in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) demonstrated good overall quality, and their journal metrics were significantly higher than those of non-registered journals or journals registered in other directories. The lack of editor names and indexing information on a journal's website are the most distinctive features of non-registered journals. Non-registration in an open-access journal directory indicates a lack of transparency and may ultimately indicate that a journal is predatory.

Pre and post-conceptional abdominal cerclage by laparoscopy or laparotomy.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of abdominal cerclage via laparoscopy vs laparotomy and before vs after conception. We evaluated 16 studies of abdominal cerclage involving a total of 678 cases published between 1990 and 2013. We estimated the effect of laparotomy over laparoscopy and the effect of preconceptional over postconceptional cerclage using a generalized linear model by treating the success rates (third-trimester delivery and live birth) as dependent variables and laparotomy and preconceptional as independent factors. The results demonstrated that there was no difference in the rates of third-trimester delivery and live birth rates between preconceptional abdominal cerclage via laparoscopy (71.4%-83.3% and 90%-100%, respectively) or laparotomy (97.3%-100% and 100%, respectively). For postconceptional cerclage, the rates of third-trimester delivery and live birth via laparoscopy were 70% and 70% to 100%, respectively, and via laparotomy were 77.4% to 99.5% and 85.2% to 100%, respectively. There was no difference in the live birth rates when abdominal cerclage was performed before or during pregnancy. We concluded that the rates of third-trimester delivery and live birth after abdominal cerclage via laparoscopy are high and comparable to those via laparotomy. The efficacy of the procedure performed either before or during pregnancy is similar. Abdominal cerclage performed before conception is more practical than after conception. With the inherent advantages of laparoscopy over laparotomy, abdominal cerclage performed via laparoscopy is preferable, in particular when performed in non-pregnant women.

Preemptive use of gabapentin in abdominal hysterectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the evidence of preemptive use of gabapentin in abdominal hysterectomy. DATA SOURCES: We conducted an electronic based search using the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The following medical subject heading terms, keywords, and their combinations were used: "postoperative pain, hysterectomy, gynecologic surgical procedures, gabapentin, preemptive analgesia, and preemptive anesthesia." We manually searched the reference lists of identified studies. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials of women who underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, under general anesthesia were examined. Only trials with preoperative dose of gabapentin were included. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: The meta-analysis and systematic review were performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Fourteen trials met the inclusion criteria. The pooled data consisted of 448 cases in the gabapentin group and 443 others in the control group. The 24-hour cumulative narcotic consumption and the visual analog scale scores at 24 hours postoperatively were used for postoperative pain assessment. There was a significant decrease in morphine consumption at 24 hours when gabapentin was administered before surgery (from 24.3-55.9 mg to 13.2-42.7 mg, standardized mean difference -0.69) as well before and after surgery (from 25.7-80 mg to 20.3-55 mg, standardized mean difference -1.45), respectively. Metaregression analysis showed that the effect of gabapentin in reducing morphine consumption (compared with placebo) at 24 hours was stronger in the preoperative only group than in the preoperative and postoperative groups. Preemptive gabapentin decreased visual analog scale from 9-42.7 to 2-25.3 (standardized mean difference -1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.36 to -0.71). Compared with the control group (16.1-96.7%), the rate of nausea was less in the gabapentin group (11.6-70%, relative risk 0.76, 95% CI 0.66-0.88). CONCLUSION: Preemptive administration of gabapentin is effective in decreasing postoperative pain scores, narcotic consumption, and nausea, and vomiting. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.