Leveraging journal citation-based metrics for enhanced university rankings methodology.

This paper proposes a novel framework for evaluating research performance in university rankings, utilizing journal citation-based metrics and scholarly output instead of traditional article citation metrics. Through correlation analysis, we compare the proposed metrics with article citation metrics used by prominent ranking systems (THE and QS) and demonstrate significantly higher correlations with established rankings (QS, THE, and ARWU). The proposed metrics exhibit robustness over time and offer a fairer evaluation by emphasizing objective performance and mitigating citation biases.

Nutrition knowledge among pregnant women in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Women's knowledge of the nutritional guidelines during pregnancy can affect the health and nutritional status of both mother and child. Having good nutritional information related to maternal dietary intake and healthy lifestyles is therefore of great importance. However, there is limited published research that demonstrates pregnant women's knowledge of the nutritional guidelines during pregnancy in Lebanon.

Scientific misconduct: A cross-sectional study of the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of Spanish researchers.

This study sought to identify the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of Spanish researchers regarding different aspects relating to scientific misconduct, both overall and by gender, years of research experience, and type of research institution. This is a cross-sectional study based on an anonymous online survey, targeting researchers in the field of biomedicine. The survey comprised a first block (13 questions) covering sociodemographic data, and a second block (14 questions) covering researchers' perceptions, attitudes and experiences.

Assessing Health Care Providers' Knowledge and Practices of Nutrition during Pregnancy in Lebanon: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Health care professionals (HCPs) are well-positioned to discuss healthy behaviors during pregnancy, but the published research of prenatal healthcare providers' knowledge about the significance of nutrition during pregnancy in Lebanon is scarce. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Lebanese prenatal healthcare providers towards nutrition during pregnancy. A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted.

Access of Syrian refugees to COVID-19 testing in Lebanon.

Background: Polymerase chain reaction is a well-known method for testing COVID-19 infection, however, refugee populations often face difficulties in accessing testing. Several structural and cultural challenges have hindered access of Syrian refugees to COVID-19 testing in Lebanon, including financial barriers, stigma, and low perception of vulnerability.

Aims: To explore barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing by Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Social media addiction in university students in Lebanon and its effect on student performance.

This study aims to assess addiction to social media among university students and to explore the association of addiction to social media with academic performance. A random sample of 997 university students filled in a self-administered questionnaire using Google form (response rate 81%). The questionnaire adopted a validated scale (Social Media Addiction Scale, SMAS) and included questions about socio-demographics.

Online breast-feeding support groups as a community asset in Lebanon after Beirut explosion.

Objective: Breast-feeding rates are unsatisfactory in Lebanon. Social media groups could play an important role in promoting breast-feeding in normal conditions and post crisis. The aim of this study is to identify breast-feeding challenges, facilitators and assets and to describe how community assets via social media could build community resilience to pandemic's and disaster's effects.

Conspiracy beliefs and vaccination intent for COVID-19 in an infodemic.

Background: The massive, free and unrestricted exchange of information on the social media during the Covid-19 pandemic has set fertile grounds for fear, uncertainty and the rise of fake news related to the virus. This "viral" spread of fake news created an "infodemic" that threatened the compliance with public health guidelines and recommendations.

Objective: This study aims to describe the trust in social media platforms and the exposure to fake news about COVID-19 in Lebanon and to explore their association with vaccination intent.

Sleep Quality and Performance in Professional Athletes Fasting during the Month of Ramadan.

Background: Maintaining physical performance during Ramadan Diurnal Fasting (RDF) is a challenge for professional athletes. The literature shows that sleep disturbances experienced by athletes during RDF are associated with reduced physical performance. The effect of sleep quality on physical performance, and the effect of work status on physical performance during RDF among athletes, besides engaging in trainings, have been little investigated.

Knowledge, attitude and practices related to COVID-19 among young Lebanese population.

Background: As the world faces the most serious and widespread pandemic in recent history, claiming nearly 1,945,610 lives and infecting over 90 million individuals up to January 13, 2021, controlling the spread of COVID-19 is still limited to efforts done by the general population implementing rules and restrictions passed by world governments and organizations. As we wait for the approved vaccines to become widely distributed, the best approach to fighting the spread of this disease is mostly preventative depending largely on individuals' compliance. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 in Lebanon.

Energy drinks consumption and perceptions among University Students in Beirut, Lebanon: A mixed methods approach.

Background: Energy drinks (ED) are caffeine- and sugar-rich beverages with other ingredients that are marketed for their energy-boosting and performance-enhancing effects. The consumption of these drinks, with and without alcohol, is dramatically increasing worldwide, despite the reported side effects and potential harms to consumers. Few studies, to date, have explored the perceptions and experiences of young adults towards these beverages.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases Produced by Colonizing Pregnant Women.

Introduction: Infections caused by extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria continue to be a challenge for choosing the appropriate therapy since they may exhibit coresistance to many other classes of antibiotics. The aim of the study was to screen pregnant women for ESBL producing bacteria in Beirut, Lebanon, to examine their phenotypic and genotypic characterization and to study the association between ESBL colonization with adverse neonatal outcomes.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, vaginal samples from 308 pregnant women at 35-37 weeks of gestation were studied during a one-year period.

Antibiotic use and resistance: an unprecedented assessment of university students' knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) in Lebanon.

Background: The emergence and spread of pathogenic bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics has become a major public health concern. The incorrect prescription, inappropriate consumption and excess use of antimicrobial drugs, specifically antibiotics, are possibly the main factors contributing to the widespread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards the use of antibiotics as well as their resistance among Lebanese university students in health and non-health related majors.

Prevalence and antifungal susceptibility of Candida albicans causing vaginal discharge among pregnant women in Lebanon.

Background: Vaginal candidiasis is frequent in pregnant women and is associated with sepsis and adverse neonatal outcomes. This study determined the prevalence of candida species in symptomatic pregnant women and evaluated the antifungal susceptibility profile of the isolated Candida strains. It also aimed to explore whether Candida species predicts gestational complications and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) Among Lebanese College Students.

Internet addiction is an emergent problem; yet, both a strong conception of the factors precipitating challenging activities and a gold standard tool for evaluating symptoms are deficient. The aim of this study was to carry out a psychometric analysis using the most commonly employed screening tool, the young Internet Addiction Test (IAT), comprising a sample of Lebanese University medical students. Two hundred and fifty-six undergraduate medical students from a university in Beirut, Lebanon were included in our IAT.

Justifying abuse of women migrant domestic workers in Lebanon: the opinion of recruitment agencies.

Objective: Gender-based violence against women migrant domestic workers (WMDW) is a serious public health concern in the Middle East region. The current study is the first to explore abuse of WMDW as perceived by recruitment agency managers.

Method: A qualitative study was conducted using 42 personal semi-structural interviews with agency managers in Lebanon.

Challenges in implementing opioid agonist therapy in Lebanon: a qualitative study from a user's perspective.

Background: Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) has been implemented for the treatment of individuals with opioid use disorders in Lebanon since 2011, but has not been evaluated yet. The aim of the study is to describe the implementation of the first pilot OAT program in Lebanon from the users' perspective.

Methods: Data collectors gathered data from male participants during June 2016-July 2016.

Opiate agonist treatment to improve health of individuals with opioid use disorder in Lebanon.

Background: Opioid agonist therapy has been widely used to reduce harms among individuals with opioid use disorder but its effectiveness has not been evaluated in the Middle East North African (MENA) region. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a program using opioid agonist therapy in combination with psychosocial support on improving psychological and social well-being, reducing arrest, and reducing risky behavior in individuals with opioid use disorder in Lebanon.

Methods: A one-group pre-test post-test design study was performed at SKOUN Lebanese Addiction Centre between January 2013 and December 2014.

Barriers to Access to Sterile Syringes as Perceived by Pharmacists and Injecting Drug Users: Implications for Harm Reduction in Lebanon.

Background: Access to sterile syringes to injecting drug users (IDU) reduces sharing behavior and prevents the transmission of HIV.

Objectives: To describe the barriers to access to sterile syringes for IDUs in Lebanon from the perspectives of pharmacists and IDUs.

Methods: in this qualitative study conducted in Lebanon, data were collected from 72 syringe purchase tests at pharmacies, 64 interviewees with pharmacists and 2 focus groups with injecting drug users.

Torture and Long-Term Health Effects Among Lebanese Female Political Prisoners.

Lebanese prisoners during the Israeli occupation of Lebanon (1981-1999) were subject to regular torture. We examined the association between torture events and post-traumatic stress and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among former women political prisoners. We conducted a retrospective survey and performed health check-ups among 108 former women prisoners.

Evaluation of chromogenic medium and direct latex agglutination test for detection of group B streptococcus in vaginal specimens from pregnant women in Lebanon and Kuwait.

This study was undertaken to evaluate chromogenic medium and a direct latex agglutination test (DLA) for detection of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in the vaginal specimens of pregnant women, and to ascertain the prevalence of GBS in this population in Kuwait and Lebanon. Vaginal swabs, collected from women at 35-37 weeks of gestation, were cultured on 5 % sheep blood agar (SBA), colistin nalidixic acid agar (CNA), Strept B Select chromogenic agar (SBS) as well as Lim enrichment broth in 168 cases in Lebanon while only SBA was used for 1391 samples in Kuwait. In addition, vaginal samples from 102 GBS-positive and 20 GBS-negative women near the time of delivery were collected in Kuwait for evaluation of the DLA test.

Work-related stress and urinary catecholamines among laboratory technicians.

Objectives: Work-related psychosocial hazards are associated with adverse health outcomes among workers. The association between psychosocial hazards and physiological health outcomes among laboratory technicians has not been studied previously. The objective of this study was to measure the association between work-related psychosocial hazards and the level of urinary catecholamines of laboratory technicians.

Exposure to psychosocial risks at work in prisons: does contact with inmates matter? A pilot study among prison workers in Spain.

Research has lately increased its focus on work conditions as predictors of stress among prison workers but only few studies have focused on how the exposure of workers to psychosocial risks vary according to their occupational groups and their contact with inmates. Work psychosocial risks (demands, control and social support) were assessed using the Spanish version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire among 164 Spanish prison workers (43 per cent of those surveyed). Regression analysis was used to explore how psychosocial hazards and their combinations (outcome variables) vary according to occupational groups.