Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Mustard gas exposure in Iran–Iraq war – A scientometric study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Zary Nokhodian
. Firoozeh ZareFarashbandi 1
. Parisa Shoaei 2

1 Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, Health Information Technology Research Center

2 Nosocomial Infection Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
Background: The Iranian victims of sulfur mustard attack are now more than 20 years post‑exposure
and form a valuable cohort for studying the chronic effects of an exposure to sulfur mustard.
Articles on sulfur mustard exposure in Iran–Iraq war were reviewed using three known international
databases such as Scopus, Medline, and ISI. The objectives of the study were measurement of
the author‑wise distribution, year‑wise distribution, subject area wise, and assessment of highly
cited articles. Materials and Methods: We searched three known international databases,
Scopus, Medline, and the international statistical institute (ISI), for articles related to mustard gas
exposure in Iran–Iraq war, published between 1988 and 2012. The results were analyzed using
scientometric methods. Results: During the 24 years under examination, about 90 papers were
published in the field of mustard gas in Iran–Iraq war. Original article was the most used document
type forming 51.4% of all the publications. The number of articles devoted to mustard gas and
Iran–Iraq war research increased more than 10‑fold, from 1 in 1988 to 11 in 2011. Most of the
published articles (45.7%) included clinical and paraclinical investigations of sulfur mustard in
Iranian victims. The most highly productive author was Ghanei who occupied the first rank in the
number of publications with 20 papers. The affiliation of most of the researchers was Baqiyatallah
Medical Sciences University (research center of chemical injuries and dermatology department)
in Iran. Conclusion: This article has highlighted the quantitative share of Iran in articles on sulfur
mustard and lays the groundwork for further research on various aspects of related problems.

Keywords

Iran–Iraq war
mustard gas
scientometric study
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 5, Issue 4
Summer 2015
Pages 1-6

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