دکتر سید رضا حسینی ذیجود

The integrity of scientific research is crucial for advancing knowledge, and the retraction of articles has emerged as a vital mechanism for upholding this integrity. However, the implications of retracted articles on researcher evaluationsparticularly concerning academic scores, H-index calculations, and journal impact factors-remain contentious. This commentary offers a comprehensive overview of how article retractions should be assessed concerning researcher and journal metrics. By synthesizing existing literature, the researcher highlighted the need for improved research evaluation practices and proposed recommendations to mitigate the adverse effects of retractions on these metrics. In addition, the researcher emphasizes the importance of transparency, contextual evaluation, and institutional policies to ensure fair academic assessments. Additionally, the present commentary discusses the underlying causes of retractions, their frequency, and the potential consequences for researchers whose work has been retracted. Finally, the researcher invited mathematicians, statisticians, ethicists, and researchers from various disciplines to develop new formulas and metrics considering retractions' consequences.

Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The frequency of trauma-related deaths depends on various factors such as the severity and mechanism of the trauma. This study aimed to determine the frequency, causes, and outcomes of trauma in patients referred to the emergency department of Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital, Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2021. A case-series study was conducted, examining the medical files of 4689 trauma patients referred to the emergency department of Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital in 2021. Data on age, gender, marital status, place of residence, mode of transportation to the hospital, reasons for admission (extremity trauma, head and neck trauma, thorax trauma, abdominal trauma, spine trauma, multiple trauma), type of trauma (blunt or penetrating), and mechanisms of trauma (traffic accidents, falls, fights, burns, electrocutions, work-related accidents) were recorded. The mortality rate and factors influencing it were also evaluated. Among 4,689 trauma patients, the most common reasons for admission were organ trauma (46.4%), multiple trauma (23.5%), and cervical spine trauma (21.7%). The most common mechanisms of trauma were traffic accidents (68.3%) and fights (17.2%). Most patients (3506, 74.8%) had penetrating trauma. A total of 68 patients (1.5%) died from trauma. Significant factors related to mortality included old age (p<0.001), male gender (p=0.028), transportation by ambulance (p<0.001), initial admission to the trauma emergency department (p<0.001), hospitalization in the emergency or orthopedics department (p<0.001), and cause of trauma (extremity trauma, head and neck trauma, multiple trauma) (p=0.002). The findings of the present study showed that 1.5% of all deaths was due to trauma. Significant factors related to mortality included old age, male gender, transportation by ambulance, admission and hospitalization in the emergency department, and the cause of trauma. Although traffic accidents and fights were the most common mechanisms of trauma and car accidents caused the highest mortality rate, these findings were not significantly correlated with death.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China (1). Iran was the 25th country affected by COVID-19. According to the Iranian Ministry of Health, every 12 minutes, one person dies in Iran because of COVID-19. After a 3.5-fold and 12.9-fold increase in the number of COVID-19 affected people and deaths, respectively in the second two weeks compared with the first two weeks after the official announcement of COVID-19 on February 19, 2020, in Iran (2), the coincidence of this epidemic with the celebration of New Year Eve, may lead to a human and health catastrophe in Iran. Nowruz (New Year Eve) is the first day of the Iranian New Year on March 20 (or the previous or following day). It marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and takes place with celebrations. Before the start of the New Year in Iran on March 20, all 31 provinces were affected by COVID-19, with some provinces including Qom, Tehran, Guilan reporting the highest prevalence rates (2). The preparations for the celebration of New Year's Eve in Iran include shopping in crowded markets and beginning of the New Year Eve holiday in Iran (6 official days for administrations and 13 days for schools and universities) is along with traveling, that accelerates human-to-human transmission, effectively spreading SARS-CoV-2 (3). Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 during Nowruz, abroad travel had decreased, but domestic travel in Iran had not stopped. Despite the closing of museums and recreation centers, and repeated official announcements that no amenities will be offered, Nowruz trips continued. Besides domestic tourism attractions in Iran as a four-season country, many people in big cities are returned to their villages and hometowns for the New Year's holiday to visit their parents or grandparents. These visits can lead to an increased prevalence of COVID-19 in adults, which is dangerous and worrying. This year, with the beginning of Nowruz, major highways and tourist areas were hit by heavy traffic, too. Nowruz trips of three million Iranians from the 13 affected provinces with COVID-19 (during March 17-20, 2020) demonstrated that many people refused to stay at home, while Iranian authorities and the WHO have repeatedly urged people not to travel, in order to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (2). Quarantine of cities with COVID-19 cases and controlling citizens' traffic to these cities are strategies recommended by WHO to control the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, and China's experience as the main sources of this outbreak has confirmed the effectiveness of the measure (4). But no quarantine in any city had been implemented in Iran. Although some traffic restrictions had been put in place, they were not fully enforced in any province. According to the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the number of Nowruz travelers has decreased from 18 million in 2019 to 8.5 million in 2020. However, this amount of travel is alarming (5). The Iranian Ministry of Health had repeatedly stated that the only way to control the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak is social distasting by reducing contact levels, traffic, traveling, and canceling unnecessary trips in Nowruz, as well as staying at home under voluntary home quarantine. But the opportunity to travel on the Nowruz holiday and the “high season” in Iran, had become a serious threat to public health. Because the incubation period of COVID-19 is 2 to 14 days, and every infected or carrier can infect 2 to 20 people in Iran, traveling to different cities during Nowruz may lead to devastating outbreaks. As such, traveling seems to be spreading SARS-CoV-2 to the farthest cities and villages after the Nowruz holidays, which certainly do not have adequate health facilities. In big cities, hospitals will not have the capacity to accommodate patients, so human and health consequences are predictable. Nowruz trips like a cluster bomb will exacerbate the wave of COVID-19 across the country, and Nowruz celebrations have made it harder to maintain control of the disease in Iran.