Exploration of Iranian scientific productions on biomarkers in medline 2000-2011

Abstract

Background and purpose: Biomarkers are measurable characteristic that reflect the severity or the presence of some diseases states. It can be used to examine organ function and other aspects of health states. The objective of the current study was to analyze the trend of scientific production originated by Iranian authors. Material and methods: Scientometrics and economic indicators were used to depict the trend of scientific profiles in the field of Biomarkers originated by Iranian authors. Database of MEDLINE was used to obtain all papers indexed as a major main heading of "Biological Markers" through 2000-2011. Results: The analysis of the obtained data indicated that a total number of 394 papers under a Major Main Heading of "Biological Markers" were indexed in MEDLINE during the last decade. Tehran University of Medical Sciences producing 18.78% of total publications from Iran was the most prolific university. The majority of Iranian papers were published by the Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences. Conclusion: The number of publications originated from Iran has increased linear through the period of study. There was a strong relationship between the number of publication and GDP and the population of countries during the period of study.