IMJ Award in 2022

We are pleased to announce winners of the IMJ Award in 2022 as follows.

"GOLD PRIZE"

      Dr. Takahiko Nagamine, Dr. Naoki Sato, Dr. Gen'ichiro Seo
      Probiotics Reduce Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: A Case Report
      International Medical Journal 2012; 19(1): 67-68.
"SILVER PRIZE"

      Dr. Cağdas Can, Dr. Hakan Topaçoğlu, Dr. Reyan Uçku
      Investigation of Relationship between Blood Hemoglobin Level and Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Emergency Setting
      International Medical Journal 2013; 20(5): 584-586.
"BRONZE PRIZE"

      Dr. Yumiko Ido, Dr. Takahiko Nagamine
      The Effect of Prebiotic Lactosucrose on Serum IgE Levels in Allergic People: A Pilot Study in Japan
      International Medical Journal 2018; 25(6): 389-390.
COMMENTARY on the IMJ Award in 2022 by editorial board of the IMJ

   The Editorial Board has conducted a rigorous peer review process for the IMJ Award 2022. Since submissions were self-nominated, we searched Google Scholar for the number of citations of submitted papers and counted the number of citations, and found that as of December 12, 2022, 15 papers by Dr. Nagamine ranked first, 14 papers by Dr. Can ranked second, and 4 papers by Dr. Ido ranked third. When the impact factor of the cited papers is calculated for each paper, Dr. Nagamine ranks first, followed by Dr. Ido in second place, and Dr. Can in third place.

   Dr. Nagamine's paper qualitatively represented the intestinal microflora of schizophrenia patients whose psychiatric symptoms were improved by probiotics using the T-RFLP method, and this perspective is now being applied to the development of next-generation sequencers that allow detailed analysis of intestinal microflora, with similar results. Because of its visionary case presentation, it is now cited in books.

   Dr. Can's paper shows that hemoglobin levels are affected in patients with pulmonary artery thromboembolism, as demonstrated by data from the emergency medicine setting. It is now being applied to studies of the relationship between hemoglobin and renal function, etc. It is a simple research approach, yet an important recommendation for clinical practice.

   Dr. Ido's paper is related to hay fever, one of the modern diseases, and shows the preventive effect of prebiotics on allergies. This paper has been cited in leading journals in otorhinolaryngology, and such research may attract more attention in the future.

   Based on the number of citations and the journals cited, I would like to present the IMJ Gold, IMJ Silver, and IMJ Bronze awards to Dr. Nagamine in first place, Dr. Can in second place, and Dr. Ido in third place, respectively. IMJ was founded by the late Dr. Sakuta and has published papers in all fields of medicine. We will continue to publish research in all fields of medicine, both basic and clinical. 30 years have passed since the first issue of IMJ, and starting in 2023, we plan to award the "IMJ Award" to an outstanding paper published in the journal in that year. We encourage you to submit outstanding papers to IMJ.