ReviewMedicine2026
Bibliometric review of worldwide scientific literature on mother-to-child transmission of HIV (1980-2023).
Review in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTransmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from HIV-positive mothers to their children (vertical transmission) is a global and serious health problem. Assessing research activity on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV helps identify the impact of preventive policies implemented to achieve international goals. The objective of the current study was to assess and analyze research trends and patterns of scientific literature on the MTCT of HIV.
methodsA bibliometric methodology was applied to literature retrieved from the Scopus database using a pre-validated search strategy. The study period was from 1980 to 2023. Descriptive bibliometric indicators and visualization maps were presented.
resultsThe search query found 4468 documents with an h-index of 133. Growth of publications based on geographic region showed that publications from the African region have surpassed those from the European Union but are yet to catch up with publications from the Americas. Multiple African countries were also in the top 10 active list of countries, including South Africa (14.8%), Kenya (5.5%), Uganda (4.7%), Nigeria (4%), and Malawi (3.7%). Antiretroviral therapy, newborn and child HIV transmission, and health services were the main research themes encountered. These covered zidovudine therapy, breastfeeding, psychology, and counseling. Zidovudine was also a focus of the top 10 cited documents. PLOS One (n = 216; 4.8%) was the most active journal, while the US CDC (n = 301; 6.7%) was the most active institution in this field.
conclusionEnding the MTCT of HIV requires continuous research and collaboration with world regions with high HIV epidemics. High-burden countries, particularly in African and Southeast Asian regions, need to lead the research activity in this field. The recent decline in the number of people with HIV should not decrease research momentum in this field. Challenges remain in increasing HIV treatment coverage, preventing transmission during breastfeeding, and treating infected children.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.