Winner of the John J Sciarra IJGO Prize Paper Award for 2020

The editors of the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics (IJGO) are pleased to announce the 2020 winner of the IJGO Prize Paper Award for the best clinical research paper from a low- or middle-income country (LMIC).

Image of Dr Santosh Kuriakose sitting down, wearing a white coat.

The winning paper – Diagnostic accuracy of self-collected vaginal samples for HPV DNA detection in women from South India – was written by Santhosh Kuriakose, Sasidharanpillai Sabeena, Damodaran Binesh, Jazeel Abdulmajeed, Nagaraja Ravishankar, Amrutha Ramachandran, Bindu Vijaykumar, and Nurul Ameen and published in the IJGO in May 2020. The award brings with it a stipend of £800, a certificate of recognition and one-year complimentary access to the online version of IJGO.

All clinical research articles submitted from LMICs that were published in IJGO in 2020 were considered for the prize. The winning paper was chosen from 94 qualifying articles. Selection and review were undertaken by the editors and the decision was endorsed by the Editorial Board of IJGO.

The winning paper was a highly practical study comparing self-collected vaginal samples by patients. These samples were then compared with physician-collected samples from the cervix in order to detect HPV DNA. The overall agreement between the two sampling methods was 94%. Using vaginal samples collected by the patients, the sensitivity of HPV detection was 98.9% and the specificity was 100%. The conclusion from this excellent study was that self-collection of vaginal samples ensures equity of cervical cancer screening in low-income countries such as India.

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For 2020, 11 additional papers were worthy of special recognition and so were awarded an honourable mention. They are listed at the end of this article. Each author received a certificate of recognition and a letter of commendation from the editors of IJGO.

The IJGO Prize Paper Award was established in 1998 to encourage investigators, especially young scientists, from LMICs to submit their best clinical research articles for publication in the journal. IJGO is the official publication of FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics), the primary international organisation for the specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology. FIGO is dedicated to enhancing the health care of women and girls worldwide.

Honourable mentions

Brazil

Brito et al. Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the effect of Morus nigra L. (black mulberry) leaf powder on symptoms and quality of life among climacteric women. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;148(2):243–252.

China

Li et al. Para-aortic lymphadenectomy did not improve overall survival among women with type I endometrial cancer. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;150(2):163–168.

Liang et al. Intrauterine infusion of platelet-rich plasma is a treatment method for patients with intrauterine adhesions after hysteroscopy. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;151(3):362–365.

Xia et al. Enhanced recovery after surgery versus traditional care in total pelvic floor reconstruction surgery with transvaginal mesh. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;148(1):107–112.

Egypt

Taha et al. A randomized clinical trial of sildenafil plus clomiphene citrate to improve the success rate of ovulation induction in patients with unexplained infertility. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;150(1):72–76.

Iran

Eslamian et al. Effect of misoprostol with and without letrozole on the induction of abortion for women with first-trimester missed abortion. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;151(2):214–218.

Naeiji et al. Efficacy and safety of oral hyoscine used for outpatient cervical ripening among primiparous women with term pregnancy. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;150(3):335–339.

Nigeria

Bello et al. Intravenous magnesium sulfate in the management of severe pre-eclampsia: A randomized study of 12-hour versus 24-hour maintenance dose. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;149(1):37–42.

Orhue et al. Randomized controlled trial of labor outcomes with action line placement at 2 hours versus 4 hours on the partograph. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;150(1):64–71.

Umemmuo et al. The efficacy of intermittent preventive therapy in the eradication of peripheral and placental parasitemia in a malaria-endemic environment, as seen in a tertiary hospital in Abuja, Nigeria. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;148(3):338–343.

Turkey

Akilli et al. Comparison of no adjuvant treatment and radiotherapy in early-stage cervical carcinoma with intermediate risk factors. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2020;149(3):298–302.