Bibliometric analysis of medicine-related publications on poverty (2005-2015)

Tissue engineering in otorhinolaryngology: A knowledge-based analysis

Objective

To analyze the impact, performance, degree of specialization, and collaboration patterns of the worldwide scientific production on tissue engineering in otorhinolaryngology at the level of countries and institutions.

Methods

Two different techniques were used, performance and science mapping analyses, using as samples all the available documents regarding tissue engineering focused on otorhinolaryngology applications. The dataset was retrieved from the Core Collection of the Web of Science database from 1900 to 2020. Social structure was analyzed using science mapping analysis with VOSviewer software.

Results

The United States was the main producer, followed by Germany, and Japan. Malaysia and Germany had the highest Relative Specialization Index, indicating their greater relative interest in this area compared to other countries. The social structure analysis showed that the United States and Germany had significant co-authorship relationships with other countries. The University of California System, Kyoto University, and Harvard University were the leading institutions producing literature in this field. These latter two institutions showed the largest number of collaborations, although most of them were with institutions within their own country. There was a lack of connections between different communities of research.

Conclusion

The United States is the main country driving progress in this research area, housing the most notable institutions. However, significant collaborations between these research centers are currently lacking. Encouraging greater cooperation among these institutions and their researchers would promote the exchange of knowledge, ultimately facilitating and accelerating advancements in this field.

Research hotspot and trend of microneedles in biomedical field: A bibliometric analysis from 2011 to 2020

BACKGROUND

Microneedles composed of arrays of micro-sized needles assembled on a patch, has attracted increasing interest in transdermal drug delivery due to its ease of use and lack of painful responses. Here, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to determine a hotspot and trend of microneedles in the biomedical field.

METHODS

All relevant articles about microneedles between 2011 and 2020 were obtained from the databases of Web of Science (WOS) and PubMed of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). A series of software such as VOSviwewer, the online bibliometric analysis website, CiteSpace, BICOMB and gCLUTO were used to process the data and get visual images. Processed data and visualized images were conducted to predict the trend of this research field.

RESULTS

The number of articles published over the last decade had increased rapidly (37 in 2011, 165 in 2020), the Journal of Controlled Release was the most productive journal in microneedle studies. The United States was the most productive country, while the Queens Univ Belfast topped the other institutions. Ryan F Donnelly was the most productive author in the field, while the two most cited articles were published by Gu Zhen group. More importantly, the research trend of microneedles had ranged from physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetics to insulin transdermal injection and vaccine development over the past decade. The four hot spots in microneedle studies, including skin rejuvenation, vaccines, fabrication technology and insulin delivery, were identified. Microneedle vaccination shows promising application prospects, and polymers are considered as the most promising materials for microneedles manufacturing.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will help researchers understand the hot spots and trends of microneedles in the biomedical field accurately and quickly. Moreover, the exploitation of novel polymeric microneedles will be a solid direction for subsequent research and development of transdermal drug delivery.

A bibliometric analysis of paramedicine publications using the Scopus database: 2010-2019

BACKGROUND

Paramedicine is an evolving profession undergoing increases in scholarly activity and peer-reviewed publications. This study aims to complete the first extensive bibliometric examination of the worldwide paramedicine literature.

METHOD

Scopus was utilised to search for paramedicine-based articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2019 inclusive. The included articles were examined for citation count, journal, journal quartile, country of origin, university affiliation, collaboration, and topic.

RESULTS

Paramedicine-based publications have steadily increased and are predominantly published in prehospital or emergency healthcare journals. The majority of highly cited authors were located in Australia; however, only one of these authors was identified as a paramedic. Monash University (Australia) was the most productive institution (11.7% of total articles) and collaboration was mostly within national boundaries (53.2%).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the progressive increase in paramedic scholarly activity over the past decade. Although a large number of articles originate from two countries (Australia and the USA) and one university, numerous nations and institutions are contributing to this body of knowledge. The growing literature base is indicative of the evolution of paramedicine; however, the high level of non-paramedic authors suggests the opportunity for further scholarly development within the paramedic discipline.

The association between living below the relative poverty line and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background

Because poverty is a multifaceted concept with a complex definition, this concept may not be useful when formulating economic policy. Thus, most governments use the relative poverty line to identify poor participants who may receive economic support. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between living below the relative poverty line and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed data from 3,223 individuals included in South Korea. Living below the poverty line was defined as receiving a monthly income less than the minimum cost of living.

Results

Of the 3,223 participants included in this analysis, 832 (25.8%) met the definition of living below the relative poverty line and 384 (11.9%) had COPD. Of the 3,223 participants, 161 of the 832 (19.4%) living below the poverty line and 223 of the 2,391 (9.3%) living above the poverty line had COPD. In our study, participants living below the poverty line had a 1.4-time higher risk of COPD development compared with those living above the poverty line (OR =1.4; P=0.012). Elderly people living below the poverty line were 1.5-time more likely to be at risk of COPD development than those living above the poverty line (OR =1.5; P=0.021).

Conclusions

People living below the relative poverty line have an increased prevalence of COPD, especially older people with COPD. From the perspective of COPD disease control, policy makers should consider providing national economic support for the early detection and management of COPD in people living below the relative poverty line.

Analysis of global research output on diabetes depression and suicide

BACKGROUND

Diabetic patients, during the course of the disease, are most likely to experience depressive symptoms that might ultimately lead to suicidal ideation or suicide. The size of literature in diabetes depression/suicide is a good indicator of national and international efforts to address psychological co-morbidities associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). Therefore, the objective of this study was to give a comprehensive analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, of scientific literature in diabetes depression/suicide.

METHODS

SciVerse Scopus was used to retrieve relevant literature up to 2016.

RESULTS

In total, 1664 journal documents were retrieved with an average of 26.9 citations per article and an h-index of 98. Publications started in 1949 but showed a steep and noticeable increase after 2001. Retrieved articles were published in 641 different journals with Diabetes Care journal being the top productive one with a total of 130 (7.8%) articles. Researchers from 83 different countries participated in retrieved publications. Researchers from the United States of America participated in publishing 685 articles. There was a strong and positive correlation between research output and Gross Domestic Product (r = 0.083; p < 0.001) but not with prevalence or mortality caused by DM. Researchers from 4870 different institutions/organizations participated in publishing retrieved articles. Publications from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA had the highest h-index (38), while "VA medical centers" had the highest number of publications (75; 4.5%). In total, 5715 authors appeared in retrieved articles giving an average of 3.4 authors per article. Top cited articles focused on prevalence, impact of depression on glycemic control, and potential risk of diabetic complications. The total number of publications in depression/suicide in diabetic patients was lesser than that in cardiac (1938) or in cancer (1828) patients. However, publications in diabetes depression/suicide exceeded those in cardiac and cancer in the last 2 years of the study period.

CONCLUSION

The current study showed a noticeable growth of publications indicative of the importance of this topic. Research focusing on the psychiatric component of diabetes mellitus needs to be strengthened and encouraged. At the practical level, screening for depression/suicide among patients attending primary healthcare clinics is needed to optimize health and quality of life of diabetic patients.

A bibliometric analysis of global research output on health and human rights (1900-2017)

Background

Baseline data on global research activity on health and human rights (HHR) needs to be assessed and analyzed to identify research gaps and to prioritize funding and research agendas. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the growth of publications and research pattern on HHR.

Methods

A bibliometric methodology was used. Literature on HHR was retrieved using SciVerse Scopus for the study period from 1900 to 2017. Nine different search scenarios with different keyword combinations were used to retrieve the required documents. All types of documents published in peer-reviewed journals, including editorials, were included. The search strategy was validated.

Results

In total 6513 documents were retrieved with an h-index of 88 and an average of 9.8 citations per document. Publications on HHR field started as early as 1950 but showed a steep rise in the past two decades. Visualization of author keywords revealed that HIV/ AIDS, mental health, maternal and reproductive health, violence, ethics, torture, and refugees were most commonly encountered keywords. The journal "Health and Human Rights" was most active (n = 467; 7.2%) in this field. However, documents that appeared in The Lancet received the highest impact (29.5 citations per document). The United States of America produced the most in this field (n = 1817; 27.9%). Researchers in the region of Americas participated in approximately 45% of the retrieved documents while researchers in the Eastern Mediterranean region had the least contribution (2.5%). Researchers in high-income countries contributed to approximately 78% of the retrieved documents while researchers in low-income countries contributed to less than 5% of the retrieved documents. When data were standardized by population size, the research output from high-income countries was approximately four documents per one million inhabitants. For middle-income countries, the research output was 0.3 document per one million inhabitants. For low-income countries, the research output was 0.5 document per one million inhabitants.

Conclusions

Differential research productivity on HHR was seen among scholars in different world regions. World countries need to encourage and strengthen research on HHR in order to achieve the goals set in international agreements of human rights.

Worldwide research productivity in the field of back pain: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to show the world research productivity in the field of back pain and to help researchers follow the scientific development and promote the cooperation in this field.

METHODS

Web of Science (WoS) database was searched from 1995 to 2016 without other restrictions. The keywords were as follows: "lumbar NEAR pain," "back pain," "dorsalgia," "backache," "lumbago," "back NEAR disorder," and "discitis." The following information of retrieved articles was analyzed: countries/territories, journals, publication year, authors, citation reports, and institutions. Publication activity was further adjusted for countries by gross domestic product (GDP) and population size.

RESULTS

A total of 50,970 articles were retrieved in WoS database from 1995 to 2016. The United States published the biggest number of articles (16,818, 33.00%), followed by England (4,582, 8.99%), Germany (3,871, 7.60%), Canada (3,613, 7.09%), and Australia (3,063, 6.01%). Sweden ranked the first after adjusted for publication, and Netherlands ranked the first after adjusted for GDP. Besides, there was positive correlation between total number of publications and GDP for each country (P < .05). Harvard University was the most productive institution (917, 1.80%), Maher CG was the most productive author (229, 0.45%) and Spine was the most popular journal (3605, 7.07%) in the field of back pain research. Moreover, the article titled "Clinical importance of changes in chronic pain intensity measured on an 11-point numerical pain rating scale" in Pain had the highest citations (1749).

CONCLUSION

There was a significant increase in annual publications concerning back pain research worldwide. The total number of publications was positively associated with GDP in main productive countries. The United States was the most productive country, Harvard University was the most productive institution, Maher CG was the most productive author and Spine was the most popular journal in the field of back pain.

Global output of research on epidermal parasitic skin diseases from 1967 to 2017

Background

Epidermal parasitic skin diseases (EPSD) occur in most countries and cause a considerable health and economic burden, particularly in the tropics and subtropics. The aim of this study was to assess and analyse peer-reviewed literature on EPSD in humans. The results of this study serve as an indicator of the extent the scientific community, health authorities, and international health agencies interact with EPSD as a health problem that is commonly associated with poverty and poor hygiene.

Methods

A bibliometric analysis methodology was used. The Scopus database was used to retrieve documents about EPSD for the study period (1967–2017). The study focused on scabies, tungiasis, pediculosis, hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans (HrCLM), myiasis, and cutaneous strongyloidiasis. Documents that specifically and explicitly discuss EPSD in animals, aquatic organisms, and birds were excluded.

Results

In total, 4186 documents were retrieved. A fluctuated growth of publications on EPSD in the past five decades was found. The retrieved documents received 43 301 citations, an average of 10.3 citations per article and an h-index of 74. The keywords “scabies” and was the most commonly encountered keyword followed by the keywords “head lice” and “pediculosis”. The most active journal involved in publishing articles on EPSD was the International Journal of Dermatology (164; 3.9%). Researchers from 93 different countries published the retrieved articles. The USA led with 735 (17.6%) documents, followed by the UK (274; 6.5%), and Germany (259; 6.2%). In terms of institutions, the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany was the most active in this field with 78 (1.9%) publications, followed by the Universidade Federal do Ceará in Brazil with 52 (1.2%) publications.

Conclusions

Research on scabies and pediculosis dominated the field of EPSD research to the expense of tungiasis, HrCLM, myiasis, and cutaneous strongyloidiasis. There was an underrepresentation of literature from the tropics and subtropics despite EPSD being common in these areas. This could possibly be explained by the presence of limited number of non-English journals in the Scopus database. International research collaborations and research networking should be strengthened to help advance and prioritize research on EPSD.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s40249-018-0456-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bibliometric analysis of global migration health research in peer-reviewed literature (2000-2016)

BACKGROUND

The health of migrants has become an important issue in global health and foreign policy. Assessing the current status of research activity and identifying gaps in global migration health (GMH) is an important step in mapping the evidence-base and on advocating health needs of migrants and mobile populations. The aim of this study was to analyze globally published peer-reviewed literature in GMH.

METHODS

A bibliometric analysis methodology was used. The Scopus database was used to retrieve documents in peer-reviewed journals in GMH for the study period from 2000 to 2016. A group of experts in GMH developed the needed keywords and validated the final search strategy.

RESULTS

The number of retrieved documents was 21,457. Approximately one third (6878; 32.1%) of the retrieved documents were published in the last three years of the study period. In total, 5451 (25.4%) documents were about refugees and asylum seekers, while 1328 (6.2%) were about migrant workers, 440 (2.1%) were about international students, 679 (3.2%) were about victims of human trafficking/smuggling, 26 (0.1%) were about patients' mobility across international borders, and the remaining documents were about unspecified categories of migrants. The majority of the retrieved documents (10,086; 47.0%) were in psychosocial and mental health domain, while 2945 (13.7%) documents were in infectious diseases, 6819 (31.8%) documents were in health policy and systems, 2759 (12.8%) documents were in maternal and reproductive health, and 1918 (8.9%) were in non-communicable diseases. The contribution of authors and institutions in Asian countries, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and Eastern European countries was low. Literature in GMH represents the perspectives of high-income migrant destination countries.

CONCLUSION

Our heat map of research output shows that despite the ever-growing prominence of human mobility across the globe, and Sustainable Development Goals of leaving no one behind, research output on migrants' health is not consistent with the global migration pattern. A stronger evidence base is needed to enable authorities to make evidence-informed decisions on migration health policy and practice. Research collaboration and networks should be encouraged to prioritize research in GMH.

Investigating global trends in paraquat intoxication research from 1962 to 2015 using bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Paraquat is considered to be the main pesticide involved in accidental and intentional poisoning, and is responsible for a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to present a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of paraquat intoxication-related research.

METHODS

Data was retrieved in March 2017 from the Scopus database. An overview of the research on paraquat intoxication was presented alongside the information related to several bibliometric indicators, such as research trends, countries with their h-index, collaboration, hot issues, top-cited publications, journals, and institutions.

RESULTS

There were 1971 publications related to paraquat intoxication in the Scopus database that were published between 1966 and 2015. There was increasing research output in the field of paraquat intoxication during the period 2006-2015. The USA published the highest number of publications (n = 338), followed by Japan with 228 publications, and China with 159 publications. The USA and the UK achieved the greatest h-index values (h-index values of 49 and 31, respectively). The USA also achieved the highest number of publications involving international collaboration, with 55 publications, followed by the UK, with 18 publications. The most prevalent topics in this field were "acute paraquat intoxication," "toxic effects of paraquat to the lung," and "mechanism of paraquat toxicity."

CONCLUSIONS

Although a substantial amount of research has been produced on paraquat intoxication for most developed countries, there are research gaps regarding the international research agenda in this research area. The findings could be applied for prioritizing and organizing future research efforts related to paraquat toxicity.

Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed literature in transgender health (1900 - 2017)

BACKGROUND

Transgender community is marginalized and under-researched. Analysis of peer-reviewed literature in transgender health is needed to better understand health needs and human rights of transgender people. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze global research activity in transgender health published in peer-reviewed journals.

METHODS

Peer-reviewed documents in transgender health were retrieved using Scopus database. VOSviewer was used to map frequently encountered author keywords while ArcGIS 10.1 was used to map the geographical distribution of the retrieved documents. Most active countries, institutions, and authors were presented. The study period was set from 1900 to 2017.

RESULTS

In total, 5772 peer-reviewed documents were obtained. English (5008; 86.8%) was the most frequently encountered language. A dramatic increase in the number of publications was seen in the last decade. The retrieved documents had an average of 12.1 citations per document and h-index of 92. Most frequently encountered author keywords were Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), mental health, and discrimination. Authors from 80 different countries contributed to publishing the retrieved documents. Publications originated mainly from Northern America, certain European countries, Australia, and Brazil. Professor Gooren, L.J.G. was the most active author in this field with 104 (1.88%) publications. Top active authors were in the fields of endocrinology, plastic surgery, psychiatry/psychology, public health, and sexology. Five of the top ten active authors were from the USA, three were from the Netherlands, and two were from Belgium. The most active institution was the VU University Medical Center (Netherlands) (184; 3.2%) followed by the University of California, San Francisco (USA) (157; 2.7%). The International Journal of Transgenderism was most active (284; 4.9%) in publishing articles in transgender health. However, documents published in the American Journal of Public Health had the highest impact with 53.5 citations per article.

CONCLUSION

There was a noticeable growth of research in transgender health in the last decade. Researchers from different world regions need to get involved in health and human rights research of transgender community.

Bibliometric Analysis of Worldwide Publications on Antimalarial Drug Resistance (2006-2015)

BACKGROUND

In response to international efforts to control and eradicate malaria, we designed this study to give a bibliometric overview of research productivity in antimalarial drug resistance (AMDR).

METHODS

Keywords related to AMDR were used to retrieve relevant literature using Scopus database.

RESULTS

A total of 976 publications with an h-index of 63 were retrieved. The number of publications showed a noticeable increase starting in the early 1990s. The USA was the most productive country with 337 publications equivalent to one-third of worldwide publications in this field. More than two-thirds of publications by the USA (236, 70.03%) were made by international collaboration. Of the top ten productive countries, two countries were from Mekong subregion, particularly Thailand and Cambodia. The Malaria Journal was the most productive journal (136, 13.93%) in this field. Mahidol University (80, 8.20%) in Thailand was the most productive institution. Seven articles in the top-ten list were about artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, one was about chloroquine resistance, one was about sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance, and the remaining one was about general multidrug resistance.

CONCLUSION

Eradication and control of AMDR require continuing research activity to help international health organizations identify spots that require an immediate action to implement appropriate measures.

Bibliometric analysis of medicine - related publications on refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people: 2000 - 2015

BACKGROUND

Wars and violent domestic conflicts have forced millions of people to move outside their homes. Meeting the basic health needs of those people requires an understanding of research activity and research output on this topic. The objective of this study was to shed light on the quantity and impact of medicine - related publications on refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people (IDP).

METHOD

Scopus database was used to retrieve required data. Specifically, the number of publications, top productive countries and institutions, highly cited articles, citation analysis, international collaboration, and journals involved in publishing articles on refugees, asylum seekers and IDP were reviewed and analyzed. The time span for the study was set from year 2000 to 2015.

RESULTS

Two thousands five hundred and thirty publications were retrieved. The h-index of retrieved articles was 64. A steep rise in number of publications was noticed after 2011. Top productive countries were the United States of America, Australia and the United Kingdom. The American public health institute (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the United Nations refugee agency were among the top active organizations on this topic. Active journals in publishing on health of refugees, asylum seekers and IDP were those on mental health, psychology, public health and general medicine. Publications on Somali, Afghani, Iraqi, and Syrian refugees received a significant share of medicine-related publications. Analysis of publications based on region showed that publications on refugees from Middle East is rising sharply and is approaching those on African refugees.

CONCLUSION

Bibliometric analysis reveals that research publications on refugees have been increasing in a dramatic way and articles are being published in journals with high impact factor and international reputation, not only in general medicine and public health, but also mental health and psychology journals. Analysis of publications related to refugees can be helpful to international health agencies and governments not only to document the psychological trauma of fled people, but also to identify best mental health programs to face the consequences of wars and aggression that led to this refugee crisis.

Bibliometric analysis of literature on antifungal triazole resistance: 1980 - 2015

BACKGROUND

Triazole antifungal agents play an important role in the treatment of a wide range of fungal infections. Little is known about antifungal triazole drug resistance when compared to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, this study was carried out to give a bibliometric overview of literature on triazole antifungal drug resistance.

METHODS

Keywords related to triazole drug class and resistance were used in a search query in the Scopus search engine. The time span was set from 1980 to 2015. Data pertaining to growth of publications, the most active countries and institutions, the most cited articles, and mapping of molecular mechanisms of resistance were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 1648 journal articles were retrieved with an average of 20.46 citations per article. Annual growth of triazole resistance showed an increasing pattern during the study period. The United States of America (n=446; 27.06%) ranked first in productivity followed by the United Kingdom (UK) (n=176; 10.68%), and China (n=133; 8.07%). Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre (n=69, 4.19%) in the Netherlands ranked first in productivity, while the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ranked first (n=255; 15.47%) in publishing articles on triazole resistance. Mapping mechanisms of resistance showed that efflux pump and mutations in target enzyme are major mechanisms described in resistance to triazoles.

CONCLUSION

There was a growth of publications on triazole resistance in the past two decades with the bulk of publications on triazole resistance in Candida species. The data presented here will serve as baseline information for future comparative purposes.

Global cocaine intoxication research trends during 1975-2015: a bibliometric analysis of Web of Science publications

BACKGROUND

Cocaine is subject to recreational abuse as a stimulant and psychoactive agent, which poses a major worldwide health problem. The aim of the present study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of publication related to cocaine intoxication an insight of the research trends at a global level to enable recommendations for future research strategies in this field.

METHODS

Publications about cocaine intoxication were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database on December 28, 2016, and analysed regarding the following bibliometric indicators: research trends, document types, languages, countries/territories with their h-index, collaboration patterns, journals with their impact factors (IF), and institutions.

RESULTS

In total, 2,902 scientific publications from 1975 to 2015 were retrieved from the WoS database. The annual number of publications related to cocaine toxicity increased slightly after 1990 and reached a peak of 148 in 1992, with an average of 103 publications per year. The USA outranked other countries/territories with 2,089 publications, of which 1,927 arose exclusively from the USA and 162 involved international collaborations. The h-index for all publications related to cocaine was 212, and the h-index for all publications related to cocaine intoxication was 99. Moreover, the USA had the highest h-index of 95, followed by Spain with h-index of 24, and Canada with h-index of 24. The main research topics were consistently reproductive toxicity, clinical management of acute cocaine exposure, laboratory methods for detection of exposure to cocaine, cocaine metabolism, and cocaine toxicity in animals.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first bibliometric approach to examining research related to cocaine toxicity and shows that research activity has become more global and extensive since 1990. The USA remains the leading country regarding published literature, the highest h-index, and greatest role in international collaborations.