Relationship Between COPD and GERD: A Bibliometrics Analysis

Gastroesophageal reflux disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common comorbidities of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Decreased lower and upper esophageal sphincter pressures, esophageal dysmotility, high transdiaphragmatic pressure, and decreased saliva secretion have been implicated as mechanisms leading to the development of GERD in COPD. Clinically, comorbid GERD in COPD is reportedly associated with worse symptoms, quality of life, and lung function, as well as a high risk of exacerbations. Aspiration of regurgitation and the cholinergic-mediated esophagobronchial reflex play a significant role in the pathophysiology. Abnormal swallowing reflexes and discoordination of swallowing can worsen aspiration. The diagnosis of GERD is not based on a single criterion; however, various approaches, including questionnaires and endoscopic evaluations, can be widely applied in clinical settings. Due to the increased risk of esophageal and gastric cancers in patients with COPD, the threshold for endoscopic examination should be low. Acid inhibitory agents, such as proton pump inhibitors and histamine H2 receptor antagonists, and prokinetic agents, including mosapride and itopride, are clinically used to treat GERD. Endoscopic fundoplication can be performed in patients with GERD refractory to medical treatment. There is still insufficient evidence, but an increasing number of studies have suggested the clinical efficacy of treatment in patients with COPD and GERD. As GERD is an evaluative and treatable common disease, and access to evaluation and treatment is relatively easy, clinicians should provide adequate care for GERD in the management of COPD.

A bibliometric analysis of interstitial cells of Cajal research

Objective

The significance of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the gastrointestinal tract has garnered increasing attention. In recent years, approximately 80 articles on ICC have been published annually in various journals. However, no bibliometric study has specifically focused on the literature related to ICC. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of ICC to reveal dynamic scientific developments, assisting researchers in exploring hotspots and emerging trends while gaining a global perspective.

Methods

We conducted a literature search in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2023, to identify relevant literature on ICC. We employed bibliometric software, namely VOSviewer and CiteSpace, to analyze various aspects including annual publication output, collaborations, research hotspots, current status, and development trends in this domain.

Results

A total of 891 English papers were published in 359 journals by 928 institutions from 57 countries/regions. According to the keyword analysis of the literature, researchers mainly focused on "c-Kit," "expression," "smooth muscle," and "nitric oxide" related to ICC over the past 11 years. However, with "SIP syncytium," "ANO1," "enteric neurons," "gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST)," and "functional dyspepsia (FD)," there has been a growing interest in the relationship between ANO1, SIP syncytium, and ICC, as well as the role of ICC in the treatment of GIST and FD.

Conclusion

Bibliometric analysis has revealed the current status of ICC research. The association between ANO1, SIP syncytium, enteric neurons and ICC, as well as the role of ICC in the treatment of GIST versus FD has become the focus of current research. However, further research and collaboration on a global scale are still needed. Our analysis is particularly valuable to researchers in gastroenterology, oncology, and cell biology, providing insights that can guide future research directions.

Extrapulmonary Comorbidities Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Review

Most patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer from at least one additional, clinically relevant chronic disease. To a degree, the high global prevalence and mortality rate of COPD is closely related to its extrapulmonary effects. Moreover, the various of comorbidities of COPD and itself interact with each other, resulting in diverse clinical manifestations and individual differences, and thus further influencing the prognosis as well as healthcare burden of COPD patients. This is closely related to the common risk factors of chronic diseases (aging, smoking, inactivity, etc.). Additionally, some pathophysiological mechanisms caused by COPD, including the systemic inflammatory response, hypoxia, oxidative stress, and others, also have an impact on other systems. But comprehensive management and medical interventions have not yet been established. The clinicians should improve their knowledge and skills in diagnosing as well as treating the comorbidities of COPD, and then aim to develop more individualized, efficient diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for different patients to achieve greater clinical benefits. In this article, we will review the risk factors, mechanisms, and treatment strategies for extrapulmonary comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, anemia, osteoporosis, emotional disorders, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Research progress of mitochondria in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a bibliometric analysis based on the Web of Science Core Collection

Background

Due to its high morbidity and mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become a major global healthcare issue. Although there is abundant research regarding COPD, a bibliometric analysis of the literature related to mitochondria and COPD is lacking. Thus this study aimed to summarize the research status, research direction, and research hotspots of the published articles concerning COPD and mitochondria.

Methods

A literature search for included publications related to COPD and mitochondria was carried out on the Web of Science Core Collection from the date of database establishment to December 15, 2022. A subsequent bibliometric and visual analysis of the included publications was conducted via Microsoft Excel, R software, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer.

Results

A total of 227 published articles on COPD and mitochondria from 139 journals were included. Over the study period, the annual publication number and citation frequency in this field both showed a trend of continuous growth. The United States had the highest centrality and was the most productive country. The frequently occurring keywords were "oxidative stress", "obstructive pulmonary disease", "dysfunction", "mitochondria", "inflammation", and "cigarette smoke", among others. Recent research hotspots included autophagy, model, mitochondria, health, and extracellular vesicles (EVs). Despite an abundance and variety of research, there is still relatively little academic communications between scholars and institutions.

Conclusions

This bibliometric study can help researchers gain a quick overview of the research into mitochondria and COPD and thus inform novel ideas and directions for future research in this field.

Common gastrointestinal diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis

Background: Observational studies suggest an association between gastrointestinal diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the causal relationship remains unclear. Methods: We conducted bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using summary data from genome-wide association study (GWAS) to explore the causal relationship between common gastrointestinal diseases and COPD. Gastrointestinal diseases included gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), functional dyspepsia (FD), non-infectious gastroenteritis (NGE), and constipation (CP). Significant MR analysis results were replicated in the COPD validation cohort. Results: Bidirectional MR analysis supported a bidirectional causal relationship between GERD and COPD, and COPD was also found to increase the risk of IBS and CP. Our study also provided evidence for a bidirectional causal relationship between PUD and COPD, although the strength of evidence may be insufficient. Furthermore, we provided evidence that there is no causal association between CD, UC, FD, NGE, and COPD. Conclusion: This study offers some evidence to clarify the causal relationship between common gastrointestinal diseases and COPD. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of these associations.

Lung Microbiome as a Treatable Trait in Chronic Respiratory Disorders

Once thought to be a sterile environment, it is now established that lungs are populated by various microorganisms that participate in maintaining lung function and play an important role in shaping lung immune surveillance. Although our comprehension of the molecular and metabolic interactions between microbes and lung cells is still in its infancy, any event causing a persistent qualitative or quantitative variation in the composition of lung microbiome, termed "dysbiosis", has been virtually associated with many respiratory diseases. A deep understanding of the composition and function of the "healthy" lung microbiota and how dysbiosis can cause or participate in disease progression will be pivotal in finding specific therapies aimed at preventing diseases and restoring lung function. Here, we review lung microbiome dysbiosis in different lung pathologies and the mechanisms by which these bacteria can cause or contribute to the severity of the disease. Furthermore, we describe how different respiratory disorders can be caused by the same pathogen, and that the real pathogenetic mechanism is not only dependent by the presence and amount of the main pathogen but can be shaped by the interaction it can build with other bacteria, fungi, and viruses present in the lung. Understanding the nature of this bacteria crosstalk could further our understanding of each respiratory disease leading to the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Major depressive disorder plays a vital role in the pathway from gastroesophageal reflux disease to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a Mendelian randomization study

Background: Observational studies have shown a bidirectional association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but it is not clear whether this association is causal. In our previous study, we found that depression was a hot topic of research in the association between COPD and GERD. Is major depressive disorder (MDD) a mediator of the association between COPD and GERD? Here, we evaluated the causal association between COPD, MDD, and GERD using Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods: Based on the FinnGen, United Kingdom Biobank, and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) databases, we obtained genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for the three phenotypes from 315,123 European participants (22,867 GERD cases and 292,256 controls), 462,933 European participants (1,605 COPD cases and 461,328 controls), and 173,005 European participants (59,851 MDD cases and 113,154 controls), respectively. To obtain more instrumental variables to reduce bias, we extracted relevant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the three phenotypes from published meta-analysis studies. Bidirectional MR and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL)-MR were performed using the inverse variance weighting method to assess the causal association between GERD, MDD, and COPD. Results: There was no evidence of a causal effect between GERD and COPD in the bidirectional MR analysis [forward MR for GERD on COPD: odds ratios (OR) = 1.001, p = 0.270; reverse MR for COPD on GERD: OR = 1.021, p = 0.303]. The causal effect between GERD and MDD appeared to be bidirectional (forward MR for GERD on MDD: OR = 1.309, p = 0.006; reverse MR for MDD on GERD: OR = 1.530, p < 0.001), while the causal effect between MDD and COPD was unidirectional (forward MR for MDD on COPD: OR = 1.004, p < 0.001; reverse MR for COPD on MDD: OR = 1.002, p = 0.925). MDD mediated the effect of GERD on COPD in a unidirectional manner (OR = 1.001). The results of the eQTL-MR were consistent with those of the bidirectional MR. Conclusion: MDD appears to play a vital role in the effect of GERD on COPD. However, we have no evidence of a direct causal association between GERD and COPD. There is a bidirectional causal association between MDD and GERD, which may accelerate the progression from GERD to COPD.