Research status and hotspots of tight junctions and colorectal cancer:A bibliometric and visualization analysis

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death.Over the past two decades,numerous researchers have provided important evidence regarding the role of tight junction(TJ)proteins in the occurrence and progression of CRC.The causal relationship between the presence of specific TJ proteins and the development of CRC has also been confirmed.Despite the large number of publications in this field,a bibliometric study to review the current state of research and highlight the research trends and hotspots in this field has not yet been performed.AIM To analyze research on TJs and CRC,summarize the field’s history and current status,and predict future research directions.METHODS We searched the Science Citation Index Expanded database for all literature on CRC and TJs from 2001-2023.We used bibliometrics to analyze the data of these papers,such as the authors,countries,institutions,and references.Co-authorship,co-citation,and co-occurrence analyses were the main methods of analysis.CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to visualize the results.RESULTS A total of 205 studies were ultimately identified.The number of publications on this topic has steadily increased since 2007.China and the United States have made the largest contributions to this field.Anticancer Research was the most prolific journal,publishing 8 articles,while the journal Oncogene had the highest average citation rate(68.33).Professor Dhawan P was the most prolific and cited author in this field.Co-occurrence analysis of keywords revealed that“tight junction protein expression”,“colorectal cancer”,“intestinal microbiota”,and“inflammatory bowel disease”had the highest frequency of occurrence,revealing the research hotspots and trends in this field.CONCLUSION This bibliometric analysis evaluated the scope and trends of TJ proteins in CRC,providing valuable research perspectives and future directions for studying the connection between the two.It is recommended to focus on emerging research hotspots,such as the correlations among intestinal microbiota,inflammatory bowel disease,TJ protein expression,and CRC.

Immunological factors in cirrhosis diseases from a bibliometric point of view

BACKGROUND Cirrhosis results from persistent liver injury that leads to liver fibrosis.Immunological factors play important regulatory roles in the development and progression of cirrhosis.Bibliometrics is one of the most commonly used methods for systematic evaluation of a field of study.To date,there are no bibliometric studies on the role of immunological factors in cirrhosis.AIM To provide a comprehensive overview of the knowledge structure and research hotspots of immunological factors in cirrhosis.METHODS We retrieved publications related to immunological factors in cirrhosis between 2003 to 2022 from the Web of Science Core Collection database on December 7,2022.The search strategy was TS=((Liver Cirrhosis OR hepatic cirrhosis OR liver fibrosis)AND(Immunologic*Factor*OR Immune Factor*OR Immunomodulator*OR Biological Response Modifier*OR Biomodulator*)).Only original articles and reviews were included.A total of 2873 publications were analyzed using indicators of publication and citation metrics,countries,institutes,authors,journals,references,and keywords by CiteSpace and VOSviewer.RESULTS A total of 5104 authors from 1173 institutions across 51 countries published 2873 papers on cirrhosis and immunological factors in 281 journals.In the past 20 years,the increasing number of related annual publications and citations indicates that research on immunological factors in cirrhosis has become the focus of attention and has entered a period of accelerated development.The United States(781/27.18%),China(538/18.73%),and Germany(300/10.44%)were the leading countries in this field.Most of the top 10 authors were from the United States(4)and Germany(3),with Gershwin ME contributing the most related articles(42).World Journal of Gastroenterology was the most productive journal,whereas Hepatology was the most co-cited journal.Current research hotspots regarding immunological factors in cirrhosis include fibrosis,cirrhosis,inflammation,liver fibrosis,expression,hepatocellular carcinoma,activation,primary biliary cirrhosis,disease,and hepatic stellate cells.Burst keywords(e.g.,epidemiology,gut microbiota,and pathways)represent research frontiers that have attracted the interest of researchers in recent years.CONCLUSION This bibliometric study comprehensively summarizes the research developments and directions of immunological factors in cirrhosis,providing new ideas for promoting scientific research and clinical applications.

Epidermal characters of Tamarix L.(Tamaricaceae) from Northwest China and their taxonomic and palaeogeographic implications

The taxonomical position of species of the genus Tamarix(Tamaricaceae) has been criticized because of their gross morphological similarities(such as slender, smooth and reddish-brown branches,grey-green foliage and scale leaves), and their systematic relationships remain unclear. In this paper, the leaf epidermal features of 17 species from China are studied based on the micro-morphological characters of the epidermal cells, stomata, salt glands, papillae and epidermal hairs. According to the studies, the leaf epidermal features, together with the character of the flower, are taxonomically clearly distinct. The establishment of Tamarix albiflonum is consolidated. Tamarix korolkowi and Tamarix ramosissima have minimal differences in epidermal characters, and the former is suggested to be a junior synonym. Tamarix ramosissima, Tamarix tarimensis, Tamarix arceuthoides and Tamarix hohenackeri are most similar with respect to their leaf epidermis; considering the common morphological features, habit, distribution and especially the hybridization, it is suggested that these four species are closely genetically related and that the variations among them are probably intraspecific. The new taxonomical evidence indicates the occurrence of13 species and four variants in China. Presently, Tamarix is a typical plant of arid and semi-arid regions, but its Eocene ancestors lived in warm and humid climates in the coastal areas of the ancient Mediterranean Sea.Thus, the papillae or epidermal hairs, which are outgrowths of the outer epidermal cells facilitating the leaf to respond to water stress and commonly seen in the plants growing in arid or semi-arid areas rather than the plants in warm and humid climates, are of relatively recent origin in Tamarix. The primitive species lack papillae or epidermal hairs, while in evolved species these structures are abundant. Based on the ecological adaptations of the epidermal features, the palaeogeographic implications of Tamarix in the Late Cenozoic of Northwest China are also discussed.

Layer Thickness-Dependent Hardness and Strain Rate Sensitivity of Cu–Al/Al Nanostructured Multilayers

Cu-Al/Al nanostructured metallic multilayers with Al layer thickness hAl varying from 5 to 100 nm were prepared, and their mechanical properties and deformation behaviors were studied by nanoindentation testing. The results showed that the hardness increased drastically with decreasing hAl down to about 20 nm, whereafter the hardness reached a plateau that approaches the hardness of the alloyed Cu-Al monolithic thin films. The strain rate sensitivity （SRS, m）, however, decreased monotonically with reducing hAl. The layer thickness-dependent strengthening mechanisms were discussed, and it was revealed that the alloyed Cu-Al nanolayers dominated at hAl≤ 20 nm, while the crystalline Al nanolayers dominated at hAl 〉 20 nm. The plastic deformation was mainly related to the ductile Al nanolayers, which was responsible for the monotonic evolution of SRS with hAl. In addition, the hAFdependent hardness and SRS were quanti- tatively modeled in light of the strengthening mechanisms at different length scales.

Fruits of Scirpus(Cyperaceae) from the early Miocene of Weichang,Hebei Province,North China and their palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical implications

This paper describes the fossil fruits of Scirpus weichangensis X.Q.Liang,sp.nov.from the early Miocene of Guangyongfa Village,Weichang County,Hebei Province,North China.The fossil fruits are obovate in shape and their lateral sections are plumply trigonous.The cell walls of the surface are straight.The persistent stout bristles have downward-directed barbellae in distal 1/2.The occurrence of the fossil Scirpus indicates that Guangfayong was a wetland in the early Miocene.Based on the fossil data,the genus likely originated in Western Siberia in the Oligocene,spread during the Miocene,and was finally distributed worldwide in the Holocene.