Research landscape on COVID-19 and liver dysfunction: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND The global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,responsible for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),poses a significant risk to public health.Beyond the respiratory issues initially associated with the condition,severe cases of COVID-19 can also lead to complications in other organs,including the liver.Patients with severe COVID-19 may exhibit various clinical signs of liver dysfunction,ranging from minor elevations in liver enzymes without symptoms to more serious cases of impaired liver function.Liver damage is more commonly observed in patients with severe or critical forms of the disease.AIM To present the research landscape on COVID-19 and liver dysfunction while also offering valuable insights into the prominent areas of interest within this particular domain.METHODS On 18 February 2023,Scopus was utilised to conduct a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between COVID-19 and the liver dysfunction.The investigation encompassed the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022.Primary sources were meticulously examined and organised in a Microsoft Excel 2013 spreadsheet,categorised by journal,institution,funding agency,country and citation type.VOSviewer version 1.6.18 was employed to explore the prominent topics and knowledge network related to the subject.RESULTS There were 2336 publications on COVID-19 and liver dysfunction analysed in this study,of which 558 were published in 2020,891 in 2021 and 887 in 2022.Researchers from 111 different countries participated in the retrieved documents.The United States contributed the most studies,with 497 documents,representing 21.28%of the total,followed by China with 393 documents(16.82%)and Italy with 255 documents(10.92%).In the context of research related to COVID-19 and the liver,co-occurrence analysis identified three distinct clusters of topics:(1)‘COVID-19 vaccines in liver transplant recipients’;(2)‘liver function tests as a predictor of the severity and clinical outcomes in hospitalised patients’;and(3)‘care of patients with liver disease during the COVID-19 pandemic’.CONCLUSION This bibliometric study provides a comprehensive overview of liver-related publications in COVID-19 research over the past 3 years.This study highlights the significant contributions of high-income nations,particularly the United States,China,and Italy,to the production of liver-related scholarly literature in this field.Most of the articles focused on liver dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 and the implications of the virus for gastroenterologists and hepatologists.

Global research trends on diet and nutrition in Crohn’s disease

BACKGROUND Crohn’s disease represents a challenge for patients concerned with the modified diet regimen as well as practitioners who seek the best nutritional therapy.Crohn’s disease can alter the body’s ability to digest food and to absorb nutrients,resulting in severe vitamin deficiencies,malnutrition and sometimes lifethreatening complications.However,a comprehensive bibliometric analysis is lacking to map the current links between nutrition and Crohn’s disease in terms of the number of citations,geographic distribution and growth trends of publications.AIM To introduce the current state of research as well as hotspots in the field of nutrition and Crohn’s disease from a bibliometric standpoint.METHODS We searched the Scopus database and selected the relevant literature on nutrition and Crohn’s disease that met the inclusion criteria.We analyzed the publication trends and research hotspots by using video object segmentation viewer software.RESULTS We included 1237 publications.The number of documents published each year has increased steadily.The United States and the University of Otago,Christchurch,have had the highest productivity,with 208(16.81%)and 29(2.34%)documents,respectively.The“role of exclusive enteral nutrition for complicated Crohn’s disease”and“manipulation of the gut microbiota as a key target for Crohn’s disease”were the major research areas in 2016-2021,and they could be extensively investigated in the future.Meanwhile,research on“malnutrition in patients with Crohn’s disease”appeared to be an area that attracted more research attention before 2016.CONCLUSION This is the first bibliometric analysis to map the knowledge structure and trends regarding nutrition in Crohn’s disease research over the past two decades.The results provide a comprehensive summary and identification of the frontiers of nutrition and Crohn’s disease-related research,which may be used as a resource by researchers in the field.

Global research trends in the microbiome related to irritable bowel syndrome: A bibliometric and visualized study

BACKGROUND Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. Dysregulation of the gut–brain axis plays a central role in the pathophysiology of IBS. It is increasingly clear that the microbiome plays a key role in the development and normal functioning of the gut–brain axis.AIM To facilitate the identification of specific areas of focus that may be of relevance to future research. This study represents a bibliometric analysis of the literature pertaining to the microbiome in IBS to understand the development of this field.METHODS The data used in our bibliometric analysis were retrieved from the Scopus database. The terms related to IBS and microbiome were searched in titles or abstracts within the period of 2000–2019. VOSviewer software was used for data visualization.RESULTS A total of 13055 documents related to IBS were retrieved at the global level. There were 1872 scientific publications focused on the microbiome in IBS. There was a strong positive correlation between publication productivity related to IBS in all fields and productivity related to the microbiome in IBS(r = 0.951, P < 0.001). The United States was the most prolific country with 449(24%) publications, followed by the United Kingdom(n = 176, 9.4%), China(n = 154, 8.2%), and Italy(n = 151, 8.1%). The h-index for all retrieved publications related to the microbiome in IBS was 138. The hot topics were stratified into four clusters:(1) The gut–brain axis related to IBS;(2) Clinical trials related to IBS and the microbiome;(3) Drugmediated manipulation of the gut microbiome;and(4) The role of the altered composition of intestinal microbiota in IBS prevention.CONCLUSION This is the first study to evaluate and quantify global research productivity pertaining to the microbiome in IBS. The number of publications regarding the gut microbiota in IBS has continuously grown since 2013. This finding suggests that the future outlook for interventions targeting the gut microbiota in IBS remains promising.

Mapping the global research landscape on nutrition and the gut microbiota:Visualization and bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND Nutrition is a significant modifiable element that influences the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota,implying the possibility of therapeutic diet methods that manipulate the composition and diversity of the microbial.AIM To overview research papers on nutrition and gut microbiota and determines the hotspots in this field at the global level.METHODS Scopus and Reference Citation Analysis were used to construct a bibliometric technique.It was decided to create bibliometric indicators and mapping as in most previous studies.2012 through 2021 served as the study's timeframe.RESULTS A total of 5378 documents from the Scopus database were selected for analysis.Of all retrieved studies,78.52%were research papers(n=4223),followed by reviews(n=820;15.25%).China ranked first with a total number of articles of 1634(30.38%),followed by the United States in second place with a total number of articles of 1307(24.3%).In the last decade,emerging hotspots for gut microbiota and nutrition research included"gut microbiota metabolism and interaction with dietary components","connection between the gut microbiota and weight gain",and"the influence of high-fat diet and gut microbiota on metabolic disorders".CONCLUSION This is the first thorough bibliometric analysis of nutrition and gut microbiota publications conducted on a global level.Investigation of the association between nutrition/diet and the gut microbiota is still in its infancy and will be expanded in the future.However,according to recent trends,the"effect of gut microbiota and high-fat diet on metabolic disorders"will be an increasing concern in the future.

Global research production pertaining to gastrointestinal involvement in COVID-19:A bibliometric and visualised study

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is a global pandemic that can cause diarrhoea,nausea/vomiting,and abdominal pain,among other gastrointestinal(GI)symptoms.AIM To perform a bibliometric analysis of the global research production pertaining to GI involvement in COVID-19.METHODS The Scopus database was used to search the global literature on GI involvement in COVID-19 during 2020.A bibliometric review of these publications was also performed using VOSviewer.RESULTS Scopus had published 95615 documents on COVID-19 in all areas of research at the time of data collection.In total,1267 publications on the topic of GI and COVID-19 were identified.Research articles(n=606;47.83%),letters(293;23.13%),and reviews(186;14.68%)were the most popular types of documents.The most productive countries and institutions in this field were the United States and Huazhong University of Science and Technology.The most cited paper was Xiao et al,which was published in Gastroenterology as a brief communication,with 798 citations.This paper provides evidence for GI infection of COVID-19 and its possible faecal–oral transmission route.In the term cluster analysis,there were two frontiers in this field:GI manifestations among COVID-19 patients and the implications of COVID-19 for the gastroenterologist.CONCLUSION GI manifestations among COVID-19 patients and implications of COVID-19 for gastroenterologists were of interest,especially in the early stages of the pandemic.

Mapping the landscape and structure of global research on binge eating disorder:Visualization and bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND Binge-eating disorder(BED)is a clinical syndrome and is considered the most common type of eating disorder.However,our understanding of the global performance and progress of BED research is limited.AIM To describe and perform a bibliometric analysis of the state of BED research.METHODS The term‘Binge eating’was searched in the title throughout the previous year’s up to December 31,2020.We searched the Scopus and Reference Citation Analysis for publications on Binge eating.The VOSviewer software version 1.6.17 was used to produce the network visualization map of the most frequent author,collaborative relationships between countries/regions,and to determine the hotspots related to binge eating research.In addition,conventional bibliometric indicators were generated.RESULTS The search strategy found 2713 total articles and an average of 62 articles per year.Among them,‘Article’represented 82.49%of the publications(n=2238 articles)and was the most frequent type,followed by reviews(n=243;8.96%).The number of publications increased steadily during the last decade of the study period.One hundred and thirty-two countries contributed to binge eating research,with 1495(55.11%)articles published in the United States,followed by Italy with 256(9.44%),the United Kingdom with 183(6.75%),and Germany with 182(6.71%).Currently,the main hot topics related to BED are‘type of treatment and management and treatment provided to BED”;“processes and pathways to binge eating”;and‘diagnosis,signs and symptoms,comorbidities and prevalence and associated factors with BED’.CONCLUSION The number of publications has increased noticeably during the previous decade.There are indeed relatively few publications on BED from low-and middle-income nations,so much is to be learned from the experience of all countries.Studies on this topic are critical in all countries to discover risk factors and effective intervention measures.Although our findings are preliminary,they imply that the future prospects for interventions aimed at BED management are bright,focusing on complex models of care and long-term maintenance of therapeutic gains.

Global trends in research related to sleeve gastrectomy:A bibliometric and visualized study

BACKGROUND One of the most popular bariatric procedures is sleeve gastrectomy,and it has become significantly more common in recent years.AIM To evaluate the research activity in sleeve gastrectomy over the last two decades,and to visualize the hot spots and emerging trends in this type of bariatric surgeryusing bibliometric methods.METHODS The Scopus database was used to search for publications related to sleeve gastrectomy.The retrieved publications were reviewed in terms of year of publication,type of study,country of origin,institutions,journals,and citation patterns by using descriptive analysis.Collaboration network and term cooccurrence analysis were visualized by using VOSviewer software.RESULTS The search strategy yielded a total of 6508 publications on sleeve gastrectomy from 2001 to 2020.As regards the document type,the majority were articles(n=5230;80.36%),followed by reviews(n=544;8.36%).The top three countries are the United States,with 1983 publications(30.47%),followed by France(600;9.22%)and Italy(417;6.71%).The most cited publication was published in 2012 by Schauer et al in the New England Journal of Medicine(n=1435 citations).This publication found that weight loss was greater in the sleeve gastrectomy group than in the medical therapy group.Furthermore,this study demonstrated that 12 mo of medical therapy plus bariatric surgery greatly improved glycemic regulation in obese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes compared with medical therapy alone.The focus of the current literature on sleeve gastrectomy was directed toward several themes such as morbidity and potential complications,the complexity of the procedure and different surgical approaches,and diabetes and body mass index in correlation to sleeve gastrectomy.CONCLUSION The number of sleeve gastrectomy publications has gradually grown over the last 20 years.This bibliometric analysis could help researchers better understand the knowledge base and research frontiers surrounding sleeve gastrectomy.In addition,future studies may focus on emerging research hotspots.

Mapping the global research landscape on insulin resistance: Visualization and bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND Insulin resistance is a risk factor for metabolic syndromes and is associated with a wide variety of metabolic illnesses,including obesity,type 2 diabetes,and cardiovascular disease.AIM To investigate and map global insulin resistance studies.METHODS A bibliometric methodology was applied to the literature retrieved from the Scopus database and Reference Citation Analysis(https://www.referencecitationanalysis.com)by using a validated search strategy.The study period was limited from 2002 to 2021.Bibliometric indicators and mapping were presented.RESULTS A total of 26808 articles on the topic of insulin resistance were included in the Scopus database.The articles included research articles(n=21918;81.76%),review articles(n=2641;9.85%),and letters(n=653;2.44%).During the study period,136 countries contributed to the research on insulin resistance.The highest number of articles was from the United States(n=7360;27.45%),followed by China(n=3713;13.85%),Japan(n=1730,6.45%),Italy(n=1545;5.54%),and the United Kingdom(n=1484;5.54%).The retrieved articles identified two main research themes:“inflammatory mechanisms in the regulation of insulin resistance”and“mechanisms linking obesity to insulin resistance”.CONCLUSION Our data show that insulin resistance has steadily gained interest from researchers,as evidenced by the number of citations and yearly publications.Publications have grown significantly in the last decade,while low-income countries with greater burdens continue to produce fewer publications in this field.This approach might assist researchers in choosing new research areas and recognizing research hotspots and frontiers.In the future,perhaps high-quality clinical evidence will be acquired.

Global research on Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea:A visualized study

BACKGROUND Clostridioides(Clostridium)difficile(C.difficile)is still the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea and is increasing in prevalence as a communityacquired infection.In addition,the emergence of antibiotic resistance in C.difficile can increase the likelihood of the disease developing and/or spreading.AIM To provide an up-to-date picture of the trends in publications related to C.difficile infection,together with specific insights into hot-button issues in this field.METHODS Publications on C.difficile infections in the field of microbiology between 2001 and 2020 were identified from the Scopus database and Reference Citation Analysis.Bibliometric indicators were determined,including the number and type of publications,countries,affiliations,funding agencies,journals and citation patterns.VOSviewer was used to determine research areas and hot-button issues by identifying recurring terms with a high relative occurrence in the title and abstract.RESULTS A total of 8127 documents on‘C.difficile-associated diarrhoea’published between 2001 and 2020 were retrieved from the Scopus database.In the last decade,there has been a significant almost fourfold increase in the number of published papers on this topic.The United States was among the countries(44.11%)with the most publications,and the most involved institution was the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom(2.50%).Three clusters of research were identified and included‘illness spectrum and severity,as well as the signs,symptoms and clinical pathogenesis of C.difficile’;‘laboratory diagnosis and characterization of C.difficile’and‘risk factors for C.difficile infection’.CONCLUSION This study contains the most up-to-date and comprehensive data ever compiled in this field.More international research and cross-institutional collaborations are needed to address more global C.difficile concerns and to benefit from greater sharing of expertise,which will result in higher quality or more effective studies in the future.Promising research avenues in the near future may draw the attention of relevant scientists and funding organizations and open up novel C.difficile infection–based diagnosis and treatment approaches.

Global research production in neonatal abstinence syndrome: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND Recently,neonatal abstinence syndrome(NAS)emerged as a significant global concern with a dramatic increase in healthcare expenditures.The incidence of the NAS has increased notably in the past decade and emergence as a global public health problem.AIM To evaluate the development and trend of global NAS research from 1958 to 2019 by bibliometric analysis.METHODS Analyzed aspects included publication output per year,language,document types,journals,countries/territories,h-index,authors,and top research priorities.The VOSviewer was used to determine the top research priorities,and trends,and to present bibliometric networks concerning various dimensions,such as coauthorship,authors,and countries.RESULTS A total of 1738 articles were retrieved in the Scopus database from 1958 to 2019.It was found that the great majority of the total NAS documents(n=1295)were original articles followed by reviews(n=268)and letters(n=48).The most productive countries in the NAS field were the United States(n=833),Canada(n=112),the United Kingdom(n=111),and Germany(n=77).Treatment and hospital outcomes in NAS,evidence-based nurse-driven interventions for the care of newborns with NAS,and a systematic reviews and network meta-analysis for therapeutic approaches of NAS were found in recent years(after 2010),compared with terms such as pathophysiology,mechanisms of NAS,and signs and symptoms in the early years.CONCLUSION Treatment and pediatric outcomes and the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment may be frontiers in the NAS field,and continued efforts from researchers are needed in those topics.