Cellular senescence in neurodegenerative diseases: A bibliometric analysis and mechanistic synthesis linking translational pathways to therapeutic implications.

Despite the growing interest in stem cell therapy for kidney disease research, there remains a lack of comprehensive and systematic bibliometric analyses in this field. This study aimed to summarize the progress in stem cell therapy for kidney disease through bibliometric analysis, providing insights into the development and direction of the field. Publications related to kidney disease and stem cell therapy in the last 17years were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database on July 15, 2025. In conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis, a variety of bibliographic elements were meticulously collected to map the landscape of research within a specific field. Between January 1, 2009, and July 15, 2025, a total of 3,914 articles on stem cell therapy research in kidney disease were published across 186 academic journals by 19,195 authors from 3906 institutions in 90 countries. The volume of publications has shown a steady increase over this period. The United States and China lead in both publication and citation counts. Harvard University and University of California System are the most active institutions in this research domain. Lilach O. Lerman from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science was noted for the highest number of significant publications and received the most co-citations. The analysis revealed key research themes, including pluripotent stem cells, exosomes, and extracellular vesicles. This study provided a comprehensive bibliometric and knowledge mapping analysis of stem cell therapy in kidney disease research landscape, offering valuable insights into the trends, key contributors, and thematic focus areas within the field. By delineating the evolution of this research, this study aims to guide future scholarly endeavors and enhance our understanding of stem cell therapeutic potential.

BackgroundOlfactory dysfunction (OD) has gained prominence in neurodegenerative diseases and COVID-19 sequelae in recent years. Its mechanisms have also attracted increasing research interest. However, there is currently a scarcity of bibliometric analyses in this field.MethodsArticles related to OD mechanisms were searched in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and Scopus. Data merging and bibliometric analysis were conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Excel, Scimago Graphica, and the bibliometrix in R package. Simultaneously, PubMed was used to search and summarize interventional clinical trials in this field, and their protocols were tracked through trial registration information and ethical approval records.ResultsA total of 7,915 articles met the inclusion criteria in WoSCC and Scopus. Overall, the number of articles published annually on the mechanisms of OD is on the rise. The USA (2635 publications), University of California System (143 publications), and Thomas Hummel (174 publications) are the most productive country, institution, and author, respectively. Keyword analysis shows that “COVID-19,” “Parkinson’s disease,” “inflammation,” “odorant receptor,” and other related topics are hot topics and trends in research. PubMed retrieved and included 14 interventional clinical trials. These trials mainly focus on pharmacological interventions, non-pharmacological interventions, surgical interventions, and mechanistic studies.ConclusionMechanistic research on OD is advancing from macroscopic observations to precise molecular mechanisms. This review synthesizes evidence on how distinct etiologies, ranging from post-viral and inflammatory damage to neurodegeneration and metabolic imbalances, contribute to OD. Notably, the dysregulation of the inflammatory NF-κB, signal-transducing cAMP, and neuroregenerative Wnt/β-catenin pathways may collectively contribute to the development of OD. By integrating bibliometric trends with clinical trial evaluations, this study delineates a clear translational pipeline from mechanism exploration to clinical interventions.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, posing substantial public health challenges. Cellular senescence, a stress-induced cell fate characterized by stable cell-cycle arrest and a hypersecretory state, plays dual roles in tissue repair and tumor suppression. Although the relationship between cancer and cellular senescence has been widely investigated, no comprehensive bibliometric analysis has been reported. This study aimed to map the global research landscape, identify hotspots, and reveal emerging trends in this field. Publications from 2000 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, including only articles and reviews, and analyzed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. A total of 5790 papers were identified, showing a steady increase in publications and citations over the past 25 years. The USA ranked first in publication output and institutional productivity, followed by China, while Judith Campisi was the most prolific and cited author. Hotspots included the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), immunotherapy, tumor microenvironment, secretory phenotype, and molecular hallmarks of senescence. These findings indicate that cancer and cellular senescence research is expanding rapidly, with secretory phenotypes and molecular hallmarks representing promising directions for future investigation.

PurposeIodine-125 (125-I) seed implantation is a widely used brachytherapy technique for treating various solid tumors. This study aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of the research trends, key contributors, and emerging hotspots in this field.Materials and methodsA comprehensive search was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection, covering publications from January, 1960 to August 20, 2024. Bibliometric analysis was performed with VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package “bibliometrix” to examine trends in publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords.ResultsThe analysis included 2212 publications, showing a steady increase in research output, with USA, China, and Japan leading in publication volume. The University of California System and Keio University were the most productive institutions. Brachytherapy and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics emerged as the most influential journals in this field. Yorozu Atsunori and Wang Junjie were identified as key authors. Keyword co-occurrence analysis highlighted “cancer,” “brachytherapy,” and “radiotherapy” as core themes. Keyword burst analysis revealed evolving research hotspots, such as “hepatocellular carcinoma,” “efficacy,” “safety,” and “transarterial chemoembolization,” emphasizing concerns about long-term outcomes, safety, and treatment strategies for 125-I implantation therapy across multiple cancers.ConclusionThis bibliometric analysis underscores that research on 125-I seed implantation is primarily focused on optimizing dosimetry, improving implantation techniques, and addressing long-term outcomes and safety. The findings emphasize the need for standardized treatment protocols to ensure consistent and effective clinical practice.

Telemedicine applications in palliative care have increased significantly in recent years. A bibliometric analysis was performed to highlight prevailing research hotspots and emerging trends and provide a reference to support future investigations in this field. A bibliometric analysis was performed on literature retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. A total of 2635 publications on telemedicine applications in palliative care, published between 2005 and 2024, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. We employed Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace to analyze these contributions quantitatively and visually in terms of countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. Annual publications increased from 13 (2005) to 336 (2024), with the United States dominating the field (41% output, H-index = 70). Harvard University and the University of California System were identified as core research institutions, and Bakitas, Marie A. and Dionne-Odom, James N. were identified as leading authors. Keyword clustering identified three research domains: cancer patients (home-based care), patient-centered themes (depression, anxiety, symptoms, burden, information, pain management, and quality of life) and technological applications (digital health and artificial intelligence, i.e., AI). Emerging areas of focus include chronic disease management and post-pandemic priorities (social media, mental health, digital integration, information, preference, and consultation). These results also suggest that telemedicine applications in the palliative care of chronic noncancer patients are very promising. Research on telemedicine in palliative care has undergone rapid growth and a paradigm shift from disease intervention to patient experience. Future studies should prioritize cross-regional collaboration and equitable access to care for noncancer populations, with anticipated hotspots transitioning toward chronic conditions and digitally enhanced psychosocial support. Integrating telemedicine into palliative care is crucial for expanding access to specialized care, especially for homebound patients and those in underserved regions. This approach facilitates remote symptom monitoring, patient education, and timely consultations, which can directly improve symptom management, patient empowerment, and quality of life. Understanding the evolving research trends, as mapped in this study, helps clinicians and healthcare systems identify effective tele-palliative care models to implement in practice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive progress and memory loss, which eventually develops into dementia. It can cause personality disorders and decreased quality of life of patients. Currently, AD patients account for 60-70% of global dementia patients and the incidence rate of AD is increasing annually. AD not only causes pain to patients but also brings a heavy burden to the entire family. Studies have found that there is a connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and other biochemical changes in AD like classical neuropathological hallmarks (β-amyloid and tau protein), inflammation pathways, oxidative stress, and so on. Evidence shows that early treatment targeted directly to mitochondria could extend the lifespan of model mice and decrease the relevant neuropathological markers. Therefore, research on the mitochondrial dysfunction of AD can be of potential significance for clinical treatment. To date, few bibliometric analysis articles related to mitochondrial dysfunction of AD have been published. Bibliometric analysis refers to quantitatively analyzing certain aspects of articles like publishers, authors, and countries by using statistical and mathematical methods. Combined with statistical software, a large number of papers can be converted to visualization figures and tables, which provide vital information such as keyword hotspots and the names of contributing authors. Through the bibliometric analysis method, our study aimed to provide study trends and keyword hotpots for researchers to conduct further relevant research in this field. We used the Web of Science core collection database as a literature retrieval tool to obtain data related to mitochondrial changes in Alzheimer's disease during the last 20 years. The retrieval type was [TS = (Alzheimer's disease)] ND [TS = (mitochondrion)], ranging from January 1, 2000 to June 30, 2022. VOSviewer v1.6.18, Arcgis 10.8, and HistCite pro 2.1 were used to conduct data visualization analysis. VOSviewer v1.6.18 made relevant network visualization maps of the cooperative relationship between relevant countries, institutions, and authors (co-authorship), the frequency of different keywords appearing together (co-occurrence), and the frequency of different articles cited together (co-cited). Arcgis 10.8 created the world map of publications distribution in this field and Histcite pro 2.1 was used to count the local citation score (LCS) of references. In addition, Journal Citation Reports were used to consult the latest journal import factor and JCI quartile. As of June 30, 2022, from the Web of Science core collection, we selected 2,474 original articles in English, excluding the document types of the news items, meeting abstracts, and some articles that had little relevance to our theme. The United States acted as the leader and enjoyed a high reputation in this field. The University of California System was the institution that made the greatest contribution (3.64% with 90 papers). Most articles were published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (8.21%, with 203 papers). The most frequently co-cited journal in Q1 was the Journal of Biological Chemistry (8,666 citations, TLS: 1039591). Russel H. Swerdlow (55 publications) was the most productive author and PH Reddy was the most co-cited author with 1,264 citations (TLS: 62971). The hotpots of mitochondrial dysfunction in AD were as follows: "oxidative stress," "amyloid-beta-protein," "tau," "apoptosis," "inflammation," "autophagy," "precursor protein," "endoplasmic-reticulum," "dynamics" and "mitochondrial unfolded protein response." This bibliometric analysis research will help readers rapidly identify current hotpots and milestone studies related to directions of interest in AD research.

ABSTRACTBackgroundNeurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a progressive decline in neuronal function, posing a major challenge to understanding their molecular mechanisms. The role of DNA methylation in these diseases remains an area of research focus.MethodsA bibliometric analysis was performed using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database, covering 3284 publications from January 1, 2000 to November 18, 2024. The search focused on articles related to methylation in neurodegenerative diseases, with queries limited to the “title” field. Only original articles and reviews in English were included. Data were analyzed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix R packages to visualize trends, identify collaborative networks, and identify key topics, such as DNA methylation and Alzheimer's disease.ResultsThe analysis showed a steady increase in research output, with major contributions coming from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. The University of California system, Harvard University, and University College London were leading institutions. Key journals such as the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Nature, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences were identified as having impact. Keyword analysis highlighted DNA methylation and Alzheimer's disease as prominent research topics.ConclusionDespite limitations such as the lack of experimental validation and clinical evidence, this study highlights the growing interest in methylation research on neurodegenerative diseases and underscores the need for innovative efforts to identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

BackgroundThe glymphatic system is a crucial factor in the development of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) and holds substantial promise for therapeutic strategies. However, despite its growing significance, detailed bibliometric investigations specifically targeting the interplay between the glymphatic system and NDs are still sparse. This study pioneers a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to delineate the intellectual framework and emerging trajectories in glymphatic system research associated with NDs.Materials and methodsWe conducted an exhaustive search of the literature on the glymphatic system and NDs using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Scopus, and Pubmed Central (PMC) databases. VOSviewer was applied for bibliometric analysis and visualization to scrutinize geographical distribution, institutional distribution, inter-journal connections, and keyword prevalence. Additionally, CiteSpace was utilized to intuitively explore and analyze journal interactions and citation dynamics. The bibliometrix R package was employed to construct visualized networks of international collaborations, as well as the relationships among authors, keywords, and journals. Data visualization was further enhanced with the aid of the WPS Office.ResultsA total of 865 relevant publications were retrieved, covering 92 countries, 1,471 research institutions, and 367 academic journals. Over the past thirteen years, both the number of publications and citations related to the glymphatic system in NDs have shown a significant upward trend, with neuroscience being the primary research field. Chinese authors over the world published the largest number of articles, while China and United States rank the highest in terms of publication and citation counts, also both demonstrate extensive international collaboration. And the Frontiers series journal publishes the most papers in this field, while Brain is the most frequently cited journal. The University of Rochester is the top-producing institution with an internally well-known Chinese research group. Keyword analysis highlights the glymphatic system, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), cerebrospinal fluid, and aquaporin 4 (AQP4) as core topics, with AQP4 polarization identified as a key regulatory factor for metabolic waste clearance. The main NDs under investigation are AD and Parkinson’s disease (PD).ConclusionThis study offers a comprehensive preliminary dissection of the research landscape, identifying current focal points and potential future directions in glymphatic system research related to NDs. By leveraging multiple bibliometric approaches, this study provides valuable insights into this burgeoning field.

From theory to therapy: a bibliometric and visual study of stem cell advancements in age-related macular degeneration

BackgroundDigital health interventions are transforming hypertension management, yet the evolution and focus of this research domain remain underexplored. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research trends and hotspots in digital health for hypertension management.MethodsRelevant publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were conducted using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R-Bibliometrix, covering the period from 1992 to 2025.ResultsA total of 1368 English-language articles, authored by 8918 researchers from 5268 institutions in over 100 countries/regions, were identified. These articles appeared in 435 journals, with publication output showing rapid growth since 2011 and peaking in 2022. The United States led in both productivity and international collaboration, with Duke University, the University of California System, and Harvard University as the top institutions. Bosworth HB emerged as the most prolific and influential author, while JMIR mHealth and uHealth and the Journal of Medical Internet Research were the leading journals. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed five major research clusters: (1) Digital interventions and patient management; (2) Population health and lifestyle factors; (3) Clinical practice, guidelines, and measurement; (4) Disease burden, outcomes, and epidemiology; and (5) Health equity, access, and technology utilization. Evidence suggests that digital health interventions improved patient self-management, medication adherence, and blood pressure control, highlighting their potential for better clinical outcomes. Recent burst keywords such as “burden,” “telehealth,” “meta-analysis,” and “United States” indicate shifting research priorities toward implementation, health equity, and real-world impact.ConclusionThis study identified rapid growth and diversification in digital health research for hypertension, with the United States, leading academic institutions, and journals such as JMIR mHealth and uHealth at the forefront. Five major research clusters were revealed, spanning digital interventions, clinical practices, lifestyle factors, disease burden, and health equity. Recent trends show increased focus on telehealth, implementation challenges, and equity of access. Future research should further integrate digital health solutions into routine hypertension care, address disparities, and systematically evaluate their real-world impact.

Background: Extensive studies related to vascular calcification (VC) were conducted in recent years. However, no bibliometric analysis has systematically investigated this topic. Our study aimed to determine the hotspots and frontiers of VC research in the past decade and provide a reference for future scientific research directions and decision-making in the VC field. Methods: VC studies were acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric and visual analyses were performed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Microsoft Excel software. Results: A total of 8,238 English articles on VC research published in 2011–2020 were obtained. In the past decade, annual publications and citations showed a significant growth trend, especially in 2018–2020. The most productive country, institution, journal and author are the United States, the University of California System, PLOS ONE, and Budoff MJ, respectively. The most frequently cited country, journal, and author are the United States, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Floege J, respectively. “Vascular calcification,” “atherosclerosis,” “chronic kidney disease,” and “cardiovascular disease” are the primary keywords. The burst keywords “revascularization,” “calciprotein particle,” “microRNA,” and “microcalcification” are speculated to be the research frontiers. Conclusion: The main research hotspots in the VC field are the molecular mechanisms and prognosis of VC in patients with chronic kidney disease or cardiovascular disease. In addition, endovascular therapy and the development of new drugs targeting signal pathways for VC will become the focus of future research. Moreover, non-coding RNAs related to the diagnosis and treatment of VC are great research prospects.

Background:Cognitive impairment (CI) is a common complication in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, affecting 10% to 50% of individuals depending on disease stage. Despite its clinical significance, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear, and effective interventions are lacking. This bibliometric analysis aimed to comprehensively map the research landscape of CI secondary to CKD from 1995 to 2024, identifying trends, key contributors, and evolving foci.Methods:A total of 1783 English original articles and reviews were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric analysis was performed using R-bibliometrix (v4.4.2), CiteSpace (v6.3.1), and Excel 2024. Metrics included annual publications, country/affiliation contributions, journal impact (H-index, Bradford Law), citation analysis (local/global citations), author influence (H-index), keyword co-occurrence, burst detection, and thematic evolution.Results:Publications surged after 2016, with the United States leading output (nearly 500 articles) and collaborations. The University of California System was the top affiliation (n = 243). Core journals were Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, American Journal of Kidney Diseases, and Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Yaffe K was the most influential author (H-index = 19). Key articles by Kurella M and Murray AM were highly cited. Keyword analysis revealed shifting themes: early research focused on prevalence and clinical associations, while current hotspots emphasized molecular mechanisms (α-Klotho, NLRP3 inflammasome) and comorbidities (fatty liver disease).Conclusions:Research on CKD-associated CI has expanded significantly, with a paradigm shift toward mechanistic exploration. The USA dominates scholarly output, and interdisciplinary collaboration is critical. Emerging themes highlight the roles of inflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and organ crosstalk. These insights inform future research directions, clinical screening strategies, and therapeutic targeting for CI in CKD.

The application of hydrogels in corneal research has gained increasing attention, driven by continuous advancements in biotechnology. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to examine global research trends over the past two decades, employing visualization techniques to identify pivotal research domains and emerging directions. A cross-sectional study was conducted, wherein publications related to hydrogels and hydrogel-based delivery systems for corneal diseases were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (2000-2024). The bibliometric tools Space and VOSviewer were employed to analyze contributions by country, institution, and author, as well as to identify relevant research areas. Additionally, key sub-themes emerging from the bibliometric analysis were further examined and discussed. A total of 955 eligible publications were analyzed. The United States and China emerged as the leading contributors. The University of California System and Linköping University were identified as the most prolific institutions in the field. Among researchers, Griffith, May was found to have the highest number of publications, while Abigail Isaacson was the most cited author. The analysis revealed that the predominant research themes encompassed corneal contact lenses, artificial corneas, and drug delivery systems, while the prevailing research trends were centered on regenerative medicine and scaffold technology. Through bibliometric analysis, this study identified research trends and strategic approaches in the field, examining key aspects such as publication year, country and institutional contributions, author impact, and keyword co-occurrence. The results indicate that the literature on hydrogel applications in corneal research has garnered increasing attention over the past two decades, demonstrating a steady upward trend. The subsequent sections further explore the significant role of hydrogels in this domain and discuss potential future research directions.

Although cancer immunotherapy has significantly improved the clinical outcomes of tumors, the heterogeneity of individual responses remains a major challenge. The gut microbiota profoundly influences the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) through mechanisms such as metabolite secretion, immune cell regulation, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. The regulatory roles of specific microbiota features (such as Ruminococcus and Bifidobacterium) and metabolites (such as L-selenomethionine) have been confirmed. With the rapid development of research, the literature in this field has grown explosively, and traditional review methods are difficult to systematically analyze its knowledge structure, hotspots evolution, and interdisciplinary trends. This study aims to map the knowledge landscape of gut microbiota in cancer immunotherapy using bibliometrics, to identify research trends, key contributors, and emerging hotspots. Literature published from 1 January 2001, to 7 July 2025 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). After strict screening, 2,669 publications were included for bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace. Key analytical parameters were set as follows: time slicing=1year, top N=50 per slice, pathfinder pruning. The analysis encompassed temporal publication trends, collaboration networks (countries/institutions/authors), keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst detection. The research showed a three-stage growth pattern of "germination-development-explosion," peaking at 525 articles in 2024. China (988 articles) and the United States (762 articles) were the high-yield countries; England had the highest centrality (0.30) and was the global cooperation hub. The University of Texas System (149 articles), Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM) (124 articles), and MD Anderson Cancer Center (123 articles) are high-yield institutions; the University of California System has the highest centrality (0.19). The top 3 authors in terms of publication volume were Zitvogel, Laurence (50 articles), Routy, Bertrand (47 articles), and Wargo, Jennifer A (39 articles). Authors with high centrality (0.03) include Kroemer, Guido; Trinchieri, Giorgio; Ascierto, Paolo Antonio; and Marincola, Francesco M. The most frequent keywords were gut microbiota (frequency=690), immunotherapy (509), and colorectal cancer (358). Keywords with the highest centrality included immunotherapy (centrality=0.30), t cells (0.22), and gut microbiota (0.20). The strongest emerging keywords were microsatellite instability (burst strength=10.09), health (9.85), and diversity (9.65). Keyword cluster analysis (Modularity Q=0.4276, Silhouette=0.6724) revealed five major research directions: immune checkpoint inhibitor, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, efficacy, tumor microenvironment. This study systematically delineated a "microbiota-immunity-tumor" triangular knowledge framework that currently underpins the field, highlighting its maturation through bibliometric evidence. In the future, it is critical to integrate cross-scale mechanism exploration, standardized clinical translation pathways, and a global collaboration network to promote breakthroughs in personalized immunotherapy strategies, with direct relevance for clinical and perioperative care in oncology.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by gradual progression. A significant pathophysiology of its development and evolution is neuroinflammation. A previous review assessed the neuroinflammation research in PD, but limitations in its search period and analytical methods restricted its ability to reflect the full landscape of the field and recent research trends. To solve this problem, we performed a bibliometric and visual review in order to describe the current state of research and outline the recent progress in PD-related neuroinflammation. The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and Scopus were searched to retrieve a total of 5,926 publications published between January 1, 2015 and September 23, 2025. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the bibliometrix R package were used to perform a comprehensive bibliometric and visualization analysis. The results showed that China produced the largest number of publications in this field, accounting for 30.75% of the total. At the institutional level, the University of California System and Shanghai Jiao Tong University were among the leading contributors. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences was the most productive journal in this field. Among individual authors, Wang, Q.S. Zhang, F. and Cuzzocrea, S. were the most prolific contributors, whereas McGeer, P.L. was the most frequently co-cited author. Keyword analysis further identified three major research themes: fundamental pathological mechanisms, clinical diagnosis, and intervention strategies. Overall, this study provides a systematic overview of the current research landscape, principal themes, and emerging directions in neuroinflammation research on PD by means of bibliometric analysis.