Density-equalizing Mapping Research Articles

The Pandemic Year 2020: World Map of Coronavirus Research.

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 is one of the most threatening pandemics in human history. As of the date of this analysis, it had claimed about 2 million lives worldwide, and the number is rising sharply. Governments, societies, and scientists are equally challenged under this burden.ObjectiveThis study aimed to map global coronavirus research in 2020 according to various influencing factors to highlight incentives or necessities for further research.MethodsThe application of established and advanced bibliometric methods combined with the visualization technique of density-equalizing mapping provided a global picture of incentives and efforts on coronavirus research in 2020. Countries’ funding patterns and their epidemiological and socioeconomic characteristics as well as their publication performance data were included.ResultsResearch output exploded in 2020 with momentum, including citation and networking parameters. China and the United States were the countries with the highest publication performance. Globally, however, publication output correlated significantly with COVID-19 cases. Research funding has also increased immensely.ConclusionsNonetheless, the abrupt decline in publication efforts following previous coronavirus epidemics should demonstrate to global researchers that they should not lose interest even after containment, as the next epidemiological challenge is certain to come. Validated reporting worldwide and the inclusion of low-income countries are additionally important for a successful future research strategy.

Mammography: density equalizing mapping of the global research architecture.

Since mammography belongs to the most important preventive techniques in modern medicine, this study maps the related worldwide research output, which encompasses quantitative and qualitative aspects of the scientific activity and socio-economic features. The New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science (NewQIS) computing platform identified all mammography-specific articles in the Web of Science within two time periods, from 1900 to 2014 (P1) and from 2015 to 2020 (P2), a combination of density-equalizing mapping projections (DEMP) and socio-economic benchmarking was applied for analysis. A total of 13,629 articles were retrieved. 8,744 articles were identified in P1 and 4,885 in P2. More than 100 articles were published annually since the 1980s. Regarding productivity and collaborative efforts, the United States was the leading nation in both evaluation periods. In our socioeconomic analysis, it was also ranked at the first place in P1 [72.68 mammography-related publications per GDP/capita (RGDP)]. The US was followed by the UK and Germany in P1 and by UK and India in P2. When population sizes were related to mammography research activities, Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands showed the highest research activity in P1 (e.g., Sweden: 31.89 publications per 1 million inhabitants). Gender analysis illustrated a relative dominance of female researchers in most countries with the exception of Japan. The global mammography research activity over the last century is paralleled by strong international collaborative efforts and follows largely economic figures and prevalence rates but displays distinct differences in comparison to the research landscape of other biomedical entities.

Needlestick injuries: a density-equalizing mapping and socioeconomic analysis of the global research

BackgroundNeedlestick injuries have caused a deleterious effect on the physical and mental health of millions of health-care workers over the past decades, being responsible for occupational infections with viruses such as HIV or hepatis C. Despite this heavy burden of disease, no concise studies have been published on the global research landscape so far.MethodsWe used the New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science platform to analyze global NSI research (n = 2987 articles) over the past 115 years using the Web of Science and parameters such as global versus country-specific research activities, semi-qualitative issues, and socioeconomic figures.ResultsDensity-equalizing mapping showed that although a total of n = 106 countries participated in NSI research, large parts of Africa and South America were almost invisible regarding global participation in NSI research. Average citation rate (cr) analysis indicated a high rate for Switzerland (cr = 25.1), Italy (cr = 23.5), and Japan (cr = 19.2). Socioeconomic analysis revealed that the UK had the highest quotient QGDP of 0.13 NSI-specific publications per bill. US-$ gross domestic product (GDP), followed by South Africa (QGDP = 0.12). Temporal analysis of HIV versus hepatitis research indicated that NSI-HIV research culminated in the early 1990s, whereas NSI-hepatitis research increased over the observed period from the 1980s until the last decade.ConclusionAlbeit NSI research activity is generally increasing, the growth is asymmetrical from a global viewpoint. International strategies should be followed that put a focus on NSI in non-industrialized areas of the world.

Ulcerative Colitis: A Critical Approach to the Global Research Output Employing Density-equalizing Mapping and Scientometric Methods.

Despite decades of effort, numerous aspects on ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unknown and require further investigation. Scientists experience numerous challenges to survey >40,000 items that have been published on UC since 1900, to evaluate their scientific impact or to identify collaborative networks publishing the most relevant work. Hence, no current, detailed and comprehensive knowledge regarding the worldwide research architecture of UC has been established until now. We conducted a scientometric study employing the previously validated NewQIS (New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science) platform to quantify the global research activity in the field of UC. Hereby, the total research productivity, scientific output of countries, individual institutions, authors, journals, their collaborative networks as well as semiqualitative aspects were assessed. Results were visualized via state-of-the-art density-equalizing mapping projections. The United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom play leading roles regarding scientific activity, multilateral and bilateral cooperations. Within the past decades, research on UC diversified into a field covering numerous subject areas. Recently published studies predict that the scientific progress will be mainly depending on international cooperations; we can confirm that development by now. Scientometrics proofed to be a useful methodical approach to evaluate quantitative and semiqualitative aspects regarding UC. Also, we conclude that the influence of international cooperations on the scientific progress in the field of UC is constantly progressing.

Social sciences research in the Central European city of Wrocław: A density-equalizing mapping analysis.

BackgroundThe city of Wrocław in Poland represents one of Central Europeans oldest capitals of science with numerous Nobel laureates. Due to a long history of political suppressions with Nazi Germany and Communism from 1933 until 1989, its scientific community was suppressed for more than half a century.MethodsThe present study assessed scientific activities in the field of social and neighbouring sciences using density equalizing mapping. On the basis of the NewQIS (New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science) platform and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) of the Web of Science database, a total of 1787 articles originating from Wrocław were identified between 1966 and 2017.ResultsIn total, 549 research collaborations of Wrocław with 96 different countries were present (30.7%). Among the 107 research areas the highest activity was found for the field of Business and Economics with n = 272 articles (average citation rate (AVR) of 12.54), followed by Psychology (n = 252 articles, AVR = 9.06), Psychiatry (n = 205 articles, AVR = 4.74) and Public, Environmental and Occupational Health (n = 145 articles, AVR = 7.96). The highest AVR was found for Operations Research (25.36 with n = 87 articles). Density equalizing mapping procedures revealed a global pattern of social sciences research collaborations with scientists from Germany, the UK and the US as the primary cooperating partner of Wrocław. The different countries had major differences in the area of research collaborations.ConclusionsThis is the first study that depicts the global network of Wrocław scientific activities in the field of social sciences. The exorbitant increase in research activity from 2006 onwards can lead to the assumption that Wrocław social sciences encounter a fruitful future.

Academic chemistry and related fields in Wrocław: Density-equalizing mapping studies over the past decades.

Chemistry and related areas of science have a strong background in Wrocław with 3 Nobel laureates. The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of scientific excellence and productivity after the Second World War, when Polish scientists rebuilt academic life in these important areas. The present approach used the established platform of the New Quality and Quantity Indicators in Science (NewQIS) project and density-equalizing mapping calculations. In total, 15,267 original research articles related to chemistry published by Wrocław scientists were identified in the Web of Science between 1972 and 2016. They were cited 170,606 times. The highest citation numbers were reached in the years 2001 and 2004. In total, 4,362 research collaborations were performed with 83 different countries, leading to a percentage of 28.6%. Wrocław chemistry institutions established a vast international network with the USA (688 articles), France (658 articles) and Germany (679 articles) as their main partner countries. Besides chemistry, the main research fields are biochemistry and molecular biology, as well as physics, with 2,177 and 2,007 articles, respectively. This study visualized the great success and virtue by which Polish scientists rebuilt a scientific community in the area of chemistry in Wrocław after the Second World War. Wrocław is now a key Central European player in chemistry and related areas, which serves as a nodal point between Eastern and Western countries.

Bibliometric analysis of a century of research on oral erythroplakia and leukoplakia.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a major cause of cancer-associated morbidity and mortality and may develop from oral erythroplakia and leukoplakia (OEL), the most common oral potentially malignant lesions. Our objective was to provide a descriptive overview of the global research activity on OEL over the past decades. We performed a systematic bibliometric analysis of articles and reviews on OEL up to December 31st 2016 using the SCOPUS database. Contribution of each country was analyzed by density-equalizing mapping (DEMP). The overall scientific productivity was analyzed for each journal and country. A total of 5098 published items (articles or reviews) were identified. They are expected to double by 2040, with an expected number of 400 items per year. Only 4% of all research on oral oncology is focused on OEL. Together with the increasing number of publications since 1980s, an increasing number of international collaborative studies were observed. Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine and Oral Oncology are the leading journals in terms of number of published items. The US, India, and the UK were the most prolific countries in terms of publications overtime. We identified the leading journals as well as the leading authors and countries contributing to the research on OEL. International collaborative studies in the field are to be encouraged to refine strategies of oral cancer prevention.

World-wide research architecture of vitamin D research: density-equalizing mapping studies and socio-economic analysis

BackgroundDespite the numerous associations of vitamin D with health and disease, vitamin D deficiency is still common from a global perspective. While basic research, clinical and preventive activities grow constantly in vitamin D research, there is no in-depth analysis of the related global scientific productivity available so far.MethodsDensity equalizing mapping procedures (DEMP) were combined with socioeconomic benchmarks using the NewQIS platform.ResultsA total of 25,992 vitamin D-related research articles were identified between 1900 to 2014 with a significant increase (r2 = .6541) from 1900 to 2014. Authors located in Northern America – especially in the USA – distributed the majority of global vitamin D research, followed by their Western European counterparts. DEMP-analysis illustrates that Africa and South America exhibit only minor scientific productivity. Among high-income group countries, Scandinavian nations such as Denmark or Finland (2147.9 and 1607.7 vitamin D articles per GDP in 1000 billion USD) were highly active with regard to socioeconomic figures.ConclusionNetworks dedicated to vitamin D research are present around the world. Overall, the Northern American and Western European nations occupy prominent positions. However, South American, African and Asian countries apart from Japan only play a minor role in the global research production related to vitamin D. Since vitamin D deficiency is currently increasing in the Americas, Europe and parts of the Middle East, research in these regions may need to be encouraged.

Biomedical Research in Wrocław: A Combined Density-Equalizing Mapping and Scientometric Analysis.

The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of biomedical scientific activities of Wrocław scientists in the post-war time when this field of academics was rebuilt by the works of Ludwik Hirszfeld and colleagues. Using the NewQIS platform and the Web of Science database, novel procedures such as density-equalizing mapping were combined to bibliometric tools to visualize scientific progression. In total, 10,366 biomedical research articles originating from Wrocław were identified. Since 1972, there is a steady increase in research activity with the year 2015 holding the largest number of published items (895). A total of 2934 published research cooperations with 104 different countries is present. This is a percentage of 28.3% of all publications. In total, 101 research areas are present in Wrocław biomedical research with the highest number of articles being published in the area of biochemistry/molecular biology (2140). Research in this field was cited 27,360 times. The field of immunology has 1186 articles with 9247 citations. Density-equalizing mapping and network techniques revealed a distinct global pattern of research collaborations with German, US and UK affiliations as the primary cooperating partners of Wrocław. In summary, the present study supplies the first density-equalizing mapping approach that visualizes research activity in Wrocław over the past decades.

The uterine fibroid/myoma tumour: analysis of the global research architecture using density-equalizing mapping.

Uterine fibroids can severely impact a woman's quality of life, result in significant morbidity and are a leading indication for hysterectomy. Many aspects of the disease remain largely obscure. Despite these knowledge gaps, no detailed maps of the global fibroid research architecture have yet been generated. This study used the NewQIS approach to assess worldwide research productivity, encompassing numerous aspects of the scientific output, quality and socioeconomic features. Regression analysis indicated an increase in fibroid research activity in the investigated time periods. Global research output was dominated by leading Western countries, with the USA at the forefront, but also by East Asian countries. Socioeconomic benchmarking revealed that Taiwan had the highest fibroid research activity per GDP, with a calculated average of 279.46 fibroid-related publications per 1000 billion USD GDP. Finland was the most active country with respect to research activity per population size. Subject area analyses revealed major differences in research focuses, for example 'Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging' was assigned to 29.92% of South Korean and to only 10.38% of US-American publications. In conclusion, this analysis of global fibroid research activity illustrates a multitude of important features ranging from quantitative and semi-qualitative fibroid research aspects to socioeconomic benchmarking.

Pulmonary Hypertension: Scientometric Analysis and Density-Equalizing Mapping.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by the increase of the mean pulmonary arterial pressure in the lung circulation. Despite the large number of experimental and clinical studies conducted on pulmonary hypertension, there is no comprehensive work that analyzed the global research activity on PH so far. We retrieved the bibliometric data of the publications on pulmonary hypertension for two periods from the Web of science database. Here, we set the first investigation period from 1900 to 2007 (t1) due to the cited half life of articles and the relating difficulties to interpret the citation parameters. The second evaluation period (t2) covers the time interval from 2008 onwards including the year 2015. The data were analyzed and processed to density-equalizing maps using the NewQIS platform. A total number of 18,986 publications were identified in t1 that come from 85 countries. The US published the highest number of publications (n = 7,290), followed by the UK, Germany, Japan and France. In t2 19,676 items could be found worked out by 130 countries. The raking started just the same with the USA as most publishing nation with 7,127 publications on PH, followed by the UK and Germany. Japan fell back on 6th place, whereas China came into view on the 5th position. Analyzing the average citation rate as a parameter for research quality, Mexico reached the highest value in t1 and Ireland in t2. While, the country specific h-index underlined the leading position of the US research in both evaluation periods again. The average number of international collaboration items was expanding from none in 1978 to 530 items in 2015 with the USA as the country with the highest number of collaboration articles. The present study is the first large scale density-equalizing mapping and scientometric analysis of global PH research activity. Our data draw a sketch of the global research architecture in this field, indicating a need for specific research programs in countries with a lower human development index.

Snakebite Envenoming - A Combined Density Equalizing Mapping and Scientometric Analysis of the Publication History.

Estimates suggest that more than 25,000 to 125,000 people die annually from snakebite envenomation worldwide. In contrast to this major disease burden, thorough bibliometric studies do not exist so far that illustrate the overall research activity over a long time span. Therefore, the NewQIS-platform conducted an analysis on snakebite envenoming using the Thomson Reuters database Web of Science. To determine and assess changes regarding the scientific activities and to specifically address the more recent situation we analyzed two time intervals (t). During the first time interval from 1900 to 2007 (t1) 13,015 publications (p) were identified. In the following period (2008–2016 = t2) 4,982 publications were identified by the same search strategy. They originate from 114 (t1) respectively 121 countries (t2), with the USA (p = 3518), Brazil (p = 1100) and Japan (p = 961) being most productive in the first period, and the USA (p = 1087), Brazil (p = 991) and China (p = 378) in the second period, respectively. Setting the publication numbers in relation to GDP/capita, Brazil leads with 92 publications per 10,000 Int$GDP/capita, followed by India with 79 publications per 10000 Int$GDP/capita (t1). Comparing the country’s publication activity with the Human Development Index level indicates that the majority of the publications is published by highly developed countries. When calculating the average citation rates (citations per published item = CR) mainly European countries show the highest ranks: From 1900–2007 Sweden ranks first with a CR = 27, followed by the Netherlands (CR = 24.8), Switzerland (CR = 23), Spain, Austria and the USA (CR = 22). From 2008 to 2016 the highest rate achieves Switzerland with a value of 24.6, followed by Belgium (CR = 18.1), Spain (CR = 16.7), Costa Rica (CR = 14.9) and Netherlands (CR = 14). Compared with this, the USA was placed at rank 13 (CR = 9,5).In summary, the present study represents the first density-equalizing map projection and in-depth scientometric analysis of the global research output on snakebites and its venoms. So it draws a sketch of the worldwide publication architecture and indicates that countries with a high incidence of snakebites and a low economical level still need to be empowered in carrying out research in this area.

Maternal depression research: socioeconomic analysis and density-equalizing mapping of the global research architecture.

Maternal depression can be accounted for one of the most common complications during pregnancy and the postpartum period affecting women all over the world. So far, no detailed map of the worldwide maternal depression research architecture has been constructed, which encompasses aspects of research activity, quality, and also socioeconomic features. Using the NewQIS platform, density-equalizing mapping projections, scientometric techniques, and economic benchmarking procedures were applied to evaluate global maternal depression research for the period between 1900 and 2012. In total, 7330 related publications and 3335 international collaborations were identified. The USA was the most active country concerning collaborations and total research activity. In the socioeconomic analysis of research activity in high-income countries, Australia was ranked first with an average of 412.05 maternal depression-related publications per 1000 billion US$ GDP (Q1), followed by the UK (Q1 = 373.51) and Canada (Q1 = 306.32). The group of upper-middle-income countries was led by South Africa (Q1 = 145.67), followed by Turkey (Q1 = 91.8). China authored 11.95 maternal depression-related publications per 1000 billion US$ GDP. The USA had the highest activity of maternal depression research per GDP in billion US$ per capita (Q2 = 60.86). When research activity was related to population size (Q3 = publications per Mio. inhabitants), Australia (Q3 = 26.44) was leading the field, followed by Norway (Q3 = 18.48). Gender analysis revealed a relatively high degree of female scientists involved in this field of research with pronounced differences between single subject areas. In summary, we here present the first picture of the global scientific development in maternal depression research over a period of more than 100years. The research landscape is clearly dominated by North American and Western European countries, with only minor contribution of Asian or South American countries.

Endometriosis and its global research architecture: an in-depth density-equalizing mapping analysis.

BackgroundEndometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases. It is still a chameleon in many aspects and urges intense research activities in the fields of diagnosis, therapy and prevention. Despite the need to foster research in this area, no in-depth analysis of the global architecture of endometriosis research exists yet.MethodsWe here used the NewQIS platform to conduct a density equalizing mapping study, using the Web of Science as database with endometriosis related entries between 1900 and 2009. Density equalizing maps of global endometriosis research encompassing country-specific publication activities, and semi-qualitative indices such as country specific citations, citation rates, h-Indices were created.ResultsIn total, 11,056 entries related to endometriosis were found. The USA was leading the field with 3705 publications followed by the United Kingdom (952) and Japan (846). Concerning overall citations and country-specific h-Indices, the USA again was the leading nation with 74,592 citations and a modified h-Index of 103, followed by the UK with 15,175 citations (h-Index 57). Regarding the citation rate, Sweden and Belgium were at top positions with rates of 22.46 and 22.26, respectively. Concerning collaborative studies, there was a steep increase in numbers present; analysis of the chronological evolution indicated a strong increase in international collaborations in the past 10 years.ConclusionsThis study is the first analysis that illustrates the global endometriosis research architecture. It shows that endometriosis research is constantly gaining importance but also underlines the need for further efforts and investments to foster research and ultimately improve endometriosis management on a global scale.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12905-016-0336-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

World-wide architecture of osteoporosis research: density-equalizing mapping studies and gender analysis

Objective: While research activities on osteoporosis grow constantly, no concise description of the global research architecture exists. Hence, we aim to analyze and depict the world-wide scientific output on osteoporosis combining bibliometric tools, density-equalizing mapping projections and gender analysis.Method: Using the NewQIS platform, we analyzed all osteoporosis-related publications authored from 1900 to 2012 and indexed by the Web of Science. Bibliometric details were analyzed related to quantitative and semi-qualitative aspects.Results: The majority of 57 453 identified publications were original research articles. The USA and Western Europe dominated the field regarding cooperation activity, publication and citation performance. Asia, Africa and South America played a minimal role. Gender analysis revealed a dominance of male scientists in almost all countries except Brazil.Conclusion: Although the scientific performance on osteoporosis is increasing world-wide, a significant disparity in terms of research output was visible between developed and low-income countries. This finding is particularly concerning since epidemiologic evaluations of future osteoporosis prevalences predict enormous challenges for the health-care systems in low-resource countries. Hence, our study underscores the need to address these disparities by fostering future research endeavors in these nations with the aim to successfully prevent a growing global burden related to osteoporosis.

Pancreatitis: Global Research Activities and Gender Imbalances: A Scientometric Approach Using Density-Equalizing Mapping.

Despite the high impact of acute and chronic pancreatitis on the global burden of disease, no scientometric evaluation in this research field has yet been conducted. Therefore, we have issued an analysis in the field of pancreatitis research covering the past 112 years. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science database. Density-equalizing mapping and large-scale data analysis were used to visualize bilateral and multilateral research cooperation. Finland is the only 1 of the 15 most productive countries showing a ratio in favor of female scientists. The United States is the most productive supplier with 24.1% of all publications. The most successful international cooperation proved to be the one between the United States and Germany. Although the United States holds the highest h-index, Switzerland obtains by far the highest citation rate. China, Russia, and India show only little international cooperation, given their scientific productivity. For the benefit of scientific progress, more countries with considerable numbers of patients should contribute to international collaborations and female researchers should be encouraged and supported.

Congenital toxoplasmosis: an in-depth density-equalizing mapping analysis to explore its global research architecture.

BackgroundToxoplasmosis endangers the unborn child if its infectious agent - toxoplasma gondii - is transmitted transplacentally during pregnancy. Although this condition occurs in all parts of the world and represents a major public health burden, no detailed knowledge on the global research architecture of congenital toxoplasmosis is available thus far. Hence, it was the aim of this study to assess the related global research activity over the past 110 years.MethodsWe employed the NewQIS platform, which combines established scientometric and socioeconomic analysis tools with novel visualizing techniques such as density equalizing mapping projections.ResultsIn the Web of Science, 13,044 congenital toxoplasmosis-related items published between 1900 and 2012 were identified. These were issued by 26,483 authors originating from 125 countries. The US was the dominating nation (38.7 % of total scientific output), followed by France (10.9 %) and Great Britain (9.2 %). The US also led the ranking in regards to semi-qualitative parameters (total citations, country-specific h-indices and citation rates). When research activity was related to economic figures, the ratio of total toxoplasmosis publications to the total GDP listed Switzerland first with an average of 589.35 toxoplasmosis-related publications per GDP in 1000 Bio US-$, followed by France (545.16), the UK (486.13) and Brazil (431.84) and the US (311.11). The relation of toxoplasmosis-specific publications to the economic power indicator GDP per capita in 1000 US-$ revealed that the US was ranked first with 97.65 toxoplasmosis-related publications/GDP per capita in 1000 US-$, followed by Brazil (85.95). Subject area analysis indicated a relative shortage of studies that addressed pharmacological or public health aspects of congenital toxoplasmosis.ConclusionsThis study is the first in-depth approach to sketch a global picture of the congenital toxoplasmosis research architecture. In contrast to other fields of biomedical research, not only high-income countries play a major role regarding congenital toxoplasmosis research but also countries such as Brazil that have a high incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis.

Global architecture of gestational diabetes research: density-equalizing mapping studies and gender analysis.

ObjectiveGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with substantial morbidity for mothers and their offspring. While clinical and basic research activities on this important disease grow constantly, there is no concise analysis of global architecture of GDM research. Hence, it was the objective of this study to assess the global scientific performance chronologically, geographically and in relation to existing research networks and gender distribution of publishing authors.Study designOn the basis of the New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science (NewQIS) platform, scientometric methods were combined with modern visualizing techniques such as density equalizing mapping, and the Web of Science database was used to assess GDM-related entries from 1900 to 2012.ResultsTwelve thousand five hundred four GDM-related publications were identified and analyzed. The USA (4295 publications) and the UK (1354 publications) dominated the field concerning research activity, overall citations and country-specific Hirsch-Index, which quantified the impact of a country’s published research on the scientific community. Semi-qualitative indices such as country-specific citation rates ranked New Zealand and the UK at top positions. Annual collaborative publications increased steeply between the years 1990 and 2012 (71 to 1157 respectively). Subject category analysis pointed to a minor interest of public health issues in GDM research. Gender analysis in terms of publication authorship revealed a clear dominance of the male gender until 2005; then a trend towards gender equity started and the activity of female scientists grew visibly in many countries. The country-specific gender analysis revealed large differences, i.e. female scientists dominated the scientific output in the USA, whereas the majority of research was published by male authors in countries such as Japan.ConclusionThis study provides the first global sketch of GDM research architecture. While North-American and Western-European countries were dominating the GDM-related scientific landscape, a disparity exists in terms of research output between developed and low-resource countries. Since GDM is linked to considerable mortality and morbidity of mothers and their offspring and constitutes a tremendous burden for the healthcare systems in underserved countries, our findings emphasize the need to address disparities by fostering research endeavors, public health programs and collaborative efforts in these nations.

Caesarean Section--A Density-Equalizing Mapping Study to Depict Its Global Research Architecture.

Caesarean section (CS) is a common surgical procedure. Although it has been performed in a modern context for about 100 years, there is no concise analysis of the international architecture of caesarean section research output available so far. Therefore, the present study characterizes the global pattern of the related publications by using the NewQIS (New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science) platform, which combines scientometric methods with density equalizing mapping algorithms. The Web of Science was used as a database. 12,608 publications were identified that originated from 131 countries. The leading nations concerning research activity, overall citations and country-specific h-Index were the USA and the United Kingdom. Relation of the research activity to epidemiologic data indicated that Scandinavian countries including Sweden and Finland were leading the field, whereas, in relation to economic data, countries such as Israel and Ireland led. Semi-qualitative indices such as country-specific citation rates ranked Sweden, Norway and Finland in the top positions. International caesarean section research output continues to grow annually in an era where caesarean section rates increased dramatically over the past decades. With regard to increasing employment of scientometric indicators in performance assessment, these findings should provide useful information for those tasked with the improvement of scientific achievements.

Type 2 Diabetes Research Yield, 1951-2012: Bibliometrics Analysis and Density-Equalizing Mapping.

The objective of this paper is to provide a detailed evaluation of type 2 diabetes mellitus research output from 1951-2012, using large-scale data analysis, bibliometric indicators and density-equalizing mapping. Data were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded database, one of the seven curated databases within Web of Science. Using Boolean operators "OR", "AND" and "NOT", a search strategy was developed to estimate the total number of published items. Only studies with an English abstract were eligible. Type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes items were excluded. Specific software developed for the database analysed the data. Information including titles, authors’ affiliations and publication years were extracted from all files and exported to excel. Density-equalizing mapping was conducted as described by Groenberg-Kloft et al, 2008. A total of 24,783 items were published and cited 476,002 times. The greatest number of outputs were published in 2010 (n=2,139). The United States contributed 28.8% to the overall output, followed by the United Kingdom (8.2%) and Japan (7.7%). Bilateral cooperation was most common between the United States and United Kingdom (n=237). Harvard University produced 2% of all publications, followed by the University of California (1.1%). The leading journals were Diabetes, Diabetologia and Diabetes Care and they contributed 9.3%, 7.3% and 4.0% of the research yield, respectively. In conclusion, the volume of research is rising in parallel with the increasing global burden of disease due to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Bibliometrics analysis provides useful information to scientists and funding agencies involved in the development and implementation of research strategies to address global health issues.