Institute For Scientific Information Research Articles

C-Reactive Protein Partially Mediates the Inverse Association Between Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: The UK Biobank and the Rotterdam Study Cohorts

ObjectivesGiven its popularity, there is an increasing interest in the study of coffee intake and its effect on health. Previous studies linked coffee consumption to lower type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. However, potential underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that coffee’s effects on systemic inflammation may play a role. We studied cross sectional and longitudinal associations of habitual coffee consumption with T2D risk and inflammation. MethodsParticipants from UK Biobank (UKB, n = 145,370) and Rotterdam Study (RS, n = 7172) cohorts were included. Coffee intake data were collected through self-administrated food frequency questionnaire or during home interviews. We studied associations of coffee intake with incident T2D using cox proportional hazard models; with longitudinally measured insulin resistance (HOMA IR) through linear mixed effect models; with serum baseline levels of inflammation markers using linear regressions; and the role of inflammation in coffee-T2D associations using mediation analysis. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle and health factors. Results were respectively expressed as hazard ratio (HR); β log transformed HOMA IR level; β log transformed ug/mL; and percentage mediated; and 95% confidence interval [95% CI]. ResultsUKB participants were 58% female and 55.2 years in average; RS were 59.7% female and 65.1 years. The median follow up was 7 (UKB) and 9 (RS) years. The modal coffee consumption was 0.5–2 cups/day (UKB) and 3–4 cups/day (RS). An increase of one coffee cup/day was associated with 4–6% lower T2D risk (RS HR 0.94 [95% CI 0.90; 0.98]; UKB HR 0.96 [0.94; 0.98]); lower HOMA IR (RS β –0.017 [–0.024; –0.010]); lower C reactive protein (CRP, RS β –0.014 [–0.022; –0.005]; UKBB β –0.011 [–0.012; –0.009] and higher adiponectin (RS β 0.025 [0.007; 0.042]. About coffee types, habitual consumers of filtered coffee had the lowest T2D risk (UKB HR 0.88 [0.83; 0.93]), compared to decaffeinated or instantaneous coffee. CRP levels mediated 9.6% (UKB) and 3.4% (RS) of the total effect of coffee on T2D. Adiponectin also showed evidence for mediation. ConclusionsCoffee’s beneficial effects on lower T2D risk may be partially mediated by improvements in systemic inflammation. Among coffee drinkers, filtered coffee may be of preference. Funding SourcesPartially funded by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Top 100 Cited Papers in Retinal Detachment.

This work aimed to identify and analyze the most frequently cited articles in retinal detachment (RD). Institute for Scientific Information's Web of Science index (Thomas Scientific) was used to identify the top 100 most cited articles on RD between 1900 and 2019. Data from the top 100 most cited articles that met inclusion criteria were analyzed based on title, citation frequency, authorship, institution, journal, year of publication, and country of origin. The top 100 articles in RD were cited 88 to 480 times. Steven K. Fisher was the most cited individual, with the University of California system being the most cited organization. Sixty-four percent of the top 100 articles originated from the United States and were published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, and Archives of Ophthalmology at frequencies of 36%, 24%, and 11%, respectively. The top funding agencies included the US Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Eye Institute at 29%, 28%, and 27%, respectively. The top-cited article, which assessed the role of the retinal pigment epithelium by histologic and electron microscopic analysis of RDs in eyes of owl monkeys, was by Machemer and Laqua in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. This bibliometric analysis provides researchers and clinicians with a detailed overview of the most cited manuscripts in RD. Such analyses may guide researchers and funding agencies on important research areas in the field.

Modeling in science and scientific literacy in the early years: a review study

This work aims to recognize the research done about the theme Modeling in Science - SC and Scientific Literacy - SC in the early years, as well as to understand how practices of Modeling in Science contribute to the development of SC in the early years of Basic Education. To contribute to our study, we conducted a qualitative bibliographic research and searched the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations made available by the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT) for research in the form of theses and dissertations. We selected 13 studies for analysis in the period from 2010 to 2020. The researches are analyzed through the procedures of Content Analysis, which allowed to highlight the word "model" linked to the notion of representation and "modeling" as a means to qualify the processes of teaching and learning. In relation to CA, this is understood as a process by which we use scientific information to read, understand, and transform the environment in which we are inserted. In addition, the modeling process allows for the development of skills that carry with them indicators of CA, namely: problem formulation; information search; interpretation of graphs, tables, and illustrations; communication of results; and construction of arguments to solve the problem. However, for the interweaving of MC and CA to be present in the classroom, it is necessary to promote the experience of both processes in teacher education.

The Ophthalmological Manifestations of Various Inborn Errors of Metabolism: A Narrative Review

Context: Inborn errors of metabolism or Inherited Metabolic Disorders (IMD) are a class of genetic disorders that occur because of single-gene defects. Evidence Acquisition: In this narrative review article, the authors searched Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar for the relevant evidence. Results: The ocular manifestations of IMDs can be distinguished in different diseases such as Albinism, Cystinosis, Homocystinuria, and Sulfite oxidize deficiency, Mannosidosis, Fucosidosis, Sialidosis, etc. Conclusions: Due to the direct toxic mechanisms of abnormal metabolites on eyes and regarding the effect of eye monitoring on the follow-up, management, and treatment, a detailed ophthalmological assessment is essential.

Dietary diversity score and cardio-metabolic risk factors: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dietary diversity score (DDS) has been known as a useful and convenient indicator of overall diet quality. Previous studies have reported the association between DDS and health problems such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the association between dietary diversity score (DDS) and cardio-metabolic risk factors such as obesity and overweight, lipid profile, blood pressure, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetes. We systematically searched PubMed and NLM Gateway, Scopus and Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) by up to October 2019. All observational studies which assessed the association of DDS with cardio-metabolic risk factors including anthropometric measures, blood pressure, lipid profile, glycemic indices and MetS without limitation in time of publication and language were included and critically reviewed by two independent experts. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the effect sizes. Among 843 documents retrieved from literature search, 23 studies met the inclusion criteria for systematic review, and 18 studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Random-effects meta-analysis showed that the association of DDS with obesity, abdominal obesity, overweight, body mass index, MetS, diabetes, blood pressure, and lipid profile (TC, LDL, HDL) was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the association of DDS and TG was statistically significant (SMD: - 0.23, 95% CI - 0.45, - 0.01). Our findings revealed that there was no significant association between DDS and cardio-metabolic risk factors. Reassessment of the overall DDS tool as a criterion of diet quality and production of new and valid DDS standard tools is highly desirable. More high-quality studies are also needed to confirm the findings of this study. This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42020157127. Level I, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

The Jump Shot Performance in Youth Basketball: A Systematic Review.

Background: The basketball jump shot (JS) is consensually considered as a high-complexity specific motor skill, with a complex teaching and learning processes involved. The aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the JS performance among youth basketball players. Methods: The data search was made according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus and Sportdiscus databases until March 2021. Results: The results suggest that JS performance of youth basketball players is influenced by (i) distance to the basket, (ii) fatigue, (iii) presence of a defender and (iv) visual information available. Conclusion: This research emphasizes the crucial need for players and coaches to promote training situations matching the game reality to develop successful shooting performance of youth basketball players.

Research Productivity of Ultrasonics in USA: A Scientometric Study

Scintometric is a branch of library and information science. Scintometric tools can be used to measure and compare the scientific activities at various levels of aggregation including institutions, sectors, provinces and countries. They can also be used to measure research collaborations, to map scientific networks and to monitor the evolution of scientific fields. In this paper mainly visualizing the scientific publication of ultrasonics during 2004-2014, indexed in the Web of Science (WoS), a renowned database published online by the Thomson International, (formerly Institute for Scientific Information), Philadelphia. Scientometrics is the study of quantitative aspect of science as a discipline. These refers to component fields related to the study of dynamics of disciplines as reflected in the production of their literature.

Quantitative assessment of the diagnostic role of mucin family members in pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis.

BackgroundThe use of mucins (MUC) as specific biomarkers for various malignancies has recently emerged. MUC1, MUC4, MUC5AC, and MUC16 can be detected at different stages of pancreatic cancer (PC), and can be valuable for indicating the initiation and progression of this disease. However, the diagnostic significance of the mucin family in patients with PC remains disputed. Herein, we assessed the diagnostic accuracy of mucins in PC using a meta-analysis.MethodsWe searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science, Embase, and Chinese databases from their date of inception to June 1, 2020 to identify studies assessing the diagnostic performance of mucins in PC. The estimations of diagnostic indicators in selected studies were extracted for further analysis by Meta-DiSc software. Publication bias was assessed using Deeks’ funnel plot asymmetry test.ResultsOur meta-analysis included 34 studies. The pooled accuracy indicators of MUC1 in PC including the sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) (with 95% confidence intervals) were 0.84 (0.82–0.86), 0.60 (0.56–0.64), 18.37 (9.18–36.78), 2.62 (1.79–3.86), and 0.22 (0.15–0.33), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was 0.8875 and the Q index was 0.8181. Quantitative random-effects meta-analysis of MUC4 in PC using the summary (ROC) curve model revealed a pooled sensitivity of 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.82–0.89) and specificity of 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.85–0.91). In addition, the meta-analysis of MUC5AC in PC diagnosis also showed a high sensitivity and specificity of 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.65–0.76) and 0.60 (95% confidence interval, 0.53–0.66), respectively. Regarding MUC16, the area under the summary ROC curve and Q index were 0.9185 and 0.8516, respectively.ConclusionsIn summary, our results suggested a good diagnostic accuracy of several crucial mucins in PC. Mucins may serve as optional indicators in PC examination, and further research is warranted to investigate the role of mucins as potential clinical biomarkers.

Thromboprophylaxis across orthopaedic surgery: Bibliometric analysis of the most cited articles

PurposeOne of the most common adverse events after orthopaedic surgery, with a potential for subsequent serious morbidity and mortality is venous thromboembolism (VTE). Bibliometric analysis has been performed regarding many topics and across orthopaedics. As DVT prophylaxis is a major component of both orthopaedic surgery considerations and research, a bibliometric analysis in this area would prove beneficial in not only in understanding the research done in the field thus far, but would also direct future research efforts. MethodsThe Web of Science (WoS) database from the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) was used to compile articles for bibliometric analysis using Boolean search: ((Orthopaedic∗ OR Orthopaedic∗) AND (thromboprophylaxis OR Thromboembolism OR Deep vein thrombosis OR thrombus OR embolism OR anticoagulation OR Embolus OR prophylaxis)). ResultsThe Top 100 cited articles included in the final list generated a total of 21,099 citations. The highest cited article was Prevention of venous thromboembolism by Geerts et al. published in Chest, which had a total of 2802 on WoS, and a calculated citation density of 215.54 of citations/years since publication. Comparing the overall citation against the year of publication there was a slight positive trend favoring more recent publications (R-value: 0.142; adjusted R-squared: 0.01; p = 0.16). Analysis of an articles Level of Evidence (LOE), 17 were grade with a level of I. ConclusionsOrthopaedic thromboprophylaxis is an ever-changing field that is at the forefront of orthopaedic literature. The significant trend favoring high quality research within orthopaedic thromboprophylaxis demonstrates the importance of this topic and there was a need for a guide to best understand the evolution of DVT prophylaxis.

Congenital Corrected Transposition of the Great Artery (ccTGA): A Complex Cardiac Anomaly: Challenges in Management in a Resource Poor Country: A Review Article

Background: Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) is a rare complex cardiac anomaly with a unique anatomical lesion such that despite certain anatomical aberrations there could be physiologically normal circulation without any admixture. They could also be anatomical lesions and various clinical evolutions. Surgical intervention has continued to change and updated. Methods: A search for published works on ccTGA was made using Google and Pub Med as well as searching through the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, institute for Scientific Information (ISI) “Web of Science,” and Medline. The areas of focus were historical facts, patho-anatomy and patho-physiological correlates of ccTGA, management options and challenges in management in Nigeria. Results and conclusion: Congenitally corrected transposition of the great artery is a complex cardiac anomaly with a complex anatomy and presents with constellations of features ranging from heart failure, heart block to deaths. The management of ccTGA is a huge challenge in a developing world in general and Nigeria in particular. This is worsened by the harsh economic situation, lack of political will, the current COVID-19 pandemic and lack of state- of-the-art facility and human resources. The cases in Nigeria are been underreported and so are the mortality caused by this cardiac anomaly.

ВИЗУАЛЬНЫЕ ОБРАЗЫ ПРОСТРАНСТВА. ОБЗОР VII МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЙ КОНФЕРЕНЦИИ «ГЕОГРАФИЯ ИСКУССТВА»

The Geography of Art International Scientific Conference has a long history. Geography of Art began in 1994 and was originally conceived as a purely publishing project. In 2009, the first conference was held under the auspices of the Likhachev Russian Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage and its director Yuri A. Vedenin. The topics at the conferences are traditionally very diverse, but the “protagonist” of all discussions, debates, and subsequent collections is invariably space, in all its guises, and its interaction with culture. The original subjects such as the geography of art schools and traditions and the placement of artifacts on the earth’s surface have over time been supplemented by conceptual questions of the construction of spatial images in painting, literature, and cinema. Over the past few years, the conference has been organized by the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of RAS, the Russian Academy of Arts, GITR Film and Television School, and the Russian State University for the Humanities. In 2021, for the first time, the conference was arranged in a hybrid format: some sessions were held in person at the Russian Academy of Arts and GITR, while some discussions were convened online. This made it possible to significantly expand the geography of our participants. An important topic was brought up—the possibility of generating images of space and transforming the spatial picture of the world by different types of art, including screen art, creating new meanings of places and regions. A separate section was devoted to the concepts of space and the corresponding images in digital media, cinematography and photography. The section discussed the peculiarities of national cinematography from the point of view of forming the country’s image, which can play a significant role in intercultural communication, and regional images created with the help of photography and IT-technology as an attractor in the formation of recreational flows. Among other things, the conference covered the specifics of space perception in the era of digitalization, the creation of representations, and spectacularity. A separate topic was the construction of narrative topoi within the framework of different versions of screen adaptations of the same work. All discussions complemented each other in creating a three-dimensional picture of spatial images by means of digital and screen arts, generating a modified reality supplemented by photo and film visualizations.

Общество и технологии: возможности и риски коэволюционного развития. (Обзор)

Digital technologies have become an integral part of our lives, transforming not only the technological sphere, but also society as a whole. Thus, there is a coevolution-mutually conditioned changes in technology and society. In December 2020, a conference was held to discuss the key issues of co-evolution of technology and society in the context of the digital age. It was organized by the Moscow Power Engineering Institute and the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This review presents the issues raised in the framework of this conference.

Deficits in emotion processing in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.

ABSTRACTEmotional processing involves the ability of the individual to infer emotional information. There is no consensus about how Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects emotional processing. Objective: Our aim is to systematically review the impact of AD on emotion processing.Methods:We conducted a search based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The literature search was performed using the electronic databases MEDLINE (PubMed) and Science Citation Index (Institute for Scientific Information [ISI]). The following descriptors were used in the review process: emotion or emotional processing, cognition or cognitive functions, and Alzheimer disease or Alzheimer’s disease. This systematic review was recorded in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under the number CRD42018115891.Results:We identified 425 articles, 19 of which met our criteria. Visual emotional stimuli were the most used among studies. Most studies used tasks of emotional naming, discrimination, identification, and correspondence. The results were contradictory. Many studies reported that individuals with AD were impaired on emotional perception tasks, while other results reported preserved skills. The relationship between emotional processing and cognition is also unclear. Some studies suggested that general cognitive performance affects performance in emotional perception tasks among people with AD, but other studies have shown deficits in recognizing emotion, regardless of cognitive performance.Conclusions:Studies are scarce, present contradictory results, and report impairment in emotional processing in relation to cognition. Moreover, the analyses of the correlation between emotion processing and cognitive functioning failed to reveal clear relationships.

Open proceedings of scientific events as an object of information and library services

The task of creating an open access repository for social sciences in the framework of the development of the information system of the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAS) is formulated. The repository is to acquire and store he programs of workshops, webinars, conference and symposia as well as the presentations and paper abstracts. The findings of the study of open materials science events loaded to the websites of RAS scientific institutions of social and humanitarian profile as potential sources of information for the Repository are cited. For 2019–2020, over 1,2 thousand events held by more than 100 academic institutions were selected. Distribution by the number of events, their categories and status, topics, and type of available materials is given. The data supports the Pareto principle: 20% institutions hold up to 70% events. Thirteen scientific event types are specified, with 5 most popular of them accounting for 90% events with the leading disciplines of history, economics and literary studies. The available materials are unified and their 16 types are specified. Distribution by the number of events, their categories and status, topics, and type of available materials is given. The possibility for using these materials in various information and library services, building e-libraries and union bibliographic databases, and current and advanced selective information awareness services, is discussed.

Requirements of Mental Health Services During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Systematic Review

Objectives: After the outbreak of a new viral disease in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, COVID-19 in a very short time and rapidly became a global pandemic. Through a systematic review, the present paper investigated the requirements of Mental Health Services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted through PubMed and NLM Gateway (for MEDLINE), Institute of Scientific Information (ISI), and Scopus. PsychINFO and CINAHL data banks were also searched. The primary roots for the development of the search strategy developed based on the keywords of “Covid”, “mental health”, “care”, “services”. All relevant studies were included without any limitation of publication time or the papers’ language as it was not possible to conduct a formal systematic review given the nature of the publications. Instead, it was decided to conduct a mixed systematic and complementary narrative review covering different interested domains. Results: Out of 80 papers, after excluding duplications, 58 articles were selected for the refinement process. Three refining steps based on the titles, abstracts, and full texts led to data extraction from 4 eligible papers. Considering the importance of the problem, related findings, key points, and research findings were summarized and presented in terms of critical components of infrastructure and resources, including policy for at-risk groups, different approaches to mental health service delivery, indirect contexts for mental health service delivery, follow-up attitudes, and complementary research. The results of the study indicate that many studies considered the consequences of physical aspects and diagnostic symptoms. Thus, aspects of mental health have been either less focused or even neglected. In mental health consequences, immediate attention and intensive programs to assess mental health, preparation for support and treatment, and prevention services are emphasized. Conclusion: During the implementation of mental health interventions, to improve services and to consider the limitations and challenges of implementing programs, it is necessary to pay attention to the attitudes of target groups and their preference

Unpublished Scientific Documents as Object of Library and Information Services in the Digital Environment

The author considers the problem of including unpublished digital scientific documents published on the websites of scientific institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) in the system of library and information services. The paper describes the study of this class of information objects conducted in May — June 2020 on 200 websites of academic institutions of social and humanitarian profile. The author discovered the unpublished scientific materials of socio-humanitarian profile on the websites of 158 institutions; five institutions had no websites or did not work; and 37 websites didn’t have the materials the author was looking for. The research is based on the data included in the Navigator of information resources on social Sciences (NIRON), developed at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAS). The author proposes classification of unpublished documents, which includes both well-known types of scientific documents, such as dissertations and reports on research work, which processing is regulated, and new types, specific for modern scientific communication, such as overviews on activities of institutions and scientific departments. In total, the described class of unpublished scientific documents consists of 10 types, some of them are divided into subtypes. The paper discloses the quantitative data of the conducted accounting, including distribution of documents by the retrospective depth. For scientific reports, the author made the comparison with the data on reports in the Unified state information system for recording the results of research, development and technological works for civil purposes. The article analyses the specific features of presenting different types of unpublished scientific materials on the websites. The author proposes to include these documents in the service system using the information-reference system. When designing such a system, many controversial issues arise, in particular: the problems of metadata, the choice of subject classification, determination of the exact composition of unpublished digital scientific documents, unification of the retrospective depth, the feasibility of their reworking and editing for unification, inclusion of unpublished documents in bibliographic databases and lists, and the possibility of using them in the anti-plagiarism system. These and other problems require further research and solutions.

Machine Learning's Application in Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease: A Review.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical treatment for advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) that has undergone technological evolution that parallels an expansion in clinical phenotyping, neurophysiology, and neuroimaging of the disease state. Machine learning (ML) has been successfully used in a wide range of healthcare problems, including DBS. As computational power increases and more data become available, the application of ML in DBS is expected to grow. We review the literature of ML in DBS and discuss future opportunities for such applications. Specifically, we perform a comprehensive review of the literature from PubMed, the Institute for Scientific Information’s Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Xplore Digital Library for ML applications in DBS. These studies are broadly placed in the following categories: (1) DBS candidate selection; (2) programming optimization; (3) surgical targeting; and (4) insights into DBS mechanisms. For each category, we provide and contextualize the current body of research and discuss potential future directions for the application of ML in DBS.

Recent Advances in the Synthesis and Biological Activity of 8-Hydroxyquinolines.

Compounds containing the 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) 1 nucleus exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, anticancer, and antifungal effects. The chemistry and biology of this group have attracted the attention of chemists, medicinal chemists, and professionals in health sciences. A number of prescribed drugs incorporate this group, and numerous 8-HQ- based molecules can be used to develop potent lead compounds with good efficacy and low toxicity. This review focusses on the recent advances in the synthesis of 8-HQ derivatives with different pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antiviral, and antibacterial activities. For this purpose, recent relevant references were searched in different known databases and search engines, such as MEDLINE (PubMed), Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane, Scientific Information Database (SID), SciFinder, and Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge. This review article provides a literature overview of the various synthetic strategies and biological activities of 8-HQ derivatives and covers the recent related literature. Taken together, compounds containing the 8-HQ moiety have huge therapeutic value and can act as potential building blocks for various pharmacologically active scaffolds. In addition, several described compounds in this review could act leads for the development of drugs against numerous diseases including cancer.

Neuroprotective Effects of Medicinal Plants in Cerebral Hypoxia and Anoxia: A Systematic Review

Background: Hypoxia and anoxia are dangerous and sometimes irreversible complications in the central nervous system (CNS), which in some cases lead to death. Objective: The aim of this review was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of medicinal plants in cerebral hypoxia and anoxia. Methods: The word hypox*, in combination with some herbal terms such as medicinal plant, phyto* and herb*, was used to search for relevant publications indexed in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and PubMed from 2000-2019. Results: Certain medicinal plants and herbal derivatives can exert their protective effects in several ways. The most important mechanisms are the inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), production of NO, inhibition of both hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and tumor necrosis factor-alpha activation, and reduction of extracellular glutamate, N-Methyl-D-aspartic and intracellular Ca (2+). In addition, they have an antioxidant activity and can adjust the expression of genes related to oxidant generation or antioxidant capacity. These plants can also inhibit lipid peroxidation, up-regulate superoxide dismutase activity and inhibit the content of malondialdehyde and lactate dehydrogenase. Moreover, they also have protective effects against cytotoxicity through down-regulation of the proteins that causes apoptosis, anti-excitatory activity, inhibition of apoptosis signaling pathway, reduction of pro-apoptotic proteins, and endoplasmic reticulum stress that causes apoptosis during hypoxia, increasing anti-apoptotic protein, inhibition of protein tyrosine kinase activation, decreasing proteases activity and DNA fragmentation, and upregulation of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase. Conclusion: The results indicated that medicinal plants and their compounds mainly exert their neuroprotective effects in hypoxia via regulating proteins that are related to antioxidant, anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammatory activities.

MNEs from emerging markets: a review of the current literature through “bibliographic coupling” and social network analysis

PurposeIn recent years, author and document citation and co-citation analyses have often been applied to map the “intellectual structure” of different scientific fields, including management and international business. However, the technique of bibliographic coupling between scientific documents, which seeks to identify active research fronts in a scientific field or discipline, has been less commonly used. This study utilized this technique to identify and visualize the research fronts in the context of papers on emerging markets multinational enterprises (EM-MNEs) recently published in a wide variety of journals. The aim is not only to complement and expand the results obtained in prior studies that have used other types of systematization, such as qualitative content analysis methodology but also to propose avenues for future research.Design/methodology/approachThe primary databases utilized to carry out the present research work – both comprised in the Web of Science™ (WoS) Core Collection – were: the Social Sciences Citation Index® (SCI) developed by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and the Emerging Sources Citation Index. A total of 496 “peer-reviewed journal articles” published between 2014 and December 30, 2019 were retrieved. With regards to the methodology, bibliometric methods were utilized, as well as social network analysis (SNA).FindingsParticularly, the analytical techniques employed – adopting a “quantitative” method of a deductive character – allowed the identification of the most active research “fronts” in international research related to the topic under analysis: the phenomenon of EM-MNEs.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study has several limitations resulting from the utilization of bibliometric methods applied in the analyses performed.Originality/valueThe authors believe that this research is of value for future researchers since it allows the identification of research “fronts,” which shape the vanguard of knowledge and reveal current trends and future directions in the area under examination.