Main Research Hotspots Research Articles

A bibliometrics study on the status quo and hot topics of pathogenesis of psoriasis based on Web of Science.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory skin disease. Great progress has been made in the pathogenesis of psoriasis in recent years, but there is no bibliometric study on the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The purpose of this study was to use bibliometrics method to analyze the research overview and hot spots of pathogenesis of psoriasis in recent 10years, so as to further understand the development trend and frontier of this field. The core literatures on the pathogenesis of psoriasis were searched in the Web of Science database, and analyzed by VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix in terms of the annual publication volume, country, institution, author, journal, keywords, and so on. A total of 3570 literatures were included. China and the United States were the main research countries in this field, and Rockefeller University was the main research institution. Krueger JG, the author, had the highest number of publications and the greatest influence, and Boehncke (2015) was the most cited local literature. J INVEST DERMATOL takes the top spot in terms of the number of Dermatol articles and citation frequency. The main research hotspots in the pathogenesis of psoriasis are as follows: (1) The interaction between innate and adaptive immunity and the related inflammatory loop dominated by Th17 cells and IL-23/IL-17 axis are still the key mechanisms of psoriasis; (2) molecular genetic studies represented by Long Non-Coding RNA (LncRNA); (3) integrated research of multi-omics techniques represented by gut microbiota; and (4) Exploring the comorbidity mechanism of psoriasis represented by Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). This study is a summary of the current research status and hot trend of the pathogenesis of psoriasis, which will provide some reference for the scholars studying the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Knowledge mapping of telemedicine in urology in the past 20 years: A bibliometric analysis (2004-2024).

Telemedicine refers to the process of utilizing communication technologies to exchange disease information, perform surgery and educate care providers remotely, breaking through the distance limit and promoting the health of individuals and communities. The fifth-generation (5G) technology and the COVID-19 pandemic have greatly boosted studies on the application of telemedicine in urology. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive overview of the knowledge structure and research hotspots of telemedicine in urology through bibliometrics. We searched publications related to telemedicine in urology from 2004 to 2024 on the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. VOSviewer, CiteSpace and R package "bibliometrix" were employed in this bibliometric analysis. A total of 1,357 articles from 97 countries and 2,628 institutions were included. The number of annual publications on telemedicine in urology witnessed a steady increase in the last two decades. Duke University was the top research institution. Urology was the most popular journal, and Journal of Medical Internet Research was the most co-cited journal. Clarissa Diamantidis and Chad Ellimoottil published the most papers, and Boyd Viers was co-cited most frequently. Effectiveness evaluation of telemonitoring, cost-benefit analysis of teleconsultation and exploration of telesurgery are three main research hotspots. As the first bibliometric analysis of research on telemedicine in urology, this study reviews research progress and highlights frontiers and trending topics, offering valuable insights for future studies.

Análise visual da pesquisa chinesa e internacional de adubo verde com base na bibliometria

ABSTRACT: To investigate the development and dynamics of green manure research, we collected 802 and 4588 papers on green manure research from China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science (WoS) between 1992 and 2021, respectively, and conducted quantitative and visual analyses based on bibliometric methods on the annual number of publications, authors and institutions, keywords, and emergent words. The main research hotspots in the field of green manure are discussed and summarized based on the results of the visualization analysis and the important publications explored by the results of the visualization analysis. The results showed that: the overall number of publications on green manure research exhibits an increasing trend, and research in this field is receiving more and more attention; the United States is the core country in this research field, with a great influence; although, the number of Chinese publications is large, the intermediary centrality value is small and the level of scientific research needs to be improved; the research characteristics in the field of green manure research mainly focus on green manure cultivation technology, the effects on soil and crops, and the effects on pests and diseases. The study was conducted based on CiteSpace, a visualization tool of bibliometrics, with comprehensive literature information and intuitive results, providing important references for relevant researchers to understand the extent of research in this field, academic communication, and grasp research dynamics.

Global research development of chondrosarcoma from 2003 to 2022: a bibliometric analysis.

Chondrosarcomas are common primary malignant bone tumors; however, comprehensive bibliometric analysis in this field has not yet been conducted. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the research hotspots and trends in the field of chondrosarcoma through bibliometric analysis to help researchers understand the current status and direction of research in the field. Articles and reviews related to chondrosarcoma published between 2003 and 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science. Countries, institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords in this field were visualized and analyzed using CtieSpace and VOSviewer software. Between 2003 and 2022, 4,149 relevant articles were found. The number of articles published on chondrosarcoma has increased significantly annually, mainly from 569 institutions in China and the United States, and 81 in other countries. In total, 904 authors participated in the publication of studies related to chondrosarcomas. Over the past 20years, articles on chondrosarcoma have been published in 958 academic journals, with Skeletal Radiology having the highest number of publications. Furthermore, keywords such as "gene expression," "radiotherapy," "experience," and "apoptosis" have been popular in recent years. Over the past 20years, the global trend in chondrosarcoma research has primarily been clinical research, with basic research as a supplement. In the future, communication and exchange between countries and institutions should be strengthened. Further, the future main research hotspots in the field of chondrosarcoma include mutated genes and signaling pathways, precision surgical treatment, proton therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other aspects.

RESEARCH ON FRACTAL HEAT FLOW CHARACTERIZATION OF FINGER SEAL CONSIDERING THE HEAT TRANSFER EFFECT OF CONTACT GAPS ON ROUGH SURFACES

Finger seal is a new flexible dynamic sealing technology, and its heat transfer characteristics and seepage characteristics are one of the main research hotspots. In this paper, based on the fractal theory, a fractal model of the total thermal conductance of the finger seal considering the heat transfer effect of the contact gap of the rough surface is established, a fractal model of the effective gas permeability of the adjacent finger seals annulus considering the gas slip effect and the temperature change is established, and a finite element calculation method of the two-way thermo-mechanical coupling for the finger seal is proposed. The results show that the solid-phase thermal conductance decreases with the increase of the scale coefficient. When the axial pressure difference is greater than 0.4[Formula: see text]MPa, the rotor speed is greater than 11,000[Formula: see text]r/min, the radial displacement excitation is [0.03[Formula: see text]mm, 0.09[Formula: see text]mm], and the temperature is less than 600[Formula: see text]K, the gas-phase thermal conductance between the finger seal and the rotor shows an increasing trend. The gas-phase thermal conductance of the finger seal and the rotor is always the main position under different working conditions. Under different fractal dimensions, the solid-phase thermal conductance gradually occupies the dominant position. Temperature has a certain effect on the effective gas permeability, and fractal dimension, scale coefficient, and axial pressure difference have less effect on the effective gas permeability. At an axial pressure difference of 0.08[Formula: see text]MPa, the numerical calculation results of the two-way thermo-mechanical coupling calculation method for finger seal are closer to the experimental results, with a maximum error rate of 1.96%. The above results further improve the theoretical research system of the heat transfer characteristics of the finger seal.

Plant Iron Research in African Countries: Current "Hot Spots", Approaches, and Potentialities.

Plant iron (Fe) nutrition and metabolism is a fascinating and challenging research topic; understanding the role of Fe in the life cycle of plants requires knowledge of Fe chemistry and biochemistry and their impact during development. Plant Fe nutritional status is dependent on several factors, including the surrounding biotic and abiotic environments, and influences crop yield and the nutritional quality of edible parts. The relevance of plant Fe research will further increase globally, particularly for Africa, which is expected to reach 2.5 billion people by 2050. The aim of this review is to provide an updated picture of plant Fe research conducted in African countries to favor its dissemination within the scientific community. Three main research hotspots have emerged, and all of them are related to the production of plants of superior quality, i.e., development of Fe-dense crops, development of varieties resilient to Fe toxicity, and alleviation of Fe deficiency, by means of Fe nanoparticles for sustainable agriculture. An intensification of research collaborations between the African research groups and plant Fe groups worldwide would be beneficial for the progression of the identified research topics.

A NEW METHOD FOR IMPROVING THE ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT INDEX BASED ON DOWNSCALING OF LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE

Abstract. In the process of urban construction and development, the ecological environment has always been an important consideration factor. How to quickly monitor the long-term ecological environment quality changes in large urban areas is currently one of the main research hotspots. With the continuous development of remote sensing intelligent cloud computing technology, the application of remote sensing methods to monitor urban ecological environment quality changes is becoming more efficient and convenient. Based on the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) on the remote sensing intelligent cloud platform Google Earth Engine (GEE), this article innovatively proposes an improved remote sensing ecological index (DS-RSEI, Downscale-RSEI). Using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land cover data (LULC), terrain data as auxiliary data, the method of moving window and principal component analysis is used to implement spatial downscaling of the heat components in the index, which increases the resolution of the original MODIS land surface temperature (LST) 1000-meter resolution product to 500 meters. When fusing with other images, it can supplement missing image details and improve the ability to evaluate the ecological spatial details of complex urban blocks. Through a comparative analysis of the RSEI index and the DS-RSEI index proposed in this article, it can be seen that DS-RSEI can express the details of ecological environment changes better in complex blocks.

Global trends of pyrolysis research: a bibliometric analysis

Pyrolysis has become an interesting waste valorization method leading to an increasing number of research studies in this field in the last decade. The present study aims to provide a comprehensive knowledge map of scientific production in pyrolysis, discuss the current state of research, and identify the main research hotspots and trends in recent years. The systematic review, supported by analysis of countries and institutions, keyword co-occurrence analysis, analysis of keyword trends, journal analysis, and article impact, was carried out on 6234 journal articles from the Science Citation Index Expanded database of the Web of Science Core Collection. As a result, four main research hotspots were identified: 1) characterization techniques and pyrolysis kinetic models, 2) biochar production and its main applications, 3) bio-oil production and catalytic pyrolysis, and 4) co-pyrolysis, which has become a consolidated research hotspot since 2018. Additionally, the main challenges and opportunities for future research have been identified, such as 1) the development of multi-step kinetic models for studying complex wastes, 2) the integration of biochar into other valorization processes, such as anaerobic digestion, and 3) the development of catalytic hydropyrolysis for the valorization of organic waste. This bibliometric analysis provides a visualization of the current context and future trends in pyrolysis, facilitating future collaborative research and knowledge exchange.

Adaptive Evolution of Marine Organisms: A Bibliometric Analysis Based on CiteSpace

(1) Background: The increasing complexity of marine organism habitats and the impact of climate change on the marine environment have garnered global attention towards the adaptive evolution of marine organisms. However, there still remains a lack of understanding regarding the historical development and research trends of adaptive evolution in marine organisms. (2) Methods: We conducted an analysis on the adaptive evolution of marine organisms published in the Web of Science (WOS) over the past two decades. Through a visualization of publications, authors, institutional affiliations, and keywords based on CiteSpace, this review examines research contributions, identifies research hotspots, and outlines future development trends in this field. (3) Results: The findings indicate a surge in the advancement of the adaptive evolution of marine organisms, particularly since 2017, with tight collaboration among European nations. Additionally, Chinese research institutions and scholars have emerged as some of the most significant contributors in this field. (4) Conclusions: This review provides an overview of the main research hotspots and frontiers in the field pertaining to adaptive evolution of marine organisms, as well as the historical timeline of research and development. This review has offered scientific guidance to scholars and institutions concerned with conducting research on marine organisms and adaptive evolution.

Publication characteristics and visualized analysis of research about liver sinusoidal endothelial cells

Background and aimsThrough visual analysis of related literature, the main research direction and hot spots of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) in recent 24 years were explored. MethodsThis study used bibliometric analysis with CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Biblioshiny and online analytic tool bibliometric.com to provide a quantitative analysis, hot spot mining, and commentary of articles published in the field of LSECs research. The relevant literature in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) was searched from 2000 to 2023. The publications with topics or titles or keywords containing LSECs were included into this study. The countries, organizations, journals, authors, and keywords of the publications were summarized and analyzed. ResultsThis study included 3,747 publications from 14,132 authors belonging to 389 institutions in 61 countries/regions and published in 150 journals, with 156,309 citations. The United States contributed most (1,150) to the publications. The most productive institution was the University of Sydney. Hepatology accounts for the most output (293, 7.8​%), European authors had a widespread cooperation. The most productive author was Adam DH with 68 papers. Immunological function of LSECs is research hot spot. ConclusionThis study highlights key trends based on a large dataset of the most influential publications about LSECs research over a 24-year period. It provides important clues and ideas for researchers focusing in this area and facilitates future liver disease mechanism, understanding, and treatment.

Research trends and hotspots regarding treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a type of sleep-disordered breathing disease, with high prevalence and multiple complications. It seriously affects patients' quality of life and even threatens their lives. Early and effective treatment can significantly improve patients' health conditions. In this study, the main treatment methods, research hotspots and trends of OSA were summarized through bibliometric and visualization analysis. From the Web of Science Core Collection database, articles on the treatment of OSA from 1999 to 2022 were obtained. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were comprehensively used to visualization of journals, co-authorship of countries, institutions and authors, co-citation of references, keywords cluster and burst. A total of 2,874 publications were obtained, of which 2,584 were concerned adults and 290 about children. In adults' research, Sleep and Breathing is the most published journal (280, 10.84%), the largest number of publications come from the United States (636,24.61%) and the University of Sydney (88, 3.41%), and Pepin JL is the most published author (48, 18.58%). In children's studies, International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology is the most published journal (41, 14.14%), the maximum number of publications were also from the United States (123, 42.41%), with the University of Pennsylvania (20, 6.90%) and Marcus CL (15, 5.17%) being the most published institutions and authors. High-frequency keywords for adults' researches include positive airway pressure, oral appliance, surgery and positional therapy. On these basis, children's studies also focus on myofunctional therapy, rapid maxillary expansion and hypoglossal nerve Stimulation. Over the past two decades, research in the field of OSA therapeutics has experienced significant growth in depth and breadth. The author cooperation network has already established a solid foundation, while there is potential for further strengthening the cooperation network between countries and institutions. Currently, positive airway pressure and surgery are the primary treatments for OSA in adults and children. Future research will focus on multidisciplinary combination targeted therapy, which presents a key area of interest and challenge.

Bibliometric and visualized analysis of nonpharmaceutical TCM therapies for rheumatoid arthritis over the last 20 years using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that poses a significant threat to a patient's quality of life. Commonly used drugs include glucocorticoids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, and biological agents; however, there are associated side effects. Complementary and alternative medicines can play positive roles. Bibliometric analysis of herbal medicines for RA has been conducted, but current research trends in nonpharmaceutical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies for the treatment of RA have not been studied. Here, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the application of nonpharmaceutical TCM therapies for RA over the last 20 years. We retrieved relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection database and used VOSviewer and CiteSpace software for analysis. Visualized maps were then generated to display the relationships between the author, country, institution, and keywords. A total of 567 articles were included in the final analysis. The number of annual publications on nonpharmaceutical TCM interventions for RA increased over the study period. The journal with the highest number of publications on this topic was Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine; however, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews had the most citations. Collaborations were observed among worldwide institutions, with the People's Republic of China playing a dominant role in the research on treatment of RA using nonpharmaceutical TCM therapies. Ernst E was the most productive author, with 11 articles, whereas Green S had the highest number of citations (287) at the time of retrieval. Specific improvements in the efficacy and selection of nonpharmaceutical therapies were the main research hotspots based on citation burst analysis. This study characterizes the trends in the literature for nonpharmaceutical TCM therapy for RA over the past 20 years; showcasing the current research status for relevant researchers and their teams and providing a reference for future research directions.

A Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization of Building Decarbonization Research

The building sector is responsible for approximately 40% of global energy consumption and carbon emissions, making it a key area of focus in addressing the urgent global challenge of climate change and in achieving the 1.5-degree target. This study concentrated on building decarbonization, using bibliometric and network visualization analyses based on a dataset of 2494 publications retrieved from the Web of Science up to 25 June 2023. Findings revealed a rapid growth in publications, with China being the largest contributor (approximately 31%). Notably, the journals of Cleaner Production and Applied Energy emerged as the most influential journal in this field. Although leadership teams and authors have gained prominence, cross-national collaboration and communication among them remain limited. Furthermore, an analysis of keywords and co-citations revealed that the main research themes and hotspots encompass “energy”, “life cycle assessment”, “storage”, and related “models” and decarbonization “strategies”. As the field progresses, a clear trend toward multidisciplinary integration and diversified research directions and content was observed. Researchers can further concentrate their efforts on countries with historically limited research but substantial emissions, and enhance international collaboration and interdisciplinary integration. Overall, this study offers valuable insights for researchers and facilitates future investigations in the field of building decarbonization.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Alternate-Day Fasting from 2000 to 2023.

Alternate-day fasting (ADF) is becoming more popular since it may be a promising diet intervention for human health. Our study aimed to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to investigate current publication trends and hotspots in the field of ADF. Publications regarding ADF were identified from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database. VOSviewer 1.6.16 and Online Analysis Platform were used to analyze current publication trends and hotspots. In total, there were 184 publications from 362 institutions and 39 countries/regions, which were published in 104 journals. The most productive countries/regions, institutions, authors, and journals were the USA, University of Illinois Chicago, Krista A. Varady, and Nutrients, respectively. The first high-cited publication was published in PNAS and authored by R. Michael Anson, and it was also the first article about ADF. The top five keywords with the highest frequency were as follows: calorie restriction, weight loss, intermittent fasting, obesity, and body weight. In conclusion, this is the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis related to ADF. The main research hotspots and frontiers are ADF for obesity and cardiometabolic risk, and ADF for several different population groups including healthy adults and patients with diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cancer. The number of studies about ADF is relatively small, and more studies are needed to extend our knowledge about ADF, to improve human health.

Bibliometric analysis of acupuncture for headache from 1974 to 2022: A scoping literature review based on international database.

This study aimed to investigate the research hotspots and global trends of acupuncture in the treatment of headaches from 1974 to 2022. The Web of Science core collection database and literature related to acupuncture for headache treatment were retrieved. The CiteSpace (version 5.1.R8) and VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) software perform collaborative network analysis on the information of countries, academic institutions, authors, and co-occurrence network analysis on keywords, co-cited journals, and references. A total of 841 studies were included. Overall, the number of publications has increased over the past 5 decades. We identified and analyzed the countries, institutions, authors, and journals that were most active in the domain of acupuncture treatment for headaches. The most productive countries were the United States and China. Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was the most productive institution and Linde Klaus was the most productive author. Cephalalgia was the most productive and co-cited journal, whereas Lancet had the highest impact factor. The research hotspots mainly focus on headache, migraine, tension headache, electroacupuncture, and acupuncture. Research trends have mainly focused on acupuncture therapy and its curative effects, migraine without aura, paroxysmal migraine, and the mechanism of acupuncture treatment. The main research hotspots and frontier trends were the therapeutic effect and mechanism of acupuncture for headaches. The mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of headache mainly focused on the neural mechanism by multimodal MRI.

What's in a name? Exploring the intellectual structure of social finance

PurposeThis paper offers a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on social finance. It provides an overview of the research field by identifying gaps in the existing academic literature and presenting future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses co-word analysis and visualization mapping techniques.FindingsThis study's findings show that the social finance research field comprises five main research clusters and four main research hotspots—impact investing, social entrepreneurship, social impact bonds, and social innovation—which represent the core of this research domain. The authors also identify the researchers and the research institutions that have contributed to the development of social finance. In addition, emerging research areas are mapped and discussed.Originality/valueCompared with most previous literature reviews, this work provides a more complete and objective analysis of the entire social finance landscape by revealing the trends and evolving dynamics that characterize its development. To this end, clear terminological boundaries have not yet been established in social finance. The field appears immature because only a few researchers have contributed to it, and papers have yet to be published by top finance journals. Finally, the findings of this research provide directions for future studies.

A Review of Global PM2.5 Exposure Research Trends from 1992 to 2022

Exposure to air pollutants of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major threat to human health. Research on PM2.5 exposure has been on the rise in recent years, but there has been a lack of systematic literature analysis in this field. To address this research gap, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the existing publications on PM2.5 exposure over the past three decades and analyzed the current state and historical trends of research using the open-access tool, KNIME. Our results show that the number of publications on PM2.5 exposure has been increasing at an accelerating rate over the last 30 years. The authors of the publications are primarily from developed nations, such as countries in North America, Europe, East Asia, and Oceania. Published research is mainly from the fields of Environmental Sciences and Ecology, Environmental Sciences, and Public, Environmental and Occupational Health. The main research hotspots are exposure, air pollution, and PM2.5. Research is trending toward the intersection and integration of multiple subjects. Our results highlight the rapid growth of PM2.5-related research and provide insights into the structure, impact, and trends of this interdisciplinary field.

Bibliometric and visualized analysis of global research on technology in anatomy education from 1987 to 2021

While anatomy has been taught by means of traditional methods for centuries, today anatomy education methods are developing with various digital educational resources. Therefore, determining the trends of publications on the use of technology in anatomy education can provide a roadmap for future studies on this topic. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the documents about technology in anatomy education. Using the bibliometric analysis method, 437 documents between 1987 and 2021 were included in the study. Publications in journals indexed in Web of Science were reviewed in terms of the country, journal, citation, year, author, keywords, co-authorship, co-occurrence, and co-citation. The H-index value of the publications was 47, and the total number of citations was 8501. The publications highlight an exponential increase in the last few years, as well as the prominence of a particular journal and countries such as the USA, England or Australia. Wilson TD was the most prolific author in the field. According to the co-occurrence analysis, it is observed that the terms “gross anatomy education”, and “medical education” are frequently used by the authors. In the last few years, 3D printing, virtual reality, augmented reality and social media were selected in anatomy education. This study identified the main research hotspots related to the use of technology in anatomy education. The findings can also help provide new directions and ideas for future research.

Application of Artificial Intelligence in Geriatric Care: Bibliometric Analysis.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve the health and well-being of older adults and has the potential to assist and improve nursing care. In recent years, research in this area has been increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the status of development and main research hotspots and identify the main contributors and their relationships in the application of AI in geriatric care via bibliometric analysis. Using bibliometric analysis, this study aims to examine the current research hotspots and collaborative networks in the application of AI in geriatric care over the past 23 years. The Web of Science Core Collection database was used as a source. All publications from inception to August 2022 were downloaded. The external characteristics of the publications were summarized through HistCite and the Web of Science. Keywords and collaborative networks were analyzed using VOSviewers and Citespace. We obtained a total of 230 publications. The works originated in 499 institutions in 39 countries, were published in 124 journals, and were written by 1216 authors. Publications increased sharply from 2014 to 2022, accounting for 90.87% (209/230) of all publications. The United States and the International Journal of Social Robotics had the highest number of publications on this topic. The 1216 authors were divided into 5 main clusters. Among the 230 publications, 4 clusters were modeled, including Alzheimer disease, aged care, acceptance, and the surveillance and treatment of diseases. Machine learning, deep learning, and rehabilitation had also become recent research hotspots. Research on the application of AI in geriatric care has developed rapidly. The development of research and cooperation among countries/regions and institutions are limited. In the future, strengthening the cooperation and communication between different countries/regions and institutions may further drive this field's development. This study provides researchers with the information necessary to understand the current state, collaborative networks, and main research hotspots of the field. In addition, our results suggest a series of recommendations for future research.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Apple Snails (Ampullariidae)

Apple snails (ASs), the freshwater snails of the family Ampullariidae, are widely spread in tropical and subtropical regions. Owing to their strong invasiveness and harmful effects on agricultural production and ecosystems, they have attracted considerable attention. However, less research has been conducted on the whole picture of the current research status and development trends in the ASs field. For this purpose, we conducted a bibliometric analysis based on a total of 1028 publications regarding ASs published between 1900 and 2021 using VOSviewer 1.6.18 and CiteSpace 6.1.R3 software. The results suggest that ASs research has received increasing attention in recent years. The most productive country has been the USA, while the institution with the most publications was Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Conicet. “Zoology” was the category of the most popular subject, Journal of Molluscan Studies was the primary journal, and P.R. Martin was the most outstanding author in ASs field. Invasive alien species, alarm response, copper (Cu) exposure, taxonomy and phylogenetic analysis, Angiostrongylus cantonensis (parasite), control (including molluscicidal activity), growth and reproduction, and feeding preferences were the main research hotspots. Further, “Pomacea maculata”, “Evolution”, “Biology”, “Digestive gland”, “Phylogeny”, “Identification”, “Pomacea canaliculata caenogastropoda”, “Diversity”, and “Nonnative apple snail” have been emerging active topics in recent years. These findings can help researchers in this area to better understand the direction and advances of ASs research and are valuable for future research and agricultural practice of apple snail control.