Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yancheng First People's Hospital, Yancheng, China.
Skin Res Technol. 2024 Sep;30(9):e70053. doi: 10.1111/srt.70053.
BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory and highly pruritic skin condition characterized by the infiltration of immune cells, notably eosinophils and mast cells. Mast cells (MCs) critically participate in the complex pathogenesis of AD through multiple pathways and have recently garnered growing attention in research. Despite the abundance of related studies published over the years, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis on this topic remains lacking. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to perform an up-to-date bibliometric analysis of the literature focusing on the relationship between MCs and AD. This analysis would provide valuable insights through a thorough bibliometric review, enabling a clearer understanding of the current research landscape, pinpointing key studies, and detecting emerging trends within this field. METHODS: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database on 15 July 2024. The data retrieval strategy was structured as follows: #1: TS = ("mast cells") OR TS = ("mast cell") OR TS = ("mastocyte"); #2: TS = ("atopic dermatitis") OR TS = ("atopic eczema") Final data: (#1 AND #2). A total of 2272 items published between 2001 and 2024 were included. Several scientometric visualization tools, including VOSviewer, R-bibliometrix, CiteSpace and an online analytical platform, were utilized to conduct text mining and to visualize the bibliometric data, facilitating a comprehensive analysis of research trends and patterns. RESULTS: Out of the initial 2272 articles retrieved, 2168 were selected for analysis after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria based on publication type. The findings indicate a steady and substantial exponential growth in the annual number of publications focused on the relationship between over the years. The South Korea (547/2168), USA (465/2168) and Japan (436/2168) were the major contributors within this field, collectively constituting more than half of the total publications. To clarify the underlying mechanisms and role of MCs in the pathogenesis of AD and to make MCs prime targets for therapeutic intervention have garnered the most attention in this field. According to references analysis, the research emphasis has shifted to developing MC-related therapeutics and intervention and regulating the immune system of AD patients through modulating the activity of various immune cells. On the basis of keywords analysis, we outlined the following research frontiers and hotpots in the future: the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis; imbalance in the different types of T helper (Th) cells during immune response; skin barrier and barrier dysfunction; improving quality of life; sensory neurons; biological agents and small-molecule drugs. Furthermore, IL-13, IL-4, NFKB1, BCGF-1 and CD4 ranked as the top five genes that have received the most investigative attention in the intersection of MCs and AD. CONCLUSION: In a word, this analysis would greatly benefit from a thorough bibliometric review to gain a deeper understanding of the current research landscape, identify pivotal studies and pinpoint emerging trends in the field of MCs and AD. Meanwhile, our findings offered researchers a holistic perspective of ongoing developments, serving as a valuable resource for guiding future research and informing decision-making for both researchers and policymakers in this area.
背景:特应性皮炎(AD)是一种常见的慢性炎症性、高度瘙痒性皮肤病,其特征为免疫细胞浸润,特别是嗜酸性粒细胞和肥大细胞。肥大细胞(MCs)通过多种途径在 AD 的复杂发病机制中起着至关重要的作用,近年来在研究中越来越受到关注。尽管多年来发表了大量相关研究,但针对这一主题的全面文献计量学分析仍然缺乏。
目的:我们旨在对文献进行最新的文献计量学分析,重点关注 MCs 与 AD 之间的关系。通过彻底的文献计量学综述,该分析将提供有价值的见解,使人们更清楚地了解当前的研究现状,确定关键研究,并发现该领域的新趋势。
方法:我们于 2024 年 7 月 15 日在 Web of Science 核心合集(WoSCC)数据库中进行了搜索。数据检索策略如下:#1:TS =(“肥大细胞”)或 TS =(“肥大细胞”)或 TS =(“肥大细胞”);#2:TS =(“特应性皮炎”)或 TS =(“特应性湿疹”)最终数据:(#1 和#2)。共纳入 2001 年至 2024 年间发表的 2272 项研究。使用了几种科学计量可视化工具,包括 Vosviewer、R-bibliometrix、CiteSpace 和在线分析平台,进行文本挖掘和可视化文献计量数据,以全面分析研究趋势和模式。
结果:在最初检索到的 2272 篇文章中,经过基于出版类型的纳入和排除标准筛选后,有 2168 篇被选入分析。研究结果表明,近年来,每年发表的关于 MCs 与 AD 之间关系的文章数量呈稳定且显著的指数增长。韩国(547/2168)、美国(465/2168)和日本(436/2168)是该领域的主要贡献者,它们的总出版物超过了一半。阐明 MCs 在 AD 发病机制中的潜在机制和作用,并使 MCs 成为治疗干预的主要靶点,是该领域最受关注的问题。根据参考文献分析,研究重点已转向开发与 MC 相关的治疗方法和干预措施,并通过调节各种免疫细胞的活性来调节 AD 患者的免疫系统。基于关键词分析,我们概述了未来的以下研究前沿和热点:在免疫反应过程中,氧化应激在发病机制中的作用;不同类型的辅助性 T(Th)细胞失衡;皮肤屏障和屏障功能障碍;提高生活质量;感觉神经元;生物制剂和小分子药物。此外,IL-13、IL-4、NFKB1、BCGF-1 和 CD4 是 MCs 与 AD 交叉研究中受到最多关注的前 5 个基因。
结论:总的来说,通过彻底的文献计量学综述,对这一分析将大有裨益,以更深入地了解当前的研究现状,确定关键研究,并发现 MCs 和 AD 领域的新趋势。同时,我们的研究结果为研究人员提供了一个正在进行的发展的整体视角,为指导未来的研究以及为该领域的研究人员和决策者提供决策提供了有价值的资源。
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