Visualizing Research Trends and Identifying Hotspots of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Nursing Technology for Insomnia: A 18-Years Bibliometric Analysis of Web of Science Core Collection

Global research status and trends of interactions between Traditional Chinese medicine and pulmonary fibrosis: A new dawn in treatment

Background

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) remains a major sequela of COVID-19, yet its pharmacotherapy remains unsatisfactory. Recently, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has garnered increasing recognition among patients and researchers because of its few side effects and efficacy. The objective of this study is to use bibliometric analysis to explore the current research landscape and emerging trajectories of TCM treating PF(TCM/PF) researches, and comprehensively evaluate publications with substantial citations within the domain of TCM/PF.

Materials and methods

TCM/PF publications from 1996 to June 15, 2023 were identified by a comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The Bibliometrix of Origin, CiteSpace, Gephi, dycharts and VOSviewer were used for bibliometric analysis.

Results

A total of 358 papers were included. A rapid increase in the number of papers after 2013 was observed. China had the highest publication output and research contributions in this field. Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicineare leaders in productive research of this field. Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine had the highest citations (227). LI JIANSHENG from Henan University of Chinese Medicine was the most prolific author (8), with the highest number of citations (61), and TONG XIAO LIN from China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences had the highest H-index (30). The leading journal publishing the most research (37) is Frontiers in Pharmacology and the Journal of Ethnopharmacology had the highest total citations (486). Burst analysis of keywords revealed three distinct phases of research. 1996 to 2013 marked the nascent stage of TCM/PF research; from 2014 to 2018, studies gradually focused on the underlying mechanisms governing TCM/PF. The most significant phase occurred from 2019 onward, where TCM/PF exhibited an explosive growth trend. This progression signifies a transition from foundational explorations to a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved, ultimately leading to the current surge in research activities focused on TCM/PF. Notable research teams of this stage, led by LI JIAN SHENG and TONG XIAO LIN, have been at the forefront of advancing TCM/PF research. Their studies on Jinshui Huanxian formula and Qimai Feiluoping decoction have been pivotal in advancing the frontier of research in this domain. Furthermore, the monomeric compounds, including emodin, curcumin, salvianolic acid, baicalin, and oxymatrine, have sustained longstanding prominence.

Conclusions

This study gained insight into the research status, focal areas and evolving trends of global TCM/PF research. It also identified the most cited articles in TCM/PF and analyzed their characteristics, which may hold significant relevance for both clinical researchers and practitioners on future directions in this field.

Bibliometric analysis of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVE

This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of literature on the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to explore its research status, hotspots, and development trends, providing ideas and references for further research.

METHOD

We screened literature for treating IBD with TCM from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC), and used the VOSviewer software (1.6.18) to discover cooperation among countries, institutions, authors, and information on journals, keywords, etc. We use the CiteSpace software (6.2.R2) to analyze co-citation and burst discovery of references.

RESULTS

In all, 440 relevant literature papers were searched and screened from the WOSCC database. The results showed that the number of publications concerning treating IBD with TCM has shown a significant growth in the past decade. China is far ahead in terms of article output, occupying a dominant position. The institution with the most published articles is Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The authors who have published most of the articles are Dai Yancheng, Shi Rui, and Zhou Lian. The Journal of Ethnopharmacology published maximum articles in this field, while Gastroenterology was the most cited journal. Ungaro et al.'s article entitled "Ulcerative colitis" (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)32126-2), published in The Lancet in 2017 was the most cited study. The high-frequency keywords mainly include ulcerative colitis, inflammation, NF-κB, expression, traditional Chinese medicine, gut microbiota, activation, mice, cells, etc.

CONCLUSIONS

The research heat for treating IBD with TCM has risen over the past decade, with studies focusing on three main aspects: clinical studies of TCM, basic pharmacology, and animal experimental research. The research hotspot shifted from pathogenesis, clinical study of TCM, basic pharmacology, and complementary therapies to the study of network pharmacology and the mechanism of action of TCM related to gut microbiota. Network pharmacology and gut microbiota are at the frontiers of research and turning to be the future research trends to provide new insights and ideas for further research for treating IBD with TCM.

Treatment of abdominal pain due to deficiency syndrome of the spleen and stomach with Bian stone plus TCM iontophoresis: A case report

RATIONALE

Bian stone ironing and rubbing traditional Chinese medicine penetration method is based on the theory of regulating the middle and restoring balance. By using Bian stone to heat, ironing, and rubbing, pushing and rubbing in the epigastric area can regulate the spleen and stomach, restore the normal function of the middle jiao qi movement and the functions of the five organs. Bian stone hot ironing can harmonize stomach qi, nourish qi and assist yang, clear the internal organs and clear turbidity, regulate intestinal qi circulation, and promote qi stagnation.

PATIENT CONCERNS

The VAS score for stomach pain is 6 points, and the SAS score is moderate anxiety, which seriously affects sleep and daily life.

DIAGNOSES

epigastric pain, spleen, and stomach deficiency cold syndrome.

INTERVENTIONS

Easy to digest diet, Western medicine provides famotidine acid inhibiting and protecting gastric mucosa, and mosapride promoting gastrointestinal peristalsis medication treatment; Traditional Chinese Medicine provides oral administration of Huangqi Jianzhong Tang and traditional Chinese medicine techniques such as Bianchi Ironing and Moxibustion for treatment.

OUTCOMES

The patient's symptoms of stomach pain have significantly improved, with a decrease in the epigastric pain score to 0, improved anxiety, reduced fatigue, improved sleep, improved epigastric fullness, unobstructed bowel movements, and improved quality of life. The patient is very satisfied.

LESSONS

The method of using Bian stone ironing and rubbing traditional Chinese medicine to treat stomach pain caused by the spleen and stomach deficiency cold can alleviate the symptoms of stomach pain in patients, and the improvement of symptoms shows a gradual increase, with significant effects. At the same time, it significantly improves patient anxiety and fatigue symptoms and can increase the sample size in future work to further clarify its clinical effects.

Acupuncture in circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders and its potential neurochemical mechanisms

Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (CRSWDs) are becoming increasingly common in modern societies due to lifestyle changes. The detrimental effects of CRSWDs on sleep and psychological health have attracted considerable attention recently. Alternative remedies for the treatment of CRSWDs have also gained attention in recent years owing to the limitations of medications. Several in vivo and clinical investigations have shown that acupuncture, one of the most important components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been shown to modulate sleep-related circadian rhythms. Owing to the lack of research on the mechanism and effectiveness of acupuncture in treating CRSWDs, clinical applications of acupuncture have not gained popularity. This paper reviews the acupuncture methods, acupoint selection, and biochemical indicators supplied by in vivo and clinical studies to explore the effectiveness of acupuncture, and summarizes the circadian rhythm mechanisms and the acupuncture characteristics on circadian rhythm. The neurochemical mechanisms linked to acupuncture in treating CRSWDs are also outlined from the perspective of the central and peripheral biological clocks. Lastly, the inadequacy of previous studies on CRSWDs and conflicting results regarding acupuncture are explored and future research directions are envisioned.

Bell's palsy research hotspots and frontiers from 2002 to 2021: a bibliometric and visual analysis

Bell's palsy is an idiopathic, acute, unilateral peripheral facial nerve paralysis, where incomplete or failed recovery causes substantial social and psychological stress to the patient, seriously influencing their quality of life and social activities. We conducted a bibliometric investigation of the knowledge structure and frontier hotspots in Bell's palsy research. Bell's palsy publications between 2002 and 2021 were retrieved from Web of Science. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and an online bibliometric platform were used for visual, burst, citation, and co-occurrence analyses, respectively. A total of 1,378 publications were included. The annual Bell's palsy publication output followed an upward trend from 2002 to 2021. The USA and Harvard University published the most Bell's palsy research articles. Yeo SG and Otology & Neurotology were the most prolific author and journal, respectively, on Bell's palsy. The results suggested that Bell's palsy research hotspots focused on rehabilitating facial nerve function and improving prognosis, and combining specific therapies (acupuncture) would be of future interest. The cited references timeline revealed that Bell's palsy following COVID-19 vaccination was an emerging research hotspot. The bibliometric analysis demonstrated that the USA dominates Bell's palsy research and that rehabilitating facial nerve function and prognosis were research hotspots. Emerging mechanistic studies mainly focused on Bell's palsy following COVID-19 vaccination. Our findings could be a reliable source for global scholars to rapidly identify research hotspots and potential research directions and frontiers.

The potential for traditional Chinese therapy in treating sleep disorders caused by COVID-19 through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway

Since the outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2019, it has spread rapidly across the globe. Sleep disorders caused by COVID-19 have become a major concern for COVID-19 patients and recovered patients. So far, there's no effective therapy on this. Traditional Chinese therapy (TCT) has a great effect on sleep disorders, with rare side effects and no obvious withdrawal symptoms. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, a neuroregulatory pathway in the central nervous system that uses cholinergic neurons and neurotransmitters to suppress inflammatory responses, has been reported to be associated with sleep disorders and psychiatric symptoms. Many studies have shown that TCT activates the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), inhibits inflammation, and relieves associated symptoms. Therefore, we believe that TCT may be a potential therapeutic strategy to alleviate sleep disorders induced by COVID-19 through CAP. In this review, we analyzed the relationship between cytokine storm induced by Coronavirus and sleep disorders, explained the influence of CAP on sleep disorders, discussed the TCT's effect on CAP, and summarized the treatment effect of TCT on sleep disorders. Based on these practical researches and theoretical basis, we propose potential strategies to effectively improve the sleep disorders caused by COVID-19.

The interactions between traditional Chinese medicine and gut microbiota: Global research status and trends

Background

There is a crosstalk between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and gut microbiota (GM), many articles have studied and discussed the relationship between the two. The purpose of this study is to use bibliometric analysis to explore the research status and development trends of the TCM/GM research, identify and analyze the highly cited papers relating to the TCM/GM.

Methods

A literature search regarding TCM/GM publications from 2004 to 2021 was undertaken on August 13, 2022. The main information (full record and cited references) of publications was extracted from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The Bibliometrix of R package, CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for bibliometric analysis.

Results

A total of 830 papers were included. The publication years of papers were from 2004 to 2021. The number of papers had increased rapidly since 2018. China had the most publications and made most contributions to this field. Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine were in the leading productive position in TCM/GM research, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences had the highest total citations (TC). Duan Jin-ao from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine had the largest number of publications, and Tong Xiao-lin from China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences had the most TC. The Journal of Ethnopharmacology had the most published papers and the most TC. The main themes in TCM/GM included the role of GM in TCM treatment of glucolipid metabolism diseases and lower gastrointestinal diseases; the mechanism of interactions between GM and TCM to treat diseases; the links between TCM/GM and metabolism; and the relationship between GM and oral bioavailability of TCM.

Conclusion

This study gained insight into the research status, hotspots and trends of global TCM/GM research, identified the most cited articles in TCM/GM and analyzed their characteristics, which may inform clinical researchers and practitioners’ future directions.

Research trends in college students' sleep from 2012 to 2021: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

A great proportion of college students experience various sleep problems, which damage their health and study performance. College students' sleep problems, which are caused by several factors, have been easily ignored before. In the past decade, more research has been published to expand our understanding of undergraduates' sleep. The purpose of the study is to explore the research hotspots and frontiers regarding college students' sleep using CiteSpace5.8.R3 and offer guidance for future study.

METHODS

We retrieved relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection Database and imputed the downloaded files into CiteSpace5.8.R3 for visualization analysis. We generated network maps of the collaborations between authors, countries, institutions, the cited journals, and co-occurrence keywords. The analysis of keywords clusters, timeline views, and keywords citation bursts help us identify the hotspots and research trends.

RESULTS

A total of 1,841 articles related to college students' sleep, published from 2012 to 2021, were selected. The number of publications gradually increased. Karl Peltzer was the most prolific authors with 15 publications. The United States and Harvard University separately contributed 680 and 40 articles and had the greatest impact in this field. SLEEP ranked first in the frequency of cited journals. The article published by Lund HG was the most influential publication. Based on the analysis of keywords, we summarized research hotspots as follows: current status, affecting factors, and adverse outcomes of college students' sleep. The frontiers were the further understanding of the relationships between sleep and mental and physical health, and various interventions for sleep disorders.

CONCLUSION

Our study illustrates the research hotspots and trends and calls for more research to expand the findings. In the future, the cooperation between institutions and authors needs to be strengthened. The complex relationships between sleep and mental and physical health and problematic substance use disorders are necessary to be explored. Longitudinal studies or randomized controlled trials should be constructed to verify the current findings or assumptions.