The Microbiota-Bone-Allergy Interplay

Global Publication Trends and Research Hotspots of the Immune System and Osteoporosis: A Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis from 2012 to 2022

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic bone metabolism disorder in which the immune system and bone metabolism interact.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore the research status, hot spots and trends regarding the influence of the immune system on OP and to provide a basis for research directions and applications in this field.

METHODS

We searched and collected literature about the immune system and OP published from 2012 to 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection database. All the included studies were subjected to bibliometrics analysis using Hiplot Pro, VOSviewer and CiteSpace software to produce statistics and visual analyses of the literature output, countries, institutions, authors, keywords and journals.

RESULTS

A total of 1201 papers were included, and the number of citations of these articles reached 31,776. The number of publications and citations on the immune system and OP has increased year by year. The top three countries with the greatest number of papers published were China, the United States of America (USA) and Italy. The two institutions with the largest number of papers published were Sichuan University and Soochow University, both located in China. De Martinis Massimo (Italy) and Ginaldi Lia (Italy) are prolific authors in this field. The representative academic journals are Osteoporosis International, Frontiers in Immunology, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, PloS One and Bone. The results of the keyword cooccurrence analysis showed that the research topics in this field mainly focused on T cells, cytokines, signaling pathways, vitamin D, postmenopausal OP and immune diseases. The keyword burst results showed that zoledronic acid, chain fatty acids and gut microbiota are the frontiers and trends of future research on this topic.

CONCLUSION

The influence of the immune system on OP has been widely studied, and the current research in this field focuses on the effect or mechanism of immune-related cytokines, signaling pathways and vitamin D on OP. Future research trends in this field should focus on the immune regulation mechanism and clinical transformation of zoledronic acid, chain fatty acids and the gut microbiota in OP.

Research Progress on the Correlation between the Intestinal Microbiota and Food Allergy

The increasing incidence of food allergy is becoming a substantial public health concern. Increasing evidence suggests that alterations in the composition of the intestinal microbiota play a part in the development of food allergy. Additionally, the application of probiotics to correct gut microbiota imbalances and regulate food allergy has become a research hotspot. However, the mechanism by which the gut microbiota regulates food allergy and the efficacy of probiotics are still in the preliminary exploration stage, and there are no clear and specific conclusions. The aim of this review is to provide information regarding the immune mechanism underlying food allergy, the correlation between the intestinal microbiota and food allergy, a detailed description of causation, and mechanisms by which the intestinal microbiota regulates food allergy. Subsequently, we highlight how probiotics modulate the gut microbiome–immune axis to alleviate food allergy. This study will contribute to the dovetailing of bacterial therapeutics with immune system in allergic individuals to prevent food allergy and ameliorate food allergy symptoms.

Anorexia nervosa and autoimmune comorbidities: A bidirectional route?

Immunological dysfunctions in eating disorders have recently gained increasing scientific attention. Furthermore, the reciprocal association between anorexia and autoimmune diseases is of particular interest and suggests a role of autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa (AN) and autoimmune diseases are linked by a bidirectional relationship based on common immunopathological mechanisms. In this review, in addition to reporting the numerous cases described in which autoimmune disorders are associated with anorexia or vice versa, we summarize the many aspects of this relationship between the immune system (IS) and AN. We describe how the microbiota affects the IS, disrupts gut-brain communication, and possibly triggers eating disorders. We also describe the shared immunological pathways of autoimmune and eating disorders and in particular the occurrence of disrupted T cell tolerance and autoantibodies in AN. The described observations represent the starting point for possible, future research directions.