Particulate matter and atherosclerosis: a bibliometric analysis of original research articles published in 1973–2014

Abstract

BackgroundEpidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that exposure to particulate air pollution may promote progression of atherosclerosis.MethodsIn the present study, the characteristics and trends of the research field of particulate matter (PM) and atherosclerosis were analyzed using bibliometric indicators. Bibliometric analysis was based on original papers obtained from PubMed/MEDLINE search results (from 1973 to 2014) using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. A fully-detailed search strategy was employed, and articles were imported into the Thomson Data Analyzer (TDA) software.ResultsThe visualizing network of the collaborative researchers was analyzed by Ucinet 6 software. Main research topics and future focuses were explored by co-word and cluster analysis. The characteristics of these research articles were summarized. The number of published articles has increased from five for the period 1973–1978 to 89 for the period 2009–2014. Tobacco smoke pollution, smoke and air PM were the most studied targets in this research field. Coronary disease was the top health outcome posed by PM exposure. The aorta and endothelium vascular were the principal locations of atherosclerotic lesions, which were enhanced by PM exposure. Oxidative stress and inflammation were of special concern in the current mechanistic research system. The top high-frequency MeSH terms were clustered, and four popular topics were further presented.ConclusionBased on the quantitative analysis of bibliographic information and MeSH terms, we were able to define the study characteristics and popular topics in the field of PM and atherosclerosis. Our analysis would provide a comprehensive background reference for researchers in this field of study.

Analyzing Research Fronts in Medical Informatics Field Based on Topic Model and Life Cycle Theory

“…Numerous quantitative analysis methods have been utilized to study the research front issue, such as citation-related analysis [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] and content analysis [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. With ample research results, citation analysis method started early, which can be concluded into co-citation analysis [5][6][7], bibliographic coupling [10,11], and direct citation [9].…”

“…Content analysis is useful for understanding the knowledge in the literature. It includes term frequency analysis [15,18], burst term analysis [12], and co-word analysis [17,20]. With purpose of identifying research fronts in the field of MI, this study applied a topic model to quantitatively investigate scientific articles published in 26 MI journals.…”

Global cocaine intoxication research trends during 1975–2015: a bibliometric analysis of Web of Science publications

“…Recently, bibliometric techniques have been used to explore trends in research related to various scientific disciplines; such as lab-on-a-chip research [ 32 ], nanotechnology research [ 33 ], public health research [ 34 ], organic farming research [ 35 ], pluripotent stem cell research [ 36 ], particulate matter and atherosclerosis research [ 37 ], and Helicobacter pylori research [ 38 ]. Earlier research has shown that the same methods may be applied to clinical toxicology themes such as intravenous lipid emulsion as an antidote [ 39 ], methanol poisoning [ 40 ], and calcium channel blockers poisoning [ 41 ].…”

Article Commentary: The Cold Dusty Harmattan: A Season of Anguish for Cardiologists and Patients

“…In areas with high ambient atmospheric pollution (which may originate from industry and construction sources), surges in dust content brought about by dust worsen the dust’s effect on health 4. PM is also known to result in cardiac arrhythmias, which can precipitate HF in the context of cardiovascular disease 34. Subclinical atherosclerosis has also been shown to result from PM ambient pollution and is reflected in carotid intima media thickness studies 35…”