A modern approach with follower-leading clustering algorithm for visualizing author collaborations and article themes in skin cancer research: A bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Skin cancers (SCs) arise due to the proliferation of atypical cells that have the potential to infiltrate or metastasize to different areas of the body. There is a lack of understanding regarding the country-based collaborations among authors (CBCA) and article themes on SCs. A clustering algorithm capable of categorizing CBCA and article themes on skin cancer is required. This study aimed to apply a follower-leading clustering algorithm to classify CBCA and article themes and present articles that deserve reading in recent ten years. METHODS: Between 2013 and 2022, a total of 6526 articles focusing on SC were extracted from the Web of Science core collection. The descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics model was employed to visualize the study results. Various visualizations, including 4-quadrant radar plots, line charts, scatter plots, network charts, chord diagrams, and impact beam plots, were utilized. The category, journal, authorship, and L-index score were employed to assess individual research achievements. Diagnostic analytics were used to cluster the CBCA and identify common article themes. Keyword weights were utilized to predict article citations, and noteworthy articles were highlighted in prescriptive analytics based on the 100 most highly cited articles on SC (T100SC). RESULTS: The primary entities contributing to SC research include the United States, the University of California, San Francisco in US, dermatology department, and the author Andreas Stang from Germany, who possess higher category, journal, authorship, and L-index scores. The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology has published the highest number of articles (n = 336, accounting for 5.16% of the total). From the T100SC, 7 distinct themes were identified, with melanoma being the predominant theme (92% representation). A strong correlation was observed between the number of article citations and the keyword weights (F = 81.63; P < .0001). Two articles with the highest citation counts were recommended for reading. CONCLUSION: By applying the descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics model, 2 noteworthy articles were identified and highlighted on an impact beam plot. These articles are considered deserving of attention and could potentially inspire further research in the field of bibliometrics, focusing on relevant topics related to melanoma.

Acupoint Catgut Embedding Diminishes Fibromyalgia Pain through TRPV1 in the Mouse Brain.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain refers to pain that persists for over three months. Chronic pain may restrict activities of daily living, including work, learning, social life, and can lead to anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. Imaging data have demonstrated that central sensitization often occurs in the brain of patients with chronic pain, which arises from imbalanced neurotransmission in the central nervous system. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is an ion channel to serve as an inflammatory detector in the brain. We aim to determine the properties of acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) on cold stress-induced mice fibromyalgia (FM) and surveyed the character of TRPV1 and linked molecules in chronic FM pain. METHODS: Intermittent cold stress (ICS) was used to induce mice FM model. Mice were subgrouped into normal mice, ICS-induced FM group, FM mice with ACE, and FM in Trpv1-⁣/- group. ACE is a novel acupuncture technique that provides convenience and continuous nerve stimulation that has been reported effective on pain management. RESULTS: Our behavioral experiments showed similar levels of pain response among all groups before treatment. After ICS, prolonged mechanical and thermal pain was initiated (mechanical threshold: 1.96 ± 0.12 g; thermal latency: 4.86 ± 0.21 s) and were alleviated by ACE treatment and TRPV1 gene deletion. Inflammatory mediators were increased in the plasma of FM mice, while TRPV1 and related kinases were amplified in the hypothalamus and cerebellum. These changes were ameliorated in the ACE-treated and Trpv1-⁣/- groups. CONCLUSIONS: These novel findings suggest that chronic FM pain can be modulated by ACE or TRPV1 gene deletion. The analgesic effect of ACE through the TRPV1 pathway may reflect its potential as a therapeutic target for FM treatment.

Electroacupuncture Attenuates Fibromyalgia Pain via Toll-like Receptor 4 in the Mouse Brain.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by complex pain symptoms lacking impersonal considerations in diagnosis and treatment evaluation, which often happens in women. Chronic and persistent widespread pain is the key symptom disturbing patients with FM, leading to depression, obesity, and sleep disturbances. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation produces a harmful sensory input involved in central pain; this is the focus of this study. Electroacupuncture (EA) has beneficial effects in reducing FM pain, but its connection with TLR4 signaling is still unknown. METHODS: Intermittent cold stress significantly induced mechanical and thermal pain. EA, but not sham EA, reliably attenuated mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. The increased inflammatory mediators in FM mice were reduced in the EA group, but not in the sham group. RESULTS: All TLR4 and related molecule levels increased in the FM mice's hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray (PAG), and cerebellum. These increases could be attenuated by EA but not sham stimulation. Activation of TLR4 by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly induced FM and can be further reversed by a TLR4 antagonist. CONCLUSIONS: These mechanisms provide evidence that the analgesic effect of EA is related to the TLR4 pathway. In addition, we showed that inflammation can activate the TLR4 pathway and provided new possible therapeutic targets for FM pain.

Isopropoxy Tetramethyl Dioxaborolane on TiO2: Reaction Pathway and Formation of a Visible-Light-Sensitive Photocatalyst.

Borate toxicity is a concern in agriculture since a high level of borates may likely exist in irrigation water systems. In this research, transmission infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are employed to study the thermal and photochemical reactions of isopropoxy tetramethyl dioxaborolane (ITDB) on TiO2, with the aid of density functional theory calculations. In addition, the possibility for the formation of a boron-modified TiO2 (B/TiO2) surface, using ITDB as the boron source, is explored and the photocatalytic activity of the B/TiO2 is tested. After adsorption of ITDB on TiO2 at 35 °C and heating the surface to a temperature higher than ∼200 °C in a vacuum, the surface is found to be covered with both the organic components of OC(CH3)2-C(CH3)2O and OCH(CH3)2 and the inorganic components of (TiO2)BO and Ti-B-O. The organic intermediates can be further thermally transformed into pinacolone and acetone; however, the inorganic parts exist at 400 °C, forming a boron-modified surface. The thermal decomposition of ITDB is proposed to be initiated by breaking one B-O bond, forming -OC(CH3)2-C(CH3)2O-B-OCH(CH3)2 on the surface. In the case of photoreaction, the ITDB on TiO2 decomposes under photoirradiation at 325 nm to form acetone. The boron-modified TiO2 surface can absorb visible light, likely due to the presence of new states in the band gap, and shows a photocatalytical activity in degrading methylene blue, under 500 nm irradiation in air.