Heatwaves: does global research reflect the growing threat in the light of climate change?

BACKGROUND: With the increasing impacts of climate change, heatwaves are placing an enormous burden on health and social systems and threatening ecological diversity around the world. Heatwaves are increasing not only in frequency but also in severity and magnitude. They are causing the deaths of thousands of people. Research is needed on a multidisciplinary, supra-regional, and regional level. METHODS: A detailed evaluation of the research conducted is not yet available. Therefore, this study provides a detailed insight into the publication landscape to identify key players, incentives, and requirements for future scientific efforts that are useful not only for scientists but also to stakeholders and project funders. RESULTS: The number of publications on heatwaves is increasing, outpacing the trend of research indexed by the Science Citation Index Expanded. However, funding is lagging behind comparatively. Looking at absolute numbers, the USA, Australia, China, and some European countries have been identified as major players in heatwave research. If socio-economic numbers are included, Switzerland and Portugal lead the way. Australia and the UK dominate if the change in heatwave-exposed people is included. Nevertheless, exposure and economic strength of publishing countries were identified as the main drivers of national research interests. Previous heatwaves, in particular, have driven research efforts primarily at the national level. CONCLUSION: For an efficient monitoring or early detection system that also includes the economically weak regions, internationally networked efforts are necessary to enable preventive measures and damage limitation against heatwaves. Regardless of previous regional extreme heat events, research approaches should be focused to the global level.

Gender disparities in pediatric research: a descriptive bibliometric study on scientific authorships.

BACKGROUND: The proportion of women in medicine, especially in pediatrics, is noticeably increasing. Yet, leadership positions are predominantly occupied by men. METHODS: Academic authorships of 156,642 pediatric original research articles were analyzed with regard to gender disparities. The evaluation included the proportion of female authorships (FAP), distributions over first-, co- and last-authorships, gender-related citation rates, a productivity analysis and investigations on journals, countries and pediatric sub-disciplines. RESULTS: In all, 46.6% of all authorships in pediatric research were held by female authors. Women held relatively more first-authorships (FAP = 52%) and had higher odds for first- (OR = 1.3) and co- (OR = 1.11) authorships, compared to men. The Prestige Index of -0.13 indicated an underrepresentation of female authors at prestigious first- and last-authorships. Citation rates were not affected by the gender of the key authors. At the country-level pronounced gender-related differences were detected. The time trend showed increasing female prospects forecasting a female-dominated Prestige Index of 0.05 in 2023. CONCLUSION: The integration of women in pediatric research has advanced. Opportunities for female authors differ at the country-level, but overall women are lacking in leadership positions. Improving career opportunities for women in pediatric research can be expected in the coming years. IMPACT: There is a measurable progress in the integration of female scientists. Gender-neutrality is partially achieved in pediatric research with yet a female underrepresentation in leading positions. Our descriptive study presents gender-related dynamics in pediatric research that forecast improving career opportunities for female scientists.

Kretek Cigarettes and Particulate Matter Emissions-An Aerosol Spectrometric Study on Typical Indonesian Brands Flavored With Cloves.

INTRODUCTION: In Indonesia, smoking is widespread. The same applies to second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure. More than 90% of Indonesian smokers smoke clove cigarettes, so-called Kreteks. They often contain more tar and nicotine than conventional cigarettes, but little is known about particulate matter (PM) emissions. In smokers' homes, SHS is the main source of PM that is hazardous to health. This study presents data of PM emissions from Kreteks. METHODS: SHS was generated in a closed 2.88 m³ measuring chamber. PM fractions (PM10, PM2.5, PM1) of three popular Kretek brands (two king-sized and one slim-sized) in comparison to conventional cigarettes and a reference cigarette were measured by laser aerosol spectroscopy in real-time. RESULTS: The king-sized Kreteks reached PM10 and PM2.5 mean concentrations of up to about 3000 µg/m³, and PM1 mean concentrations of up to about 2700 µg/m³. Consequently, these Kreteks emitted up to about 100% more PM10 and PM2.5, respectively 84% more PM1 than the reference cigarette, and up to about 260% more PM10 and PM2.5, respectively 234% more PM1 than the other investigated cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: PM emissions from Kreteks can be very high. The Indonesian public should be informed and warned about it, considering the high prevalence of smoking and SHS exposure, in particular. The Indonesian tobacco control regulation is limited, and it is overdue to start with a serious and effective tobacco control policy. PM declaration to government authorities could be useful in smoking prevention and tobacco control. IMPLICATIONS: Research data are limited for Kretek cigarettes, including data on particulate matter (PM). The clove buds in Kretek cigarettes are for flavoring the smoke and shall soften the smoke feeling. That makes them very popular in Indonesia, in particular. The declaration of PM data of Kreteks and other tobacco products can play a key role in a more effective tobacco policy to reduce consumption of tobacco products, not only in Indonesia. To provide data on PM emissions, this study ascertained PM amounts in passive smoke from Indonesian Kreteks.

Neonicotinoids: A critical assessment of the global research landscape of the most extensively used insecticide.

The broad-spectrum insecticides in the neonicotinoid group are the most widely used worldwide because of their widely recognized advantages in the mode of action. Therefore, their use is growing on a large scale and, moreover, is often used preventively without considering the ecological impact. Studies demonstrated harmful effects on non-target organisms, which in turn negatively impact biodiversity and thus food production. The dramatic decline of honey bee colonies, for example, could be linked to the use of neonicotinoids. Ecologically sustainable solutions to this conflict must be focused by scientific research. The question arose whether the global research efforts meet these requirements on a global scale. Therefore, this review article aimed to analyze the global research landscape on neonicotinoids under ecological, economic, and temporal aspects. To this end, key players and incentives for investigations in this research field are identified. The increase in publications over time is significant and shows a dynamic citation pattern. It indicates a comparatively high interest in current research, with ecological issues becoming more and more the focus of international research. It has been shown that national publication performance and funding are in line with global market interests, with the most publishing country being China. In addition, the elevated status quo of the scientific infrastructure in high-economy countries and their willingness to support research can be linked to national research output. Lower economies are sparsely involved in published studies. The research performance accumulates with a high North-South divide. Therefore, future research projects must have a sustainable focus and take regional requirements worldwide into account. This requires greater involvement of developing countries as the most economically dependent regions with enormously increasing consumption rates. Solutions must be found to ensure sustainable food production against a backdrop of already declining biodiversity due to the large-scale use of neonicotinoids.

Does health-related poverty publication landscape reflect global needs in the light of the current poverty rebound?

BACKGROUND: After nearly a quarter-century of declining poverty, the numbers are rising again significantly. This is due not only to effects of climate change but also to the COVID-19 pandemics and armed conflict. Combined with the enormous health impacts, that will cause misery and health care costs worldwide. Therefore, this study provides background information on the global research landscape on poverty and health to help researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers determine the best way to address this threat. RESULTS: The USA is the key player, dealing mainly with domestic issues. European countries are also involved but tend to be more internationally oriented. Developing countries are underrepresented, with Nigeria standing out. A positive correlation was found between publication numbers and economic strength, while the relationship between article numbers and multidimensional poverty was negatively correlated. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need for advanced networking and the benefits of cross-disciplinary research to mitigate the coming impacts.

Environmental and health-related research on application and production of rare earth elements under scrutiny.

BACKGROUND: Unlike most other commodities, rare earth elements (REEs) are part of a wide range of applications needed for daily life all over the world. These applications range from cell phones to electric vehicles to wind turbines. They are often declared as part of "green technology" and, therefore, often called "green elements". However, their production and use are not only useful but also risky to the environment and human health, as many studies have shown. Consequently, the range of global research efforts is broad and highly variable, and therefore difficult to capture and assess. Hence, this study aims to assess the global parameters of global research on REE in the context of environment and health (REEeh). In addition to established bibliometric parameters, advanced analyses using market driver and scientific infrastructure values were carried out to provide deep insight into incentives, necessities, and barriers to international research. RESULTS: The focus of REE research is in line with national aspirations, especially from the major global players, China and the USA. Whereas globally, regional research interests are related to market interests, as evidenced by the inclusion of drivers such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, and permanent magnets. The topics receiving the most attention are related to gadolinium used for magnetic resonance imaging and the use of ceria nanoparticles. Since both are used for medical purposes, the medical research areas are equally profiled and mainly addressed in high-income countries. Nevertheless, environmental issues are increasingly in focus. CONCLUSIONS: There is still a need for research that is independent and open-ended. For this, market-independent technologies, substitutes and recycling of REEs need to be addressed scientifically. The results of this study are relevant for all stakeholders, from individual scientists to planners to funders, to improve future research strategies in line with these research mandates.

Ulcerative Colitis: A Critical Approach to the Global Research Output Employing Density-equalizing Mapping and Scientometric Methods.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite decades of effort, numerous aspects on ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unknown and require further investigation. Scientists experience numerous challenges to survey >40,000 items that have been published on UC since 1900, to evaluate their scientific impact or to identify collaborative networks publishing the most relevant work. Hence, no current, detailed and comprehensive knowledge regarding the worldwide research architecture of UC has been established until now. METHODS: We conducted a scientometric study employing the previously validated NewQIS (New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science) platform to quantify the global research activity in the field of UC. Hereby, the total research productivity, scientific output of countries, individual institutions, authors, journals, their collaborative networks as well as semiqualitative aspects were assessed. Results were visualized via state-of-the-art density-equalizing mapping projections. RESULTS: The United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom play leading roles regarding scientific activity, multilateral and bilateral cooperations. Within the past decades, research on UC diversified into a field covering numerous subject areas. Recently published studies predict that the scientific progress will be mainly depending on international cooperations; we can confirm that development by now. CONCLUSIONS: Scientometrics proofed to be a useful methodical approach to evaluate quantitative and semiqualitative aspects regarding UC. Also, we conclude that the influence of international cooperations on the scientific progress in the field of UC is constantly progressing.

The Pandemic Year 2020: World Map of Coronavirus Research.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 is one of the most threatening pandemics in human history. As of the date of this analysis, it had claimed about 2 million lives worldwide, and the number is rising sharply. Governments, societies, and scientists are equally challenged under this burden. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to map global coronavirus research in 2020 according to various influencing factors to highlight incentives or necessities for further research. METHODS: The application of established and advanced bibliometric methods combined with the visualization technique of density-equalizing mapping provided a global picture of incentives and efforts on coronavirus research in 2020. Countries' funding patterns and their epidemiological and socioeconomic characteristics as well as their publication performance data were included. RESULTS: Research output exploded in 2020 with momentum, including citation and networking parameters. China and the United States were the countries with the highest publication performance. Globally, however, publication output correlated significantly with COVID-19 cases. Research funding has also increased immensely. CONCLUSIONS: Nonetheless, the abrupt decline in publication efforts following previous coronavirus epidemics should demonstrate to global researchers that they should not lose interest even after containment, as the next epidemiological challenge is certain to come. Validated reporting worldwide and the inclusion of low-income countries are additionally important for a successful future research strategy.

Endometrial cancer: mapping the global landscape of research.

BACKGROUND: From a global viewpoint, endometrial cancer belongs to the most common female cancers. Despite the heavy burden of diseases and numerous unanswered questions, no detailed pictures of the global structure of endometrial cancer research are available so far. Therefore, this malignancy was reviewed using the New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science (NewQIS) protocol. METHODS: Using NewQIS, we identified endometrial carcinoma related research published in the Web of Science from 1900-2015 (P1) and from 2016-2020 (P2). Item analysis was performed with regard to research activity. Also, semi-qualitative aspects and socio-economic benchmarks were visualized using density equalizing mapping. RESULTS: In total, 9,141 from 1900-2015 and 4,593 from 2016-2020 endometrial cancer related studies were identified with the USA having the largest numbers of publications, citations, institutions, as well as the highest country-specific h-Index concerning endometrial cancer research in both periods. In contrast to other fields of cancer research, the two East Asian countries Japan and China followed concerning total research activities until 2015. From 2016 until 2020, China was found in short distance to the USA and was ranked second. In the socio-economic analysis, European countries were in prominent positions. Greece published 579.83 endometrial carcinoma-related articles per billion US-$ GDP, Finland (527.29), Sweden (494.65), Israel (493.75), and Norway (367.85) followed in the ranking. Density equalizing mapping visualized that large parts of Africa, Asia and South America with a high burden of disease played almost no visible role in the endometrial cancer research activities. CONCLUSIONS: Endometrial cancer research activity is continuously increasing from a global viewpoint. However, the majority of original articles is published by authors based in high-income countries. Together with the finding that the research field of public health does only play a minimal role, our study points to the necessity that global health aspects should be introduced to endometrial cancer research.

Needlestick injuries: a density-equalizing mapping and socioeconomic analysis of the global research.

BACKGROUND: Needlestick injuries have caused a deleterious effect on the physical and mental health of millions of health-care workers over the past decades, being responsible for occupational infections with viruses such as HIV or hepatis C. Despite this heavy burden of disease, no concise studies have been published on the global research landscape so far. METHODS: We used the New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science platform to analyze global NSI research (n = 2987 articles) over the past 115 years using the Web of Science and parameters such as global versus country-specific research activities, semi-qualitative issues, and socioeconomic figures. RESULTS: Density-equalizing mapping showed that although a total of n = 106 countries participated in NSI research, large parts of Africa and South America were almost invisible regarding global participation in NSI research. Average citation rate (cr) analysis indicated a high rate for Switzerland (cr = 25.1), Italy (cr = 23.5), and Japan (cr = 19.2). Socioeconomic analysis revealed that the UK had the highest quotient QGDP of 0.13 NSI-specific publications per bill. US-$ gross domestic product (GDP), followed by South Africa (QGDP = 0.12). Temporal analysis of HIV versus hepatitis research indicated that NSI-HIV research culminated in the early 1990s, whereas NSI-hepatitis research increased over the observed period from the 1980s until the last decade. CONCLUSION: Albeit NSI research activity is generally increasing, the growth is asymmetrical from a global viewpoint. International strategies should be followed that put a focus on NSI in non-industrialized areas of the world.

A world map of esophagus cancer research: a critical accounting.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. The contemporary strong increase of the adenocarcinomas in Western countries and the high mortality rates require the intensification of prospective multinational studies. METHODS: Therefore, this global health issue has been chosen for the bibliometric review of the global publication output. As source for meta and citation data, the Web of Science has been used and Density Equalizing Maps were applied for visualization. RESULTS: 17,387 articles on EC could be identified. The years with publication and citation maxima correspond to the appearance of the most prolific articles. China is the most publishing country, followed by Japan and the USA. Germany and the UK ranked 4th and 5th. The analysis of the ratios articles and socio-economic parameters emphasizes the leading position of the Scandinavian countries and Japan. Here, the high-income countries come out on top. The high incidence regions are mainly represented by Chinese and Japanese research. The association of the publication output and the overall research funding could be shown. CONCLUSIONS: A strengthened international network increasingly consisting of the scientifically best positioned countries as well as more of the high incidence countries worldwide is mandatory for future research. The findings deliver scientists, clinicians and decision makers backgrounds for future decisions all over the world.

The uterine fibroid/myoma tumour: analysis of the global research architecture using density-equalizing mapping.

Uterine fibroids can severely impact a woman's quality of life, result in significant morbidity and are a leading indication for hysterectomy. Many aspects of the disease remain largely obscure. Despite these knowledge gaps, no detailed maps of the global fibroid research architecture have yet been generated. This study used the NewQIS approach to assess worldwide research productivity, encompassing numerous aspects of the scientific output, quality and socioeconomic features. Regression analysis indicated an increase in fibroid research activity in the investigated time periods. Global research output was dominated by leading Western countries, with the USA at the forefront, but also by East Asian countries. Socioeconomic benchmarking revealed that Taiwan had the highest fibroid research activity per GDP, with a calculated average of 279.46 fibroid-related publications per 1000 billion USD GDP. Finland was the most active country with respect to research activity per population size. Subject area analyses revealed major differences in research focuses, for example 'Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging' was assigned to 29.92% of South Korean and to only 10.38% of US-American publications. In conclusion, this analysis of global fibroid research activity illustrates a multitude of important features ranging from quantitative and semi-qualitative fibroid research aspects to socioeconomic benchmarking.

Crohn's Disease: A Critical Approach to Publication Procedures and Citation Behavior of the Global Research Network.

BACKGROUND AND GOALS: Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease, which can lead to abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue, severe diarrhea, and malnutrition. Despite enormous efforts and progress in diagnosis and therapy, there are still many aspects of uncertainty leading to an increasing scientific interest in this topic. As it is challenging to survey all articles regarding CD and to measure their scientific importance, this study uses reliable scientometric tools to evaluate the global research output on CD related to quantitative and qualitative aspects and in chronological and geographical context. STUDY: We conducted a scientometric analysis to assess all global research activity on CD from 1900 until 2013. We analyzed the research output of countries, individual institutions, journals, authors and their collaborative networks and depicted our findings by density-equalizing map projections. RESULTS: The worldwide research architecture indicated that the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France play leading role regarding scientific activity, h-indices, multilateral and bilateral cooperations. There is a dramatic increase of collaborative publications since the 1990s, which underlines recent studies pronouncing that the scientific progress will be mainly depending on international cooperations. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the field of CD is constantly progressing, in which the influence of international cooperations on the scientific productivity is of major and growing importance. North American and Western European nations constitute the scientific leaders in the field of CD whereas developing or underdeveloped countries did not exhibit considerable research productivity.

Correction to: World-wide research architecture of vitamin D research: density-equalizing mapping studies and socio-economic analysis.

After publication of the original article [1], the authors reported two errors which needed to be corrected.

World-wide research architecture of vitamin D research: density-equalizing mapping studies and socio-economic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite the numerous associations of vitamin D with health and disease, vitamin D deficiency is still common from a global perspective. While basic research, clinical and preventive activities grow constantly in vitamin D research, there is no in-depth analysis of the related global scientific productivity available so far. METHODS: Density equalizing mapping procedures (DEMP) were combined with socioeconomic benchmarks using the NewQIS platform. RESULTS: A total of 25,992 vitamin D-related research articles were identified between 1900 to 2014 with a significant increase (r2 = .6541) from 1900 to 2014. Authors located in Northern America - especially in the USA - distributed the majority of global vitamin D research, followed by their Western European counterparts. DEMP-analysis illustrates that Africa and South America exhibit only minor scientific productivity. Among high-income group countries, Scandinavian nations such as Denmark or Finland (2147.9 and 1607.7 vitamin D articles per GDP in 1000 billion USD) were highly active with regard to socioeconomic figures. CONCLUSION: Networks dedicated to vitamin D research are present around the world. Overall, the Northern American and Western European nations occupy prominent positions. However, South American, African and Asian countries apart from Japan only play a minor role in the global research production related to vitamin D. Since vitamin D deficiency is currently increasing in the Americas, Europe and parts of the Middle East, research in these regions may need to be encouraged.

Polycystic ovary syndrome: analysis of the global research architecture using density equalizing mapping.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of female infertility worldwide. Although the related research output is constantly growing, no detailed global map of the scientific architecture has so far been created encompassing quantitative, qualitative, socioeconomic and gender aspects. We used the NewQIS platform to assess all PCOS-related publications indexed between 1900 and 2014 in the Web of Science, and applied density equalizing mapping projections, scientometric techniques and economic benchmarking procedures. A total of 6261 PCOS-specific publications and 703 international research collaborations were found. The USA was identified as the most active country in total and collaborative research activity. In the socioeconomic analysis, the USA was also ranked first (25.49 PCOS-related publications per gross domestic product [GDP]/capita), followed by the UK, Italy and Greece. When research activity was related to population size, Scandinavian countries and Greece were leading the field. For many highly productive countries, gender analysis revealed a high ratio of female scientists working on PCOS with the exception of Japan. In this study, we have created the first picture of global PCOS research, which largely differs from other gynaecologic conditions and indicates that most related research and collaborations originate from high-income countries.

Ovarian cancer: density equalizing mapping of the global research architecture.

BACKGROUND: Despite its impact on female health worldwide, no efforts have been made to depict the global architecture of ovarian cancer research and to understand the trends in the related literature. Hence, it was the objective of this study to assess the global scientific performance chronologically, geographically and in regards to economic benchmarks using bibliometric tools and density equalizing map projections. METHODS: The NewQIS platform was employed to identify all ovarian cancer related articles published in the Web of Science since 1900. The items were analyzed regarding quantitative aspects (e.g. publication date, country of origin) and parameters describing the recognition of the work by the scientific community (e.g. citation rates). RESULTS: 23,378 articles on ovarian cancer were analyzed. The USA had the highest activity of ovarian cancer research with a total of n = 9312 ovarian cancer-specific publications, followed by the UK (n = 1900), China (n = 1813), Germany (n = 1717) and Japan (n = 1673). Ovarian cancer-specific country h-index also showed a leading position of the USA with an h-index (HI) of 207, followed by the UK (HI = 122), Canada (HI = 99), Italy (HI = 97), Germany (HI = 84), and Japan (HI = 81). In the socio-economic analysis, the USA were ranked first with an average of 175.6 ovarian cancer-related publications per GDP per capita in 1000 US-$, followed by Italy with an index level of 46.85, the UK with 45.48, and Japan with 43.3. Overall, the USA and Western European nations, China and Japan constituted the scientific power players publishing the majority of highly cited ovarian cancer-related articles and dominated international collaborative efforts. African, Asian and South American countries played almost no visible role in the scientific community. CONCLUSIONS: The quantity and scientific recognition of publications related to ovarian cancer are continuously increasing. The research endeavors in the field are concentrated in high-income countries with no involvement of lower-resource nations. Hence, worldwide collaborative efforts with the aim to exchange epidemiologic data, resources and knowledge have to be strengthened in the future to successfully alleviate the global burden related to ovarian cancer.

Maternal depression research: socioeconomic analysis and density-equalizing mapping of the global research architecture.

Maternal depression can be accounted for one of the most common complications during pregnancy and the postpartum period affecting women all over the world. So far, no detailed map of the worldwide maternal depression research architecture has been constructed, which encompasses aspects of research activity, quality, and also socioeconomic features. Using the NewQIS platform, density-equalizing mapping projections, scientometric techniques, and economic benchmarking procedures were applied to evaluate global maternal depression research for the period between 1900 and 2012. In total, 7330 related publications and 3335 international collaborations were identified. The USA was the most active country concerning collaborations and total research activity. In the socioeconomic analysis of research activity in high-income countries, Australia was ranked first with an average of 412.05 maternal depression-related publications per 1000 billion US$ GDP (Q1), followed by the UK (Q1 = 373.51) and Canada (Q1 = 306.32). The group of upper-middle-income countries was led by South Africa (Q1 = 145.67), followed by Turkey (Q1 = 91.8). China authored 11.95 maternal depression-related publications per 1000 billion US$ GDP. The USA had the highest activity of maternal depression research per GDP in billion US$ per capita (Q2 = 60.86). When research activity was related to population size (Q3 = publications per Mio. inhabitants), Australia (Q3 = 26.44) was leading the field, followed by Norway (Q3 = 18.48). Gender analysis revealed a relatively high degree of female scientists involved in this field of research with pronounced differences between single subject areas. In summary, we here present the first picture of the global scientific development in maternal depression research over a period of more than 100 years. The research landscape is clearly dominated by North American and Western European countries, with only minor contribution of Asian or South American countries.