Evolution of global scientific collaboration in mRNA vaccine research: Insights from bibliometric and social network analysis (2010~2023).

The field of mRNA vaccines has witnessed rapid development in recent years, leading to significant changes in global scientific collaboration. In this study, a bibliometric and social network analysis was conducted to reveal the evolution of global scientific collaboration in mRNA vaccine research. Altogether 6974 articles published since 2010 were retrieved and categorized into Period 1 (2010-2019), Period 2 (2020-2021) and Period 3 (2022-2023). During Period 2 and 3, there was a significant rise in the proportion of publications involving domestic inter-institutional cooperation (42.0%, 54.0% and 59.1%, respectively in Period 1, 2, and 3), while a significant decrease in international cooperation (32.1%, 23.7% and 21.0%). More countries participated in international collaboration during Period 2 and 3, with the US, the UK and Germany remaining top three throughout all periods, while some other countries like Italy, Japan, and China experiencing significant shifts. Significant correlations between collaboration type and publication impact and between geographical distance and collaborative publication counts were detected. Furthermore, significant changes in research focuses and institutions that are major contributors in the mRNA vaccine development have been observed. In conclusion, the mRNA vaccine field has experienced rapid development over the past decade, with significant evolutions of global scientific collaboration detected in our study.

Comparing running vs interrupted sutures for skin closure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Continuous sutures and interrupted sutures have been widely applied to skin closure after non-obstetric surgery or traumatic wounds. Usually, continuous sutures were divided into transdermal or subcuticular sutures according to whether the stitches were placed through or below the epidermal layer. Interrupted sutures, on the other hand, involved penetration of the loose connective tissue beneath the skin layers, with stitches placed through the external skin layer. Complications including infection, dehiscence, and poor cosmetic appearance were not rare after suturing. Whether a suture method is a suitable option for rapid wound healing and long-term cosmetic appearance remains controversial. To examine the potential benefits and harms of continuous skin sutures vs interrupted skin sutures in non-obstetric surgery or traumatic wounds. Searching websites such as PubMed, the Cochrane Central Library, Web of Science and Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched up to 5 January 2022 and were assessed and guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis rules as well as guidelines. All relevant randomised controlled studies comparing continuous sutures with interrupted sutures of skin closure were analysed. The suture techniques and material used in each trial were recorded. The transdermal and subcuticular continuous sutures were separately compared with interrupted sutures in the subgroup analysis of dehiscence and cosmetic appearance because the visual appearance of these two continuous suturing techniques was significantly different. Ten studies including 1181 participants were analysed. Subcuticular continuous sutures had comparatively higher visual analogue scale (VAS) scores among patients and doctors than interrupted sutures (OR = 0.27, 95% Confidence Intervals [CI] = 0. 07-0.47, P < .01). Similarly, priority was found regarding transdermal continuous sutures and interrupted sutures (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.21-0.60, P < .01). Five randomised controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated relevant data about dehiscence events. The incidence of continuous suture was significantly lesser than that of interrupted suture (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.07-0.37, P < .01). There was no significant difference between the infection events rates of two suture methods (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.40-1.21, P = .62, I2  = 0%). This systematic review indicated the superiority of both transdermal and subcutaneous continuous sutures over interrupted sutures in skin closure in terms of wound healing and cosmetic appearance.

Emerging trends of research on mRNA vaccines: A co-citation analysis.

This study was designed to evaluate the emerging trends of research on mRNA vaccines. Altogether 3056 research articles related to mRNA vaccines published since 2010 were retrieved from the Web of Science database, based on which a co-citation analysis was conducted using CiteSpace. A total of 12 clusters were derived, all of which were classified into three periods according to the content and publication time of articles: (1) The preliminary exploratory period before early 2010s, when the potential of mRNA to induce immune response was evaluated; (2) the growing up period from early 2010s to 2019, when the stability and immunogenicity of mRNA vaccines were improved and the clinical development of products were pushed forward; (3) the rapid maturity period after the outbreak of COVID-19, when two products for COVID-19 were authorized for the first time. The approval of COVID-19 vaccines is an encouraging start, while the enormous potential of mRNA vaccines remains to be explored. Future research on mRNA-based infectious disease vaccines will focus on further optimizing mRNA modification and delivery, solving problems of the approved vaccines in real world, investigating mRNA vaccines for other infectious indications, and developing self-amplifying or thermostable vaccines. Future research on mRNA-based therapeutic cancer vaccines will focus on screening proper neoantigens, enhancing the delivery of mRNA into antigen-presenting cells and overcoming suppressive tumor microenvironment.

Identification of technology frontiers of artificial intelligence-assisted pathology based on patent citation network.

OBJECTIVES: This paper aimed to identify the technology frontiers of artificial intelligence-assisted pathology based on patent citation network. METHODS: Patents related to artificial intelligence-assisted pathology were searched and collected from the Derwent Innovation Index (DII), which were imported into Derwent Data Analyzer (DDA, Clarivate Derwent, New York, NY, USA) for authority control, and imported into the freely available computer program Ucinet 6 for drawing the patent citation network. The patent citation network according to the citation relationship could describe the technology development context in the field of artificial intelligence-assisted pathology. The patent citations were extracted from the collected patent data, selected highly cited patents to form a co-occurrence matrix, and built a patent citation network based on the co-occurrence matrix in each period. Text clustering is an unsupervised learning method, an important method in text mining, where similar documents are grouped into clusters. The similarity between documents are determined by calculating the distance between them, and the two documents with the closest distance are combined. The method of text clustering was used to identify the technology frontiers based on the patent citation network, which was according to co-word analysis of the title and abstract of the patents in this field. RESULTS: 1704 patents were obtained in the field of artificial intelligence-assisted pathology, which had been currently undergoing three stages, namely the budding period (1992-2000), the development period (2001-2015), and the rapid growth period (2016-2021). There were two technology frontiers in the budding period (1992-2000), namely systems and methods for image data processing in computerized tomography (CT), and immunohistochemistry (IHC), five technology frontiers in the development period (2001-2015), namely spectral analysis methods of biomacromolecules, pathological information system, diagnostic biomarkers, molecular pathology diagnosis, and pathological diagnosis antibody, and six technology frontiers in the rapid growth period (2016-2021), namely digital pathology (DP), deep learning (DL) algorithms-convolutional neural networks (CNN), disease prediction models, computational pathology, pathological image analysis method, and intelligent pathological system. CONCLUSIONS: Artificial intelligence-assisted pathology was currently in a rapid development period, and computational pathology, DL and other technologies in this period all involved the study of algorithms. Future research hotspots in this field would focus on algorithm improvement and intelligent diagnosis in order to realize the precise diagnosis. The results of this study presented an overview of the characteristics of research status and development trends in the field of artificial intelligence-assisted pathology, which could help readers broaden innovative ideas and discover new technological opportunities, and also served as important indicators for government policymaking.

[The Policy and Practice of Medical Device Emergency Approval at the Local Level under the Circumstance of COVID-19 Disease].

This research analyzed Chinese emergency approval policies and practices of medical devices at the local level under the circumstance of COVID-19 disease. The legal basis and administrative system were clarified, the implementation and characteristics of emergency approval policies were investigated, the products information including total approved number, product type and license's validity period were counted. Advices as enhancing the standardization of emergency approval system, strengthening registration guidance and optimize information disclose and management were provided.

Optimal duration of endocrine therapy with extended aromatase inhibitors for postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The optimal duration of endocrine therapy for patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive) breast cancer is still unclear. This meta-analysis aims to determine the optimal duration of endocrine therapy with extended aromatase inhibitors (AI) for postmenopausal patients with HR-positive early breast cancer who have finished 5 years of endocrine therapy. METHODS: Eligible randomized controlled trials were classified into three categories according to the whole duration of endocrine therapy (10 years versus 5 years, 7-8 years versus 5 years, and 10 years versus 7-8 years). For each category, hazard ratio (HR) for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), and risk ratio (RR) for the incidence of adverse events were pooled. RESULTS: Altogether 9 RCTs enrolling a total of 22,313 postmenopausal women with HR-positive breast cancer were included. Pooled data showed an improvement in DFS when extending endocrine therapy from 5 to 7-8 years (HR = 0.79 [0.69, 0.91]), specifically among those who had been treated with only tamoxifen (HR = 0.40 [0.22, 0.73]) or sequential tamoxifen followed by AI (HR = 0.82 [0.71, 0.95]), with tumors that were node-positive (HR = 0.72 [0.56, 0.93]), estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive (HR = 0.61 [0.47, 0.78]), or ≥ 2 cm in size (HR = 0.72 [0.51, 0.98]). However, no improvement in DFS was obtained when extending from 7-8 to 10 years (HR = 0.98 [0.87, 1.11]). In addition, the extension of endocrine therapy was not associated with an improvement in OS, but was associated with an increased risk of bone fracture and osteopenia/osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: Patients who have been treated with AI for 5 years, with tumors that are node-negative, ER+/PR- or ER-/PR+, and < 2 cm in size do not need to receive extended AI therapy. For those who have been treated with only tamoxifen or sequential tamoxifen followed by an AI for a total of 5 years, with tumors that are node-positive, ER+/PR+ or ≥ 2 cm in size, 2-3 years of extended AI is necessary and maybe enough.

[Current Status of Researches on Atrial Tachycardia Occurred after Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation].

Atrial fibrillation is the most common persistent arrhythmia in the clinic. It affects a wide range of populations with high incidence, morbidity and mortality. Clinical studies have shown that ablation is one of the best means for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. However, after receiving ablation, some patients may experience atrial tachycardia and thus feel even deteriorated feelings. Understanding the predicting factors, electrophysiological mechanisms, and differential diagnosis and treatment strategies for post-ablation atrial tachycardia is essential for reducing the incidence and for the management of post-ablation atrial tachycardia. Therefore, we summarize the research progress of the above-mentioned aspects, and correspondingly proposes further research directions.

[Study on Effect of 4 Different Conduction Pathways on Initiation and Maintenance of Atrial Fibrillation Based on Atrial Simulation].

OBJECTIVE: In this study,computational modelling was used to study whether different conduction pathways have impact on the AF initiation and maintenance based on a human atrial model. METHODS: MRI images from one patient who has atrial fibrillation were used to reconstruct the human atrial anatomical model.The number of MRI images was 112.In order to study the effect of different conduction pathways to AF,4 different atrial models were generated in this study,which were biatrial conduction via only LFO;biatrial conduction via only CS;biatrial conduction via both LFO and CS;model without biatrial conduction. RESULTS: In the case of biatrial conduction simulation via only LFO,the same re-entries were induced as in the LFO and CS case.But for the two cases of only CS conduction and both LFO and CS cannot conduct electricity,one stimulus site induced unsustained re-entry which only lasted for 2 cycles,and then terminated.The other two sites induced the same re-entries as in the previously described two cases,which were biatrial conduction simulation via both LFO and CS and only LFO. CONCLUSIONS: Our simulation showed that these conduction pathways played a minor role in the re-entry initiation and maintenance,the possible explanation is that all the re-entries induced in our simulation is local drivers and maintained by fibrosis.

Diagnostic value of an automated breast volume scanner compared with a hand-held ultrasound: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic performance of an automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) compared with that of a hand-held ultrasound (HHUS) for breast cancer remains unclear. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the diagnostic performances of the ABVS and HHUS for breast cancer. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and SinoMed databases to identify eligible studies up until November 14, 2018. Studies comparing ABVS and HHUS for differentiating benign and malignant breast tumors were included. A meta-analysis was performed to generate pooled diagnostic accuracy parameters [sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), area under the curve (AUC), and the Q* index] and detection rates for ABVS and HHUS. RESULTS: Nine studies involving 1,376 patients and 1,527 lesions were included in the meta-analysis for diagnostic accuracy. The pooled sensitivity was 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.91-0.95] for ABVS and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.88-0.92) for HHUS, and the pooled specificity was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.83-0.88) for ABVS and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.79-0.84) for HHUS. The pooled DOR was 88.66 (95% CI, 51.44-152.78) for ABVS and 41.06 for HHUS (95% CI, 26.58-63.42). The AUC of the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) was 0.9496 for ABVS and 0.9143 for HHUS, and the Q* index was 0.8899 for ABVS and 0.8469 for HHUS. Meta-regression showed no significant difference between the diagnostic accuracy of ABVS and HHUS (P=0.0771). No publication bias was found. Thirteen published studies involving 1,047 pathologically confirmed malignant lesions were included to generate a pooled detection rate. The pooled detection rate was 1.00 (95% CI, 1.00-1.00) for both ABVS and HHUS, for which a publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: ABVS can be used as an appropriate screening tool for breast cancer as well as HHUS in diagnostic accuracy and detection rate. Considering other advantages of ABVS including non-radioactivity, sensitivity to dense breast, three-dimensional reconstruction, time-saving and repeatability, it might be a promising screening tool for young or dense-breast women in the future.

Multi-trajectory modeling of home blood pressure telemonitoring utilization among hypertensive patients in China: A latent class growth analysis.

BACKGROUND: Home blood pressure telemonitoring (HBPT) has great potential in improving blood pressure (BP) control among patients with hypertension. However, the longitudinal use trajectories of HBPT have not been identified yet. In addition, there has been a lack of understanding of the relationship between developmental trajectories of HBPT and BP control over time. The primary goal of this study was to identify the longitudinal trajectories of using HBPT among hypertensive patients and to explore the relationship between longitudinal trajectories of HBPT use patterns and BP control. METHODS: A total of 122 hypertensive patients were enrolled consecutively in Xiling, Huayan, Baisha and Xueyuan communities in Yichang City, Hubei Province, China. Each patient was provided with a portable monitoring device which has unlimited data service at the time of enrollment. Socio-demographics (e.g. name, age, sex, marital status) were collected at baseline. Real-time data including systolic and diastolic blood pressure were automatically uploaded to cloud platform through devices. Latent class growth analysis was conducted to determine the latent trajectory of HBPT use. Joint trajectory method was used to correlate the longitudinal trajectories of HBPT utilization and BP control status. RESULTS: Five trajectories were identified which are persistently low (47.1%), moderate with decreasing (23.9%), sharply decreasing (11.2%), high with decreasing (11.3%) and persistently high with increasing (6.6%). There was no statistically significant difference among 5 trajectories in the baseline survey in terms of age, marital status, BP (both SBP and DBP) and BP control status. However, there was a strong positive correlation between the HBPT utilization pattern and BP control status over time. CONCLUSIONS: The latent trajectories of HBPT utilization were identified in our study. However, no predictors of trajectory membership were identified. Nevertheless, we have demonstrated that HBPT was to some extent positively correlated with improved BP control, and this correlation still needs to be further proved.

Potential Maintenance Mechanism in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Subject to Different Treatment Procedures: A Preliminary Study Based on a Human Atrial Model.

Two clinical ablation protocols, 2C3L and stepwise, have been routinely used in our group to treat atrial fibrillation (AF), but with a less than 60% long-term arrhythmia-free outcome achieved in patients. The goal of this study was to examine the underlying mechanism of low success in clinical outcome. MRI images from one patient were used to reconstruct a human atrial anatomical model, and fibrotic tissue was manually added to represent the arrhythmia substrate. AF was induced with standard protocols used in clinical practice. 2C3L and stepwise were then used to test the efficacy of arrhythmia termination in our model. The results showed that re-entries induced in our model could not be terminated by using either 2C3L or the stepwise protocol. Although some of the induced re-entries were terminated, others emerged in new areas. Ablation using only the 2C3L or stepwise method was not sufficient to terminate all re-entries in our model, which may partially explain the poor long-term arrhythmiafree outcomes in clinical practice. Our findings also suggest that computational heart modelling is an important tool to assist in the establishment of optimal ablation strategies.

A clinicopathologic study of extraventricular neurocytoma.

In 2007, extraventricular neurocytoma was classified as a separate entity among glioneuronal tumors. However, extraventricular neurocytoma is not fully understood and may be misdiagnosed. Here, we describe the clinical and pathological features, prognoses, and treatments of 13 extraventricular neurocytoma cases, and compare their immunophenotypes with those of oligodendroglioma, diffuse astrocytoma, and ependymoma. Six typical and 7 atypical cases comprised the 13 extraventricular neurocytoma cases. Histological features included oligodendroglioma-like perinuclear halo, neuropil-like matrix, ganglion or ganglioid cells, perivascular pseudorosettes, vessel hyalinization, calcifications, and myxoid degeneration. Atypical histological features included increased mitotic figures, focal necrosis, endothelial cell proliferation, and/or a Ki-67 index of >2%. All lesions expressed synaptophysin and microtubule-associated protein-2, which distinguished them from other similar tumors. Two patients with atypical extraventricular neurocytoma had tumor recurrence, one of whom had cerebrospinal fluid dissemination, suggesting that atypical histological features might represent adverse prognostic factors. In conclusion, the present study identified morphological and immunohistochemical features that would aid the differential diagnosis of extraventricular neurocytoma. In addition, radiotherapy with subtotal resection could be considered an effective treatment for extraventricular neurocytoma, but because a pediatric patient died of intracranial hemorrhage during radiotherapy, radiotherapy-related side effects should be considered, especially when treating children. Additional cases with long-term follow-up are needed to develop optimal management protocols for extraventricular neurocytoma.

[Exploring Current Problems and Corresponding Strategies for Evaluation of Innovative Medical Devices in China].

Through the analysis of the current status and problems of innovative medical devices evaluation, tnis paper discussed the strategies of evaluation, and ultimately raises the frame of evaluation, so as to provide reference for scientific evaluation of medical devices in China.

[A bibliometrics study of literature on medical image processing for the past ten years].

We searched and retrieved literature on the topic of medical image processing published on SCI journals in the past 10 years. We then imported the retrieved literature into TDA for data cleanup before data analysis and pro cessing by EXCLE and UCINET to generate tables and figures that could indicate disciplinary correlation and research hotspots from the perspective of bibliometrics. The results indicated that people in Europe and USA were leading researchers on medical image processing with close international cooperation. Many disciplines contributed to the fast development of medical image processing with intense interdisciplinary researches. The papers that we found show recent research hotspots of the algorithm, system, model, image and segmentation in the field of medical image processing. Cluster analysis on key words of high frequency demonstrated complicated clustering relationship.

[Technical progress and application of 3D ultrasound in breast imaging].

The paper reviewed the development history, current application and technical features of 3D ultrasound and 3D breast ultrasound. 3D ultrasound is used in breast screening methods. Special 3D breast ultrasound equipment can enhance breast characteristics, corresponding the breast characteristics to carry out technological innovation and improvement, provide more accurate and convenient way to inspect breast.

[Study of the management of clinical trial in the registration of medical devices in China].

The key factor responsible for the slowness of registration of medical devices in China is clinical trial. The clinical trial in European and U.S. is taken as an example to analyze the problems in clinical trials in China. Some suggestions are proposed to solve the problem.