Background: At present, the characteristics of mucinous breast carcinoma (MBC) and the factors affecting its prognosis are controversial. We compared the clinical features of MBC with those of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and summarized the relevant prognostic factors. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database includes information on 10,593 patients diagnosed with MBC between 2004 and 2016. Chi-square tests and analyses were used to analyze differences in variables between the MBC and IDC groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relative impacts of risk factors on cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed to assess cancer-specific mortality and were compared using the log-rank test. Results: From 2004 to 2016, 10,593 people were diagnosed with MBC, and 402,797 were diagnosed with IDC. Patients with MBC had significantly higher 5−/10-year CSS rates (96.4%/93.4%) than those with IDC (89%/83.8%). Compared with IDC patients, MBC patients had less lymph node metastasis, an earlier stage, a higher rate of hormone receptor positivity and a lower expression rate of HER2. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that age ≥ 60 years old (HR = 1.574, 95%CI: 1.238–2.001, P < 0.001), singled status (HR = 1.676, 95%CI: 1.330–2.112, P < 0.001) and advanced TNM/SEER stage were independent prognostic risk factors for MBC. In addition, positive estrogen receptor (HR = 0.577, 95%CI: 0.334–0.997, P = 0.049), positive progesterone receptor (HR = 0.740, 95%CI: 0.552–0.992, P = 0.044), surgical treatment (HR = 0.395, 95%CI: 0.288–0.542, P < 0.001) and radiotherapy (HR = 0.589, 95%CI: 0.459–0.756, P < 0.001) were identified as protective factors. Conclusion: Compared with IDC, MBC has a better prognosis. For patients with MBC, we identified prognostic factors that can help clinicians better assess patient outcomes and guide individualized treatment.

Background: Acupuncture and moxibustion (AM) are utilized to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no bibliometric analysis has explored this issue. Thus, this study investigated the status, hotspots and trends of AM in the treatment of AD. Methods: CiteSpace and VOSviewer softwares were used to analyze the literature on the AM for AD in the Web of Science Core Collection database. We analyzed the data of countries/regions, institutions, journals, authors, keywords, and cited references. Results: After removing duplicates, 193 articles were retrieved. The number of publications on this topic has increased gradually. The most productive and collaborative country was China (143 documents), followed by South Korea (19). The top 3 active academic institutions were Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Capital Medicine University, and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. The most productive journal was Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (13 documents), followed by the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (10), Medicine (10), and Neural Regeneration Research (10). The top 3 co-cited journals were Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (156 citations), Acupuncture Electro-therapeutics Research (152), and Acupuncture in Medicine (146). The research hotspots in this domain are dementia, memory, hippocampus, mouse models, and Parkinson’s disease. Major frontiers are comparing the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and donepezil and electroacupuncture at different frequencies in this field. Conclusion: This bibliometric study identified relevant hotspots and trends in research on AM in the treatment of AD, which can provide researchers with key information in this domain and help further explore new research directions.

Background: Previous clinical trials have reported that acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) is a useful modality for weight loss. However, no study has specifically investigated the effectiveness and safety of comparing verum and sham ACE in adults with obesity. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of comparing verum and sham ACE in obese adults. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the electronic databases of PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and China Biomedical Literature Service System from inception to April 1, 2022. Randomized clinical trials that focused on evaluating the effectiveness of comparing verum and sham ACE in adults with obesity were included. The primary outcomes included reduction in body weight, body mass index, hip circumference, and waist circumference. The secondary outcomes consisted of a decrease in body fat percentage and the occurrence rate of adverse events. The methodological quality of the included randomized clinical trials was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk-of-bias tool. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results: Six trials involving 679 adults with obesity were included in this study and entered in the data analysis of systematic review and meta-analysis. Results of the meta-analysis revealed significant reduction in body weight (mean difference [MD] = −1.68, 95% confidence intervals (CI) [−2.34, −1.01], I ² = 51%, P < .001), body mass index (MD = −0.51, 95% CI [−0.81, −0.21], I ² = 74%, P < .001), hip circumference (MD = −1.11, 95% CI [−1.67, −0.55], I ² = 0%, P < .001), waist circumference (MD = −2.42, 95% CI [−3.38, −1.45], I ² = 68%, P < .001), and decrease in body fat percentage (MD = −0.83, 95% CI [−1.30, −0.36], I ² = 16%, P < .001) in comparing verum and sham ACE. However, no significant difference was identified in AEs (odds ratio = 1.53, 95% CI [0.80, 2.95], I ² = 0%, P = .20) between the 2 groups. Conclusion: ACE is effective in the treatment of obesity in adults with safety profile. Further studies with higher quality and larger sample size are warranted to confirm the current findings.

Background: This study aimed to analyze and summarize the research hotspots and trends in neuroimaging biomarkers (NMBM) in Parkinson disease (PD) based on the Web of Science core collection database and provide new references for future studies. Methods: Literature regarding NMBM in PD from 1998 to 2022 was analyzed using the Web of Science core collection database. We utilized CiteSpace software (6.1R2) for bibliometric analyses of countries/institutions/authors, keywords, keyword bursts, references, and their clusters. Results: A total of 339 studies were identified with a continually increasing annual trend. The most productive country and collaboration was the United States. The top research hotspot is PD cognitive disorder. NMBM and artificial intelligence medical imaging have been applied in the clinical diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of PD. The trends in this field include research on T1 weighted structure magnetic resonance imaging in accordance with voxel-based morphometry, PD cognitive disorder, and neuroimaging features of Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer disease. Conclusion: The development of NMBM in PD will be effectively promoted by drawing on international research hotspots and cutting-edge technologies, emphasizing international collaboration and institutional cooperation at the national level, and strengthening interdisciplinary research.

This study aimed to identify abnormal brain regions and imaging indices of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and explore specific imaging diagnostic markers of VCI. In this study, 24 patients with VCI were allocated to the VCI group and 25 healthy subjects were assigned to the healthy control (HC) group. Demographic data and neuropsychological test scores were compared using SPSS 25.0. The structural and functional imaging data were post-processed and statistically analyzed using CAT12, DPARSF and SPM12 software, based on the MATLAB platform. The structural and functional indices of gray matter volume (GMV) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were obtained, and inter-group data were analyzed using an independent-sample t test. Sex, age, years of education, and total brain volume were used as covariates. Compared to the HC group, the GMV of VCI in the VCI group decreased significantly in the rectus muscles of the bilateral gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, left supplementary motor area (SMA), right insula, right superior temporal gyrus, right anterior cuneiform lobe, and right anterior central gyrus (PRECG) (P < .05, FWE correction), without GMV enlargement in the brain area. ReHo decreased in the right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), right parahippocampal gyrus, and left temporal pole (middle temporal gyrus, right lingual gyrus, left posterior central gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus), the areas of increased ReHo were the left caudate nucleus, left rectus gyrus, right anterior cingulate gyrus and lateral cingulate gyrus (P < .05, FWE correction). Correlation analysis showed that the GMV of the left superior temporal gyrus was positively correlated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score (P < .05), and the GMV of the right insula was positively correlated with the MESE and long delayed memory scores (P < .05). There was a significant positive correlation between the ReHo and short-term delayed memory scores in the middle temporal gyrus of the left temporal pole (P < .05). The volume of GMV and ReHo decreased in VCI patients, suggesting that impairment of brain structure and function in specific regions is the central mechanism of cognitive impairment in these patients. Meanwhile, the functional indices of some brain regions were increased, which may be a compensatory mechanism for the cognitive impairment associated with VCI.

Background: Multimodality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to detect vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). However, a bibliometric analysis of this issue remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the research hotspots and trends of multimodality MRI on VCI over the past 12 years based on the Web of Science core collection using CiteSpace Software (6.1R2). Methods: Literature related to multimodality MRI for VCI from 2010 to 2021 was identified and analyzed from the Web of Science core collection database. We analyzed the countries, institutions, authors, cited journals, references, keyword bursts, and clusters using CiteSpace. Results: In total, 587 peer-reviewed documents were retrieved, and the annual number of publications showed an exponential growth trend over the past 12 years. The most productive country was the USA, with 182 articles, followed by China with 134 papers. The top 3 active academic institutions were Capital Medical University, Radboud UNIV Nijmegen, and UNIV Toronto. The most productive journal was the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (33 articles). The most co-cited journal was Neurology, with the highest citations (492) and the highest intermediary centrality (0.14). The top-ranked publishing author was De Leeuw FE (17 articles) with the highest intermediary centrality of 0.04. Ward Law JM was the most cited author (123 citations) and Salat Dh was the most centrally cited author (0.24). The research hotspots of multimodal MRI for VCI include Alzheimer disease, vascular cognitive impairment, white matter intensity, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, neurovascular coupling, acute ischemic stroke, depression, and cerebral ischemic stroke. The main frontiers in the keywords are fMRI, vascular coupling, and cerebral ischemic stroke, and current research trends include impact, decline, and classification. Conclusions: The findings from this bibliometric study provide research hotspots and trends for multimodality MRI for VCI over the past 12 years, which may help researchers identify hotspots and explore cutting-edge trends in this field.