The Global State of Clinical Research and Trends in Periprosthetic Joint Infection: A Bibliometric Analysis

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to estimate the trends and state of research of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Methods: Publications on PJI published between 1998 and 2018 were searched from the Web of Science database and analyzed using bibliometrics. The Altmetric score and Research Interest score were combined to provide a weighted count. The scope of the Altmetric score includes >16 weighted composite scores from websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, whereas the Research Interest score is calculated from information derived from ResearchGate. Results: A total of 3245 documents were published. The largest contribution was made by the United States (US), with the most contributive institution the Rothman Institute. The most relative articles were published by the Journal of Arthroplasty, whereas the highest citation frequency journal was Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. There was a positive correlation between citation counts and Research Interest scores, while the Altmetric Attention score showed a negative value for highly cited articles. Conclusions: Based on the current trends of globalization, there is a rising trend in publications on PJI, with the largest annual contributions made by the US. The most influential contributors are researchers from the US and Europe. Twitter is used as a platform to communicate knowledge by most PJI researchers. More recent research will focus on the diagnosis and risk factors of PJI

Global mapping of infectious disease

The primary aim of this review was to evaluate the state of knowledge of the geographical distribution of all infectious diseases of clinical significance to humans. A systematic review was conducted to enumerate cartographic progress, with respect to the data available for mapping and the methods currently applied. The results helped define the minimum information requirements for mapping infectious disease occurrence, and a quantitative framework for assessing the mapping opportunities for all infectious diseases. This revealed that of 355 infectious diseases identified, 174 (49%) have a strong rationale for mapping and of these only 7 (4%) had been comprehensively mapped. A variety of ambitions, such as the quantification of the global burden of infectious disease, international biosurveillance, assessing the likelihood of infectious disease outbreaks and exploring the propensity for infectious disease evolution and emergence, are limited by these omissions. An overview of the factors hindering progress in disease cartography is provided. It is argued that rapid improvement in the landscape of infectious diseases mapping can be made by embracing non-conventional data sources, automation of geo-positioning and mapping procedures enabled by machine learning and information technology, respectively, in addition to harnessing labour of the volunteer ‘cognitive surplus’ through crowdsourcing