Tracing the evolving dynamics and research hotspots of spinal cord injury and surgical decompression from 1975 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis

BackgroundExploration of the benefits and timing of surgical decompression in spinal cord injury (SCI) has been a research hotspot. However, despite the higher volume and increasing emphasis on quality there remains no bibliometric view on SCI and surgical decompression. In this study, we aimed to perform bibliometric analysis to reveal the core countries, affiliations, journals, authors, and developmental trends in SCI and surgical decompression across the past 50 years.MethodsArticles and reviews were retrieved from web of science core collection between 1975 and 2024. The bibliometrix package in R was used for data analysis and visualizing.ResultsA total of 8,688 documents were investigated, indicating an ascending trend in annual publications. The USA and China played as the leaders in scientific productivity. The University of Toronto led in institutional productions. Core authors, such as Michael G. Fehlings, showed high productivity, and occasional authors showed widespread interests. Core journals like Spine and Spinal Cord served as beacons in this field. The interaction of core authors and international collaboration accentuated the cross-disciplinary feature of the field. Prominent documents emphasized the clinical significance of early decompression in 24 h post SCI.ConclusionBased on comprehensive bibliometric analysis and literature review, we identified the hotspots and future directions of this field: (1) further investigation into the molecular and cellular mechanisms to provide pre-clinical evidence for biological effects of early surgical decompression in SCI animal models; (2) further evaluation and validation of the optimal time window of surgical decompression based on large cohort, considering the inherent heterogeneity of subpopulations in complicated immune responses post SCI; (3) further exploration on the benefits of early decompression on the neurological, functional, and clinical outcomes in acute SCI; (4) evaluation of the optimal surgical methods and related outcomes; (5) applications of artificial intelligence-based technologies in spinal surgical decompression

CpG methylation_annotations_all_24

Dynamic CpG DNA methylation of mouse spinal cord injury from early (15 min) to late (42 days).</p

CpG_methylation_annotations_stages

Dynamic CpG DNA methylation of mouse spinal cord injury from the early stage (15 min, day 1, day 3) to late stage (day 28, day 42).</p

CHG_methylation_annotations_stages

Dynamic CHG DNA methylation of mouse spinal cord injury from the early stage (15 min, day 1, day 3) to late stage (day 28, day 42).</p

CHG methylation_annotation_all_24

Dynamic CHG DNA methylation of mouse spinal cord injury from early (15 min) to late (42 days).</p

CHH_methylation_annotations_all_24

Dynamic CHH DNA methylation of mouse spinal cord injury from early (15 min) to late (42 days).</p

CHH_methylation_annotations_stages

Dynamic CHH DNA methylation of mouse spinal cord injury from the early stage (15 min, day 1, day 3) to late stage (day 28, day 42).</p

The Morphological Structure, Physiological and Biochemical Changes During Sorus Development of Saccharina japonica

The reproductive characteristics of some hybrids from crosses of cultivated strains with wild populations are more similar to their wild parents. These hybrids form sorus twice a year in spring and autumn, unlike the conventional cultivars, which formed sorus once a year in summer. The S. japonica seedling industry begins in August in the north of China. However, hybrids form sorus in September or later. Therefore, these hybrids cannot be used as parental stock in the cultivation of summer seedlings in the north of China, hindering the promotion and application of these hybrids with excellent traits. Unfortunately, very few studies have focused on the induction and mechanism of sorus formation in kelp. It was of great significance to explore artificial induction technology for sorus formation of kelp hybrids and ensure the timely formation of sorus when the summer seedling cultivation based on an understanding of the biological process of sorus development. At present, research on the biological processes and characteristics of hybrid kelp sorus were limited. This study investigated the hybrid variety "Yudai No. 1". Discs from the kelp sporophytes were cultured in inflatable bottles. The sorus development process was divided into five stages (SA~SE) based on the appearance and morphological changes of the sorus. Samples for each stage were collected separately. The appearance, morphology, and tissue structure changes during the formation and development of sorus were systematically observed. Changes in the physiological and biochemical characteristics at different stages were also quantitatively studied. During sorus development, the surface of the sporophyte was smooth at stage SA, frosted in stage SB, noticeably protruded at stage SC, the cuticle at the apex of the paraphysis cells broken at stage SD, and the cuticle was smooth again in stage SE. The process was accompanied by the protrusion of epidermal cells (SB), the elongation of paraphysis cell (SC), the differentiation and development of sporoblast (SC, SD), and the formation and release of zoospores (SE). The cells (paraphysis cell and sporoblast) varied significantly and were constantly elongating at all stages (P < 0.05). The cells were especially elongated during the stage of zoospore formation and release (SE), zoospore cells were nearly 1-fold longer than the zoospores that were not released at stage SD. During the development of S. japonica sorus, the accumulation of nitrogen by sorus continued to increase, and there was little change after reaching the maximum level at stage SD. The formation of sorus was accompanied by the accumulation of nutrients. The protein content increased significantly in the early stages of sorus development and decreased at the stage of zoospore release. The protein content was significantly higher in the SC stage than that at stage SA (P < 0.05). Subsequently, the decline began after the SC stage, indicating the development of the sorus was the main biological activity, and the metabolic level was gradually reduced. Unlike that in previous studies, we identified a significant increase in the chlorophyll content during sorus development, which probably ensured all zoospores include chloroplasts. Meanwhile, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anions showed similar trends of initially increasing at the beginning of sorus formation and decreasing in the later stages. Changes in the H2O2 content were highly significant in sorus formation. There were differences in the activity of different antioxidant enzymes in the process of sorus formation, among which superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity had a general downward trend, while ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) showed a trend of rising in the early stages and then declining in the later stages. Moreover, POD, APX, and CAT activity had the significantly lowest levels at stage SC, SD, and SE, whereas the maximum levels of POD and APX were at stage SB, and maximum CAT levels were at stage SD. However, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content did not vary significantly during the whole development process. SOD activity gradually decreased throughout development, and the H2O2 content continued to increase, suggesting kelp sorus development may require hydrogen peroxide involvement. The activities of various antioxidant enzymes changed dynamically at different stages of sporangia development, and accurately regulated the oxygen species (ROS). The ROS increase in the process of sorus development did not harm any cells and ROS participated as a signaling molecule in the molecular regulation process of sorus development. In sorus development, the activity of RuBP carboxylase (RubisCO) initially decreased at stage SB and SC and then increased. There was no significant variation in the plant malate dehydrogenase activity. This study deepened the understanding of the hybrid kelp sorus formation process, physiological, and biochemical characteristics, and provided a theoretical basis for the artificial induction of hybrid kelp sorus formation in the future

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the Aureochrome Gene Family in <i>Saccharina japonica</i> and a Comparative Analysis with Six Other Algae

Aureochrome (AUREO) is a kind of blue light photoreceptor with both LOV and bZIP structural domains, identified only in Stramenopiles. It functions as a transcription factor that responds to blue light, playing diverse roles in the growth, development, and reproduction of Stramenopiles. Most of its functions are currently unknown, especially in the economically important alga S. japonica farmed on a large scale. This study provided a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of AUREO gene families in seven algae, focusing on the AUREOs of S. japonica. AUREO genes were strictly identified from seven algal genomes. Then AUREO phylogenetic tree was constructed from 44 conserved AUREO genes collected. These AUREO genes were divided into five groups based on phylogenetic relationships. A total of 28 genes unnamed previously were named according to the phylogenetic tree. A large number of different cis-acting elements, especially bZIP transcription factors, were discovered upstream of AUREO genes in brown algae. Different intron/exon structural patterns were identified among all AUREOs. Transcriptomic data indicated that the expression of Sj AUREO varied significantly during the different development stages of S. japonica gametophytes. Periodic rhythms of light induction experiments indicate that Sj AUREO existed in a light-dependent circadian expression pattern, differing from other similar studies in the past. This may indicate that blue light affects gametophyte development through AUREO as a light signal receptor. This study systematically identified and analyzed the AUREO gene family in seven representative brown algae, which lay a good foundation for further study and understanding of AUERO functions in agal growth and development