Bibliometric and Visual Analysis of the Immune System in Osteomyelitis (1990-2024)

Summary

Here, the authors present a protocol to perform a bibliometric and visual analysis of immune-related osteomyelitis research (1990–2024). This approach identifies global publication trends, collaborative networks, and thematic hotspots, providing a systematic overview of the transition toward immune-centric management in skeletal infections.

Abstract

Osteomyelitis (OM) is an inflammatory bone disorder in which dysregulation of the immune microenvironment significantly contributes to disease progression. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis to map the global landscape of immune-related OM research from 1990 to 2024. A total of 3,031 original articles and reviews were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Visualization software was used to evaluate publication trends, collaborative networks, and keyword evolution. Results indicate that annual publications increased steadily, with the United States and China emerging as primary research contributors. High-impact studies transitioned from investigating genetic-autoimmune links to exploring Staphylococcus aureus-host interactions and immune evasion. Disciplinary trends shifted from surgery toward immunology and computational biology. Keyword analysis revealed a shift from early infection-related terms to molecular immune mechanisms, including IL-1β and Th17 signaling. This analysis offers a comprehensive overview of the research transition from pathogen-focused approaches to immune-centric perspectives in the field of osteomyelitis.

Introduction

Osteomyelitis (OM) is an inflammatory bone disorder caused by microbial infection, pathologically characterized by progressive bone destruction and the involvement of adjacent soft tissues^1,2. The main treatment for OM typically involves a prolonged course of culture-guided antibiotics, often combined with surgical debridement to remove infected or dead bone tissue^3,4. Epidemiological studies identify Staphylococcus aureus hematogenous dissemination as the leading cause of OM⁵. With the growing prevalence of antibiotic ....

Protocol

All bibliographical data used in this study were retrieved from publicly available databases (Web of Science Core Collection). This research did not involve human participants or animal subjects; therefore, ethical approval and informed consent were not required for this analysis.

Data acquisition and search strategy
Relevant studies on the genetic and immunological mechanisms of osteomyelitis were retrieved from online bibliographic databases (see Table of Materials), specifically the Science Citation Index Expanded and the Social Sciences Citation Index, which are widely used in bibliometric researc....

Results

General features of publications
A total of 3,658 publications were initially retrieved. Following the independent screening and removal of ineligible records, 3,031 articles were included in the bibliometric analysis, comprising 2,480 original research articles and 551 reviews. A detailed breakdown of the 627 excluded records identified 212 meeting abstracts, 154 editorial materials, 118 letters, 85 book chapters, 42 early access items, and 16 non-English publications. These publications were author.......

Discussion

This bibliometric study provides a systematic evaluation of the global research landscape concerning the immune system in osteomyelitis, identifying a significant transition from pathogen-focused investigations toward a molecular understanding of the immune microenvironment. While previous bibliometric analyses in the field of bone infection focused on general surgical techniques or antibiotic materials, our findings emphasize a profound restructuring of disciplinary boundaries, in which immunology and computational biol.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
VOSviewer (version 1.6.20)	Leiden University's Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS)	NA	Used alongside other tools to conduct data analysis and generate visual and graphical representations (e.g., figures mapping the top subject categories and keywords with the strongest citation bursts).
CiteSpace (version 6.2.R2 Basic)	Dr. Chaomei Chen.	NA	Used alongside other tools to conduct data analysis and generate visual and graphical representations (e.g., collaboration networks, citation networks).
R (version 4.3.1)	The R Project for Statistical Computing (R Foundation)	NA	Used alongside other tools to conduct data analysis and generate visual and graphical representations.
Hiscite Pro (version 2.0)	Institute for Scientific Information	NA	Used alongside other tools to conduct data analysis and generate visual and graphical representations.
Microsoft Excel	Microsoft Corporation	NA	Used to catalog information such as titles, affiliations, publication sources, authors, references, subject categories, and keywords.