Bibliometric and scientometric analysis on biomarkers and molecular mechanisms for physical frailty and sarcopenia

Abstract

Introduction: The influence of physical frailty and sarcopenia (PFS) on the well-being of older people and continuous pressure on the healthcare systems has prompted a research on the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of these conditions. Nonetheless some biomarkers have been suggested as potential markers for PFS none of them have been shown to highlight the complex nature of PFS, which reveals that there is a need for an understanding of the possible biomarker candidates. The aim of this study was to identify the current research hotspots, status, and trends in the field of biomarkers and molecular mechanisms for PFS.

Methods: The bibliometric and scientometric analyses were performed using VOSviewer (version 1.6.18) and open source software platform Cytoscape v.3.9 (for visualizing and constructing a network of keywords). Data of publications (from 1997 to 2023) related to biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of PFS were obtained (in May 2023) from the database of Science Citation Index Expanded of Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. The keywords obtained from the Scopus database were used to perform a meaningful keyword analysis. A network of keyword relationships was build using Cytoscape.

Results: In this study, we present biomarker keywords for PFS in relation to other keywords potentially designating processes and mechanisms and reveal the biomarker identities and current contexts in which these biomarker identities are discussed.

Conclusions: Over recent years, scientific interest in the field of PFS has increased and focused on the inflammatory process and probably will be concentrated on myokines (such as cytokines and small proteins) that are synthetized and released by skeletal muscles in response to physical activity. Moreover, proteomic and genetic markers are deeply involved in PFS.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis; biomarkers; frailty; molecular mechanisms; sarcopenia.

Figure 1

Publication trends in “physical frailty and sarcopenia” topic (WoS accessed May 2023).

Figure 2

Number of publications about sarcopenia, frailty, and biomarkers in depicted years (Scopus accessed May 2023).

Figure 3

Publication trends in “sarcopenia and physical frailty” topic (PubMed accessed May 2023).

Figure 4

Co-occurrence network of high-frequency keywords. In the map, the size of nodes manifests the frequency of the keyword’s occurrence, while lines show relationships among keywords. The shorter the distance between two nodes, the larger the number of co-occurrence of the two keywords. Source: own study based on data retrieved from Scopus database as of 22 May 2023 and analyzed with the use of VOSviewer.

Figure 5

Three clusters are shown on the map. The red cluster 1 of keywords indicates bioentity. The green cluster 2 represents the physiological process. The blue cluster 3 involved resources. The intensity of the connecting lines represents a number of keyword occurrences together. Very pale connecting lines indicate that the keywords co-occurred only two times. Source: own study based on data retrieved from Scopus database.

Figure 6

Two clusters are shown in the map (keyword network of the molecular mechanisms and biomarkers in PFS): the red cluster indicates biomarkers and the green cluster – physiological processes. The size of the node is proportional to the number of keyword occurrences. The intensity of the connected lines represents the extent of keyword pairs occurring together. Source: own study based on data retrieved from Scopus database.