MicroRNA regulation in pulmonary fibrosis: a bibliometric analysis of global research trends, collaborative networks, and emerging frontiers
Abstract
Background: Pulmonary fibrosis, particularly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), is a progressive and fatal interstitial lung disease with limited treatment options. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of fibrotic processes, yet a systematic overview of the research landscape in this rapidly growing field is lacking.
Methods: We performed a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of publications on miRNA regulation in pulmonary fibrosis from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2025, using the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases. After deduplication, a total of 2,093 valid documents (articles and reviews) were analyzed. Multiple analytical tools-VOSviewer (v1.6.20), CiteSpace (v6.4R1), and the bibliometrix R package (v3.2.1)-were employed to examine annual publication trends, collaborative networks (countries, institutions, authors), co-citation clusters, citation bursts, journal dual-map overlays, and keyword evolution.
Results: The annual publication output increased steadily from 2007 to 2021, peaking at 229 papers, then stabilized at 150-193 papers per year (2022-2025). China (889 papers, 38.4%) and the United States (477 papers, 20.6%) were the most productive countries, although United States and European papers exhibited higher average citation impact (United States: 74.79; Germany: 86.49) compared to China (29.28). Nanjing Medical University (43 papers) and the University of Pittsburgh (28 papers) were leading institutions. Author…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Regulation of nucleolus assembly by non-coding RNA polymerase II transcripts
- For a Healthy Histone Code, a Little SUMO in the Tail Keeps the Acetyl Away
- Discovering a binary CTCF code with a little help from BORIS
- Article Commentary: Stabilizing the Code–-Methods to Preserve RNA Prove Their Worth
- Foreword to the Special Issue for the RINTC (The Implicit Seismic Risk of Code-Conforming Structures) Project
- Commentary: Promoting Health and Well-being in Pediatric Primary Care Settings: Using Health and Behavior Codes at Routine Well-child Visits
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.