Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41909712›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in immunology2026

Global trends and emerging hotspots of macrophage research in kidney transplantation: a bibliometric and visualization analysis.

Tao Cai, Xiuli He, Shulin Cheng

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Tao Cai *Department of Urology, the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
Xiuli He *Department of Ultrasonography, the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
Shulin ChengDepartment of Urology, the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Macrophages are plastic innate immune cells that couple inflammatory signaling with microvascular injury and alloimmune responses, thereby shaping rejection phenotypes and chronic allograft dysfunction after kidney transplantation. Yet, the mechanistic knowledge structure and emerging hotspots of this field remain insufficiently synthesized. Methods: Publications on kidney transplantation and macrophage-related research (2000-2025) were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (n=538) and PubMed (n=385). Bibliometric and visualization analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel 2021, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Charticulator, and Scimago Graphica, including trend analysis, collaboration mapping, journal and reference impact assessment, keyword co-occurrence and clustering, and burst detection. PubMed keyword analysis was used to validate and complement the WoSCC-based findings. Results: A total of 538 publications were identified, showing a steady increase over time. The United States and China were the major contributors, with extensive international collaboration networks. Co-citation and keyword analyses revealed that the research focus has evolved from early studies on graft injury and immune mechanisms to more recent hotspots such as immune infiltration, polarization, ferroptosis, transcriptomics, and machine learning. The timeline analysis further indicated a shift from foundational immunological mechanisms to mechanistic expansion and, more recently, to technology-driven and clinically oriented research, highlighting increasing emphasis on diagnosis, precision monitoring, and translational applications in kidney transplantation. Conclusion: Macrophage-focused kidney transplantation research is moving toward cell-state-resolved and technology-driven mechanistic frameworks that connect rejection pathology to long-term graft outcomes, providing a roadmap for biomarker development and targeted immunomodulation.

Indexed as

Kidney TransplantationMacrophagesAnimalsBibliometricsGraft RejectionHumansbibliometric analysisfibrosisischemia – reperfusion injurykidney transplantationmacrophages

Identifiers

PMID41909712
PMCPMC13017323

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.