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Background: POEMS syndrome is a rare and complex plasma cell disorder characterized by polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, high M protein levels, and skin changes. Understanding of POEMS syndrome has advanced rapidly since the 21st century. This study aims to summarize and evaluate the research status of POEMS syndrome in the past 23 years through a bibliometric and visualization analysis, and identify research focuses and emerging hotspots for the future. Methods: POEMS syndrome-related articles published between January 1, 2000, and March 8, 2023, were systematically retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Data processing and visualization analysis were carried out using a combination of R software, HistCite, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. Results: Since entering the 21st century, 3677 authors from 1125 institutions in 68 countries/regions have published 830 original and review articles on POEMS syndrome in 408 journals so far, among which the USA, Japan, and China published the most articles, and Mayo Clinic, Udice French Research Universities, and Peking Union Medical College listed the top three most prolific institutions. However, collaborative research across countries and groups in the study of POEMS syndrome remain significantly limited. Angela Dispenzieri ranked first in POEMS syndrome research from every aspect of authors, producing the most papers and contributing the most-cited article, followed by Satoshi Kuwabara and Sonoko Misawa. Internal medicine was the most productive journal on POEMS syndrome. ''endothelial growth factor'' was the keyword with the highest occurrence except for ''POEMS syndrome'', and ''bevacizumab'', ''lenalidomide'', ''dexamethasone'', and ''management'' were recognized as emerging topics. Conclusion: This study utilized bibliometric and visualization analysis to systematically summarize the research of POEMS syndrome in the first two decades of the 21st century, offering a data-based and objective perspective on the field of POEMS syndrome and guiding researchers in the identification of novel research directions.

Background and Aim: Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) is a common pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disease closely related to stroke and silent cerebrovascular disease (SCD), while the insufficient brain perfusion mechanism cannot quite explain the mechanism. The purpose of this study was to utilize diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) to evaluate the glymphatic system activity and correlated DTI-ALPS with enlarged perivascular spaces (ePVS), carotid intima-media thickening (CIMT), mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and serological indicator in individuals with carotid plaque.Methods: Routine MRI and diffusion tensor images scan of the brain, carotid ultrasound, and blood examination were conducted on 74 individuals (52 carotid plaque subjects, 22 non-carotid plaque subjects), whose demographic and clinical characteristics were also recorded. DTI-ALPS index between patients with carotid plaque and normal controls were acquired and the correlations with other variables were analyzed.Results: The values of ALPS-index in the carotid plaque group was significantly lower compared to normal controls (2.12 ± 0.39, 1.95 ± 0.28, respectively, p = 0.034). The ALPS-index was negatively correlated with the basal ganglia (BG)-ePVS score (r = −0.242, p = 0.038) while there was no significant difference in the centrum semiovale (CSO)-ePVS score. Further analysis showed that there are more high-grade ePVS in the BG compared to the carotid plaque group than in the non-carotid plaque group (84.6% vs. 40.9%, p = 0.001).Conclusions: ALPS-index reflects the glymphatic system of the brain, which is associated with early high-risk cerebrovascular diseases. There may be damage in the function of the glymphatic system which induces the expansion of the perivascular space (PVS) in the BG in individuals with carotid plaque.

Waterlogging occurs when field soil is saturated with water induced by extensive rainfall or improper irrigation, which is a severe abiotic stress influencing wheat plant growth and yield production. At the germination stage, waterlogging usually induces rot of seeds and reduced germination rate and seedling survival. Development of tolerant wheat varieties is the most efficient approach to improve seed germination and mitigate the damages caused by waterlogging. In this study, we screened 432 wheat accessions at germination stage by waterlogging treatment, and identified 27 tolerant accessions with a germination rate of over 80% after treatment. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for waterlogging tolerance, two segregation populations were developed by crossing waterlogging-tolerant cultivars Shannong 135 and Huaimai 18 with sensitive cultivars Siyang 936 and CD1840, respectively. Three QTL qWlg5A, qWlg7B and qWlg2D for waterlogging tolerance were detected on chromosomes 5A, 7B and 2D through bulked segregation analysis genotyped by wheat 55K SNP array. Two, one, and two kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) assays linked with qWlg5A, qWlg7B and qWlg2D were developed and validated in the two populations, respectively. The identified waterlogging tolerant germplasm lines, the QTL for waterlogging tolerance and the high-throughput KASP markers, were highly valuable in improving waterlogging tolerance in wheat-marker-assisted breeding.