Effectiveness and safety of acupoint embedding therapy for treating intractable facial paralysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Limited systematic reviews have explored the impact of acupoint embedding (AE) therapy on intractable facial paralysis (IFP). This review presents the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of AE therapy in the treatment of IFP.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were systematically searched from inception to February 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) without language restrictions.

[Acupuncture at sphenopalatine ganglion combined with conventional acupuncture for episodic cluster headache: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture at sphenopalatine ganglion combined with conventional acupuncture for episodic cluster headache (CH).

Methods: One hundred and eighty patients with episodic CH were randomly divided into a combined group (60 cases, 3 cases dropped off)，an acupuncture group (60 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a sphenopalatine ganglion group (60 cases, 2 cases dropped off and 1 case was removed). The patients in the acupuncture group were treated with conventional acupuncture at Touwei (ST 8), Yintang (GV 24), Yangbai (GB 14), Hegu (LI 4), etc.

[Warming Needle Moxibustion Relieves Symptoms of Lumbar Disc Herniation Patients and Upregulates Plasma β-endorphin].

Objective: To analyze the effect of warming needle moxibustion of Jiaji (EX-B 2), Huantiao (GB 30), etc. on lumbago and other symptoms of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) patients and changes of plasma β-endorphin (β-EP) content.

Methods: A total of 60 LDH patients were equally randomized into warming needle moxibustion group and conventional acupuncture group.

Anterior cervical discectomy with arthroplasty versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical spondylosis.

This meta-analysis aims to estimate the benefits and drawbacks associated with anterior cervical discectomy with arthroplasty (ACDA) versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for cervical spondylosis. Of 3651 identified citations, 10 randomised controlled studies involving 2380 participants were included. Moderate quality evidence supports that patients in the ACDA group had: (1) a higher Neck Disability Index (NDI) success rate at 3 month (relative risk [RR]=0.