[Operator effects in acupuncture research].

As the principal part of acupuncture therapy, acupuncture operators play the key role in clinical effect. There are the inevitably differences in the characteristics among different operators when delivering acupuncture, which may bring a potential impact on the therapeutic effect of acupuncture. However, this impact has not been drawn enough attention in acupuncture research, and the relevant evidences are still contradictory and partially viewed.

Endoscopic and pathological features of neoplastic transformation of gastric hyperplastic polyps: Retrospective study of 4010 cases.

Background: Hyperplastic polyps, which represent 30%-93% of all gastric epithelial polyps, are the second most common type of gastric polyps after fundic gland polyps. They were previously considered to have no risk of neoplastic transformation. Recently, an increasing number of cases of gastric hyperplastic polyps (GHPs) combined with neoplastic changes have been reported; however, the specific mechanism underlying their transformation has not been thoroughly explored.

Effect of acupuncture on quality of life in atrial fibrillation: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the prevalent cardiac arrhythmia and can significantly impair the quality of life (QoL). Although catheter ablation (CA) is an established treatment for AF,post-procedural complications or perceived inadequate control of AF may diminish the QoL for some patients, potentially even to levels lower than pre-procedure. Preliminary findings from our previous pilot trial indicate that acupuncture may positively influence QoL in AF patients post-CA.

Effects and mechanisms of infection on the occurrence of extra-gastric tumors.

() colonizes the human stomach and many studies have discussed the mechanisms of infection leading to gastric diseases, including gastric cancer. Additionally, increasing data have shown that the infection of may contribute to the development of extra-gastric diseases and tumors. Inflammation, systemic immune responses, microbiome disorders, and hypergastrinemia caused by infection are associated with many extra-gastric malignancies.

Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Sciatica From Herniated Disk: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Sciatica is commonly caused by herniated lumbar disc and contributes to severe pain and prolonged disability. Although acupuncture is widely used by patients with chronic sciatica, the evidence of its efficacy is scarce.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in patients with chronic sciatica from herniated disk.

Microvascular structural changes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma pathology according to intrapapillary capillary loop types under magnifying endoscopy.

Background: The intrapapillary capillary loop (IPCL) characteristics, visualized using magnifying endoscopy, are commonly assessed for preoperative evaluation of the infiltration depth of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Japan Esophageal Society (JES) classification is the most widely used classification. Microvascular structural changes are evaluated by magnifying endoscopy for the presence or absence of each morphological factor: tortuosity, dilatation, irregular caliber, and different shapes.

The Efficacy and Safety of Minocycline-Containing Quadruple Therapies Against Infection: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Minocycline, a derivative of tetracycline, has anti- () properties and can be used to treat infection. However, only a few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated the efficacy of minocycline-containing quadruple therapy (MCQT) in treating infection. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of MCQT and investigate the factors influencing both aspects.

Key issues in the STRICTA checklist.

The STRICTA checklist is the guideline for reporting clinical trials undertaken using acupuncture intervention. As an extension of the CONSORT checklist, the STRICTA checklist facilitates the reporting quality of acupuncture clinical trials. The clinical research paradigm changes along with the development of science and technology.

Efficacy of Chinese Medicine Treatment Based on Syndrome Differentiation for Primary Insomnia: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Triple-Blinded Trial.

Objective: To assess efficacy of Chinese medicine (CM) on insomnia considering characteristics of treatment based on syndrome differentiation.

Methods: A total of 116 participants aged 18 to 65 years with moderate and severe primary insomnia were randomized to the placebo (n=20) or the CM group (n=96) for a 4-week treatment and a 4-week follow-up. Three CM clinicians independently prescribed treatments for each patient based on syndromes differentiation.

Clinical value of the Patient Global Assessment with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A cross-sectional study.

To analyze the factors associated with the overall patient condition and explore the clinical value of the Patient Global Assessment (PGA) index for assessing the disease state in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). This cross-sectional study used a standardized questionnaire to record the basic information of patients with AS. The collected data included the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)-C-reactive protein (CRP), ASDAS-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), PGA, and other clinical indicators.

Tailored therapy guided by genotypic resistance of clarithromycin and levofloxacin detected by polymerase chain reaction in the first-line treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of tailored therapy guided by genotypic resistance in the first-line treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in treatment-naive patients.

Methods: Gastric mucosal specimens were taken during gastroscopy, and main mutations of clarithromycin- and levofloxacin-resistant genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Short-term and long-term effectiveness of acupuncture and Tuina on knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The effectiveness of acupuncture and tuina in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is still controversial, which limits their clinical application in practice. This study aims to evaluate the short-term and long-term effectiveness of acupuncture and tuina on KOA.

Methods/design: This parallel-group, multicenter randomized clinical trial (RCT) will be conducted at the outpatient clinic of five traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in China.

Pregnancy Benefit of Acupuncture on in vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Currently, more and more infertility couples are opting for combined acupuncture to improve success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, evidence from acupuncture for improving IVF pregnancy outcomes remains a matter of debate.

Objective: To quantitatively summarized the evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture among women undergoing IVF by means of systematic review and meta-analysis.

Antioxioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of Thymosin β4 in Aβ-induced SH-SY5Y cells via the 5-HTR1A/ERK axis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common amnestic cognitive impairment characterised by β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques deposit in the brain of the elderly. AD is a yet incurable disease due to its unknown exact pathogenesis and unavailability of effective remedies in clinical application. Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is a housekeeping protein that plays important role in cell proliferation, migration and differentiation.

Patients' expectancy scale of acupuncture: Development and clinical performance test.

Purpose: This study aims to develop and validate a concise tool for evaluating acupuncture expectancy that is easy to understand and conforms to acupuncture characteristics.

Materials And Methods: A draft was created using the Delphi consensus method. Reliability, validity, discrimination, and feasibility tests were conducted at the item and scale levels.

Placebo response of sham acupuncture in patients with primary dysmenorrhea: A meta-analysis.

Background: The placebo response of sham acupuncture in patients with primary dysmenorrhea is a substantial factor associated with analgesia. However, the magnitude of the placebo response is unclear.

Objective: This meta-analysis assessed the effects of sham acupuncture in patients with primary dysmenorrhea and the factors contributing to these effects.

[Sham acupuncture and placebo acupuncture in clinical trials].

The commonly used terms "sham acupuncture" and "placebo acupuncture" in clinical acupuncture research is compared and analyzed in this article. In terms of their respective characteristics, sham acupuncture has a wider scope, including various types of acupoints, needle insertion at non-acupoint or non-insertion at acupoints, while placebo acupuncture mainly focuses on non-insertion at acupoints. Sham acupuncture mainly emphasizes the appearance similarity to real acupuncture, while placebo acupuncture emphasizes both similarity in appearance and the absence of therapeutic effects.

Magnetic resonance imaging of white matter in Alzheimer's disease: a global bibliometric analysis from 1990 to 2022.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common, progressive, irreversible, and fatal neurodegenerative disorder with rapidly increasing worldwide incidence. Although much research on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the white matter (WM) in AD has been published, no bibliometric analysis study has investigated this issue. Thus, this study aimed to provide an overview of the current status, hotspots, and trends in MRI of WM in AD.

[ASPIRE guidelines and their enlightenment on application of sham acupuncture in clinical researches].

Reasonable and standard application of sham acupuncture control is the key to determine the quality of acupuncture clinical trials, and is also a difficult problem faced by acupuncture clinical research. The UK National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council jointly published the Applying Surgical Placebo in Randomised Evaluation (ASPIRE) guidelines on the application of placebo surgical operation in randomized evaluation, which includes 4 parts: rationale and ethics, design, conduct, and interpretation and translation, providing comprehensive guidance for the application of placebo controls in surgical trials. As an operational intervention, acupuncture is similar to surgery, so, ASPIRE guidelines can also provide certain guidance for the application of sham acupuncture.

[Exploration and example interpretation of real-world herbal prescription classification based on similarity matching algorithm].

In observational studies, herbal prescriptions are usually studied in the form of "similar prescriptions". At present, the classification of prescriptions is mainly based on clinical experience judgment, but there are some problems in manual judgment, such as lack of unified criteria, labor consumption, and difficulty in verification. In the construction of a database of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19), our research group tried to classify real-world herbal prescriptions using a similarity matching algorithm.