Minimal clinically important difference for acupuncture for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria: secondary analysis from a multicentre randomised controlled trial in China.

Objectives: To evaluate the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) value for acupuncture treatment in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), providing guidance for its application in CSU management.

Design: Secondary analysis of data from a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Three tertiary hospitals across three cities in China.

Exploring the Bidirectional Effects of Gut Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Urticaria Subtypes Through Mendelian Randomization and Mediation Analysis.

Background: Emerging evidence links gut microbiota and their by-products, notably short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), to urticaria. This study employs multiple Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses to unravel the complex interactions among gut microbiota, SCFAs, and different subtypes of urticaria, aiming to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and enhance future clinical research.

Methods: We analyzed published genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics to identify associations between gut microbiota and three common subtypes of urticaria: spontaneous, dermatographic, and temperature-triggered.

Efficacy of acupuncture in refractory irritable bowel syndrome patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Previous studies have confirmed that acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) provided an additional benefit over usual care alone. Therefore, we performed a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for refractory IBS in patients in the context of conventional treatments. Patients in the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups received real or sham acupuncture treatment in 3 sessions per week for a total of 12 sessions.

Acupuncture versus tricyclic antidepressants in the prophylactic treatment of tension-type headaches: an indirect treatment comparison meta-analysis.

Background: Acupuncture showed better improvement than sham acupuncture in reducing attack frequency of tension-type headache (TTH), but its effectiveness relative to first-line drugs for TTH is unknown, which impedes the recommendation of acupuncture for patients who are intolerant to drugs for TTH. We aimed to estimate the relative effectiveness between acupuncture and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) through indirect treatment comparison (ITC) meta-analysis.

Methods: We searched Ovid Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library from database inception until April 13, 2023.

Different doses and courses of omalizumab for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria: A systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.

Background: The stability, efficacy, and safety of omalizumab at different doses and regimens for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) are yet to be studied.

Objective: A systematic review (SR) with meta-analysis (MA) and trial sequential analysis (TSA) was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of omalizumab in CSU.

Methods: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of administering omalizumab versus placebo for CSU were searched.

Unprecedented Spatial Manipulation and Transformation of Dynamic Thermal Radiation Based on Vanadium Dioxide.

Reconfigurable infrared (IR) materials have widespread applications in thermal management and smart IR concealment. Although various reconfigurable IR materials can be customized by positive or negative differential VO-based resonators, their insightful mechanism remains unknown. Here, we comprehensively investigate the fundamental design rule of reconfigurable thermal radiation between positive and negative differential thermal radiation properties for the first time.

Disease-Related Factors Associated with Acupuncture Response in Patients with Chronic Tension-Type Headache: A Secondary Analysis of A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To explore the demographic and disease-related factors associated with acupuncture response in patients with chronic tension-type headache (CTTH).

Methods: Using data from a randomized clinical trial (218 cases) consisting of 4 weeks of baseline assessment, 8 weeks of treatment, and 24 weeks of follow-up, participants were regrouped into responders (at least a 50% reduction in monthly headache days at week 16 compared with baseline) and non-responders. Twenty-three demographic and disease-related factors associated with acupuncture response in 183 participants were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression.

Efficacy of Acupuncture for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria : A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The effectiveness of acupuncture for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), reported in a few small-scale studies, is not convincing.

Objective: To investigate whether acupuncture leads to better effects on CSU than sham acupuncture or waitlist control.

Design: A multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for gastric ulcer: A modified Delphi consensus study.

Background: Acupuncture is often used as an adjunctive therapy for gastric ulcer (GU). However, there is still a lack of evidence on the appropriate and optimal interventions for acupuncture. This study aimed to optimize the acupuncture treatment of gastric ulcers based on expert consensus for guiding acupuncturists in clinical practice.

Risk factors of systemic lupus erythematosus: an overview of systematic reviews and Mendelian randomization studies.

Background: The etiology of systemic lupus erythematosus is complex and incurable. A large number of systematic reviews have studied the risk factors of it. Mendelian randomization is an analytical method that uses genetic data as tool variables to evaluate the causal relationship between exposure and outcome.

Acupuncture for Patients with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Pilot Trial.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) and investigate the basic information and safety of acupuncture for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).

Methods: A total of 80 participants with CSU from July 2018 to July 2019 were randomly assigned to receive active acupuncture (n=41) on a fixed prescription of acupoints or sham acupuncture (n=39) with superficial acupuncture on non-acupuncture points through the completely randomized design. Patients in both groups received 5 sessions per week for 2 weeks, and participants were followed for a further 2 weeks.

Causal relationship between gut microbiota and urticaria: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.

Background: Cumulative evidence showed an association between gut microbiota and urticaria, but the causal relationship between them is unclear. We aimed to verify whether there is a causal relationship between the composition of gut microbiota and urticaria and explore whether the causal effect was bidirectional.

Methods: We obtained genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary data of 211 gut microbiota and urticaria from the most extensive available GWAS database.

Dietary interventions for pediatric patients with functional abdominal pain disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Dietary therapies are recommended for the treatment of pediatrics with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs), but the comparative effectiveness among them is unclear. Therefore, the main aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of differential dietary therapies in pediatrics with functional abdominal pain disorders. We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from inception to February 28, 2023.

Efficacy of acupuncture for tension-type headache prophylaxis: systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

Background: Acupuncture has been shown to reduce tension-type headache (TTH) frequency in previous studies. Nevertheless, repeated significance testing might inflate type I error. We aimed to verify the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in reducing TTH frequency by meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA).

The role of short-chain fatty acids in inflammatory skin diseases.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are metabolites of gut microbes that can modulate the host inflammatory response, and contribute to health and homeostasis. Since the introduction of the gut-skin axis concept, the link between SCFAs and inflammatory skin diseases has attracted considerable attention. In this review, we have summarized the literature on the role of SCFAs in skin inflammation, and the correlation between SCFAs and inflammatory skin diseases, especially atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and psoriasis.

Matching adjusted indirect comparison of acupuncture versus fremanezumab in the preventive treatment of episodic migraine.

Objective: Acupuncture and fremanezumab are second-line treatments for migraine prophylaxis. We aimed to compare acupuncture with fremanezumab in the preventive treatment of episodic migraine by using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison analysis (MAIC).

Methods: We acquired participant-level data from an acupuncture trial recruiting 302 participants and summary-level data from a fremanezumab trial recruiting 875 participants (290 participants received monthly fremanezumab [MF] and 291 received single-dose fremanezumab [SF]).

Modifiable factors for migraine prophylaxis: A mendelian randomization analysis.

To examine the causal effect of potentially modifiable risk factors contributing to migraine pathogenesis. We performed Mendelian randomization analyses and acquired data from United Kingdom Biobank, FinnGen Biobank, and the MRC IEU OpenGWAS data infrastructure. An inverse-variance weighted (IVW) model was used to examine the relationship between 51 potentially modifiable risk factors and migraine in 3215 participants with migraine without aura (MwoA), 3541 participants with migraine with aura (MwA), and 176,107 controls.

Functional connectivity impairment of thalamus-cerebellum-scratching neural circuits in pruritus of chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Unlabelled: Pruritus of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is one of the most common and irritating sensations that severely affects the quality of life. However, the changes in the functional connectivity (FC) between thalamic subregions and other brain regions have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to explore the potential changes in brain neural circuits by focusing on various subregions of the thalamus in patients with CSU pruritus to contribute to the understanding of chronic pruritus from the perspective of central mechanisms.

Acupuncture and Related Therapies for Chronic Urticaria: A Critical Overview of Systematic Reviews.

Background: Chronic urticaria (CU) can severely impair the quality of life. Acupuncture and related therapies have been widely used in the treatment of CU in China. This study aimed to summarize and critically evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of relevant systematic reviews (SRs) and present objective and comprehensive evidence on the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture and related therapies for CU.

Acupuncture vs. antispasmodics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: An adjusted indirect treatment comparison meta-analysis.

Acupuncture has been extensively applied to manage irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in clinical practice in China. Some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated their efficacy, but it has rarely been compared with first-line antispasmodics to verify their effectiveness. Therefore, we compare acupuncture with antispasmodics in the treatment of IBS by using an adjusted indirect treatment comparison meta-analysis.

Comparison of Efficacy of Acupuncture-Related Therapy in the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common sequela of herpes zoster, and the efficacy of the treatment regimens recommended in the guidelines is not entirely reliable. Acupuncture and moxibustion are widely used complementary alternative therapies that have a positive effect on the treatment of PHN. However, there are various forms of acupuncture and moxibustion, and there are differences in efficacy between the different forms.

Acupuncture for Uremic Pruritus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Uremic pruritus (UP) is a chronic disease that can seriously affect the quality of life of dialysis patients. Acupuncture is a non-medication therapy that has been used to treat pruritus disorders. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of UP.