Migraine is a prevalent and disabling neurological disorder affecting a significant proportion of the global population. Although medications are the primary treatment option, their efficacy remains unclear. Thus, alternative therapies such as scalp acupuncture have gained momentum; however, evidence for the effectiveness of scalp acupuncture remains insufficient. Therefore, this review provides evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of scalp acupuncture for the treatment of migraines. PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean Studies Information Service System, Korean Medical Database, NDSL, Citation Information by NII, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched from their inception to September 2022 to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) without language restrictions. Data were collected and analysed independently by two reviewers. The RoB 2.0 tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias, and a meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan software (V5.4). Eight RCTs including 874 patients were selected. Scalp acupuncture had a higher total effective rate (relative risk [RR]:1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.08-1.43; P<0.01) than that of ordinary acupuncture. The headache index decreased significantly (standardised mean differences [SMD]:-1.27; 95% CI:-2.06 to -0.48; P<0.01), and the total effective rate was higher (RR:1.20; 95% CI:1.06-1.37; P<0.01) with scalp acupuncture than with medications. However, evidence supporting the effectiveness of scalp acupuncture was not robust. No adverse events were reported. Scalp acupuncture appears to be more effective than other treatments for migraines. However, their safety remains uncertain. CRD42022348879.

The utilization of acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention for the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting has experienced a notable increase in its popularity, and the purpose of this analysis is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the level of concern within the academic discipline and the main contributors and their partnership, as well as to identify research focal points and trends. A comprehensive search was carried out to identify relevant articles on the topic of acupuncture therapy for PONV in the Web of Science and China National Knowledge Internet. The search spanned from January 1, 2011, to June 6, 2023. The annual publications were count to see the degree of scholarly attention devoted to the discipline and how it has changed over time. A statistical analysis of article distribution across various journals was conducted to serve a rough indicator for assessing the quality of articles. And a bibliometric analysis was conducted using the software CiteSpace to visually analyze various aspects of the literature. Analyze authors, institutions and countries to identify the main contributors and their collaborative relationship; and analyze keywords and references to explore research hotspots and trends. This study examined a comprehensive collection of 819 articles focused on acupuncture therapy for PONV, demonstrating a varying upward trend in the quantity of publications. Notably, the most productive author and institution were identified as Zheng Man and Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, respectively. While China had the highest number of publications, the United States held a greater prominence in this specific field. Collaboration among contributors was found to be weak. High-frequency keywords in the publications included "transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation," "electroacupuncture," "pain," and so forth. The literature with the highest citation count pertained to "Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting," while the article with the highest centrality was "Consensus Guidelines for the Management of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting." Several large clusters obtained from the references are also included"postoperative pain,""transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation". Nothing pertaining to mechanism study was found in the analysis results. The utilization of acupuncture for the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting has been gaining increasing recognition, although there remains room for improvement in the quality of research conducted in this area. Chinese authors and institutions have emerged as significant contributors to this field, while the United States has demonstrated greater proficiency in fostering collaborative efforts. It is imperative to enhance collaboration among these contributors. The current focal points of acupuncture for PONV encompass pain management, electroacupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation. Additionally, TEA and enhanced recovery after surgery have been identified as the forefronts of research in this particular domain. In addition, there is still much room for research in the aspect of mechanism and insurance coverage. This study provides an in-depth perspective on acupuncture for PONV, which offers reference material for clinicians with rational choice of therapeutic scheme, educators with hot topics, and researchers with valuable research directions.

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture at Sifeng for pediatric anorexia. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture at Sifeng for pediatric anorexia from their beginning to October 2022 were looked up in the seven databases. The Cochrane risk of bias evaluation tool was applied to the risk of bias analysis of the included studies. A meta-analysis of the total efficiency, score of food intake reduction, time to normalize food intake, body weight, leptin levels, and blood zinc levels was performed using Review Manager 5.3 software. The GRADE criteria were applied to assess the evidence's quality. A total of 24 RCTs were included, involving 2202 children. The allocation of concealment, blinding, and selective reporting has a high or unclear risk of bias. All experiments compared acupuncture at Sifeng with traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine. The results showed that, compared with medicine, acupuncture at Sifeng could significantly improve the total efficiency (OR=6.44, 95%CI [4.78,8.66]), lower the score of food intake reduction (MD=-0.69, 95%CI [-1.00, -0.39]), decrease leptin levels (MD=-5.19, 95%CI [-8.09, -2.29]) and time to normal food intake (MD=-2.22, 95%CI [-2.42, -2.01]), increase blood zinc (MD=0.79, 95%CI [0.21, 1.37]) and body weight (MD=1.28, 95%CI [0.85, 1.72]). Seven studies found that the treatment was safe both during and after. Based on the GRADE criteria, the quality of the evidence for the majority of indicators was extremely poor. The low certainty of evidence suggested that acupuncture at Sifeng was effective and safe in the therapy of pediatric anorexia. Future high-quality clinical studies are needed to provide more reliable evidence of the effectiveness and safety of the therapy.

To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in relieving diabetic neuropathic pain and to establish a more reliable and efficient foundation for acupuncture practice in diabetes care. The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, Chongqing Weipu, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were all searched for a randomized controlled trial research of acupuncture for DNP. Two researchers independently performed literature screening, quality evaluation, and data extraction. After selecting studies and extracting data, we conducted the data analysis using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 14.0. The quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. An extensive review of 19 studies involving 1276 patients up to April 29, 2023, found that acupuncture was successful in improving pain intensity [MD=-1.09; 95% CI (-1.28, -0.89), P<0.00001], clinical efficacy indicating pain changes [RR=1.22; 95% CI (1.15, 1.29), P<0.00001], and clinical neuropathy [MD=-1.55; 95% CI ( -3.00, -0.09), P=0.04] in DNP patients. Quality of life was also improved, with few side effects reported. According to this meta-analysis, acupuncture therapy significantly improved the clinical efficacy of pain intensity, pain changes, and clinical neuropathy in patients with DNP, improved the quality of life of patients to a certain extent, and had lower side effects. This discovery provides evidence-based and practical recommendations for the treatment of DNP patients.

With the characteristics of mindfulness and breathing techniques, Tai Chi has been recommended with therapeutic values in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its strengths as a complementary exercise for conventional pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) remain unclear. This single-blinded randomised controlled trial recruited patients with mild to severe stable COPD. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to the group with usual care (control), total body recumbent stepper (TBRS) exercise, Tai Chi (TC), or combined TBRS exercise and Tai Chi (TBRS-TC). Patients received a two-month hospital-based supervised exercise, followed by a ten-month community- or home-based rehabilitation program. A total of 120 participants were recruited, and 102 were included in the per-protocol analysis. The mean changes in St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score from baseline to the post-hospital exercise in the control group, TBRS group, TC group, and TBRS-TC group was 2.62 (95 % CI -8.99 to 8.99), -9.28 (95 % CI -13.96 to -4.60), -10.19 (95 % CI -13.72 to -6.67), and -16.75 (95 % CI -20.25 to -13.24), respectively, with a statistically significant difference between groups in favor of the TBRS-TC exercise (P<0.001). The remarkable effect of TBRS-TC exercise in improving the quality of life maintained until the end of the community- or home-based rehabilitation training (P<0.001). Besides, a statistically better effect with the TBRS-TC exercise was also observed in the outcomes regarding exercise capacity, pulmonary function, symptom burden, and systemic inflammation after the whole process of 12-month integrative PR exercise programme. Based on the results, a novel integrated exercise modality combining Tai Chi and conventional pulmonary rehabilitation was developed. It might contribute to more positive effects in patients with stable COPD. The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IOR-15006874) prior to commencing recruitment.

The study aims to investigate and visualize the hotspots of acupuncture for Allergic rhinitis (AR) over the past two decades and pinpoint future trends in this field. We conducted a systematic search of English-language articles or reviews on acupuncture for AR in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2002 to 2022. Using Citespace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix, we analyzed and visualized the publications, countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords from various angles. The study identified 197 documents, 80 journals, 458 keywords, and 928 authors associated with acupuncture for AR. Although article publication fluctuated over the past 20 years, an overall upward trend emerged, with rapid growth during the second decade. China contributed the most to acupuncture research on AR and had the closest collaborations with the United States and Germany. China Medical University was the most prolific institution, and Benno Brinkhaus was the most productive and influential author. The most published journal was Medicine, while the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology was the most frequently cited journal. The highest frequency keywords included acupuncture, allergic rhinitis, and asthma. Randomized controlled trials and alternative & complementary medicine remained significant research hotspots, while rhinoconjunctivitis is expected to be the emerging focus of future investigations. acupuncture has experienced robust development for the treatment of allergic rhinitis over the last two decades, with rhinoconjunctivitis and clinical research being the anticipated trends and frontiers of future research.

Acupuncture has promising effects on diabetes, but there is limited evidence on prediabetes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect and safety of Zuo's warming Yang acupuncture therapy on prediabetic patients. Fifty five individuals with prediabetes were recruited for the study. Participants in the non-acupuncture group received a 12-week lifestyle intervention, while those in the acupuncture group received the same lifestyle intervention in addition to two 50-minute sessions of Zuo's warming Yang acupuncture therapy per week. The primary outcomes measure fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial glucose (2hPG), and Glycated hemoglobin determination (HbA1c) after 12 weeks of treatment. Both acupuncture group and non-acupuncture group showed significant reductions in FPG and 2hPG levels after treatment, with a statistically significant difference between them (FPG:6.25±0.48 vs 5.73±0.50, P <0.001; 6.21±0.42 vs 6.04±0.41, P = 0.035; 2hPG:8.90(8.44,9.88) vs 7.95(6.93,8.34), P <0.001; 9.22±1.15 vs 8.70±1.34, P = 0.046; respectively). In addition, FPG and 2hPG in the acupuncture group decreased more significantly than those in the non-acupuncture group after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant (FPG:5.73±0.50 vs 6.04±0.41, P=0.014;2hPG:7.95(6.93,8.34) vs 8.70±1.34, P =0.015; respectively). Although both groups showed reductions in HbA1c, only the decrease in the acupuncture group was statistically significant(5.80(5.60,5.90) vs 5.60(5.40,5.80), P= 0.015). No severe adverse events were reported. Zuo's warming Yang acupuncture therapy conjunction with lifestyle interventions was more effective than lifestyle interventions alone in reducing FPG, 2hPG and HbA1c levels in prediabetic patients. These results suggest that Zuo's warming Yang acupuncture therapy may be a safe and effective treatment option for prediabetes.

To characterize doctor-patient communication patterns around the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in the context of oncology care in Colombia. A qualitative study was conducted using snowball sampling until data saturation was reached. We included oncology specialists and cancer patients who were in active treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted following a guide designed for each group of participants. An analysis based on open coding was performed to identify thematic areas. The coherence of emerging categories was verified by contrasting the data set within the content of the participants' reports and existing literature. In total, 10 oncologists and 16 cancer patients were included, representing diverse professional fields and cancer diagnoses, respectively. Communication patterns comprise themes regarding the beginning of the interaction (i.e., patient's anticipations), the patient-doctor relationship (i.e., confidence), the characteristics of the message (i.e., synthetic vs explanatory), the communication styles (i.e., confrontational vs conciliatory), and the closing of the interaction (i.e., continuity vs. end of communication). In addition, extrinsic factors influencing communication were found to be related to participants (i.e., knowledge, cultural background) and context (i.e., institutional procedures). The low frequency of communication contrasts to the increasing use of CAM. Divergent perspectives between doctors and patients could limit shared decision-making on the use of CAM. Enhanced knowledge and education on CAM for both actors is fundamental to improve their interaction and to move away from paternalistic and confrontational communication, particularly in a world region with cultural backgrounds that influence the use of CAM.

It appears that ever more frequently the corresponding author of a multi-author manuscript is not what he/she was originally supposed to be: the most involved researcher with the best overview concerning the presented study. Numerous journals now use the term 'corresponding author', however, for the author who acts as a kind of secretary for the submitted manuscript, irrespective of his/her expertise in the subject. Another problem is that a significant number of universities give more scientific credits to the corresponding author than to his/her co-authors, which fairly commonly results in granting the corresponding authorship to the student or young scientist who needs scientific credits most urgently for his/her academic career. Consequently, readers of a multi-author article are nowadays hardly able to judge which author of an interesting article might best be contacted for additional information. An increasing number of journals seem unaware of the problems that this changing role of the corresponding author may cause. The present contribution both mentions the main resulting problems and proposes possible solutions.