Scientific Infrastructure Research Articles

Design and construction of the near-earth space plasma simulation system of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility

Our earth is immersed in the near-earth space plasma environment, which plays a vital role in protecting our planet against the solar-wind impact and influencing space activities. It is significant to investigate the physical processes dominating the environment, for deepening our scientific understanding of it and improving the ability to forecast the space weather. As a crucial part of the National Major Scientific and Technological Infrastructure–Space Environment Simulation Research Infrastructure (SESRI) in Harbin, the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF) builds a system to replicate the near-earth space plasma environment in the laboratory. The system aims to simulate the three-dimensional (3-D) structure and processes of the terrestrial magnetosphere for the first time in the world, providing a unique platform to reveal the physics of the 3-D asymmetric magnetic reconnection relevant to the earth's magnetopause, wave–particle interaction in the earth's radiation belt, particles’ dynamics during the geomagnetic storm, etc. The paper will present the engineering design and construction of the near-earth space plasma simulation system of the SPERF, with a focus on the critical technologies that have been resolved to achieve the scientific goals. Meanwhile, the possible physical issues that can be studied based on the apparatus are sketched briefly. The earth-based system is of great value in understanding the space plasma environment and supporting space exploration.

An agenda for the future of Arctic snow research: the view from Svalbard

The Arctic region is warming at over twice the mean rate of the Northern Hemisphere and nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979. The local rate of warming is even higher in the European archipelago of Svalbard. This warming is transforming the terrestrial snow cover, which modulates surface energy exchanges with the atmosphere, accounts for most of the runoff in Arctic catchments and is also a transient reservoir of atmospherically deposited compounds, including pollutants. Improved observations, understanding and modelling of changes in Arctic snow cover are needed to anticipate the effects these changes will have on the Arctic climate, atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems and socioeconomic factors. Svalbard has been an international hub of polar research for many decades and benefits from a well-developed science infrastructure. Here, we present an agenda for the future of snow research in Svalbard, jointly developed by a multidisciplinary community of experts. We review recent trends in snow research, identify key knowledge gaps, prioritize future research efforts and recommend supportive actions to advance our knowledge of present and future snow conditions pertaining to glacier mass balance, permafrost, surface hydrology, terrestrial ecology, the cycling and fate of atmospheric contaminants, and remote sensing of snow cover. This perspective piece addresses issues relevant to the circumpolar North and could be used as a template for other national or international Arctic research plans.

National and world experience in functioning of centers for collective use of biological resource collections of tumors of the central nervous system

To analyze the experience of collective use center and biobank of the Burdenko Neurosurgical Center compared to national and international data on functioning of collective use centers specializing in tumors of the human central nervous system. We reviewed the PubMed and e-Library databases using the following keywords: core facilities brain tumors, repository of collective use brain tumors, biobank of CNS tumors, central nervous system tumor collection centers. We also analyzed the organizations registered on the portal of scientific and technical infrastructure of the Russian Federation. We analyzed 275 publications devoted to collective use centers and biobanks. These biobanks do not position themselves as collective use centers but actively realize biological material for researches. Structure of institutions presented on the portal of scientific and technical infrastructure of the Russian Federation is characterized. The collective use center «Bioresource collection of tissues and cell cultures of tumors of the human nervous system for fundamental and applied researches» has access to biobank of the Burdenko Neurosurgical Center. To date, the biobank contains more than 8478 aliquots of tumor tissue frozen at ultra-low temperature (-196°C) and obtained from 1993 patients. Considering available data, we established the basic principles of work in collective use centers with bioresource collections. Collective use centers with bioresource collections of tumors of the central nervous system are rare. There is only one collective use center organized at the Burdenko Neurosurgical Center on the portal of scientific and technical infrastructure of the Russian Federation. At the same time, there is an urgent need to increase their number and activity in Russia and other countries worldwide. You can use the resource of brain tumor collections by leaving a request on the official website of this organization in the «Collective use center» section.

Análise visual da pesquisa chinesa e internacional de adubo verde com base na bibliometria

ABSTRACT: To investigate the development and dynamics of green manure research, we collected 802 and 4588 papers on green manure research from China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science (WoS) between 1992 and 2021, respectively, and conducted quantitative and visual analyses based on bibliometric methods on the annual number of publications, authors and institutions, keywords, and emergent words. The main research hotspots in the field of green manure are discussed and summarized based on the results of the visualization analysis and the important publications explored by the results of the visualization analysis. The results showed that: the overall number of publications on green manure research exhibits an increasing trend, and research in this field is receiving more and more attention; the United States is the core country in this research field, with a great influence; although, the number of Chinese publications is large, the intermediary centrality value is small and the level of scientific research needs to be improved; the research characteristics in the field of green manure research mainly focus on green manure cultivation technology, the effects on soil and crops, and the effects on pests and diseases. The study was conducted based on CiteSpace, a visualization tool of bibliometrics, with comprehensive literature information and intuitive results, providing important references for relevant researchers to understand the extent of research in this field, academic communication, and grasp research dynamics.

Determination of the optimal interval of the average load of the scientific equipment of the center for collective use

Modern Centers for the collective use of scientific equipment represent the basis for the formation of unique scientific competencies and competitive advantages in the market of research services. As highly specialized tools of scientific and innovative infrastructure, whose activities are aimed at implementing priority areas of scientific and technological development of the country, Centers funded, including from the state budget, face the need for a reliable assessment of the effectiveness of public funds investments, which leads to the formation of an objective need to improve the organization of work in this direction. The state regulator legislatively establishes requirements for monitoring the effectiveness of the use of expensive scientific equipment and a unique instrument base, however, the regulatory approach does not take into account the specifics of the functioning of the CCP regarding specialization, diversity of the instrument base, etc. This article discusses the problems of applying a standardized approach to evaluating the effectiveness of the centers for the collective use of scientific equipment and unique scientific installations. The general nature of the indicators included in the requirements for centers for the collective use of scientific equipment and unique scientific installations that have been created and (or) the functioning of which is provided with the involvement of budgetary funds does not reflect the differences between centers for collective use in terms of functioning, equipment composition, types of research and other essential characteristics. Attention is focused on one of the leading indicators, namely, the degree of loading. The authors believe that the averaging of requirements can lead to data distortion and neutralize the results of state monitoring, and suggest approaches to developing criteria for evaluating the optimal interval of the average load of scientific equipment of the center for collective use and justification of the appropriate time of such, depending on the type and purpose of use. The study was conducted on the example of the Center for Collective Use of St. Petersburg State University — St. Petersburg State University Science Park.

Направления изменений международного технологического обмена в современных условиях

The subject of the study is the transformation of the lines of international technological exchange in the context of multiple restrictions from the countries with high technological potential. The purpose of the work is to identify possible ways for further technological cooperation of Russia with countries that are subject to sanctions restrictions in this area. The article rationale is determined by the need for Russia to find new niches and areas of technological exchange with foreign countries. The research methodology includes the use of general scientific methods, namely statistical one, evaluation of empirical data, specification and abstraction, expert assessments, classification, structuring and systematization of objects. The research methodology includes the use of general scientific methods, namely statistical, evaluation of empirical data, concretization and abstraction, expert assessments, classification, structuring and objects arrangement. The article concludes that ensuring the innovative component of the economic growth of the countries around the world through a combination of their own resources and commercial and non-commercial technology exchange is a long-term trend. In the context of growing geopolitical tensions, developed countries have become increasingly active in imposing restrictions on the transfer of technology and high-tech goods. The establishment of new spatial and geographical areas of international technological cooperation has become an inevitable consequence of this situation. An important response for the countries targeted by the sanctions restrictions is the shaping of new vectors of cooperation, including targeting exports and imports of technologies to/from friendly countries, developing non-commercial forms of technological exchange, including scientific contacts, training specialists, and holding business forums. An important response for countries targeted by sanctions restrictions is the formation of new vectors of cooperation, including targeting the export and import of technology to friendly countries, developing non-commercial forms of technological exchange, including scientific contacts, training specialists, and holding business forums. Ensuring the technological sovereignty of Russia and other sanctioned countries is possible by improving the scientific infrastructure and encouraging domestic and foreign investments.

JIRIAF: JLAB Integrated Research Infrastructure Across Facilities

The JIRIAF project aims to combine geographically diverse computing facilities into an integrated science infrastructure. This project starts by dynamically evaluating temporarily unallocated or idled compute resources from multiple providers. These resources are integrated to handle additional workloads without affecting local running jobs. This paper describes our approach to launch best-effort batch tasks that exploit these underutilized resources. Our system measures the real-time behavior of jobs running on a machine and learns to distinguish typical performance from outliers. Unsupervised ML techniques are used to analyze hardware-level performance measures, followed by a real-time crosscorrelation analysis to determine which applications cause performance degradation. We then facilitate bad behavior by throttling these processes. We demonstrate that problematic performance interference can be detected and acted on, which makes it possible to continue to share resources between applications and simultaneously maintain high utilization levels in a computing cluster. For a case study, we relocated the CLAS12 data processing workflow to a remote data processing facility, preventing file migration and temporal data persistency.

К вопросу классификации комплексов добычи торфяного сырья

Ensuring the national security of the state is the main path of its development. One of the priority areas is the efficient extraction of natural resources in combination with rational environmental management within the framework of climateneutral economic activities based on the best available technologies. The National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation specifies such ways to achieve the desired results in this area as sustainable development of the mineral resource base, ecological regeneration of territories, prevention of aquatic ecosystems pollution, their restoration, as well as replacement of imported equipment with mining and technological machines of Russian manufacturers, development of scientific infrastructure, etc. One of the strategically important resources is peat (Russia has 35% of the world's peat reserves), however, its significant reserves are heavily waterlogged and the drainage of peat deposits negatively affects the state of the environment. This requires the development of new technologies and equipment for their implementation and the development of an expanded classification of peat extraction complexes. The classification presented by the authors structures the existing complexes. It serves as a guideline regarding the relevance of developing new peat mining complexes in relation to the conditions for the implementation of their geotechnology, as well as regarding the type of movement of complexes and the type of product they produce.

Earth Observation Capacity of the National Geoinformation Center of Bulgaria as Part of the Tools for Geo- and Anthropogenic-Hazard Management in EPOS

Exploring the nature of the Earth system and its multi-scale architecture requires an integrated symbiotic approach not only to understand our planet but also to reveal the hazards and footprints of their events on human life. Following the conceptual model of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) we integrate a variety of research to obtain a multilateral use of geoinformation for scientific and practical purposes. In 2018, we started building a Bulgarian distributed scientific infrastructure called the National Geoinformation Center, aiming to provide data, products, and expertise to predict and prevent natural and anthropogenic risks and disasters, as well as environmental changes. The present paper demonstrates the capabilities of seismological, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), geomagnetic and multi-scale laboratories (MSL) in Bulgaria that participate to the respective thematic core services of EPOS. More than 40 seismological stations register and transmit data in real time through the operational center of the Bulgarian Seismological Network. Data from 18 GNSS stations, part of the National GNSS network, are officially registered in the EPOS GNSS Data Gateway. Data and products are available via the EPOS GNSS Product Portal for interested users. Panagjurishte geomagnetic observatory (PAG) provides real time variations and long-period data series for the Earth’s magnetic field. The Palaeomagnetic Laboratory at the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography (NIGGG) participates in MSL with its unique facilities for paleo-, archeo- and environmental magnetism studies. Four case studies are presented to illustrate best practices for utilizing the data collected. The analysis of seismicity in a region of a long-time exploited salt deposit is upgraded with GNSS data to reveal the reason for crustal movements in the region. The results show that the majority of the seismic events took place in the upper part of the Earth’s crust at a depth of up to 5 km, where the salt body is buried. The observed significant local deformations of the Earth’s surface are very likely related to the technological process of deposit exploitation. A recent model of the geomagnetic declination over the Bulgarian territory is also presented. It tracks the variation of the regional magnetic field from 2015 to 2020 and adds short-wavelength signals from the secular network observations. Last but not least, the application of a mineral magnetic laboratory analysis along the depth of a Holocene soil profile is demonstrated. Results reveal the soil evolution in response to environmental changes adding a new magnetic proxy parameter for more precise identification and characterization of the soil formation processes.

Research infrastructure as a tool for scientific integration: some aspects of the EU experience for Ukraine

Research infrastructure as a tool for scientific integration: some aspects of the EU experience for Ukraine

Research Status and Trend of Family Finance-Based on Visual Analysis of Journal Papers from CNKI and WOS

With the sustained economic growth, the importance of family finance has become increasingly prominent. In this research, the papers collected by Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science (WOS) were visually analyzed via CiteSpace software, and a knowledge map for the field of family finance was constructed, which displayed the current situation, hotspots, and trends of family finance research from multiple angles in an all-round way. The results show that the number of published Chinese and English papers is increasing year by year, among which English papers are mainly contributed by American scholars, with relatively little cooperation and exchange between countries. In Chinese literature, the cooperation between authors and institutions is also limited. At present, the research in the field of family finance is ushering in a stage of rapid development, and the research hotspots mainly focus on financial literacy, financial knowledge, risk finance, and inclusive finance. Given this, the future research should focus on the cooperation among authors, institutions, and disciplines, and meanwhile, increase in-depth research on digital finance, and digital divide. These efforts will promote the further development of research in the field of family finance in China.

Effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against invasive disease caused by serotype 19A in children: a meta-analysis

Objective: Using Meta-analysis to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) against invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae disease (IPD) caused by serotype 19A in children <5 years old. Methods: "Streptococcus pneumoniae infection""invasive pneumococcal disease""13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine""PCV13""effectiveness""infant""child" and related terms were searched from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WANFANG DATA, PubMed, SCOPUS and Web of science with no limited on language, region and research institution. The retrieval time was limited from January 2010 to February 2023 and cohort study, case-control study and randomized controlled trial were included. Data were extracted from eligible studies by two independent reviewers, and after study quality assessment by NOS scale, Meta-analysis was completed using Stata 16.0 software. Results: A total of 2 340 related literatures were searched, and 10 literatures were finally included, including 5 case-control studies and 5 indirect cohort studies, which showed good literature quality. The vaccine effectiveness against serotype 19A IPD of PCV13 in children was 83.91% (95%CI: 78.92%-88.89%), and the subgroup analysis (P=0.240) showed there was no significant difference among the case-control study (VE=87.34%, 95%CI:79.74%-94.94%) and the indirect cohort study (VE=81.30%, 95%CI:74.69%-87.92%). The funnel plot and Egger test suggested that the possibility of publication bias was small. Conclusion: The present evidence indicates that PCV13 has a good vaccine effectiveness against serotype 19A IPD in children, and it is recommended to further increase the vaccination rate of PCV13 to reduce the disease burden of IPD in children <5 years old.

The Safety and Efficacy of Using Uremic Clearance Granules for Treating Stages 3 to 5 of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Background: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of uremic clearance granules for treating stages 3 to 5 of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and to provide evidence-based support for the clinical application of uremic clearance. Methods: All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) addressing the use of uremic clearance granules for the treatment of CKD were collected from China Biology Medicine (CBM) database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Data, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. After two researchers had independently screened and extracted data, the quality of the included literature was evaluated according to the modified Jadad rating scale. Finally, Stata11 was used for the meta analysis. Results: A total of 36 RCTs were obtained that included 3058 patients, comprising 1538 experimental group and 1520 control group participants. Meta analysis indicated that uremic clearance granules treatment yielded promising results in lowering the levels of serum creatinine (Scr, weekly hemodialysis [WHD] = −52.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −62.64 to −42.21), triglyceride (TG, WHD = −0.45, 95% CI: −0.85 to −0.04), total cholesterol (TC, WHD = −1.41, 95% CI: −1.78 to −1.04) and increasing the glomerular filtration rate (GFR, WHD = 3.26, 95% CI: 3.70 to 6.99) and hemoglobin (HB, WHD = 5.79, 95% CI: 2.66 to 8.92) levels. In addition, this treatment can improve the overall signs and symptoms of patients with CKD [relative risk (RR) = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.24 to 1.51]. However, there was no statistically significant reduction in the 24 hours total urine protein (24hUpro) Hb levels (WHD = −194.95, 95% Cl: −425.92 to 36.01) compared with control therapy alone. Conclusion: Uremic clearance granules treatment significantly reduced Scr, TG, TC levels and increased GFR and HB levels while improving the signs and symptoms of patients with CKD. Due to the low quality of the methodological approaches used in the included studies, further high quality research initiatives are needed to further explore the merits of this therapy.

Easing the data sharing burden: perspectives and principles to successfully leverage AD data repositories, infrastructures and functionality

AbstractCritical Path Institute (C‐Path) is a nonprofit organization that brings together patient groups, academic institutions, the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies from around the world to improve public health. C‐Path provides the legal, scientific, and regulatory infrastructure to generate a unique neutral environment for medical product development, supported by more than a decade of experience in data standards development, platform development and hosting, patient‐level data privacy stewardship, data platform security, and controlled access methodology. The Critical Path for Alzheimer’s Disease (CPAD) is a pre‐competitive consortium that aims to promote, support, and manage a diverse source and format of data and facilitate knowledge sharing from the Alzheimer disease (AD) drug development community. The CPAD database currently contains 65 clinical trials and observational studies, with over 93,000 individual anonymized patient‐level records, with global access to many datasets through the C‐Path Online Data Repository (CODR). The unparalleled breadth, depth and wealth of data will enable us to discover yet‐to‐be identified unmet needs and unanswered questions. Further, CODR is interoperable with the Global Alzheimer’s Association Interactive Network (GAAIN), Vivli and other data platforms. The secure and neutral data sharing framework of CPAD has resulted in the development of several regulatory‐grade tools that help optimize drug development and accelerate bringing new therapies to patients in need. Sufficient case examples of successful data sharing are now available and should inform and encourage future data sharing initiatives.

Hydrogen energy development in Turkey: Challenges and opportunities

In 2023, the Turkish government set ambitious targets for hydrogen production, aiming to reach a price of $2.40 per kilogram by 2035 and halve it by 2050. This article explores the development potential of hydrogen energy in Turkey based on current data. The analysis encompasses critical elements, such as research and development, governmental hydrogen strategy, economic & energy advantages, production & application technologies. There is also a SWOT analysis of the current hydrogen energy landscape in Turkey. Overcoming various challenges and increasing investments in scientific research and infrastructure development are crucial for the successful expansion of the hydrogen economy. In summary, the development of hydrogen green energy is pivotal for enhancing energy security, reducing environmental impact, and meeting international climate commitments, thus strengthening Turkey's economic position in the global energy arena.

A Social Justice Legitimacy to Protect Coastal Residents

This research aimed to establish the legitimacy of protecting coastal residents from a social justice perspective. This was normative legal research conducted following cases, statutes, facts, and comparisons. The results of this study show how important it is to prioritize social equity for coastal protection. As natural calamities become more frequent, property protection becomes more difficult. Countries endowed with substantial financial and human resources can effectively tackle the challenges associated with climate change mitigation through the development and establishment of state-of-the-art scientific and technological infrastructure. In multicultural social justice, all individuals are valued. Priorities for environmental and social justice are prevalent in developing nations afflicted by coastal ecological degradation and widening income gaps. Developed nations like Germany have implemented and enforced coastal protection policies to uphold environmental justice principles. Second, the community-led governance initiatives generated genuine participation through mutual aid. Environmental law advances the cause of social justice. Environmental justice, which emphasizes the distribution of resources and the preservation of vulnerable groups, has emerged as the essence of justice in the ecological age.

There is no Open Science without infrastructure and science community

This paper focuses on the role of national-level infrastructure in promoting open science principles, with a specific emphasis on Slovenia. It presents the latest measures implemented within the country to facilitate open science practices.The first part of the paper explores the specific measures adopted in Slovenia to promote open science. It highlights the ongoing development of regulations to implement scientific research following open science principles. The Slovenian Scientific Research and Innovation Activities Act (ZZrID) and the Resolution on the Slovenian Scientific Research and Innovation Strategy 2030 (ReZrIS30) strongly emphasise open science and encompass various measures. The paper discusses the accessibility of research data addressed by the ZZrID and the Decree on the implementation of scientific research work in accordance with the principles of open science. Furthermore, it outlines upcoming actions in education and infrastructure solutions, as outlined in the Open Science Action Plan.The second part of the paper delves into the role of the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES), the Slovenian national research and education network (NREN). ARNES has played a pivotal role in the construction of two new national data centres dedicated to the permanent storage of research data. The paper analyses the benefits of these national solutions, which enhance infrastructure accessibility, simplify researchers' work, and provide a more efficient and secure environment for research organisations to store their data. The development of data storage services and the construction of data centres take into consideration existing best practices and collaboration with researchers and research organisations. The solutions offered by the data centres will support existinguniversity repositories and align with the objectives outlined in the Open Science Action Plan. The integration of research funding and evaluation services into a centralised platform will be thoughtfully considered, taking into account the requirements of the research community. A key objective is to enable the implementation of services and infrastructure in accordance with OpenAIRE, where ARNES will play a pivotal role. As a mandated organisation in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and being in touch with best practices in the EU area as an NREN, ARNES is well-positioned to contribute to this endeavour.The paper also highlights the broader objective of improving research quality, efficiency, and responsiveness within the national open science ecosystem. It discusses the establishment of the Slovenian Open Science Community (SSOZ) as part of the tripartite European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) event, making Slovenia one of the pioneering countries in the European Union. The SSOZ, along with Slovenian representatives in the EOSC, has already addressed challenges related to the permanent preservation of research data, which will be comprehensively discussed in relation to the new data centres and associated activities.Additionally, there is a growing demand for education on repository usage and infrastructure upgrades. The Slovenian Open Science Community serves as a unifying platform for all major universities and research institutions in Slovenia, fostering collaboration among its members. It encompasses participants from various initiatives, such as the NI4OS project, which aims to promote the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) at a regional level. Furthermore, the community includes stakeholders from the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) and similar European and institutional initiatives dedicated to advancing open science principles.Drawing from the experience of the case study, the paper critically highlights how the national infrastructure can simplify researchers' work. It emphasises the role of data centres in fostering sustainable and long-term data storage solutions aligned with the principles of open science. As an NREN, ARNES already manages public research infrastructure and offers solutions that facilitate research, such as data sharing and access to EuroHPC's supercomputing infrastructure. The establishment of new data centres by ARNES will significantly enhance the infrastructure for open science in Slovenia, providing primary conditions for implementing open science principles in research work. The implementation of planned professional training programs focused on utilising the infrastructure, along with workshops on open science organised by the Central Technical Library at the University of Ljubljana specifically for researchers in Slovenia, will serve as essential catalysts for enabling research activities that align with the principles of open science. With the infrastructure in place, these initiatives will empower researchers with the necessary knowledge and skills to embrace open science practices effectively.

The EPOS multi-disciplinary Data Portal for integrated access to solid Earth science datasets

The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) is a long-term initiative aimed at integrating research infrastructures for solid Earth science in Europe. EPOS provides a sustainable, multidisciplinary user-oriented platform - the EPOS Data Portal - that facilitates data integration, access, use, and re-use, while adhering to the FAIR principles. The paper describes the key governance, community building, and technical aspects for achieving multidisciplinary data integration through the portal. It also outlines the key portal features for aggregating approximately 250 data sources from more than ten different scientific communities. The main architectural concepts underpinning the portal, namely the rich-metadata, the service-driven data provision, and the usage of semantics, are outlined. The paper discusses the challenges encountered during the creation of the portal, describes the community engagement process, and highlights the benefits to the scientific community and society. Future work includes expanding portal functionalities to include data analysis, processing, and visualization and releasing the portal as an open-source software package.

Effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for stroke and stroke complications: a protocol for meta-analysis and systematic review based on randomized, single-blind, controlled trials.

The treatment and rehabilitation of stroke and its complications have become major global health issues. Acupuncture is widely used as a complementary and alternative treatment for stroke. Many clinical studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture, but the research results need to be more consistent. The quality of research based on previously published meta-analyzes is uneven, leading to unstable conclusions. This study aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the efficacy of high-quality, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on blinded designs for treating stroke and its complications. It also aims to review the characteristics of blinded designs and the current use of sham/placebo acupuncture controls in treating stroke. This study will be conducted under the reporting guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyzes. Randomized controlled trials using acupuncture as the primary measure for stroke will be searched in databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chongqing VIP (CQVIP), Wan-fang, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. To evaluate high-quality research based on a blind design, if the trial evaluates the efficacy of any acupuncture intervention by including a sham/placebo acupuncture control, it will be included. The primary outcome indicator will be the ability to perform daily activities. Secondary outcome indicators include evaluating quality of life and related functions in stroke-related sequelae. We will assess the quality of evidence, reporting quality, and risk of bias for the acupuncture intervention in the literature included in this study using the GRADE system, the STRICTA 2010 checklist, and ROB2.0, respectively. RevMan 5.4 software will be used to conduct the meta-analysis, and Stata 15.0 software will be used for sensitivity analysis and publication bias testing. By analyzing high-quality, well-designed, randomized controlled trials of acupuncture, the results of this study may contribute to a more objective and standardized evaluation of acupuncture efficacy in treating stroke and its complications.Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, Identifier (CRD42023378930).

Meta-analysis and time trend prediction of the prevalence of hypertension in Chinese college students.

To understand the prevalence of hypertension among Chinese college students over the past decade (2010-2020) and predict its future trend, we aim to provide a basis for preventing and controlling hypertension among college students. Databases such as Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched, and publications on the prevalence of hypertension among Chinese college students from 2010 to 2020 were collected. Search for publications in both Chinese and English databases using keywords "hypertension," "prevalence," "disease status," "cross-sectional survey," "epidemiology," "China," "adolescents," and "college students." Publication screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were independently conducted by 2 researchers. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16, and trends in the prevalence of hypertension among college students were analyzed using R 4.2.0. A total of 37 publications were included in this analysis, which involved 233,603 Chinese college students. The Meta-analysis results showed significant heterogeneity among the studies (I2 = 98.9%, P < .05). Using a random-effects model, the overall prevalence of hypertension among college students was estimated to be 3.3% (95% CI = 2.9%-3.6%), with a higher prevalence among male students (6.2%, 95% CI = 5.4%-7.1%) than female students (1.1%, 95% CI = 0.9%-1.3%). The prevalence of hypertension is notably higher in northern regions than in southern regions. The prevalence of hypertension among college students showed an increasing trend from 2010 to 2020. Trend analysis predicted that the prevalence of hypertension among college students will reach 10% and 14.6% by 2030 and 2040, respectively. The risk of hypertension in male students was 4.63 times higher than that of female students (95% CI = 2.97-7.23). Compared normal weight students, overweight and obese students had 3.08 times (95% CI = 2.48-3.82) and 6.69 times (95% CI = 2.25-19.90) higher risk of hypertension, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension in Chinese college students was about 3.3%. The prevalence of hypertension in male college students was higher than that in females, and the prevalence in northern regions was generally higher than that in southern regions. The prevalence of hypertension among Chinese college students will reach 10.0% in the next 10 years and 14.6% in the next 20 years. Male and BMI ≥ 24 were risk factors for hypertension among college students.