Global trends of acupuncture clinical research on analgesia from 2010 to 2023: a bibliometric and visualization analysis.

Objective: Acupuncture, acknowledged as a potent non-pharmacological therapy, is frequently employed to alleviate pain. Despite its widespread use, there has been a lack of overarching bibliometric analysis of clinical research on acupuncture analgesia. We aimed to summarize current patterns, hotspots, and development trends in this field through bibliometric analysis. Methods: This study evaluates academic publications retrieved from the Web of Science database (2010.01-2023.09) concerning acupuncture analgesia in clinical settings. All primary and secondary studies on humans were included. To track global developmental trends, we employed several software for analyzing annual publication volumes, countries/regions, institutions, authors, cited authors, journals, cited journals, references, and keywords and to draw collaborative networks and reference co-citation network maps. Results: The final search encompassed 7,190 relevant studies, including 1,263 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 1,293 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The results indicated a gradual increase in the number of annual publications on acupuncture analgesia in clinical practice. Among countries and institutions, China (2,139) and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (258) ranked first. Liang FR (89 articles) was the most prolific author, while MacPherson H (604) was the most cited author. MEDICINE (455) was the most productive journal, and Pain (2,473/0.20) ranked first in both the frequency and centrality of cited journals. Notably, the most frequently cited reference was a systematic review of individual patient data on acupuncture carried out for chronic pain that was published by Vickers Andrew J in 2012 (156). Burst analysis identified frontier research areas for 2010-2020, encompassing network meta-analysis, case reports, dry needling, lumbar disc herniation, cancer, post-herpetic neuralgia, insomnia, and bibliometric analysis. Conclusion: This study outlines current trends and potential future research hotspots in clinical acupuncture analgesia over the past decade. Findings emphasize the necessity for enhanced international collaboration to improve research output and translation.

Effect of Jianpi Bushen Sequential Formula on Adjuvant Chemotherapy of Colon Cancer: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The side effects of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and myelosuppression reduce the cancer patients' adherence to chemotherapy. Many Chinese patients choose Chinese medicine (CM) during chemotherapy to reduce side effects; however, the evidence is lacking. The efficacy of a CM herbal treatment protocol, Jianpi Bushen Sequential Formula (, JBSF) will be evaluated on chemotherapy completion rate among patients with colon cancer. METHODS: A multi-center double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted on 400 patients with colon cancer who will receive 8 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and capecitabine (CAPEOX). Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive the JBSF or placebo formula. The primary outcome is the overall chemotherapy completion rate. The secondary outcomes include individual chemotherapy completion rate, 4-cycle completion rate of chemotherapy, time to treatment failure, relative dose intensity and treatment toxicity. Follow-up visits will be scheduled before every and after last chemotherapy. DISCUSSION: This study will provide evidence on whether JBSF can improve the chemotherapy completion rate and reduce side effects among patients with colon cancer. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT03716518).

[Application of objective performance criteria in post-marketing evaluation schemes of traditional Chinese medicine].

Traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs) have certain limitations in the clinical research design in their post-marketing evaluation, so that randomized controlled programs cannot be strictly implemented in some studies, while the objective performance criteria is a reasonable external controlled research method that has been gradually recognized at home and abroad in recent years in addition to randomized controlled trial(RCT) method. It is more mature in medical devices, surgery and other research fields, but there is no relevant report in the field of post-marketing evaluation of Chinese patent medicines. In this paper, the application prospect of the objective performance criteria and the problems were discussed in the field of post-marketing evaluation of TCM. The characteristics of as TCM are more consistent with the scope of the objective performance criteria, the application of the objective performance criteria in post-marketing evaluation of Chinese patent medicines, especially in single arm research, can break through the limitations of existing conventional clinical research methods, and improve the level of evidence, with good feasibility and advantages. However, in the application process, we should pay attention to the key issues such as the selection of index, research population, follow-up period and the reference selection, to ensure the quality of research. This research group has carried out some exploration and practice in the field of post-marketing evaluation of TCM injections by using single arm combined with the objective performance criteria, hoping to establish the key technology in this field, and provide certain research and design reference for the secondary development of Chinese patent medicines.

The Potential Effects and Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine Pine Pollen (Pinus pollen): A Bibliometric Analysis of Pharmacological and Clinical Studies.

The objectives of this study are to conduct a comprehensive literature search and bibliometric analysis to identify the breadth and volume of pharmacological and clinical studies on pine pollen (Pinus pollen) and to identify the potential effects and the use of pine pollen. Three Chinese electronic databases and two English electronic databases were searched for pharmacological and clinical studies on pine pollen. Data were extracted and analyzed and included publication year, authors, study type, pharmacological research topics or clinical diseases/conditions, usage and type of preparation, authors' conclusions, and adverse effects. Of 239 publications identified, 180 were pharmacological studies, 37 were clinical trials, and 22 were reviews. Numbers of publications increased particularly from 2004 onward. The top 10 most frequent topics in pharmacological studies were immune regulation, antisenility, antioxidation, liver protection, inhibiting prostate hyperplasia, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, lowering blood glucose, lowering blood lipids, antifatigue, and improving intestinal function. The top 10 most frequent clinical diseases treated or where pine pollen was used as an adjuvant were bedsores, diaper dermatitis, hyperlipidemia, oral mucositis, eczema, hyperplasia of prostate, hypertension, prostatitis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and radiodermatitis. Eight trials reported no adverse events associated with pine pollen, one reported mild gastrointestinal reactions, but symptoms disappeared without special management. There have been an increasing number of publications on pine pollen during the past 20 years. Pharmacological studies have shown many potential benefits, and clinical studies have indicated some positive effects when it is either used as a single herb or as an adjuvant to treat disease. Its use as a topical agent, especially for skin diseases, was notable.

Factors influencing the quality of clinical trials on traditional Chinese medicine-Qualitative interviews with trial auditors, clinicians and academic researchers.

BACKGROUND: As clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies have increased, several empirical studies have shown that the quality of TCM trials is generally low in terms of risk of bias. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the quality of TCM clinical trials to provide strategic advice on trial quality improvement. METHODS: One focus group with clinical trial auditors (n = 4) and six in-depth semi-structured interviews with clinical research organization managers (n = 2), lecturers and researchers in TCM academic institutions (n = 2), a chief physician in a TCM oncology department and a PhD candidate specialized in non-pharmaceutical TCM interventions were conducted. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Factors that influenced the quality of TCM clinical trials emerged with the following 6 themes: trial design; trialists/participants; trial conducting; TCM specified problems; trial monitoring, and finally societal influences. The lack of expertise and time inputs of the trialists were repeatedly mentioned. Methodological difficulties experienced when conducting TCM trials including calculating sample size, analyzing the efficacy of TCM decoctions with multiple ingredients, blinding in trials investigating non-pharmaceutical TCM interventions were highlighted. Interviewees agreed that third-party monitoring can help improving trial quality and improve participant welfare, may accelerate recruiting processes and increase compliance; however more comprehensive regulations and funding requirements would be needed. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified real-life issues influencing the quality of TCM clinical trials from design to reporting. In addition to mandatory training for TCM trial designers and coordinators, more effective institutional oversight is required. Future studies should explore specific measures to address the methodological problems in TCM trials and explore how the quality of TCM trials can affect further evidence synthesis and clinical practice.

Efficacy and safety of Shen-Yuan-Dan capsules for peri-procedural myocardial injury following percutaneous coronary intervention: study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Peri-procedural myocardial injury (PMI) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) will result in an unfavorable clinical prognosis in patients, thus urgently necessitating effective drug treatment measures. Shen-Yuan-Dan (SYD) capsules are a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation that have been found to have potential myocardial protection effects during the peri-procedural phase of PCI in previous clinical and basic research; however, there is a lack of rigorous, randomized, and controlled studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SYD in decreasing PMI. METHODS: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 284 patients with unstable angina will be randomized into test and control groups. The two groups will be given SYD or a placebo (three times each day, four capsules each time) 3 days before PCI on the basis of conventional treatment. Twelve hours before PCI, an additional 4 capsules will be given, and drug treatment is planned to be maintained for 1 month after surgery. Dynamic changes in the myocardial enzyme in four time-points (before PCI, and 4, 24, 48 hours after PCI) in both groups of patients that will be observed. The follow-up period will be 1 month. The primary observation markers are planned to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SYD in decreasing PMI. The secondary observation markers will be to evaluate the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) status at day 30 after PCI, (all-cause mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, repeated revascularization of target blood vessel) and Seattle Angina Questionnaire scores. GRACE scores will be used for risk stratification, and the intervention efficacy of SYD on PMI patients with different risks will be retrospectively evaluated. DISCUSSION: This study will provide a rigorous clinical evidence to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SYD in decreasing PMI and the results are worth anticipating. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The design of this trial has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR-IPR-17011069).

Safety and efficacy for laparoscopic versus open hepatectomy: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) is growing in popularity, but its efficacy and safety are still controversial. Few multicenter, large, population-based, prospective, randomized studies have compared LH with open hepatectomy (OH). We performed a meta-analysis to compare the treatment outcome of patients undergoing LH versus OH. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register, CNKI, and WanFang Med Online databases to November 30th, 2016 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared treatment outcome for LH and OH. Eligibility criteria included evaluation of operation time, blood loss, complications, and hospital stay after surgery for adult patients who underwent LH or OH. Reviewers in pairs independently screened the studies, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Agreement was achieved. RevMan 5.3 was used to conduct meta-analysis. Complete case analysis was used as primary analysis. Predefined subgroup analysis includes benign and malignant disease. RESULTS: Eight RCTs with a total of 554 patients were included in the meta-analysis, 275 types of LH and 279 types of OH. LH reduced the hospital stay after surgery (8 trials, 554 patients, MD = -3.84 days, 95%CI: -5.05 to -2.63, P < 0.0001, I2 = 88%) and the complication rate (8 trials, 554 patients, RR = 0.29, 95%CI: 0.17-0.50, P < 0.0001, I2 = 0%, absolute 13 to 40 fewer), shortened the time to first flatus (3 trials, 264 patients, MD = -1.41 days, 95%CI: -1.98 to -0.83, P < 0.0001, I2 = 92%), and had less blood loss (8 trials, 554 patients, MD = -164.31 ml, 95%CI: -220.91 to -107.72, P < 0.0001, I2 = 98%) without increasing the operation time (MD = -7.96 min, 95%CI: -24.99 to 9.07, P = 0.36, I2 = 91%) compared with OH. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy is more effective in terms of hospital stay after surgery and time to first flatus with fewer blood loss and complication rate for hepatic resection compared with open surgery.

[Bibliometrics study on dominant diseases in modern acupuncture clinic].

OBJECTIVE: To find out the dominant diseases in the clinic of modern acupuncture. METHODS: By means of bibliometrics, clinical acupuncture study literatures from 1978 to 2004, searched from CBM database, were sorted and counted to show the different clinical utilizing quantities and developing trends of different disease groups in the acupuncture clinic. RESULTS: Obviously dominant type: nervous system diseases; mature type: motor system diseases; developing type: 3 kind of diseases including psychosis; premature type: diseases related with surgery; steady type: 3 kind of diseases including digestive system diseases (diseases of liver and gallbladder are not included); pre-developing diseases: 5 kind of diseases including otorhinolaryngologic diseases. CONCLUSION: Among all these types, obvious advantage type and mature type are the most distinguishing. Developing type has the most significant ascending trend. Premature type has relatively strong developing potentiality.