AcuTrials®: an online database of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews of acupuncture.

BACKGROUND: The growing quantity of Complementary and Alternative Medicine literature requires databases enabled with increasingly powerful search capabilities. To address this need in the area of acupuncture research, a bibliographic database of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews called AcuTrials® has been developed by the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. AcuTrials® introduces a comprehensive keyword thesaurus that categorizes details of treatment protocols and research design to an extent not currently available in MEDLINE or other databases. DESCRIPTION: AcuTrials®, which went live in January of 2010 and is updated monthly, currently contains over 1250 articles from more than 300 journals. Articles included are English language RCTs and systematic reviews that report on medical conditions in human subjects treated by needle acupuncture. Study details are indexed by 14 key domains, such as acupuncture style and needling protocol, to create an acupuncture-relevant, searchable keyword catalogue. Keywords follow the National Library of Medicine (NLM) MeSH terminology when possible, and new keywords were created in cases where no appropriate MeSH terms were available. The resulting keyword catalogue enables users to perform sensitive, targeted searches for particular aspects of acupuncture treatment and research design. CONCLUSIONS: AcuTrials® provides an extensive and innovative keyword catalogue of acupuncture research, allowing users to efficiently navigate, locate and assess the evidence base in ways not currently possible with other databases. By providing a more powerful suite of search options, the AcuTrials® database has the potential to enhance the accessibility and quality of acupuncture research.

Abundance and temporal distribution of Ornithonyssus sylviarum Canestrini and Fanzago (Acarina: Mesostigmata) in gray catbird (Dumatella carolinensis) nests.

The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum Canestrini and Fanzago, is a common ectoparasite of wild birds. Despite its ability to transmit eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus under laboratory conditions and potential for involvement in the natural EEE virus cycle, we know little about its abundance or temporal distribution in nature. From June to August 2000, we studied the abundance of O. sylviarum in the nests of gray catbirds (Dumatella carolinensis), a reservoir host for EEE virus, at Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area (KMWA), a known EEE virus focus in Wayne County, Ohio. A total of 7,883 O. sylviarum, including 1,910 adults and 5,973 protonymphs, were recovered from 23 of 26 gray catbird nests collected during various phases of the nesting cycle. We found no association between mite abundance and number of catbird nestlings in successful nests. However, mite abundance increased significantly with date of nest collection and peaked in late July when transmission of EEE virus is likely to occur at KMWA. We therefore suggest that O. sylviarum may contribute to the transmission of EEE virus among gray catbirds at KMWA.