A bibliometric analysis of acupuncture for neurodevelopmental disorders: A Call for increased output and future research priorities.

Objective: To perform a bibliometric analysis of published research on acupuncture for neurodevelopmental disorders and to provide new insights for future studies. Methods: Web of Science Core Collection was used to search for articles on acupuncture for neurodevelopmental disorders in children, from inception to Dec 4, 2022. VOSviewer and CiteSpace software were used for bibliometric analyses. VOSviewer was used to analyze and visualize the knowledge maps of the articles' countries, authors, and institutions of origin, the journals and keywords. CiteSpace was used to visualize the dual-map overlay of the journals in which the articles were published and those publishing the articles they cited. Results: A total of 119 papers were retrieved. The highest number of publications came from China, followed by the United States and South Korea. The most frequently cited article was from the United States, followed by China. The most publications were from KyungHee University, followed by Sichuan University. Author Cho, Seung-hun from KyungHee University published the most articles. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medicine published the most articles. The top three most frequently used keywords were "acupuncture", "children", and "complementary". Conclusion: Research intensity and recognition, as well as collaboration within the field of acupuncture for treating neurodevelopmental disorders in children has increased. Research is generally diverse and comprehensive, and the neuro-endocrine-immune mechanism should be a new direction for further development. More basic research is also needed, to elucidate the therapeutic mechanisms, to standardize and validate the use of acupuncture for neurodevelopmental disorders.

A Scoping Review of Cross-Sectional Studies on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Cross-sectional studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM-CSs) have become the most published type of TCM observational study; however, the research scope of current TCM-CSs is unknown. A scoping review of the literature was performed. A descriptive approach to summarize the core study characteristics was prepared, along with structured tables and figures to identify salient points of similarities and differences noted across studies. The reporting quality of TCM-CSs was assessed according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) cross-sectional checklist. Eight databases (Embase, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, AMED, CBM, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP) were systematically searched for TCM-CSs published up until 20 January 2020. The literature screening and evaluating were independently conducted by two researchers. When there was disagreement, a third-party senior researcher made the judgment. A total of 198 TCM-CSs published between 1997 and 2019 were included, 160 English studies and 38 Chinese studies, respectively. More TCM-CSs were published in each successive year. The journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine published more TCM-CSs (24) than any other journal. Most TCM-CSs were conducted in mainland China (81, 40.9%), followed by Taiwan, China (44, 22.2%) and HKSAR, China (19, 9.6%). The most commonly used sampling method was purposive sampling (94, 47.5%), following by convenience sampling (60, 30.3%). The research topics can be summarized in four major categories as follows: constitution-related research (11.1%), TCM pattern-related research (18.7%), TCM intervention-related research (55.1%), and others (15.6%). The average sufficient reporting rate of included TCM-CSs according to the STROBE cross-sectional checklist was 45.6%. Papers written in English reported 9 items (items 2, 4, 14a, 16a, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22) more frequently than papers written in Chinese. The number of TCM-CSs is increasing. Research topics are diverse; however, the reporting quality is unsatisfactory. In particular, TCM-CSs need greater transparency and standardization.

A scoping review of cohort studies assessing traditional Chinese medicine interventions.

BACKGROUNDS: Identifying topics and assessing the reporting quality of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) cohort studies. METHODS: A scoping review of the literature was performed. A descriptive approach to summarize the core study characteristics was prepared, along with structured tables and figures to identify salient points of differences noted across studies. The reporting quality of TCM cohort studies was assessed according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)-cohort checklist. RESULTS: A total of 199 TCM cohort studies were included. The largest number of TCM cohort studies was conducted in Mainland China (70.9%). The TCM cohort study was first published in 2003. The top three diseases studied were Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Stroke, and Asthma. As for the intervention methods, Chinese herbal medicine formulas (60.3%), acupuncture (14.1%) and single herbs (12.6%) accounted for the majority, followed by moxibustion (4.0%) and qigong (2.0%). The overage sufficient reporting rate of included TCM cohort studies according to the STROBE-cohort checklist was 42.9%. Comparing with Chinese literature, the reporting rates of English literature in most items were higher. CONCLUSION: For the application of cohort studies to inform the effects of TCM interventions, the interventions assessed and conditions studied were diverse, the reporting quality was unsatisfied.

The Effect of Tai Chi for Improving Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Sleep quality is a major concern around the world, yet currently there are no recognized non-pharmacological treatments. A systematic review and meta-analysis investigated Tai Chi's effect on patients with sleep complaints, both those with insomnia and those with other conditions. METHODS: 4 English language databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL) and 4 Chinese databases (CNKI, CBM, VIP, and Wanfang Data) were searched from database inception through June 23, 2019. Searches were conducted in both English and Chinese language. Meta-analysis by mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was performed with RevMan 5.3. Risk of bias for each study was accounted for according to the Cochrane Handbook. RESULTS: Twenty randomized controlled studies from five countries covering 1,703 patients were included and divided into two control groups. Tai Chi had a significant effect on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) compared with non-treatment and active treatment groups. Moreover, the articles were divided into groups according to Tai Chi styles. Both 24-form Yang-style Tai Chi and 8-form Yang-style Tai Chi had significant effects on PSQI. LIMITATIONS: One limitation of our work was that there were some forms of insomnia for which conclusions could not be drawn. Also, no relationship between efficacy and any of the factors could be elucidated. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with non-therapeutic and other active treatments, Tai Chi has a positive effect on improving sleep quality. In-depth analysis showed that 24-form and 8-form Yang style Tai Chi have significant positive effects on sleep quality, as assessed by PSQI.

Reporting quality of 2014-2018 clinical practice guidelines on diabetes according to the RIGHT checklist.

OBJECTIVE: Reporting Items for Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) in HealThcare (RIGHT) checklist was used as a tool to assess the reporting quality of 2014-2018 CPGs on diabetes treatment, aiming to promote the application of RIGHT and improve the reporting quality of future guidelines. METHODS: We searched Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP database, Medline, Embase, Allied, and Complementary MEdicine Database (AMED), and Medlive and Google Scholar (Google academics), and collected published CPGs on diabetes with published date during 1st January, 2014 and 7th November, 2018. CPGs on diabetes issued since 2014 were included and filtered by two reviewers independently. Then the basic information extraction and RIGHT evaluation of the included CPG are carried out. RESULTS: A total of 34 guidelines were included, out of which 7 are for Chinese and 27 for other countries. Overall, basic information (domain 1) got the highest (64.66%) reporting rate, while financing and conflict-of-interest statements and management (domain 6) got the lowest (8.1%). For all guidelines, classification of guidelines (item 1c) was sufficiently reported, and description of the specific sources of funding for all stages of guideline development (item 18a) was not reported. For Chinese CPGs, financing and conflict-of-interest statements and management (domain 6) was most insufficiently reported, and only identification of guideline in the title (item 1a), corresponding information of the developer or author (item 4), description of basic epidemiology (item 5), and subgroup description (item 7b) out of 22 items were better reported than foreign guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the CPGs on diabetes during 2014-2018 adhered to ~41% RIGHT checklist, of which Chinese CPGs adhered less than that of foreign guidelines. It is suggested that the RIGHT reporting checklist should be endorsed and used by CPG developers to ensure higher quality and adequate use of guidelines.

Protocol for the development of consensus-based clinical case reporting guideline extension: CARE for acupuncture.

BACKGROUND: Health research reporting guidelines for case reports (CARE - CAse REport) published in 2013 and 2017 have become a generally accepted standard for publishing case reports. The CARE guidelines represent an architectural framework for writing an evidence-based case report that can be customized as need for a specialty (or disease) if needed. We aim to develop a CARE guideline extension for acupuncture following the EQUATOR Network (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) and the 2010″Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting". We have established a group of international experts including; clinicians, researchers and methodologists. We performed a needs assessment based on a review of acupuncture case reports published in the indexed medical literature. The needs assessment will be followed by (1) a series of expert interviews to establish a draft, (2) a modified Delphi process, and (3) a consensus meeting. Following the consensus meeting we will pilot test the CARE draft before publishing the CARE extension for acupuncture. METHODS: We will develop the CARE extensions for acupuncture following recommendations of the EQUATOR Network and the 2010 "Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting". We will establish an international multidisciplinary group including clinical practitioners, acupuncturists, researchers of reporting guidelines on acupuncture, clinical epidemiologists and statisticians. We performed a needs assessment, reviewing published case reports using acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention from indexed medical journals (PubMed-PMC and Medline, Scopus, Embase, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Wan Fang database, Chinese BioMedicine database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and VIP). In consultations with advisors we will develop a draft of potential items to be included in the CARE extension for acupuncture. Then we will conduct a modified Delphi process of at least three rounds, hold a face-to-face consensus meeting, pilot test and submit the CARE extension for acupuncture for publication. CONCLUSION: The development of a widely accepted CARE extension for acupuncture for case reports published in indexed medical journals. These guidelines will follow the EQUATOR Network recommendations and the 2010 "Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting".

Standardized Auricular Therapy for Patients with Different Constitutions and Suboptimal Health: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: According to the guideline for preventive treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this study examined the efficacy of standardized auricular therapy for patients with different constitutions who had suboptimal health. To prevent the occurrence and development of diseases, it is necessary to find new positive and feasible methods. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of standardized auricular therapy for patients with different constitutions who had suboptimal health was conducted. The study included 176 patients with Qi Deficiency, Yang Deficiency, Yin Deficiency, Qi Stagnation, Phlegm Dampness, Blood Stasis, Damp-Heat, and Special Constitution. As the patients underwent treatment, they were examined with a weekly test for changes in symptoms for 4 weeks. Results: Using statistical analysis, the efficacy rate of treatment for patients with Yang deficiency was 83.90%. Other constitutional efficacy rates were: Yin Deficiency, 84.62%; Qi Deficiency, 75.00%; Qi Stagnation, 92.31%; Phlegm-Dampness, 82.69%; Damp-Heat, 84.84%; Blood Stasis, 71.43%; and Special Endowment, 83.33%. Conclusions: Standardized auricular therapy has curative effects on patients with a variety of constitutions and who have suboptimal health. This therapy can not only balance the constitutions of patients with suboptimal health but also can play an important role in the field of prevention and health-promoting medicine.