Ultra-low current electrospray ionization of chloroform solution for the analysis of perfluorinated sulfonic acids.

RATIONALE: Femtoamp and picoamp electrospray ionization (ESI) characteristics of a nonpolar solvent were explored. The direct ESI mass spectrometry analysis of chloroform extract solution enabled rapid analysis of perfluorinated sulfonic acid analytes in drinking water. METHODS: Neat chloroform solvent and extracts were directly used in a typical wire-in ESI setup using micrometer emitter tips. Ionization currents were measured with femtoamp sensitivity while ramping the spray voltage from 0 to -5000 V. Methanol was used as a comparison to illustrate the characteristics of electrospraying chloroform. The effects of spray voltage and inlet temperature were studied. A liquid-liquid extraction workflow was developed to analyze perfluorooctanoate sulfonate (PFOS) in drinking water using an ion-trap mass spectrometer. RESULTS: The ionization onset of chloroform solution was 41 ± 17 fA at 300 V. The ionization current gradually increased with voltage while remaining below 100 pA when using voltages up to -5000 V. The ion signal of PFOS was significantly enhanced to improve the limit of detection (LoD) to 25 ppt in chloroform. Coupled with a liquid-liquid extraction workflow, LoD of 0.38-5.1 ppt and a quantitation range of 5-400 ppt were achieved for perfluorinated sulfonic compounds in 1-ml water samples. CONCLUSIONS: Femtoamp and picoamp modes expand the solvent compatibility range of ESI and can enable quantitative analysis in parts per trillion (ppt) concentrations.

Conducting and characterizing femto flow electrospray ionization.

Femto flow electrospray ionization (ESI) with flow rates ranging from 240 fL min-1 to the low pico level (<10 pL min-1) was conducted and measured using a submicron emitter tip and relay ESI configuration. Signature analyte ion current intensities and profiles were observed. The obtained flow rate and ionization current enabled size calculation for initial charged nanodroplets.

LncMSEN1, a mantle-specific LncRNA participating in nacre formation and response to polyI:C stimulation in pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii.

Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) regulates various life processes, including biomineralization and innate immune response through complex mechanisms. In this research, we identified a LncRNA named LncMSEN1 from pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii. LncMSEN1 sequence was validated by PCR, and its expression was high in mantle tissues according to qRT-PCR. LncMSEN1 was co-located with the nacre matrix protein N-U8 and fibrinogen domain-containing protein. And LncMSEN1 and N-U8 expression levels in the mantle were positively correlated. RNA interference was used to detect its effect on nacre formation in shells. Results showed that the decreased LncMSEN1 expression in mantle can cause the disordered growth of crystals on the inner surface of nacre in the shells, as well as the decrease expression of N-U8. In addition, the LncMSEN1 expression level significantly increased at 24 h after polyI:C stimulation in the mantle (P < 0.05). These findings suggested the involvement of LncMSEN1 in the formation of nacre in shells and related to innate immune response in pearl oyster, which provided additional insights into the roles of LncRNAs in pearl oysters.

Structural and Physical Properties of ZrSi2 under High Pressure: Experimental Study and First-Principles Calculations.

Zirconium disilicide (ZrSi2) has been investigated experimentally and theoretically for its structural and physical properties at high pressures. In situ compression experiments demonstrate that at low pressure, ZrSi2 adopts the C49 structure (space group Cmcm), which persists up to 54.5 GPa at room temperature, and the unit cell of ZrSi2 along b-axis is at least twice as compressible as along a- and c-axis. A bulk modulus of 170.0 ± 0.7 GPa ( K'0 = 4) is derived from the compression experiment employing methanol-ethanol mixture as the pressure-transmitting medium. Diffraction line-width analysis suggests a yield strength of about 3.0 GPa for ZrSi2 under high pressures at room temperature. The first-principles calculations mostly agree with the experimental results, such as mechanical and dynamic stability and elastic anisotropy ( Kc > Ka ≫ Kb). However, predicted axial modulus Kb by modeling is significantly smaller than the experimentally determined value, resulting in a sizable discrepancy between experimental (170.0 GPa) and theoretical (121.0 GPa) bulk moduli.

Stable dissipative optical vortex clusters by inhomogeneous effective diffusion.

We numerically show the generation of robust vortex clusters embedded in a two-dimensional beam propagating in a dissipative medium described by the generic cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with an inhomogeneous effective diffusion term, which is asymmetrical in the two transverse directions and periodically modulated in the longitudinal direction. We show the generation of stable optical vortex clusters for different values of the winding number (topological charge) of the input optical beam. We have found that the number of individual vortex solitons that form the robust vortex cluster is equal to the winding number of the input beam. We have obtained the relationships between the amplitudes and oscillation periods of the inhomogeneous effective diffusion and the cubic gain and diffusion (viscosity) parameters, which depict the regions of existence and stability of vortex clusters. The obtained results offer a method to form robust vortex clusters embedded in two-dimensional optical beams, and we envisage potential applications in the area of structured light.

Trigger factor assisted soluble expression of recombinant spike protein of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Escherichia coli.

BACKGROUND: Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a highly contagious enteric pathogen of swine. The spike glycoprotein (S) of PEDV is the major immunogenic determinant that plays a pivotal role in the induction of neutralizing antibodies against PEDV, which therefore is an ideal target for the development of subunit vaccine. In an attempt to develop a subunit vaccine for PEDV, we cloned two different fragments of S protein and expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST)-tagged fusion proteins, namely rGST-COE and rGST-S1D, in E.coli. However, the expression of these recombinant protein antigens using a variety of expression vectors, strains, and induction conditions invariably resulted in inclusion bodies. To achieve the soluble expression of recombinant proteins, several chaperone co-expression systems were tested in this study. RESULTS: We firstly tested various chaperone co-expression systems and found that co-expression of trigger factor (TF) with recombinant proteins at 15 °C was most useful in soluble production of rGST-COE and rGST-S1D compared to GroEL-ES and DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE/GroEL-ES systems. The soluble rGST-COE and rGST-S1D were purified using glutathione Sepharose 4B with a yield of 7.5 mg/l and 5 mg/l, respectively. Purified proteins were detected by western blot using mouse anti-GST mAb and pig anti-PEDV immune sera. In an indirect ELISA, purified proteins showed immune reactivity with pig anti-PEDV immune sera. Finally, immunization of mice with 10 µg of purified proteins elicited highly potent serum IgG and serum neutralizing antibody titers. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, soluble production of recombinant spike protein of PEDV, rGST-COE and rGST-S1D, were achieved by using TF chaperone co-expression system. Our results suggest that soluble rGST-COE and rGST-S1D produced by co-expressing chaperones may have the potential to be used as subunit vaccine antigens.

Soluble RANKL expression in Lactococcus lactis and investigation of its potential as an oral vaccine adjuvant.

BACKGROUND: To initiate mucosal immune responses, antigens in the intestinal lumen must be transported into gut-associated lymphoid tissue through M cells. Recently, it has been increasingly recognized that receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) controls M cell differentiation by interacting with RANK expressed on the sub-epithelium of Peyer's patches. In this study, we increased the number of M cells using soluble RANKL (sRANKL) as a potent mucosal adjuvant. RESULTS: For efficient oral delivery of sRANKL, we constructed recombinant Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) IL1403 secreting sRANKL (sRANKL-LAB). The biological activity of recombinant sRANKL was confirmed by observing RANK-RANKL signaling in vitro. M cell development in response to oral administration of recombinant L. lactis was determined by 1.51-fold higher immunohistochemical expression of M cell marker GP-2, compared to that of non-treatment group. In addition, an adjuvant effect of sRANKL was examined by immunization of mice with M-BmpB as a model antigen after treatment with sRANKL-LAB. Compared with the wild-type L. lactis group, the sRANKL-LAB group showed significantly increased systemic and mucosal immune responses specific to M-BmpB. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the M cell development by sRANKL-LAB can increase the antigen transcytotic capability of follicle-associated epithelium, and thereby enhance the mucosal immune response, which implies that oral administration of sRANKL is a promising adjuvant strategy for efficient oral vaccination.

Nano-/micro-scaled hydroxyapatite ceramic construction and the regulation of immune-associated osteogenic differentiation.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) bioceramic is a promising substitute for bone defects, and the surface properties are major factors that influence bioactivity and osteoinductivity. In this study, two kinds of HA bioceramics with nanoscale (n-HA) and microscale (m-HA) surface topography were designed to mimic the natural bone, thus enhancing the stimulation of osteogenic differentiation and revealing the potential mechanism. Compared to m-HA, n-HA owned a larger surface roughness, a stronger wettability, and reduced hardness and indentation modulus. Based on these properties, n-HA could maintain the conformation of vitronectin better than m-HA, which may contribute to higher cellular activities and a stronger promotion of osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Further RNA sequencing analysis compared the molecular expression between n-HA and m-HA. Six hundred twenty-seven differentially expressed genes were identified in MSCs, and 17 upregulated genes and 610 downregulated genes were included when n-HA compared to m-HA. The GO cluster analysis and enriched Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genome signaling pathways revealed a close correlation with the immune process in both upregulated (chemokine signaling pathway and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction) and downregulated pathways (osteoclasts differentiation). It suggested that the nanoscale surface topography of HA enhanced the osteoinductivity of MSCs and could not be separated from its regulation of immune function and the retention of adsorbed protein conformation.

Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture for insomnia in stroke patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is highly prevalent in stroke patients; however, there is no ideal intervention. This systematic review examined the effect and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture on sleep in adults with stroke. METHODS: Six databases were searched from inception to June 2023 to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome was Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores. Risk of bias and evidence quality was assessed. A pairwise random-effect meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 54 RCTs published in 55 articles were finally included in the systematic review, including 35 of CHM and 19 of acupuncture therapies. Compared with placebo/sham procedure, CHM and acupuncture were more effective in improving PSQI scores. The evidence of moderate quality suggested that CHM outperformed benzodiazepine drugs (BZDs) while it presented an effect similar to that of non-BZDs in improving sleep quality. CHM and acupuncture also provided additional benefits to the patients treated with pharmacological agents alone. However, the evidence specific to individual CHM prescriptions lay in various factors and methodological quality, and the evidence on the comparative effectiveness between acupuncture and other therapies was conflicting or limited. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, CHM and acupuncture used alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy can safely improve sleep in stroke patients with insomnia. In the future, RCTs on outstanding CHM prescriptions and the comparative effectiveness research between acupuncture and other therapies are needed. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO No. CRD42020194029 and No. CRD42020194030.

Antitumor effects of polydopamine coated hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and its mechanism: Mitochondria-targeted ROS and calcium channels.

Nano hydroxyapatite (nHA) has been acknowledged for its inhibition efficiency on tumor cells and its excellent biocompatibility for normal tissue and cells. However, the low inhibitory efficiency of tumor cells and the ambiguous inhibitory mechanism limited its further application. In this work, four kinds of nHA with different sizes was prepared, and the one with the highest inhibition efficiency on 4T1 cells was screened as a substrate for developing the nanoparticles coated with polydopamine (PDA) coating, which was named nHA-PDA. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments were employed, and the results showed significantly higher inhibitory activity against 4T1 cells and 4T1-bared tumors by nHA-PDA. Further investigation revealed that the oxidative stress induced by PDA results in a large Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) accumulation, thus triggering the mitochondria-dependent apoptosis pathway ROS-JNK/MAPK and inducing the cascade reaction of inhibiting the anti-apoptosis protein-Bcl-2 expression and activating the expression of the critical genes in apoptosis signaling pathway (caspase 3 and caspase 9). Besides, the significant increase of intracellular [Ca2+] may also be an essential reason for the damage of mitochondria, eventually leading to apoptosis.

Photo-methanification of aquatic dissolved organic matters with different origins under aerobic conditions: Non-negligible role of hydroxyl radicals.

Lingering inconsistencies in the global methane (CH4) budget and ambiguity in CH4 sources and sinks triggered efforts to identify new CH4 formation pathways in natural ecosystems. Herein, we reported a novel mechanism of light-induced generation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) that drove the production of CH4 from aquatic dissolved organic matters (DOMs) under ambient conditions. A total of five DOM samples with different origins were applied to examine their potential in photo-methanification production under aerobic conditions, presenting a wide range of CH4 production rates from 3.57 × 10-3 to 5.90 × 10-2 nmol CH4 mg-C-1 h-1. Experiments of •OH generator and scavenger indicated that the contribution of •OH to photo-methanificaiton among different DOM samples reached about 4∼42 %. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry showed that the carbohydrate- and lipid-like substances containing nitrogen-bonded methyl groups, methyl ester, acetyl groups, and ketones, were the potential precursors for light-induced CH4 production. Based on the experimental results and simulated calculations, the contribution of photo-methanification of aquatic DOMs to the diffusive CH4 flux across the water-air interface in a typical eutrophic shallow lake (e.g., Lake Chaohu) ranged from 0.1 % to 18.3 %. This study provides a new perspective on the pathways of CH4 formation in aquatic ecosystems and a deeper understanding on the sources and sinks of global CH4.

Porous BCP ceramics with nanoscale whisker structure accelerate bone regeneration by regulating inflammatory response.

Inflammation-induced by biomaterials is a critical event to determine the success and efficiency of tissue repair. Macrophages are a major population that participates the biomaterial induced inflammation. The response of macrophages depends on the characteristics of biomaterials, thus causing a cascade reaction in subsequent biological processes. In this study, porous biphase calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics with the different surface structures were constructed to compare the effect of surface structure on bone generation potential, and further reveal the inflammation-involved mechanism. Our results demonstrated that macrophages on three ceramics showed distinct morphologies and spreading areas. The nanoscale whisker structure did induce more bone generation in the mice thigh muscle. The in vitro result revealed that nanoscale whisker structure could drive macrophage polarization towards M1-like phenotype, indicated by a higher expression of pro-inflammatory specific markers (iNOS and CCR7), and mass secretion of TNF-α. Further research indicated that additional TNF-α could promote the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, excess addition of TNF-α showed an opposite effect on the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs by initiating the NF-κB signaling pathway, which suppresses the osteogenesis process.

A CS-based composite scaffold with excellent photothermal effect and its application in full-thickness skin wound healing.

The development of natural polymer-based scaffolds with excellent biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, and blood compatibility, able to facilitate full-thickness skin wound healing, remains challenging. In this study, we have developed three chitosan (CS)-based porous scaffolds, including CS, CS/CNT (carbon nanotubes) and CS/CNT/HA (nano-hydroxyapatite, n-HA) using a freeze-drying method. All three scaffolds have a high swelling ratio, excellent antibacterial activity, outstanding cytocompatibility and blood compatibility in vitro. The introduction of CNTs exhibited an obvious increase in mechanical properties and exerts excellent photothermal response, which displays excellent healing performance as a wound dressing in mouse full-thickness skin wound model when compared to CS scaffolds. CS/CNT/HA composite scaffolds present the strongest ability to promote full-thickness cutaneous wound closure and skin regeneration, which might be ascribed to the synergistic effect of photothermal response from CNT and excellent bioactivity from n-HA. Overall, the present study indicated that CNT and n-HA can be engineered as effective constituents in wound dressings to facilitate full-thickness skin regeneration.

Gigaohm and Teraohm Resistors in Femtoamp and Picoamp Electrospray Ionization.

The femtoamp electrospray ionization (femtoESI) mode has been shown to exhibit unique characteristics that may facilitate ionization efficiency studies and experiments requiring low ion beam flux. Investigation of femtoESI was hindered by a tiny, applied voltage window of 10-100 V, beyond which ionization currents quickly jumped to nanoamps. This window was difficult to locate because the exact onset voltage fluctuates due to variations in ion source alignments. Large resistors (0.1-100 TΩ) in series effectively expanded the femtoESI applied voltage range, up to 1400 V. By swapping resistors, rapid alternation allows for the comparison of both ESI modes under the same alignment. In peptide mixtures, analytes with lower surface activity are suppressed in the nanoESI mode whereas the femtoESI mode shows signal enhancement of less surface-active species. For protein solutions, there is little change in the charge states generated but the femtoESI mode does show a decrease in the average charge state of protein peaks. Peptides and proteins analyzed in the femtoESI mode also tend to generate higher intensity sodiated peaks over protonated peaks at specific charge states compared with nanoESI mode operation.

Efficacy of acupuncture for cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cerebral resuscitation is one of the main therapeutic aims in the treatment of cardiac arrest (CA) patients who experience a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). However, the therapeutic effects of current treatments are not ideal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of neurological function of acupuncture combined with conventional cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitationthe (CPCR) for patients after ROSC. Methods: Seven electronic databases and other related websites were searched to identify studies on acupuncture combined with conventional CPCR for patients after ROSC. R software was used to conduct a meta-analysis, and the outcomes that could not be pooled were analyzed using a descriptive analysis. Results: Seven RCTs involving 411 participants who had experienced ROSC were eligible for inclusion. The main acupoints were Neiguan (PC6), Shuigou (DU26), Baihui (DU20), Yongquan (KI1), and Sanyinjiao (SP6). Compared to conventional CPCR, acupuncture combined with conventional CPCR led to significantly higher Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores on day 3 (mean difference (MD)=0.89, 95% CI: 0.43, 1.35, I2 = 0%), day 5 (MD = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.27, 2.15; I2 = 0%), and day 7 (MD = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.35, 2.50; I2 = 0%). Conclusion: Acupuncture-assisted conventional CPCR may have a potential role in improving neurological function in CA patients after ROSC, but the certainty of evidence is very low and more high-quality studies are required. Protocol registration: This review was registered at the International Prospective Registry of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO): CRD42021262262.

DNA Nanoclusters Combined with One-Shot Radiotherapy Augment Cancer Immunotherapy Efficiency.

Immunotherapy shows immense promise for improving cancer treatment. Combining immunotherapy with radiotherapy provides a conspicuous advantage due to its enhanced abscopal effect. However, established immune tolerance mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment can hamper the generation of a sufficient abscopal effect. Herein, a type of DNA nanocluster (DNAnc) that is self-assembled by a CpG-ODNs-loaded Y-shaped double-stranded DNA vector based on the unique complementary base-pairing rules is designed. The unique structure of DNAnc makes it load more than ≈8125.5 ± 822.5 copies of CpG ODNs within one single nanostructure, which effectively increases resistance to nuclease degradation and elevates the efficiency of repolarizing macrophages to an M1-like phenotype. Mechanistic studies reveal that more DNAncs are endocytosed by macrophages in the cancer tissue and repolarized macrophages to elicit a robust abscopal effect with the accumulation of macrophages induced by radiotherapy, generating potent, long-term, and durable antitumor immunity for the inhibition of tumor metastasis and the prevention of tumor recurrence, which provides a novel strategy to boost cancer immunotherapy.

[Comparative study on the content of chlorogenic acid in Solanum torvum from different origin, different harvest time and different part].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a HPLC method for determination of chlorogenic acid in Solanum torvum and provide a scientific basis for evaluating the quality and reasonable utilization of the herb. METHODS: HPLC was used to quantitatively determine the chlorogenic acid content in Solanum torvum from different origin, different harvest time and different part. The assay was performed on a Agela Promosil C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column and eluted with a mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile -0.1% phosphoric acid solution at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The column temperature was set at 35 degrees C. The detection wavelength was 327 nm. RESULTS: The calibration curve was linear within the range of 0.1000 - 200.0 microg/mL (r = 0.9999). The average recoveries were 99.8% (RSD = 0.71%). The contents of chlorogenic acid in Solanum torvum were different from different origin, different harvest time and different part. CONCLUSION: The method is reliable, accurate and specific. It can be used for quality control of Solanum torvum and reasonable utilization of the herb.

Organic matter biomarker and 13C NMR characteristics of soil and sediment standard reference materials from China.

Soil and sediment organic matter (OM) in terrestrial environments represent two critical organic carbon pools on Earth and are likely subject to distinct degrees of oxidation and modification. However, few studies have identified critical molecular-level characteristics that differentiate soil and sediment OM from various climate zones. Using biomarkers and solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analyses, we studied the OM characteristics of 11 soil and 7 sediment standard reference materials (SRMs) originating from various geographical locations in China. Results showed significantly higher concentrations of lignin phenols in sediment OM than in soil OM, which may result from protection by higher contents of CaO and less microbial degradation in sediments. Nevertheless, the relative abundances of solvent-extractable lipids (alkanes, alkanols, and alkanoic acids) and ester-bound cutin and suberin biomarkers did not differ significantly between soil and sediment SRMs. The concentrations of lignin biomarkers decreased with increasing weathering degree of the soil, while cutin biomarkers increased with mean annual temperature and precipitation. This phenomenon was not observed in sediment SRMs. This study reveals the distinct OM characteristics between Chinese soil and sediment SRMs and provides fundamental data for future studies to link OM characteristics and functions.

Traditional Chinese Medicine for Post-stroke Sleep Disorders: The Evidence Mapping of Clinical Studies.

Background and Purpose: Recently, there are a number of clinical studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for post-stroke sleep disorders (PSSDs). This study aimed to map the current clinical studies and identify gaps to inform future study agendas. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Chinese databases, including SinoMed, CNKI, and Wanfang, were searched for clinical studies on PSSDs treated with TCM from their inception to September 2021. Evidence sources, number of studies, types of PSSDs, intervention categories, effectiveness, and quality assessment were graphically displayed. Results: The evidence map involved 810 clinical studies, of which the earliest report was dated back to 1993, and an advanced growth of the whole evidence was observed in 2012. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were the most common type of study design (78.15%), and post-stroke insomnia was the most common type of sleep disorders (65.80%). The benefits of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture therapies for post-stroke insomnia have been widely reported in RCTs (81.60% and 75.38%, respectively). However, the benefits of CHM interventions were assessed using a global approach rather than being based on a specific formula, and the highest level of evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture therapies was of low methodological quality. In addition, evidence from primary studies was insufficient in the areas of TCM for post-stroke sleep-related breathing disorders (SBDs) and Chinese mind-body exercises for post-stroke insomnia. Conclusions: PSSDs treated with TCM have been widely assessed in clinical studies. For better evidence translation, clinical trials on specific CHM interventions and high-quality systematic reviews on acupuncture for post-stroke insomnia should be conducted. For a better solution to clinical questions, TCM on SBDs after stroke and the benefits of Chinese mind-body exercises for post-stroke insomnia should be explored in future clinical studies.

The role of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19: A scoping review.

Introduction: This study aims to summarize the available evidence and guideline/consensus recommendations for acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: A scoping review was performed. Eight electronic databases and other related websites were searched. All studies related to acupuncture and moxibustion for COVID-19 were considered. Descriptive analysis was applied to analyze the all included studies and guideline recommendations. Results: We ultimately included 131 eligible studies. The main topics of the included studies were the treatment (82.4%) and prevention (38.9%) of COVID-19. The most included studies were literature reviews (65, 49.6%), protocols of systematic reviews (20, 15.3%), and guidelines and consensuses (18, 13.7%). The 18 (13.7%) COVID-19 guidelines and consensuses included 47 recommendations on acupuncture and moxibustion, which focused on the treatment (21/47, 44.7%), rehabilitation (17/47, 36.2%) and prevention (6, 12.8%) of COVID-19 patients. Zusanli (ST36), Feishu (BL13), Guanyuan (RN4) were recommended mostly for the treatment, rehabilitation and prevention respectively. Conclusion: Acupuncture and moxibustion are effective in the treatment of COVID-19 patients to some extent. However, more high-quality of clinical trials still needed to determine the feasibility of acupuncture and moxibustion in COVID-19 patients to better guide clinical practice. Study registration: Open Science Framework Registries (Registration DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/Z35WN; https://osf.io/z35wn).