The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Progress in the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma by integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) overwhelmingly represents the predominant histological subtype of lung cancer, with lung adenocarcinoma emerging as the most prevalent form. Conventional Western medical treatments encompass a spectrum of modalities, including surgical interventions, cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted pharmacotherapy, and immunotherapy. In contrast, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) methodologies encompass traditional Chinese medicine treatments, acupuncture therapies, and tuina treatments. While conventional Western medicine has made remarkable strides in the treatment of lung cancer, it is important to acknowledge the limitations inherent in singular treatment approaches. Consequently, the quest for a more comprehensive and integrative therapeutic paradigm becomes imperative. A deficiency of evaluation criteria specific to lung adenocarcinoma treatment in the realm of TCM represents an outstanding challenge in need of resolution. Nonetheless, in the backdrop of the continuous evolution of lung adenocarcinoma treatment modalities, the amalgamation of Chinese and Western medical approaches for treating this condition has exhibited a promising trajectory. It not only contributes to mitigating toxicity and augmenting efficacy but also serves to reduce a spectrum of postoperative complications, thereby enhancing the quality of patients' survival and extending life expectancy. This article furnishes a comprehensive survey of the research advancements in the integration of Chinese and Western medical approaches for treating lung adenocarcinoma. It elucidates the merits and demerits of individual and combined therapeutic strategies, surmounts current limitations, underscores the virtues of amalgamating Chinese and Western medical paradigms, and offers a more holistic, integrated, and efficacious treatment blueprint.

Cerebral cortex Functional Networks of Transdermal Electrical Stimulation at Daling (PC7) Acupoint

The cerebral cortex functional network of Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals during transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on 21 healthy subjects was constructed by using three modules: standard low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA), phase-locking value (PLV), and complex network. We investigated the brain functional network triggered by PC7 stimulation by comparing with resting state and non-acupoint stimulation. The results showed that the PC7 stimulation mainly activated frontal lobe and temporal lobe including prefrontal cortex (BA10), insular lobe (BA13), temporal gyrus (BA22), anterior cingulate cortex (BA32), temporal pole (BA38), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA46), and inferior frontal cortex (BA47), which are all closely linked to cognition, spirit, and emotion in brain. Furthermore, the degrees of node in frontal, temporal, and whole brain are increased significantly or extreme significantly with p < 0.05, p < 0.05, and p < 0.01, respectively; clustering coefficient in frontal, temporal, and whole brain are all statistically significant (p < 0.05). The information transmission efficiency of cerebral cortex has been greatly improved. During PC7 stimulation, the topological changes in the activation of cerebral regions and cortical functional networks are consistent with the therapeutic effect, which may provide theoretical support for acupoint stimulation to regulate nerve function.

Discovering Influential Core-Keywords, Researcher Networks and Research Trends of Acupuncture on Depression Using Bibliometric Analysis

Depression is a common illness worldwide. Acupuncture is used as an alternative to non-pharmacological therapy. This study aimed to identify the development and global trends in the study of acupuncture therapy for depression over the past two decades using a bibliometric analysis. Articles published between 2001 and 2020 on acupuncture for depression were retrieved from the Web of Science database. Extracted information included authors, organizations, countries, keywords, and journals. The VOSviewer program was used to visualize the impacts and network hubs of the keywords, authors, and affiliations. Analyses of 871 original and review articles revealed that the number of publications has continually increased over the past 20 years. China has published the maximum number of articles, followed by the United States and South Korea. As for research areas, integrative complementary medicine was most well represented in terms of the number of articles. Co-occurrence analysis of keywords indicated that each five sub-group cluster (including "pain related to depressive symptoms," "CAM therapies of depression," "comorbid disease or symptoms of depression," "clinical trials of depression," and "mechanism of acupuncture on depression") has its own impact keyword. The most recent keywords were "protocol" and "systematic review," whereas early keywords were "acupuncture analgesia" and "St john's wort." Co-authorship analysis of authors and organizations revealed 4 influential authors and 2 organizations in the field of acupuncture for depression. The present study provided influential keywords that show comorbid symptoms, treatments, and mechanism. Additionally, it revealed the influential persons or groups related to acupuncture therapy for depression.

Efficacy of the Integrative Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: The Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Single-Blinded, Randomized Trial in China

Introduction

Antidepressants are the front-line treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), but remain unsatisfactory in outcome. An increasing number of patients are interested in acupuncture and moxibustion treatment as complementary therapies. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of integrative acupuncture and moxibustion (iAM) treatment in patients with MDD.

Methods and Analysis

This multicenter, single-blind, 2 × 2 factorial randomized trial will enroll 592 patients with MDD of moderate severity from nine hospitals. All patients will be randomized, in a ratio of 2:2:2:1, through a computerized central randomization system, into four groups (the combined, iAM-only, sertraline-only, and placebo groups). Participants will undergo a 12-week intervention with either 50 mg of sertraline or a placebo once a day and active/sham iAM treatment three times per week. The primary outcome is depression severity, assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale-17. The secondary outcomes include self-rated depression severity, anxiety, and sleep quality. The primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, and the 8th week posttreatment. Safety will be evaluated through liver and kidney function tests conducted before and after treatment and through monitoring of daily adverse events. An intent-to-treat principle will be followed for the outcome analyses.

Conclusion

This trial will provide sufficient evidence to ascertain whether iAM is effective and safe for treating MDD and provides a suitable combination strategy for treating MDD.

Clinical Trial Registration

[www.chictr.org.cn], identifier [ChiCTR2100042841].