The“Top 50 High Impact Researches of Traditional Medicine”published in 2021

In recent years,significant progress has been achieved in both basic and clinical research within the field of traditional medicine,garnering increasing attention worldwide.To further promote a high-quality and international development of traditional medicine,the editorial board of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine provided a collection of the“Top 50 High-impact Researches of Traditional Medicine”published in 2021 through objective indicators and a strict selection process.The findings of the selected articles have a significant academic influence and possess considerable academic value both nationally and internationally.The selected articles cover a wide range of topics,including clinical research,acupuncture,pharmacology,chemistry,biosynthesis,medicinal plant resources,and new formulation and drug delivery system research on traditional medicine.Therefore,this article outlines the selection process of the top 50 high-impact research articles,analyzes their research characteristics,and provides a brief summary of their new findings and perspectives in the field of traditional medicine.

Deqi effect for treating knee osteoarthritis using manual acupuncture:A network meta-analysis

Objective: To explore whether the deqi effect affects the effectiveness of manual acupuncture for treating knee osteoarthritis by a network meta-analysis(NMA).Methods: Eight databases were searched for relevant published studies since inception through January 2021. Randomized control trials that compared manual acupuncture with deqi, manual acupuncture without deqi, and conventional treatment of western medicine were included. Languages were limited to English and Chinese. Two authors independently selected eligible studies, assessed methodological quality and the effects of deqi, and extracted outcome data. The mean difference(MD) and standardized mean differences(SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals(CIs) were calculated by Stata 15.0 to conduct an NMA based on a frequentist framework.Results: Fourteen trials with a total of 1868 subjects were included. The direct and indirect comparisons were authentic, according to inconsistency tests. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC) pooled results indicated that there was no significant effect of deqi(SMD=-0.23, 95% CI [-0.81, 0.35]). The pooled results of visual analogue scale(VAS) were similar to those of WOMAC(MD=-0.53, 95% CI [-1.03, 0.02]).Conclusion: As a summary of the currently available research, the NMA results indicated that deqi effect might not be the crucial factor for the effectiveness of manual acupuncture.

Corrigendum to “Deqi effect for treating knee osteoarthritis using manual acupuncture: A network meta-analysis” [J Tradit Chin Med Sci 8 (2021) 343e352]

The authors regret<In previous version,we made several errors.The correct descriptions are as follows.>.[Results]They used manual stimulation of the needles:one clearly required deqi in the intervention method;6 one achieved deqi if possible;14 one executed a brief manipulation at the beginning and the end of the treatment;31 and 10 RCTs described the manipulation to elicit deqi.29,30,32-39 In three MAOD groups,one used Streitberger non-penetrating needle,31 the patients in Wang et al.’s experiment were given fine needle,shallow insertion and weak stimulation without manipulation to avoid Deqi,32 whereas other one used needle inserted into acupoints but did not use any method of stimulation.40 In the CTWM,11 RCTs included routine pharmacological therapy,and one RCT14 considered waiting lists in which patients were allowed to receive oral NSAIDs if necessary.Twelve RCTs recorded WOMAC,and ten RCTs used VAS.

Immediate analgesia effect of contralateral needling at Tiaokou (ST38) in patients with chronic shoulder pain: A randomized controlled exploratory trial

Objective:To compare the immediate effect of acupuncture at the contralateral versus ipsilateral Tiaokou (ST38) in patients with Chronic shoulder pain (CSP).Method:Altogether,38 patients with unilateral CSP were randomly assigned to a contralateral ST38 group (Contra group) or ipsilateral ST38 group (Ipsi group).Each underwent 20 min of manual acupuncture:Contra group at the contralateral ST38,Ipsi group at the ipsilateral ST38.Primary outcome measure was the visual analog scale (VAS) score.Secondary outcome measure for assessing shoulder mobility was the Constant-Murley (CM) score,which included pain level,activities of daily living (ADL),and shoulder range of motion (RONM).These factors were assessed before and immediately after acupuncture.A value of P <.05 indicated significance.Results:VAS scores decreased immediately after treatment in both groups,but the effect was significantly greater in the Contra group (P =.043).CM scores also improved in both groups,but the Contra group improved significantly more (P =.002).The CM's pain and ADL scores were similar in the two groups (P =.055 and P =.193,respectively),but ROM and strength scores were better in the Contra group than in the Ipsi group (P =.003 and P =.037,respectively).No adverse effects were reported.Conclusion:The immediate effect of acupuncture at the contralateral ST38 may be superior to that at the ipsilateral ST38 in CSP patients.