Background: Abdominal obesity (AO) is not only a health issue, but also a serious impact on women’s work and life. The article of acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) on AO has already been accepted to be published and showed significant effect. However, whether ACE is effective for abdominally obese female with strong appetite is still unclear. Methods: This is a mixed analysis of a multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.Which was conducted in China between July 2018 and March 2020 (n = 101), while with the supplementary samples (n = 22) between April 2020 and June 2022. According to the appetite and intervention methods, 123 abdominally obese female were divided into ACE group with strong appetite (n = 27) and moderate appetite (n = 31), control (non-acupoint catgut embedding) group with strong appetite (n = 37) and moderate appetite (n = 28). Four subgroups were given a 12-week actual intervention period and a 4-week follow-up. Waist circumference (WC), appetite, body weight and BMI were applied and assessed at baseline and after 6, 12 and 16 weeks. Results: In this study, the mean onset age of abdominal obesity in females was 25.27 (8.19) years old. The longer duration of AO, the lower the appetite in females (p< 0.05). At 12 and 16 weeks, ACE group with strong appetite showed significant decrease in WC and appetite than control group with strong appetite (p< 0.01). However, ACE group with moderate appetite showed no significant decrease than control group with moderate appetite in WC, appetite, body weight and BMI (p> 0.05). At 12 and 16 weeks, there was no significant difference in appetite between the ACE groups (strong and moderate appetite)(p> 0.05), while there was still a difference between the control groups (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Younger abdominally obese female had a stronger appetite. ACE own the remarkable therapeutic effects for younger abdominally obese female and showed the perfect effect on appetite-reduction.

Introduction: Migraine is a common neurological disorder with a higher prevalence occurring in women. Migraine without aura (MwoA) is the most common type of migraine. In recent years, the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture for migraines have been internationally recognised. Contralateral acupuncture (CAT) (Jùcì) is an ancient classic acupuncture technique from Huang Di Nei Jing that refers to the acupoints on the right side (healthy side) selected for diseases on the left (affected side) and vice versa. Some studies have shown that efficacy of CAT on the painful disorder is even better than ipsilateral acupuncture (IAT), but there remains a lack of high-quality evidence to support it.Methods and analysis: This is a single-centre, randomised and sham-controlled clinical trial in China with three parallel groups that aim to evaluate the efficacy of CAT in women with unilateral MwoA. 243 participants will be randomly divided into the experimental group (CAT group), control group 1 (IAT group) and control group 2 (sham acupuncture group) (1:1:1 allocation ratio). Each group will be given 30-minute treatment sessions, once every other day, approximately three times per week, for a total of 24 treatments and follow-up visits two times. The primary outcome is the changes in days of migraine attacks. The secondary outcomes are frequency of migraine attacks, intensity of migraine, migraine duration, the dose of intake of acute medication, the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Migraine Disability Assessment Score, the Headache Impact Test-6 and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The data will be collected at the baseline time (week 0), end of treatment (week 4–8) and the follow-up time (week 12–16). Adverse events will be collected and recorded during each treatment.Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Sports Trauma Specialist Hospital of Yunnan Province (2021-01). All participants will provide written informed consent before randomisation. The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences.Trial registration number: Chinese Clinical Trial Registration Center (ChiCTR2100051479).

Background: Acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) has been proven to be effective and safe in the treatment of obesity, but few studies have been conducted involving its central mechanisms. Our previous study has demonstrated the effectiveness of Shu-Mu ACE in the treatment of abdominal obesity (AO). However, the neurological mechanism of Shu-Mu ACE for weight loss has not yet been elucidated. The mechanism of the combination of the Shu and Mu acupoints may be related to the central integrative effects of the brain. This paper aims to explore the potential neural mechanisms of Shu-Mu ACE in female patients with AO. Methods and Analysis: A total of 100 eligible female AO patients and 20 healthy female subjects will be recruited for this study. 100 AO patients will be randomly allocated to five groups: Shu-Mu ACE (Group A), Shu ACE (Group B), Mu ACE (Group C), sham ACE (Group D), and waiting-list (Group E). Treatment will be administrated once every two weeks for 12 weeks. The body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), Visual Analog Scales (VAS) of appetite, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) will be utilized to evaluate the clinical efficacy. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at each time point of treatment. Multimodal MRI will be performed at baseline and after 12-week treatment and the results will be used to investigate the neural mechanisms of ACE for obesity. Neurological changes and clinical data will be analysed for correlation. Discussions: This study hypothesized that Shu-Mu ACE therapy has a synergistic effect and may treat AO by modulating the neuropathological alterations in the brain. Our findings will demonstrate the neurological mechanism of AO treated by “Shu-Mu” Acupoint Catgut Embedding and compatibility relation. Trial Registration: This trial is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registration Center (No. ChiCTR2100048920).

Introduction Migraine is a widespread neurological disorder characterised by recurrent moderate-to-severe headaches. These headaches can seriously affect patients’ daily life and work, especially during acute attacks when patients often need immediate pain relief. This study aims to assess the immediate analgesic effect of acupuncture for 10 min during acute migraine attacks. Methods and analysis The study will randomly divide 80 participants into either the acupuncture group or the sham acupuncture group with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Each group will receive 10 min of treatment, and the post-treatment evaluation will be performed after 0, 0–2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min of acupuncture. The primary outcome is the pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score assessed before and after treatment at 10 min. Additionally, secondary outcomes include the pain VAS score assessed at 0–2, 4, 6 and 8 min, blinding assessment and treatment effectiveness expectations scale. Data will be collected at baseline time and the end of treatment (after 10 min). Adverse events during each treatment period will be collected and recorded. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine (2022–008). All participants will provide written informed consent before randomisation. The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences. Trial registration number Chinese Clinical Trial Registration Center (ChiCTR2200066976).

Introduction Stiff neck is a condition mainly characterised by persistent pain and limited neck movement, which can substantially impact patients’ daily lives during acute episodes. Accordingly, rapid pain relief and restoration of normal activities are the main needs of patients during doctor visits. This study aims to assess the immediate efficacy of acupuncture combined with active exercises in rapidly relieving pain and improving movement disorders within 10 min in patients with acute stiff neck (ASN). Methods and analysis This randomised controlled clinical trial is being conducted at a single centre in China. 120 participants diagnosed with ASN will randomly be assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to one of three groups: the acupuncture combined with active exercise group (group A), sham acupuncture combined with active exercise group (group B) and active exercise only group (group C). Each participant will undergo a single 10 min session. The primary outcome is the effective rate at 10 min of treatment. Secondary outcomes include the effective rate at other time points (0–1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 min), Visual Analogue Scale score and cervical range of motion. The intention-to-treat analysis will include all randomised participants. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine (2022-009). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants before randomisation. The findings of this study will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentation at conferences. Trial registration number ChiCTR2200066997.