Dysphagia is one of the most common symptoms in patients after stroke onset, which has multiple unfavorable effects on quality of life and functional recovery. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation that is widely used to improve deglutition function. Recently, some studies have confirmed that tDCS enhances deglutition function after stroke. However, the number of evaluation indexes used in those studies was small, and the number of trials included was limited. Most importantly, the optimal stimulation protocol is still uncertain and the safety of tDCS has not been reviewed. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to address these shortcomings. Methods: Seven databases were searched entirely, including Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed), Wan-fang database, and the Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP) from inception to 31 December 2021. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility of retrieved data according to the selection criteria and assessed the methodological quality of the studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Outcomes, measures, and indicators used in this study included the dysphagia outcome and severity scale (DOSS), modified Mann assessment of swallowing ability (MMASA), functional oral intake scale (FOIS), functional dysphagia scale (FDS), and Kubota’s water-drinking test (KWDT). Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate the intervention effect more specifically. Results: Fifteen trials with a total of 787 participants (394 subjects in the tDCS groups were treated with true tDCS, and 393 subjects in the control groups were wait-listed or treated with sham tDCS) involving tDCS for dysphagia after stroke and were included in the meta-analysis. Results of this meta-analysis confirmed that tDCS had a positive effect on post-stroke dysphagia. Subgroup analyses revealed that bilateral and high-intensity stimulation with tDCS had a more significant impact on post-stroke dysphagia. Furthermore, no adverse events occurred during the application of tDCS for post-stroke dysphagia. Conclusion: tDCS can promote the recovery of deglutition function in patients with dysphagia after stroke. In addition, bilateral stimulation and high-intensity stimulation may have better effects. However, the safety evidence for tDCS and post-stroke dysphagia is insufficient.

Introduction: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a persistent neuropathic pain condition that endures for at least 3 months following the onset of herpes zoster, significantly impairing life quality of patients. Current PHN treatments demonstrate limited efficacy, and the lack of reliable severity biomarkers hinders effective clinical management. Electroacupuncture represents a promising therapeutic approach for PHN, though comprehensive evidence supporting its efficacy and safety is still needed. Furthermore, as objective indicators, the role of serum biomarkers in assessments still requires further investigation. Methods: This multicenter, sham-controlled, randomized study will recruit 180 patients with PHN. Participants will be allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to electroacupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waiting-list groups via multicenter stratified block randomization. Participants will receive 1-month of treatment and 3-month follow-ups. The electroacupuncture group and the sham acupuncture group will each receive 12 treatments. All participants will maintain their pre-enrollment medication. Primary outcome is Numerical Rating Scale; secondary outcomes include pain episode frequency, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, The Short-Form 36 Health Survey, and changes of biomarkers (Neuropeptide Y, Substance P, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, Interleukin-10). A linear mixed-effects model will be used to analyze data at different time points to explore the efficacy of electroacupuncture and the correlation between serum biomarkers and pain intensity. The predictive value of biomarkers for refractory postherpetic neuralgia (NRS reduction < 30% from baseline post-treatment) will be assessed using ROC curves. Conclusion: The expected outcomes will clarify the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for PHN. The study will also analyze the correlation between serum biomarkers and pain symptoms and determine whether serum biomarkers can serve as prognostic indicators for refractory postherpetic neuralgia. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06990854. Registered on June 3, 2025. (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06990854).

Sarcopenia is age-related, pathophysiological muscle atrophy. Research regarding nutrition treatment of sarcopenia has developed rapidly, particularly as populations age. We evaluated the development of trends in this field using a bibliometric analysis. Articles up to July 2022 were searched in the Scopus database. Bibliographic information from the selected publications, such as countries, citations, world maps, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords, were converted and analyzed automatically using the “bibliometrix” package in R environment (version 4.2.0). We identified 368 Scopus articles from 1998–2021. According to citation analyses, 27 documents received more than 100 citations. Bibliometric analysis based on the literature included in this study revealed that South Korea (61 publications), United States (50), Japan (35), China (30), and Italy (20) contributed the most publications. Tehran University of Medical Science (19 records, 2.55% of articles) contributed the most publications. The most productive author was Landi, with eight articles (2.17% of articles). The publications were located in 196 journals, with Nutrients having the most publications (30, 8.15% of articles). The curves representing keywords “sarcopenia” and “aged” were the most apparent. Our analysis suggested that global nutrition and sarcopenia-related research increased rapidly from 2001 to 2021, demonstrating that this was a promising area of future research that could benefit from continued advances. Future research may focus on the effects of age and sex as well as intervention effectiveness, particularly exercise and nutrition supplementation.

Introduction: Migraine is a common neurovascular disorder disease often characterized by episodic headaches that can develop chronic disorders. Acupuncture as a non-pharmacological therapy has been extensively used to manage migraine prevention and treatment in clinical practice. Many studies focused on acupuncture therapy for migraine, but none analyzed the publications quantitatively and qualitatively. The aim of this study is to show the recent researches and trend of advances in this field based on quantitative and qualitative analyses. Methods: Publications related to acupuncture research about migraine were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and Scopus database. The quantitative data analysis was performed to show the recent researches and trend of advances from six perspectives: annual scientific production, countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. For the qualitative analysis, acupuncture research about migraine was analyzed from the top twenty most highly cited articles. Results: The number of annual scientific production steadily increased with some fluctuations over the years. The country and institutions contributing most to this field are China and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Zhao Ling was the most relevant author in this field, Linde Klaus was the highly co-cited author. The leading journal regarding the number of selected articles was “Zhongguo Zhen Jiu”. The top twenty most highly cited articles were divided into two categories: original articles and reviews. Among these two categories, original articles occupied the vast majority. Moreover, the real effectiveness of acupuncture for migraine prevention and treatment was the research frontier and hot spot. Conclusion: Results of our analysis indicate that the number of publications showed an overall increasing trend, demonstrating that this research field still has a promising future. In addition, more researchers will probably focus their work on the difference between verum acupuncture and usual care for preventing and treating migraine.

Introduction: Herpes zoster (HZ) can adversely influence patients’ quality of life and sometimes it can develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). To date, it remains challenging to be managed by currently available therapies. Intradermal acupuncture (IDA) has the potential to be an adjunctive therapy for acute HZ and infrared thermography (IRT) may be useful for predicting PHN; however, current evidence remains inconclusive. Therefore, the purposes of this trial are to 1) evaluate the efficacy and safety of IDA as an adjunctive therapy for acute HZ; 2) to explore the feasibility of IRT for early prediction of PHN and as an objective tool to aid in subjective pain assessment in acute HZ. Methods: This study is designed as a randomized, parallel-group, sham-controlled, and patient-assessor-blinded trial, including 1-month treatment and 3-month follow-ups. Seventy-two qualified participants will be randomly split into the IDA or sham IDA group in a ratio of 1:1. Apart from standard pharmacological treatments in both groups, the two groups will receive 10 sessions of IDA or sham IDA, respectively. Primary outcome measures are the visual analog scale (VAS), indicators of herpes lesions’ recovery, the temperature of the pain area, and the incidence rate of PHN. The secondary outcome is the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Indicators of herpes lesions’ recovery will be assessed at each visit and follow-ups. The remaining outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 1 month after intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Safety evaluation will be determined by adverse events during the trial. Conclusion: Expected results will determine whether IDA can enhance therapeutic effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for acute HZ with acceptable safety profile. In addition, it will verify the accuracy of IRT for early prediction of PHN and as an objective tool of subjective pain for acute HZ. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov (identification number: NCT05348382; Registered 27 April 2022, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05348382).

This study aims to investigate the roles of CMPK2 and the NLRP3 inflammasome in the phenotypic polarization of myeloid cells after spinal cord injury (SCI), as well as the underlying regulatory mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA). Wild type (WT) and CMPK2 knockout (CMPK2 KO) mice were subjected to SCI induction, followed by NLRP3 overexpression or EA intervention. Motor function, inflammatory responses, and CD11b + myeloid cell phenotypes were evaluated. SCI induced severe motor dysfunction, excessive neuroinflammation, and upregulated the expression of CMPK2, NLRP3, and IL-1β. Neuronal NLRP3 overexpression exacerbated pro-inflammatory M1-like polarization of CD11b + myeloid cells and aggravated tissue damage. CMPK2 KO inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation, suppressed pro-inflammatory M1-like polarization, and promoted anti-inflammatory M2-like polarization of myeloid cells. EA intervention exerted similar neuroprotective effects by inhibiting the CMPK2/NLRP3 signaling axis and promoting the shift of CD11b + myeloid cells toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype. These findings indicate that activation of the CMPK2/NLRP3 axis is closely associated with excessive neuroinflammation and imbalanced phenotypic polarization of myeloid cells after SCI. EA can ameliorate SCI-induced neurological damage by targeting the CMPK2/NLRP3 axis to mitigate neuroinflammation and promote reparative phenotypic polarization of myeloid cells. This study provides novel insights into potential anti-inflammatory strategies for SCI.