Acupuncture is an important part of Chinese medicine that has been widely used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, acupuncture has been used as a complementary treatment for COVID-19 in China. However, the underlying mechanism of acupuncture treatment of COVID-19 remains unclear. Based on bioinformatics/topology, this paper systematically revealed the multi-target mechanisms of acupuncture therapy for COVID-19 through text mining, bioinformatics, network topology, etc. Two active compounds produced after acupuncture and 180 protein targets were identified. A total of 522 Gene Ontology terms related to acupuncture for COVID-19 were identified, and 61 pathways were screened based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Our findings suggested that acupuncture treatment of COVID-19 was associated with suppression of inflammatory stress, improving immunity and regulating nervous system function, including activation of neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathway, cancer pathway, viral carcinogenesis, Staphylococcus aureus infection, etc. The study also found that acupuncture may have additional benefits for COVID-19 patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Our study revealed for the first time the multiple synergistic mechanisms of acupuncture on COVID-19. Acupuncture may play an active role in the treatment of COVID-19 and deserves further promotion and application. These results may help to solve this pressing problem currently facing the world.

Danhong injection (DHI) has been widely prescribed to patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, due to methodological deficiencies, previous research has not yet provided rigorous evidence to support the use of DHI in the treatment of AIS. Therefore, we designed this multicenter, randomized, controlled, and double-blind trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DHI for AIS. It is a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive clinical trial. A total of 864 eligible patients will be randomized into either the DHI or placebo group in a 2:1 ratio. All patients will be given the standard medical care as recommended by guidelines. Participants will undergo a 2-week treatment regimen and 76-day follow-up period. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients with a favorable outcome, defined as a score of 0–1 on the modified Rankin scale at day 90. Secondary outcomes include a change in the total score of the Chinese medicine symptom scales of “Xueyu Zheng” (blood stasis syndrome), the proportion of patients with a Barthel Index score of ≥90, the proportion of patients with an improvement in NIHSS score of ≥4 or NIHSS score of 0–1, quality of life measured by the EQ-5D scale, etc. Safety outcomes such as global disability (mRS ≥3) at day 90 will also be assessed. The changes in mRNA and microRNA profiles in 96 patients selected from certain centers will also be assessed. As this is an adaptive design, two interim analyses are prospectively planned, which will be carried out after one-third and two-thirds of patients have completed the trial, respectively. Based on the results of the interim analyses, the Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) will decide how to modify the study. This trial will provide high-quality evidence for DHI in treatment of AIS. Clinical Trials.gov NCT01677208 (Date of registration 22 December 2012).

Chronic stable angina is a leading cause of death worldwide. Danhong injection, a complementary alternative medicine for chronic stable angina, has been demonstrated to be effective in numerous studies and is widely prescribed to patients. However, the methodological quality of most prior studies was found to be, in general, low. Therefore, we designed this randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of using Danhong injection to treat chronic stable angina. This is a randomized multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive clinical trial. A total of 870 patients meeting the eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned into either the Danhong injection or the placebo group in a 2:1 ratio. Participants will then undergo a 2-week treatment regimen and a 76-day follow-up period. Because this is an adaptive trial, two interim analyses are prospectively planned. These will be performed after one-third and two-thirds of the patients, respectively, have completed the trial. Based on the results of these interim analyses, a data monitoring committee will determine how to modify aspects of the study without undermining the validity and integrity of the trial. The primary outcome measure is the proportion of patients who show a clinically significant change, which is defined as at least a 20-point improvement in angina frequency score on the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, which will be administered on day 30. Other secondary efficacy and safety outcomes will also be assessed. This trial will provide high-quality evidence regarding the use of Danhong injection to treat chronic stable angina. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01681316 .