Paeonia lactiflora (PL) was widely used for pain relief, but its effects on migraine headaches remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of PL on migraine headaches. First, we found that PL was frequently used in Taiwan for headache treatment based on data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Migraine was induced through the intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of nitroglycerin (NTG, 10 mg/kg) in rats. Pretreatment with PL was administered orally 30 min prior to the NTG i.p. Migraine headache behavior was observed by video-recordings. Finally, the rats were sacrificed and brain was removed for immunohistochemistry staining analysis. The frequency and total time spent rearing up and sniffing in exploratory behavior, and walking in locomotor behavior, were reduced in the NTG group compared with the control group (all p < 0.001). This reduction could be ameliorated by pretreatment with PL 1.0 g/kg (all p < 0.05). Total time spent in the light chamber was lower in the NTG group compared with the control group (p < 0.05); this could be ameliorated by pretreatment with 1.0 g/kg PL (p < 0.05). The rats in the NTG group spent longer time on the smooth surface than those in the control group (p < 0.001); this could be shortened by pretreatment with 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg PL (both p < 0.01). The traveling distance of rats in the NTG group was shorter than in the control group (p < 0.001); rats given 1.0 g/kg PL had a longer traveling distance than those in the NTG group (p < 0.01). Both c-fos and CGRP immunoreactive cells increased in the TNC in the NTG group compared with that of the control group (both p < 0.001); this increased could be reduced by pretreatment with PL 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg (both p < 0.05). Pretreatment with PL ameliorated migraine headache behaviors in the NTG-induced migraine rat model, suggesting pretreatment with PL is beneficial for migraine headache treatment. This effect of PL is related to the decrease of c-fos and CGRP in the TNC. However, still there are too many methodological limitations which need to be overcome in further experiments to support the data.

The study aimed to investigate effect of auricular electrical stimulation (ES) on migraine. Migraine was induced in rats by intraperitoneal administration of nitroglycerin (NTG, 10 mg/kg) three times. Auricular ES pretreatment was performed for five consecutive days. Migraine behaviors were observed by a video recording. Auricular ES pretreatment could reverse the decrease of the total time spent on exploratory (2619.0 ± 113.0 s vs 1581.7 ± 217.6 s, p=0.0029) and locomotor behaviors (271.3 ± 21.4 s vs 114.3 ± 19.7 s, p=0.0135) and also could reverse the increase of the total time spent on resting (19.0 ± 10.6 s vs 154.3 ± 46.5 s, p=0.0398) and grooming (369.9 ± 66.8 s vs 1302.0 ± 244.5 s, p=0.0324) behaviors. Auricular ES pretreatment could increase the frequency of rearing behaviors (38.0 ± 1.8 vs 7.7 ± 3.5, p<0.0001) and total distance traveled (1372.0 ± 157.9 cm vs 285.3 ± 85.6 cm, p<0.0001) and also could increase the percentage of inner zone time (6.0 ± 1.6% vs 0.4 ± 0.2%, p=0.0472). The CGRP, COX-2, TRPV1, and TRPA1 immunoreactive cells in the trigeminal ganglion increased in the NTG group compared with the control group (all p<0.0001); this increase could, however, be reduced by auricular ES pretreatment (27.8 ± 2.6 vs 63.0 ± 4.2, p<0.0001; 21.7 ± 1.2 vs 61.8 ± 4.0, p<0.0001; 24.3 ± 1.0 vs 36.5 ± 1.7, p=0.0003; and 20.7 ± 1.9 vs 90.8 ± 6.5, p<0.0001, respectively). Therefore, we suggest that auricular ES pretreatment is beneficial for the treatment of migraine and this effect is partly related to CGRP/COX-2/TRPV1/TRPA1 signaling pathways.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of most common postnatal complications, affecting approximately 10%–15% of women after childbirth annually. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been gaining popularity as the choice of treatment for PPD in Taiwan. Hence, our aim was to analyze the utilization of TCM among PPD patients in Taiwan. A cross‐sectional study was conducted using a random sample of one million beneficiaries selected from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified patients with PPD who had received either TCM treatment or non‐TCM treatment from the database during 2000–2012. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with the use of TCM. A total of 653 patients with PPD were enrolled. The majority of patients with PPD were 26–30 years old, lived in a highly urbanized area of Taipei, had a monthly income <20,000 NT$, and were private enterprise employees. Around 52.7% of PPD patients had the motivation to seek TCM services. Younger women, who resided in central and southern Taiwan and who had used TCM one year before PPD diagnosis, were more likely to use TCM services. PPD patients who underwent TCM treatment had a lower overall medical expenditure than non‐TCM users. Most TCM users chose simple Chinese herbal medicine. The coexisting factors that made PPD patients to seek TCM services were respiratory or oral infections. We demonstrated the characteristics of those that seek TCM for PPD, which may provide useful insights to health care providers towards resource allocation.

Female infertility affects a significant portion of the population, and recent studies suggest a potential link between glycemic control and reproductive health. This study investigates the association between serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and female infertility, utilizing data from the NHANES 2017–2020 and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1578 women aged 20–45 who attempted pregnancy for at least one year. Serum HbA1c levels were analyzed in relation to infertility status, with multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for covariates such as age, body mass index, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Higher HbA1c levels were significantly associated with increased infertility risk. Each 1% increase in HbA1c was linked to higher odds of infertility (adjusted OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.15–1.69, p = 0.003). HbA1c levels ≥ 6.5% showed the strongest association. MR analysis employed single-nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables to assess the causal relationship between HbA1c and infertility, confirming a causal relationship between higher genetically predicted HbA1c levels and infertility (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.33–2.49, p = 0.00018). Sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of these findings. Elevated HbA1c levels are associated with an increased risk of female infertility, suggesting the importance of glycemic control in reproductive health management.

Migraines are common headache disorders and risk factors for subsequent strokes. Acupuncture has been widely used in the treatment of migraines; however, few studies have examined whether its use reduces the risk of strokes in migraineurs. This study explored the long-term effects of acupuncture treatment on stroke risk in migraineurs using national real-world data. We collected new migraine patients from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2017. Using 1:1 propensity-score matching, we assigned patients to either an acupuncture or non-acupuncture cohort and followed up until the end of 2018. The incidence of stroke in the two cohorts was compared using the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Each cohort was composed of 1354 newly diagnosed migraineurs with similar baseline characteristics. Compared with the non-acupuncture cohort, the acupuncture cohort had a significantly reduced risk of stroke (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.35–0.46). The Kaplan–Meier model showed a significantly lower cumulative incidence of stroke in migraine patients who received acupuncture during the 19-year follow-up (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Acupuncture confers protective benefits on migraineurs by reducing the risk of stroke. Our results provide new insights for clinicians and public health experts.

Background. Scutellaria baicalensis (SB), a traditional Chinese medicine, is commonly used for the treatment of inflammatory and painful conditions. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of SB on migraine. Materials and Methods. We examined the clinical applications of SB based on the data obtained from Taiwans National Health Insurance Research Database and confirmed that it was frequently used in Taiwan for the treatment of headaches. An experimental migraine model was established in rats by an intraperitoneal injection of nitroglycerin (NTG, 10mg/kg). Pretreatment with SB was given orally 30min before NTG administration. The rats were subjected to migraine-related behaviour tests that were video-recorded and analysed using EthoVision XT 12.0 software. Results. The frequency of exploratory and locomotor behaviour was comparatively lower in the NTG group than that in the control group, while the frequency of resting and grooming behaviour increased. These phenomena were ameliorated by pretreatment with 1.0g/kg SB. The total time spent on the smooth surface was longer in the NTG group than that in the control group, but the time was shortened by pretreatment with 1.0g/kg SB. Conclusions. Pretreatment with 1.0g/kg SB relieved migraine-related behaviours in the experimental NTG-induced migraine model. The outcome therefore demonstrated that pretreatment with 1.0g/kg SB is beneficial for migraine treatment.