Acupuncture is an ancient treatment method used in traditional Chinese medicine and has been popularized worldwide. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the amount of acupuncture research, mostly comprised of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that aimed to answer the question on the efficacy of acupuncture. However, poor methodology and low replicability in these acupuncture RCTs have resulted in uncertainty about the efficacy of acupuncture. In this review, current advancements and challenges in acupuncture RCTs, regarding the methodological aspects of randomization, blinding, sham acupuncture and quality of reporting, were discussed. While there have been advancements in various aspects, current acupuncture RCTs still face pressing issues such as inadequate randomization and blinding, unviable sham acupuncture controls, and poor reporting quality. Given these limitations, this review seeks to identify the methodological problems that are responsible for these problems and to suggest solutions that could help to overcome them so as to improve the quality of future studies evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture. Please cite this article as: Seetoh WS, Lim RQR, Xu RB, Sun MX, Zhang P, Wang MN. Advancements and challenges of acupuncture randomized controlled trials. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 333-343.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/methods* ; Research Design

Aim To explore the key components and mechanisms of Lizhong decoction in treating rats with cold-damp diarrhea based on network pharmacology,molecular docking technology and animal experiments.Methods By literature review and database collec-tion,the components of Lizhong decoction,therapeutic targets,and the mapping with diarrhea disease targets were conducted to construct an intersection target pro-tein-protein interaction network for screening core tar-gets,and GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to build an"active component-target-pathway"network,followed by molecular docking vali-dation.Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into the normal control group(K),model group(DG),Lizhong decoction group(LZDG),and Pulsatilla decoction group(BTDG).Subsequently,a rat cold-damp diar-rhea model was established using Senna combined with low-temperature high-humidity environment,and the rats were intervened with Lizhong decoction and Pul-satilla decoction.HE staining was used to detect path-ological changes in intestinal tissue,ELISA was em-ployed to measure the levels of peripheral blood IL-6,IL-10,IL-1 β,and TNF-α,and western blot was used to determine the expression of colon tight junction pro-teins.Results Network pharmacology initially identi-fied 125 compounds in Lizhong decoction,5 186 drug target components,438 disease targets,and 60"drug-disease"shared targets.GO and KEGG enrichment a-nalysis showed that signaling pathways such as IL-17 and TNF were highly enriched.Molecular docking in-dicated that the core components of the drug had good binding activity with corresponding key targets.Liz-hong decoction could effectively improve the clinical symptoms of rats with cold-damp diarrhea,and com-pared with the DG group,the diarrhea rate,diarrhea in-dex,and other related indicators also gradually de-creased to normal levels.Compared with the DG group,the LZDG group showed reduced inflammation levels and a recovery in energy metabolism levels.Conclusion It can regulate targets such as MMP9 and IL-17 signaling pathways through multi-components like Calycosin and formononetin to exert its therapeutic effect on cold-damp diarrhea.

Postoperative infection of internal fixation of closed fractures the lower limbs in adults represents a devastating complication, characterized by diagnostic challenges, prolonged treatment duration and high disability rates. Current management of these infections faces multiple challenges, such as difficulties in early accurate diagnosis, and various controversies about the treatment plan, leading to poor overall diagnosis and treatment results. To address these issues, based on evidence-based medicine and principles with emphasis on scientific rigor, clinical applicability and innovation, the Trauma Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Orthopedic Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Orthopedics Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Trauma Orthopedics and Polytrauma Group of the Resuscitation and Emergency Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association have collaboratively organized a panel of relevant experts to develop the Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of infection after internal fixation of closed lower limb fractures in adults ( version 2025). The guideline proposed 10 recommendations, aiming to provide a foundation for standardized diagnosis and treatment of postoperative infection in adults with closed lower limb fractures.

Objective:To develop a treatment-related quality of life scale for Chinese patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and to test its reliability and validity.Methods:The initial scale was constructed through a literature search, Delphi expert correspondence, and cognitive testing. This study conducted a preliminary survey of 379 patients with MM and a formal survey of 865 patients from the hematology departments of 155 hospitals nationwide from February 2024 to March 2024. The final scale was obtained after conducting item analysis and reliability and validity tests on the initial scale.Results:The constructed scale contains 36 items covering six domains: physiological, psychological, social, treatment side effects, general health, and others. In the preliminary survey, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of each item ranged from 0.597 to 0.939, and the test-retest reliability was 0.747 ( P<0.001). Exploratory factor analysis extracted eight common factors with a cumulative variance contribution of 60.058%. In the formal survey, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of each item ranged from 0.484 to 0.930, and the test-retest reliability was 0.835 ( P<0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a comparative fit index of 0.750, a root-mean-square error of approximation of 0.090, and a root-mean-square residual of 0.067. Conclusion:The treatment-related quality of life scale for Chinese patients with MM designed in this study exhibited good reliability and validity, reflecting the impact of treatment on the quality of life of patients. This scale can provide a reference to clinicians for assessing the disease status of patients.

Objective To analyze the basic conditions and pathological characteristics of the samples in the Human Brain Bank of Hebei Medical University,which were pathologically diagnosed as cerebral amyloid angiopathy,and to provide reference for the research of related diseases.Methods The basic data of gender,age,apolipoprotein E genotype,pathological classification of cerebral amyloid angiopathy,Alzheimer's disease-related pathological change score,comorbidities and other pathological information were analyzed.Results Up to October 2024,twenty samples were confirmed by pathological diagnosis,with a male to female ratio of 3:1 and an average age of(80.90±8.08)years.Involve three kinds of apolipoprotein E subtype,5 kinds of genotypes(ε2/ε3 xε2/ε4、ε3/ε3 xε3/ε4、ε4/ε4);There were 2 pathologic types,including 6 cases of type 1 and 14 cases of type 2.The pathological grade included 3 grades.The severity grade and subtype classification of cerebral amyloid vascular disease were correlated with the degree of pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease.Cerebral amyloid angiopathy samples could coexist with other degenerative diseases with high comorbidity.Conclusion The incidence of cerebral amyloid angiopathy is higher in the aged samples collected based on Brain Bank,which coexists with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and microbleeds,etc.It provides more detailed pathological diagnosis basis for further scientific research sharing of samples.

Aim To explore the key components and mechanisms of Lizhong decoction in treating rats with cold-damp diarrhea based on network pharmacology,molecular docking technology and animal experiments.Methods By literature review and database collec-tion,the components of Lizhong decoction,therapeutic targets,and the mapping with diarrhea disease targets were conducted to construct an intersection target pro-tein-protein interaction network for screening core tar-gets,and GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to build an"active component-target-pathway"network,followed by molecular docking vali-dation.Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into the normal control group(K),model group(DG),Lizhong decoction group(LZDG),and Pulsatilla decoction group(BTDG).Subsequently,a rat cold-damp diar-rhea model was established using Senna combined with low-temperature high-humidity environment,and the rats were intervened with Lizhong decoction and Pul-satilla decoction.HE staining was used to detect path-ological changes in intestinal tissue,ELISA was em-ployed to measure the levels of peripheral blood IL-6,IL-10,IL-1 β,and TNF-α,and western blot was used to determine the expression of colon tight junction pro-teins.Results Network pharmacology initially identi-fied 125 compounds in Lizhong decoction,5 186 drug target components,438 disease targets,and 60"drug-disease"shared targets.GO and KEGG enrichment a-nalysis showed that signaling pathways such as IL-17 and TNF were highly enriched.Molecular docking in-dicated that the core components of the drug had good binding activity with corresponding key targets.Liz-hong decoction could effectively improve the clinical symptoms of rats with cold-damp diarrhea,and com-pared with the DG group,the diarrhea rate,diarrhea in-dex,and other related indicators also gradually de-creased to normal levels.Compared with the DG group,the LZDG group showed reduced inflammation levels and a recovery in energy metabolism levels.Conclusion It can regulate targets such as MMP9 and IL-17 signaling pathways through multi-components like Calycosin and formononetin to exert its therapeutic effect on cold-damp diarrhea.

Postoperative infection of internal fixation of closed fractures the lower limbs in adults represents a devastating complication, characterized by diagnostic challenges, prolonged treatment duration and high disability rates. Current management of these infections faces multiple challenges, such as difficulties in early accurate diagnosis, and various controversies about the treatment plan, leading to poor overall diagnosis and treatment results. To address these issues, based on evidence-based medicine and principles with emphasis on scientific rigor, clinical applicability and innovation, the Trauma Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Orthopedic Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Orthopedics Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Trauma Orthopedics and Polytrauma Group of the Resuscitation and Emergency Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association have collaboratively organized a panel of relevant experts to develop the Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of infection after internal fixation of closed lower limb fractures in adults ( version 2025). The guideline proposed 10 recommendations, aiming to provide a foundation for standardized diagnosis and treatment of postoperative infection in adults with closed lower limb fractures.

Objective:To develop a treatment-related quality of life scale for Chinese patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and to test its reliability and validity.Methods:The initial scale was constructed through a literature search, Delphi expert correspondence, and cognitive testing. This study conducted a preliminary survey of 379 patients with MM and a formal survey of 865 patients from the hematology departments of 155 hospitals nationwide from February 2024 to March 2024. The final scale was obtained after conducting item analysis and reliability and validity tests on the initial scale.Results:The constructed scale contains 36 items covering six domains: physiological, psychological, social, treatment side effects, general health, and others. In the preliminary survey, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of each item ranged from 0.597 to 0.939, and the test-retest reliability was 0.747 ( P<0.001). Exploratory factor analysis extracted eight common factors with a cumulative variance contribution of 60.058%. In the formal survey, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of each item ranged from 0.484 to 0.930, and the test-retest reliability was 0.835 ( P<0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a comparative fit index of 0.750, a root-mean-square error of approximation of 0.090, and a root-mean-square residual of 0.067. Conclusion:The treatment-related quality of life scale for Chinese patients with MM designed in this study exhibited good reliability and validity, reflecting the impact of treatment on the quality of life of patients. This scale can provide a reference to clinicians for assessing the disease status of patients.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.