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Clinical research

Edited by Holger Cramer, Jianping Liu and Karen Pilkington

This section covers research reporting clinical applications of interventions or resources in the complementary medicine field, including the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of the therapies, clinical trials and systematic reviews/meta-analysis.

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  1. Liver cirrhosis is one of the main causes of the morbidity and mortality in liver diseases. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has long been used for the clinical treatment of liver diseases. This study was designe...

    Authors: Fuu-Jen Tsai, Pei-Yuu Yang, Chao-Jung Chen, Ju-Pi Li, Te-Mao Li, Jian-Shiun Chiou, Chi-Fung Cheng, Po-Heng Chuang, Ting-Hsu Lin, Chiu-Chu Liao, Shao-Mei Huang, Bo Ban, Wen-Miin Liang and Ying-Ju Lin

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:221

    Content type: Research article

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  2. Allium hookeri is widely consumed as a vegetable and herbal medicine in Asia. A. hookeri has been reported anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, osteoblastic, anti-oxidant, and anti-diabetic effects in animal studies....

    Authors: Soo-Hyun Park, Ui-Jin Bae, Eun-Kyung Choi, Su-Jin Jung, Sung-Hyen Lee, Jae-Heon Yang, You-Suk Kim, Do-Youn Jeong, Hyun-Ju Kim, Byung-Hyun Park and Soo-Wan Chae

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:211

    Content type: Research article

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  3. Depression has rapidly progressed worldwide, and the need for an efficient treatment with low side effect has risen. Melissa officinalis L and Lavandula angustifolia Mill have been traditionally used in Asia for ...

    Authors: Mostafa Araj-Khodaei, Ahmad Ali Noorbala, Reza Yarani, Fatemeh Emadi, Elham Emaratkar, Soghrat Faghihzadeh, Zahra Parsian, Fatemeh Alijaniha, Mohammad Kamalinejad and Mohsen Naseri

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:207

    Content type: Research article

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  4. Zheng Qing Feng Tong Ning (ZQFTN) is a sinomenine (SIN) preparation that has been used in clinical practice. Our study aimed to assess the methodological and reporting quality of meta-analyses on the Chinese h...

    Authors: Mingge Liang, Lan Yan, Zhigang Mei, Yanan Luo, Xiaoqiang Hou and Zhitao Feng

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:195

    Content type: Research article

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  5. About 1 in every 150 pregnancies end in stillbirth. Consequences include symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Yoga has been used to treat PTSD in other populations and ma...

    Authors: Jennifer Huberty, Mariah Sullivan, Jeni Green, Jonathan Kurka, Jenn Leiferman, Katherine Gold and Joanne Cacciatore

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:173

    Content type: Research article

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  6. Occipital neuralgia is one of the main causes of occipital pain. This systematic review aims to assess the level of evidence in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of acupuncture on occipital ne...

    Authors: Jung-Min Yun, Sook-Hyun Lee, Jae-Heung Cho, Koh-Woon Kim and In-Hyuk Ha

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:171

    Content type: Research article

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  7. The purpose of this study was to identify the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients complicated with aristolochic acid nephropathy(AAN) after radic...

    Authors: Hongli Shan, Wen Tian, Yazhao Hong, Bo Xu, Chunxi Wang, Bing Yu and Xiaoqing Wang

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:166

    Content type: Research article

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  8. Herbal medication is widely used in our region as a mode of alternative medicine. Its contents and combinations are often modified to suit the needs of different populations. These products are said to boost t...

    Authors: Anna Misya’il Abdul Rashid, Fauzah Abd Ghani, Liyana Najwa Inche Mat and Christopher Thiam Seong Lim

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:163

    Content type: Case report

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  9. Previous studies have acknowledged Tai Chi and Qigong exercise could be potential effective treatments for reducing depression and anxiety in both healthy and clinical populations. However, there is a scarcity...

    Authors: Fang Liu, Jiabao Cui, Xuan Liu, Kevin W. Chen, Xiaorong Chen and Ru Li

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:161

    Content type: Research article

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  10. Whole body vibration (WBV) is currently increasing in popularity as a treatment modality for musculoskeletal disorders and improving health-related quality of life. Recent research has shown that WBV can reduc...

    Authors: Weiming Wang, Shuting Wang, Wujian Lin, Xian Li, Lars L. Andersen and Yuling Wang

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:158

    Content type: Research article

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  11. Chinese herbal medicine is widely used in combination with usual care for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) in China. Chinese patent medicine Shufeng Jiedu (SFJD) capsules i...

    Authors: Ru-yu Xia, Xiao-yang Hu, Yu-tong Fei, Merlin Willcox, Ling-zi Wen, Ming-kun Yu, Li-shan Zhang, Meng-yuan Dai, Guang-he Fei, Mike Thomas, Nick Francis, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Moore and Jian-ping Liu

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:151

    Content type: Research article

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  12. Acute radiation-induced proctitis (ARP) is the most common side effect following radiotherapy for malignant pelvic disease. This study evaluated the efficacy of Aloe vera ointment in prevention of ARP.

    Authors: Adeleh Sahebnasagh, Arash Ghasemi, Jafar Akbari, Abbas Alipour, Hossein Lashkardoost, Shahram Ala, Seyed Jalal Hosseinimehr and Ebrahim Salehifar

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:146

    Content type: Research article

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  13. Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl.) has a long history of traditional use as a herbal medicine for different purposes. In ancient traditional Persian manuscripts, it has been noted that myrrh may act as ute...

    Authors: Homeira Vafaei, Sara Ajdari, Kamran Hessami, Ayda Hosseinkhani, Leila Foroughinia, Nasrin Asadi, Azam Faraji, Sepideh Abolhasanzadeh, Khadije Bazrafshan and Shohreh Roozmeh

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:145

    Content type: Research article

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  14. This is the second part of a large spectrum systematic review which aims to identify and assess the evidence for the efficacy of non-pharmacological acupuncture techniques in the treatment of chronic obstructi...

    Authors: Carles Fernández-Jané, Jordi Vilaró, Yutong Fei, Congcong Wang, Jianping Liu, Na Huang, Ruyu Xia, Xia Tian, Ruixue Hu, Lingzi Wen, Mingkun Yu, Natàlia Gómara-Toldrà, Mireia Solà-Madurell and Mercè Sitjà-Rabert

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:138

    Content type: Research article

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  15. One of the most serious secondary manifestations of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is coronary atherosclerosis. This study aimed to evaluate whether aged garlic extract (AGE) can influence coronary artery calcif...

    Authors: Martiné Wlosinska, Ann-Christin Nilsson, Joanna Hlebowicz, Anders Hauggaard, Maria Kjellin, Mohammed Fakhro and Sandra Lindstedt

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:132

    Content type: Research article

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  16. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a non-infectious immune disease and incidents of the disease has continuously increased in Thailand. Ginger, a Thai herb, is used in food and Thai traditional medicine. This study was...

    Authors: Rodsarin Yamprasert, Waipoj Chanvimalueng, Nichamon Mukkasombut and Arunporn Itharat

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:119

    Content type: Research article

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  17. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one the most common complications of pregnancy. The present work aimed at investigating the effect of ginger on the blood glucose level of GDM women with impaired glucose...

    Authors: Fariba Hajimoosayi, Shahideh Jahanian Sadatmahalleh, Anoshirvan Kazemnejad and Reihane Pirjani

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:116

    Content type: Research article

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  18. Few studies have evaluated the association between the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the use of Chinese herbal products (CHP) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study investigated the...

    Authors: Han-Hua Yu, Nai-Huan Hsiung, Jen-Huai Chiang and Hsuan-Shu Shen

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:100

    Content type: Research article

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  19. Daily “eye exercises,” massaging of periocular acupuncture pressure points, have been part of China’s national vision care policy in schools for some 50 years. However, the effect of eye exercises on myopia pr...

    Authors: Huan Wang, Yiwei Qian, Nathan Congdon, Matthew Boswell, Scott Rozelle and Xiaochen Ma

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:82

    Content type: Research article

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  20. The aim of the randomized double-blinded clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of tooth brushing with Salvadora persica (miswak) sticks on Streptococcus mutans count and the mean plaque score relative to brus...

    Authors: Heba J. Sabbagh, Khalil S. AlGhamdi, Hattan T. Mujalled and Sara M. Bagher

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:53

    Content type: Research article

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  21. Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Over the years, traditional medicines for stroke treatment have undergone tremendous progress, but few bibliometric studies have been performed. This ...

    Authors: Lieyu Huang, Xuefeng Shi, Nan Zhang, Ya Gao, Qian Bai, Liming Liu, Ling Zuo and Baolin Hong

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:39

    Content type: Research article

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  22. Qiliqiangxin (QLQX) capsule is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that has been approved in China for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF). Our previous study showed with a background of standard HF ...

    Authors: Wenming Yao, Iokfai Cheang, Shengen Liao, Yanli Zhou, Fang Zhou, Dongjie Xu, Zhenhua Jia, Liping Chang, Haifeng Zhang and Xinli Li

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:38

    Content type: Study protocol

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  23. Ceramides play a fundamental role in maintaining the skin health as a function of improved barrier permeability. Reduced ceramide content results in skin dryness and wrinkledness. Intake of dietary ceramides p...

    Authors: Sudeep Heggar Venkataramana, Naveen Puttaswamy and Shyamprasad Kodimule

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:26

    Content type: Research article

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  24. Among women suffering from urinary incontinence (UI), about one-third are diagnosed with mixed urinary incontinence (MUI), among which urgency-predominant MUI causes more shame and inconvenience to patients. T...

    Authors: Yuanjie Sun, Yan Liu, Tongsheng Su, Jianhua Sun, Ying Wu and Zhishun Liu

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:18

    Content type: Study protocol

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  25. Gastrointestinal cancer is one of the most common malignancies and imposes heavy burdens on both individual health and social economy. We sought to survey the effect of a self-care education program on quality...

    Authors: Jun Xie, Tingli Zhu, Qun Lu, Xiaomin Xu, Yinghua Cai and Zhenghong Xu

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:15

    Content type: Research article

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  26. Although cannabis and cannabinoids are widely used with therapeutic purposes, their claimed efficacy is highly controversial. For this reason, medical cannabis use is a broad field of research that is rapidly ...

    Authors: Nadia Montero-Oleas, Ingrid Arevalo-Rodriguez, Solange Nuñez-González, Andrés Viteri-García and Daniel Simancas-Racines

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:12

    Content type: Research article

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  27. Xiao-ai-ping injection (XAPI), as patented Chinese medicine, has shown promising outcomes in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This meta-analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of XAPI in comb...

    Authors: Fanchao Feng, Jingyi Huang, Zhichao Wang, Jiarui Zhang, Di Han, Qi Wu, Hailang He and Xianmei Zhou

    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2020 20:3

    Content type: Research article

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  28. Tianshu capsule (TSC), a formula of traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in clinical practice for prophylactic treatment of headaches in China. However, former clinical trials of TSC were small, ...

    Authors: Shengyuan Yu, Ye Ran, Wei Xiao, Wenjing Tang, Jianjun Zhao, Wei Chen, Huikui Zhuang, Cun Ouyang, Hai Lin, Dequan Liu, Tongjun Chen, Hui Huang, Baoshen Wang, Yanlei Hao, Zhongrui Yan, Shike Zhao…

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:370

    Content type: Research article

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  29. Marsdenia tenacissima extract (MTE) is a phytochemical widely used as complementary therapy in cancer care. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the anticancer and detoxification effects of MTE, as...

    Authors: Xu Zhou, Meilu Liu, Qing Ren, Weifeng Zhu, Yang Wang, Haochen Chen and Jianrong Chen

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:366

    Content type: Research article

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  30. To assess the efficacy and safety of oral Guanxinshutong (GXST) capsules in Chinese patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) in a prospective, multicenter, double-Blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinic...

    Authors: Yang Li, Lei Zhang, Shuzheng Lv, Xiaozeng Wang, Jian Zhang, Xiaoxiang Tian, Yan Zhang, Bojun Chen, Dayue Liu, Jie Yang, Peikang Dong, Yunzhong Xu, Yingmin Song, Junling Shi, Lian Li, Xuechang Wang…

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:363

    Content type: Research article

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  31. No previous study has investigated the association between oolong tea consumption and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we aim to elucidate the association between oolong tea consumption and ESCC and ...

    Authors: Shuang Liu, Zheng Lin, Liping Huang, Huilin Chen, Yanfang Liu, Fei He, Xiane Peng, Weilin Chen, Ruigang Huang, Wanting Lu, Huimin Yang, Zhisheng Xiang, Zhihui Zhang and Zhijian Hu

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:358

    Content type: Research article

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  33. This study aims to assess the tolerability and safety of DQTM tablet, which contains a complex mixture of Salvia miltiorrhiza salvianolic acids and Panax notoginseng saponins.

    Authors: Zhong-ping Gou, Wei Zhang, Xiu-fang Liang, Ying Wang, Ju-hong Mou, Mei Li, Ya Zhang and Ping Feng

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:336

    Content type: Research article

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  34. The control of biofilm adherence on tooth surface has always been the keystone of periodontal therapeutic systems. However, prevalence of gingivitis suggest inadequacy of self-performed oral hygiene measures a...

    Authors: Namratha Nayak, Jothi Varghese, Seema Shetty, Vinutha Bhat, Tejal Durgekar, Richard Lobo, Usha Y. Nayak and Vishwanath U

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:327

    Content type: Research article

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  35. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of Berberis vulgaris (BV) juice consumption on plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), and the expression of P...

    Authors: Saeed Pirouzpanah, Sanaz Asemani, Ali Shayanfar, Behzad Baradaran and Vahid Montazeri

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:324

    Content type: Research article

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  36. To provide evidence for medical management of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in China based on comparisons of all clinical practical interventions using Bayesian network meta-analysis.

    Authors: Qingyang Shi, Lizi Tan, Chunxiang Liu, Huijun Wang, Junhua Zhang, Hui Wang and Jingbo Zhai

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:311

    Content type: Research article

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  37. Numerous health benefits have been demonstrated for curcumin which is extracted from turmeric (Curcuma longa L). However, due to its poor absorption in the free form in the gastrointestinal tract and rapid biotra...

    Authors: Sidney J. Stohs, C. Y. O. Chen, Harry G. Preuss, Sidhartha D. Ray, Luke R. Bucci, Jin Ji and Kevin J. Ruff

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:293

    Content type: Research article

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  38. Nigella sativa or commonly known as black seed or black cumin is one of the most ubiquitous complementary medicine. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of type 2 is defined by the balance between wound hea...

    Authors: Abid Nordin, Haziq Kamal, Muhammad Dain Yazid, Aminuddin Saim and Ruszymah Idrus

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:290

    Content type: Research article

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  39. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of scalp, tongue, and Jin’s 3-needle acupuncture for the improvement of postapoplectic aphasia.

    Authors: He-yong Tang, Wei Tang, Feng Yang, Wei-wei Wu and Guo-ming Shen

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:282

    Content type: Research article

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  40. Rapid emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) organisms in hospital and community settings often result into treatment failure, thus leading the clinicians with fewer treatment options. Cyathea gigantea, an ethnom...

    Authors: Kathakali Nath, Anupam Das Talukdar, Mrinal Kanti Bhattacharya, Deepshikha Bhowmik, Shiela Chetri, Debarati Choudhury, Abhijit Mitra and Nargis Alom Choudhury

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:279

    Content type: Research article

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  41. Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) play an important role in clinical practice, and they require appropriate evaluation, especially in application. This study explores the application evaluation method of CPG...

    Authors: Huayang Cai, Hui Li, Huizhen Zeng, Danping Xu, Wenwei Ouyang and Aiping Lv

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:277

    Content type: Research article

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  42. Carica papaya (CP) extract is becoming popular as an unlicensed herbal remedy purported to hasten recovery in dengue infection, mostly based on observations that it may increase platelet counts. This systematic r...

    Authors: Senaka Rajapakse, Nipun Lakshitha de Silva, Praveen Weeratunga, Chaturaka Rodrigo, Chathurani Sigera and Sumadhya Deepika Fernando

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:265

    Content type: Research article

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  44. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one global disease. Lung function gradually declines. Medication does not fully reverse the airflow limitation. Qigong’s role in COPD rehabilitation has been ass...

    Authors: Hongxuan Tong, Yihua Liu, Yutian Zhu, Boli Zhang and Jingqing Hu

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:239

    Content type: Research article

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  45. The neurobiology of persistent pain shares common underlying psychobiology with that of traumatic stress. Modern treatments for traumatic stress often involve bottom-up sensorimotor retraining/exposure therapi...

    Authors: Alison Flehr, Christopher Barton, Jan Coles, Stephen J. Gibson, Gavin W. Lambert, Elisabeth A. Lambert, Arup K. Dhar and John B. Dixon

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:234

    Content type: Research article

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  46. We aimed to evaluate the global scientific output of research of acupuncture on insomnia and explore the hotspots and frontiers from 1999 to 2018, by using bibliometric methods.

    Authors: Wenya Pei, Rui Peng, Yuan Gu, Xiaohong Zhou and Jingwen Ruan

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:225

    Content type: Research article

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  47. We aimed to compare patients’ and physicians’ safety reporting using data from large acupuncture trials (44,818 patients) and to determine associations between patient characteristics and reporting of adverse ...

    Authors: Thea Schwaneberg, Claudia M. Witt, Stephanie Roll and Daniel Pach

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:223

    Content type: Research article

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  48. Scientific studies have shown that the potential therapeutic efficacy of curcumin in several diseases is due to its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Consequently, curcumin supplementation s...

    Authors: Tatiane Andreza Lima Silva, Danielle Coutinho Medeiros, Gidyenne Christine Bandeira Silva Medeiros, Rafaela Catherine Silva Cunha Medeiros, Juliany de Souza Araújo, Jason Azevedo Medeiros, Marcela Abbott Galvao Ururahy, Ronaldo Vagner Thomatieli Santos, Radames Maciel Vitor Medeiros, Lucia Leite-Lais and Paulo Moreira Silva Dantas

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:202

    Content type: Research article

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  49. Acute postoperative pain remains a major clinical problem that affects patient recovery. Distal acupoint and peri-incisional stimulation are both used for relieving acute postoperative pain in hospital. Our ob...

    Authors: Juan Zhu, Qian Xu, Rong Zou, Wenzhong Wu, Xiaoqiu Wang, Yanyi Wang, Fangbing Ji, Zhen Zheng and Man Zheng

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:192

    Content type: Research article

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  50. The effects of acupuncture on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes remain controversial. And the variation in participant, interventions, outcomes studied, and trial design may relate to the efficacy of adjuv...

    Authors: Zheng-yun Xie, Zhi-hang Peng, Bing Yao, Li Chen, Yan-yun Mu, Jie Cheng, Qian Li, Xi Luo, Peng-yan Yang and You-bing Xia

    Citation: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19:131

    Content type: Research article

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ISSN: 2662-7671

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