Integrative Medicine Research最新文献

{"title":"Corrigendum to: “Efficacy and safety of herbal medicine Gongjin-Dan and Ssanghwa-Tang in patients with chronic fatigue: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial” Integr Med Res 2024;13:101025","authors":"Jun-Yong Choi , Bom Choi , Ojin Kwon , Chang-Seob Seo , Ae-Ran Kim , Hyeun-kyoo Shin , Kibong Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101175","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101175"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144921355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prompt engineering for generative artificial intelligence chatbots in health research: A practical guide for traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine researchers","authors":"Jeremy Y. Ng","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101222","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101222","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in health research to support a range of academic and clinical activities. While increasingly adopted in biomedical research, their application in traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) remains underexplored. TCIM presents unique challenges, including complex interventions, culturally embedded practices, and variable terminology. This article provides a practical, evidence-informed guide to help TCIM researchers engage responsibly with GenAI chatbots through prompt engineering, the design of clear, structured, and purposeful prompts to improve output relevance and accuracy. The guide outlines strategies to tailor GenAI chatbot interactions to the methodological and epistemological diversity of TCIM. It presents use cases across the research process, including research question development, study design, literature searches, selection of reporting guidelines and appraisal tools, quantitative and qualitative analysis, writing and dissemination, and implementation planning. For each stage, the guide offers examples and best practices while emphasizing that AI-generated content should always serve as a starting point, not a final product, and must be reviewed and verified using credible sources. Potential risks such as hallucinated outputs, embedded bias, and ethical challenges are discussed, particularly in culturally sensitive contexts. Transparency in GenAI chatbot use and researcher accountability are emphasized as essential principles. While GenAI chatbots can expand access to research support and foster innovation in TCIM, they cannot substitute for critical thinking, methodological rigour, or domain-specific expertise. Used responsibly, GenAI chatbots can augment human judgment and contribute meaningfully to the evolution of TCIM scholarship.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101222"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144866466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The efficacy and safety of multiple acupuncture therapies in primary insomnia: A Bayesian network meta-analysis","authors":"Liguo Liu ,&nbsp;Yiming Chen ,&nbsp;Minne Tian ,&nbsp;Zhennan Wu ,&nbsp;Peiming Zhang ,&nbsp;Tiankang Zhang ,&nbsp;Jinsong Yang ,&nbsp;Haotian Qu ,&nbsp;Zhiyong Fan ,&nbsp;Shan Wu ,&nbsp;Liming Lu ,&nbsp;Yu Kui","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Acupuncture (AT) therapy is an effective treatment for primary insomnia. However, no comprehensive study has compared and evaluated the efficacy and safety of multiple AT therapies and hypnotics.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We searched eight databases from inception to July 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of AT treatment for primary insomnia, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, and VIP Chinese Science and Technique Journals database. After screening, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score and clinical effectiveness rate were extracted from the included RCTs as outcome measures. We performed network meta-analysis using the Stata and R software.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Sixty-four RCTs involving 4443 patients were included in this study. Multiple AT therapies had better efficacy in improving PSQI scores than hypnotics, with AT combined with moxibustion (MOX) and AT combined with auriculotherapy (AU) as the best interventions. Regarding clinical effectiveness, acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) had the greatest potential of being the best intervention, and no serious adverse events related to AT therapies were observed in any of the studies.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This review suggests that most AT therapies improve sleep indicators and have good clinical efficacy compared to hypnotics, especially AT combined with AU, AT combined with MOX, and ACE. The safety of AT therapies is reliable; however, the overall quality of the included trials was low, and higher-quality RCTs are required to provide sufficient evidence.</div></div><div><h3>Protocol registration</h3><div>PROSPERO, CRD42017067402.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101206"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use and perception of generative artificial intelligence in traditional Korean medicine education: A cross-sectional survey of undergraduate students in Korea","authors":"Seungwon Shin ,&nbsp;Jihyun Sang ,&nbsp;Ji-sun You","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This study aimed to examine the usage, awareness, and satisfaction related to generative AI (GenAI) among undergraduate students at a Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) college in Korea and to identify factors associated with GenAI use and satisfaction.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A structured questionnaire consisting of 56 items across six domains was administered, covering demographics, general and TKM-specific GenAI use, satisfaction, educational experiences, and future expectations. Descriptive statistics, univariable analysis, multivariable logistic regression, and correlation analysis were performed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 234 students across six academic years participated in the survey. Most respondents were aware of GenAI (88.5 %) and used it for general purposes (79.9 %). However, only 16.2 % actively used it for TKM learning. While 70.4 % were satisfied with using GenAI in general, only 45.8 % felt satisfied with its use for TKM education. Factors significantly associated with GenAI use or satisfaction included enrollment in the TKM curriculum, older age, prior major, scholarship receipt, and self-directed GenAI learning. Although only 18.8 % had experienced GenAI in formal TKM courses, 96.2 % viewed GenAI as necessary in TKM education.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>A notable gap exists between students’ interest and the limited integration of GenAI in TKM curricula. To close this gap, GenAI should be systematically incorporated into educational programs, accompanied by faculty training and institutional support to enhance students’ digital readiness and learning outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101216"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144866395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"AI in medicine and traditional medicine - opportunities for healthcare transformation","authors":"Benjamin Becker","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101233","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101233"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acupuncture for cancer-related insomnia: An evidence mapping","authors":"Zining Guo ,&nbsp;Liying Wang ,&nbsp;Yuting Wang ,&nbsp;Wenhao Liu ,&nbsp;Yi Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiaorong Tang ,&nbsp;Run Lin ,&nbsp;Zhennan Wu ,&nbsp;Shaoyang Cui ,&nbsp;Nenggui Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Acupuncture shows promise in treating cancer-related insomnia (CRI); however, the evidence level for its effectiveness remains low. This study systematically examined research quality and used evidence mapping (EM) to map and present evidence information to identify gaps and inform future research.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Two reviewers searched eight databases from inception to May 2024, screened eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and extracted key characteristics from included studies. The quality of studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2.0) tool, and key characteristics visualized EM. Finally, Acupoint data were systematically summarized.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>37 RCTs were included in this study. RoB 2.0 results showed only three studies at \"low risk,\" while most had notable quality issues. EM indicated that common comparisons involved manual acupuncture (MA), alone or combined, versus sleep medications. Measures involved six assessment tools, with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) most frequently used. Meanwhile, EM revealed considerable uncertainty regarding acupuncture for CRI efficacy. Acupoint analysis identified Yintang (GV24+), Shenting (GV24), Baihui (GV20), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Neiguan (PC6), and Shenmen (HT7) as core acupoints. Analysis identified five key gaps: study reliability, participant selection, placebo effect, outcome measurement, and acupoint selection.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Research on acupuncture for CRI has various gaps, and more high-quality evidence is still needed. This study comprehensively mapped the current evidence on acupuncture for CRI and identified five key gaps, providing directions and references for future research.</div></div><div><h3>Protocol registration</h3><div>INPLASY, INPLASY202460052.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101225"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144886926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating artificial intelligence into Korean medicine: Insights from neural and pulse signal analysis","authors":"In-Seon Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101257","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101257"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A cost-utility analysis of pharmacopuncture versus physiotherapy for chronic low back pain: A multicenter, pragmatic randomized controlled trial","authors":"Ye-Seul Lee ,&nbsp;Soo Jin Kim ,&nbsp;Kyung Sun Park ,&nbsp;Yoon Jae Lee ,&nbsp;Changsop Yang ,&nbsp;Chang-Hyun Han ,&nbsp;In-Hyuk Ha","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101210","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a significant global health issue, contributing to disability and economic strain. Nonpharmacological treatments, such as acupuncture and integrative approaches like pharmacopuncture (PPT), have shown potential in alleviating the burden of cLBP. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of PPT compared to physical therapy (PT) for managing cLBP from both healthcare system and societal perspectives.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A multicenter, two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted, involving 100 patients with cLBP. Patients were randomized into either the PPT group or the PT group, receiving 10 treatment sessions over five weeks. Utility was measured using the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level scale (EQ-5D-5L) to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and costs were evaluated from healthcare and societal perspectives, including medical costs and productivity loss. Productivity loss was assessed using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated by dividing the differences in costs by the differences in QALYs between the two groups. Bootstrapping and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess robustness.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>PPT was more cost-effective than PT, particularly from a societal perspective where it demonstrated lower overall costs and improved QALY. From a healthcare system perspective, the ICER of PPT was 16,575 USD per QALY, indicating cost-effectiveness. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study highlights PPT as a potentially cost-effective alternative to conventional PT for cLBP, though further research with larger sample sizes and extended follow-up is recommended to validate these results.</div></div><div><h3>Trial registration</h3><div>ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04833309), Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0006088).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101210"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144866398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using artificial intelligence for the development of a living evidence map: The pharmacopuncture example","authors":"Chan-Young Kwon","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101217","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101217","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Evidence map is a tool that visualizes the research status to identify research gaps and set priorities, but it has the limitation of the burden of continuous literature monitoring. Pharmacopuncture is a therapeutic modality used in Korean medicine that involves the injection of medicinal extracts into acupoints. This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based automated system for building and maintaining a living evidence map in the field of pharmacopuncture research and verify its performance.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A web-based system that automates literature search, selection, data extraction, and classification using PubMed API and Gemini AI was developed. The accuracy of nine tasks was evaluated and time efficiency was measured using manual review by experts as a standard reference. A visualization system using interactive bubble charts was implemented to provide a research gap identification function.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The AI system achieved an overall accuracy of 94.00% (error rate of 6.00%) for 202 articles, including detailed data extraction for 90 articles. Task-specific performance varied from sample size extraction (0% error rate) to pharmacopuncture name extraction (22.22% error rate), with high accuracy of over 90% in most tasks. Time efficiency was improved by 68.9% (190 vs. 59 minutes, including quality control), demonstrating that daily updates are practically feasible.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The developed visualization system significantly improves the existing static evidence organization method by intuitively identifying research gaps. The AI-based living evidence map enables continuous evidence monitoring in the field of pharmacopuncture research with high accuracy and significant time savings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Article 101217"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144866396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mast cell degranulation mediates analgesic effects of acupuncture at different stimulation durations in arthritic rats","authors":"Yuhang Liu ,&nbsp;Mingzhu Sun ,&nbsp;Yixuan Wang ,&nbsp;Yingchen Li ,&nbsp;Ziliang Zhang ,&nbsp;Liujie Ren ,&nbsp;Wei Yao ,&nbsp;Yi Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.imr.2025.101196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>To understand the effect and mechanism of different acupuncture durations on analgesic effects.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model evaluated the therapeutic effects of acupuncture at the Zusanli acupoint (ST36). A robotic arm provided stable lifting-thrusting stimulation for different durations (2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min). Mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were measured before and after treatment to assess the analgesic effects. Additionally, tissue sections from ST36 were stained and analyzed to assess mast cell degranulation rates, and in vitro stretching experiments were performed at different stretching times (0–60 min) to measure the release of histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and leukotrienes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Within the 30 min acupuncture duration range set in this study, the pain threshold recovery rate in rats exhibited a steady upward trend as the acupuncture duration gradually increased, reaching its optimal level between 20 and 30 min. The mast cell degranulation rate exhibited a similar time-related trend, reaching 80–90 % at 20–30 min. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the pain threshold recovery rate and mast cell degranulation rate. In the cell-stretching experiment, the release of biochemical mediators was time-dependent.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In the adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model, the analgesic effect observed at 20–30 min was superior to that observed at shorter durations, which was associated with the mast cell degranulation rate and release of biochemical mediators in the tissue.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13644,"journal":{"name":"Integrative Medicine Research","volume":"14 3","pages":"Article 101196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144662145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}