ArticlePloS one2023
Thermographic evaluation of acupoints in lower limb region of individuals with osteoarthritis: A cross-sectional case-control study protocol.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- 10.6 μm laser moxibustion can improve oxidative stress and abnormal energy metabolism in liver of hypothyroidism rats through Nrf2/HO-1 and Nrf2/PGC-1α/TFAM pathways.Lasers in medical science · 2026Article
- Acupuncture Prescription Based on Thermal-Sensitized Acupoints for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Acupoint temperature as a biomarker: infrared thermography in the diagnosis of adolescents with major depressive disorder.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Therapeutic Potential of Acupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis: Clinical Efficacy and Mechanistic Insights.Journal of inflammation research · 2025Review
- The effects of needle and warm needle on hemodynamic responses at different acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Global trends and performances of infrared imaging technology studies on acupuncture: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeAcupuncture has been widely used in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), but the selection of acupoints is indeterminate and lacks biological basis. The skin temperature of acupoints can reflect the state of local tissue and may be a potential factor for guiding acupoint selection. This study aims to compare the skin temperature of acupoints between KOA patients and the healthy population. STUDY DESIGN AND
methodsThis is a protocol for a cross-sectional case-control study with 170 KOA patients and 170 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals. Diagnosed patients aged 45 to 70 will be recruited in the KOA group. Participants in the healthy group will be matched with the KOA group based on mean age and gender distribution. Skin temperature of 11 acupoints (ST35, EX-LE5, GB33, GB34, EX-LE2, ST34, ST36, GB39, BL40, SP9, SP10) will be extracted from infrared thermography (IRT) images of the lower limbs. Other measurements will include demographic data (gender, age, ethnicity, education, height, weight, BMI) and disease-related data (numerical rating scale, pain sites, duration of pain, pain descriptors, pain activities). DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide biological evidence for acupoint selection. This study is a precondition for follow-up studies, in which the value of optimized acupoint selection will be verified.
trial registrationChiCTR2200058867.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.