Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42108532›Full record

ArticleJournal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA2026

Experimental study on the effect of warm acupuncture on the healing of bone nonunion in rats.

Yongliang Mei, Chao Song, Yun Gao, Daqian Zhou, Silong Gao, Kang Cheng, Daru Guo, Weiye Cai, Fei Yu, Zongchao Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Yongliang MeiDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Chao SongDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Yun GaoDepartment of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Daqian ZhouDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Silong GaoDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Kang ChengDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Daru GuoDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Weiye CaiDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Fei YuDepartment of Radiology, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Zongchao LiuDepartment of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.ORCID 0000-0002-7101-1765

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBone nonunion is a challenging clinical issue that hinders fracture healing. Warm acupuncture, as a traditional Chinese medicine therapy, has shown potential in promoting tissue repair, but its effect on bone nonunion healing and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the effect of warm acupuncture on the healing of bone nonunion in rats and predict its potential mechanism.

methodsSprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank control group (BC group), a tibial bone nonunion model group (M group), and a warm acupuncture treatment group (WA group). The BC group was not treated. Bone nonunion modeling was performed on M and WA groups. After modeling, M group was tied up. The WA group was treated with warm acupuncture after restraint, once a day for 4 weeks. After treatment, collected blood samples, performed digital radiography (DR), micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE staining), and assess the bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) protein expression by Western blot.

resultsAfter treatment, the phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels and the BMP-2 protein expression level were significantly higher in WA group than in BC group and M group. The difference between WA group and M group in terms of fracture scab measurement was statistically significant. The recovery of fracture structure in WA group was better than that in M group. WA group was better than M group in bending strength, bending stiffness, bending load, bending deflection, bending moment, and deflection. Bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, and number of trabeculae were higher in WA group than in M group.

conclusionWarm acupuncture can enhance the serum Ca, ALP, and P concentrations and increase the expression of BMP-2 in rats, thus improving bone scab production, promoting the healing of fractures, and increasing the biomechanical strength in rats.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyFracture HealingFractures, UnunitedAlkaline PhosphataseAnimalsBone Morphogenetic Protein 2CalciumMalePhosphorusRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyX-Ray MicrotomographyAlkaline PhosphataseBone Morphogenetic Protein 2CalciumPhosphorusAcupointBone morphogenetic protein 2Bone nonunionMeridiansWarm acupuncture

Identifiers

PMID42108532
PMCPMC13286385

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.