Trial reportFrontiers in endocrinology2026
Press needle combined with plum blossom needle improves diabetic peripheral neuropathy by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Frontiers in endocrinology, 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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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.
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of combined press needle and plum-blossom needle therapy in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), and to explore its therapeutic mechanism related to neuroinflammation. Methods: A total of 225 DPN patients were enrolled and randomly divided into a treatment group, a control group and a sham needle group at a 1:1:1 ratio. All participants received basic treatment with oral epalrestat and mecobalamin for 6 months. The treatment group was administered press needle embedding combined with plum-blossom needle tapping; the sham needle group received identical simulated operations using blunt sham needles without effective stimulation; the control group received no additional cutaneous acupuncture interventions. Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected as primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes included motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity (NCV), nerve action potential amplitudes, modified Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Score (mTCNS) and Total Neuropathy Score (TNS). Results: After 6 months of treatment, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group and the sham needle group ( Conclusion: Combined therapy of press needles and plum blossom needles lowers pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, elevates NCV, improves DPN-associated scale scores, and ameliorates the function of both small and large nerve fibers, with favorable safety and tolerability profiles. Its therapeutic mechanism may involve inhibition of persistent neuroinflammatory cascades. Clinical Trial Registration: http://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn, identifier ITMCTR2025000607.
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