SynthesisBMJ open2014
Bee venom acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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
33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 80 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Clinical Evidence of Bee Venom Acupuncture for Ankle Pain: A Review of Clinical Research.Toxins · 2025Review
- Bee Venom Acupuncture in Traditional Korean Medicine: A Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines.Toxins · 2025Review
- Acupuncture Modalities Differentially Modulate Pain and Joint Damage in a Rat Model of Knee Osteoarthritis.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- Phytosomes Loaded with Mastoparan-M Represent a Novel Strategy for Breast Cancer Treatment.International journal of nanomedicine · 2025Article
- Therapeutic Potential and Mechanisms of Bee Venom Therapy: A Comprehensive Review of Apitoxin Applications and Safety Enhancement Strategies.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Enhancing Selective Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Melittin through 6-Aminohexanoic Acid Substitution.Biomolecules · 2024Article
- Pathophysiology, diagnosis, and herbal medicine-based therapeutic implication of rheumatoid arthritis: an overview.Inflammopharmacology · 2024Review
- Effectiveness of bee venom acupuncture for patients suffering from periarthritis humeroscapularis.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2023Article
- Effectiveness and safety of bee venom pharmacopuncture for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review protocol.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Bee Venom Acupuncture Therapy on Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Patients in Saudi Arabia.International journal of general medicine · 2022Article
- Detoxification of Bee Venom Increases Its Anti-inflammatory Activity and Decreases Its Cytotoxicity and Allergenic Activity.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2021Article
- Bee Venom Prevents Mucin 5AC Production through Inhibition of AKT and SPDEF Activation in Airway Epithelia Cells.Toxins · 2021Article
- Review
- Ethnozoology among the Berbers: pre-Islamic practices survive in the Rif (northwestern Africa).Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine · 2021Article
- Melittin as a promising anti-protozoan peptide: current knowledge and future prospects.AMB Express · 2021Review
- Toxic Animal-Based Medicinal Materials Can Be Effective in Treating Endometriosis: A Scoping Review.Toxins · 2021Article
- Efficacy of topical interventions for temporomandibular disorders compared to placebo or control therapy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Journal of dental anesthesia and pain medicine · 2020Review
- Bee Venom Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of pharmacopuncture · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess the clinical evidence for bee venom acupuncture (BVA) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
designSystematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
settingWe searched 14 databases up to March 2014 without a language restriction.
participantsPatients with RA.
interventionBVA involved injecting purified, diluted BV into acupoints. We included trials on BVA used alone or in combination with a conventional therapy versus the conventional therapy alone. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: Morning stiffness, pain and joint swelling SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor, the number of joints affected by RA and adverse effects likely related to RA.
resultsA total of 304 potentially relevant studies were identified; only one RCT met our inclusion criteria. Compared with placebo, BVA may more effectively improve joint pain, swollen joint counts, tender joint counts, ESR and CRP but was not shown to improve morning stiffness.
conclusionsThere is low-quality evidence, based on one trial, that BVA can significantly reduce pain, morning stiffness, tender joint counts, swollen joint counts and improve the quality of life of patients with RA compared with placebo (normal saline injection) control. However, the number of trials, their quality and the total sample size were too low to draw firm conclusions. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2013: CRD42013005853.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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 OpenQuestion graph.