Trial reportJournal of pain research2020
Effect of Electro-Acupuncture (EA) and Manual Acupuncture (MA) on Markers of Inflammation in Knee Osteoarthritis.
Trial report in Journal of pain research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03274713 (Efficacy of Electro-acupuncture Versus Manual Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis), which is not on this map. Cited by 57 papers.
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.
Efficacy of Electro-acupuncture Versus Manual Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 69 citations in OpenAlex.
- Synergistic effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in knee osteoarthritis: clinical outcomes and biochemical mechanisms.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Trial
- Cartilage regeneration and inflammation modulation in knee osteoarthritis following injection of allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: a phase II, triple-blinded, placebo controlled, randomized trial.Stem cell research & therapy · 2023Trial
- Acupuncture and its effect on cytokine and chemokine profiles in seasonal allergic rhinitis: a preliminary three-armed, randomized, controlled trial.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022Trial
- Comparative Outcomes of Electroacupuncture, Warm Acupuncture, and Their Combination in Patients Receiving Standard Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.International journal of rheumatic diseases · 2026Article
- Effect of Physical Therapy on Inflammatory Biomarkers in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Immunomodulatory Effects of Acupuncture on Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Muscles (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Predictive Value of the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index for the Clinical Efficacy of Acupuncture and Exercise Rehabilitation in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Study.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Observational
- Pain Modulation, Inflammation-Regulatory Mechanisms, and Translational Boundaries of Evidence for Acupuncture-Related Therapies in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Structured Narrative Review.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Mechanical cues as immunomodulators in neuroinflammation-driven spinal sensitization: analgesic mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Ameliorates Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorder in Aged Mice by Inhibiting Ferroptosis Through the SIRT1/NRF2/GPX4 Pathway.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Acupuncture-Mediated Neuro-Immune Regulation in Musculoskeletal Pain: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Integrative perspectives on electroacupuncture modulation of vagal-cholinergic and neuro-immune-metabolic regulation in long COVID.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2026Review
- Combined low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and extracorporeal shock wave therapy reduces pain and inflammation in knee osteoarthritis patients.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Fire needling acupuncture attenuates synovial inflammation and cartilage degeneration in knee osteoarthritis via SDF-1/CXCR4-mediated macrophage polarization.Clinical rheumatology · 2025Article
- Laser Acupuncture Effects on Chronic Pain, Inflammatory Response, and Biochemical and Oxidative Stress Markers in Osteoarthritic Dogs: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Clinical efficacy of fire-needle warming therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis of cold-dampness type and its effect on serum IL-1β and MMP-3.Clinical rheumatology · 2025Article
- Pain and Sleep Biomarkers in Participants Undergoing Orthopedic Surgeries.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Observational
- Efficacy of Different Acupuncture Techniques for Pain and Dysfunction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
- Efficacy of electro-acupuncture at "Weizhong" (BL40) on macrophage polarization in rats with injured lumbar multifidus.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2025Article
- Recent advances in osteoarthritis research: A review of treatment strategies, mechanistic insights, and acupuncture.Medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInflammation plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Although both electro-acupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture (MA) are known to influence systemic inflammation, little is known about the potential changes in inflammation as a working mechanism of EA and MA in KOA.
methodsData from the Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis Trial (ATKOA) were used. Serum concentrations of inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), CC-chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), and cartilage degradation biomarkers (matrix metalloproteinase-1 MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13 and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein COMP)) were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. Clinical outcomes were valid and reliable self-reported pain and function measures for osteoarthritis using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline and post-treatment.
resultsBoth 8-weeks EA and MA significantly reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β), and cartilage degradation biomarkers (MMP-3, MMP-13) significantly increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-13 compared with pre-treatment (p<0.05). Further, the reduction of TNF-α was more significant in EA when compared to MA (p=0.046). While there was no significant difference between groups in cytokines IL-1β (p=0.102), MMP-3 (p=0.113), MMP-13 (p=0.623) or IL-13 (p=0.935). Moreover, in both EA and MA, the effect of acupuncture on the VAS and WOMAC function scale after 8 weeks is clinically important, although no significant differences were found between groups.
conclusionEight weeks of both EA and MA seem to provide improvement in pain relief and function among individuals with mild to moderate knee OA. This benefit is partly mediated by changes of major inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-13.
trial registrationControlled-Trials.com Identifier: NCT03274713.
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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 OpenQuestion graph.