ArticleTrials2021
Efficacy of manual acupuncture versus placebo acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in perimenopause women: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Article in Trials, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Xiangshao granules regulate the dopaminergic synapse pathway and improve menopausal anxiety in peri- and postmenopausal Chinese women: A multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Article
- Experimental analysis of acupuncture's effects on hyperandrogenemia and related symptoms in PCOS patients.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Efficacy of manual acupuncture vs. placebo acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in perimenopausal women: a randomized, single-blinded controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common among perimenopausal women. Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for GAD, but evidence is limited. The pathogenesis of GAD is not yet clear, but it is related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its excretion, cortisol (CORT), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The object of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of manual acupuncture (MA) versus placebo acupuncture (PA) for perimenopausal women with GAD.
methodsThis study is a single-center, randomized, single-blind clinical trial that will be conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. A total of 112 eligible GAD patients will be randomly assigned (1:1) to receive MA (n=56) or PA (n=56) three times per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome measure will be the HAMA score. The secondary outcome measures will be the GAD-7 and PSQI scores and the levels of CORT and ACTH. The evaluation will be executed at baseline, 2 weeks, the end of the treatment, and a follow-up 3-month period. All main analyses will be carried out based on the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle. DISCUSSION: This study intends to compare the efficacy between MA and PA in the treatment of perimenopausal women with GAD and to further study the mechanisms underlying the effect.
trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100046604 . Registered on 22 May 2021.
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