ArticleInternational urology and nephrology2026
Association of governor vessel fire dragon moxibustion with patient-reported sleep quality and proteinuria in early stage diabetic kidney disease: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study.
Article in International urology and nephrology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Vaccination timing and humoral suppression with telitacicept in IgA nephropathy.International urology and nephrology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDiabetic kidney disease (DKD) and comorbid insomnia form a pernicious bidirectional cycle that accelerates renal decline. Despite optimal guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), a substantial residual risk of proteinuria persists. This study aimed to examine the association of adjunctive Governor Vessel fire dragon moxibustion with patient-reported sleep quality, renal parameters, and documented safety outcomes in patients with early stage DKD, comorbid insomnia, and Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency.
methodsIn this retrospective cohort study, 286 eligible patients were initially enrolled to receive either standard GDMT alone or GDMT combined with a 4-week course of fire dragon moxibustion. To reduce measured baseline confounding, 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted, generating 82 well-balanced patient pairs (N = 164). The primary outcome was the change in the patient-reported Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score. Exploratory secondary outcomes included 4-week changes in 24-h urinary protein (24 h-Upro), urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and fasting plasma glucose (FPG).
resultsIn the matched cohort, the moxibustion group achieved a significantly greater mean reduction in the global PSQI score than the standard care group (- 5.3 ± 1.8 vs. - 1.3 ± 1.1; P < 0.001), indicating a greater improvement in patient-reported sleep quality. Exploratory analyses showed greater 4-week reductions in 24 h-Upro (- 0.07 ± 0.06 vs. - 0.02 ± 0.05 g/24 h; P < 0.001) and UACR (- 23.9 ± 15.4 vs. - 5.8 ± 12.5 mg/g; P < 0.001). Changes in eGFR and FPG did not differ significantly between the two groups (both P > 0.05). Three patients (3.7%) experienced mild, transient localized skin reactions, and no severe adverse events were recorded.
conclusionAdjunctive Governor Vessel fire dragon moxibustion was associated with greater 4-week improvement in patient-reported sleep quality among patients with early stage DKD and insomnia and was generally well tolerated. Exploratory analyses also showed greater short-term reductions in 24-h urinary protein excretion and albuminuria, but their stabilization, durability, and long-term renal significance remain uncertain. Because treatment was not blinded and sleep quality was assessed using the self-reported PSQI, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in prospective studies incorporating an appropriate sham or attention-matched control, objective sleep measures, repeated urinary measurements, and longer renal follow-up.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42809191What 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.