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To evaluate the acceptability of self-administered acupressure for Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) among middle-aged and older adults. This is a mixed-method acceptability evaluation was embedded in a randomized controlled trial on self-administered acupressure for KOA. Participants received two 2-h training sessions on self-administered acupressure and were instructed to practice twice daily for 12 weeks. Quantitative data were collected using an acceptability questionnaire (n = 153) and acupressure logbooks (n = 157). Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, including post-training (n = 13) and post-intervention focus groups (n = 13), and individual interviews with participants who dropped out (n = 5). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and framework analysis based on the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. The intervention had 91.7 % completion rate. Participants rated willingness to attend future sessions at 9.5/10 (SD=0.85). 57.8 % found technique education \"very helpful\" and 81.5 % followed the prescribed routine. Participants reported high overall acceptability of the self-administered acupressure training program, citing its practicality and potential benefits on knee pain, thigh strength, inflammation, and swelling. The minimal time and financial investment required were also appreciated. However, challenges related to personal efforts, time management, pressure from research monitoring, possible adverse events, and uncertainties with acupressure techniques were noted, leading to adherence issues. Participants expressed a need for continuous professional guidance. Self-administered acupressure is highly acceptable to middle-aged and older adults with KOA due to its potential benefits and merits of minimal time and cost. Future research should focus on optimizing intervention implementation by providing professional support and efficient monitoring to address identified challenges. •Self-administered acupressure is highly acceptable for managing knee osteoarthritis.•Adherence challenges arise from time management and acupressure techniques.•Continuous professional support is necessary to maintain effective practice.•Benefits reported include reduced knee pain and improved thigh strength.•The intervention requires minimal financial and time investment.

Background The Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9), known for its brevity and ease of use, is employed by researchers and clinical practitioners for poststroke depression (PSD) screening. However, the effectiveness of the PHQ‐9 in PSD screening remains to be further validated. Methods Electronic searches were conducted in EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang databases using keywords including stroke, depression, and PHQ‐9. The assessment tool Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies‐2 was utilized to evaluate the risk of bias in diagnostic studies. Results A total of 2049 articles were retrieved, with 9 meeting the inclusion criteria. The PHQ‐9 demonstrated pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.84 and 0.90, respectively, and a summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curve of 0.93. At the 10‐cut‐off value, pooled sensitivity, specificity, and sROC were 0.77, 0.85, and 0.86, respectively. At the 9‐cut‐off value, the sensitivity, specificity, and sROC were 0.87, 0.85, and 0.92, respectively. At the 5‐cut‐off value, sensitivity, specificity, and sROC are 0.90, 0.91, and 0.96, respectively. No publication bias was identified. Conclusion The PHQ‐9 is an effective tool for screening poststroke depressive symptoms with significant clinical utility. However, further research is needed to establish optimal diagnostic thresholds. This meta‐analysis confirms the high accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) in screening poststroke depression. The findings highlight the impact of varying cut‐off values on sensitivity and specificity, emphasizing the need for tailored diagnostic thresholds to enhance clinical applicability across different populations.

To determine the comparative effects and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions based on meridian theory for pain relief in patients with primary dysmenorrhea (PD). This is a systematic review with network meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing meridian-based TCM interventions with waitlist, placebo, western medicine, and conventional therapies for PD pain. A SUCRA was used to estimate the probability ranking for the effects of interventions. 57 RCTs involving 3,903 participants and 15interventions were included. Thirty-two RCTs were rated as low risk of bias. A network diagram was drawn with 105 pairs of comparisons. Compared with NSAIDs and waitlist, significantly better effects were found in acupressure [SMD = -1.51, 95%CI (-2.91, -0.12)/SMD = -2.31, 95%CI (-4.61, -0.02)], warm needling [SMD = -1.43, 95%CI (-2.68, -0.18)/SMD = -2.23, 95%CI (-4.43, -0.03)], moxibustion [SMD = -1.21, 95%CI (-1.85, -0.57)/SMD = -2.10, 95%CI (-3.95, -0.07)], and acupuncture [SMD = -1.09, 95%CI (-1.62, -0.55)/SMD = -1.89, 95%CI (-3.67, -0.11)]. No adverse events were detected. For PD pain, the effects of acupressure, acupuncture, warm needling, and moxibustion were superior to those of NSAIDs and waitlist. Oral contraceptive pill, electro-acupuncture, acupressure, and warm needling demonstrated higher probabilities of being better interventions. More high-quality clinical trials are needed to provide more robust evidence of this network. PROSPERO CRD42022373312.

Background Working as a pregnant clinical nurse might experience a range of challenges, such as significant anatomical and physiological changes as well as emotional and cognitive changes. That might be particularly obvious under the historical background of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, a dearth of studies has explored the experiences of working as a pregnant nurse during this special period. This study aimed to explore the experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive qualitative design was selected. Purposive sampling, combined with maximum variation strategy and snowball sampling, were utilized to identify and select participants from tertiary-teaching hospitals, specialized hospitals, and community hospitals in Zhejiang Province, southeastern China. Online semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data, and conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Eleven Chinese nurses with a mean age of 31.8 years, ranging from 26 to 40 years, participated in this study. Four themes and twelve subthemes emerged: (1) still adhering to work as a clinical nurse despite being pregnant during the pandemic; (2) working during pregnancy under pandemic is still an ordinary nurse; (3) still staying in the special life phase as a pregnant mother; and (4) growth and gains as pregnant mother. Conclusion The pregnant clinical nurses suffered from various changes and difficulties during the pandemic. Managers, occupational health and other health system leaders, and policymakers should be aware of the importance of establishing a work environment that guarantees safe continued pregnancy. Future studies should focus on the establishment of specific guidelines and manuals regarding how pregnant nurses worked, as well as the development of self-protection interventions during pregnancy. Moreover, research on moral stigma and bullying in nursing during pregnancy deserves further exploration. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

Acne is highly prevalent among young adults, and in East Asian contexts-where appearance standards, social media exposure, and the cultural construct of \"face\" (mianzi) are particularly prominent-visible skin lesions may incur amplified social burdens. However, evidence from China remains scarce regarding the key drivers of social avoidance in this population: specifically, whether anxiety, body image disturbance, income level, and lesion distribution exert independent effects, beyond the influence of acne severity itself. This study aims to fill this research gap by examining a sample of young adults with acne from East China. To investigate social avoidance and its associations with body image disturbance, anxiety, and sociodemographic factors in Chinese young adults with acne. A cross-sectional study of 201 acne patients (18-29 years) in East China assessed social avoidance (SADS-SA), body image (BIDQ), and anxiety (GAD-7). Pearson correlation analyzed associations among variables, and multivariable linear regression explored independent effects of social avoidance. Mean social-avoidance score was 5.71±3.79 and correlated with BIDQ (r = 0.343, < 0.01) and GAD-7 (r = 0.546, < 0.01). In multivariable models, higher income (≥5000 CNY) was negatively associated with avoidance (B =-2.640; β=-0.288; = 0.022), whereas combined facial/neck + torso was positively associated with avoidance (B = 1.098; β= 0.122; = 0.040); torso-only was negatively associated with avoidance (B =-3.889; β=-0.175; = 0.003). Anxiety showed the strongest independent association with social avoidance (B = 0.330; β= 0.458; < 0.001), while body image disturbance showed no significant direct association ( = 0.053). In Chinese young adults with acne, anxiety is strongly associated with social avoidance-not acne severity itself. Higher income acts protectively, and combined facial/neck and torso distribution indicates greater risk. These findings support the integration of brief anxiety screening, targeted psychosocial interventions, and focused care for patients with visible lesions into dermatological care to reduce social avoidance.

Pulse palpation is essential for accurate traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis. However, this tactile-sensory-dependent technique is not feasible in teleconference, leaving traditional Chinese medicine underserved by conventional tele-practice frameworks. To address this, we developed an Assistive Pulse Data Collection (APDC; Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre) device. This study aimed to evaluate feasibility and to preliminarily examine the Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs) agreement on real-person pulses and machine-generated pulses and collect users' feedback. Following World Health Organization guidelines for piloting new medical technologies, a 2-phase, dual-method evaluation was conducted. In the feasibility phase, 10 participants' pulses were recorded using the APDC device. Overall, 5 CMPs evaluated the participants' and machine-generated pulses using a 5-point Likert scale (1=\"Strongly Disagree\" to 5=\"Strongly Agree\"). In the pilot phase, 10 CMPs assessed pulses from 42 participants and refined the regenerated outputs for comparison. Quantitative and qualitative feedback from CMPs and participants was collected. CMPs evaluated machine-regenerated pulses across 4 parameters: frequency (mean agreement score 4.1, SD 0.6), rhythm (mean 3.8, SD 0.6), width (mean 2.7, SD 0.9), and force (mean 2.4, SD 1), indicating moderate-to-high agreement for frequency or rhythm but lower consensus for width and force. Following device refinements (eg, adjustable armrest, pressure calibration, and pulse algorithms), the pilot phase CMPs' agreement improved for frequency (mean 4.3, SD 0.7) and rhythm (mean 4, SD 0.8), while width (mean 3, SD 0.9) and force (mean 2.8, SD 0.9) remained suboptimal. CMPs reported enhanced clarity (mean 4.3, SD 1) but persistent inefficiency (mean 2.5, SD 0.5) and neutral satisfaction (mean 2.6, SD 0.5). Participants maintained favorable ratings for comfort (mean 4, SD 0.7), easy to use (mean 3.9, SD 0.8), and high satisfaction (mean 4, SD 0.7). The APDC device is feasible and enables CMPs to take remote pulse feature assessment, but further optimization of pulse force and width is warranted.

Background Depression, a debilitating mental disorder, has become the leading cause of disability worldwide. A growing body of evidence supports the feasibility and effectiveness of multicomponent lifestyle medicine programs for the treatment of depression, including the recent novel multicomponent Traditional Chinese Medicine Lifestyle Medicine (TCMLM) program (Registered at ClinicalTrials.Gov with registration number: NCT05799586). However, little is known about participants’ experiences and perceptions of the program and the aspects that require improvement. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of participants attending the multicomponent TCMLM program and practicing the related lifestyle behaviors. Methods In this descriptive qualitative study, purposeful sampling was used to recruit Hong Kong Chinese adults who had participated in the multicomponent TCMLM program between August 2023 and January 2024. Face-to-face focus-group interviews and semi-structured interviews were conducted with audio recording, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. All interviews were performed in classrooms in a university in Hong Kong. Results A total of 31 multicomponent TCMLM program attendees aged 20 to 65 years participated in the qualitative interviews. The content analysis identified three themes and 12 subthemes, namely, Theme 1: multicomponent TCMLM program originally being comprehensive and special (e.g., TCMLM program content originally being not unitary, increasing the number of methods for dealing with depressive symptoms); Theme 2: multicomponent TCMLM program being far more beneficial than expected (e.g., promoting diet, exercises, daily routine and sleep management based on TCMLM, improving physical functional status, improving one’s personality); and Theme 3: practicing multicomponent TCMLM program having challenges (e.g., unsuitable conditions hindering some TCMLM practices in community). Conclusions This study provides fresh in-depth insights into the perceptions and experiences of Hong Kong Chinese adults with depression who attended the multicomponent TCMLM program and engaged in the related lifestyle behaviors. Meanwhile, the challenges encountered while attending the program and practicing the related behaviors offer valuable information for further optimization of the program and expanding its application in Hong Kong or other regions.