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Objectives: To summarize development processes and research hotspots of infrared imaging technology research on acupuncture and to provide new insights for researchers in future studies., Methods: Publications regarding infrared imaging technology in acupuncture from 2008 to 2023 were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). VOSviewer 1.6.19, CiteSpace 6.2.R4, Scimago Graphica, and Microsoft Excel software were used for bibliometric analyses. The main analyses include collaboration analyses between countries, institutions, authors, and journals, as well as analyses on keywords and references., Results: A total of 346 publications were retrieved from 2008 to 2023. The quantity of yearly publications increased steadily, with some fluctuations over the past 15 years. "Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" and "American Journal of Chinese Medicine" were the top-cited journals in frequency and centrality. China has the largest number of publications, with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine being the most prolific institution. Among authors, Litscher Gerhard from Austria (currently Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Switzerland) in Europe, was the most published and most cited author. The article published by Rojas RF was the most discussed among the cited references. Common keywords included "Acupuncture," "Near infrared spectroscopy," and "Temperature," among others. Explore the relationship between acupoints and temperature through infrared thermography technology (IRT), evaluate pain objectively by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and explore acupuncture for functional connectivity between brain regions were the hotspots and frontier trends in this field., Conclusion: This study is the first to use bibliometric methods to explore the hotspots and cutting-edge issues in the application of infrared imaging technology in the field of acupuncture. It offers a fresh perspective on infrared imaging technology research on acupuncture and gives scholars useful data to determine the field's hotspots, present state of affairs, and frontier trends., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Feng, Xia, Fan, Li, Zhang and Fang.)

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in patients with herpes zoster (HZ) and to assess their correlation with the development of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Understanding this relationship may offer insight into the mechanisms of PHN and provide avenues for targeted treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS We selected 169 patients diagnosed with HZ and 43 healthy controls (HCs) for the study. Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured in all participants. Pain severity was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS). Based on follow-up data, the 169 HZ patients were categorized into 2 groups: those who developed PHN (HZ-PHN) and those who did not (HZ-Con). We then analyzed the differences in cytokine levels and their correlation with PHN development. RESULTS Compared to the HCs group, HZ patients exhibited a significant decrease in TNF-a levels and an increase in IL-10 levels (P<0.05, P<0.01). The VAS score was negatively correlated with TNF-alpha levels and positively correlated with IL-10 levels in HZ patients (r=-0.3081, P<0.01; r=0.5619, P<0.01). Distinctive levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were observed among different pain groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). The HZ-PHN group showed lower TNF-alpha and higher IL-10 levels compared to the HZ-Con group (P<0.05, P<0.01). IL-10 level was identified as an independent risk factor for PHN, with a sensitivity and specificity of 76.4% and 54.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Abnormal levels of inflammatory cytokines are present in HZ patients, and the IL-10 level may serve as a valuable indicator for predicting the risk of developing PHN.

Recent clinical studies showed that central nervous system (CNS) infection caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivation was more than previously reported. The clinical manifestations were often diverse and complex, and the outcome often varied among different patients. A systematic study is needed to provide clinical characteristics of the CNS VZV infection to help clinicians with clinical diagnosis and management. Toward that end, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical presentations, laboratory results, imaging findings, treatment and outcomes in74 patients with meningitis or meningoencephalitis caused by VZV reactivation in our center from August 2018 to December 2020. Fever, headache, cranial nerve involvement, cognitive changes, meningeal irritation, nausea, vomiting, and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome (RHS) were the most common clinical manifestations of VZV meningitis or meningoencephalitis. Brain MRI analysis showed no obvious abnormal manifestation. Compared to VZV meningoencephalitis, patients with VZV meningitis were younger (56.9±13.8 vs 66.1±8.5 years; P=0.01), and more likely to develope in winter (P=0.04), had lower cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose content (3.68±0.79 vs 4.21±0.94 mmol/L, P=0.02), and a better outcome at discharge (P=0.00). The outcome at discharge was worse in male patients and when longer than 1.5 days passed between onset of the neurological symptoms to initiation of the antiviral treatment.Early intravenous antiviral treatment for VZV meningitis and meningoencephalitis is important and is expected for a good outcome., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2022.)