Journal of Innovations in Medical Research

From Remission and Regression of Diseases to Controlled Normal Life Activity

Evgeniy Bryndin — 2026-05-18

Remission and regression are concepts related to disease dynamics, particularly in oncology, but also used in other areas of medicine. They describe the reduction or disappearance of symptoms and signs of a disease, which can lead to the restoration of normal life. However, it is important to understand that remission does not always mean a complete cure, while regression indicates a stable improvement in a patient’s condition. Upon achieving remission or regression, a patient can gradually return to their normal life, engage in professional activities, interact with different people, and maintain physical activity. Remission and regression are important stages in disease treatment. Modern technologies for disease remission and regression are actively developing in several areas, including cancer, autoimmune, and rheumatic diseases. These include both established methods and innovative approaches based on advances in genetic engineering, immunotherapy, and other technologies. Research into disease remission and regression is an active area of research aimed at improving patient outcomes and developing more effective therapeutic strategies. Research into disease remission and regression spans various fields of medicine, including oncology and endocrinology. Studies show that early and long-term remission improves functional outcomes. Efforts to standardize remission and regression across various fields of medicine are ongoing to improve diagnosis, functional status, and comparison of research results.

A Review of the Physiological Effects of Foam Rolling on Skeletal Muscle

Mingyang Wei — 2026-05-18

As a commonly employed modality for self-myofascial release, foam rolling is widely used in sports rehabilitation and physical training. This article analyzes the physiological effects of foam rolling on skeletal muscle and explores its potential mechanisms. After retrieving PubMed, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, and Embase, and manually screening references, a total of 16 randomized controlled trials, 4 systematic reviews or mechanism reviews, 2 survey studies, and 3 other primary studies were finally included. Available evidence suggests that acute foam rolling is generally associated with improved joint range of motion, whereas muscle strength and explosive performance generally show acute inhibitory trends, consistent with a transient neurophysiological response. Foam rolling appears to have limited direct effects on muscle activation, although it may support recovery-related neuromuscular function in specific settings. It may also alleviate delayed-onset muscle soreness and improve pain-related or hemodynamic responses, but these effects appear to be context-dependent. Its mechanisms involve multifactorial interactions, including myofascial release, mechanoreceptor activation, and hemodynamic regulation. Limitations of existing studies include small sample sizes, heterogeneous intervention protocols, and short follow-up periods. Future research should adopt large-sample, long-term designs to determine optimal intervention parameters and confirm efficacy in clinical populations.

Integrated Acupuncture, Tuina and Moxibustion for Chronic Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain: A Three-Arm Assessor-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial with Biomarker and Pressure Pain Threshold Assessments

Rui Huang — 2026-06-23

Background: Chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain (CMMP) impairs physical function and sleep globally. Pharmacotherapy carries diverse adverse reactions, while combined TCM external therapies are widely applied clinically. High-quality three-arm RCT evidence verifying the incremental benefit of supplementary moxibustion based on acupuncture plus Tuina remains scarce, and few trials integrate pressure pain threshold (PPT) and circulating inflammatory markers as objective endpoints. Objective: To compare clinical outcomes of triple combined therapy versus acupuncture-Tuina alone and standardized rehabilitation, and explore potential correlations between symptom improvement and changes in PPT, inflammatory and endogenous analgesic biomarkers. Methods: A prospective single-center assessor-blinded three-arm RCT following CONSORT & STRICTA guidelines; approved by institutional ethics committee and prospectively registered before participant enrolment. A total of 156 eligible patients (n=52 per group, 1:1:1 randomization) received 8-week treatment (3 sessions weekly), with follow-ups at week 4, 8, 12, 24. Primary endpoint: week-8 adjusted NRS change from baseline; secondary outcomes contained regional pain scores, multi-dimensional functional scales, PPT, PSQI, EQ-5D-5L (Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network, 2024), weekly paracetamol intake and four serum biomarkers. ITT as primary analysis, PP for sensitivity; multiple imputation (20 datasets), linear mixed model and ANCOVA were adopted, Bonferroni correction for secondary pairwise comparisons. Results: 196 candidates screened, 40 excluded, 156 randomized; 11 withdrew within 8 weeks, another 8 lost to follow-up between week8–24; 145 finished 8-week intervention, 137 completed 24-week follow-up. All baseline indexes were balanced across three groups (P＞0.05). At week 8, integrated group yielded superior NRS reduction vs acupuncture-Tuina (adjusted MD = −1.12, 95% CI −1.68~−0.56, P＜0.001, Cohen’s d=0.74) and rehabilitation (adjusted MD = −2.26, 95% CI −2.83~−1.69, P＜0.001, Cohen’s d=1.18), and the inter-group difference slightly exceeded predefined MCID=1.0. The triple regimen brought consistent improvements in regional pain, physical function, PPT, sleep and life quality alongside obvious analgesic reduction. Serum pro-inflammatory factors declined and β-endorphin increased more prominently in combined cohort. Only mild self-limited adverse events were documented without serious incidents. Conclusion: Adding moxibustion onto fixed acupuncture-Tuina produces statistically and clinically meaningful extra benefits for CMMP in pain relief, myofascial hypersensitivity alleviation and functional recovery, accompanied by reduced rescue analgesic usage. Decreased systemic inflammation and elevated endogenous opioid levels are potentially associated with clinical improvements rather than confirmed causal drivers. Further multicenter sham-controlled trials are required for external validation.

Construction and Application of Standard System for Traditional External Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Preservation

Yao Chen — 2026-06-23

Against the backdrop of a growing global burden of chronic non-communicable diseases and sub-health issues, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) external therapies serve as core techniques for TCM health preservation. However, inconsistent operational norms and lack of quantitative parameters have resulted in high clinical heterogeneity, hindering their clinical application and international development. This study constructed a four-layer hierarchical standard system for TCM external therapies by integrating literature analysis and three rounds of Delphi expert consultation, and extracted 17 core quantitative operational parameters for cupping, scraping, moxibustion and other therapies. A multicenter stratified randomized controlled trial involving 384 participants was further conducted to validate the system. The subjects were divided into four groups: control group, standardized TCM external therapy group, therapy combined with TCM constitution conditioning group, and therapy combined with digital health management group. After 12 weeks of intervention and 12 weeks of follow-up, relevant biomarkers, clinical scales and safety indicators were assessed. The overall expert consensus rate of the standard system reached 83.2%. All intervention groups exhibited significant increases in BDNF levels and decreases in inflammatory factors, along with notable improvements in fatigue and sleep status. The combination of standardized therapy and constitution conditioning delivered the best therapeutic effect. Operation standardization was positively correlated with clinical efficacy and negatively correlated with adverse event incidence. All adverse reactions were mild, and participants maintained high treatment compliance. This standard system fills the gaps in existing industry specifications. Standardized TCM external therapies are effective and safe for intervening sub-health and mild chronic diseases. It is suggested to promote the implementation of this system, conduct in-depth mechanism research and accelerate its international popularization.

The Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) Score Predicts the Survival Period of Patients with Liver Failure

Haradhan Kumar Mohajan — 2026-06-23

The liver is the largest essential internal organ in the body. A healthy liver is necessary for survival that can regenerate most of its own cells when these are damaged. The Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a numerical scale that is reported as a whole number, and is used to predict survival in patients with cirrhosis and liver failure. It is an objective measure incorporating three quantitative values, such as serum creatinine, international normalized ratio (INR), and serum bilirubin that are readily available, reproducible, and objective. It is used to prioritize and allocate adult patients with liver cirrhosis waiting for a liver transplantation (LT). The transplant teams should take decision of LT for patients with higher MELD scores. Liver failure patients with MELD score≥20 should be regarded as high risk for mortality. Although, MELD is an ideal score, it cannot provide accurate information of survival in 15–20% cases. In this study an attempt has been taken to highlight the importance of MELD score for LT patients.