Traditional Chinese medicine for post-COVID: A retrospective cohort study
Kraft, Jana; Hardy, Anne; Baustädter, Verena; Bögel-Witt, Martina; Krassnig, Katharina; Ziegler, Birgit; Waibl, Paula; Meißner, Karin (2025)
Kraft, Jana; Hardy, Anne; Baustädter, Verena; Bögel-Witt, Martina; Krassnig, Katharina...
Medicine 104 (18), e42275.
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Post-COVID syndrome affects at least 10% of individuals recovering from COVID-19. Currently, there is no causal treatment. This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the potential of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in treating post-COVID symptoms. TCM physicians in Germany and Austria completed online questionnaires to retrospectively record symptoms, treatment approaches, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with post-COVID. Nine physicians collected data from 79 patients (65% female, 47 ± 16 SD). The most common TCM treatments for post-COVID were acupuncture (n = 66; 85%), Chinese pharmacological therapy (n = 61; 77%), and Chinese dietary counseling (n = 32; 41%). After an average of 7 ± 4 TCM consultations, physicians rated global symptom improvement as 62% ± 29%. Significant alleviation from the start of TCM treatment was observed in major symptoms, such as fatigue (P < .001), impaired physical performance (P < .001), and exertional dyspnea (P < .001). TCM treatment was associated with significant improvements in post-COVID symptoms, warranting further evaluation through randomized controlled studies.
Predicting placebo analgesia responses in clinical trials: where to look next? A meta-analysis of individual patient data
Lunde, Sigrid Juhl; Vase, Lene; Hall, Kathryn T.; Meißner, Karin; Hohenschurz-Schmidt, David; Kaptchuk, Ted J.; Maier, Christoph; Vollert, Jan (2025)
Lunde, Sigrid Juhl; Vase, Lene; Hall, Kathryn T.; Meißner, Karin...
Pain online ahead of print, 1-8.
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003615
Peer Reviewed
Estimating the magnitude of placebo responses across pharmacological and nonpharmacological trials is important for understanding their influence on trial outcomes. Yet, the extent to which more intense placebo interventions like sham acupuncture yield larger analgesic responses than placebo pills, and the factors predicting these responses, remain unclear. This meta-analysis investigated the magnitude and predictors of placebo analgesia responses in pharmacological vs acupuncture trials. Analyses included individual patient data from the placebo arm of 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs): 9 pharmacological RCTs using placebo pills (N = 2021) and 2 acupuncture RCTs using sham acupuncture (N = 747). All trials were conducted in patients with chronic nociceptive pain (osteoarthritis, N = 2068; low back pain, N = 700). The placebo response was calculated as the change in pain intensity (0-100) between baseline and week 12. A random effects model demonstrated that placebo pills and patients with osteoarthritis exhibited smaller placebo responses than sham acupuncture and patients with low back pain (both P < 0.001, marginal effects). A mixed effects model showed that route of administration interacted significantly with baseline pain, premature termination, and the presence of adverse events. Together, predictors explained 20% to 25% of the individual variance in placebo responses, whereas 75% to 80% remained unaccounted for. In summary, sham acupuncture accounted for slightly larger placebo responses than placebo pills. Since basic trial and patient parameters explained only a small portion of this variability, we might need to start considering the patient's perception of the treatment—including cognition and emotions—to better predict placebo analgesia responses.
How do patient and practitioner characteristics influence empathy in healthcare? Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
White, Cleo; Khunti , Kamlesh ; Gillies , Clare ; Meißner, Karin; Palipana , Dinesh ; Nockels , Keith ; Howick, J. (2025)
White, Cleo; Khunti , Kamlesh ; Gillies , Clare ; Meißner, Karin; Palipana , Dinesh ...
BMJ open.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-096269
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Psychotherapy with somatosensory stimulation as a complementary treatment for women with endometriosis-associated pain – a qualitative study
Limmer, A.; Weber, Annemarie; Olliges, Elisabeth; Kraft, Jana; Beissner, F.; Preibisch, C.; Meißner, Karin (2024)
Limmer, A.; Weber, Annemarie; Olliges, Elisabeth; Kraft, Jana; Beissner, F....
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 24, 426 | 1-9.
DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04731-8
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Was ist dran am Placebo-Effekt?
Meißner, Karin (2024)
Interview in Ö1, Sendung Dimensionen, 23.12.2024.
Open Access
Satiety-enhancing placebo intervention decreases selective attention to food cues
Lanz, Marina; Hoffmann, Verena; Meißner, Karin (2024)
Frontiers in Psychiatry 15, 1472532 | 1-11.
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1472532
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Feels like home: A biobased and biodegradable plastic offers a novel habitat for diverse plant pathogenic fungi in temperate forest ecosystems
Nonthijun, Parada; Tanunchai, Benjawan; Schroeter , Simon Andreas; Wahdan, S. F. M.; Alves , G. E.; Hilke , Ines; Buscot, F.; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef ; Disayathanoowat, Terd; Purahong, W.; Noll, Matthias (2024)
Nonthijun, Parada; Tanunchai, Benjawan; Schroeter , Simon Andreas; Wahdan, S. F. M....
Microbial Ecology 2024 (87), 155.
DOI: 10.1007/s00248-024-02466-0.
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Stressfrei durch die Wechseljahre: Bewältigungsstrategien für ein gesundes und aktives Leben
Meißner, Karin (2024)
Vortrag auf dem Menopausenfachtag des Landratsamts Lichtenfels.
Leichter leben mit Endometriose: Ganzheitliche Behandlungsansätze
Meißner, Karin (2024)
Vortrag am Landratsamt Kronach.
Jörg Zittlau: Täuschend heilsam
Meißner, Karin (2024)
Welt am Sonntag (Interview).
Extrinsic rather than intrinsic factors determine microbial colonization of deadwood
Moll, Julia; Bässler, C.; Buscot, F.; Hoppe, B.; Jehmlich, N.; Kellner, H.; Muszynski, Sarah; Noll, Matthias (2024)
Moll, Julia; Bässler, C.; Buscot, F.; Hoppe, B.; Jehmlich, N.; Kellner, H....
Soil Biology and Biochemistry 2024 (199), 109608.
DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109608
Voltammetric Trace Analysis of Zn(II)-Pyrithione in Building Materials
Flechsig, Gerd-Uwe; Befolo, Olivier; Kosturkov, Ivan; Ramesh, Aparna (2024)
Poster auf der 19th International Conference on Electroanalysis ESEAC 2024, 23rd - 26th July, in Ulm.
Nachhaltigkeit mit KI! Wie natürlich ist eine Zukunft, die von KI und Technik gestaltet wird?
Zagel, Christian (2024)
Expertenpanel bei "ZU TISCH! 24", freakstotable.
Neuroenhancement unter Studierenden im ländlichen Raum–eine Querschnittstudie zu Prävalenz, Genderunterschieden und Beweggründen
Engel, Katharina; Meißner, Karin (2024)
Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung.
DOI: 10.1007/s11553-024-01139-7
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Stress reduction through taiji: a systematic review and meta‑analysis
Kraft, Jana; Waibl, Paula; Meißner, Karin (2024)
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 24, 210 | 1-14.
DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04493-3
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Nurturing Hope: Reproductive Outcomes with Sinosomatics Following Unsuccessful IVF Attempts
Pfeiffer, Antonia; Popovici, R. M.; Vogel, A.; von Hasselbach, Yumiko; Beissner, F.; Meißner, Karin (2024)
Pfeiffer, Antonia; Popovici, R. M.; Vogel, A.; von Hasselbach, Yumiko; Beissner, F....
Complementary Medicine Research.
DOI: 10.1159/000539408
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Explaining jet lag symptom dynamics by mathematical estimates of circadian phase post-flight
Aschl, Franz; Müller, Johannes ; Hammad, Grégory ; Oexle, Konrad ; Engelmann, Maximilian ; Meißner, Karin; Winnebeck, E. (2024)
Aschl, Franz; Müller, Johannes ; Hammad, Grégory ; Oexle, Konrad ...
Conference "Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) Biennial Meeting", San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 18-22, 2024.
Peer Reviewed
Lebensqualität und Schmerzen von Patienten mit symptomatischer CMD – eine Fragebogenerhebung
Pampel, M.; Herrmann, Sarah; Kohls, Niko; Meißner, Karin (2024)
Journal of Craniomandibular Function 16 (2), 133-144.
Peer Reviewed
Integrating tumor and healthy epithelium in a micro-physiology multi-compartment approach to study renal cell carcinoma pathophysiology
Somova, Maryna; Simm, Stefan; Padmyastuti, Adventina; Ehrhardt, Jens; Schoon, Janosch; Wolff, Ingmar; Burchardt, Martin; Roennau, Cindy; Pinto, Pedro Caetano (2024)
Somova, Maryna; Simm, Stefan; Padmyastuti, Adventina; Ehrhardt, Jens; Schoon, Janosch...
Scientific Reports 2024 / 14 (1), 9357.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60164-w
Open Access Peer Reviewed
The advent of micro-physiological systems (MPS) in biomedical research
has enabled the introduction of more complex and relevant physiological
into in vitro models. The recreation of complex morphological features
in three-dimensional environments can recapitulate otherwise absent
dynamic interactions in conventional models. In this study we developed
an advanced in vitro Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) that mimics the
interplay between healthy and malignant renal tissue. Based on the
TissUse Humimic platform our model combines healthy renal proximal
tubule epithelial cells (RPTEC) and RCC. Co-culturing reconstructed
RPTEC tubules with RCC spheroids in a closed micro-perfused circuit
resulted in significant phenotypical changes to the tubules. Expression
of immune factors revealed that interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis
factor-alfa (TNF-α) were upregulated in the non-malignant cells while
neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) was downregulated in
both RCC and RPTEC. Metabolic analysis showed that RCC prompted a shift
in the energy production of RPTEC tubules, inducing glycolysis, in a
metabolic adaptation that likely supports RCC growth and immunogenicity.
In contrast, RCC maintained stable metabolic activity, emphasizing
their resilience to external factors. RNA-seq and biological process
analysis of primary RTPTEC tubules demonstrated that the 3D tubular
architecture and MPS conditions reverted cells to a predominant
oxidative phosphorylate state, a departure from the glycolytic
metabolism observed in 2D culture. This dynamic RCC co-culture model,
approximates the physiology of healthy renal tubules to that of RCC,
providing new insights into tumor-host interactions. Our approach can
show that an RCC-MPS can expand the complexity and scope of
pathophysiology and biomarker studies in kidney cancer research.
Die Entwicklung von individueller, gesellschaftlicher und planetarischer Resilienz - Achtsamkeit und ihre Bedeutsamkeit für Umwelt-, Klimaschutz und Nachhaltigkeit
Kohls, Niko; Pollan, Sandra; Heinrich, Michael (2024)
Erfolgsformel Achtsamkeit: Bewusst führen, nachhaltig gewinnen, Weifenbach, M. 2024.
Peer Reviewed
Referat Forschungs- und Drittmittelservice (FDS)
Hochschule Coburg
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Support of publications
Monika SchnabelForschungsreferentin, EU-Referentin
T +49 9561 317 8062
monika.schnabel[at]hs-coburg.de