Lizhou Liu

• PhD
• Advisor at Ageing Well National Science Challenge

ABSTRACT Background Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant health burden within New Zealand (NZ). Survival gains from prostate cancer have created a shift in focus from survival towards quality of life (QoL) and supportive care during extended survivorship. Method We launched a nation-wide cross-sectional survey and recruited three cohorts of 1000...

The study aim was to explore the health and well-being experiences of a cohort of older men (≥45 years old) in the Southern region of New Zealand (Otago and Southland), and how these experiences corresponded with their expectations of ageing. It was hoped this examination of the lived experiences of older men would enhance our understanding of the...

Background Prostate cancer treatment can lead to significant long-term side effects that impact patients’ quality of life and supportive care needs (SCN). This study explores the associations between quality of life (QoL) and SCN among prostate cancer survivors, with a focus on the impact of treatment choices, care service utilization, and the diff...

The authors of the manuscript ‘ Complementary and alternative medicine - practice, attitudes, and knowledge among healthcare professionals in New Zealand: an integrative review’ [1] disagree with the assertion by McDowell et al. that our manuscript has extrapolation errors.

Little is known about how New Zealand men understand their health and wellbeing as they age and what are the determinants of their healthy ageing. Contiguous and exploratory sequential mixed methods study were conducted with the collection of both focus group and survey data. Methodologically, this abductive process was incorporated within an inter...

Background: Acupoints are considered a dynamic functional area, which can reflect the internal condition of the body. In pathological states, disease-related acupoints are believed to be activated, which is known as acupoint sensitization. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the major manifestations of acupoint sensitization in patients w...

Background Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a global health complaint, and a dominant cause of disability. Acupuncture is an effective therapy for cLBP; however evidence for an optimal acupuncture practice scheme is limited. Choosing the most suitable acupoints for stimulation is an essential part of treatment; this not only includes the optimal pre...

Background: Globally, there has been a growing awareness of the health challenges faced by men. The current public health agenda in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) does not specifically address the needs of men. The aim of this scoping review was to capture the major health issues facing men in NZ and particularly to identify the knowledge gaps in the un...

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are a range of neurological disorders featured by neuronal degeneration and apoptosis. Cellular Calcium (Ca²⁺) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) dyshomeostasis are the earliest and important events in the development of NDDs and may yield promising therapeutic targets for NDDs. Paeoniflorin, a water-soluble monoter...

Background Chinese herbal footbaths are an external therapy of traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used to treat dysmenorrhea. This review aims to systematically evaluate its efficacy and safety for the treatment of dysmenorrhea. Methods Databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CIHAHL, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge...

Background The prevalence of CAM use is increasing. This integrative review investigated New Zealand healthcare professionals’ practice of, attitudes toward, and knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods Literature search was conducted in four databases from inception to April 2020. Studies were included if they reporte...

Background Men in New Zealand (NZ) do not enjoy the same level of health and wellbeing as women. Men generally experience a higher incidence of, and mortality from, major diseases; most importantly, life expectancies for men in NZ are approximately four years less than for women. Such disparities vary across rural and urban communities, and across...

This pilot survey aimed to explore the feasibility of conducting a nationwide survey investigating the current practice and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in New Zealand registered physiotherapists. This was a cross-sectional, online study using a questionnaire developed from previous survey instruments. An electroni...

Background: A growing body of clinical trials has demonstrated that traditional Chinese medicine Shaoyao Gancao Tang may improve restlessness leg syndrome (RLS). This review aims to systematically assess its effectiveness and safety in the treatment of patients with RLS. Methods: Eight databases will be searched from the inception to 31 August 2...

The objective was to explore the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy for treating patients who suffer xerostomia and/or hyposalivation due to the most prevalent clinical diagnoses. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library for randomised or clinical controlled trials published until 31 October 2019. Risk of bi...

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading contributor to years lived with disability, and imposes an enormous burden on individuals and on health-care systems. General practitioners and physiotherapists are generally the front-line health professionals dealing with patients with LBP, and have a key role in minimising its effect. Here we review six key iss...

Introduction: Insomnia is a major public health problem. Due to the side effects of pharmacological therapy, people are seeking to choose complementary and alternative therapies for insomnia disorder. Traditional Chinese herbal bath therapy is an important complementary therapy which combines advantages of Chinese herbs and bathing therapy. This p...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide, with incidence rates expected to increase significantly in the next decades. Despite the dramatic advances in diagnosis and treatment, the treatment-related adverse effects remain a major health problem and represent currently a research priority. This article presents several integ...

Objectives To determine normal temperatures over the Patella tendon over eleven weeks. Design A prospective cohort study with eleven weeks of observation. Setting University's Human Biomechanics and Physiology Laboratory. Participants Male or female collegiate runners running at least 25 miles per week who did not report pain in the region of th...

Background and purpose: Tai chi has been suggested as a potential effective intervention for improving function and wellbeing in breast cancer patients. This systematic review evaluated the current evidence for the effectiveness of tai chi in patients with breast cancer. Methods: Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of tai...

As part of traditional Chinese medicine, acupoints are considered a dynamic functional area, which can reflect the internal condition of the body. When the body is suffering from disease or injury, corresponding acupoints are believed to be activated and manifest in several sensitized forms, including expansion of the receptive field, pain sensitiz...

Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a prevalent long-term condition secondary to cancer treatment. BCRL impacts physical function, psychological health, and quality of life for patients who have survived breast cancer. Objectives: This study will assess the feasibility of a fully-powered randomized controlled trial investigating...

Objectives This study aimed to determine the feasibility of conducting a full scale randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of low level laser therapy (LLLT), also known as photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, used in addition to conventional therapy, for managing breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL). Materials and Methods Pati...

Background: Breast cancer patients experience various side effects during cancer therapy, often resulting in reduced quality of life and poor adherence to treatment. A limited range of proven interventions has been developed to target such side effects. While Tai Chi offers benefits for the health and well-being of breast cancer survivors, the eff...

Background Breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) is a prevalent complication secondary to cancer treatments which significantly impacts the physical and psychological health of breast cancer survivors. Previous research shows increasing use of low level laser therapy (LLLT), now commonly referred to as photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, for BCRL....

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial investigating the optimal number of treatment sessions of acupuncture, used as an adjunct to usual care, for managing chronic low back pain. Methods In total, 45 participants with chronic low back pain were recruited and randomly allocated to receive usual care plus 4, 7, or 10...

Background: Brisk walking is the most popular activity for obesity management for adults. We aimed to identify whether participant age, sex and body mass index (BMI) influenced the effectiveness of brisk walking. Methods: A search of nine databases was conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two investigators selected RCTs reporting o...

Background: Acupuncture is considered a clinically effective and cost-effective treatment option for chronic low back pain. However, few clinical trials have evaluated the dose dependence of acupuncture for chronic low back pain based on the number of sessions. Conclusions are conflicting and there is little high-quality evidence to support the cum...

An international group of acupuncture researchers developed the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) in 2002 in order to promote reporting quality and research reliability of controlled trials using acupuncture interventions. This reporting guideline was updated in 2010, and became applicable to a broa...

Background In order to facilitate the completeness and transparency of reporting on randomized controlled trials undertaken using acupuncture interventions, a consensus group of international experts developed the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) in 2002. This reporting guideline was updated in 201...

Objective. As evidence of the effectiveness of acupuncture for low back pain (LBP) is inconsistent, we aimed to critically appraise the evidence from relevant systematic reviews. Methods. Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning acupuncture and LBP were searched in seven databases. Internal validity and external validity...