Open AccessEffect of acupuncture at 3-points for intelligence on vascular dementia
Author(s) -
Wei Sun,
Minying Li,
Tong Lin,
Zhizhong Sun,
Yizi Xie,
Shuliang Ji,
Junzhang Lin,
Lin Wang,
Chengzao Jia,
Liang Zheng,
Wei Wu,
Danning Xu
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1536-5964
pISSN - 0025-7974
DOI - 10.1097/md.0000000000012892
Subject(s) - funnel plot , medicine , publication bias , meta analysis , medline , randomized controlled trial , acupuncture , cochrane library , evidence based medicine , critical appraisal , physical therapy , subgroup analysis , alternative medicine , pathology , political science , law
Background: Vascular dementia (VD) is a commonly-seen disease in the elderly. What is more, “Acupuncture at 3-points for intelligence” is one of the most important components of “Jin's three-needle therapy” created by Rui Jin, a professor of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, which can be used in the VD patients. In this article, researchers will assess the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture at 3-points for intelligence in the treatment of VD. Methods: A systematic literature search for articles up to September 2018 will be conducted using 9 databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, CBM, VIP, Wanfang database, OASIS, and CiNii. Inclusion criteria are randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture at 3-points for intelligence on treating VD. The primary outcome measures will be scores reflecting the neurological function of participants based on common medical scales. Hemorheology indexes, homocysteine (Hcy), acetylcholine (Ach), nitric oxide (NO), and adverse events will also be assessed. Stata V.13.0 software will be used for data synthesis, sensitivity analysis, meta-regression, subgroup analysis, and risk of bias assessment. A funnel plot will be developed to evaluate reporting bias. Egger and Begg tests will be further performed to conduct quantitative evaluation of publication bias and to evaluate the symmetry of funnel plot. We will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system to assess the quality of evidence. Results: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: Our study will provide the evidence for the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture at 3-points for intelligence in the treatment of VD.