scholarly journals Efficacy and Safety of Scalp Acupuncture for Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Fu-gui Liu ◽  
Ai-hua Tan ◽  
Chao-qun Peng ◽  
Yun-xia Tan ◽  
Ming-chao Yao

Objective. To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia. Methods. CNKI, Wanfang database, CQVIP database, CBM, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PubMed were searched for the literature on the treatment of insomnia by scalp acupuncture from the establishment of the database to July 23, 2020. Two researchers independently screened the literatures and extracted the data, then evaluated the quality of the literatures, and used RevMan 5.3 software for statistical analysis. Results. A total of 21 studies including 1606 cases were included. 21 studies were included in the analysis of effective rate. The heterogeneity test showed that there was no significant heterogeneity. The fixed effect model was used, P  < 0.00001. The effective rate of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia was significantly higher than that of the control group. The analysis of PSQI score was finally included in 19 studies. The heterogeneity test showed that there was obvious heterogeneity. The random effect model was used, and the subgroup analysis was conducted according to the different intervention measures of the control group. The P values of the drug group and the blank group were both less than 0.05, indicating that the improvement of PSQI score in the scalp acupuncture treatment of insomnia was significantly better than that in the drug group and the blank group; P  = 0.05 in other acupuncture groups, suggesting in scalp acupuncture treatment, there was no difference between insomnia and other acupuncture in improving the PSQI score. Six studies were included in the analysis of adverse events. The heterogeneity test showed no significant heterogeneity. The fixed effect model was used, P  = 0.04 < 0.05, indicating that the adverse events of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia were better than those of the control group. No publication bias analysis was conducted due to the small number of adverse events included. Publication bias was analyzed for effective rate and PSQI score. Egger’s TSTs test (effective rate P  = 0.001, PSQI score P  = 0.001) and funnel plot showed publication bias. Conclusion. Scalp acupuncture is effective and safe in the treatment of insomnia, which is worthy of clinical application. However, due to the limited number of included literature, the methodology of some studies is slightly low and the quality of literature is slightly poor. In the future, we need to design rigorous, large sample, multiple center randomized controlled study to further verify the conclusion of this study.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Fushun Zhang ◽  
Yuanyuan Zhang ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Qiao Zhai ◽  
Juanjuan Hu ◽  
...  

Background. Some studies published previously have shown a strong correlation between hypertension and psychological nature including impulsion emotion or mindfulness and relaxation temperament, among which mindfulness and relaxation temperament might have a benign influence on blood pressure, ameliorating the hypertension. However, the conclusion was not confirmed. Objective. The meta-analysis was performed to investigate the influence of mindfulness and relaxation on essential hypertension interventions and confirm the effects. Methods. Systematic searches were conducted in common English and Chinese electronic databases (i.e., PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database) from 1980 to 2020. A meta-analysis including 5 studies was performed using Rev Man 5.4.1 software to estimate the influence of mindfulness and relaxation on blood pressure, ameliorating the hypertension. Publication bias and heterogeneity of samples were tested using a funnel plot. Studies were analyzed using either a random-effect model or a fixed-effect model. Results. All the 5 studies investigated the influence of mindfulness and relaxation on diastolic and systolic blood pressure, with total 205 participants in the control group and 204 in the intervention group. The random-effects model (REM) was used to calculate the pooled effect for mindfulness and relaxation on diastolic blood pressure (I2 = 0%, t2 = 0.000, P = 0.41 ). The random pooled effect size (MD) was 0.30 (95% CI = −0.81–1.42, P = 0.59 ). REM was used to calculate the pooled effect for mindfulness and relaxation on systolic blood pressure (I2 = 49%, t2 = 3.05, P = 0.10 ). The random pooled effect size (MD) was −1.05 (95% CI = −3.29–1.18, P = 0.36 ). The results of this meta-analysis were influenced by publication bias to some degree. Conclusion. All the results showed less influence of mindfulness and relaxation might act on diastolic or systolic blood pressure, when mindfulness and relaxation are used to intervene in treating CVD and hypertension.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Tian ◽  
Alan Huang ◽  
Yue Yang ◽  
Qi Dang ◽  
Qing Wen ◽  
...  

BackgroundUnderstanding the safety and adverse event profiles of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors is important in guiding cancer immunotherapy. Consequently, we designed this meta-analysis to evaluate the safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in clinical trials involving cancer patients.MethodsFour safety indicators comprising treatment-related adverse events, death, discontinuation of therapy and grades 3–5 adverse events were evaluated using the random effect model. The quality of enrolled trials was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS).ResultsForty-four clinical trials were included in the final meta-analysis. Compared with chemotherapy, the risk of death due to the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors was much lower than that experienced in the control group (OR = 0.65, 95%CI: [0.47, 0.91], I2 = 0%, Z = 2.52 (P = 0.01)). Similar observations were apparent regarding the other three indicators of safety and also when the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone is compared with the combined use of PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. When used together with chemotherapy, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors increased the incidence of the adverse events as compared to the use of chemotherapy alone. Increased risks for adverse events were also noticed with the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors over the use of a placebo.ConclusionThe use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone is associated with a better safety profile compared to either the use of chemotherapy or the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with other anticancer regimens.


Author(s):  
Fadhilatul Hasnah ◽  
Yuniar Lestari ◽  
Abdiana Abdiana

This study uses a systematic method of review and meta-analysis to look at the risk of smoking with stroke in Asia. Further analysis based on the stroke subtype (ischemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke was also carried out. Literature search was carried out in the PubMed, EBSCO and Google Scholar databases. Q tests were performed to determine the heterogeneity of included studies. Funnel plot, Egger regression test and trim and fill methods were used to identified publication bias and with the transformation of the model between the fixed effect model and the random effect model for sensitivity analysis A total of 12 articles were included consisting of 9 studies with case control design studies and 3 studies with cohort designs. The meta-analysis results showed that people who smoke have risks pooled OR 2.04 times (95% CI 1.57-2.65) for having a stroke Analysis of the type of stroke, smokers had 2.3 times the risk of having an ischemic stroke or 2.77 times for having a haemorrhagic stroke. Eggers test showed no influence of publication bias on the meta-analysis of smoking with stroke to. From this meta-analysis, it can be concluded that smoking increasing risk for stroke. This study found the risk of smokers to have a haemorrhagic stroke is higher than ischemic stroke.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-90
Author(s):  
Eshak Ibrahim Bahbah ◽  
Ahmed Ramadan Abdalla ◽  
Khalid Abdelshafy ◽  
Ahmed Diaa Almohandes ◽  
Amr Menshawy ◽  
...  

Objective: The aim of this study is to synthesize the evidence about the efficacy of Olanzapine for the prevention of CINV. Methods: A computer literature search of PubMed, EBSCO, Ovid, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases has been conducted. Studies were screened for eligibility and data were extracted. The proportion of patients with complete response (CR) and those with no nausea were pooled as risk ratio (RR) in a fixed effect model meta-analysis using Review Manager Version 5.3 for windows. Results: Nine randomized controlled trials (n=1572) were pooled in the final analysis. In all studies, olanzapine was given as 10 mg PO. Olanzapine was superior to active control in terms of CR rate in acute phase (RR 1.12, 95% CI [1.02, 1.22], p=0.01]), delayed phase (RR 1.31, 95% CI [[1.10, 1.56], p=0.002), and overall phase (RR 1.30, 95% CI [1.09, 1.55], p=0.004). Rates of no nausea were significantly higher in olanzapine 10 mg group compared to active control group in acute phase (RR 1.20, 95% CI [1.04, 1.38], p=0.01), delayed phase (RR 1.72, 95% CI [1.42, 2.08], p<0.00001), and overall phase (RR 1.57, 95% CI [1.39, 1.77], p <0.00001). The incidence of adverse events was similar in olanzapine and control groups, with the most frequently reported treatment-related emergent adverse events being fatigue, constipation, and headache. Conclusion: Olanzapine is a well-tolerated drug for cancer patients and has shown superiority against conventional antiemetics for the prevention of CINV.


VASA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunying Huang ◽  
Sichao Zheng ◽  
Tenghua Wang ◽  
Xin Yang ◽  
Qian Luo ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: An inverse association was found between nut supplementation and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Identifying the direct effect of nut supplementation on endothelium-dependent vasodilation may partly explain that association. Methods: Human intervention studies were identified by systematic electronic search of the databases EMBASE, MEDLINE, Pubmed, and Web of Science through January 2017 and by manually searching related articles. Subgroup analyses were performed to identify the source of heterogeneity among studies. Results: In total, 11 eligible articles involving 468 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the results of the 13 trials showed that nut supplementation significantly increased flow-mediated dilation [weighted mean differences (WMD): 1.03 %; 95 % CI: 0.26–1.79 %, P = 0.008]. There was significant heterogeneity among studies (P = 0.006) that might partly be explained by the different types of nuts. No significant association between nut supplementation and endothelium-independent vasodilatation was observed in a fixed effect model (WMD: 1.10 %, 95 % CI: -0.19–2.38 %, P = 0.09). Conclusions: Supplementation of nuts significantly improves the vascular endothelial function without affecting endothelium-independent vasodilatation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dingquan Yang ◽  
Jingwen Zheng ◽  
Yuming Zhang ◽  
Yueli Jin ◽  
Chaonan Gan ◽  
...  

Total glucosides of paeony capsule (TGPC) and compound glycyrrhizin tablets (CGT) are plant extracts of glycosides. We conducted this study to examine the efficacy and safety of TGPC plus CGT for severe alopecia areata in children. 117 subjects were randomly allocated into TGPC plus CGT group or CGT group. For consecutive 12 months, subjects were given oral TGPC and CGT or oral CGT alone. The outcome measures included score of alopecia areata severity, effective rate, and adverse events observed in the 3rd, 6th, and 12th month. We found that the scores of alopecia areata severity of both groups were significantly reduced, and the scores of treatment group were lower than those of control group; for effective rate, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in the 3rd month, while in the 6th and 12th months the treatment group was superior compared with control group; the incidence rate of adverse events between the two groups was not statistically different, and no severe adverse events were observed. In conclusion, TGPC plus CGT appears effective and safe for severe alopecia areata in children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjing Liu ◽  
Qinlan Xu ◽  
Hongchuan Niu ◽  
Rong Wang ◽  
Xun Ye ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Surgery is a conventional mature treatment for moyamoya disease (MMD). However, whether surgery is also an effective therapy for epileptic type MMD has seldom been investigated systematically. The study aims to summarize the pooled postoperative incidence of seizure and cerebral infarction in pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease. Method The study was a systematic review and critical appraisal with a meta-analysis of cohort studies, both prospective and retrospective. Studies were identified by a computerized search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, and CNKI databases. In a literature search, a total of 7 cohort studies were identified. The I2statistic was used to quantify heterogeneity. A fixed-effect model was used to synthesize the results. The linear regression test of funnel plot asymmetry was used to estimate the potential publication bias. Results The pooled estimated postoperative incidence of seizure in pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease was 23.44%. The pooled estimated postoperative incidence of cerebral infarction in pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease was 9.12%. Low substantial heterogeneity and potential publication bias were present. Conclusions Evidence from this study suggests that the postoperative incidence of seizure and cerebral infarction is relatively low. Surgery is an effective and secure therapy for pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e039700
Author(s):  
Hu Li ◽  
Nan-Nan Liu ◽  
Zong-Gen Peng

ObjectiveNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global epidemic without effective therapeutic agents in the clinic. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of the marketed hepatoprotectant bicyclol at improving blood biomarkers in patients with NAFLD.DesignElectronic databases were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published up to August 2020 using bicyclol to treat NAFLD. The risk of bias, quality of evidence and publication bias were evaluated. Blood biomarkers, including alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC), were analysed using Review Manager V.5.3 software. Outcomes with significant heterogeneity (I2 ≥75%) were divided into the bicyclol monotherapy subgroup and combination treatment subgroup.ResultsTwelve RCTs involving 1008 patients were finally included. No serious adverse events were reported in the bicyclol-treated groups. The total effective rate of bicyclol intervention for NAFLD was significantly higher than that of the control group. The decreases in the levels of AST (mean difference (MD) = −15.20; 95% CI −20.51 to −9.90; I2=74%), TBIL (MD = −1.72; 95% CI −2.72 to −0.72; I2=0%) and TC (MD = −0.52; 95% CI −0.70 to −0.34; I2=67%) treated by bicyclol were significantly higher than those in the control group. When a high heterogeneity existed (I2 ≥75%), subgroup analyses were conducted and revealed significantly decreased ALT levels (MD = −34.07; 95% CI −36.70 to −31.43; I2=0%) merely in the bicyclol monotherapy subgroup, while TG level (MD = −0.39; 95% CI −0.45 to −0.33; I2=0%) was decreased in the bicyclol combination therapy subgroup.ConclusionsThe study presents the evidence of bicyclol monotherapy and/or combination therapy for improving liver function and blood lipid biomarkers in patients with NAFLD. This preliminary study predicts that bicyclol might be an alternative drug for NAFLD therapy in the future.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
JINGJING LIU ◽  
Qinlan Xu ◽  
Hongchuan Niu ◽  
Rong Wang ◽  
Xun Ye ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Surgery is a conventional mature treatment for moyamoya disease (MMD). However, whether surgery is also an effective therapy for epileptic type MMD has seldom been investigated systematically. The study aims to summarize the pooled postoperative incidence of seizure and cerebral infarction in pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease. Method: The study was a systematic review and critical appraisal with a meta-analysis of cohort studies, both prospective and retrospective. Studies were identified by a computerized search of Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Wanfang, and CNKI databases. In a literature search, a total of 7 cohort studies were identified. The I2statistic was used to quantify heterogeneity. A fixed-effect model was used to synthesize the results. The linear regression test of funnel plot asymmetry was used to estimate the potential publication bias.Results: The pooled estimated postoperative incidence of seizure in pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease was 23.44%. The pooled estimated postoperative incidence of cerebral infarction in pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease was 9.12%. Low substantial heterogeneity and potential publication bias were present.Conclusion: Evidence from this study suggests that the postoperative incidence of seizure and cerebral infarction is relatively low. Surgery is an effective and secure therapy for pediatric patients with epileptic type moyamoya disease.


Vaccines ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Jinhua Pan ◽  
Kezhong A ◽  
Zhixi Liu ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Zhiyin Xu ◽  
...  

(1) Background: It is important to improve vaccination strategies and immunization programs to achieve herd immunity to infectious diseases. (2) Methods: To assess the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, we conducted face-to-face surveys and online surveys in Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Qinghai provinces. A fixed-effect model and a random effects model were used to analyze factors associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. (3) Findings: We initially recruited 3173 participants, 3172 participants completed the full questionnaire (the response rate was nearly 100%), of which 2169 were valid questionnaires, with an effective rate of 87.3%. The results indicated that 82.6% of participants were willing to receive vaccination when it was available in the community, and 57.2% of deliverymen, 43.3% of medical workers, 78.2% of parents of primary and secondary school children, and 72.2% of parents of preschool children were willing to receive vaccination. The models showed that participants who were male (female vs. male: OR = 1.49, 95% CI (1.12, 1.98)), 60 to 69 years-old (60–69 vs. <30: OR = 0.52, 95% CI (0.29, 0.92)), had less education (medium vs. low: OR = 1.50, 95% CI (1.05, 2.23)), had good health status (good vs. low: OR = 0.36, 95% CI (0.15, 0.88)), and had positive attitudes and trust (OR = 0.14, 95% CI (0.10, 0.20)) in vaccines approved by the National Health Commission were more likely to accept vaccination. Participants also had an increased vaccination acceptance if it was recommended by government sources, doctors, relatives, or friends. Most participants learned about COVID-19 vaccination from television, radio, and newspapers, followed by community or hospital campaigns and the internet. (4) Conclusions: Government sources and doctors could increase the acceptance of vaccination by promoting the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccination by the use of mass media and emphasizing the necessity of vaccination for everyone.


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