Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation training based on WeChat App on pulmonary function,adverse mood and quality of life of COVID-19 patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a fatal epidemic has swept across the world, especially in India where the epidemic situation is the most serious. For COVID-19 patients, pulmonary rehabilitation training plays a significant role. However, it is still a controversial issue regarding the efficacy of WeChat APP-based pulmonary rehabilitation training in improving lung function, quality of life and bad mood of COVID-19 patients. To clarify this issue, a meta-analysis was conducted in this present study, so as to provide a basis for rehabilitation guidance of COVID-19 patients.Methods:We systematically searched PubMed, medRxiv, Web of Science, Scopus, Chinese Science Citation Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wan-fang databases in May 2021 to identify randomized controlled trials and evaluate the effects of WeChat APP-based pulmonary rehabilitation training for COVID-19. Two researchers independently carried out data extraction. On the other hand, literature quality evaluation on the quality and meta-analysis of the included literature was performed with Revman5.3 software.Results:The results of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.Conclusion:This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence on the effects of WeChat APP-based pulmonary rehabilitation training on lung function, bad mood, and quality of life in patients with COVID-19.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval was not required for this study. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, and shared on social media platforms.OSF Registration number:DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/MKXCH.     

Internal treatment in traditional Chinese medicine for patients with COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The safety and effectiveness of Internal Treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the main subject of this protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods:The following online databases will be searched from inception to April 2020: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wan-Fang Database, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database. All published randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese related to Internal Treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine for COVID-19 will be included. Primary outcomes are time of disappearance of main symptoms and serum cytokine levels. Secondary outcomes is Accompanying symptoms disappear rate, negative COVID-19 results rate on 2 consecutive occasions CT image improvement, average hospitalization time, occurrence rate of common type to severe form, clinical cure rate, and mortality. Two reviewers will conduct the study selection, data extraction, and assessment independently. The assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be conducted with Review Manager Software V.5.2.Results:The results will provide a high-quality synthesis of current evidence for researchers in this subject area.Conclusion:The conclusion of our study will provide evidence to judge whether the internal treatment in traditional Chinese medicine is an effective intervention for COVID-19 patients.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42020180178.     

Traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction for cough caused by COVID-19: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Assessing the effectiveness and safety of Traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction for cough caused by COVID-19 is the main purpose of this systematic review protocol.Methods:The following electronic databases will be searched from their respective inception dates to October 1, 2020: PubMed, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Embase, WorldSciNet, Ovid, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, the Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), the Wanfang Database, and the China Biology Medicine Disc. All published randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese related to Traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction for cough caused by COVID-19 will be included. The primary outcome is the time and rate of appearance of coughing. The secondary outcomes are the length of hospital stay. Two reviewers will conduct the study selection, data extraction, and assessment independently. The assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be conducted with RevMan V.5.2.Results:The results will provide a high-quality synthesis of current evidence for researchers in this subject area.Conclusion:The conclusion of our study will provide an evidence to judge whether traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction is an effective intervention for patients with cough caused by COVID-19.Ethics and dissemination:Formal ethical approval is not necessary as the data cannot be individualized. The results of this protocol will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at relevant conferences.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42020202079.     

Acupuncture for COVID-19 patient after ventilator weaning: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:COVID-19 has spread globally since its outbreak in late 2019. It mainly attacks people''s respiratory system. Many patients with severe COVID-19 require a ventilator to support breathing, and their lung function is often impaired to varying degrees after ventilator weaning. Acupuncture has been reported to improve respiratory function, but there is no evidence that it can improve respiratory function in ventilator users with COVID-19 after they are removed from the machine. The protocol of the systematic review and meta-analysis will clarify safety and effectiveness of acupuncture on respiratory rehabilitation after weaning from the ventilator during the treatment of COVID-19.Methods:We will search PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, Clinical Trials and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. Relevant English language and Chinese language literature will be included. A combination of subject words and free text words will be applied in the searches. The complete process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and meta-analyses. We will use subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis to explore the sources of heterogeneity if there is heterogeneity. We will use funnel charts to assess the risk of bias. Endnote X9.3 will be used to manage data screening. The statistical analysis will be completed by RevMan5.2 or Stata/SE 15.1 software.Results:This study will assess safety and effectiveness of acupuncture for rehabilitation on respiratory function after weaning from the ventilator during the treatment of COVID-19.Conclusions:The conclusion of this study will give evidence to prove safety and effectiveness of acupuncture for rehabilitation on respiratory after weaning from the ventilator during the treatment of COVID-19.Registration:PROSPERO CRD42020206889     

Effects of Baduanjin on postoperative rehabilitation of patients with breast cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Baduanjin, as an ancient Chinese exercise, is beneficial to both physical and mental health. Moreover, researchers discovered that Baduanjin has effects on the recovery of postoperative breast cancer patients. Yet, nobody focused on the systematic review, which can provide convincing evidence to verify the effect of Baduanjin in breast cancer patients. Therefore, our study will conduct a systematic review to fill in the blank, besides we will offer new evidence for clinical workers.Methods:PubMed, Embase.com, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and SinoMed will be used for literature search, retrieve time is up to June 1, 2021. We will include randomized controlled trials that evaluate the effects of Baduanjin on postoperative rehabilitation for breast cancer patients. Two independent researchers will perform study selection and data extraction. The risk of bias will be assessed by the Cochrane bias assessment tool. We will use funnel plot and Egger test to evaluate publication bias. Stata 13.0, as a necessary software, will be used to perform statistical analysis. Also, we will utilize subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses to explore the sources of heterogeneity.Results:The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Conclusion:Evidence that adequately assesses the effect of Baduanjin in the recovery of breast cancer patients will be confirmed through this systematic review. Our study will offer a guideline for clinical workers, besides we will supply a new way for the rehabilitation of breast cancer patients.     

The effects of exercise therapy on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review

Background:Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, more than 20 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and all health care workers are looking for ways to improve the cure rate of the disease. As an important method of rehabilitation therapy, exercise therapy has been proved to improve the level of human function, promote the recovery of diseases, and improve the human immune ability. The main objective of this study was to provide reliable methods and credible evidence for exercise therapy to improve the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.Methods and analysis:The scheme was systematically reviewed in accordance with the preferred reporting items. We searched the following experimental databases: Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), China Science and Wanfang Database. All trials using exercise therapy for rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients in the above database should be considered for inclusion. Relevant randomised controlled trials(RCTS), controlled before and after, interrupted time series and prospective analytic cohort studies regardless of publication date, language and geographic location, will be included. To summarize the therapeutic effect of exercise therapy on COVID-19 patients, high-quality literature was selected for data extraction and analysis. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full-text articles against inclusion criteria; perform data extraction and assess risk of bias in included studies. We will assess the certainty of the overall evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach and report findings accordingly.Results:In this study, we hope to summarize effective exercise therapy that can improve the prognosis of COVID-19 patients and find strong evidence for it.Conclusions:The conclusions of this study will provide reliable evidence to determine whether exercise and exercise therapy can improve the prognosis of COVID-19 patients and guide future studies.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42020209025.     

Assessment of the effects of Liuzijue Qigong on the lung function of COVID-19 patients during disease recovery: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak began in late 2019 and spread rapidly throughout China and then the rest of the world. COVID-19 is a serious respiratory disease and many patients’ exhibit varying levels of persistent parenchymal lung damage. However, there is currently a lack of effective rehabilitation treatments for COVID-19 patients with lung damage. Several clinical trials have shown that Liuzijue Qigong (LQG) can enhance the strength of respiratory muscles and overall quality of life. In this study, a meta-analysis approach was used to assess the effects of LQG on the lung function of COVID-19 patients during disease recovery.Methods:Eight databases will be explored for relevant investigations including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP, China Biology Medicine, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. All databases will be explored for articles published from inception through July 2021. Data will be extracted independently by 2 researchers according to the eligibility criteria. Finally, RevMan 5.3.0 will be implemented for statistical analyses.Results:The results of this study will show the effects of LQG on the lung function of COVID-19 patients during disease recovery and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.Conclusions:This study will provide reliable evidence based on the effects of LQG on the lung function of COVID-19 patients during disease recovery.Trial registration number:CRD42021268102     

Influence of life intervention on anxiety,depression, and quality of life of COVID-19 patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients suffer from anxiety, depression, and sleep disorder due to isolation treatment and other reasons. Whether life interventions can be an alternative therapy for COVID-19 patients, accompanied with anxiety, depression, and sleep disorder, is controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review to evaluate the effects of life interventions on anxiety, depression, and sleep disorder in COVID-19 patients to provide some guidance for clinical application.Methods:The randomized controlled trials related to the life intervention and COVID-19 from inception to February 2021 will be searched. The following databases are our focused areas: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Wan Fang Database. Two investigators would independently screen the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extract data, and evaluate the risk of bias in the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3 software.Results:The results will provide a high-quality synthesis of current evidence for researchers in this subject area.Conclusion:The conclusion of our study will provide evidence for the judgment of whether life intervention is an effective intervention on COVID-19 patients.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42020199802.     

Effects of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still spreading around the world. Moxibustion, as a significant therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used to treat COVID-19, especially in recovery period. The study will aim to assess the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence.Methods:We will systematically search the relevant randomized controlled trials in the 7 databases from inception to February 2021, including PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Clinical Trials Database, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. No language and publication status restrictions will be applied. Two reviewers will independently conduct and screen all included studies and the meta-analysis will be performed with RevMan V5.3 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, England).Results:The study will provide a high-quality convincing assessment of the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for the treatment of COVID-19 convalescence, which will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Conclusion:Our study will give more comprehensive evidence of the effectiveness of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence.Trial registration number:CRD42021230364.     

Toujie Quwen granule used with conventional western therapy for coronavirus disease 2019: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an epidemic infectious disease resulted from 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Up till now, COVID-19 has swept globally. Currently, due to many high-profiled benefits, clinical studies on Toujie Quwen granule (TJQW) have been increasing. The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy and safety of TJQW used with conventional western therapy for COVID-19.Methods:Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in Chinese and English databases, and the search time is January 2020 to May 2021. English databases include PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Chinese databases include CNKI, WF, VIP, and CBM. The international clinical trial registration platform and the Chinese clinical trial registration platform of controlled trials will be searched by us from January 2020 to May 2021. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, screening literature, extraction data will be conducted by 2 researchers independently. Statistical analysis will be conducted using the RevMan 5.3.5 software. After screening the literature based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, The Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system will be used to evaluate the quality of each result.Results:This study will provide the evidence for TJQW to be used with conventional western therapy for COVID-19.Conclusion:The efficacy and safety of TJQW used with conventional western therapy for COVID-19 will be assessed.INPLASY registration number:INPLASY202150038     

IFNL4, ACE1, PKR,IFNG, MBL2 genetic polymorphisms and severe COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2, the pathogenic process of SARS-Cov-2 is related to the angiotensin-2 converting enzyme (ACE-2) on host cells. The genetic polymorphisms among different populations may influence the progression of COVID-19. However, the effects of IFNL4, ACE1, PKR, IFNG, and MBL2 in severe COVID-19 have not been systematically assessed.Methods:We will include all relevant English and Chinese studies by searching the following electronic databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar before March 31, 2022. Two researchers will independently screen and extract the literature. The methodological quality of the included studies will be evaluated by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.Result:This systematic review and meta-analysis will summarize the association of IFNL4, ACE1, PKR, IFNG, MBL2 genetic polymorphisms, and severe COVID-19. The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal once completed.Conclusion:The conclusion of our study will provide evidence for the early prevention of severe COVID-19.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42022301735.     

Oral high dose vitamin D for the treatment of diabetic patients with COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients complicated with infections experience severe vitamin D deficiency. High-dose vitamin D is applied to the treatment of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by some researchers, and good results have been achieved. However, the efficacy of vitamin D in the treatment of infections in COVID-19 patients with diabetes remains unclarified. This study aims to explore the effect of oral high-dose vitamin D in the treatment of diabetic patients with COVID-19.Methods:Randomized controlled trials about the application of high-dose vitamin D in the treatment of diabetic patients with COVID-19 will be retrieved from such electronic databases as Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, Chinese Wanfang database and Chinese Biomedical Literature database. The retrieval time is from their inception to December 2020. According to the pre-designed inclusion/exclusion criteria, the data will be extracted independently by two researchers. The risk of bias of the included studies will be assessed by the Cochrane collaboration''s tool. Meta-analysis will be conducted by using Revman 5.3 software.Results:A high-quality and comprehensive evaluation of oral high-dose vitamin D for the treatment of diabetic patients with COVID-19 will be made.Conclusion:The article will provide more convincing evidence and evidence-based guidance for clinical practice.Ethics and dissemination:The private information of individuals will not be made public, and this systematic evaluation will also not infringe on the rights of participants. Ethical approval is not required. Research results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences.PROSPERO Registration Number:CRD42020214284.     

Effectiveness and safety of different traditional Chinese medicines for Coronavirus disease 2019: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

Introduction:The effectiveness of different Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of COVID-19 is worthy of attention, but the efficacy and safety of different Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of COVID-19 have not yet been compared, based on network meta-analysis.Methods and analysis:The 2 members independently searched 7 databases according to the retrieval strategy, and the retrieval time was from the beginning of the establishment of the database to June 19, 2021. Then the title was imported into the EndNote Software AQ8 (V.X9), and the duplicate literature was deleted successively, the nonconforming articles were deleted in the title reading, and finally the full text was read to determine the articles included in the study. The Cochrane Collaboration''s Tool will be used to evaluate the article quality, and Stata Statistical Software (Version 14.0, Stata Corporation, College Station, TX) will be used for data analysis. Levels of evidence are evaluated according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) instrument.Results:The efficacy and safety of different Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of COVID-19 were evaluated, and the order was determined according to the value of sucre.Conclusion:This study will provide evidence for the treatment of COVID-19 with TCM therapy, and provide ideas for the clinical treatment of COVID-19.INPLASY registration number:No. INPLASY202160092.     

Moxibustion for diarrhea in COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease that is often accompanied by diarrhea, patients with symptoms such as diarrhea are more likely to develop severe pneumonia, while diarrhea is the most prominent among atypical symptoms. The incidence of diarrhea in COVID-19 patients is 2.0% to 49.5%. Moxibustion has been proven to have a therapeutic effect on diarrhea; however, there is no high-quality evidence on moxibustion for diarrhea in COVID-19 patients. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion for the treatment of diarrhea in patients with COVID-19.Methods:Randomized controlled trials from December 2019 to December 2021 will be included without restrictions on language or publication date. PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, and VIP database will be searched. Two researchers will independently select studies, extract data and evaluate study quality. Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials will be used to assess the risk of bias of included studies. Statistical analyses will be performed using the Review Manager V.5.3 and stata 14.0.Results:The results of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.Conclusion:This study will provide evidence for whether moxibustion therapy is beneficial to the treatment of diarrhea in COVID-19.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval is not required for this study. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, and shared on social media platforms. This review would be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentations.Prospero registration number:CRD42022302933.     

Efficacy of traditional herbal medicine for psychological sequelae in COVID-19 survivors: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction:This study is the protocol for a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of herbal medicine on COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae. Currently, there are many COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae as COVID-19 has widely spread all over the world. However, there is no critically appraised evidence of the benefit of herbal medicine for COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae.Materials and Methods:We will search 11 electronic databases from inception to December, 2022: 4 English databases, MEDLINE, PubMed, Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); 3 Chinese databases, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Scientific Journal database, and the Wan Fang database; and 4 Korean databases, the Oriental Medical Advanced Searching Integrated System, the Korean Studies Information Service System, the National Digital Science Links, and the Research Information Sharing Service. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and quasi-RCTs for all formations of TRADITIONAL herbal medicine versus conventional drug, placebo, and no treatment for COVID-19 survivors. We will only include the COVID-19 survivors with psychiatric symptoms lasting at least 1 month, regardless of their race, sex, and age.Discussion and conclusions:This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings will provide evidence and treatment directions for clinicians. This protocol does not need ethical approval because it will be based on published research.Prospero registration number:PROSPERO CRD42020210592     

Is COVID-19 a high risk factor for lung cancer?: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction:COVID-19 has become a common threat to global human health and is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Some asymptomatic patients with early-stage lung cancer who have COVID-19 receive surgical treatment but develop severe pneumonia and other complications or even experience postoperative death, and they may have a worse prognosis compared with healthy individuals infected with COVID-19. However, there is no evidence that COVID-19 is a risk factor for lung cancer patients. This systematic review aims to evaluate the incidence and prognosis of COVID-19 in lung cancer patients and provide evidence-based medical support for clinical treatment.Methods:We will search 6 medical databases to identify eligible studies published from the establishment of the database to the present. The quality of the included literature will be evaluated using the bias risk assessment tool in Cochrane 5.1.0, and a meta-analysis will be performed using Stata 14.0. Heterogeneity will be statistically assessed using χ² tests.Results:The study will integrate existing research findings to investigate the prevalence and severity rate of patients with lung cancer infected with SARS-CoV-2 and analyze the prognosis and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with or without COVID-19.Conclusion:The results of this study provide evidence to support whether COVID-19 is a risk factor for lung cancer and provide guidance for clinical prevention and treatment based on the evidence obtained in light of the unpredictable threat posed by COVID-19.Ethics and dissemination:Ethics approval is not required for this systematic review as it will involve the collection and analysis of secondary data. The results of the review will be reported in international peer-reviewed journals.PRORPERO registration number:CRD42020195967.     

Moxibustion for abdominal pain in COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease that makes breathing difficult and is often accompanied by abdominal pain and distension. Moxibustion, a special external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, has shown beneficial effects in the treatment of abdominal pain. Currently, there is a lack of systematic reviews on moxibustion for the treatment of abdominal pain. We conduct this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moxibustion in the treatment of abdominal pain. This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion for abdominal pain in COVID-19.Methods:Randomized controlled trials from December 2019 to December 2021 will be included, without restrictions on language or publication date. PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and VIP Database were searched. Two researchers will independently select studies, extract data, and evaluate study quality. The Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials will be used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. Statistical analyses will be conducted using the RevMan 5.3 software.Results:This study aimed to prove the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for abdominal pain in patients with COVID-19. Our study provides a more accurate treatment method for abdominal pain during COVID-19. We will publish our results in a peer-reviewed journal.Conclusion:This study will provide more convincing evidence for clinicians to treat these conditions and help them make appropriate decisions.Ethics and dissemination:This study did not include personal information. Ethical approval was not required for this study.INPLASY registration number:INPLASY2021120104.     

Electrocupuncture combined rehabilitation therapy for upper limb spasticity after stroke: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation in the treatment of spasticity after stroke.Methods:To collect relevant literature, we will research following databases: Medicine, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-Fang Database, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Database and China Biomedical Database; the time is from its creation to May 2021, and the language is limited to Chinese and English. In addition, we will retrieve other literature resources, including the Chinese Clinical Trial Register and conference papers. Two reviewers will independently complete the literature screen and data extraction, and quality assessment of the included studies will be independently completed by two other researchers. The primary outcomes included the Modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and the simplified Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale (SFMA). The Modified Barthel Index (MBI), the China Stroke Scale (CSS), and adverse reactions as secondary outcomes were assessed. RevMan V.5.4.1 software will be used for meta-analysis, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) will be used to assess the quality of evidence.Results:This systematic review will provide a high-quality synthesis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation therapy in the treatment of upper limb spasticity after stroke, providing a reference for the safe and effective treatment of upper limb spasm after stroke.Conclusion:This study provides evidence that electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation therapy is effective.Ethics and dissemination:The protocol of the systematic review does not require ethical approval because it does not involve humans. This article will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences.Systematic review registration:INPLASY202160005.     

Acupuncture and massage combined with rehabilitation therapy for hemiplegia after stroke: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture and massage combined with rehabilitation in the treatment of hemiplegia after stroke.Methods:To collect relevant literature, we will research following databases: Medicine, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-Fang Database, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicaols Database, and China Biomedical Database; the time is from its creation to May 2021, and the language is limited to Chinese and English. In addition, we will retrieve other literature resources, including the Chinese Clinical Trial Register and conference articles. Two reviewers will independently complete the literature screen and data extraction and quality assessment of the included studies will be independently completed by two other researchers. The primary outcomes included the Modified Ashworth scale and the simplified Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale. The Modified Barthel Index, the China Stroke Scale, and adverse reactions as secondary outcomes were assessed. RevMan V.5.4.1 software will be used for meta-analysis, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) will be used to assess the quality of evidence.Results:This systematic review will provide a high-quality synthesis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and massage combined with rehabilitation in the treatment of hemiplegia after stroke, providing a reference for the safe and effective treatment of hemiplegia after stroke.Conclusion:This study provides evidence that acupuncture and massage combined with rehabilitation therapy is effective.Ethics and dissemination:The protocol of the systematic review does not require ethical approval because it does not involve humans. This article will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences.Systematic review registration:INPLASY202210026.