Herbal medicine for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: A protocol for systematic review

Background:Dementia is becoming a major public health problem worldwide with the aging of the world''s population. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), associated symptoms of dementia, not only predicts the poor prognosis of patients with dementia, but is also a major factor causing the care burden on caregivers, especially informal caregivers. For BPSD management, an alternative to existing psychotropic drugs is needed, given the benefit-harm ratio. Therefore, in this systematic review, we will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine for BPSD.Methods and analysis:Thirteen electronic databases will be comprehensively searched. Clinical studies reporting the efficacy (or effectiveness) and safety of herbal medicines in BSPD management published from their inception to December 2020 will be included. The primary outcome will be BPSD symptoms assessed by the validated tool. Moreover, total effective rate, daily living activities and quality of life of patients, burden and quality of life of caregiver, placement in a long-term care facility from home, and safety data will be regarded as the secondary outcome. Two independent researchers will perform the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment process. To assess the methodological quality of the included studies, validated tools according to its design, such as the Cochrane Collaboration''s risk of bias tool will be used. To perform meta-analysis, RevMan version 5.3 will be used, with mean differences for continuous outcomes and risk ratio for binary outcomes, and 95% confidence intervals. According to the heterogeneity and number of included studies, a fixed- or random-effects model will be used,Registration number:OSF (URL: https://osf.io/3u8ch), PROSPERO (CRD42020211000) (URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020211000).     

What are the mechanisms of action of anti-inflammatory agents in adipose tissue?: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Obesity is a disease characterized by the abnormal accumulation of adipose tissue in the body, triggering a chronic subclinical state of inflammation. Bioactive compounds, given their anti-inflammatory properties, are a safe and promising alternative in controlling the inflammatory condition of obesity. This study describes a systematic review protocol aiming to analyze the anti-inflammatory molecules mechanisms and compounds action on adipocytes.Methods:Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) will outline the protocol and PRISMA to the systematic review. The databases used for research will be PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, BVS, and EMBASE. Experimental studies performed on rats and mice with a control group that describes treatment with anti-inflammatory agents (drugs, nutraceuticals, bio active compounds, among others) at any frequency, time, and dose will be included. Three independent reviewers will select studies and extract data. The evaluation of the methodological quality of each research will be performed using the SYRCLE tool. If at least 2 studies show clinical and/or methodological and/or statistical homogeneity, a meta-analysis will be performed, using the RevMan Analyzes statistical package in Review Manager v.5.3.Results:In this study, we hope to find a considerable number of articles presenting mechanisms involved in the action of anti-inflammatory molecules and compounds on adipocytes.Conclusion:The systematic review produced from this protocol will present evidence on the mechanisms involved in the action of anti-inflammatory molecules and compounds in adipocytes. It will also contribute to developing new research and new insights about anti-inflammatory therapies with a future application view.Record of systematic review:This review was registered with the International Register of Prospective Systematic Reviews on May 18, 2020 (registration: CRD42020182897). Available at: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020182897.     

Efficacy of Yiqi Wenyang Huoxue method in treating adult bronchial asthma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background:Bronchial asthma (BA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway, which has the characteristics of recurrent attacks and difficult to cure. Glucocorticoid and bronchodilator are the primary treatment drugs for asthma. Although the treatment has made some progress, the control status is still not ideal. According to clinical reports, the Yi-qi Wen-yang Huo-xue method (YQWYHXM) of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is safe and effective in the treatment of BA, but there is not enough evidence to prove it. Based on it, we conducted this systematic evaluation.Methods:Eight databases and Clinical trial registries (Embase, Cochrane, PubMed, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, VIP, China Clinical Trial Registry and Clinical Trails) were searched from the establishment of those until January 22, 2021 with the following terms for retrieval: BS, TCM, Chinese medicinal herb, Chinese herbal medicine and randomized controlled trial. Data analysis was performed by 2 researchers using RevMan 5.3 and SATA 16.0 separately from the Cochrane Collaboration.Results:This study will be able to provide definitive evidence to clarify all the suspicions we seek, confirming the effectiveness of YQWYHXM in the treatment of adults with BA.Conclusion:This study will prove that YQWYHXM is a safe and effective TCM adjuvant therapy for BA.Registration:Efficacy of Yiqi Wenyang Huoxue method in Treating Adult Bronchial Asthma.Asthma:A protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021256791. Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021256791.     

Efficacy of acupuncture for whiplash injury: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Studies in both Eastern & Western countries such as the United States and Europe have evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture for whiplash injury or whiplash-associated disorder (WAD). However, no systematic reviews on the effectiveness of acupuncture on WAD have been conducted since 2014. Therefore, we are planning an updated systematic review of studies published since 2014 to overcome the limitations of existing evidence.Methods:Literature will be identified from searches of relevant databases, including international databases such as PubMed, Ovid-Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Korean databases such as Korea Med, Korean Studies Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, and National Digital Science Library. Only randomized controlled trials using acupuncture or electro-acupuncture for whiplash injury will be included. The primary outcomes will be the visual analog scale or numerical rating scale of the neck pain, while the secondary outcome is the range of motion of the neck. The risk of bias for individual papers will be assessed by two independent investigators using the Cochrane “Risk of Bias” assessment tool.Dissemination:We plan to report the results of the study in a peer-reviewed journal after completing the research. In addition, we expect this study to provide invaluable information to clinicians treating patients with WAD with acupuncture or electro-acupuncture.Trial registration number:PROSPERO 2021: CRD42021261595. Registered on 18 July 2021. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=261595     

Evaluation of efficiency and safety of combined montelukast sodium and budesonide in children with cough variant asthma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Cough variant asthma (CVA) is classified as a distinct form of asthma. As the primary or only symptom, cough is the leading cause for the most prevalent chronic cough among kids. The American College of Clinical Pharmacy, British Thoracic Society, and Chinese guidelines established for diagnosing and treating chronic cough in kids recommend inhaled corticosteroids, combined with leukotriene receptor antagonists when necessary.Methods:We will conduct a comprehensive search in major databases using keywords to find studies related to the analysis of montelukast sodium and budesonide for treating CVA in kids. Two reviewers will independently assess the quality of the selected research articles and perform data extraction. Next, we will use the RevMan software (version: 5.3) to conduct the statistical analysis of the present study.Results:This study will assess the efficacy and safeness of using montelukast sodium and budesonide to treat kids with CVA by pooling the results of individual studies.Conclusion:Our findings will provide vigorous evidence to judge whether montelukast sodium and budesonide therapy is an efficient form of therapy for CVA patients.Ethics and dissemination:Ethics approval is not needed for the present meta-analysis.OSF registration number:May 17, 2021.osf.io/cuvjz (https://osf.io/cuvjz/).     

Barriers and facilitators to exercise in hemodialysis patients: A protocol for systematic review

Background:Exercise training has a lot of potential benefits for hemodialysis patients. And some guidelines emphasize the importance of exercise for maintenance hemodialysis. However, there are many barriers to encourage hemodialysis patients to increase their level of physical activity. A broader understanding of the specific barriers is needed.Methods:MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, CBM, CNKI, and WangFang will be searched electronically. The Reference lists of included studies will be retrieved manually. If the study is designed with qualitative or mixed methods and directly explores the factors related to the exercise of dialysis patients, the study will be selected. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist will be applied for the study appraisal. The study search, selection and evaluation of the study will be conducted by 2 independent reviewers. Thematic synthesis will be used for synthesizing the findings of the primary studies.Results:This study will provide a high-quality synthesis to examine the barriers and facilitators affecting exercise in hemodialysis patients from the perspective of patients, caregivers, and health care providers.Conclusion:This systematic review will contribute to the in-depth understanding of barriers and facilitators affecting exercise in hemodialysis patients, and improve the prognosis of this population.Ethic and dissemination:The content of this article does not involve moral approval or ethical review because no individual data will be collected.PROSPERO registration:CRD42020200278. (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails).     

Evaluation of efficiency and safety of oral corticosteroid therapy in children patients with exacerbations of asthma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Asthma is the most frequently occurring obstructive airway disease, it inflicts the highest morbidity among children. Among the paediatric populace, severe exacerbations of asthma are a common reason behind patient consultations and hospitalizations. Oral corticosteroids are a primary component in the treatment of asthma exacerbations; however, there is controversy regarding how corticosteroids functions.Methods:The present review will conduct a search on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese BioMedical Literature. The search will cover the databases from their beginning to May 2021. The search aims to identify all the randomized controlled studies on oral corticosteroids in treating children with asthma exacerbations. Two independent authors will choose studies, perform data extraction, and use an appropriate tool to assess the bias risk in the selected articles. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis will be performed to assess the robustness of the results. The RevMan (version 5.3) software will be employed to perform data synthesis and statistical analysis.Results:This study will examine the efficiency and safeness of oral corticosteroid therapy to treat children with asthma exacerbations by pooling the results of individual studies.Conclusion:The findings of this study will provide vigorous evidence to judge whether oral corticosteroid therapy is an efficiency strategy to treat patients with asthmatic exacerbations.OSF registration number:May 20, 2021.osf.io/3ghjt. (https://osf.io/3ghjt/).     

Evaluation of the curative effects of Bailing capsules for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The goal of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Bailing capsules, which is a traditional Chinese drug that can improve lung functionality when used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.Methods:A comprehensive search will be performed on the following primary electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang database. A search of secondary sources includes reference lists of included studies. Two pairs of review authors will screen and scrutinize selected articles. This study will analyze continuous data as mean differences and dichotomous data as odds ratios, both with 95% confidence intervals. A sensitivity analysis will also be conducted to evaluate the stableness of the outcomes. RevMan 5.3 software was adopted to accomplish all the statistical analysis.Results:The results obtained in this research shall be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Conclusion:Based on the interpretations of the results, useful conclusions will be presented. These conclusions will offer additional insights with useful evidence to assess whether it is viable to use Bailing capsules as an effective and safety treatment option for COPD.Ethics and dissemination:The present work does not involve any humans or animals; therefore, ethical approval is not needed.Systematic review registration:March 26, 2021.osf.io/kvgbu. (https://osf.io/kvgbu/)     

Resting-state functional brain alterations in functional dyspepsia: Protocol for a systematic review and voxel-based meta-analysis

Background:Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) and significantly influences patients’ quality of life. Many studies have found that patients with FD show significant functional abnormalities in multiple brain regions. However, these functional cerebral abnormalities are not fully consistent. This protocol aims to qualitatively and quantitatively assess and synthesize the functional cerebral abnormalities found in FD.Methods:A systematic search will be conducted in 4 electronic databases (Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) from inception to June 30, 2019, with the language restricted to English. Study selection will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Quality assessment will be performed with a custom 11-point checklist. The functional changes in brain regions and the correlations between these altered brain regions and clinical variables in patients with FD will be evaluated through qualitative review. If data are available, an Anisotropic Effect Size version of Signed Differential Mapping (AES-SDM) will be used to synthesize the brain functional alterations and clinical variables in patients with FD.Results:This review and meta-analysis will qualitatively and quantitatively assess and synthesize functional cerebral abnormalities consistently found in FD.Conclusion:This may assist in mapping functional brain abnormalities to characterize imaging-based neural markers of FD and improve our knowledge of the pathogenesis of FD.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42019134983 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/)     

Evaluating the impact of rehabilitation nursing intervention on quality of life in patients with burn injuries: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Despite the availability of pharmacological intervention, patients with burn injuries experience pain during the treatment of wounds. Supplementary rehabilitation nursing intervention are required to enhance the wellbeing of patients sustaining injuries from burns. The present study aims to conduct a systematic exploration of the impact of rehabilitation nursing intervention on the wellbeing in patients sustaining burn injuries.Methods:The electronic databases listed below will be searched systematically: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang database. All the databases will be searched from their inauguration to November 2020. There will be no language constraints. Independent undertaking by 2 authors will select studies, extract data from selected studies, and assess the quality of the included studies. All disagreements will be resolved through discussion, or by consulting a third independent author. This study will make use of RevMan 5.3 software to perform statistical analysis.Results:The present protocol summarizes high-quality evidence to assess the impact of rehabilitation nursing intervention on the wellbeing of patients sustaining burn injuries.Conclusion:The results of the present protocol has the potential to present evidence to assess whether rehabilitation nursing intervention can enhance the wellbeing of patients sustaining burn injuries.Registration number:November 17, 2020.osf.io/t6b8c/. (https://osf.io/t6b8c/).     

Evaluation of the efficiency of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in patients with metastatic prostate carcinoma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Metastatic prostate carcinoma has poor prognoses with a median survival period ranging from 2 to 5 years with existing therapeutic challenges. Currently, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy is permitted as a treatment method for metastatic prostate carcinoma patients. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend the efficiency and safety of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy among this patient population. This study aims to analyse the efficacy of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy when used to treat metastatic prostate carcinoma patients.Methods:This research will perform a methodological search in the following electronic databases to find related randomized controlled trials: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang database, and Chinese BioMedical Literature. All the databases are searched from their inauguration till November 2020. Two independent authors will screen and select literature for review. The two authors will independently utilize the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to assess the bias risk in studies. This study also plans to conduct subgroup and sensitivity analyses to evaluate the robustness in the results. Statistical analyses will be conducted with the RevMan 5.3 software.Results:A high-quality synthesis of existing evidence related to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in the treatment of metastatic prostate carcinoma will be presented in this study.Conclusion:Our findings will provide evidence to judge whether peptide receptor radionuclide treatment is efficient for metastatic prostate carcinoma patients.Ethics and dissemination:An ethics approval is not required because the data of the present study are primarily obtained from published studies.OSF registration number: December 1, 2020.osf.io/3psx7. (https://osf.io/3psx7/).     

Clinical assessment of synbiotics for treating chronic kidney disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:This research aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of synbiotics for treating chronic kidney disease.Methods:Related articles written in English were sourced from EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. These articles were used in the evaluation of the effect of synbiotics for treating chronic kidney disease. The extent of the relationship was assessed by calculating the pooled risk ratio, mean differences or standardized mean difference along with the equivalent 95% confidence intervals. The risk of bias introduced through each study was considered by adopting the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Suitable statistical research methods were utilized for the synthesis of the data. The RevMan 5.3 software was used to conduct all statistical analysis.Results:The final results of the current study is due to be included in a peer-reviewed journal.Conclusion:The final remarks of the current study will be useful evidence for determining whether synbiotics is an effective and safe therapeutic method for treating chronic kidney disease.OSF registration number:DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/UASF4 (https://osf.io/uasf4/).     

Evaluation of the efficiency of corticosteroids in treating adult with sepsis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Sepsis is a worldwide health problem that is a leading cause of mortality due to infection. Sepsis is prevalent in infections that are complicated with organ failure. Generally, sepsis is intricate and impaired corticosteroid metabolism leads to complex outcomes. Therefore, the provision of corticosteroids could lead to improved clinical outcomes. The effect of corticosteroids therapy in adult patients with sepsis is not well studied. Therefore, this study is an attempt to evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroids for treating adult cases of sepsis.Methods:We will systematically search the randomized controlled trials for potential eligible studies from online databases, which includes 5 English databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library) and 4 Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Database, VIP information database, and China Biomedical Database) from their origin to March 2021. Languages were restricted to English and Chinese. Two independent authors will be screening the literature, collect, and perform data extraction and quality assessment. Data will be synthesized using appropriate statistical methods.Results:This study will summarize present evidence to evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroids for the treatment of adult cases of sepsis.Conclusion:The results of the present study will provide the latest, reliable, superior quality evidence for the clinical application of corticosteroids for treating sepsis patients.Ethics and dissemination:The present study will use published data and does not require ethics approval.Protocol registration number:March 28, 2021.osf.io/tm6sw. (https://osf.io/tm6sw/)     

Clinical therapeutic effects of trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Despite the developments in diagnosis and treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, there is a high likelihood in the development of resistance to trastuzumab. In general, HER2-positive patients with deteriorated health face negative clinical outcomes. The present study is conducted to systematically explore the medicinal properties of trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer patients.Methods:Randomized controlled trials investigating the clinical properties of including trastuzumab to treat HER2-positive breast cancer cases will be sourced by exploring these online-based databases: MEDLINE, BIOSIS, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Central Register of Controlled Trials, and WanFang. Two independent authors will screen the literature, gather data, and assess the quality of selected studies. The significance of the relationship between the medical properties of trastuzumab when incorporated to treat HER2-positive breast cancer cases will be evaluated according to the relative risk, mean differences or standardized mean differences, and 95% confidence interval.Results:The outcomes from this review shall be issued in a journal that will be reviewed by peers.Conclusion:The conclusions presented in this review will serve as a reference for clinical practitioners and scholars to determine whether trastuzumab is an effective and safety intervention for treating HER2-positive breast cancer patients.Ethics and dissemination:Since this study is a systematic review of published studies, an ethical approval is not needed.Systematic review registration number:March 31, 2021.osf.io/wvqkf (https://osf.io/wvqkf/).     

Effect of electroacupuncture on postoperative cognitive dysfunction for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background:Electroacupuncture is increasingly used in rehabilitation for postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), but relevant evidence remains unclear for patients receiving total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:The databases research of PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) will be conducted from inception to December 31, 2020. The relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from data will be screened one by one. The remaining studies that meet the inclusion criteria will be extracted and analyzed using RevMan V.5.3 software. Paired 2 reviewers will assess quality of the included studies and publication bias by using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool, and Egger test and Begg test respectively. And grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) will be used to estimate the quality of evidence.Results:In this study, we will analyze the effect of electroacupuncture on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), S100-β protein, and adverse events for patients with TKA.Conclusion:Our findings will provide evidence for the effectiveness of electroacupuncture on the treatment and prevention of POCD for TKA patients.Registration number:Available at: https://osf.io/azyt9 (DOI number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/AZYT9).     

Clinical therapeutic effects of probiotics in combination with antibiotics on periodontitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Dental pain can have a detrimental effect on quality of life. Symptomatic apical periodontitis is the most common cause of dental pain and arise from an inflamed or necrotic dental pulp. There is growing evidence to support the effectiveness of probiotics in combination with antibiotics on periodontitis. We therefor will conduct this study to evaluate the clinical therapeutic effects of probiotics in combination with antibiotics on periodontitis.Methods:We will systematically search the following databases: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), and WanFang database. A grey literature search will be conducted using ZETOC Conference Proceedings and Open Grey. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to research on probiotics in combination with antibiotics to treatment patients with periodontitis will be included. All sources have to be searched from their inception to October 2020. Two authors will independently select studies, extract study data, and evaluate the quality of the included studies. We will use Review Manager Software (RevMan 5.3) to analyze data.Results:This study will systematically evaluate the clinical therapeutic effects of probiotics in combination with antibiotics on periodontitis.Conclusions:This study will generate evidence for a better clinical decision of patients with periodontitis.Registration number:DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/QZ6SB (https://osf.io/qz6sb/).     

Traditional Chinese medicine in collaboration with conservative conventional medicine for lumbar herniated intervertebral disc: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Lumbar herniated intervertebral disc (LHIVD) is a common disease that causes low back pain. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with conservative conventional treatment is known to be effective at treating LHIVD, but evidence for complex TCM therapies with conventional intervention has not been sufficiently collected to facilitate quality assessment and synthesis of data.Methods and analysis:Studies were retrieved from the following databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, 7 Korean databases (Korean Studies Information Service System, Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean National Assembly Digital Library, Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors, National Digital Science Library, and Database Periodical Information Academic), Japan Medical Abstracts Society, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. The risk of bias of the included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Assessment Tool for Risk of Bias. Eligible studies were quantitatively synthesized through a meta-analysis. The primary outcome will be pain scales, and the secondary outcomes will include range of motion, questionnaires for lumbar function, questionnaire for quality of life, etc.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval was waived for this study protocol because it does not provide any patient data. The results of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications.Registration number:DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/K7NJ8 (https://osf.io/k7nj8).     

The application value of continuous nursing intervention on quality of life in patients with stroke: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Individual characteristics, physical function disability, emotional, as well as cognitive symptoms, along with the general health discernment might be associated or impact the quality of life of patients suffering from stroke directly or indirectly. Appropriate continuous nursing intervention is required to enhance the quality of life of patients with stroke. Therefore, the present study will be conducted to systematically investigate the application value of continuous nursing intervention for improving the quality of life of patients experiencing stroke.Methods:We will conduct a comprehensive search of electronic databases such as MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang databases to identify relevant publications. We will only include studies published in English or Chinese languages. Accordingly, randomized controlled trials evaluating the application value of continuous nursing intervention for improving the quality of life of patients suffering from stroke will be included. We will use 2 independent authors to conduct study selection, extract data, and evaluate the quality of the included studies. In case of any discrepancies, they will be addressed by consensus. Also, we will use RevMan 5.3 software to carry out the statistical analysis.Results:The current study will summarize high-quality evidence to systematically explore application value of continuous nursing intervention for improving the quality of life in patients with stroke.Conclusion:The present study will summarize the direct and indirect pieces of evidence to ascertain whether continuous nursing intervention can improve the quality of life in patients with stroke.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval will not be required.Registration number:April 25, 2021.osf.io/xnrzt/ (https://osf.io/xnrzt/).     

Acupuncture and herbal medicine for postoperative care following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is the primary treatment for patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Successful postoperative rehabilitation is imperative for their recovery. This protocol details the methods that will be used to systematically analyze the efficacy of acupuncture and herbal medicine for postoperative care following ACLR.Methods and analysis:Randomized controlled trials will be searched in the following databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Japan Medical Abstracts Society, and 7 Korean databases (Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean National Assembly Digital Library, Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors, Korean Studies Information Service System, Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal, National Digital Science Library, and Database Periodical Information Academic). The risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane assessment tool of risk of bias. The studies that are selected after checking for eligibility will be quantitatively analyzed as a meta-analysis. The primary outcome will be the scores of pain scales, and the secondary outcomes will be the range of motion of the knee, severity of the swelling, and parameters about the knee joint function.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval is not required for this protocol because it does not include patient data. The findings of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations.Registration number:DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZY2W8 (https://osf.io/zy2w8).