Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27430340›Full record

Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2016

Additional effects of acupuncture on early comprehensive rehabilitation in patients with mild to moderate acute ischemic stroke: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Lifang Chen, Jianqiao Fang, Ruijie Ma, Xudong Gu, Lina Chen, Jianhua Li, Shouyu Xu

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
42citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
8.5field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

42 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. Swallowing therapy for dysphagia in acute and subacute stroke.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
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  14. Effectiveness on post-stroke hemiplegia in patients: electroacupuncture plus cycling electroacupuncture alone.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Lifang ChenDepartment of Acupuncture, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 219 Moganshan Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 310005, China.
Jianqiao FangDepartment of Acupuncture, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 219 Moganshan Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 310005, China. fangjianqiao7532@163.com.
Ruijie MaDepartment of Acupuncture, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 219 Moganshan Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 310005, China.
Xudong GuDepartment of Rehabilitation, The Second Hospital of Jiaxing, 1518 North Huancheng Road, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, 314000, China.
Lina ChenDepartment of Rehabilitation, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, 261 Huansha Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310006, China.
Jianhua LiDepartment of Rehabilitation, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital College of Medicine Zhejiang University, No. 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310016, China.
Shouyu XuThe Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 310053, China.
The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University · CNFirst Hospital of Jiaxing · CNHangzhou First People's Hospital · CNSir Run Run Shaw Hospital · CNZhejiang Chinese Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAcupuncture is not considered a conventional therapy for post-stroke sequelae but it might have some additional positive effects on early rehabilitation. We conducted this trial to determine whether acupuncture has additional effects in early comprehensive rehabilitation for acute ischemic stroke and dysfunctions secondary to stroke.

methodsTwo hundred fifty patients were randomized into two groups: acupuncture (AG) or no acupuncture (NAG). Eighteen acupuncture treatment sessions were performed over a 3-week period. The primary outcome was blindly measured with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at week 1, week 3, and week 7. Secondary outcomes included: Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) for motor function, bedside swallowing assessment (BSA) and videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) for swallowing function, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for cognitive function, and the adverse reaction of acupuncture for safety assessment.

resultsSignificant improvements from acupuncture treatment were observed in NIHSS (p < 0.001), VFSS (p < 0.001), MMSE (p < 0.001), MoCA (p = 0.001), but not obtained from FMA (p = 0.228). Changes from baseline of all above variables (except FMA) also had the same favorable results. A significant improvement in FMA lower extremity subscale appeared in AG (p = 0.020), but no significant difference was found for the upper extremity subscale (p = 0.707). More patients with swallowing disorder recovered in AG (p = 0.037). Low incidence of mild reaction of acupuncture indicated its safety.

conclusionsThis trial showed acupuncture is safe and has additional multi-effect in improving neurologic deficits, swallowing disorder, cognitive impairment, and lower extremity function, but has no significant improvement for upper extremity function during this short-term study period.

trial registrationChictr.org ChiCTR-TRC -12001971 (March 2012).

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedStrokeStroke RehabilitationTreatment OutcomeAcupunctureRandomized controlled trialRehabilitationStroke

Identifiers

PMID27430340
PMCPMC4950630
OpenAlexW2479152192

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.