Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28697739›Full record

ArticleSystematic reviews2017

Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on proinflammatory cytokines: protocol for systematic review.

Tábata Cristina do Carmo Almeida, Francisco Winter Dos Santos Figueiredo, Valter Cordeiro Barbosa Filho, Luiz Carlos de Abreu, Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonseca, Fernando Adami

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Systematic reviews, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Tábata Cristina do Carmo AlmeidaFaculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC), Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Análise de dados (ABC Medical School), Av. Lauro Gomes, 2000, Vila Sacadura Cabral, CEP: 09060-870, Santo André, SP, Brazil. tabatacristina@yahoo.com.br.
Francisco Winter Dos Santos FigueiredoFaculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC), Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Análise de dados (ABC Medical School), Av. Lauro Gomes, 2000, Vila Sacadura Cabral, CEP: 09060-870, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
Valter Cordeiro Barbosa FilhoCentre in Physical Activity and Health. Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.
Luiz Carlos de AbreuFaculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC), Laboratório de Delineamento de Estudos e Escrita Científica (ABC Medical School), Av. Lauro Gomes, 2000, Vila Sacadura Cabral, CEP: 09060-870, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
Fernando Luiz Affonso FonsecaFaculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC), Laboratório de Análises Clínicas (ABC Medical School), Av. Lauro Gomes, 2000, Vila Sacadura Cabral, CEP: 09060-870, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
Fernando AdamiFaculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC), Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Análise de dados (ABC Medical School), Av. Lauro Gomes, 2000, Vila Sacadura Cabral, CEP: 09060-870, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
Faculdade de Medicina do ABC · BRUniversidade Federal de Santa Catarina · BR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPain reduction can be achieved by lowering proinflammatory cytokine levels in the blood. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive physiotherapeutic resource for pain management, but evidence on the effectiveness of this device at reducing proinflammatory cytokines in the blood is unclear. This study systematically reviews the literature on the effect of TENS on proinflammatory cytokines.

methodsA systematic review protocol was developed based on searches of articles in six electronic databases and references of retrieved articles, contact with authors, and repositories of clinical trials. Eligibility criteria: publication in peer-reviewed journals, randomized clinical trials, use of TENS in the experimental group, and pre- and post-measurements of proinflammatory cytokines in the blood. Selection of the studies and extraction of the data will be carried out by two reviewers independently. Characteristics of the study, participants, interventions and outcomes were extracted and described. Assessments were performed on the risk of bias, level of evidence and the size of the intervention effect in the studies, according to GRADE guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. Clinical and statistical assessments compared the effects of the interventions (meta-analysis), taking into consideration any influencing characteristics of the studies (e.g., methods and application sites). DISCUSSION: We anticipate that this review will strengthen evidence-based knowledge of the effect of TENS on proinflammatory cytokines and, as a result, direct new studies to benefit patients with specific pathologies. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO, CRD42017060379 .

Indexed as

CytokinesEvidence-Based MedicineHumansInflammationPain ManagementResearch DesignSystematic Reviews as TopicTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationCytokinesCytokinesInflammationSystematic reviewTENSTranscutaneous electric nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID28697739
PMCPMC5505047
OpenAlexW2734810996

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.