Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31259837›Full record

SynthesisJournal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA2019

Traditional Chinese acupuncture and postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ping Tong, Li-Ping Dong, Yang Yang, Yuan-Hong Shi, Ting Sun, Ping Bo

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 8% 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

22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ping TongDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Li-Ping DongDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Yang YangDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Yuan-Hong ShiDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Ting SunDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Ping BoDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Yangzhou University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAcupuncture, a key component of traditional Chinese medicine, is a form of alternative medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body commonly for pain relief. To date, the role of traditional Chinese acupuncture in mood disorders in the postpartum period is unclear. Thus, this study aimed to review the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with postpartum depression (PPD).

methodsWe searched databases such as PUBMED, EMBASE, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register until September 2018. Meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 2.0 software. The mean difference (MD) and risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to evaluate the results of each comparison.

resultsA total of 887 PPD patients from 12 randomised controlled trials were included in the quantitative meta-analysis, with 443 patients in the treatment group and 444 patients in the control group. Patients in the acupuncture group had significantly better performances assessed by the Hamilton Depression Scale than those in the control group, and the pooled MD was -1.27 (95% CI: -2.55 to 0.01; p = 0.05, I = 83%) in the random-effect model. In addition, significantly better performance in the effective rate was observed in the acupuncture group than in the control group, and the pooled RR was 1.20 (95% CI: 1.09 to 1.33; p < 0.0001, I = 46%). However, in subgroup analysis for the acupuncture therapy alone, only effective rate showed a significantly better performance.

conclusionTraditional Chinese acupuncture seems to be effective in improving some symptoms of PPD, although the evidence is uncertain. Therefore, further studies following standardized guidelines with a low risk of bias are needed to confirm the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of PPD.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyDepression, PostpartumEstradiolFemaleHumansMedicine, Chinese TraditionalPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesEstradiol

Identifiers

PMID31259837
PMCPMC13048177
OpenAlexW2954568450

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.