Electroacupuncture for post-thoracotomy pain: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Thoracotomy is a common surgical procedure used in cases such as trauma and cancer resection. It is an invasive procedure in which incisions are made in the chest wall to gain access to the chest. Therefore, it often produces intense postoperative pain. Electroacupuncture has been known for its analgesic effects in various conditions, including cases of postoperative pain. This protocol design is for a systematic review and meta-analysis to gather evidence and investigate the analgesic effects of electroacupuncture in pain after thoracotomy. METHODS: The studies for the systematic review will be searched with keywords on the following 10 databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), EMBASE, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, CNKI, KoreaMed, KMBASE, KISS, and OASIS. The search will be done without language restrictions. Only the randomized controlled trials that meet the eligibility criteria will be finally included in the study. The quality of the study will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaborations' risk-of-bias tool, and Cochrane's software RevMan 5.3 will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: The designed study will provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the searched and randomized controlled trials that meet the eligibility criteria. Meta-analysis will be performed with pain scores as the main outcome measure, and they may also be performed with additional outcomes. The qualitative and quantitative data synthesis is expected to provide high quality evidence to judge the pain management effect of electroacupuncture for patients who underwent thoracotomy. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this systematic review and meta-analysis will provide evidence to judge whether electroacupuncture is an effective analgesic treatment option for patients suffering with post-thoracotomy pain. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019142157.

Safety and efficacy of Jujadokseo-hwan for memory deficit (amnesia) in mild neurocognitive disorder: A protocol for randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Mild neurocognitive disorder (mNCD) is one of the degenerative diseases that results in memory deficit, and can progress to dementia. The effectiveness of drug therapy for mNCD is still debatable, but treatment of this disease has important implications for postponing or preventing dementia. Jujadokseo-hwan (JDH) is a traditional herbal medicine formulation that exhibits improvement in cognitive abilities and neuroprotective effects. In this study, we will evaluate the safety and efficacy of JDH compared to placebo in mNCD patients. METHODS AND DESIGN: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter clinical trial. After obtaining informed consent from all participants and performing the screening process, the participants will be equally divided into an experimental group and a control group. Each participant will visit the trial center 7 times during the 12 weeks of intervention. The follow up study will be conducted 12 weeks after the intervention ends. The primary outcome is the variance in Seoul verbal learning test-elderly's version (SVLT-E) score from baseline to 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes include scores/values for the following variables: SVLT-E, Rey complex figure test, Digit span test, Korean-Boston naming test, calculation ability, controlled oral word association test, Korean-color word stroop test, digit symbol coding, Korean-trail making test-elderly's version, Korean version of mini mental state examination for dementia screening, euro-qol-5 dimension, pattern identifications tool for cognitive disorders, Korean version of Montreal cognitive assessment, Korean quality of life-Alzheimer disease, computerized tongue image analysis system, blood pressure pulse analyzer, bioelectrical impedance analyzer, wearable electroencephalogram device, functional near-infrared spectroscopy system, and cost analysis. DISCUSSION: This is the first trial evaluating the efficacy of JDH for mNCD. We expect this trial will provide strong support for wide use of JDH for mNCD and lead to further research on herbal medicine treatments for mNCD. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: KCT0003570 (Registered in Clinical Research Information Service of the Republic of Korea, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01.jsp?seq=12669).