Optimal cut-offs of depression screening tools during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Studies have reported an increase in the prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The accuracy of screening tools may change with the prevalence and distribution of a disease in a population or sample: the "Spectrum Effect". METHODS: First, we selected commonly used screening tools and developed search strategies for the inclusion of original studies during the pandemic. Second, we searched PsycINFO, EMBASE, and MEDLINE from March 2020 to September 2022 to obtain original studies that investigated the accuracy of depression screening tools during the pandemic. We then searched these databases to identify meta-analyses summarizing the accuracy of these tools conducted before the pandemic and compared the optimal cut-offs for depression screening tools during the pandemic with those before. RESULT: Four original studies evaluating the optimal cut-offs for four screening tools (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI-II], Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression [HADS-D], Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9], and Geriatric Depression Scale-4 [GDS-4]) were published during the pandemic. Four meta-analyses summarizing these tools before the pandemic. We found that the optimal cut-off of BDI-II was 14 during the pandemic (23.8% depression prevalence, screening patients with Type 2 diabetes) and 14.5 before the pandemic (17.6% depression prevalence, screening psychiatric, primary care, and healthy populations); HADS-D was 10 during the pandemic (23.8% depression prevalence, screening patients with type 2 diabetes) and 7 before the pandemic (15.0% depression prevalence, screening medically ill patients); PHQ-9 was 11 during the pandemic (14.5% depression prevalence, screening university students) and 8 before the pandemic (10.9% depression prevalence, screening the unrestricted population), and GDS-4 was 1.8 during the pandemic (29.0% depression prevalence, screening adults seen in a memory clinic setting) and 3 before the pandemic (18.5% depression prevalence, screening older adults). CONCLUSION: The optimal cut-off for different screening tools may be sensitive to changes in study populations and reference standards. And potential spectrum effects that should be considered in post-COVID time which aiming to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Variation in nurse self-reported practice of managing chest tubes: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To reveal nurses' self-reported practice of managing chest tubes and to define decision-makers for these practices. BACKGROUND: No consensus exists regarding ideal chest-tube management strategy, and there are wide variations of practice based on local policies and individual preferences, rather than standardised evidence-based protocols. DESIGN: This article describes a cross-sectional study. METHODS: Questionnaires were emailed to 31 hospitals in Tianjin, and the sample consisted of 296 clinical nurses whose work included nursing management of chest drains. The questionnaire, which was prepared by the authors of this research, consisted of three sections, including a total of 22 questions that asked for demographic information, answers regarding nursing management that reflected the practice they actually performed and who the decision-makers were regarding eight chest-drain management procedures. McNemar's test was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The results indicated that most respondents thought that it was necessary to manipulate chest tubes to remove clots impeding unobstructed drainage (91.2%). Most respondents indicated that dressings would be changed when the dressing was dysfunctional. At the same time, more than half of respondents approved of changing dressings routinely, and the frequency of changing dressings varied. When drainage was employed for pleural effusion and for a pneumothorax, 64.6% and 94.5% of respondents, respectively, considered that underwater seal-drainage bottles should be changed routinely, and the frequency of changing bottles both varied. The results indicated that nurses were the primary decision-makers in the replacement of chest tubes, manipulation of chest tubes and monitoring of drainage fluid. CONCLUSIONS: There was considerable variation in respondents' self-reported clinical nursing practice regarding management of chest drains. The rationale on which respondents' practices were based also varied greatly. This study indicated that nurses were the primary decision-makers for three of eight procedures regarding management of chest drains, which reflects that clinical nurses' decision-making power regarding management of chest drains was weak. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study describes the nurse-reported practices of Chinese nurses from Tianjin, including changing and selecting dressing types, manipulating chest tubes, clamping drains and replacing drainage bottles, and the study defines who the decision-makers were for these interventions. By focusing on nurses' self-report of behaviours in managing chest drains (actual nursing practice vs. nursing knowledge), this article also relates the literature to the research findings and denotes the gaps in knowledge for future research.

Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of Xiao Yao San as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Xiaoyao San (XYS) is a medicinal preparation that is commonly employed in China for the treatment of anxiety disorders (AD). Despite suggestions that it may offer certain advantages in this context, there are no reliable evidence-based studies regarding its efficacy at present. The present study was developed to gauge the efficacy and safety of XYS for the treatment of AD in a systematic manner. Methods: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, Weipu database, and China Biomedical Documentation Service System (CBM) databases were systematically searched for all randomized control trials (RCTs) evaluating the use of XYS for the treatment of AD published as of November 2021. Two investigators independently screened all studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias for included studies using RevMan5.3. Results: In total, 9 RCTs incorporating 809 patients were included in the present meta-analysis, of which 3 compared oral XYS to anxiolytic treatment and 6 compared oral XYS + anxiolytics to anxiolytic treatment alone. The resultant meta-analysis revealed that XYS alone or in combination with anxiolytic treatment was associated with better improvements in anxiety-related symptoms and reduced adverse drug-related reactions as compared to anxiolytic treatment alone. Conclusion: The available evidence suggests that oral XYS alone or in combination with anxiolytic agents is more effective and safer than anxiolytic treatment alone when used for the treatment of AD. However, owing to the limited number and quality of the studies included in this analysis, further high-quality research will be essential to validate these results.

Evidence-based traditional Chinese medicine research: Two decades of development, its impact, and breakthrough.

It has been over 20 years since the introduction of evidence-based medicine (EBM) into the research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The development of evidence-based TCM research has profoundly influenced the process of clinical research and decision-making, impelling researchers to pay attention to raise evidence quality, accumulate data, and explore appropriate evaluation methods adaptive to TCM original theories and knowledge. In this paper, the authors aim to summarize and review the existing work and seek promising research interests in this field, expecting to inspire more thoughts leading to breakthroughs in the near future.

Azithromycin as an add-on treatment for persistent uncontrolled asthma in adults: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical management of asthma remains a public challenge. Despite standard treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs), asthma remains uncontrolled in a substantial number of chronic asthma patients who risk reduced lung function and severe exacerbations. Azithromycin could have add-on effects for these patients. This study is proposed to systematically evaluate the efficacy of azithromycin as an add-on treatment for adults with persistent uncontrolled symptomatic asthma. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers will perform a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and four Chinese electronic databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), WanFang Data and VIP Database from inception to May 2019. Only randomised controlled trials will be included. There is no restriction on language or publication status. Combined oral azithromycin and an ICS or/and a LABA will be compared with standard treatment alone or with a placebo. The primary outcomes are the number or frequency of asthma exacerbations, changes in asthma symptoms and lung function. Secondary outcomes include the number or frequency of inhalations of beta-agonists with or without corticosteroids for rescue use, eosinophil counts in blood or sputum, adverse events and others. A meta-analysis will be attempted to provide an estimate of the pooled treatment effect. Otherwise, qualitative descriptions of individual studies will be given. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required because no primary data will be collected. Study findings will be presented at scientific conferences or published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019117272.

Baduanjin exercise for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common public health concerns worldwide. Baduanjin is very popular and widely practiced for the management of LBP. This study aims to systematically investigate the efficacy and safety of Baduanjin exercise for patients with LBP. METHODS: The PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science Core Collection, CBM, CNKI, WANFANG and VIP databases were searched from inception to August 2018 to identify potentially eligible studies. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane collaboration's tool. All statistical analyses were conducted with the RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Nine studies involving 519 patients were included in this systematic review. Our meta-analysis showed that Baduanjin was associated with a small improvement in pain relief compared with general exercise (MD= -0.50, 95% CI: -0.86 to -0.15, P = 0.005). One trial indicated that Baduanjin was superior to routine drug (ibuprofen) in alleviating pain, and the effect was moderate (MD= -1.04, 95% CI: -1.52 to -0.56, P < 0.0001). A descriptive analysis showed that Baduanjin plus other active treatments (such as massage, suspension, or routine drug plus general exercise) had small to moderate effects on low back pain relief compared with active treatments alone. One trial reported that Baduanjin decreased the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score compared with routine drug (MD= -4.92, 95% CI= -7.81 to -2.03, P = 0.0009). Another trial found the combination of Baduanjin and electrotherapy offered better improvement than electrotherapy on back-specific function (MD= -6.03, 95% CI= -8.45 to -3.61, P < 0.00001). Three trials suggested that Baduanjin alone or in combination with other treatments achieved greater effects on the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score improvement than other treatments. No adverse event was identified in the only study reporting on safety data. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that Baduanjin is effective for LBP. However, evidence supporting the finding is limited due to the small sample size, potential methodological flaws and significant heterogeneity. More large-scale, well-designed RCTs are warranted.

Chinese herbal medicine for postpartum constipation: a protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal symptoms in postpartum mothers. The choice of treatments for postpartum constipation remains a challenging clinical problem. Chinese herbal medicine has become increasingly popular as an alternative therapy for constipation. This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for postpartum constipation. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search PubMed (1946 to present), EMBASE (1974 to present), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (all years), Web of Science (1900 to present), Chinese Biomedical Literatures Database (1978 to present), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (1979 to present) and WANFANG data (1998 to present) to identify any eligible study. No restriction will be put on the language, publication date or status of the study. The primary outcome will be the spontaneous bowel movement. Secondary outcomes will be stool consistency, quality of life, transit time, relief of constipation symptoms and adverse events. We will perform the meta-analysis when more than one trial examines the same intervention and outcomes with comparable methods in similar populations. If the heterogeneity is not significant statistically (p>0.10 or I2<50%), the fixed-effect model will be built to estimate the overall intervention effects. Otherwise, the random-effect model will be used to provide more conservative results. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethical issues are foreseen because no primary data will be collected. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018093741.

Acupuncture for diminished ovarian reserve: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The choice of treatments for diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) still remains a challenging clinical problem in reproductive medicine. Acupuncture could be beneficial for patients with DOR. This study aims to systematically investigate the efficacy and safety of the acupuncture for women with DOR. METHODS: We will search electronic databases including PubMed (1946 to present), EMBASE (1974 to present), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, all years), Web of Science (1900 to present), Chinese Biomedical Literatures Database (CBM, 1978 to present), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, 1979 to present), WANFANG Data (from 2000 to present) to identify potentially eligible studies. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be included. Experimental interventions include traditional or contemporary acupuncture. Control interventions include no treatment, sham acupuncture, placebo acupuncture, or another active therapy. The primary outcomes include ongoing pregnancy rate and serum anti-Müllerian hormone level. A meta-analysis will be used to estimate a pooled intervention effect if possible. RESULTS: The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: The findings will provide further evidence for the management of DOR. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018114385.

Efficacy and safety of ginkgo preparations for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed and treated childhood psychiatric disorders. The analogous diagnosis adopted in Europe is hyperkinetic disorder, which is defined in the WHO's International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10). Hyperkinetic disorder includes more severe conditions. Ginkgo preparations are used in the treatment of ADHD. The present study will assess the efficacy and safety of ginkgo preparations in the treatment of ADHD in the currently published literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All prospective randomised controlled trials (RCTs) will be included in this systematic review. Patients diagnosed with ADHD according to American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition (DSM-IV), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), ICD-10 or Chinese Classification and Diagnosis of Mental Diseases third edition (CMDD) will be included. A comprehensive search for RCTs to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerance of ginkgo preparations will be performed. The primary outcomes are the ADHD Rating Scale-IV and Revised Conners' Parent Rating Scale. The secondary outcomes are quality of life evaluated by the KINDL scale, adverse effects/events, Conners' Teacher Rating Scale, Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behaviour Scale and Fremdbeurteilungsbogen für Hyperkinetische Störungen. Exclusion criteria are the following: (1) case reports, not randomised trial, non-comparative studies and (2) patients who were not diagnosed based on DSM-IV, DSM-5, ICD-10 or CMDD. The following databases will be searched from their inception until January 2018: Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine Disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database and Chinese Scientific Journals Database. Two authors will independently perform the study selection, extract the data and assess the study quality and risk of bias. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review does not require ethics approval. It will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017077190.

Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics for chronic kidney disease: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing interest in probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic supplements for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, a systematic review and evaluation is lacking. The purpose of the present study is to assess the efficacy and safety of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics for non-dialysis or non-renal transplant patients with CKD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: An extensive literature search will be undertaken to identify potentially eligible studies from electronic databases including PubMed (1946 to present), EMBASE (1974 to present), Web of Science (1900 to present) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, all years). No language restriction will be applied to the search. Both parallel and crossover randomised controlled trials will be included. The risk of bias of each included study will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The primary outcome measures are uraemic toxins. Secondary outcomes include kidney function, adverse cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, cause-specific death, progression to end-stage kidney disease, quality of life, gastrointestinal function and adverse events. Data will be synthesised using appropriate statistical methods. The quality of evidence for each outcome will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethical approval is required as no primary data will be collected. We will publish findings from this systematic review in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and the data set will be made freely available. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017079177.

Acupuncture for constipation in patients with stroke: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Constipation is one of the most common complications in patients with stroke. Acupuncture has gained increased popularity for the management of constipation. However, there is a lack of supportive evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture for poststroke constipation. This systematic review aims to collect and critically appraise all the available evidence about the efficacy and safety of the acupuncture for constipation in poststroke patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A comprehensive search of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, four Chinese databases (National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literatures database (CBM), Wanfang Digital Periodicals (WANFANG) and Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals (VIP) database), one Japanese medical database (National Institute of Informatics, CiNii) and one Korean medical database (Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, OASIS) will be conducted to identify randomised controlled trials of acupuncture for constipation in poststroke patients. There is no restriction on language or publication status. The primary outcome measure will be frequency of bowel movement. The risk of bias will be assessed using the approach recommended by Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We will conduct the meta-analysis to synthesise the evidence for each outcome, if possible. The heterogeneity will be statistically assessed using a χ2 test and I2 statistic. This protocol is developed following the guideline of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Protocols 2015. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The ethical approval is not required because no primary data are collected. The findings will be presented at scientific conferences or a peer-reviewed scientific journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017076880.

A critical appraisal of the methodology and quality of evidence of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of traditional Chinese medical nursing interventions: a systematic review of reviews.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the methodology and quality of evidence of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of traditional Chinese medical nursing (TCMN) interventions in Chinese journals. These interventions include acupressure, massage, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, electroacupuncture and use of Chinese herbal medicines-for example, in enemas, foot massage and compressing the umbilicus. DESIGN: A systematic literature search for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of TCMN interventions was performed. Review characteristics were extracted. The methodological quality and the quality of the evidence were evaluated using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approaches. RESULT: We included 20 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and a total of 11 TCMN interventions were assessed in the 20 reviews. The compliance with AMSTAR checklist items ranged from 4.5 to 8 and systematic reviews/meta-analyses were, on average, of medium methodological quality. The quality of the evidence we assessed ranged from very low to moderate; no high-quality evidence was found. The top two causes for downrating confidence in effect estimates among the 31 bodies of evidence assessed were the risk of bias and inconsistency. CONCLUSIONS: There is room for improvement in the methodological quality of systematic reviews/meta-analyses of TCMN interventions published in Chinese journals. Greater efforts should be devoted to ensuring a more comprehensive search strategy, clearer specification of the interventions of interest in the eligibility criteria and identification of meaningful outcomes for clinicians and patients (consumers). The overall quality of evidence among reviews remains suboptimal, which raise concerns about their roles in influencing clinical practice. Thus, the conclusions in reviews we assessed must be treated with caution and their roles in influencing clinical practice should be limited. A critical appraisal of systematic reviews/meta-analyses of TCMN interventions is particularly important to provide sound guidance for TCMN.

Reporting of core items in hierarchical Bayesian analysis for aggregating N-of-1 trials to estimate population treatment effects is suboptimal.

OBJECTIVES: N-of-1 trials can be aggregated to estimate population treatment effects using hierarchical Bayesian models. It is very important to report core items in hierarchical Bayesian analysis. In this study, we assessed reporting of items in hierarchical Bayesian analysis for aggregating N-of-1 trials to estimate population treatment effects. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a systematic literature review of aggregating N-of-1 trials by hierarchical Bayesian models to estimate population treatment effects. A comprehensive search was performed to collect eligible articles. Pilot studies, formal N-of-1 trials and reports in which the data were reanalyzed using hierarchical Bayesian methods, were included. The information of reported items related with hierarchical Bayesian analysis was extracted by two independent reviewers. The guideline "ROBUST," developed for reporting Bayesian analysis of clinical studies, was published in Journal of Clinical Epidemiology in 2005. We assessed the included reports using ROBUST criteria and 18 other important items. RESULTS: After careful screening, 11 studies were identified to be eligible for inclusion. There were three pilot studies, four formal trials, and four reports in which the data were reanalyzed using hierarchical Bayesian methods. The number of reported items in ROBUST criteria ranged from six to seven, with a median number of six. Five of eleven included articles reported all items of the ROBUST criteria. But for justification and sensitivity analysis in prior distribution items, other items were reported in all of the included articles. Software and analysis data set items were reported the most frequently in additional items excluded from the ROBUST criteria. Less than half of the studies reported the other additional items. CONCLUSION: Reporting of core items in hierarchical Bayesian analysis for aggregating N-of-1 trials to estimate population treatment effects is suboptimal. A PRISMA-like guidance on reviews of Bayesian N-of-1 trials may be required in the future.

[Statistical analysis of acupuncture-moxibustion literature based on SCIE and GoPubMed].

By bibliometric method, acupuncture-moxibustion literature from 2003 to 2013 included by SCIE and GoPubMed was analyzed. The number of annually published literature, distribution of country, agency and area, author, journal, subject category, high-frequency words and H index were analyzed to explore the current situation and development trend of acupuncture and moxibustion.