Acupuncture therapy for the treatment of stable angina pectoris: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on di’ao xinxuekang capsule (XXK) in treating angina pectoris were published only in Chinese and have not been systematically reviewed particularly for comparing XXK with isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN). This study aims to provide a comprehensive PRISMA compliant and internationally accessible systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacies of XXK and ISDN in treating angina pectoris.Methods. The RCTs published between 1989 and 2011 on XXK and ISDN in treating angina pectoris were selected according to specific criteria. Meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the symptomatic (SYMPTOMS) and electrocardiographic (ECG) improvements after treatment. Odds ratios (OR) were used to measure effect sizes. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and metaregression were conducted to evaluate the robustness of the results.Results. Seven RCTs with 550 participants were eligible. Overall ORs for comparing XXK with ISDN were 4.11 (95% CI : 2.57, 6.55) in SYMPTOMS and 2.37 (95% CI : 1.46, 3.84) in ECG. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and metaregression found no significant dependence of overall ORs upon specific study characteristics.Conclusion. The meta-analysis of eligible but limited RCTs demonstrates that XXK seems to be more effective than ISDN in treating angina pectoris. Further RCTs of high quality are warranted to be conducted for update of the results of this meta-analysis.

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Efficacy of Acupuncture in Children with Nocturnal Enuresis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2015/320701 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Zheng-tao Lv ◽

Wen Song ◽

Jing Wu ◽

Jun Yang ◽

Tao Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acupuncture Therapy ◽

Randomized Controlled Trials ◽

Clinical Efficacy ◽

Nocturnal Enuresis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Placebo Treatment ◽

Pharmacological Therapy ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Comprehensive Literature Search

Background. Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is recognized as a widespread health problem in young children and adolescents. Clinical researches about acupuncture therapy for nocturnal enuresis are increasing, while systematic reviews assessing the efficacy of acupuncture therapy are still lacking.Objective. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy for nocturnal enuresis.Materials and Methods. A comprehensive literature search of 8 databases was performed up to June 2014; randomized controlled trials which compared acupuncture therapy and placebo treatment or pharmacological therapy were identified. A meta-analysis was conducted.Results. This review included 21 RCTs and a total of 1590 subjects. The overall methodological qualities were low. The results of meta-analysis showed that acupuncture therapy was more effective for clinical efficacy when compared with placebo or pharmacological treatment. Adverse events associated with acupuncture therapy were not documented.Conclusion. Based on the findings of this study, we cautiously suggest that acupuncture therapy could improve the clinical efficacy. However, the beneficial effect of acupuncture might be overstated due to low methodological qualities. Rigorous high quality RCTs are urgently needed.

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