Objectives. Electroacupuncture (EA), an extension of acupuncture, which is based on traditional acupuncture combined with modern electrotherapy, is commonly used for poststroke dysphagia (PSD) in clinical treatment and research. However, there is still a lack of sufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of EA for PSD. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of EA in the treatment of PSD. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of EA on PSD were identified through a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Database, and VIP databases from their inception to July 2020. The quality assessment of the included trials was performed based on the guidance of the Cochrane Reviewers’ Handbook, and meta-analysis (MA) was performed by using the RevMan 5.3 software. Results. Sixteen trials were identified, and these included 1,216 patients with PSD. The results demonstrated that EA in combination with swallowing rehabilitation training (SRT) was significantly superior to SRT alone with regard to effective rate (OR 5.40, 95% CI [3.78, 7.72], P<0.00001, water swallow test (WST) (MD −0.78, 95% CI [−1.07, −0.50], P<0.00001), the video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) (MD 1.47, 95% CI [1.11, 1.84], P<0.00001), the Ichiro Fujishima Rating Scale (IFRS) (MD 1.94, 95% CI [1.67, 2.22], P<0.00001), and the incidence of aspiration pneumonia (IAP) (OR 0.20, 95% CI [0.06, 0.61], P=0.005). Conclusions. The results showed that EA was better than the control treatment in terms of the effective rate, WST, VFSS, IFRS, and IAP of dysphagia after stroke. Strict evaluation standards and high-quality RCT designs are necessary for further exploration.

Objectives. Because current evidence regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture for a tension-type headache (TTH) is controversial, we evaluated the reliability of the methodological quality and outcome measures of systematic reviews/metaanalyses (SRs/MAs) on acupuncture for TTH. Methods. We conducted a comprehensive literature search for SRs/MAs in major databases from the database's inception to September 2019. e Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) assessments were used to assess the methodological quality of the included reviews and the quality of evidence, respectively. Results. Eight reviews were included in the analysis. e AMSTAR-2 assessment results showed that the methodological quality of all included reviews was critically low. irty-six outcome measures were included in these reviews. e GRADE results showed that 25 (25/36, 69.4%) outcomes provided low-or very low-quality evidence, four (4/36, 11.1%) provided moderate-quality evidence, and seven (7/36, 19.4%) provided high-quality evidence. Descriptive analysis results showed that acupuncture treatment for TTH reduced headache frequency and severity. Conclusions. Acupuncture appears to be an effective treatment modality for TTH, but the credibility of the results is limited owing to the generally low methodological quality and evidence quality in the included SRs/MAs.

AIM:To assess the efficacy of combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS:Thirty-five patients with a total of 41 HCC nodules (≤ 3 cm in diameter) were treated with TACE followed by computed tomograghy (CT)-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) within 1-3 wk. RESULTS:By biopsies and enhanced CT scans, complete necrosis of the tumor and 3-5 mm of the surrounding non-cancerous area were observed in 34 foci. In seven foci, incomplete necrosis of the surrounding parenchyma was observed. Serum alphafetoprotein (AFP) levels returned to normal 10 d after treatment in 25 patients who originally had high serum AFP levels. The follow-up period was 6-31 mo, and all patients remained alive. One patient had a recurrence in the subsegments of the liver, and another patient had a recurrence near the original lesion. CONCLUSION:Combined therapy with TACE and PMCT is a safe and effective treatment without severe complications for small HCC.

Portal vein branch embolization using absolute ethanol and coil-gelfoam could induce atrophy of the embolized lobes and compensatory hypertrophy of the remnant liver. Gelfoam is an inefficient agent.

Background: Tai chi (TC) is a popular form of exercise among adults with chronic heart failure (CHF), yet services are greatly underutilized. The aim of the current study was to identify and summarize the existing evidence and to systematically determine the clinical effectiveness of Tai Chi in the management of CHF using a systematic overview.Methods: Both English and Chinese databases were searched for systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) on TC for CHF from their inception to June 2020. The methodological quality, reporting quality, and risk of bias of SRs/MAs were assessed using Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist, and Risk of Bias in Systematic reviews (ROBIS), respectively. The evidence quality of outcome measures was assessed by the Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).Results: Six SRs/MAs using a quantitative synthesis to assess various outcomes of TC in CHF were included in this overview. The methodological quality, reporting quality and risk of bias of the SRs/MAs and the evidence quality of the outcome measures are generally unsatisfactory. The limitations of the past SRs/MAs included the lack of either the protocol or registration, the list of excluded studies, and the computational details of meta-analysis were inadequately reported. The critical problems were that qualitative data synthesis relied on trials with small sample sizes and critical low quality.Conclusions: TC may be a promising complementary treatment for CHF. However, further rigorous and comprehensive SRs/MAs and RCTs are required to provide robust evidence for definitive conclusions.