title: Meta analysis of the curative effect of acupuncture on post-stroke depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To systematically evaluate the curative effect of acupuncture on post-stroke depression (PSD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The internet was used to retrieve the Wanfang Medical Data System, Chinese Periodical Net, the Weipu Information Resources System, PubMed and the Cochrane Library Database. Relevant articles, up to September 2010, were manually retrieved. These papers included studies that had performed random and semi-random control trials for the use of acupuncture to treat PSD. Fifteen random control tests involving 1096 patients were included in this study and individual cases, interventional measures and curative effects were extracted from this research. Grade methodological quality evaluation and meta-analysis were performed on these studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparison between the acupuncture group and the Western medicine group for the curative rate on PSD revealed an OR of 1.48, 95% CI = [1.11 1.97] and P = 0.008. Comparison of obviously effective rate shows that OR = 1.39, 95% CI = [1.08 1.80] and P = 0.01. Comparison of effective rate shows that OR = 0.83, 95% CI = [0.631.09] and P = 0.18.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Comparison between the acupuncture group and Western medicine group in treating PSD revealed that there is a statistical difference in curative rate and remarkably effective rate, but no difference in effective rate.
authors.affiliation: Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou TCM University, Guangdong 510120, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Cai
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Neng-Gui
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Zhao-Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Ye-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yuan-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents