title: Effectiveness and safety of ShenXiong glucose injection for acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and GRADE approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To appraise critically whether published trials of ShenXiong glucose injection for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are of sufficient quality, and in addition to rate the quality of evidence by using the GRADE approach (grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation, GRADE).
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was performed in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CBM, Chinese TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) Database, CNKI, VIP, WanFang Databases until January 2015. The limits were patients with AIS and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs. Studies by which patients suffering intracerebral haemorrhage were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We found significant benefits of ShenXiong glucose injection compared with conventional treatment in improving activities of daily living function at 4 weeks (MD = 34.12, 95 % CI: 29.07, 39.17), neurological function deficit at 2 weeks (MD = -5.39, 95% CI: -6.90, -3.87), 4 weeks (MD = -5.16, 95 % CI: -6.49, -3.83), and clinical effects at 4 weeks (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.24). No trials reported the effects of ShenXiong glucose injection on the risk of early, deterioration, or quality of life. No adverse events were reported within the whole follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of ShenXiong glucose injection may improve rehabilitation for patients with acute ischemic stroke, however, as the GRADE approach indicated low to moderate quality of available evidence as well as insufficient information about harm and patients preference, the recommendations were not provided for ShenXiong glucose injection taking as a therapeutic intervention to patients with acute ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xue-Ting
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Peng-Wei
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Le
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China. deyingkang@126.com.
authors.forename: De-Ying
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Tian-le
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wen-Jie
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C000610656:shenxiong glucose