Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocol

Introduction Varicocele (VC) is a common clinical disease in andrology. Among a number of ways for VC treatment, surgery is the most common one, but the measurable benefit of surgical repair was slight. A growing exploration of complementary therapies has been conducted in clinical research on acupu...

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Main Authors: Jing Ding, Miaomiao Sun, Sijia Wang, Qiang Lv, Rongchen Lu, Hongshuo Shi, Jiangnan Chen, Chenyao Wang, Jianjun Ren, Guangming Zhou, Zhian Tang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2022-12-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/12/e063381.full
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author Jing Ding
Miaomiao Sun
Sijia Wang
Qiang Lv
Rongchen Lu
Hongshuo Shi
Jiangnan Chen
Chenyao Wang
Jianjun Ren
Guangming Zhou
Zhian Tang
author_facet Jing Ding
Miaomiao Sun
Sijia Wang
Qiang Lv
Rongchen Lu
Hongshuo Shi
Jiangnan Chen
Chenyao Wang
Jianjun Ren
Guangming Zhou
Zhian Tang
author_sort Jing Ding
collection DOAJ
description Introduction Varicocele (VC) is a common clinical disease in andrology. Among a number of ways for VC treatment, surgery is the most common one, but the measurable benefit of surgical repair was slight. A growing exploration of complementary therapies has been conducted in clinical research on acupuncture for VC, but there is no relevant systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for VC.Methods and analysis All relevant publications published from database inception through August 2022 will be searched in three English-language databases (Embase, CENTRAL, MEDLINE) and four Chinese-language databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and Wanfang Data). Randomised controlled trials in English and Chinese concerned with acupuncture for patients with VC will be included. The input clinical data will be processed by the Review Manager software (RevMan). The literature will be appraised with the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system (GRADE system) will be used to evaluate the quality of evidence.Ethics and dissemination This study is a secondary study based on clinical studies so it does not relate to any individual patient information or infringe the rights of participants. Hence no ethical approval is required. The results will be reported in peer-reviewed journals or disseminated at relevant conferences.PROSPERO registration number CRD42022316005.
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spelling doaj-art-01db1bc8ce9142389536ed61b445b2a12025-08-20T02:27:11ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552022-12-01121210.1136/bmjopen-2022-063381Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocolJing Ding0Miaomiao Sun1Sijia Wang2Qiang Lv3Rongchen Lu4Hongshuo Shi5Jiangnan Chen6Chenyao Wang7Jianjun Ren8Guangming Zhou9Zhian Tang10Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yixing People`s Hospital, Yixing, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland1 Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi`an, Shaanxi, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, Anzhen Hospital, Beijing, ChinaCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yixing People`s Hospital, Yixing, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yixing People`s Hospital, Yixing, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Sichuan University West China Hospital, Chengdu, ChinaDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yixing People`s Hospital, Yixing, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yixing People`s Hospital, Yixing, Jiangsu, ChinaIntroduction Varicocele (VC) is a common clinical disease in andrology. Among a number of ways for VC treatment, surgery is the most common one, but the measurable benefit of surgical repair was slight. A growing exploration of complementary therapies has been conducted in clinical research on acupuncture for VC, but there is no relevant systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for VC.Methods and analysis All relevant publications published from database inception through August 2022 will be searched in three English-language databases (Embase, CENTRAL, MEDLINE) and four Chinese-language databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and Wanfang Data). Randomised controlled trials in English and Chinese concerned with acupuncture for patients with VC will be included. The input clinical data will be processed by the Review Manager software (RevMan). The literature will be appraised with the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system (GRADE system) will be used to evaluate the quality of evidence.Ethics and dissemination This study is a secondary study based on clinical studies so it does not relate to any individual patient information or infringe the rights of participants. Hence no ethical approval is required. The results will be reported in peer-reviewed journals or disseminated at relevant conferences.PROSPERO registration number CRD42022316005.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/12/e063381.full
spellingShingle Jing Ding
Miaomiao Sun
Sijia Wang
Qiang Lv
Rongchen Lu
Hongshuo Shi
Jiangnan Chen
Chenyao Wang
Jianjun Ren
Guangming Zhou
Zhian Tang
Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocol
BMJ Open
title Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocol
title_full Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocol
title_fullStr Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocol
title_full_unstemmed Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocol
title_short Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele-induced male infertility: a systematic review protocol
title_sort safety and efficacy of acupuncture for varicocele induced male infertility a systematic review protocol
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/12/e063381.full
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