• Ling-Feng Zeng, Wei-Xiong Liang, Jia-Ci Liu, Xiao-Yan Chen, Wen-Yi Du, Zi-Ping Li, Qi Wang, Ye Cao, Lu Wang, Chang-Rong Meng, Ke-Zhu Wang, and Ning-Sheng Wang.
• Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine) The 2nd Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Department of Clinical Research/National Clinical Trials Institute, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies Institute of Medicinal Plant Development of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Nov 1; 95 (44): e5208e5208.

BackgroundAdjunctive treatment with medication of liver-soothing-oriented method (MLSM) is one of the most commonly used approaches for subjects with depression after cerebrovascular accident (DCVA) in China. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the outcome of MLSM treatment in subjects with DCVA using relevant published literature.MethodsThe PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Chinese databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, Sinomed, and VIP were used to collect all publications until March 2016. Randomized controlled trials comparing treatments with and without MLSM for subjects with DCVA were included. The quality of each publication was assessed based on the recent Handbook (5.1 version) for Cochrane Reviewers. Cochrane Collaboration's software RevMan 5.3 software was applied for data analysis.ResultsThirty studies, including 2599 cases, were identified and collected. Adjunctive treatment with MLSM noticeably enhanced total effective rates (odds ratio 3.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.92-4.85, I = 0%, P = 0.96) in comparison to non-MLSM conventional pharmacotherapy. Compared to non-MLSM treatment, the changes of Hamilton Depression Scale in adjunctive treatment with MLSM, respectively, decreased and showed beneficial effects after 3 weeks (weighted mean difference [WMD] -4.83; 95% CI -6.82 to -2.83; I = 86%, P < 0.001), 4 weeks (WMD -4.20; 95% CI -5.06 to -3.33; I = 78%, P < 0.001), 6 weeks (WMD -3.36; 95% CI -4.05 to -2.68; I = 54%, P = 0.02), 8 weeks (WMD -4.83; 95% CI -5.62 to -4.04; I = 73%, P < 0.001), and 12 weeks (WMD -2.88; 95% CI -4.09 to -1.67; I = 58%, P = 0.09). As for changes in inflammatory cytokine levels, adjunctive treatment with MLSM was associated with a significant decrease in tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6, and interleukin-1β levels in comparison to non-MLSM treatment. Moreover, there were positive effects on score changes for National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, activities of daily living, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Modified Edinburgh Scandinavian Stroke Scale, and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. No serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionMLSM appears to improve symptoms of depressive disorders, enhance immediate responses, and the quality of life in subjects with DCVA. The positive action of MLSM might be potentially connected with its immunoregulating effects. More prospective trials with strict design and larger sample sizes are warranted to clarify its effectiveness and safety.

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