Smell disorders in COVID-19 patients: role of olfactory training: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread around the world, a surge of evidence suggests that smell disorders are common symptoms in COVID-19 infection. This dysfunction may cause loss of appetite, malnutrition, poisoning, and depression. Obviously, the impairment has a strong impact on the quality of life. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify effective treatments. Various therapies have been studied to treat smell disorders after infection, and olfactory training (OT) is considered a promising treatment option. Assessing the effectiveness and safety of olfactory training for COVID-19 patients with smell disorders is the main purpose of this systematic review protocol. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Database, ClinicalTrials.gov trials registry, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry will be searched from January 2019 to January 2021. A combination of subject words and free text words will be applied in the searches. The language is limited to Chinese and English. The complete process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and meta-analyses. Endnote X9.3 will be used to manage data screening. The statistical analysis will be completed by Review Manager V.5.3 (Cochrane Collaboration) or Stata V.16.0 software. RESULTS: This proposed study will assess the effectiveness and safety of OT for COVID-19 patients with smell disorders. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will provide evidence to prove the effectiveness and safety of olfactory training for COVID-19 patients with smell disorders. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol will not evaluate individual patient information or infringe patient rights and therefore does not require ethical approval. REGISTRATION: PEROSPERO CRD42020218009.

Tai Chi for the elderly patients with COVID-19 in recovery period: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has caused a great impact in many countries. Older people are more susceptible to the virus than other people. As a good health exercise suitable for the elderly, Tai Chi has a positive impact on heart function, blood pressure, lung function, immunity, etc. It can enhance cardiopulmonary function, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, and improve the body's self-regulation function. For the elder patients with COVID-19, Tai Chi has outstanding merits. METHODS: We will search PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, Clinical Trials and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. The complete process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analyses. Endnote X9.3 will be used to manage data screening. The statistical analysis will be completed by Stata/SE 15.1 software. RESULTS: This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tai Chi for the improvement of psychological pressure, cardiopulmonary function, and immunity in elderly COVID-19 patients during the recovery period. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will provide evidence to prove the safety and effectiveness of Tai Chi on elderly COVID-19 patients during the recovery period. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol will not evaluate individual patient information or infringe patient rights and therefore does not require ethical approval. REGISTRATION: PEROSPERO CRD42020220128.

Acupuncture for COVID-19 patient after ventilator weaning: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has spread globally since its outbreak in late 2019. It mainly attacks people's respiratory system. Many patients with severe COVID-19 require a ventilator to support breathing, and their lung function is often impaired to varying degrees after ventilator weaning. Acupuncture has been reported to improve respiratory function, but there is no evidence that it can improve respiratory function in ventilator users with COVID-19 after they are removed from the machine. The protocol of the systematic review and meta-analysis will clarify safety and effectiveness of acupuncture on respiratory rehabilitation after weaning from the ventilator during the treatment of COVID-19. METHODS: We will search PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, Clinical Trials and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. Relevant English language and Chinese language literature will be included. A combination of subject words and free text words will be applied in the searches. The complete process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and meta-analyses. We will use subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis to explore the sources of heterogeneity if there is heterogeneity. We will use funnel charts to assess the risk of bias. Endnote X9.3 will be used to manage data screening. The statistical analysis will be completed by RevMan5.2 or Stata/SE 15.1 software. RESULTS: This study will assess safety and effectiveness of acupuncture for rehabilitation on respiratory function after weaning from the ventilator during the treatment of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusion of this study will give evidence to prove safety and effectiveness of acupuncture for rehabilitation on respiratory after weaning from the ventilator during the treatment of COVID-19. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020206889.

The effect of Tai Chi on the quality of life in the elderly patients recovering from coronavirus disease 2019: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading fast starting late 2019. As their cardiopulmonary and immune functions gradually decline, elderly people are prone to COVID-19. Tai Chi has a positive impact on heart function, blood pressure, lung function, blood circulation, and so on, and it's suitable for the elderly. Quality of life (QoL)can reflect of individuals' physical and mental health, it can also reflects their ability to participate in society. This systematic review and meta-analysis will summarize the current evidence that Tai Chi improve the QoL in the elderly patients recovering from COVID-19. METHODS: We will search PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, Clinical Trials and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. The complete process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analyses. Endnote X9.3 will be used to manage data screening. The statistical analysis will be completed by Stata/SE 15.1 software. RESULTS: This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tai Chi for the improvement of QoL in elderly COVID-19 patients during the recovery period. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will provide evidence to prove the safety and effectiveness of Tai Chi on elderly COVID-19 patients during the recovery period. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol will not evaluate individual patient information or infringe patient rights and therefore does not require ethical approval. REGISTRATION: PEROSPERO CRD42020206875.