Academic Journal
Reproducibility of Published Meta-Analyses on Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
| Τίτλος: | Reproducibility of Published Meta-Analyses on Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Wang Y; Department of Infectious Disease, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China., Zou K; West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China., Liu D; West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China., Guo Q; Innovation Institute for Integration of Medicine and Engineering, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.; West China Medical Publishers, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China., Deng Y; Innovation Institute for Integration of Medicine and Engineering, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China., Long Y; Innovation Institute for Integration of Medicine and Engineering, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of evidence-based medicine [J Evid Based Med] 2026 Sep; Vol. 19 (3), pp. e70188. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 15. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101497477 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1756-5391 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17565391 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Evid Based Med Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Irritable Bowel Syndrome*/therapy , Acupuncture Therapy* , Meta-Analysis as Topic*, Humans ; Reproducibility of Results |
| Περίληψη: | Objective: Published meta-analytic results should be reproducible from information available to readers. We assessed the numerical reproducibility of pairwise meta-analytic estimates of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods: We searched six English- and Chinese-language databases. Eligible systematic reviews reported at least one direct pairwise meta-analysis with recoverable study-level inputs. Each eligible pooled estimate was recomputed. The primary outcome was result-level numerical reproducibility. A prespecified standardized reanalysis was a key secondary analysis. Proportions used review-clustered robust variance estimation. Results: Twenty-three systematic reviews contributed 176 pooled estimates. Of these, 144 (81.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 71.4%-92.2%) reproduced exactly, 21 (11.9%, 95% CI 4.2%-19.7%) approximately, and 11 (6.3%, 95% CI 1.4%-11.1%) showed substantive numerical discrepancies. All 11 exceeded the 5% threshold for CI width, whereas 10 retained point estimates within 5% of the published value. No original-method recomputation changed whether the 95% CI excluded the null value. I2 reproduced within one percentage point for 162 estimates (92.0%). The text and forest plot disagreed on the analytic model for 12 of 168 evaluable estimates (7.1%). Under the standardized framework, 26 of 174 estimable results (14.9%; 95% CI 7.5%-22.3%) changed from statistically significant to nonsignificant. Conclusions: Published pooled estimates were generally reproducible when study-level inputs were recoverable, although uncertainty estimates were more sensitive than point estimates. Complete, internally consistent reporting and availability of data and code would facilitate independent verification. (© 2026 Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.) |
| References: | World Health Organization, WHO Handbook for Guideline Development, 2nd ed. (World Health Organization, 2014). I. Elmakaty, J. Abdulmajeed, T. Chivese, M. N. Khan, J. C. Stone, and S. A. R. Doi, “Six Entrenched Misconceptions About Meta‐Analysis Models,” Journal of Evidence‐Based Medicine 19, no. 1 (2026): e70120. E. Maassen, M. van Assen, M. B. Nuijten, A. Olsson‐Collentine, and J. M. Wicherts, “Reproducibility of Individual Effect Sizes in Meta‐Analyses in Psychology,” Plos One 15, no. 5 (2020): e0233107. R. López‐Nicolás, D. Lakens, and J. A. López‐López, “Reproducibility of Published Meta‐Analyses on Clinical‐Psychological Interventions,” Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science 7, no. 1 (2024): 25152459231202929. P. Pollo, M. Lagisz, R. C. Macedo‐Rego, A. Mizuno, Y. Yang, and S. Nakagawa, “Reliability of Meta‐Analyses in Ecology and Evolution: (Mostly) Good News From a Case Study on Sexual Signals,” Proceedings of the Royal Society B 292, no. 2047 (2025): 20242782. P. C. Gøtzsche, A. Hróbjartsson, K. Marić, and B. Tendal, “Data Extraction Errors in Meta‐Analyses That Use Standardized Mean Differences,” Jama 298, no. 4 (2007): 430–437. R. Kanukula, M. J. Page, S. L. Turner, and J. E. McKenzie, “Identification of Application and Interpretation Errors That Can Occur in Pairwise Meta‐Analyses in Systematic Reviews of Interventions: A Systematic Review,” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 170 (2024): 111331. A. D. Sperber, S. I. Bangdiwala, and D. A. Drossman, “Worldwide Prevalence and Burden of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Results of Rome Foundation Global Study,” Gastroenterology 160, no. 1 (2021): 99–114.e3. B. E. Lacy, M. Pimentel, and D. M. Brenner, “ACG Clinical Guideline: Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” American Journal of Gastroenterology 116, no. 1 (2021): 17–44. E. Manheimer, K. Cheng, L. S. Wieland, et al., “Acupuncture for Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, no. 5 (2012): CD005111. I. X. Y. Wu, C. H. L. Wong, and R. S. T. Ho, “Acupuncture and Related Therapies for Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Overview of Systematic Reviews and Network Meta‐Analysis,” Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology 12 (2019): 1756284818820438. W. Viechtbauer, “Conducting Meta‐Analyses in R With the Metafor Package,” Journal of Statistical Software 36, no. 3 (2010): 1–48. J. J. Deeks, J. P. T. Higgins, D. G. Altman, J. E. McKenzie, and A. A. Veroniki, “Analysing Data and Undertaking Meta‐Analyses,” in Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, ed. J. P. T. Higgins, J. Thomas, and J. Chandler (Cochrane, 2024). J. P. T. Higgins, S. G. Thompson, J. J. Deeks, and D. G. Altman, “Measuring Inconsistency in Meta‐Analyses,” Bmj 327, no. 7414 (2003): 557–560. A. A. Veroniki, D. Jackson, and W. Viechtbauer, “Methods to Estimate the Between‐Study Variance and Its Uncertainty in Meta‐Analysis,” Research Synthesis Methods 7, no. 1 (2016): 55–79. D. Langan, J. P. T. Higgins, and D. Jackson, “A Comparison of Heterogeneity Variance Estimators in Simulated Random‐Effects Meta‐Analyses,” Research Synthesis Methods 10, no. 1 (2019): 83–98. C. Röver, G. Knapp, and T. Friede, “Hartung‐Knapp‐Sidik‐Jonkman Approach and Its Modification for Random‐Effects Meta‐Analysis With Few Studies,” BMC Medical Research Methodology 15 (2015): 99. A. Gonnermann, T. Framke, A. Großhennig, and A. Koch, “No Solution Yet for Combining Two Independent Studies in the Presence of Heterogeneity,” Statistics in Medicine 34, no. 16 (2015): 2476–2480. M. J. Sweeting, A. J. Sutton, and P. C. Lambert, “What to Add to Nothing? Use and Avoidance of Continuity Corrections in Meta‐Analysis of Sparse Data,” Statistics in Medicine 23, no. 9 (2004): 1351–1375. L. V. Hedges, E. Tipton, and J. MC, “Robust Variance Estimation in Meta‐Regression With Dependent Effect Size Estimates,” Research Synthesis Methods 1, no. 1 (2010): 39–65. J. E. Pustejovsky and E. Tipton, “Small‐Sample Methods for Cluster‐Robust Variance Estimation and Hypothesis Testing in Fixed Effects Models,” Journal of Business and Economic Statistics 36, no. 4 (2018): 672–683. R. M. Bell and D. F. McCaffrey, “Bias Reduction in Standard Errors for Linear Regression With Multi‐Stage Samples,” Survey Methodology 28, no. 2 (2002): 169–181. A. C. Cameron and D. L. Miller, “A Practitioner's Guide to Cluster‐Robust Inference,” Journal of Human Resources 50, no. 2 (2015): 317–372. C. Zhao, J. P. Mu, Y. H. Cui, L. Yang, X. P. Ma, and L. Qi, “Meta‐Analysis of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” Chinese Archives of Traditional Chinese Medicine 28, no. 5 (2010): 961–963. L. X. Pei, X. C. Zhang, J. H. Sun, H. Geng, and X. L. Wu, “Meta‐Analysis of Acupuncture‐Moxibustion in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 32, no. 10 (2012): 957–960. J. W. Park, B. H. Lee, and H. Lee, “Moxibustion in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis,” Bmc Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13 (2013): 247. G. Q. Chao and S. Zhang, “Effectiveness of Acupuncture to Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta‐Analysis,” World Journal of Gastroenterology 20, no. 7 (2014): 1871–1877. J. Y. Liu and Y. H. Chen, “Effects of Acupuncture Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis,” Traditional Medicine Research 1, no. 4 (2016): 183–194. R. G. Li, “Meta‐Analysis of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Irritable Bowel Syndrome” (Master's thesis, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2016). D. Deng, K. Guo, J. Tan, et al., “Acupuncture for Diarrhea‐Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta‐Analysis,” Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 37, no. 8 (2017): 907–912. Y. T. Liu, X. D. Lyu, Y. M. Liu, et al., “Meta‐Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy of Eye Acupuncture Therapy for Chronic Complicated Diseases,” Guiding Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy 23, no. 18 (2017): 93–97. C. W. Fu and W. Jiang, “Meta‐Analysis of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Versus Pinaverium Bromide for Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” Asia‐Pacific Traditional Medicine 14, no. 12 (2018): 101–105. H. Zheng, R. Chen, X. Zhao, et al., “Comparison Between the Effects of Acupuncture Relative to Other Controls on Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta‐Analysis,” Pain Research & Management 2019 (2019): 2871505. J. Guo, X. Xing, J. Wu, et al., “Acupuncture for Adults With Diarrhea‐Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Functional Diarrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis,” Neural Plasticity 2020 (2020): 8892184. Q. Chen, Y. Zhou, Y. J. Dong, and M. Zhang, “A Meta‐Analysis of Acupuncture for Regulating the Spirit in Diarrhea‐Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” World Chinese Medicine 15, no. 14 (2020): 2085–2090, 2096. H. Q. Huang, “Meta‐Analysis of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Diarrhea‐Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome” (Master's thesis, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 2022). Y. Yang, K. Rao, K. Zhan, et al., “Clinical Evidence of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials,” Frontiers in Public Health 10 (2022): 1022145. H. Y. Li, Y. Chen, Z. Y. Hu, et al., “Meta‐Analysis of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Anxiety and Depression in Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” Acupuncture Research 47, no. 9 (2022): 821–829. L. Y. Qi, “Clinical Efficacy Evaluation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Development of a Clinical Practice Guideline” (Doctoral diss., Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 2023). B. Li, Y. Miao, X. Shan, and T. Zhang, “A Meta‐Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy of Warm Needling Moxibustion for Diarrhea‐Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” Clinical Journal of Chinese Medicine 16, no. 11 (2024): 124–131. Y. Yang, “Study on the Recommended Regimen of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Irritable Bowel Syndrome” (Master's thesis, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024). W. F. Zhao, “Evaluation of the Quality of Clinical Evidence for Acupuncture Based on GRADE and Development of a Core Outcome Set: Irritable Bowel Syndrome” (Master's thesis, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 2024). X. Fang, X. Wang, W. Zheng, Y. Yin, and X. Ge, “Effect of Acupuncture on Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta‐analysis,” International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 32, no. 6 (2025): 834–854. J. Zhou, N. Lamichhane, Z. Xu, et al., “The Effect of Acupuncture on Quality of Life in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis,” Plos One 20, no. 2 (2025): e0314678. H. Z. Zheng, H. L. Zou, B. H. Chen, Y. J. Li, W. Z. Wu, and X. B. Huang, “Acupuncture vs Sham Non‐Acupoint Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis,” Gastroenterology S0016‐5085 (2026): 07037–X, https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2026.06.017. L. Furuya‐Kanamori, X. Rousou, P. Kostoulas, and S. A. R. Doi, “Examining and Interpreting Doi Plot Asymmetry in Meta‐Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials,” Journal of Evidence‐Based Medicine 18, no. 3 (2025): e70063. P. Y. Nguyen, J. E. McKenzie, Z. Alqaidoom, D. G. Hamilton, D. Moher, and M. J. Page, “Reproducibility of Meta‐Analytic Results in Systematic Reviews of Interventions: Meta‐Research Study,” Bmj Medicine 4, no. 1 (2025): e002024. I. Stegeman and M. M. G. Leeflang, “Meta‐Analyses of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Could Not be Reproduced,” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 127 (2020): 161–166. D. G. Hamilton, J. E. McKenzie, and P. Y. Nguyen, “Evaluation of the Replicability of Systematic Reviews With Meta‐Analyses of the Effects of Health Interventions,” Research Synthesis Methods 17, no. 3 (2026): 538–556. Z. Wang, M. A. Alzuabi, and R. L. Morgan, “Different Meta‐Analysis Methods Can Change Judgements About Imprecision of Effect Estimates: A Meta‐Epidemiological Study,” Bmj Evidence‐Based Medicine 28, no. 2 (2023): 126–132. Z. Tatas, E. Kyriakou, O. Koutsiouroumpa, J. Seehra, D. Mavridis, and N. Pandis, “Most Meta‐Analyses in Oral Health Do Not Have Conclusive and Robust Results,” Journal of Dentistry 149 (2024): 105309. Z. Tatas, O. Koutsiouroumpa, J. Seehra, D. Mavridis, and N. Pandis, “Do Pooled Estimates From Orthodontic Meta‐Analyses Change Depending on the Meta‐Analysis Approach? A Meta‐Epidemiological Study,” European Journal of Orthodontics 45, no. 6 (2023): 722–730. Y. Tsujimoto, Y. Tsutsumi, Y. Kataoka, A. Shiroshita, O. Efthimiou, and T. A. Furukawa, “The Impact of Continuity Correction Methods in Cochrane Reviews With Single‐Zero Trials With Rare Events: A Meta‐Epidemiological Study,” Research Synthesis Methods 15, no. 5 (2024): 769–779. P. T. von Hippel, “The Heterogeneity Statistic I2 Can be Biased in Small Meta‐Analyses,” Bmc Medical Research Methodology 15 (2015): 35. K. Thorlund, G. Imberger, and B. C. Johnston, “Evolution of Heterogeneity (I2) Estimates and Their 95% Confidence Intervals in Large Meta‐Analyses,” Plos One 7, no. 7 (2012): e39471. M. J. Page, J. E. McKenzie, and P. M. Bossuyt, “The PRISMA 2020 Statement: An Updated Guideline for Reporting Systematic Reviews,” Bmj 372 (2021): n71. M. J. Page, P. Y. Nguyen, and D. G. Hamilton, “Data and Code Availability Statements in Systematic Reviews of Interventions Were Often Missing or Inaccurate: A Content Analysis,” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 147 (2022): 1–10. Y. Liu, R. Zhang, and J. Huang, “Reporting Quality of Systematic Reviews/Meta‐Analyses of Acupuncture,” Plos One 9, no. 11 (2014): e113172. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: acupuncture; irritable bowel syndrome; meta‐analysis; reproducibility; systematic review |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260915 Date Completed: 20260925 Latest Revision: 20260929 |
| Update Code: | 20260930 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jebm.70188 |
| PMID: | 42741813 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1756-5391 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1111/jebm.70188 |