Jin 1999.

Methods	RCT, method of randomization not stated Blinding: none ITT analysis: not stated Losses to FU: none
Participants	Country: China 120 participants (74 men, aged 50 to 85 years) with acute ischemic stroke Treatment: 60, control: 60 < 1 month from stroke onset 100% CT scan before entry Health conditions before stroke: not stated Comparability: sex, age, past history, comorbidity, and stroke severity similar
Interventions	Treatment group: more than 14 acupoints (DU20, DU23, and DU26 selected routinely), manual twirling or electrical stimulation, 60 minutes/session, 5 times a week for 40 days Control group: no acupuncture Both groups: routine drug therapy
Outcomes	Number of participants with improvement (MESSS score decrease > 8) at 40 days
Notes	FU: 40 days
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Other bias	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement