Diagnostic performance of circulating MicroRNAs in acute ischemic stroke: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction:Increasing evidences showed differential expression of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), indicating that miRNAs might serve as promising biomakers in the diagnosis of AIS. However, their accuracy has not been systematically evaluated, so it is necessary to conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic value of miRNAs in AIS patients.Methods:PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Medline, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) will be searched for the relevant studies that explored the potential diagnostic values of miRNAs in AIS patients from inception to August 2020. Data will be extracted by two researchers independently; risk of bias of the meta-analysis will be evaluated by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2). Data will be synthesised and heterogeneity will be evaluated. All of the above statistical analysis will be performed using Stata V.15.0 and Meta-disc V.1.4.Results:This study will assess the pooled diagnostic performance of circulating miRNAs in AIS.Conclusion:This study will clarify confusions about the specificity and sensitivity of circulating miRNAs in diagnosing AIS, which could further guide the promotion and application of them.Open Science Framework (OSF) registration number: 2020, August 19. https://osf.io/6tjf3.