Patients received catgut thread embedding at day 0, day 10 and day 20.

Patients received daily electroacupuncture for 20 minutes over 30 days.

Catgut Thread Embedding involved implanting chromic catgut size 4.0 thread, which is attached to a 23G guide needle, into subcutaneous tissue at EX-HN21 acupoint. The guide needle was removed after insertion, while the thread remained and dissolved over 10-15 days to provide continuous stimulation.

The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) is a comprehensive and standardized tool designed to evaluate specific language functions in individuals with aphasia. It provides detailed insights into various language domains, including:

Motor speech: Assesses articulation and fluency. Sensory language: Evaluates comprehension of spoken language. Reading skills: Measures the ability to read and understand written text. Naming skills: Tests the ability to name objects or concepts.

Each domain is scored on a scale from 0 to 4, where:

0: Indicates severe impairment (e.g., complete inability to speak or comprehend).

4: Reflects mild or no impairment (near-normal language function). In practice, the BDAE is administered through structured tasks such as picture naming, sentence repetition, auditory comprehension tests, and reading exercises.

The Goodglass and Kaplan's Aphasia Severity Rating Scale (ASRS) is a widely used tool that assesses the overall severity of aphasia. It employs a single scale ranging from 0 to 5 to summarize the general impact of aphasia on a patient's communication abilities:

0: Very severe aphasia (e.g., no meaningful speech or comprehension). 1-2: Severe aphasia (e.g., limited speech and poor comprehension). 3-4: Moderate to mild aphasia (e.g., functional communication with noticeable deficits).

5: Minimal or no aphasia (near-normal language function). The ASRS is typically scored based on clinical observation and interaction with the patient, focusing on their performance in everyday communication tasks like spontaneous speech, following commands, and answering questions.

Incidence of adverse events (e.g., bleeding, infection, needle shock) monitored clinically during and after the intervention period.

Baseline data were collected through patient interviews, medical records, and diagnostic tests. Demographic variables included age, categorized as ≤49, 50-69, or ≥70 years, gender, and education level, ranging from primary to post-secondary. Comorbid conditions were assessed as follows: hypertension was identified by blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg or use of antihypertensive drugs, cardiovascular disease was determined by patient history and ECG results, diabetes was diagnosed if HbA1c ≥6.5%, fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, 2-hour glucose ≥200 mg/dL, random glucose ≥200 mg/dL with symptoms, or if patients were on diabetes medication, and dyslipidemia was confirmed by LDL ≥160 mg/dL, HDL <40 mg/dL, triglycerides ≥200 mg/dL, or total cholesterol ≥240 mg/dL. Stroke-related details encompassed the type, either hemorrhagic or ischemic, time since stroke, classified as ≤1 month or >1 month, and recurrence, noted as first-time or recurrent.