scholarly journals Chinese Herbal Medicines Compared with N-Acetylcysteine for the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Jing Guo ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Wenbin Wu ◽  
Zhichao Wang ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Chinese Herbal

Background. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a major global health problem. The prevalence of the disease appears to be increasing. There is no curative therapy for IPF except lung transplantation. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are showing promise for treatment of IPF. However, their effectiveness and safety are still unclear and deserve further investigation. The aim of this systematic review is to access the efficacy and safety of CHMs in treating IPF. Methods. The protocol of this review is registered at PROSPERO. We searched seven main databases for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on CHMs for IPF from their inception to June 4, 2018. The methodological quality of RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. All trials included were analyzed according to the criteria of the Cochrane Handbook. Review Manager 5.3, R-3.5.2 software, and Grade pro GDT web solution were used for data synthesis and analysis. Results. Thirteen randomized clinical trials enrolling 733 patients were included. All trials included had clear outcome indicators. The methodological quality of included trials was generally “poor.” Few trials reported methods of randomization. One trial on Xuefu-zhuyu capsule assessed rate of acute exacerbation and mortality after treatment for 72 weeks and found no statistically significant difference between two groups. This meta-analysis demonstrated a significant improvement in QOL of IPF patients when CHMs was applied or combined with conventional medicine treatment. 6MWT was significantly improved in IPF patients after using CHMs or combined with conventional medicine treatment. CHMs treatment also had a certain improvement in TLC and DLCO, but the effect on FVC was not significant. Besides, CHMs failed to provide benefits in terms of PaO2. The reported adverse events were not obvious and severe. Conclusions. Some CHMs seem effective and safe as alternative remedies for patients with IPF, suggesting that further study of CHMs in the treatment of IPF is warranted. Although this systematic review suggests that CHMs may have positive effect on quality of life, 6-minute walk test distance, and lung function (TLC, DLOC%) and seem to be relatively safe during the course of treatment, the results must be treated with great caution because of the methodological flaws of the included trials. Long-term and high-quality trials are needed in the future to provide clear evidence for the use of CHMs.

scholarly journals Proprioceptive activities to postural balance of the elderly - systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Drummond ◽  
Clarissa Cardoso dos Santos Couto Paz ◽  
Ruth Losada de Menezes
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Postural Balance ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Functional Abilities ◽  
Strengthening Exercises

Abstract Introduction: Proprioceptive activities are commonly described for control of the postural balance of the elderly in order to avoid falls. But, there is no consensus on which ones can significantly improve balance or on intervention and assessment protocols. Objective: To investigate which proprioceptive activities are specific to static and dynamic postural balance of the elderly through a systematic review. Method: This is a systematic review based on PRISMA recommendation, by surveying PubMed, Medline, LILACS, Scielo and EBSCO databases. The period considered for the search was from 2006 to 2016, using the following descriptors - aged, proprioception, exercise therapy, and postural balance for articles in English, Portuguese or Spanish. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials were included using the PEDro scale to analyze the methodological quality of the studies. Results: Eight articles were included with different protocols, without standardization of evaluation and intervention, but, which demonstrated improvement of functional abilities. Different kinds of walk, muscular strengthening exercises, stretching, postural oscillations and Yoga patterns for the improvement of functional abilities. Conclusion: The association of static and dynamic activities can contribute to the improvement of functional abilities, but it cannot be affirmed that they are specific for postural control, given the lack of standardization of exercise protocols and evaluation tools.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of gait training in water for patients with Parkinson’s Disease: systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-557
Author(s):  
Priscila Silva Costa ◽  
Elaine Cristina Cartaxo Villas Bôas ◽  
Erika Pedreira da Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Gait Training ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Gait Velocity

INTRODUCTION: Hydrotherapy is increasingly used in the treatment of patients with neurodegenerative disease, being aimed at improving functionality and reduce falls. Allows safe walking, promotes relaxation and reduces fear of falling. There is a requirement to analyze the methodological quality of existing studies in this context. OBJECTIVE: To systematize the knowledge about the effectiveness of water walking training for people with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: This is a systematic review. We searched the Pubmed and Lilacs database from March 2017 to May 2018 without filters. We included randomized clinical trials that verified the effects of a water gait training protocol for patients with Parkinson's disease. We excluded studies that performed water training, but not specifically gait. A Cochrane Collaboration tool was utilized to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were found in the search, three of these were included. There was different from those between the articles regarding outcomes, in relation to the increase in walking speed. The methodological quality analysis showed randomization and blindness failure in the methodology of the studies. CONCLUSION: It was evidenced that gait training in water has a positive effect on gait velocity and the mobility of these individuals. For a positive clinical outcome in walking, exercises for mobility and balance should be associated. Further randomized clinical trials are necessary for follow the guidelines and have satisfactory methodological quality.

Herbal medicines for suppressing appetite: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 242-252
Author(s):  
Monirsadat Sahebkar- Khorasani ◽  
Lida Jarahi ◽  
Holger Cramer ◽  
Mohammad Safarian ◽  
Hamideh Naghedi-Baghdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Herbal Medicines

Dance for People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 919-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Ruiz-Muelle ◽  
María Mar López-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Dance Therapy ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Future Research

Background: In recent years, several reviews have addressed the effectiveness of dance therapy in dementia, healthy older adults, or the elderly in general. However, reviews regarding the effect of this therapy exclusively on patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease have not been found. Objective: The purpose of this study is to review the available literature describing clinical trials which explore the effects of dancing on psychological and physical outcomes, functionality, cognitive function, and quality of life in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, this review aims to assess the quality of studies that perform dance therapy interventions in these patients. Methods: This study is a systematic review of randomized and non-randomized clinical trials regarding the effect of intervention including a dancing activity in people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Results: In total, the evidence for this review rests on 12 studies with a total of 349 participants. The findings of this mini-review confirm the positive effect of dance therapy on physical and cognitive function, functionality, psychological outcomes, and quality of life in people with Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: Most of the studies implementing dance as part of the therapeutic treatment has shown to improve or slow the worsening in the quality of life of patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. Future research focused on these patients should use a more exhaustive methodology and make a more detailed description of these kind of interventions.

Mental health quality of life after bariatric surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e12290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Szmulewicz ◽  
Kerollos N. Wanis ◽  
Ashley Gripper ◽  
Federico Angriman ◽  
Jeff Hawel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Health Quality ◽  
Health Quality Of Life
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