scholarly journals Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine as Adjuvant Therapy for Refractory Androgenetic Alopecia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Qiang You ◽  
Lan Li ◽  
Xiao Ma ◽  
Tian Gao ◽  
Suqin Xiong ◽  
...  

Objective. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies have been widely used for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) for thousands of years. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the curative efficacy and safety of TCM for treating AGA. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TCM for the treatment of AGA through March 2019 were systematically identified in 4 English databases, namely, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science, and 4 Chinese databases, namely, Sino-Med, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and WanFang. Quality assessment and data analysis were performed by Review Manager 5.3.5, and Stata 15.1 was used to cope with publication bias. Results. 30 RCTs involving 2615 patients were randomly divided into a TCM group and a conventional medicine (CM) group. The results showed that the total efficacy rate (TER) of the TCM group was significantly higher than that of the control group (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 2.75–4.05, P<0.00001). The total symptom score (TSS) of the TCM group was markedly reduced when compared with the CM group (SMD = −0.86; 95% CI = −1.19, −0.53; P<0.00001). The microelement levels (Fe2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+) in hair were significantly improved when complemented with TCM therapy. In addition, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of adverse events (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.29–1.05, P=0.07). Conclusions. In view of the effectiveness and safety of TCM, the present meta-analysis suggests that TCM could be recommended as an effective and safe adjuvant therapy for the treatment of AGA by improving the TER, symptoms, serum testosterone levels, and microelement levels. However, long-term and higher-quality RCTs are needed to overcome the limitations of the selected studies and more precisely interrogate the efficacy and safety of TCM.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Xing ◽  
Ling Fu ◽  
Zhichao Yu ◽  
Xueping Zhou

Objective. Integrated therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine (WM) has gradually been applied to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recently published studies have provided a wealth of data and information about the effectiveness of combination treatments, but high-quality evidence-based meta-analysis on this issue is not available yet. This study was conducted to compare and evaluate the efficacy and safety of the integrated therapy for RA. Methods. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to January 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the efficacy and safety of integrative TCM-WM with WM alone for RA were included. The outcome measures contained therapeutic effects (TEs), tender joint count (TJC), swollen joint count (SJC), duration of morning stiffness (DMS), grip strength (GS), disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28), rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic peptide containing citrulline (anti-CCP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and adverse events (AEs) to assess the efficacy and safety of different treatments. Results. A total of 20 RCTs with 2269 patients met the inclusion criteria. TCM used in these studies included Chinese herbal decoctions and tablets or capsules made from herbs and their extracts, while WM included disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and glucocorticoids (GC). Compared with patients receiving WM treatment alone, patients with integrative TCM-WM treatment showed better TEs (OR = 3.03, 95% CI [2.36, 3.88]). The integrative treatment group showed reductions in TJC (MD = −1.17, 95% CI [−2.12, −0.21]), SJC (MD = −0.87, 95% CI [−1.85, 0.10]), DMS (SMD = −0.69, 95% CI [−0.98, −0.41]), DAS28 (MD = −0.43, 95% CI [−0.57, −0.29]), RF (SMD = −0.59, 95% CI [−0.91, −0.27]), anti-CCP (SMD = −0.21, 95% CI [−0.36, −0.06]), ESR (MD = −8.36, 95% CI [−12.60, −4.12]), and CRP (MD = −6.73, 95% CI [−9.38, −4.08]), and increment in GS (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI [−0.63, 0.87]). AEs, especially gastrointestinal disorders, abnormal liver function, leukopenia, skin allergies and rashes, headaches and dizziness, and alopecia, significantly decreased (OR = 0.37, 95% CI [0.29, 0.47]) in the integrative treatment group. Conclusions. The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that integrative TCM-WM could obtain effective and safe results in the treatment of RA. Using TCM as an adjunctive therapy in RA has great prospects for further development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-feng Shi ◽  
Tie-bing Song ◽  
Juan Xie ◽  
Yi-quan Yan ◽  
Yong-ping Du

Background. Atopic dermatitis (AD) has become a common skin disease that requires systematic and comprehensive treatment to achieve adequate clinical control. Traditional Chinese medicines and related treatments have shown clinical effects for AD in many studies. But the systematic reviews and meta-analyses for them are lacking. Objective. The systematic review and meta-analysis based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicines and related treatments for AD treatment. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched based on standardized searching rules in eight medical databases from the inception up to December 2016 and a total of 24 articles with 1,618 patients were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Results. The results revealed that traditional Chinese medicines and related treatments did not show statistical differences in clinical effectiveness, SCORAD amelioration, and SSRI amelioration for AD treatment compared with control group. However, EASI amelioration of traditional Chinese medicines and related treatments for AD was superior to control group. Conclusion. We need to make conclusion cautiously for the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine and related treatment on AD therapy. More standard, multicenter, double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of traditional Chinese medicine and related treatment for AD were required to be conducted for more clinical evidences providing in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Kun Ji ◽  
Jianling Ma ◽  
Liangmin Wang ◽  
Niuniu Li ◽  
Shangjuan Dong ◽  
...  

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on lung function and quality of life of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients by meta-analysis. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to TCM and IPF were searched on PubMed, EMBASE Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chin VIP Information (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) until December 2018. Standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI were calculated for the measurements related to lung function (FEV1/FVC, FVC%, FEV1%, TLC%, DLCO% or DLCO, and VC%) and other parameters (PO2, 6MWD, and SGRQ) when comparing TCM treatment to the control group. Relative risk (RR) and 95% CI of adverse events (AEs) were calculated to assess the safety of TCM. Results. A total of 40 RCTs comparing TCM to western medicine (WM) and involving 3194 IPF patients were eligible for the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that TCM treatment improved significantly PO2 (SMD = 0.80, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.06, p<0.001), FEV1% (SMD = 0.57, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.71, p<0.001), DLCO% (SMD = 0.38, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.48, p<0.001), 6MWD (SMD = 0.70, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.84, p<0.001) and other measurements and reduced SGRQ scores (SMD = −0.51, 95% CI −0.70 to −0.22, p<0.001). Subgroup analysis of different study durations (3 months, ≥ 6 months) and comparison models (TCM vs. WM, TCM + WM vs. WM or TCM vs. placebo) showed similar results. No significant difference of risk of AEs was observed between both groups (RR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.27–1.60, p=0.352). There was no obvious publication bias, and the pooled results were stable according to sensitivity analysis. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, the present study had the largest sample size. Our results indicated that TCM treatment may help provide benefit to the lung function, exercise capacity, and quality of life of IPF patients, alone or combined with WM, when compared to WM. More rigorous RCTs were needed in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Cheng Gu ◽  
Wenpan Peng ◽  
Zhichao Wang ◽  
Yong Xu ◽  
Di Han ◽  
...  

Cough variant asthma (CVA) is a unique type of asthma characterized by cough as the only or primary clinical presentation. Inhaled glucocorticoid is the main treatment in clinical practice currently, but its efficacy remains relatively unsatisfactory. Traditional Chinese medicine has certain advantages in the treatment of CVA, and at present, the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine is Suhuang Zhike Capsule (SZC). The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of SZC in the treatment of CVA using a meta-analysis. A comprehensive search of papers published in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature database (CBM), Wanfang Database, and VIP Information (VIP) from January 2018 to June 2019 was conducted. Review Manager 5.3 was used to carry out a meta-analysis of 10 studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In a total of 10 randomized controlled trials, 896 CVA patients were included. The results showed the following: (1) compared with conventional Western medicine, SZC can effectively increase the efficacy rate of CVA (RR 1.25, 95% CI, 1.16–1.35, P < 0.00001 ) and (2) compared with other traditional Chinese medicines, SZC can effectively increase the efficacy rate of CVA (RR 1.44, 95% CI, 1.01–2.05, P = 0.05 ), In conclusion, our study builds on existing clinical evidence showing that SZC is safe and effective in treating CVA. However, larger randomized controlled trials are required for further validation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Na Wang ◽  
Dong-dong Qin ◽  
Yu-huan Xie ◽  
Xin-chen Wu ◽  
Ding-yue Wang ◽  
...  

Objective. Although increasing evidence reveals the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its safety on Tourette Syndrome (TS) patients, whether TCM is indeed improving TS remains unclear. The purpose of the current study is to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TCM on treating TS patients. Method. An elaborate search strategy was conducted based on several databases including Medline, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, CINAHL, CBM, VIP, CNKI, and Wanfang Data in order to identify the relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from their inception to as late as May 1st, 2020. General information and data needing analysis were extracted simultaneously for the necessity of various analyses such as descriptive analysis and metaquantitative analysis. Results. Forty-seven trials with 5437 TS patients in total were eventually included according to our criteria. All trials were conducted in China, and the publication years ranged from 2004 to 2017. In terms of clinical efficacy, clinical symptoms of patients with TCM were more likely to be improved compared with the control group (odds ratio, OR = − 1.29 , 95% confidence interval, CI: -2.54 to -0.06, I 2 = 0.00 % ). As to the outcome of recurrence rate, the pooled results revealed that the TCM group was more inclined to stabilize the recurrence ( OR = 0.44 , 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.78, I 2 = 0.00 % ). Similar results were observed in adverse reaction ( OR = 0.32 , 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.43, I 2 = 32.90 % ). Conclusion. The results of our study recommend applying TCM to treat TS patients for better efficacy and safety. Results need to be interpreted cautiously due to certain limitations in our study.


2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Hongdian Li ◽  
Shaoning Dong ◽  
Yashen Liu ◽  
Ni Tian ◽  
Wenxue Yang ◽  
...  

Background. Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most important cause of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and the main cause of renal replacement therapy. Excessive inflammatory response and renal fibrosis are the keys to the development of this disease, and the conventional Western medical treatment is difficult to achieve and obtain long-term stable clinical results in all patients with DKD. Many studies have shown that Chinese medicine as a complementary and alternative medicine may be another therapeutic option to mitigate the progression of DKD to ESRD. In recent years, many doctors have used the Bushen Huoxue therapy to assist Western medicine in the treatment of the disease and have achieved certain clinical effects. However, most of the current studies are small sample studies, and there is no evidence-based confirmation. Objective. To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Bushen Huoxue therapy combined with conventional Western medicine in the treatment of DKD. Methods. A comprehensive search of literature databases such as CNKI, Wanfang, Pubmed, and Cochrane Library was conducted. The screening condition was that the control group was treated with conventional Western medicine and the experimental group was treated with Bushen Huoxue therapy’s RCT on top of the control group, and the RCTs were published from January 2011 to October 2021. The Cochrane risk bias assessment tool was used for literature quality evaluation, and RevMan 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis. Results. A total of 23 RCTs were finally included, with a total of 2,105 patients. Meta-analysis results show that the experimental group can effectively improve the clinical efficacy (RR = 1.28, 95% CI (1.22, 1.34), P < 0.01 ), significantly reduce Crea (SMD = −0.45, 95% CI (−0.57, −0.33), P < 0.01 ), 24 h UTP (SMD = −0.57, 95% CI (−0.69, −0.45), P < 0.01 ), BUN (SMD = −0.36, 95%CI (−0.48, −0.24), P < 0.01 ), UAER (SMD = −1.58, 95% CI (−1.78, −1.37), P < 0.01 ), and blood sugar, and have certain medication safety (RR = 0.00, 95% CI (−0.03, 0.03), P = 0.87 ). Conclusions. Chinese medicine based on the Bushen Huoxue therapy has a good clinical effect in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease and has certain safety. However, due to the limitation of the quality and quantity of the included literature, the above conclusion still needs more rational experiments to further verify.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 924-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeqing Bao ◽  
Chengmao Zhou ◽  
Xianxue Wang ◽  
Yu Zhu

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of spinal anaesthesia using dexmedetomidine for caesarean section. Methods PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and CNKI were searched for relevant literature. Results The incidence of nausea and vomiting in the dexmedetomidine group was significantly lower than that in the control group (OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12–0.35, P < 0.00001). No difference was found in the incidence of pruritus between the two groups (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.36–4.09, P = 0.76).The dexmedetomidine group had a higher incidence of bradycardia than did the control group (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.02–4.77, P = 0.05). The incidence of shivering in the dexmedetomidine group was significantly lower than that in the control group (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.13–0.32, P < 0.00001). The incidence of hypotension was not different between the two groups (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.49–1.56, P = 0.65). Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can decrease the incidence of nausea, vomiting, bradycardia, and shivering with spinal anaesthesia during caesarean section.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 030006052110381
Author(s):  
Yin Wang ◽  
Yanqing Li ◽  
Ye Chai

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination regimens containing daratumumab in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Methods A systematic search of publications listed on electronic databases (PubMed®, The Cochrane Library, Science Direct and Web of Science) between inception and 13 November 2020 was conducted to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included patients with MM that were treated with combination regimens containing daratumumab. Results A total of seven RCTs were included ( n = 4268 patients). Meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, the group containing daratumumab showed a significantly better overall response rate and a complete response or better. Daratumumab improved efficacy in both standard-risk and cytogenetically high-risk patients with MM. The prevalence of neutropenia (≥grade 3) and pneumonia was significantly higher in the daratumumab group compared with the control group. Conclusion The available evidence demonstrated that the clinical application of combination regimens containing daratumumab improved the efficacy in patients with MM and had acceptable safety.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
Zhongju Xu ◽  
Tao Jiang ◽  
Jialu Zhang ◽  
Pinxian Huang ◽  
...  

Equus asinus L [Equidae; Asini Corii Colla] (donkey-hide gelatin, Ejiao), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used to nourish the blood, especially for women. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of Ejiao in blood-deficient patients. A total of 210 participants were recruited and randomly allocated into the placebo control group and Ejiao-treated group (6 g/day). The primary outcomes on the efficacy of Ejiao included traditional Chinese medicine symptom scores, blood indicators, and SF-36. The secondary outcomes were changes in fireness and safety evaluation. Results showed that Ejiao treatment for 8 weeks had significantly improved dizziness symptoms. Among the tested 24 blood biochemical parameters, the hematocrit and red blood cell numbers decreased in the placebo control group, but decreased significantly less in the Ejiao treatment group. The white blood cell and neutrophil counts increased in the Ejiao group but were within the normal range. In addition, the quality of life improved as the scores in SF-36 domains were significantly higher in the Ejiao group. At the same time, there was no significant change in the fire–heat symptoms score or other safety parameters. Considering all these, our study showed that Ejiao has a promising effect in women suffering from blood deficiency without obvious adverse effects.


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