scholarly journals Standardization specification and effect size, the two major limitations of clinical trials of herbal medicine

Author(s):  
Ahmad Shamabadi

Not applicable.

Author(s):  
Maryam Azimi ◽  
Mohammad Javad Zahedi

Introduction: According to Rome IV, functional dyspepsia is diagnosed with presence of dyspepsia in the absence of organic or metabolic causes. FD caused by several factors such as impaired gastric accommodation and hypersensitivity to gastric distention. Several studies have reported effectiveness of herbal medicine on FD. This article, thus, reviews Persian herbal medicine in FD. Method: Electronic databases including Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrain, Embase, Web of science and Ovid were searched so as to find clinical articles related to dyspepsia and herbal medicine by July 2019. Our search strategies were traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, herb, plant, and dyspepsia. We excluded all articles except Persian clinical trials. Results: We found 34 clinical trials with 15 herbs and 4 compound herbal remedies like Asparagus racemosus, Brassica oleracea, Cynara scolymus, Ocimum basilicum, Mentha longifolia, Mentha pulegium, Mentha piperata, Pimpinella anisum, Nigella sativa, Mastic gum, Curcuma longa, Pistatio atlantica, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Solanum tuberosum and Zingiber officinale and compound remedies of Rosa damascene & Crocus sativus, Trachyspermum copticom & Apium graveolence, Carum carvi & Mentha pipperata, Gingiber officinalis & Cynara scolymus are effective in functional dyspepsia. Conclusion: Many people use herbal and traditional remedies for treatment of disorders such as gastrointestinal disordersو , especially in Asian countries. Several studies reported the efficacy of herbal medicine in functional dyspepsia. Although their mechanisms are not fully understood, it seems they can modulate GI motility and improve symptoms of FD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (01) ◽  
pp. 11-18
Author(s):  
Teguh Pradana ◽  
Moch. Zul Ilmi ◽  
Teguh Arifianto

Herbal medicine is a medicine from natural ingredients whose properties have not been scientifically proven, in other words, it has not been subjected to clinical or clinical trials, but its properties are trusted by people based on experience. And at this time many herbal products are marketed in general, and not a few people are confused to choose the right herbal medicine according to their circumstances, so people have to consult or ask before choosing, and make the store experience a long queue on customers. Therefore an expert system is needed for herbal medicine so that people can choose the right herbal medicine according to their circumstances or conditions, and this system can reduce the queue at the herbal medicine shop customers. Expert system built in this study uses the forward chaining method. Case study for the system that is "Pasuruan herbal shop fan" which contained 70 types of herbal medicine, the results of tests conducted by this system are in accordance with the diagnosis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 123-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herm J. Lamberink ◽  
Willem M. Otte ◽  
Michel R.T. Sinke ◽  
Daniël Lakens ◽  
Paul P. Glasziou ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Ascensión Fumero ◽  
Wenceslao Peñate ◽  
Cristián Oyanadel ◽  
Bárbara Porter

Objective: There has been a growing interest in the study of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). Many clinical trials and experimental designs have been implemented, with different samples and diverse MBI procedures. Reviews have shown unclear results, apart from a tendency to identify low-to-moderate effectiveness. The purpose of this review is to examine the effectiveness of MBIs on anxiety complaints, analyzing available systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Method: The literature search was done in MEDLINE (PubMed) and PsycINFO, from the first available review in 2003 until March 2020. From 82 initial references, 12 reviews were selected. Results: Reviews confirmed a moderate effect size of MBIs in improving anxiety symptoms. This efficacy was similar to that of well-established therapies for reducing anxiety symptoms, such as cognitive behavioral therapies. A large effect size was found when well-developed MBI protocols were applied. Discussion: More refined clinical trials are needed to establish clear conditions of MBI effectiveness (protocols, samples, psychological mechanisms, etc.). In addition, considering mindfulness processes, new outcome measures are needed (such as acceptance, self-awareness, or well-being) to test the incremental value of MBIs.


Author(s):  
F. Jessen

Over the last several years, many clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have failed and in those with a positive signal, the effect size was of limited magnitude. It has become clear that the molecular mechanisms, which underlie neuronal damage and clinical worsening in AD are complex; maybe even too complex to be sufficiently impacted upon by a single molecular target approach. As in many other diseases, combination therapy might be a way forward to in achieve effects, which eventually are large enough to robustly prove efficacy and to provide patient related benefit.


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6516-6516
Author(s):  
P. Bedard ◽  
M. K. Krzyzanowska ◽  
M. Pintilie ◽  
I. F. Tannock

6516 Background: Underpowered randomized clinical trials (RCTs) may expose participants to risks and burdens of research without scientific merit. We investigated the prevalence of underpowered RCTs presented at ASCO annual meetings. Methods: We surveyed all two-arm parallel phase III RCTs presented at the ASCO annual meeting from 1995–2003 where differences for the primary endpoint were non-statistically significant. Post hoc calculations were performed using a power of 80% and a=0.05 (two-sided) to determine the sample size required to detect a small, medium, and large effect size between the two groups. For studies reporting a proportion or time to event as a primary endpoint, effect size was expressed as an odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) respectively, with a small effect size defined as OR/HR=1.3, medium effect size OR/HR=1.5, and large effect OR/HR=2.0. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with lack of statistical power. Results: Of 423 negative RCTs for which post hoc sample size calculations could be performed, 45 (10.6%), 138 (32.6%), and 333 (78.7%) had adequate sample size to detect small, medium, and large effect sizes respectively. Only 35 negative RCTs (7.1%) reported a reason for inadequate sample size. In a multivariable model, studies presented at plenary or oral sessions (p<0.0001) and multicenter studies supported by a co-operative group were more likely to have adequate sample size (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Two-thirds of negative RCTs presented at the ASCO annual meeting do not have an adequate sample to detect a medium-sized treatment effect. Most underpowered negative RCTs do not report a sample size calculation or reasons for inadequate patient accrual. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (06) ◽  
pp. 927-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Hua Hsu ◽  
Kung-Chang Hwang ◽  
Chung-Liang Chao ◽  
Steve G. N. Chang ◽  
Cheng-Chin Ker ◽  
...  

Chinese medicine (CM) has been used to control infectious diseases for thousands of years. In 2003 outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In view of the possible beneficial effect of CM on SARS, we conducted this study to examine whether CM is of any benefit as a supplementary treatment of SARS. Four severe laboratory-confirmed SARS patients received routine western-medicine treatment plus different supplementary treatment: CM A, CM B and CM C (placebo control). We reported the course of the cases in terms of changes in chest radiographic scores. Case 1 treated as a placebo control passed away on the 9th day after onset of disease. The other three cases treated with CM A or CM B survived. The initial findings seemed to indicate a favorable effect of CM on management of SARS. The findings need to be verified with a larger sample. Using CM as a supplementary treatment of severe SARS seems to indicate that natural herbal medicine can be used against avian influenza. Hence, such related experience or clinical trials should be taken into consideration when facing the possible outbreak of avian influenza in the future.


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