scholarly journals Efficacy of Chinese Herbal Injections for Elderly Patients With pneumonia—A Bayesian Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Control Trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yuan ◽  
Quan Zheng ◽  
Zhilin Si ◽  
Juhua Liu ◽  
Zhi Li ◽  
...  

Background: Pneumonia is a prevalent and complicated disease among adults, elderly people in particular, and the debate on the optimal Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) is ongoing. Our objective is to investigate the comparative effectiveness of various CHIs strategies for elderly patients with pneumonia.Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was executed to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by browsing through several databases from their inception to first, Feb 2020; All of the direct and indirect evidence included was rated by Network meta-analysis under a Bayesian framework.Results: We ultimately identified 34 eligible randomized controlled trials that involved 3,111 elderly participants and investigated 4 CHIs combined with Western medicine (WM) (Xiyanping injection [XYP]+WM, Yanhuning injection [YHN]+WM, Tanreqing injection [TRQ]+WM, Reduning injection [RDN]+WM), contributing 34 direct comparisons between CHIs. Seen from the outcome of Clinical effective rate and time for defervescence, patients taking medicine added with CHIs [Clinical effective rate, XYP + WM(Odd ratio (OR): 0.74, 95%Credible intervals (CrIs):0.55–0.98), YHN + WM(OR: 0.66, 95%CrI: 0.45–0.95), TRQ + WM(OR: 0.65, 95%CrI: 0.50–0.83), RDN + WM(OR: 0.60, 95%CrI: 0.40–0.89); Time for defervescence, YHN + WM(Mean difference (MD): −2.11, 95%CrI: −3.26 to −0.98), XYP + WM(MD: −2.06, 95%CrI: −3.08 to −1.09), RDN + WM(MD: −1.97, 95%CrI: −3.61 to −0.35), TRQ + WM(MD: −1.69, 95%CrI: −2.27 to −1.04)] showed statistically better effect compared with participants in the Control group (CG) who only took WM. Meanwhile, based on the time for disappearance of cough, 3 out of 4 CHIs [TRQ + WM(MD: −2.56, 95%CrI: −3.38 to −1.54), YHN + WM(MD: −2.36, 95%CrI: −3.86 to −1.00) and XYP + WM(MD: −2.21, 95%CrI: −3.72 to −1.10)] strategies indicated improvement of clinical symptoms. Only XYP + WM(MD −1.78, 95%CrI: −3.29 to −0.27) and TRQ + WM (MD: −1.71, 95%CrI: −2.71 to −0.73) could significantly shorten the time for disappearance of pulmonary rales.Conclusion: According to the statistical effect size (The surface under the cumulative ranking), we found that XYP + WM was presumably to be the preferable treatment for treating elderly patients with pneumonia compared with WM alone in terms of clinical effective rate. Our findings were based on very limited evidence and thus should be interpreted with caution. The application of the findings requires further research.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255665
Author(s):  
Yun-bo Wu ◽  
Yun-kai Dai ◽  
Ling Zhang ◽  
Huai-geng Pan ◽  
Wei-jing Chen ◽  
...  

Introduction Plenty of clinical studies have suggested the value of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but their efficacy and safety have not been systematically concluded yet. This article aimed to compare and rank the therapeutic effect and safety of CHM with routine pharmacotherapies and placebo in the treatment of IBS. Methods Randomized controlled trials regarding CHM to treat IBS were searched in six databases from inception to Jan 31, 2020. A network meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the data of included publications. The quality assessment was assessed by Cochrane Handbook and GRADEpro software. The risk ratio was calculated for dichotomous outcomes while the standardized mean difference was used for continuous variables with 95% credible intervals. A Funnel plot was performed to evaluate publication bias. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve was conducted to rank the included interventions. Data were analyzed with STATA 15.0 and Review Manager 5.3. Result 3194 records were searched, and 28 eligible trials involving 3323 patients ere identified. Compared with conventional therapies and placebo, Jianpi-Chushi therapy showed significant improvement in adequate relief and IBS symptom severity scale; Shugan-Jianpi therapy showed the best efficacy in relieving the abdominal pain and abdominal distension; Wenshen-Jianpi therapy had a better effect on avoiding adverse effects and improving stool character. Conclusion This study confirmed that CHM could be beneficial for patients with IBS in relieving their clinical symptoms and should be recommended as alternative therapies. The quality of evidence in this study based on the GRADE system was “low”.


Author(s):  
He-yong Tang ◽  
Wei Tang ◽  
Feng Yang ◽  
Wei-wei Wu ◽  
Guo-ming Shen

Abstract Background Aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of scalp, tongue, and Jin’s 3-needle acupuncture for the improvement of postapoplectic aphasia. Method PubMed, Cochrane, Embase databases were searched using index words to identify qualifying randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Meta-analyses of odds ratios (OR) or standardized mean differences (SMD) were performed to evaluate the outcomes between investigational (scalp / tongue / Jin’s 3-needle acupuncture) and control (traditional acupuncture; TA and/or rehabilitation training; RT) groups. Results Thirty-two RCTs (1310 participants in investigational group and 1270 in control group) were included. Compared to TA, (OR 3.05 [95% CI: 1.77, 5.28]; p<0.00001), tongue acupuncture (OR 3.49 [1.99, 6.11]; p<0.00001), and Jin’s 3-needle therapy (OR 2.47 [1.10, 5.53]; p = 0.03) had significantly better total effective rate. Compared to RT, scalp acupuncture (OR 4.24 [95% CI: 1.68, 10.74]; p = 0.002) and scalp acupuncture with tongue acupuncture (OR 7.36 [3.33, 16.23]; p<0.00001) had significantly better total effective rate. In comparison with TA/RT, scalp acupuncture, tongue acupuncture, scalp acupuncture with tongue acupuncture, and Jin’s three-needling significantly improved ABC, oral expression, comprehension, writing and reading scores. Conclusion As treatments to postapoplectic aphasia, scalp / tongue acupuncture and Jin’s Three-needling are found better than TA and/or RT in yielding total effective rate and improving ABC, oral expression, comprehension, reading and writing scores.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liqing Niu ◽  
Lu Xiao ◽  
Xuemin Zhang ◽  
Xuezheng Liu ◽  
Xinqiao Liu ◽  
...  

Background: Severe pneumonia (SP) has a high mortality rate and is responsible for significant healthcare costs. Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) have been widely used in China as a novel and promising treatment option for SP. Therefore, this study assessed and ranked the effectiveness of CHIs to provide more sights for the selection of SP treatment.Method: Seven databases were searched from their inception up to April 1, 2021. The methodological quality of included study was evaluated by the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Then, a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed by OpenBUGS 3.2.3 and STATA 14.0 software. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) probability values were applied to rank the examined treatments. A clustering analysis was utilized to compare the effect of CHIs between two different outcomes.Results: A total of 64 eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 5,904 participants were identified for this analysis. Six CHIs including Xuebijing injection (XBJ), Tanreqing injection (TRQ), Reduning injection (RDN), Xiyanping injection (XYP), Shenfu injection (SF), and Shenmai injection (SM) were included. The results of the NMA showed that XBJ [odds ratio (OR) = 0.24, 95% credible interval (CI): 0.19, 0.30], TRQ (OR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.37), RDN (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.94), and SM (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.63) combined with conventional Western medicine (WM) improved the clinical effective rate more significantly than WM alone. Based on SUCRA values, TRQ + WM (SUCRA: 66.4%) ranked the highest in improving the clinical effective rate, second in four different outcomes, and third in only one. According to the cluster analysis, TRQ + WM exerted a positive effect on improving the efficacy of SP. As for safety, less than 30% (18 RCTs) of the included studies reported adverse drug reactions/adverse drug events (ADRs/ADEs), including 14 RCTs of XBJ, 3 RCTs of TRQ, and 1 RCT of RDN.Conclusion: In conclusion, the study found that the CHIs as co-adjuvant therapy could be beneficial for patients with SP. TRQ + WM showed an outstanding improvement in patients with SP considering both the clinical effective rate and other outcomes.Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42021244587].


Cholesterol ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Kelley ◽  
Kristi S. Kelley

Purpose. To use the meta-analytic approach to examine the effects of diet (D), aerobic exercise (E), or both (DE) on non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) in adults. Methods. Randomized controlled trials in adults ≥18 years of age were included. A mixed-effect model was used to combine effect size (ES) results within each subgroup and to compare subgroups (Qb). Heterogeneity was examined using the Q and I2 statistics, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were also calculated. Statistical significance was set at P≤0.05, while a trend for statistical significance was set between P>0.05, and ≤0.10. Results. A statistically significant exercise minus control group decrease in non-HDL-C was found for DE (7 ESs, 389 participants, x¯=-11.1 mg/dL, 95%  CI=−21.7 to −0.6, P=0.04, Q=2.4, P=0.88, I2=0%), a trend for the D group (7 ESs, 402 participants, x¯=−8.5 mg/dL, 95%  CI=−18.6 to 1.6, P=0.10, Q=0.76, P=0.99, I2=0%), and no change for the E group (7 ESs, 387 participants, x¯=3.0 mg/dL, 95%   CI=−7.1 to 13.1, P=0.56, Q=0.78, P=0.99, I2=0%). Overall, no statistically significant between-group differences were found (Qb=4.1, P=0.12). Conclusions. Diet combined with aerobic exercise may reduce non-HDL-C among adults in some settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3151
Author(s):  
Chang-Hoon Koo ◽  
Jin-Woo Park ◽  
Jung-Hee Ryu ◽  
Sung-Hee Han

Virtual reality (VR), a technology that provides a stimulated sensory experience, has recently been implemented in various fields of medicine. Several studies have investigated the efficacy of VR on preoperative anxiety. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to validate whether VR could relieve preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing surgery. Electronic databases were searched to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of VR on preoperative anxiety. The primary outcome was defined as the preoperative anxiety scores. We estimated the effect size using the standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) using a random effect model. Ultimately, 10 RCTs, with a total of 813 patients, were included in the final analysis. Preoperative anxiety was significantly lower in the VR group than in the control group (SMD −0.64, 95% CI −1.08 to −0.20, p = 0.004). In a subgroup analysis, the preoperative anxiety scores were lower in the VR group than in the control group in pediatric patients (SMD −0.71, 95% CI −1.14 to −0.27, p = 0.002), whereas a significant difference was not observed between the two groups in adult patients (p = 0.226). The results of this meta-analysis indicated that VR could decrease preoperative anxiety, especially in pediatric patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongbao Zhou ◽  
Yuanshan Cui ◽  
Xiaoyi Zhang ◽  
Youyi Lu ◽  
Zhipeng Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of antimuscarinics for the prevention or treatment of catheter related bladder discomfort (CRBD). Methods The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (from 1987 to July 2021) were used to search randomized controlled trials. The PRISMA checklists were followed. RevMan5.4.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results Eleven studies involving 1165 patients were involved in the analysis. The study reported that the incidence of CRBD observed in the antimuscarinics group was significantly lower than that of the control group at 0-, 1-, 2-, and 6-h after drug therapy (P = 0.001, P < 0.0001, P = 0.0005, and P = 0.001, respectively). For side effects, there were not statistical differences between the antimuscarinics group and the control group, mainly including dry mouth (risk ratio (RR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.95 to 1.80, P = 0.09), postoperative nausea and vomiting (RR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.55 to 1.90, P = 0.87), facial flushing (RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.43 to 2.61, P = 0.90), and blurred vision (RR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.35 to 2.58, P = 0.91). Besides, rescue analgesics were required less in the antimuscarinics group than in the control group (RR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.80, P = 0.003). Conclusions Compared with the control group, the antimuscarinics group had a significant improvement on CRBD, the patients were well tolerated and the use rate of rescue analgesics was low.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2;23 (4;2) ◽  
pp. 135-148
Author(s):  
Zifeng Xu

Background: The pain control effect of ketamine versus control in women during cesarean operation is not well determined. Objectives: The present meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of ketamine versus control in cesarean section anesthesia for reducing the postoperative pain and analgesia. Study Design: We used meta-analysis to address this concern. Setting: Meta-analysis-based study. Methods: The databases PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched to identify the relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ketamine versus control in controlling pain after cesarean section from inception to August 2018. Based on the Cochrane Handbook, the combined analysis was performed using Revman 5.3 software. Results: A total of 20 RCTs with 1,737 patients who underwent cesarean section were included. Meta-analysis showed that the pain score in the ketamine group was less than that of the control group (mean difference [MD], –1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], –1.61, –0.59; P < 0.0001). Application of ketamine during cesarean section also resulted in decreased consumption of morphine when compared with the control group (MD, –6.11 mg; 95% CI, –9.93, –2.29; P = 0.002). In addition, the first time required for analgesia was significantly longer in the ketamine group than that of the control group (MD, 72.48 minutes; 95% CI, 50.85, 94.11; P < 0.00001). Limitations: Limited patients were included with moderate strength. Conclusions: Ketamine supplementation during cesarean section reduces pain and morphine consumption and prolongs the postoperative analgesia. Key words: Ketamine, cesarean section, randomized controlled trials, meta-analysis


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changtai Zhu ◽  
Hao Cao ◽  
Xifa Zhou ◽  
Chunlei Dong ◽  
Judong Luo ◽  
...  

Objective. To evaluate the clinical value of Danshen injection and Huangqi injection for the treatment of liver cirrhosis.Methods. The Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, and EMBASE database were searched to collect the literatures about the randomized controlled trials involving the treatment of liver cirrhosis with Danshen injection combined with Huangqi injection, and the data analyses were performed using RevMan 4.2 software.Results. A total of 11 studies involving 1086 patients (trials group: 554 cases, control group: 532 cases) were included in this study. Compared with those in control group, the meta-analysis showed-that the total effectiveness rate and the level of serum albumin increased, while serum total bilirubin, alanine transmninase, type III procollagen, hyaluronic acid, laminin, and type-IV collagen decreased in trials group. The Jadad score ranged from 1 to 2 and the funnel plot analysis suggests that publication bias may occur.Conclusions. Danshen injection combined with Huangqi injection may promote the curative efficacy of liver cirrhosis, which is a promising novel treatment approach. The exact outcome needs to perform rigorously designed, multicenter, and large randomized controlled trials.


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