scholarly journals Chinese Herbal Medicine for Postinfectious Cough: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Liu ◽  
Hong-Li Jiang ◽  
Bing Mao
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Chinese Herbal ◽  
Manual Search ◽  
Antitussive Effect

Chinese herbal medicine has been commonly used in the treatment of postinfectious cough. The aim of this review is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for postinfectious cough. An extensive search for RCTs was performed using multiple electronic databases, supplemented with a manual search. All studies included were confirmed with specific inclusion criteria. Methodological quality of each study was examined according to the Cochrane risk of bias assessment. Quality of evidence was evaluated using rating approach developed by GRADE working group. The literature search yielded 352 results, of which 12 RCTs satisfied the inclusion criteria, offering moderate-to-high levels of evidence. Methodological quality was considered high in three trials, while in the other nine studies the unclear risk of bias was in the majority. Findings suggested that, compared with western conventional medicine or placebo, Chinese herbal medicine could effectively improve core symptoms of postinfectious cough, act better and have earlier antitussive effect, and enhance patients’ quality of life. No serious adverse event was reported.

scholarly journals Chinese Herbal Medicine in Treating Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Luo ◽  
Xinxue Li ◽  
Jianping Liu ◽  
Flower Andrew ◽  
Lewith George
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Primary Sjögren’S Syndrome ◽  
Primary Sjogren’S Syndrome ◽  
Chinese Herbal ◽  
Salivary Function

Background. There is no curative treatment for primary Sjögren’s syndrome (PSS). Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is widely used in the treatment of PSS in China.Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of CHM for PSS.Methods. PubMed, Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, Chinese Biomedical Database, Wanfang Data, and the Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CHM or CHM plus conventional medicine for PSS compared with placebo or conventional medicine. RevMan 5.0.17 was employed to conduct data analyses and assess homogeneity. Statistical models were chosen according to heterogeneity.Results. A total of 52 RCTs were included. The overall methodological quality of included trials was low. 49 trials reported response rates, of which 32 found significant improvements favoring CHM treatment against controls; 20 trials reported lacrimal function by Schirmer test scores, of which 16 trials reported a significant difference favoring CHM treatment. 21 trials reported salivary function by salivary flow rate, of which 10 reported significant favorable effects of CHM treatment. Other trials found no difference. The reported adverse effects of CHM included nausea, diarrhea, and other minor digestive symptoms, but more frequent adverse effects occurred in conventional medicine groups.Conclusions. Preliminary evidence from RCTs suggests the effect of CHM is promising for relieving symptoms, improving lacrimal and salivary function in PSS. However, the poor methodological quality of the included trials means that further well-designed, multicentered, larger trials are needed.

scholarly journals An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanyang Liu ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Jiahui Sun ◽  
Jiuxiu Yao ◽  
Lina Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
Chinese Herbal

Background: Multiple systematic reviews (SRs) have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we aim to perform an overview to assess the methodological quality and quality of evidence of the SRs to provide convincing data on the treatment of AD with CHM.Method: Six electronic databases including Chinese and English were searched, until April 31, 2021. Two researchers independently screen documents and extract data according to the predesigned rules. A Measure Tool to Assessment System Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) was used to investigate the methodological quality, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to determine the quality of evidence for outcomes.Results: Twelve qualified SRs including 163 randomized controlled trials were reviewed. The methodological quality of the included SRs was considered extremely low assessed through AMSTAR-2. Compared with western medicines (WM) alone, CHM as an adjuvant treatment has shown significant effects in improving Mini-mental State Examination, Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive, and Clinical Dementia Rating scores. The same is true for CHM alone. Regarding the effect on Activities Daily Living, neither the single CHM nor the combination with WM has an obvious effect. For the total effective rate, both single CHM and the combination with WM shown significant effects. Nine SRs suggested that CHM as adjuvant therapy or single-use had fewer adverse events than WM. Additionally, the quality of evidence for the main outcome was reviewed as low or extremely low according to GRADE profiler data.Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that CHM may be beneficial in improving the cognitive function of AD patients. However, we should be cautious about the evidence due to methodological flaws and low quality. High-quality RCTs are further needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of CHM for AD.

scholarly journals Oral Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treatment of Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Shuo Zhu ◽  
Yun-Lun Li ◽  
Jian-Qing Ju ◽  
Feng Du ◽  
Yan-Ping Zang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Dilated Cardiomyopathy ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Therapeutic Effect ◽  
Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Chinese Herbal

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the main causes of heart failure and could increase death, hospitalization, and rehospitalization rate. The effect of conventional medicine treatment (CMT) is limited; meanwhile, the combination of CMT and Oral Chinese Herbal Medicine (OCHM) represents exciting adjunctive therapies. In this study, we ascertained the therapeutic effect of OCHM in combination with CMT for dilated cardiomyopathy by using meta-analysis methods for controlled clinical trials. We searched studies from five databases and extracted data from these studies. We also assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. We evaluated the following outcome measures to estimate the prognosis in patients with DCM: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD), stroke volume (SV), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and overall efficacy. The result showed that OCHM combined with CMT for the improvement of therapeutic effect in DCM patients. However, the evidence remains weak due to the small sample size, high clinical heterogeneity, and poor methodological quality of the included trials. Further, large sample size and well-designed trials are needed.

scholarly journals Can External Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine Prevent Cumulative Peripheral Neuropathy Induced by Oxaliplatin? A Systematic Literature Review With Meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 153473541987281
Author(s):  
Jie Hao ◽  
Xiaoshu Zhu ◽  
Caroline A. Smith ◽  
Alan Bensoussan
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Peripheral Neurotoxicity ◽  
Chinese Herbal ◽  
Grade 3

Background. Peripheral neurotoxicity caused by oxaliplatin (OXA) chemotherapy is the main limitation preventing continuation of chemotherapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of external use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on the incidence of cumulative OXA-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (OIPN). Method. Scientific literature databases were searched to identify controlled clinical trials analyzing CHM in OIPN. Clinical studies that included at least 1 relevant primary outcome were analyzed by 2 independent reviewers. Meta-analysis was performed on the software RevMan 5.3. Results. 700 cancer patients of 9 studies were reported, of whom 352 received external CHM and 348 received warm water baths, conventional medicine, or no intervention as controls. Neurotoxicity incidence (Levi grade ≥ 1) was significantly decreased in CHM group, compared with no intervention ( P < .01). The incidence of cumulative neurotoxicity (Levi grade ≥2) was also significantly lower in the CHM group than in all the control groups ( P < .05), and the cumulative neurotoxicity in the CHM group was significantly reduced (Levi grade ≥ 3) in comparision with no intervention ( P < .01). These results were consistent with those of the subgroup analyses for preventing OIPN at each of the chemotherapy treatment cycles. There was no difference in the incidence of adverse events between groups ( P > .05). Conclusion. External use of CHM may be beneficial in preventing the OXA-induced cumulative neurotoxicity. However, given the low quality of the evidence, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Quality and Risk of Bias in Panax ginseng Randomized Controlled Trials: A Review

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (02) ◽  
pp. 231-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannah L. Shergis ◽  
Anthony L. Zhang ◽  
Wenyu Zhou ◽  
Charlie C. Xue
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Panax Ginseng ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Clinical Benefits

Panax ginseng is one of the most frequently used herbs in the world. Numerous trials have evaluated its clinical benefits. However, the quality of these studies has not been comprehensively and systematically assessed. We reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Panax ginseng to evaluate their quality and risk of bias. We searched four English databases, without publication date restriction. Two reviewers extracted details about the studies' methodological quality, guided by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist and its extension for herbal interventions. Risk of bias was determined using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Of 475 potentially relevant studies, 58 met our inclusion criteria. In these 58 studies, 48.3% of the suggested CONSORT checklist items and 35.9% of the extended herbal items were reported. The quality of RCTs published after the CONSORT checklist improved. Until 1995 (before CONSORT) (n = 4), 32.8% of the items were reported in studies. From 1996–2006 (CONSORT published and revised) (n = 30), 46.1% were reported, and from 2007 (n = 24), 53.5% were reported (p = 0.005). After the CONSORT extension for herbal interventions was published in 2006, RCT quality also improved, although not significantly. Until 2005 (n = 34), 35.2% of the extended herbal items were reported in studies; and from 2006 onwards (n = 24), 37.3% were reported (p = 0.64). Most studies classified risk of bias as "unclear". Overall, the quality of Panax ginseng RCT methodology has improved since the CONSORT checklist was introduced. However, more can be done to improve the methodological quality of, and reporting in, RCTs.

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