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Eucommia ulmoides， a plant belonging to Eucommiaceae， has a history of medical use for over two thousand years in China. The dried bark and leaves of this plant are usually used as medicinal materials. Due to the high safety in clinical application， E. ulmoides leaves were officially recognized for both medicinal and edible use by the food safety evaluation in 2019， providing a valuable resource for the development of food and health products. According to the traditional Chinese medicine theory， E. ulmoides has the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys， strengthening sinews and bones， and calming fetus. Modern research has shown that different parts such as the bark， leaves， flowers， and seeds of E. ulmoides contain similar chemical components， including phenylpropanoids， terpenoids， flavonoids， phenolic acids， steroids， and polysaccharides. E. ulmoides exhibits diverse pharmacological activities such as lowering blood pressure and blood lipid and glucose levels， preventing osteoporosis and possesses anti-tumor， anti-bacterial， antiviral， anti-inflammatory， antioxidant， and hepatoprotective effects. Therefore， it holds great potential for the development of products with both medicinal and edible values. This review systematically summarizes the chemical constituents， pharmacological activities， and representative medicinal and edible products of different parts of E. ulmoides. It is expected to provide theoretical references for the clinical application of E. ulmoides and its active components and the development and utilization of the products with both medicinal and edible values. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of the medicinal properties of E. ulmoides and provides guidance for further exploration of its applications in the healthcare field. As a plant with both medicinal and edible values， E. ulmoides is expected to attract more attention in future research and contribute to human health.
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Contextualização: A vitamina D tem sido utilizada na prática clínica e amplamente divulgada na mídia como opção preventiva ou terapêutica em muitas doenças esqueléticas e não esqueléticas, mas sua efetividade, em muitos casos, é ainda incerta. Objetivos: Sumarizar as evidências de revisões sistemáticas da Cochrane, referentes à efetividade da vitamina D para tratamento e prevenção de doenças. Métodos: Trata-se de overview de revisões sistemáticas Cochrane. Procedeu-se à busca na Cochrane Library (2023), sendo utilizado o descritor MeSH "VITAMIN D". Todas as revisões sistemáticas de ensaios clínicos foram incluídas. O desfecho primário de análise foi a melhora clínica, a redução dos sintomas ou a prevenção da doença. Resultados: 22 estudos foram incluídos, totalizando 284.404 participantes. Há evidência de baixa qualidade relativa a benefícios da suplementação da vitamina D na gestação para mãe e recém-nascido, não sendo encontrados, até o momento, benefícios para outras condições avaliadas. Discussão: Nenhuma intervenção mostrou efetividade com evidência de boa qualidade. Embora haja descrição de benefícios na redução do risco de pré-eclâmpsia, diabetes gestacional, baixo peso do bebê ao nascimento, redução no risco de hemorragia grave pós-parto e redução de fraturas em idosos (quando associada à suplementação de cálcio), esses achados têm evidência limitada e carecem de melhor análise no futuro próximo, a partir de novos ensaios clínicos. Conclusão: Atualmente, não há suporte com bom nível de evidência para a maioria das intervenções com suplementação de vitamina D, sendo recomendada a realização de novos ensaios clínicos para melhor robustez dos achados desses estudos.
Subject(s)
Therapeutics , Vitamin D , Systematic Review , Effectiveness , Clinical Trial , Cholecalciferol , Evidence-Based PracticeABSTRACT
La expansión y consolidación de la práctica clínica basada en la evidencia ha llevado entre otras, a la necesidad de realizar una variedad cada vez mayor de tipos de revisión de la literatura científica; lo que permite avanzar en el conocimiento y comprender la amplitud de la investigación sobre un tema de interés, teniendo en cuenta que una de las propiedades del conocimiento es su carácter acumulativo. Sin embargo, la diversidad de la terminología utilizada genera confusión de términos y conceptos. El objetivo de este manuscrito fue proporcionar un listado de los tipos de revisiones de la literatura más frecuentemente utilizados con sus características y algunos ejemplos de ellas. Revisión cualitativa. Se examinaron de forma dirigida las bases de datos PubMed, WoS y Scopus, en búsqueda de términos asociados a tipos de revisiones y síntesis de la literatura científica. Se encontraron 21 tipos de revisión; y 29 variantes y sinonimias asociadas; las que ilustran los procesos de cada una de ellas. Se da una descripción general de las características de cada cual, junto con las fortalezas y debilidades percibidas. No obstante, se verificó que sólo algunos tipos de revisión poseen metodologías propias y explícitas. Este enfoque, proporciona un punto de referencia para quienes realizan o interpretan revisiones en el ámbito sanitario, y sugiere dos tipos de propuestas de clasificación.
SUMMARY: The expansion and consolidation of evidence-based clinical practice has led, among other things, to the need to carry out an increasing variety of types of literature reviews, which allows advancing in knowledge and understanding the breadth of research on a topic of interest. However, the diversity of the terminology used generates confusion of terms and concepts. The aim of this manuscript was to provide a list of the most frequently used review types with their characteristics and some examples. Qualitative review. PubMed, WoS and Scopus databases were examined in a directed way, searching for terms associated with types of reviews and syntheses of the scientific literature. Twenty-one types of review, and 29 variants and associated synonymies were found; those that illustrate the processes of each of them. An overview of the characteristics of each is given, along with perceived strengths and weaknesses. However, it was verified that only some types of review have their own explicit methodologies. This approach, provides a point of reference for those who perform or interpret reviews in the health field and suggests two classification proposals.
Subject(s)
Review Literature as Topic , Meta-Analysis as Topic , Evidence-Based Medicine , Systematic Reviews as TopicABSTRACT
El aumento de la producción de investigación primaria y de las revisiones de la literatura durante las últimas décadas ha hecho necesario el desarrollo de un nuevo diseño metodológico para sintetizar la evidencia: los overviews. Un overview es un diseño de síntesis de evidencia que toma como unidad de análisis a las revisiones sistemáticas, con el objetivo de extraer y analizar los resultados para una pregunta de interés nueva o más amplia, ayudando así a mejorar los procesos de toma de decisiones informadas. El objetivo de este artículo es introducir al lector a este tipo de resúmenes de evidencia, destacando las diferencias con los otros tipos de síntesis de evidencia, los aspectos metodológicos particulares de los overviews, y los desafíos pendientes. Este artículo es el duodécimo de una serie metodológica colaborativa de revisiones narrativas sobre temáticas de bioestadística y epidemiología clínica.
The increasing production of primary research and literature reviews in the last decades has made it necessary to develop a new methodological design to synthesize the evidence: the overviews. An overview is a type of evidence synthesis that uses systematic reviews as the unit of analysis, with the aim of extracting and analyzing the results for a new or broader research question, helping the shared decision-making processes. The aim of this article is to introduce the reader to this type of evidence summaries, highlighting the differences between overviews and other types of synthesis, the unique methodological aspects of overviews, and future challenges. This is the twelfth article from a collaborative methodological series of narrative reviews about biostatistics and clinical epidemiology.
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OBJECTIVE To re-evaluate systematic review/meta-analysis of escitalopram in the treatment of depression， and to provide reference for clinical use of escitalopram. METHODS Retrieved from CNKI， Wanfang database， VIP， SinoMed， PubMed and the Cochrane Library， etc.， systematic review/meta-analysis of escitalopram in the treatment of depression were collected from the construction of the database to May 17， 2022. The literatures were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria， the basic information of the included literatures was extracted， and the methodological quality， reporting quality and evidence quality of the included literatures were evaluated by using AMSTAR 2 scale， PRISMA statement， and GRADE system， respectively. RESULTS A total of 16 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were included. The results of efficacy comparison showed that escitalopram in the treatment of depression was superior to sertraline in improving the total effective rate， and was comparable to paroxetine， duloxetine and fluoxetine in improving cure rate. The results of safety comparison showed that the safety of escitalopram was higher than that of paroxetine and venlafaxine. The overall methodological quality evaluation of AMSTAR 2 scale was low， and all of them were rated as extremely low； main reason was the lack of many key items. PRISMA score was between 12 and 23 points. Among them， there were 5 literatures with scores ＞21 points， and the reports were relatively complete， 10 literatures with scores between 15 and 21 points， and the reports had certain defects， and 1 literature with scores ≤15 points， with serious information missing. The results of the grading of GRADE evidence showed that， of the 160 included outcome indicators， 69 were moderate evidence， 64 were low-level evidence， and 27 were very low-level evidence. CONCLUSIONS The total effective rate of escitalopram in improving depressive patients is not inferior to that of sertraline； compared with paroxetine， escitalopram is safer. However， the evidence level of the above conclusions is low.
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ObjectiveTo re-evaluate the systematic reviews/Meta-analyses （SRs/MAs） of tonic traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） injections against cerebral ischemic stroke （CIS） and provide evidence support for clinical practice and decision-making. MethodTCM injections of different varieties were obtained after searching the three major drug catalogues. Seven Chinese and English databases were searched from database inception to March 13，2022，for the relevant SRs/MAs. The methodological quality，risk of bias，reporting quality，and quality of evidence were assessed by Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 （AMSTAR-2），the Risk of Bias in Systematic Review （ROBIS），the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses 2020 （PRISMA 2020），and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment，Development，and Evaluation （GRADE）. In addition，the literature overlap matrix was established to calculate the corrected covered area （CCA） and evaluate the rate of overlaps of the original literature. ResultFive types of TCM injections and 18 SRs/MAs were included. AMSTAR 2 evaluation showed that the methodological quality of 18 SRs/MAs was extremely low，and 14 SRs/MAs had a high risk of bias assessed by ROBIS. The quality evaluation results reported by the PRISMA 2020 showed that the scores of the studies included ranged from 19.5 to 28.5，with 10 being of medium quality and eight of low quality. The evaluation with the GRADE system demonstrated that one outcome was moderate-quality evidence，15 outcomes were low-quality evidence，and 41 outcomes were very low-quality evidence. The CCA of the included SRs/MAs was 0.263，indicating a low rate of overlaps of the original literature. ConclusionTonic TCM injections are effective and safe in the treatment of CIS，but this conclusion should be treated with caution because of the low quality of methodology，reports，and evidence in published SRs/MAs. It is recommended to improve the study design，obtain clinical evidence of higher quality，and conduct systematic evaluations in strict accordance with procedures to standardize the reporting of research results.
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This paper introduced the overview of the "eight trends" of Chinese medicinal materials(CMM) industry in 2021, analyzed the problems of CMM production, and put forward development suggestions. Specifically, "eight trends" could be summarized as follows.(1) The growing area of CMM tended to be stable, and some provinces began to release the local catalog of Dao-di herbs.(2) The protection process of new varieties accelerated, and a number of excellent varieties were bred.(3) The theory of ecological cultivation was further enriched, and the demonstration effect of ecological cultivation technology was prominent.(4) Some CMM realized complete mechanization and formed typical model cases.(5) The number of cultivation bases using the traceability platform increased, and provincial internet trading platforms were set up.(6) The construction of CMM industrial clusters accelerated, and the number of provincial-level regional brands increased rapidly.(7) Many new agricultural business entities were founded nationwide, and a variety of methods were used to drive the intensified development of CMM.(8) A number of local TCM laws were promulgated, and the management regulation of food and medicine homology substances catalogs was issued. On this basis, four suggestions for CMM production were proposed.(1) It is suggested to speed up the formulation of the national catalog of Dao-di herbs and carry out the certification of Dao-di herbs production bases.(2) Ecological planting of forest and grassland medicine should be further strengthened in terms of technical research and promotion based on the principle of ecological priority.(3) The basic work of disaster prevention should be paid more attention and technical measures for disaster mitigation should be developed.(4) The planted area of commonly used CMM should be incorporated into the national regular statistical system.
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Agriculture , Certification , Commerce , Industry , ChinaABSTRACT
The appropriate needle device is crucial for obtaining the curative effect of fire needling therapy. The article introduces the material specification, clinical operation, indications, characteristics and advantages of the contemporary traditional fire needling devices (e.g. He's fire needle and Shi 's fire needle) and the contemporary new-type ones (e.g. fire needling with filiform needle and micro-needle); and determines the innovations of modern fire needling. It is anticipated that the needle specifications, production process and operation standard of fire needling devices should be further unified so as to provide the references for the selection of fire needling devices in treatment based on clinical syndrome differentiation and expand the clinical application of fire needling therapy.
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Humans , Male , Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , NeedlesABSTRACT
Alzheimer's disease （AD） is a neurodegenerative disease associated with aging and age-related cognitive decline. It is characterized by insidious onset and progressive development， and has become a major global health and socioeconomic issue. The exact mechanisms underlying AD have not been fully elucidated， and various hypotheses have been proposed by researchers based on different etiologies， including the amyloid β （Aβ） cascade hypothesis， Tau protein hyperphosphorylation hypothesis， mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress hypothesis， and neurotransmitter hypothesis. Therefore， there is an urgent need for comprehensive interventions targeting multiple pathways， links， and targets. Based on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） theory and modern research findings， kidney-tonifying and anti-aging Chinese medicines have unique advantages of toxicity reduction， long-lasting effects， and treating both the root cause and the symptoms. They have been shown to counteract immune-inflammatory responses， clear reactive oxygen species， exhibit antioxidant properties， inhibit abnormal aggregation of Aβ and Tau proteins， reduce neuronal apoptosis， regulate central neurotransmitters， and modulate gut microbiota in AD. In recent years， stem cell therapy has been explored for the treatment of AD through two strategies： endogenous activation and exogenous transplantation， thereby replenishing and replacing damaged neurons. However， factors such as blood-brain barrier permeability， targeted delivery to the affected area， immune rejection， and cell survival rate can affect the efficacy of stem cell transplantation. Therefore， combining stem cell therapy with medication and other methods can further enhance the effectiveness of stem cell transplantation. Kidney-tonifying and anti-aging Chinese medicines can activate dormant neural stem cells（NSCs） in the body， promote neuroregeneration， and facilitate tissue and organ repair and reconstruction in AD. The combined treatment of these Chinese medicines and stem cell transplantation has shown more significant efficacy compared to either treatment alone. This combination therapy provides a new integration point for the modernization of TCM and offers new ideas and approaches for the prevention and treatment of AD， as well as improving the effectiveness of stem cell transplantation.
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Worldwide, the incidence rate of myopia is maintained in a high level. Especially, the morbidity is rising continuously among children and adolescents. The progression of myopia affects visual acuity, vision related quality of life and productivity. Moreover, high myopia and its related ocular complications also aggravate the family and social burden. Therefore, the mechanism of myopia, related complications and methods of myopia prevention and control need further exploration. International Myopia Institute(IMI)published the second-edition white papers in April 2021. These white papers included reflections on the implications for clinical practice, the impact of myopia, the risk factors of myopia, the relationship among accommodation and binocular vision with myopia, pathologic myopia, prevention of myopia and digest. Comparing to the first edition, more than thousands of articles and conference abstracts were considered in white papers II, highlighting the latest research and progress related to myopia prevention and control. This article briefly summarizes and interprets the contents of the above white papers, including overview of myopia, impact of myopia, risk factors in myopia, ocular changes in the progress of myopia, and myopia prevention and control, hoping to provide advice for the clinical and scientific research work relating to myopia prevention and control.
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Entire world was eagerly waiting for the vaccine against SARS-CoV2 ever since Covid19 pandemic started. India is the second largest populous nation and is among the very few nations who has developed a vaccine against SARS-CoV2. India is also a major vaccine producing hub supplying large quantum of vaccines to the rest of the world. Efficacy, advantages and comparison between various covid vaccine has been largely discussed by the scientific community. However, there are various other factors affecting the vaccine situation in a nation, may it be the plan, strategy, it抯 implementation, local context, health infrastructure etc. While there are many news and views related to covid-19 vaccine, one need to look beyond & into so many other aspects related to the factors affecting this situation. Through discussion of some of these key factors, we tried to draw an overall picture of the Covid19 vaccine situation in India. Keeping in line with our objective, we keep the focus of our discussion on vaccine development & manufacturing issues, diplomatic decisions on vaccine & the reasons behind the same, international factors etc. We have purposefully restricted our discussion to these factors and did not go in details of the national level policy and its implementation details in this article.
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Objective:To evaluate the quality of a systematic review/Meta-analysis of auricular acupressure on pain, and provide decision making basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) nursing.Methods:PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, CBM databases were searched to collect systematic reviews or Meta-analysis on auricular acupressure intervention pain from inception to October, 2020. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted the data, and used AMSTAR 2 and GRADE to evaluate methodological quality and evidence quality.Results:A total of 8 systematic reviews were included. The AMSTAT2 evaluation showed that all the studies were in low methodological quality; GRADE tool graded 26 outcome indicators, including 6 intermediate quality indicators, 16 low-level quality indicatorsand 4 extremely low-level quality indicators. The research results showed that auricular acupressure is safe and effective in chronic low back pain, primary dysmenorrhea and partial postoperative pain. Another study found that it has no significant effect, but it can reduce the rate of adverse reactions.Conclusions:These studies show that auricular acupressure is safe on pain and has certain advantages, but its methodological quality and evidence quality are not high, which requires further research to confirm.
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Objective:To re-evaluate the quality of methodology and outcome indicators for systematic reviews/meta-analysis about the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting(CINV).Methods:The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and CBM for systematic reviews/meta-analysis on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical intervention in the prevention or treatment of CINV from inception to May 2021 were searched. The methodological quality of the included literature was evaluated by the AMSTAR 2 quality evaluation tool, and the quality of the evidence for the outcome indicators was evaluated by GRADE system.Results:A total of 24 articles were included, 7 of the AMSTAR 2 quality evaluation results were low-level, and the remaining 17 were all very low-level. The main defects were the lack of preliminary study design scheme, incomplete search strategy, no list of excluded literature, and no report of included research funding sources, etc. Only 1 of the outcome indicators was classified as high quality, 7 were classified as intermediate, and the rest were low or very low quality.Conclusions:Methodological quality and strength of evidence of systematic reviews/meta-analysis on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical intervention for CINV are generally low, and the reliability of research results is poor. It is necessary to design scientific and rigorous high-quality RCTs and systematic reviews to further verify the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions in the future.
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Objective:To re-evaluate the methodological quality, evidence quality and reporting quality of the systematic review and meta analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).Methods:We searched the databases of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, and retrieved the systematic reviews or meta-analysis literatures on the treatment of AECOPD with TCM from the establishment of the database to February 28, 2021. We applied AMSTAR2 scale and GRADE Tools, PRISMA statement to evaluate methodological quality, evidence quality and report quality.Results:A total of 15 systematic reviews were included, including 85 outcome indicators. The evaluation results of AMSTAR2 scale showed that 9 articles were low-quality methodology and 6 articles were very low-quality methodology. The GRADE results showed that the quality of evidence for 23 outcome indicators was moderate, the quality of evidence for 30 outcome indicators was low, and the quality of evidence for 32 outcome indicators was very low. The results of the PRISMA statement showed that the quality of the reporting is relatively adequate.Conclusion:TCM combined with western medicine can improve the clinical efficacy of AECOPD to a certain extent, but the methodological quality of reviews and the quality of evidence are generally low. In the future, researchers should standardize the writing of systematic reviews/meta-analysis, in order to provide clinicians with more authentic and reliable evidence-based evidence.
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Objective:To revaluate the systematic review/meta-analysis on efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for knee osteoarthritis.Methods:We searched CNKI, VIP, WangFang, CBM, PubMed, Cochrane Library databases, Embase, from inception to December 15, 2020, to retrieve systematic reviews and/or meta analyses on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with acupuncture and moxibustion. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted data, used the AMSTAR2 scale to evaluate the methodological quality, and used the GRADE system to grade the quality of evidence.Results:A total of 11 systematic evaluations were included, including 44 outcomes. Methodological evaluation showed that all 11 literatures were of very low quality. The GRADE system evaluation showed that there were 13 intermediate evidences, 12 low evidences, and 19 very low evidences.Conclusion:The results of the existing systematic reviews show that acupuncture and moxibustion have a certain efficacy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, but the methodology and evidence level of the included studies are low, so this conclusion needs to be verified by further high-quality studies.
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The systematic reviews (SRs) of acupuncture published before December 31 of 2020 in PubMed, Cochrane and EMbase databases were searched, and the publication overview of international acupuncture SRs were analyzed. As a result, a total of 717 SRs were included, and the overall number of published SRs showed a fluctuating upward trend. A total of 15 categories of diseases were involved, of which 113 SRs suggested that acupuncture was effective, and 12 SRs did not support acupuncture, and the remaining SRs showed uncertain conclusions. It is suggested that the standard of evidence-based medicine should be adopted to standardize the design of acupuncture trial and improve the level of clinical research; SRs should include high-quality literature that met the standards according to the principles and methods of PRISMA, so as to provide reliable clinical evidence for acupuncture.
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Acupuncture , Acupuncture Therapy , Evidence-Based Medicine , Periodicals as Topic , PubMedABSTRACT
OB JECTIVE To conduct overview of the systematic revi ew（SR）/meta-analysis for the effectiveness and safety of pharmacological interventions for hospitalized neconatal pain ， and to provide evidence-based reference for neonatal pain management. METHODS CNKI，CBM，Wanfang，VIP，PubMed，Embase，the Cochrane Library ，Web of Science ，CINAHL and Google Scholar were searched for SR/meta-analysis of pharmacological interventions for hospitalized neonatal pain. The search period was from Nov. 1st，2016-Nov. 1st，2021. After literature screening and data extraction ，AMSTAR 2 scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included literature ，and GRADE method was used to assess the evidence quality of the outcome of the include d literature . A su mmary analysis was then conducted. RESULTS Totally 36 outcome indexes of 7 SR/ meta-analysis were included. Five studies were of moderate quality，and two were very poor according to AMSTAR 2 scale. GRADE results showed that among 36 outcome indexes，there were 7 moderate-quality indexes （19.44％），low-quality indexes （61.11％），and 7 critically-low-quality indexes （19.44％）. The main reason for downgrading the quality of evidence was impr ecision of results （71.74％）. CONCLUSIONS Opioids c an significantly reduce t he pain score of mechanically ventilated neonates but may increase hypotension. Acetaminophen can significantly reduce pain scores during eye examinations and postoperative morphine consumption with no adverse reaction report. However ，its analgesic effect on procedural pain is less than glucose and sucrose. Lidocaine and prilocaine and tetracaine may relieve venipuncture and lumbar puncture pain but lidocaine and prilocaine may increase the risk of adverse reaction. Clonidine can reduce neonatal mechanical ventilation pain with no adverse reaction report. It is suggested that neonatal pediatricians should use analgesic drugs selectively based on clinical judgment and pain assessment results.
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@#Objective To identify the effectiveness of physical therapy on neuromuscular control dysfunction of chronic ankle instability (CAI). Methods CAI physiotherapy-related systematic reviews, meta-analysis, randomized controlled studies and case-controlled studies were systematically searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, PEDro, EBSCO and CNKI from October 1st, 2010 to October 1st, 2020. After quality assessment, the research evidence regarding certain intervention was then graded according to the Oxford Center for Evidence-based Medicine. Results A total of 20 articles were included. Intervention based on unstable plane exercise training could significantly improve lower limb balance control ability (Ⅰ A) and muscle strength (Ⅱ A) for CAI patients. The efficiency of exercise-based intervention could be further raised (Ⅱ C) with the aid of external equipment, but either the benefits in muscle reaction (Ⅲ C) or proprioception (Ⅱ D) was limited. Six sessions or more of manual therapy could be used to enhance the balance ability of the lower limbs (Ⅱ B), while taping failed to provide improvements in ankle proprioception in short period or immediately (Ⅰ A). Conclusion Unstable plane training-based therapeutic exercise and manual therapy could effectively enhance the neuromuscular control with high-quality evidence supporting, which can be primary interventions for CAI patients. Meanwhile, taping and other external devices could be used as adjunct methods to improve the efficiency of physiotherapy program, while there is currently no evidence to support the application of modality treatment in neuromuscular control of CAI.
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BACKGROUND@#Functional constipation (FC) is one of the most prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorders. Dissatisfaction with medications prescribed to treat FC may lead patients to seek alternative treatments. Numerous systematic reviews (SRs) examining the use of acupuncture to treat FC have reported inconsistent results, and the quality of these studies has not been fully evaluated.@*OBJECTIVE@#In this overview, we evaluated and summarized clinical evidence on the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for treating FC and evaluated the quality and bias of the SRs we reviewed.@*SEARCH STRATEGY@#The search strategy was structured by medical subject headings and search terms such as "acupuncture therapy" and "functional constipation." Electronic searches were conducted in eight databases from their inception to September 2020.@*INCLUSION CRITERIA@#SRs that investigated the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for managing FC were included.@*DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS@#Two authors independently extracted information and appraised the methodology, reporting accuracy, quality of evidence, and risk of bias using the following critical appraisal tools: (1) A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2); (2) Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS); (3) Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses for Acupuncture (PRISMA-A); and (4) the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE). A κ index was used to score the level of agreement between the 2 reviewers.@*RESULTS@#Thirteen SRs that examined the clinical utility of acupuncture for treating FC were identified. Using the AMSTAR 2 tool, we rated 92.3% (12/13) of the SRs as "critically low" confidence and one study as "low" confidence. Using the ROBIS criteria, 38.5% (5/13) of the SRs were considered to have "low risk" of bias. Based on PRISMA-A, 76.9% (10/13) of the SRs had over 70% compliance with reporting standards. The inter-rater agreement was good for AMSTAR 2, ROBIS, and PRISMA-A. Using the GRADE tool, we classified 22.5% (9/40) of the measured outcomes as "moderate" quality, 57.5% (23/40) as "low" quality, and 20.0% (8/40) as "very low" quality. The inter-rater agreement was moderate when using GRADE. Descriptive analyses indicated that acupuncture was more efficacious than sham acupuncture for improving weekly complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) and for raising the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) score. Acupuncture appeared to be superior to anti-constipation drugs for improving weekly spontaneous bowel movements, the total effective rate, and the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life score. Although ten SRs mentioned the occurrence of adverse events, serious adverse events were not associated with acupuncture treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture may be more efficacious than sham acupuncture for improving CSBMs and BSFS scores and may be superior to anti-constipation drugs for improving bowel movement frequency, as well as quality of life. Limitations to current studies and inconsistent evidence suggest a need for more rigorous and methodologically sound SRs to draw definitive conclusions.@*SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION@#PROSPERO CRD42020189173.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Therapy , Constipation/therapy , Quality of Life , Systematic Reviews as TopicABSTRACT
At present, there have been many clinical trials and systematic reviews/Meta-analysis proving the good clinical efficacy of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in the treatment of respiratory diseases, while comprehensive discussion is still required. This article overviews and analyzes the systematic reviews/Meta-analysis of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules to provide evidence support for clinical practice. The systematic reviews/Meta-analysis of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules were searched from CBM, Wanfang, CNKI, VIP, PubMed, EMbase and Cochrane Library. The AMSTAR 2 scale and GRADE system were respectively employed for the evaluation of methodological quality and the grading of evidence quality. Finally, 8 systematic reviews/Meta-analysis published during 2018-2021 were included for analysis. The diseases involved include acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, community-acquired pneumonia, acute tonsillitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and acute upper respiratory tract infection. The number of included RCTs studies ranged from 8 to 25. The results showed that Shufeng Jiedu Capsules combined with western medicine routine had better therapeutic effect than the latter alone in the treatment of the above five diseases. The reported adverse reactions caused by Shufeng Jiedu Capsules were mainly gastrointestinal discomforts such as mild nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting, with low incidence and mild symptoms, which can be relieved by drug withdrawal. The methodological quality of the included studies was extremely low, and the outcome indicators were mainly of low and very low grades. The efficacy and safety of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in the clinical treatment of diseases still need to be verified based on more high-quality studies. The relevant clinical research and systematic review/Meta-analysis should pay more attention to methodological quality and reporting standards and strengthen the scientificity of research.