Efficacy and safety of Xiaofeng powder in the treatment of chronic urticaria: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic urticaria is a group of skin diseases characterized by pruritus and/or vascular oedema and belongs to the category of "addictive rash" in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and its aetiology is closely related to wind evil. Antihistamines are often used in treatment. Although they have certain effects, they also easily cause disease recurrence. Xiaofeng powder treats this disease has a significant effect in improving the disease state and reducing the recurrence rate. However, there is a lack of evidencebased research. This study to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of modified Xiaofeng powder in the treatment of chronic urticaria (CU). METHODS: Computer searches of Chinese databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Scientific Journal Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, and WanFang Date and foreign databases such as PubMed and the Web of Science were performed. We retrieved published clinical randomized controlled trials of Xiaofeng powder in the treatment of CU from the establishment of the databases to November 2023. The data were extracted from clinical trials that met the inclusion criteria of this study, and the quality was evaluated through the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews 5.1.0. Finally, a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 1076 patients were included. The cure rate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI; shown in brackets) were 2.11 [1.45, 3.07]; the total effective rate OR and CI were 2.42 [1.60, 3.68]; the recurrence rate OR and CI were 0.22 [0.15, 0.34]; the adverse reaction rate OR and CI were 0.23 [0.12, 0.45]; and the mean weighted mean difference (MD) and 95% CI (shown in brackets) of itching degree, wind mass size, wind mass number and wind mass duration in symptom and sign integrals were -0.70 [-0.73, 0.67], -0.64 [-0.96, 0.31], , -0.72 [-1.23, 0.22], and -0.68 [-1.13, 0.23], , respectively. CONCLUSION: The clinical efficacy of modified Xiaofeng powder in the treatment of CU is better than that of antihistamine drugs, with lower adverse reaction and recurrence rates and higher safety. However, the quality of clinical research included is relatively low, and findings need to be confirmed by high-quality research.

Alzheimer disease effects of different stages on intestinal flora: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a common degenerative disease of the central nervous system that can be divided into 3 stages, according to the degree of cognitive impairment. The clinical manifestations are cognitive dysfunction and memory loss, impacting the daily activities of the affected individuals. In recent years, studies have demonstrated a relationship between intestinal flora and AD. However, no meta-analysis has documented the correlation between AD and intestinal flora, to the best of our knowledge. Herein, we sought to assess the correlation between different stages of AD and intestinal flora. A systematic and comprehensive understanding of this relationship is of great significance for developing prevention and treatment strategies against AD. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the medical literature in Chinese and English language was performed in databases, such as PubMed, EBSCO, CNKI, web of science, WanFang, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases. Pre-defined search strategies were used to retrieve clinical studies of Alzheimer disease and gut microbiota. The included studies were independently analyzed by the 2 researchers who extracted the data. The quality of the data was evaluated according to the "Cochrane system evaluator manual." Finally, Endnote and RevMan software were used for systematic regression and meta-analysis of evidence. RESULTS: We documented the intestinal flora changes in the 3 stages of Alzheimer disease, according to currently available clinical evidence, and revealed the correlation between the abundance and diversity of flora and treatment efficacy. These findings are essential for developing new strategies for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer disease. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2021100093. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Since all data utilized in this systematic review and meta-analysis are published, ethical approval was not needed.

Network meta-analysis of 6 kinds of Chinese patent medicines combined with mifepristone in the treatment of uterine fibroids: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Uterine fibroids are benign. They belong to the category of "abdominal mass" in traditional Chinese medicine, and pathogenesis is mainly caused by weakness of the body, qi stagnation, and blood stasis. Drug therapy is the preferred treatment of uterine fibroids in clinical practice, and mifepristone is the most commonly used drug. In the past decade, a large number of clinical randomized controlled trials have proven that Chinese patent medicine combined with mifepristone in the treatment of uterine fibroids has a better curative effect, fewer adverse reactions, and higher safety than mifepristone alone. However, there is a lack of evidence-based research. This study aims to integrate clinical data through network meta-analysis to provide more evidence-based medical evidence for clinical medication. METHODS: The comprehensive search included Chinese and other-language databases, such as MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, China Scientific Journal Database, and China Biomedical Literature Database. Clinical randomized controlled trials of 6 Chinese patent medicines combined with mifepristone for the treatment of uterine fibroids, including Guizhi Fuling Capsule, Gongliuxiao Capsule, Gongliuqing Capsule, Danbie Capsule, Gongliuning Capsule, and Xiaojiean Capsule were retrieved. The search period was from January 2010 to April 2021. Two researchers screened the literature through EndNote and used Excel to extract data. RevMan 5.3 was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. Treatment measures were analyzed in R language, and a forest map and probability ranking map of various interventions were drawn. The network evidence map and correction comparison funnel map of various interventions were drawn by STATA 14.0 software. RESULTS: This study provides the clinical efficacy and safety of network meta-analysis of 6 kinds of Chinese patent medicines combined with mifepristone in the treatment of uterine fibroids will be systematically evaluated or descriptively analyzed. CONCLUSION: This study's purpose is to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of uterine fibroids to choose more effective intervention therapies.