Bioinformatics and systems biology approach to identify the pathogenetic link of Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global crisis. Although many people recover from COVID-19 infection, they are likely to develop persistent symptoms similar to those of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) after discharge. Those constellations of symptoms persist for months after infection, called Long COVID, which may lead to considerable financial burden and healthcare challenges. However, the mechanisms underlying Long COVID and ME/CFS remain unclear. Methods: We collected the genes associated with Long COVID and ME/CFS in databases by restricted screening conditions and clinical sample datasets with limited filters. The common genes for Long COVID and ME/CFS were finally obtained by taking the intersection. We performed several advanced bioinformatics analyses based on common genes, including gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, transcription factor (TF)-gene interaction network analysis, transcription factor-miRNA co-regulatory network analysis, and candidate drug analysis prediction. Results: We found nine common genes between Long COVID and ME/CFS and gained a piece of detailed information on their biological functions and signaling pathways through enrichment analysis. Five hub proteins (IL-6, IL-1B, CD8A, TP53, and CXCL8) were collected by the PPI network. The TF-gene and TF-miRNA coregulatory networks were demonstrated by NetworkAnalyst. In the end, 10 potential chemical compounds were predicted. Conclusion: This study revealed common gene interaction networks of Long COVID and ME/CFS and predicted potential therapeutic drugs for clinical practice. Our findings help to identify the potential biological mechanism between Long COVID and ME/CFS. However, more laboratory and multicenter evidence is required to explore greater mechanistic insight before clinical application in the future.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of acupoint autohemotherapy and western medicine therapy in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of acupoint autohemotherapy（AA）. METHODS: We collected Controlled Trials that are random of AA plus medicine of the west therapy vs western medicine therapy alone in treating COPD from PubMed, the Cochrane library, EMBASE, CNKI, CBM SinoMed, China Science, and Wanfang Data from database inception to July 1, 2019. Meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: This meta-analysis identified that the combined treatment could enhance the total effective clinical rate, the forced expiratory volume in 1 s（FEV1）and forced vital capacity（FVC），increase the 6-min walking distance，and improve the self-assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease score（CAT）. CONCLUSION: The clinical effects of AA plus medicine of the west therapy are better than that of western medicine alone in treating COPD. However, due to the small number and poor quality of the included RCTs，this conclusion needs to be verified with larger samples and higher quality RCTs.

A prioritization regimen of the acupuncture treatment for simple obesity: Protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with simple obesity suffer from poor quality of life, as well as high risk of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular accidents. Lots of Clinical trials suggested that acupuncture is beneficial for simple obesity, and it aims to gather solid evidence in order to provide reliable reference in establishing guidelines for acupuncture treatment of simple obesity in this study. METHODS: Relevant databases including Cochrane Library, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline University Resource Center, Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure will be retrieved from January 1950 to November 2018. Two authors will screen studies independently according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and extract the data in a form of sheet. Quality evaluations and bias risk assessments will be performed for the methodology of included studies. Dichotomous data will be analyzed using odds ratio (OR), and continuous data using mean differences. Network meta-analysis will be conducted by using Stata 14.0. The Development and Evaluation approach will be used to rate the certainty of the evidence of estimates derived from meta-analysis. The primary outcome is body mass index (BMI), and the secondary outcomes are triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, effective rate, adverse effects, and recurrence rate. Trial registration number is CRD42019117387. RESULTS: Based on current evidence, this review will rank the efficacy and safety of the various acupuncture regimen in decreasing BMI, triglycerides, total cholesterol of patients with simple obesity, and to summarize a prioritization regimen. CONCLUSION: This evidence may be useful for clinicians, patients, and guideline-makers to select the optimum proposal of acupuncture for the simple obesity treatment.

Efficacy and safety of acupoint autohemotherapy in treating stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a clinically common chronic disease with the characteristic of recurrent attacks, difficulty of cure and high morbidity, disability, death rates. COPD exerts a great burden on patients, families and society. Acupoint Autohemotherapy (AA) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment by taking the patient's own venous blood and injecting them at acupoints, combined with the continuous stimulation of blood and the specific efficacy of the acupoint itself. It has been proved to be useful in pulmonary treatment and rehabilitation of COPD patients. However, the efficacy of AA on COPD patients has not been fully statistically evaluated. In this study, we aim to systematically examine the efficacy and safety of AA for COPD patients. METHODS: Data from all English and Chinese databases, including Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, China Biomedical Literature Database and Chongqing VIP information, will be used to conduct a systematic and comprehensive literature search. The range of date is from inception to July 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to AA and western medicine in the treatment of COPD will be included. Quality of included trials will be assessed according to the risk of bias tool of Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0. The GRADE approach will be used to rate the certainty of the evidence of estimates derived from meta-analysis. RevMan 5.3 will be used for data synthesis, sensitivity analysis, meta-regression analysis, subgroup analysis and risk of bias assessment. A funnel plot will be developed to evaluate reporting bias, and Begg and Egger tests will be used to assess funnel plot symmetries. Grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation system will be utilized to assess the quality of evidence. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to summarize the direct and indirect outcomes for AA and western medicine on COPD patients and evaluate its efficacy and safety. The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal once completed. CONCLUSION: The systematic review will provide evidence to assess the efficacy and safety of AA and western medicine in the treatment of COPD patients. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019137189.