Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analyses of Integrative Medicine in Chinese Need Regulation and Monitoring Urgently and Some Suggestions for Its Solutions / 中国结合医学杂志

With the introduction and development of evidence-based medicine in China, it has been spread rapidly in the area of integrative medicine (IM) and has become a new unique discipline. During almost 20 years, as one of the most important parts of evidence-based IM, systematic review (SR)/meta-analysis (MA) of IM have shown a good development momentum in the aspects of quantity, depth, breadth and influence, but also face the harsh situation of the uncontrolled quantity and quality, especially for SRs in Chinese. Therefore, how to supervise and standardize this area effectively becomes a problem to be solved. Based on the experience both at home and abroad, the authors put forward several kinds of solutions for laying the foundation for further development such as promoting the registration system of SR/MA of IM, effectively setting up the regulatory platform of quality and quantity, launching professional training for SR/MA reviewers, forming qualification registration, developing the data transfer and sharing platform to realize the transparency of evidence process.

A systematic review regarding the effects of different kinds of selenium supplementations on Kaschin-Beck disease / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To systematically assess the efficacy of different programs regarding the selenium supplementation formulae used for prevention and treatment of Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) in children.Methods PubMed,EMBASE,Cochrane Library,SCI expanded,CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure),VIP (Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database),CBM (The Chinese Biomedical Database),Wanfang Database,CSCD (Chinese Science Citation Database)had been electronically searched.All the searching processes were up-dated to Dec 2012 to identify randomized trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs to compare the selenium supplementation formulae with placebo or with no intervention.Two reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the study design,including RCTs or non-RCTs according to Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions 5.1 or a checklist described by Deeks J J,et al,respectively.Data was extracted independently.Results There were 14 RCTs and 12 non-RCTs papers included,but showing low methodological quality.Data from Meta analysis showed that selenium supplementation had caused the following progresses:radiologic improvement (RR=3.28,95％CI:2.06-5.22),higher hair selenium (SMD=2.05,95％ CI:1.00-3.11) lower new radiologic lesions (OR=0.18,95％ CI:0.09-0.36) than in the placebo or with no treatment groups.Both selenium and vitamin C supplementation did not show differences in radiologic improvement of metaphysis (RR=1.01,95％CI:0.84-1.22).Combination of selenium and vitamin E supplementation showed higher radiologic improvement than the placebo group.Combination of selenium and vitamin C supplementation had no influence on the difference in radiologic improvement or hair selenium than selenium supplementation.Selenium-enriched yeast showed higher radiologic improvement than sodium selenite (70.83％ vs.48.84％,P＜0.05).Selenium fertilization showed higher radiologic improvement than the nontreatment group (RR=3.98,95％ CI:2.25-7.05).Comprehensive intervention program and ‘grain drying approach' also showed certain effects.Conclusion Selenium supplementation could lead to better radiologic improvement and hair selenium,with lower new radiologic lesions.Current evidence supported its benefits on prevention and treatment of KBD.Large sample sized and well-designed trials together with the reporting on adverse outcome remained necessary.

Extending the CONSORT Statement to moxibustion / 中西医结合学报

The STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials Of Moxibustion (STRICTOM), in the form of a checklist and descriptions of checklist items, were designed to improve reporting of moxibustion trials, and thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. The STRICTOM checklist included 7 items and 16 sub-items. These set out reporting guidelines for the moxibustion rationale, details of moxibustion, treatment regimen, other components of treatment, treatment provider background, control and comparator interventions, and precaution measures. In addition, there were descriptions of each item and examples of good reporting. It is intended that the STRICTOM can be used in conjunction with the main CONSORT Statement, extensions for nonpharmacologic treatment and pragmatic trials, and thereby raise the quality of reporting of clinical trials of moxibustion. Further comments will be solicited from the experts of the CONSORT Group, the STRICTA Group, acupuncture and moxibustion societies, and clinical trial authors for optimizing the STRICTOM.

Association of male infertility with (CAG)n polymorphism of the androgen receptor gene: a meta-analysis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the association of male infertility with CAG repeat polymorphism of the androgen receptor (AR) gene by meta-analysis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We identified the case-control studies on the relationship of male infertility with CAG repeats of the AR gene by searching Medline/PubMed and CBM databases, and conducted meta-analysis on the data obtained with the RevMan 4.2 software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Thirty-two eligible articles were selected in this study, including 3,153 idiopathic infertile men and 2,314 controls. The combined data statistics showed that all the infertile men had a significantly higher mean of CAG repeats than the controls (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.17-0.37, P < 0.01). The specific SMD between the infertile patients and controls was 0.29, 95% CI: 0.08-0.50 for the azoospermic men, 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13-0.41 for the moderate oligozoospermic men, and 0.18, 95% CI: 0.02-0.33 for the severe oligozoospermic cases. The results of sensitivity analyses were consistent with those mentioned above.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The increased length of CAG repeats in the AR gene may be correlated with the risk of the impairment of spermatogenesis.</p>

The effects of Diane-35 and metformin in treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome: an updated systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Diane-35 for treating polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and compare it with metformin, either in combination or alone. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Randomized controlled studies applying Diane-35 and metformin for treating PCOS were included. The primary outcome was hirsutism. Authors of primary articles were contacted and methodological quality was evaluated. Subgroups were drawn based on treatment duration and sensitivity analysis was conducted; heterogeneity and bias are discussed. RESULTS: Twelve studies were included. The effect on improving hirsutism was not different between Diane-35 and metformin. Compared with Diane-35, metformin appeared to protect patients against glucose metabolic abnormality with treatment of at least 6 months. Except for triglycerides, no difference in lipid profile existed between Diane-35 and metformin. The evidence that Diane-35 deteriorates lipid and glucose metabolism was insufficient. Diane-35 could result in hypertension and headache. Methodological quality was still the key problem for studies. CONCLUSIONS: Diane-35 is superior to metformin in reducing androgens, but inferior to metformin in reducing insulin. Whether Diane-35 deteriorates lipid metabolism and insulin resistance is still unclear.