The use of Panax notoginseng saponins injections after intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: As a bioactive metabolite preparation widely used in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), the efficacy and safety of Panax notoginseng saponins injections (PNSI) in patients with AIS after intravenous thrombolysis remain to be evaluated. Methods: This study included randomized controlled trials published before 26 April 2024 in 8 databases. AIS patients who received intravenous thrombolysis were included. The control group receiving conventional treatment and the treatment group receiving additional PNSI. Primary outcomes were selected as mortality, disability, and adverse events. Secondary outcomes were selected as all-cause mortality, improvement of neurological deficit, quality of life, and cerebral injury indicators. The revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess risk of bias. Risk ratio (RR) and mean differences (MD) were calculated for binary variables and continuous variables, respectively, based on a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 20 trials involving 1,856 participants were included. None of them reported mortality or disability. There was no significant difference in the adverse events [RR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.60 to 1.81] and hemorrhagic transformation [RR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.36 to 2.70] between the two groups. Compared to the control group, the treatment group had a better effect in neurological improvement assessed by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [MD: -2.91; 95% CI: -4.76 to -1.06], a better effect in activities of daily living changes in Barthel Index [MD: 9.37; 95% CI: 1.86 to 16.88], and a lower serum neuron-specific enolase level [MD: -2.08; 95% CI: -2.67 to -1.49]. Conclusion: For AIS patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis, the use of PNSI improved neurological deficits and enhanced activity of daily living in the short term without increasing the occurrence rate of adverse events. However, due to the moderate to very low certainty of evidence, it is advisable to conduct high-quality clinical trials to validate the findings of this study. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=466851, Identifier CRD42023466851.

Efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract in the treatment of unstable angina pectoris: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ginkgo biloba is a traditional Chinese medicine extracted from the Ginkgophyta and is commonly used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in China. Clinical trials have demonstrated the clinical benefits of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) preparations for patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP). AIM OF THE STUDY: The efficacy of different GBE preparations in treating UAP may vary, leading to a lack of guidance for physicians when choosing GBE preparations. How to make choices among different GBE preparations is a topic worthy of investigation. In order to clarify the efficacy differences among different GBE preparations, provide a reference for their optimal use conditions, this study was conducted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included literature from eight databases from inception to November 2023. It included UAP patients, with the control group receiving conventional treatment and the treatment group receiving different GBE preparations in addition to conventional treatment. Angina efficacy, electrocardiogram (ECG) improvement, and frequency of angina were chosen as outcomes. This study employed a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis, and the surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) curve was used for estimating the efficacy ranking. RESULTS: A total of 98 studies involving 9513 patients and 9 interventions were included. Compared with conventional treatment, GBE preparations combined with conventional treatment had better efficacy in angina symptoms and ECG improvement. According to the SUCRA ranking, Shuxuening injection was most effective in improving angina symptoms and reducing the frequency of angina. Among oral GBE preparations, Ginkgo tablets had the best performance in improving angina symptoms and ECG manifestations, and reducing the frequency of angina. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the treatment group and the control group, and all adverse events were mild and self-limiting. Compared with oral preparations, the incidence of adverse events for injections was higher. CONCLUSIONS: GBE preparations may alleviate angina symptoms and myocardial ischemia in the treatment of UAP with favorable safety. Shuxuening injection may be the most effective among all GBE preparations in improving angina symptoms, while Ginkgo tablets may perform best among oral formulations. The optimal use of GBE injection may be for rapidly alleviating angina symptoms and myocardial ischemia in patients with UAP, and oral formulation of GBE may be more suitable for the long-term treatment of patients with milder symptoms. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022361487, ID: CRD42022361487.

[Summary and evaluation of randomized controlled trial on Chinese patent medicine in treatment of diabetic foot ulcer].

This study systematically collected, analyzed, and evaluated randomized controlled trial(RCT) in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer(DFU). The aim as provide references for future studies and to enhance the application of clinical evidence. The RCT of DFU treated with Chinese Patent Medicine was obtained and analyzed using the AI-Clinical Evidence Database of Chinese Patent Medicine(AICED-CPM). The analysis was supplemented with data from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. A total of 275 RCTs meeting the requirements were retrieved, with only 7 of them having a sample size of 200 or more. These trials involved 66 different Chinese patent medicine including 25 oral medications, 24 Chinese herbal injections, and 17 external drugs. Among the 33 different intervention/control designs identified, the most common design was Chinese patent medicine + conventional treatment vs conventional treatment(86 cases, 31.27%). Out of the 275 articles included in the literature, 50 did not provide information on the specific course of treatment(18.18%). A total of 10 counting indicators(with a frequency of 426) and 36 measuring indicators(with a frequency of 962) were utilized. The methodological quality of the RCT for the treatment of DFU with Chinese patent medicine was found to be low, with deficiencies in blind methods, other bias factors, study registration, and sample size estimation. There were noticeable shortcomings in the reporting of allocation hiding and implementation bias(blind method application). More studies should prioritize trial registration, program design, and strict quality control during implementation to provide valuable data for clinical practice and serve as a reference for future investigations.

Polyphenol-mediated defect patching of graphene oxide membranes for sulfonamide contaminants removal and fouling control.

Graphene oxide (GO)-based laminar membranes are promising candidates for next-generation nanofiltration membranes because of their theoretically frictionless nanochannels. However, nonuniform stacking during the filtration process and the inherent swelling of GO nanosheets generate horizontal and vertical defects, leading to a low selectivity and susceptibility to pore blockage. Herein, both types of defects are simultaneously patching by utilizing tannic acid and FeⅢ. Tannic acid first partially reduced the upper GO framework, and then coordinated with FeⅢ to form a metal-polyphenol network covering horizontal defects. Due to the enhanced steric hindrance, the resulting membrane exhibited a two-fold increase in sulfonamide contaminants exclusion compared to the pristine GO membrane. A non-significant reduction in permeance was observed. In terms of fouling control, shielding defects significantly alleviated the irreversible pore blockage of the membrane. Additionally, the hydrophilic metal-polyphenol network weakened the adhesion force between the membrane and foulants, thereby improving the reversibility of fouling in the cleaning stage. This work opens up a new way to develop GO-based membranes with enhanced separation performance and antifouling ability.

Traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic prediction model for holistic syndrome differentiation based on deep learning.

Background: With the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome knowledge accumulation and artificial intelligence (AI), this study proposes a holistic TCM syndrome differentiation model for the classification prediction of multiple TCM syndromes based on deep learning and accelerates the construction of modern foundational TCM equipment. Methods: We searched publicly available TCM guidelines and textbooks for expert knowledge and validated these sources using ten-fold cross-validation. Based on the BERT and CNN models, with the classification constraints from TCM holistic syndrome differentiation, the TCM-BERT-CNN model was constructed, which completes the end-to-end TCM holistic syndrome text classification task through symptom input and syndrome output. We assessed the performance of the model using precision, recall, and F1 scores as evaluation metrics. Results: The TCM-BERT-CNN model had a higher precision (0.926), recall (0.9238), and F1 score (0.9247) than the BERT, TextCNN, LSTM RNN, and LSTM ATTENTION models and achieved superior results in model performance and predictive classification of most TCM syndromes. Symptom feature visualization demonstrated that the TCM-BERT-CNN model can effectively identify the correlation and characteristics of symptoms in different syndromes with a strong correlation, which conforms to the diagnostic characteristics of TCM syndromes. Conclusions: The TCM-BERT-CNN model proposed in this study is in accordance with the TCM diagnostic characteristics of holistic syndrome differentiation and can effectively complete diagnostic prediction tasks for various TCM syndromes. The results of this study provide new insights into the development of deep learning models for holistic syndrome differentiation in TCM.

Expert consensus on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of common symptoms of post-COVID-19 short-term condition.

A proportion of patients who recovered from COVID-19 have ongoing, recurrent, or new symptoms with negative nucleic acid/antigen test results, which has become a new public health problem that needs to be concerned. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown its unique advantages in preventing, treating, and rehabilitating COVID-19. To further standardize clinician's clinical diagnosis and use of TCM for the treatment of common symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection following negative nucleic acid/antigen results, the front-line clinical experts were invited for discussion on the concepts, etiology, clinical manifestations of post-COVID-19 condition, and on treatment with TCM to form the consensus. Clinicians of TCM, Western medicine, or integration of both can use this consensus document for clinical practice and research purposes.

Safety and efficacy of steerable versus non-steerable sheaths for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: With the development of radiofrequency (RF) ablation technology. In recent years, more and more patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have been treated with RF ablation. Steerable sheaths (SS) have been widely used in RF ablation of AF. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of AF ablation using SS and non-steerable sheaths (NSS). METHODS: From the beginning to March 2022, we conducted a comprehensive, systematic search of the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library to finish the study. For categorical and continuous data, we used ORs and mean difference to calculate the effect. We also estimated the 95% CI. RESULTS: Five studies of RF ablation of AF were selected, three prospective and two retrospective, involving 282 SS and 236 NSS ablation patients. The rate of recurrence of AF or atrial arrhythmias was 27.3% versus 42.8% (OR: 0.52, 95% CI 0.36, 0.76, z=3.41, p=0.0006) and acute pulmonary vein (PV) reconnection (8.7% vs 17.4%, OR: 0.47, 95% CI 0.23, 0.95, z=2.10, p=0.04). In the SS group and the NSS group, the total ablation time (p=0.25), fluoroscopy time (p=0.26) and total operative time (p=0.35) were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the use of NSS, the use of SS for RF ablation of AF can effectively reduce the recurrence rate of AF and the occurrence of acute PVs reconnection events. However, there is no advantage in shortening the total RF time, fluoroscopy time, total surgical time and reducing complications.

The role and advantage of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a massive impact on global social and economic development and human health. By combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with modern medicine, the Chinese government has protected public health by supporting all phases of COVID-19 prevention and treatment, including community prevention, clinical treatment, control of disease progression, and promotion of recovery. Modern medicine focuses on viruses, while TCM focuses on differential diagnosis of patterns associated with viral infection of the body and recommends the use of TCM decoctions for differential treatment. This differential diagnosis and treatment approach, with its profoundly empirical nature and holistic view, endows TCM with an accessibility advantage and high application value for dealing with COVID-19. Here, we summarize the advantage of and evidence for TCM use in COVID-19 prevention and treatment to draw attention to the scientific value and accessibility advantage of TCM and to promote the use of TCM in response to public health emergencies. Please cite this article as: Huang M, Liu YY, Xiong K, Yang FW, Jin XY, Wang ZQ, Zhang JH, Zhang BL. The role and advantage of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(5): 407-412.

Association of serum PCSK9 levels with platelet function in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) regulates low-density lipoprotein (LDL) homeostasis and plays a key role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The cardioprotective effect of PCSK9 inhibition extends beyond LDL cholesterol reduction, involving regulation of platelet function by not yet unraveled mechanisms. Oxidized-LDL (ox-LDL) is increased during ACS and induces platelet activation via binding to platelet surface. We will evaluate serum PCSK9 and its correlation with platelet reactivity and platelet-ox-LDL binding in Chinese ACS patients. METHOD AND DESIGN: In this pilot cross-sectional study, we will enroll 115 Chinese participants aged 30 to 75 years with ACS. Blood sample will be obtained after the first maintenance dose of aspirin and clopidogrel during morning time. Serum PCSK9 will be measured by an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. Platelet reactivity will be assessed by; Platelet activation (P-selectin and GPIIbIIIa expression using flow cytometry) and; Platelet aggregation using light transmission aggregometry in response to various stimuli. On-treatment platelet reactivity is measured by adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation. Binding of ox-LDL to platelet will be evaluated by flow cytometry. Spearman correlations will be used to determine association of serum PCSK9 with platelet functional parameters and platelet-ox-LDL binding. Additionally, continuous PCSK9 levels will be categorized into tertiles of equal size to investigate its association with on-treatment platelet reactivity. DISCUSSION: This study will reveal possible relationship between serum PCSK9 and platelet reactivity in the setting of ACS which may shed light on therapeutic potential in platelet inhibition by targeting PCSK9. The study will also explore the association of serum PCSK9 and platelet-ox-LDL binding, an important mechanism for platelet-LDL interplay, to provide mechanistic insight into PCSK9-mediated regulation of platelet reactivity.

Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Honghua Injection in the Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease Angina Pectoris.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of honghua injection combined with western medicine in the treatment of coronary heart disease angina pectoris. Methods: Computer extensively searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China Biomedical Archives (SinoMed), China Knowledge Network (CNKI), Chinese Journal Full-text Database (VIP), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang), and collected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of honghua injection combined with western medicine in the treatment of coronary heart disease angina pectoris. Use Review Manager5.3 software for meta-analysis. Results: 21 RCTs were included, involving 1894 participants. Meta-analysis shows that honghua injection combined with western medicine can significantly improve the clinical efficacy (OR = 4.03, 95% CI[2.96,5.49]), electrocardiographic efficacy (OR = 3.39, 95%CI[2.44, 4.70]), can significantly reduce total cholesterol (TC) levels (MD = -0.39, 95% CI[-0.47, -0.31]), triacylglycerol (TG) levels (MD = -0.45, 95% CI[-0.51, -0.39]), increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (MD = 0.29,95%CI[0.26,0.32]), reduce low-density lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (MD = -0.59, 95%CI[-0.79, -0.38]). Five articles reported adverse reactions. Conclusion: Honghua injection combined with western medicine is more effective than western medicine alone in patients with coronary heart disease angina pectoris. More multicenter, large sample, high-quality RCTs are needed to provide evidence.

[Systematic evaluation on efficacy and safety of Gingko Ketone Ester Dropping Pills in treatment of angina pectoris and coronary heart disease].

To systemically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Gingko Ketone Ester Dropping Pills in treating angina pectoris and co-ronary heart disease. CNKI, Wanfang, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMbase databases were retrieved on computer, and the randomized clinical trial(RCT) on Gingko Ketone Ester Dropping Pills in treating angina pectoris and coronary heart disease, which were published from the database establishment to December 31, 2019, were comprehensively collected. Literature screening, data extraction and quality evaluation were conducted independently by two researchers according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Literature methodology quality evaluation was conducted with use of the Cochrane Handbook 5.3.0(bias risk assessment tool). Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3.0 software. A total of 10 RCTs were included. The results of the Meta-analysis showed that as compared with conventional Western medicine alone, the application of Gingko Ketone Ester Dropping Pills combined with conventional Western medicine treatment further improved the total effective rate and electrocardiogram effect(RR=1.43,95%CI[1.20,1.71],P<0.000 1). There were statistically significant differences in the number of angina attacks, the duration of angina and the amount of nitroglycerin used. In terms of safety indicators, four studies reported adverse reactions in the experimental group, including facial flu-shing, tachycardia, dizziness, dyspnea, nausea and other symptoms. Based on the existing findings, in the treatment of angina pectoris and coronary heart disease, Gingko Ketone Ester Dropping Pills combined with conventional Western medicine can improve the clinical total effective rate, electrocardiogram effect, number of angina attacks, duration of angina and the amount of nitroglycerin used. However, in the included studies, due to some methodological quality problems which would impact the reliability of literature results more high-quality randomized controlled trials are still needed for further verification.

[Differential analysis of different study types in clinical safety evaluation of Xuebijing Injection].

This study aimed to comprehensively analyze and compare the differences of different clinical study types currently published in the safety evaluation of Xuebijing Injection. Six databases, namely the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang database, were electronically retrieved to collect all types of studies on the safety of Xuebijing Injection, including randomized controlled trials, case-controlled studies, cohort studies, systematic reviews, and centralized monitoring studies of clinical safety(hospital), in order to comprehensively and objectively evaluate the safety of Xuebijing Injection, and analyze the differences of different research results. A total of 211 literatures were included, involving a total of 46 384 patients treated with Xuebijing Injection, and 423 adverse reactions(ADRs) occurred. They included 191 randomized controlled trials, 3 cohort studies, 15 systematic reviews, and 2 centralized monitoring studies of clinical safety(hospital), and the incidence of adverse reactions was 2.54%(common), 2.31%(common), 0.95%(occasionally), and 0.50%(occasionally). More than half of the 423 cases of ADRs occurred in skin and adnexal system(151 cases) and gastrointestinal system(65 cases), including such manifestations as rash, skin itching, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea. The degree of ADRs was mild. Randomized controlled trials showed that the incidence of ADR was the highest when Xuebijing Injection was used for malignant tumor and multiple organ failure. And the systematic evaluation showed that the incidence of ADR was the highest when Xuebijing Injection was used for spontaneous peritonitis of liver cirrhosis. In conclusion, different study types could lead to significant differences in the results of drug safety evaluation. Sample size, study type, and quality control are the main factors for biased results. Due to large sample size and high-quality, centralized monitoring studies become the better clinical safety evaluation model of drugs at present, and full life cycle management could more objectively reflect drug safety and guide clinical rational drug use.

[Systematic review of efficacy and safety of Compound Danshen Injection combined with Western medicine in treatment of vascular dementia].

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Compound Danshen Injection combined with Western medicine in the treatment of vascular dementia. Databases of Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, SinoMed, VIP, Wanfang Data were electronically retrieved for collecting randomized controlled trial(RCT)about vascular dementia treated with Western medicine alone or combined with Compound Danshen Injection from the year of database establishment to January 2020. Two researchers independently screened out li-teratures, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias for inclusion in the study. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. A total of 5 RCTs were included, involving 588 patients, with 299 in treatment group and 289 in control group. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with Western medicine alone, Compound Danshen Injection combined with Western medicine was better in the effective rate(RR=1.23,95%CI[1.14,1.33],P<0.000 01), MMSE score(MD=3.54,95%CI[3.01,4.06],P<0.000 01), ADL score(MD=11.49,95%CI[8.05,14.93],P<0.000 01), the level of CRP(MD=-0.72,95%CI[-1.25,-0.20],P=0.007) and the level of IL-6(MD=-7.64,95%CI[-9.65,-5.63],P<0.000 01). Adverse reactions mainly included rash and skin prick, which did not affect the treatment effect. Based on the findings, the combination of Compound Danshen Injection in the treatment of vascular dementia could improve the effective rates, relieve the mental state damage and improve the daily living ability, with mild adverse reactions and a low incidence. However, due to the low quality of the included literatures, high-quality and large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed for further verification.

Evidence for the medicinal value of Squama Manitis (pangolin scale): A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Squama Manitis (pangolin scale) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. However, its efficacy has not been systematically reviewed. This review aims to fill the gap. METHODS: We searched six electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), WanFang Database and SinoMed from inception to May 1, 2020. Search terms included "pangolin", "Squama Manitis", "Manis crassicaudata", "Manis javanica", "Malayan pangolins", "Manis pentadactyla", "Ling Li", "Chuan Shan Jia", "Shan Jia", "Pao Jia Zhu", "Jia Pian" and "Pao Shan Jia". The Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) assessment tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) were used to evaluate the risk of bias of the included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case control studies (CCSs). RESULTS: After screening, 15 articles that met the inclusion criteria were finally included. There were 4 randomized controlled trials, 1 case control study, 3 case series and 7 case reports. A total of 15 different diseases were reported in these studies, thus the data could not be merged to generate powerful results. Two RCTs suggested that Squama Manitis combined with herbal decoction or antibiotics could bring additional benifit for treating postpartum hypogalactia and mesenteric lymphadenitis. However, this result was not reliable due to low methodological quality and irrational outcomes. The other two RCTs generated negative results. All the non-RCTs did not add any valuable evidence to the efficacy of Squama Manitis beacause of small samples, incomplete records, non-standardized outcome detection. In general, currently available evidence cannot support the clinical use of Squama Manitis. CONCLUSION: There is no reliable evidence that Squama Manitis has special medicinal value. The removal of Squama Manitis from Pharmacopoeia is rational.

Prostate cancer: a risk factor for COVID-19 in males?: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 is now a global pandemic. Although there are very few studies describing the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients with prostate cancer, these patients are likely to be more susceptible to COVID-19 than healthy people because of their immunosuppressed state. However, there is no evidence that prostate cancer is a risk factor for COVID-19. METHODS: We searched the Wanfang database, the China Science Journal Citation Report (VIP database), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Web of Science, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library for studies related to the topic. We designed a standardized data extraction sheet and used Epidata software 3.1 for data extraction. In accordance with the Cochrane 5.1.0 standard, both a quality assessment and a risk assessment were carried out for the research meeting the inclusion criteria. The data were analyzed using Revman 5.3 and Stata 13.0 software. RESULTS: The study integrated existing research findings and a meta-analysis of the data to investigate the prevalence of prostate cancer in males infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the adverse clinical outcomes in male patients with or without COVID-19. CONCLUSION: The results of this research may provide a basis for judging if prostate cancer is a risk factor for males infected with SARS-CoV-2, and the findings can effectively help to prevent COVID-19 in patients with prostate cancer. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required for this systematic review as it will involve the collection and analysis of secondary data. The results of the review will be reported in international peer-reviewed journals PRORPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER:: CRD42020194071.

Bibliometric analysis of researches on traditional Chinese medicine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a worldwide pandemic, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played an important role in response. We aimed to analyze the published literature on TCM for COVID-19, and provide reference for later research. METHODS: This study searched the CBM, CNKI, PubMed, and EMBASE from its establishment to March 11, 2020. VOSviewer 1.6.11 and gCLUTO 2.0 software were used to visually analyze the included studies. RESULTS: A total of 309 studies were included, including 61 journals, 1441 authors, 277 institutions, and 27 provinces. Research collaborations among regions were among those close in geographical distance. The collaborations of institutions and authors were more likely to be restricted to the same region. Among the authors with frequency greater than two (65 authors), only 19 authors had connection with others. More than 70% (358/491) of keywords were only presented once, and 20 keywords were shown more than 10 times. Five research topics were identified: Data mining method based analysis on the medication law of Chinese medicine in prevention and management of COVID-19; exploration of active compounds of Chinese medicine for COVID-19 treatment based on network pharmacology and molecular docking; expert consensus and interpretation of COVID-19 treatment; research on the etiology and pathogenesis of COVID-19; and clinical research of TCM for COVID-19 treatment. CONCLUSION: The research hotspots were scattered, and the collaboration between authors and institutions needed to be further strengthened. To improve the quality and efficiency of research output, the integration of scientific research and resources, as well as scientific collaboration are needed.

Chinese medical drugs for coronavirus disease 2019: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Integration of Chinese medical drugs (CMD) and western medicine (WM) has been widely used in the treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CMD for COVID-19. METHOD: A literature search was performed in six databases from injection to June 2020. Both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs were considered as eligible. The quality of included RCTs were assessed by Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and Review Manager 5.3 software was used to do meta-analysis. RESULT: Eleven studies with 1259 patients were included in this study. CMD included herbal decoction and Chinese patent medicine. The methodological quality was evaluated as generally unclear. The results of meta-analysis showed that the integration of CMD and WM had better efficacy than WM in number of patients turned to severe and critical type (RR = 0.47, 95% CI=[0.32, 0.69], P < 0.0001), length of hospital stay (MD= -7.95, 95% CI=[-14.66, -1.24], P = 0.02), defervescence time (MD= -1.20, 95% CI=[-2.03, -0.38], P = 0.004), cough resolution rate (RR = 1.37, 95% CI=[1.15, 1.64], P = 0.0004), fatigue resolution rate (RR = 1.37, 95% CI=[1.02, 1.83], P = 0.04), and tachypnea resolution rate (RR = 2.20, 95% CI=[1.11, 4.39], P = 0.02). As for safety, there was no significant difference between two groups. CONCLUSION: CMD may bring potential benefit to patients suffered from COVID-19. However, the quality of included trials is not good enough. High quality study with core outcome set are still required.

[Research advancement: overview of system reviews of traditional Chinese medicine].

Currently, the quantity of clinic research, Meta-analysis and overview of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) were advanced annually. The secondary researches can support to more evidential reference for clinic decision, policy design etc. Meanwhile, the need of expedite and valuable evidence was increasingly. This study was collected published overview of system review of TCM by CNKI, WanFang, VIP, SinoMed, PudMed, Cochrane Library and Ovid database. The characteristic data extraction were included: title, type of literature, author and nationality, published year, quantity of subject, quantity of original documents included, Chinese and English databases searched, type of disease, intervention, study result(positive/negative), adverse reaction, quality assessment tool, study limitation, level of evidence etc. Base these data above, to summarize the overview of system reviews of TCM by bibliometrics and overview analysis.

Core Outcome Set for Clinical Trials on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COS-COVID).

Since its outbreak in December 2019, a series of clinical trials on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been registered or carried out. However, the significant heterogeneity and less critical outcomes of such trials may be leading to a waste of research resources. This study aimed to develop a core outcome set (COS) for clinical trials on COVID-19 in order to tackle the outcome issues. The study was conducted according to the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) Handbook: Version 1.0, a guideline for COS development. A research group was set up that included experts in respiratory and critical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), evidence-based medicine, clinical pharmacology, and statistics, in addition to medical journal editors. Clinical trial registry websites (www.chictr.org.cn and clinicaltrials.gov) were searched to retrieve clinical trial protocols and outcomes in order to form an outcome pool. A total of 78 clinical trial protocols on COVID-19 were included and 259 outcomes were collected. After standardization, 132 outcomes were identified within seven different categories, of which 58 were selected to develop a preliminary outcome list for further consensus. After two rounds of Delphi survey and one consensus meeting, the most important outcomes for the different clinical classifications of COVID-19 were identified and determined to constitute the COS for clinical trials on COVID-19 (COS-COVID). The COS-COVID includes one outcome for the mild type (time to 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negativity), four outcomes for the ordinary type (length of hospital stay, composite events, score of clinical symptoms, and time to 2019-nCoV RT-PCR negativity), five outcomes for the severe type (composite events, length of hospital stay, arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), duration of mechanical ventilation, and time to 2019-nCoV RT-PCR negativity), one outcome for critical type (all-cause mortality), and one outcome for rehabilitation period (pulmonary function). The COS-COVID is currently the most valuable and practical clinical outcome set for the evaluation of intervention effect, and is useful for evidence assessment and decision-making. With a deepening understanding of COVID-19 and application feedback, the COS-COVID should be continuously updated.