Traditional Chinese medicine intervention for autism spectrum disorders: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication, social interaction, and restrictive or repetitive behaviors. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in the clinical management of ASD, especially in mainland China, where studies have shown promising efficacy. However, this remains to be further explored and clarified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of conventional treatment-based TCM interventions for ASD. METHOD: The study will be conducted from January 2022, and the following electronic databases will be searched: China Biological Medicine Database, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, Wan Fang database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, and EMBASE Database. Only randomized controlled trials of TCM interventions for ASD will be included. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale, Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, and Childhood Autism Rating Scale will be the primary outcome indicators. The methodological quality of this Bayesian-based network meta-analysis will be performed using the "Risk of Bias" tool. Stata 14.0 and WinBUGS 1.4.3 will be used to analyze the data. In addition, assessment of heterogeneity, inconsistency, subgroups, sensitivity, and publication bias will be conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration's tools. RESULTS: The results of this study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. CONCLUSION: This study will help patients recover better, provide clinical evidence for practitioners, and promote the use of TCM in ASD interventions.

Pediatric Tuina in children with autism spectrum disorder: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by repetitive stereotypical behavior and communication deficits. Currently, it lacks a specific clinical treatment method. Pediatric Tuina is a recent therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been used to treat children with ASD. Nonetheless, it remains uncommon given the lack of large-scale evidence-based medical studies. This study aims to compare the efficacy of Tuina and conventional treatment in children with ASD. METHODS: Eligible children will be randomly assigned to either the pediatric Tuina plus conventional treatment group or to the conventional treatment alone group based on a random table at a ratio of 1:1. The effectiveness of the Tuina intervention for ASD will be evaluated by a third-party organization. The pre- and post-intervention scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale comprised the primary outcome, whereas pre- and post-intervention scores on the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist were the secondary outcomes to assess improvement in symptoms. Baseline values of the participants will be determined at the time of registration. Outcomes will be evaluated after the 30th treatment session. The follow-up period will last for 6 months after treatment. DISCUSSION: This study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tuina in the treatment of ASD. The results of this study could provide reliable evidence to improve the management of patients with ASD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (CHICTR), ChiCTR2000040452 . Registered on 28 November 2020.

[Acupuncture for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome:a meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the past five years. METHODS: Online databases, including CNKI, VIP, WANFANG, PubMed, CBM, ScienceDirect OnSite, Cochrane Library, etc. were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for diarrhea-predominant IBS. Retrieval time was from January of 2011 to January of 2016. According to modified Jadad standard, the bias risk and quality assessment of each RCT included were evaluated by two researchers. RevMan 5.3 software was adopted for the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Totally 17 RCTs were included with 1 333 patients. The result of meta-analysis indicated the total effective rate of clinical symptoms improvement in the acupuncture group or acupuncture combined with western medicine group was superior to that in the western medicine group (OR=3.92, 95% CI:2.83~5.43, P<0.01), and the funnel plot was basically symmetry. The result of meta-analysis showed 3-month recurrence rate:OR=0.22, 95% CI:0.12~0.41 (P<0.01), indicating the recurrence rate in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the western medicine group in three month. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome is superior to conventional treatment of western medication, which can improve the clinical symptoms and reduce the recurrence rate of patients.

[Discussion on rules of acupoint selection for vascular dementia].

OBJECTIVE: The clinical research literature regarding acupuncture treatment for vascular dementia was reviewed and analyzed to provide the references for clinical selection and compatibility of acupoints. METHODS: With computer and manual retrieval method, the clinical literature regarding acupuncture treatment for vascular dementia in recent 10 years was collected. The acupoint type, meridian and use frequency were analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 38 articles of acupuncture treatment for vascular dementia were screened; the most selected meridians were the governor vessel, gallbladder meridian, stomach meridian and spleen meridian; the main acupoints with frequency of more than 5 times were Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenting (GV 24), Fengchi (SP 40) and Shuigou (GV 26); the matching acupoints with frequency of more than 5 times were Fenglong (ST 40), Zusanli (ST 36), Taichong (LR 3), Taixi (KI 3), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Xuehai (SP 10), Zhongwan (CV 12), Neiguan (PC 6), Fengchi (GB 20). CONCLUSIONS: The rules and characteristics of acupoint selection for vascular dementia were featured with taking the local acupoints at head as main points, combining disease differentiation and syndrome differentiation as clinical principle, valuing local acupoints and distal acupoints, applying various techniques of acupuncture and moxibustion and combing traditional acupuncture manipulation and modern electroacupuncture stimulation.