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Background: To systematically summarize the evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in tinnitus treatment, we assessed the methodological quality, reporting quality, and evidence quality of systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) of acupuncture in the treatment of tinnitus. Methods: From inception to March 2022, we conducted a detailed and comprehensive search of eight electronic databases in Chinese and English. The Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) were used to assess methodological quality, reporting quality and evidence quality for inclusion in SRs/MAs, respectively. Results: Fourteen published SRs/MAs met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Eleven studies reported that acupuncture was effective in treating tinnitus, and three studies reported that no firm conclusions could be drawn about the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating tinnitus. The results of the AMSTAR-2 assessment showed that the methodological quality of the included studies was relatively low in general, with one being moderate quality and the rest being very low quality. The PRISMA checklist evaluation results showed that no studies fully report checklists, with protocol registration and search strategies being the main reporting weaknesses. The GRADE assessment showed that no results were high-quality evidence, 17 results were moderate-quality evidence, 25 results were low-quality evidence, and 12 results were very low-quality evidence. Conclusion: Acupuncture seems to be a positive and effective treatment for tinnitus. However, the methodological quality and quality of evidence for SRs/MAs in the included studies were generally low, and this result must be viewed with caution. Therefore, more high-quality, large-scale, multi-center randomized controlled trials are needed in the future to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of tinnitus.
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Background: Tao-He-Cheng-Qi Formula (THCQF) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been proven to have antitumor effects. The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular targets and mechanisms of THCQF against colon cancer and construct a prognostic model based on network pharmacology, bioinformatics analysis, and in vitro experiments. Methods: Potential THCQF compounds and targets were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine databases. Differentially expressed genes for colon cancer were screened in The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. The anticolon cancer mechanisms of THCQF were explored using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Molecular docking simulations and molecular dynamics analysis were used to evaluate the binding between target proteins and active compounds. Finally, the identified compounds were used to treat colon cancer cells from the HCT116 cell line, and expression of mRNA and protein after relevant posttreatment were tested using real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Results: A total of 27 anticolon cancer targets of THCQF were selected, among which four genes (CCNB1, CCNA2, IL1A, and MMP3) were shown to effectively predict patient outcomes in a prognostic colon cancer model. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that the activity against colon cancer of THCQF was associated with the interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-3 signaling pathways. Two compounds in THCQF, aloe emodin (AE) and quercetin (QR), were shown to efficiently bind to cyclin B1, the protein encoded by CCNB1. Finally, incubation of HCT116 cells with AE and QR significantly decreased CCNB1 mRNA expression and cyclin B1 levels. Conclusions: Taken together, the results indicate that AE and QR are the pivotal active compounds of THCQF, and CCNB1 is the main molecular target through which THCQF exerts its anticolon cancer effects. The study findings provide insight for studies investigating the anticancer effects of other traditional Chinese medicines.
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PURPOSE: We propose a scoring system for early diagnosis of sleep abnormalities in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) with hypothalamic lesions based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated MRI features of 45 patients with hypothalamic lesions identified from two cohorts. Univariate logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with sleepiness, which were subsequently used to develop a scoring system. Interrater reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Correlations between scores and clinical features were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 48.9% of 45 patients with hypothalamic lesions exhibited sleepiness. The number of involved slices, maximum width/length of hypothalamic lesions, and boundaries extending beyond the hypothalamus were associated with sleepiness (all p < 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of the scoring system were 68.2% and 87.0%, respectively. The ICC values for the maximum width and length measurement of hypothalamic lesions were 0.82 and 0.81, respectively. Daily sleep time and Epworth sleepiness scale scores were positively correlated with MRI-based scores (p < 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69-0.93 and p < 0.05, 95% CI 0.55-0.88, respectively). CONCLUSION: A scoring system based on MRI features was developed to provide diagnosis of sleepiness in NMOSD with hypothalamic lesions earlier than other measures.