Efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine combined with Silibinin on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with Silibinin in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are still inconclusive. This meta-analysis intends to evaluation to explore the clinical efficacy and quality assessment of traditional Chinese medicine in combination with Silymarin in the treatment of NAFLD, aiming to aims to provide evidence-based data analysis for researchers and clinical practitioners involved in TCM research for NAFLD, with the hope of facilitating wider adoption and application. METHODS: In this meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP and CBM databases from the establishment of the databases to Oct 2023. The study proposed to include studies that reported combination of TCM with Silibinin and Silibinin alone in the treatment of NAFLD, excluding studies for which full text was not available or for which data extraction was not possible; studies using animal studies; reviews and systematic reviews. All data were processed by STATA15.1 statistical software. RESULTS: 16 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this meta-analysis. The sample size ranged from 48 to 120, with a total of 1335 patients, including 669 in the Combined treatment group and 384 in the Silibinin group. The findings indicated that the total effective rate of combined treatment group was significantly higher than that of Silibinin alone. Levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) of combined treatment group were all significantly lower than that of western medicine alone. Additionally, after treating NAFLD with a combination of TCM and Silibinin, the TCM syndrome score were significantly lower than those observed with Silibinin alone. CONCLUSION: Traditional Chinese medicine in conjunction with Silibinin capsules has shown significant efficacy in the treatment of NAFLD, improving clinical symptoms, blood lipid levels, and liver function. Furthermore, it is essential to engage in multi-omics research, investigate iron death, and explore the gut microbiota as potential observational indicators for the diagnosis and inclusion criteria. Conducting more high-quality clinical experiments is necessary to further validate these findings.

Effect of fire needle combined with traditional Chinese medicine on psoriasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of action of fire acupuncture and Chinese medicine in psoriasis is unclear. In this paper, the efficacy of the 2 therapies was compared through a comprehensive analysis of their recurrence rates for clinical reference. METHODS: In this meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP, and CBM data from the establishment of the databases to May 2023. The study proposed to use randomized controlled trial research methods, excluding published literature, unpublished literature, literature with incomplete or inadequate information, animal experiments, literature reviews and systematic studies. Data were processed using STATA 15.1 software. RESULTS: Our group previous study found that the clinical efficacy of the fire-acupuncture group was significantly improved compared to that of Chinese herbal medicine alone (RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.13-1.27). Also, there were significant reductions in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score (SMD = -1.04,95% CI: -1.48 to -0.60), area of skin damage (SMD = -0.40,95% CI: -0.75 to -0.04), and pruritus (SMD = -1.04,95% CI: -1.32 to -0.76). Our previous study found that Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was significantly lower in the fire acupuncture group compared to herbal medicine alone (SMD = -1.61,95% CI: -3.08 to -0.15). The combined analysis found that the recurrence rate was significantly lower in the fire-acupuncture group compared to herbal medicine alone (RR = 0.21,95% CI:0.07-0.60). CONCLUSION: Fire needle can improve the efficacy of TCM in the treatment of psoriasis, including the area, severity and itching of skin lesions, and reduce the recurrence rate, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Kinesitherapy for Knee Osteoarthritis Patients Physical and Psychological Health Based on "Traditional Chinese Exercise" Management Modalities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Traditional Chinese exercise ("TCE" management modalities), including but not limited to Tai Chi, Baduanjin, and Yijinjing, has a good effect on improving the physical function of patients with knee osteoarthritis, but less attention has been paid to the impact on the psychological health of patients, and currently there is insufficient evidence to support it. We conducted this study to provide a systematic synthesis of best evidence regarding the physical and mental health of patients with knee osteoarthritis treated by traditional Chinese exercise. Literature on the effectiveness of traditional Chinese exercise (Tai Chi, Baduanjin, Yijinjing, Qigong, etc.) versus conventional therapy (muscle-strength training of the lower extremity and aerobic training, wellness education, quadriceps strengthening exercises, etc.) on Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), visual analog scale (VAS), Short Form-36 (SF-36), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) from Pubmed, Web of Science, Ovid Technologies, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, and SinoMed were collected from their inception to April 2022. Thirty-three studies with 2621 cases were included in this study. The study's results indicated that compared with conventional therapy, traditional Chinese exercise had more advantages on patients' WOMAC score, significantly reducing patients' overall WOMAC score (SMD = -0.99; 95% CI: -1.38, -0.60; p < 0.00001) and relieving pain (SMD = -0.76; 95% CI: -1.11, -0.40; p < 0.0001) in patients with KOA. It also has advantages over conventional therapy in improving mental component score (MCS) (SMD = 0.32; 95% CI: -0.00, 0.65; p = 0.05) and physical component score (PCS) (SMD = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.62; p = 0.02). Compared with conventional therapy, traditional Chinese exercise can significantly reduce the effect on timed up and go test (TUG) score (SMD = -0.30; 95% CI: -0.50, -0.11; p = 0.002), beck depression inventory (DBI) score (SMD = -0.62; 95% CI: -1.03, -0.22; p = 0.002), and increase the impact on Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score (SMD = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.83; p < 0.00001). The findings of this study indicated that traditional Chinese exercise improved body function and mental health in patients with knee osteoarthritis significantly. More high-quality clinical evidence-based data was needed to confirm the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese exercise on the physical and mental health in KOA patients.

Efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine combined with acupuncture in the treatment of chronic urticaria: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing studies have shown that Chinese medicine combined with acupuncture has a significant effect on chronic urticaria, which can treat both symptoms and root causes. This meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy and safety differences between acupuncture combined with conventional Western medicine, so as to provide guidance for the clinical treatment of chronic urticaria. METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP, and CBM from the establishment of the database to August 2021. We included randomized controlled trial study that the experimental group was acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine, while the control group was treated with conventional Western medicine. We excluded repeated publication, researches without full text, incomplete information, or inability to conduct data extraction and animal experiments, reviews, and systematic reviews. STATA 15.1 was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The pooled results show that total effective rate of acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine group was significantly higher than that in the conventional Western medicine group (ratio rate [RR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-1.38). Additionally, the pooled results show that Urticaria Activity Score (standardized mean difference = -1.51, 95% CI: -2.24 to -0.78) and pruritus score (standardized mean difference = -1.09, 95% CI: -1.71 to -0.47) of acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine group was significantly lower than that in conventional Western medicine group, while there is no significant difference in wheal score between acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine group and conventional Western medicine group. Importantly, the pooled results show that recurrence rate (RR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19-0.64) and the incidence of adverse events (RR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10-0.75) of acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine group were all significantly lower than that in conventional Western medicine group. CONCLUSION: Our research results found that traditional Chinese medicine combined with acupuncture has a more significant effect than conventional Western medicine and can significantly reduce the recurrence rate and the incidence of adverse reactions. The application of traditional Chinese medicine combined with acupuncture in the treatment of chronic urticaria should be further promoted.

Effects of Tuina on newborns with jaundice: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The impact of Tuina on neonatal jaundice is not yet comprehensively understood, and its clinical application is rather limited. This study systematically assessed the relevant literature and conducted a meta-analysis to study the influence of Tuina on neonatal jaundice and provide convincing clinical evidence for promoting its clinical application. METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP, and CBM from the establishment of the database up to July 2021. Studies that are randomized controlled trials were included. However, duplicate publications; manuscripts with no full text, incomplete information, or inability to extract data; animal experiments; and reviews and systematic reviews were excluded. STATA 15.1 was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The pooled results showed that compared with the treatment of neonatal jaundice solely with blue light, Tuina combined with blue light significantly improved the total effective rate and frequency of defecation on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and significantly decreased the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score; the third serum total bilirubin on days 3, 4, and 7; and duration of jaundice. Moreover, the incidence of adverse events in neonatal jaundice treated with Tuina combined with blue light was significantly lower than that with blue light alone. CONCLUSION: Tuina combined with blue light for treating neonatal jaundice can increase the effect of clinical treatment and reduce the adverse events caused by blue light therapy. Thus, the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine Tuina in neonatal jaundice should be further promoted.

Acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are still controversies between the curative effect of acupuncture combined with cupping therapy and western medicine for post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Our meta-analysis fully incorporates the research of acupuncture combined with cupping therapy versus Western medicine for PHN, aiming to explore the difference in the efficacy of the 2 therapies, so as to provide guidance for clinical treatment. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP, CBM, from establishment of the database to September, 2020. Include studies that are clearly defined as PHN or herpes zoster, and exclude duplicate publications; studies with no full text, incomplete information, or inability to extract data; the definition of exposure is quite different from most literature; animal experiments. RESULTS: The total effective rate (relative ratio [RR] = 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-1.31) and the rate of remarkable effect (RR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.30-1.63) of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping in the treatment of PHN were significantly higher than that of conventional western medicine. The visual analogue scale score of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping for PHN was significantly lower than that of conventional western medicine treatment (WMD = -1.77, 95% CI [-2.79, -0.75]). In addition, acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping therapy significantly reduced the occurrence of PHN compared with conventional western medicine treatment after treatment of acute herpes zoster (RR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.20-0.45). In order to explore the differences in the efficacy and preventive effects of different types of acupuncture and cupping therapy, we have further conducted a subgroup analysis. CONCLUSION: The effect of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping in the treatment of PHN is significantly higher than that of conventional western medicine, and it can significantly prevent the occurrence of PHN. Chinese medicine should be used more widely in the treatment of PHN.