Scientometric analysis of researches on Tai Chi and health promotion based on literatures from 1991 to 2021.

BACKGROUND: Although there are a growing number of studies on Tai Chi and health promotion, only a few have conducted analysis from the perspective of bibliometrics and scientometrics. This paper aimed to analyze bibliographic data of Tai Chi practices and health promotion in the past 30 years from the perspective of scientometrics. METHODS: In total, 1,936 relevant articles were downloaded from the Core Collection of Web of Science [WoS; Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)] and analyzed using CiteSpace V. RESULTS: China had the highest number of published articles, followed by the USA and Australia, and the vast majority of influential authors were from the USA. Most journals publishing papers on Tai Chi research were those concerned with geriatrics gerontology, sport sciences, and integrative complementary medicine. Our analysis indicated that studies on Tai Chi and health promotion could be divided into 4 knowledge groups: preventing falls in older adults, promotion of physical fitness, promotion of psychological well-being, and chronic disease intervention. Effects of Tai Chi on cognitive function are emerging trends in this field. Furthermore, topics of high-quality trials, advanced technologies, mechanistic research, and translation should be carefully considered in future research. CONCLUSIONS: This study may provide potentially valuable information for academics in the field of Tai Chi research, and give meaningful guidance and suggestions for future studies.

Efficacy and Safety of Gegen Qinlian Decoction for Pediatric Diarrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Gegen Qinlian decoction in the treatment of pediatric diarrhea. Methods: A search for relevant RCTs was performed from which a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. This meta-analysis was registered at INPLASY (reference number ID: INPLASY202180105). Results: (1) Eleven trials involving 1126 patients were included in the meta-analysis. (2) Two trials recorded the adverse events. (3) The meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, the experimental group has a significantly shorter duration of diarrhea in children (MD = -18.64, 95% CI (-23.76, -13.52), P < 0.00001), duration of fever (MD = -19.43, 95% CI (-25.76, -13.11), P < 0.00001), duration of vomiting [MD = -22.51, 95% CI (-29.92, -15.09), P < 0.00001], duration of correcting dehydration (MD = -23.35, 95% CI (-35.48, -11.22), P=0.0002), and the effective rate (OR = 4.64, 95% CI (3.12, 6.90), P < 0.00001). Conclusion: There were significant differences in the clinical efficacy in the treatment of pediatric diarrhea between the experimental and control groups. Thus, Gegen Qinlian decoction may have certain advantages in the treatment of pediatric diarrhea. In addition, we conclude the following: (1) the application of Gegen Qinlian decoction to treat this disease is recommended for >5 days. (2) We recommend conducting multicenter RCTs to avoid the impact of regional differences on the results. (3) We recommend using the unmodified Gegen Qinlian decoction, which may have better efficacy.

Effects of Zhishi Daozhi Decoction on the intestinal flora of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease mice induced by a high-fat diet.

Background and aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common type of chronic liver disease with a high incidence, and the situation is not optimistic. Intestinal flora imbalance is strongly correlated with NAFLD pathogenesis. Zhishi Daozhi Decoction (ZDD) is a water decoction of the herbs used in the classical Chinese medicine prescription Zhishi Daozhi Pills. Zhishi Daozhi Pills has shown promising hepatoprotective and hypolipidemic properties, but its specific mechanism remains unclear. Methods: Mice were fed on a high fat-rich diet (HFD) for ten weeks, and then the animals were administrated ZDD through oral gavage for four weeks. The serum liver function and blood lipid indexes of the mice were then tested using an automatic biochemical analyzer. H&E and Oil Red O staining were used to observe the pathological conditions of mice liver tissue, and 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to analyze the changes in intestinal flora of mice. The concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut of mice was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins between ileal mucosal epithelial cells was analyzed using the immunofluorescence technique. Results: ZDD was found to reduce the bodyweight of NAFLD mice, reduce serum TG, CHO, ALT, and AST levels, reduce fat accumulation in liver tissue, make the structure of intestinal flora comparable to the control group, and increase the concentration of intestinal SCFAs. It was also found to increase the expression of TJ proteins such as occludin and ZO-1, making them comparable to the control group. Conclusions: ZDD has a therapeutic effect on NAFLD mice induced by HFD, which may act by optimizing the intestinal flora structure.

Efficacy and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in relieving antibiotic-resistant bacterial diarrhea in children: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infection is an important cause of diarrhea in children, potentially leading to malnutrition, growth and development disorders, and even death. Antibiotic abuse and resistance are widespread problems worldwide, especially in China. We therefore designed a study to evaluate the clinical efficacy and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in alleviating the effects of antibiotic resistance in childhood bacterial diarrhea and enhancing the sensitivity of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial has completed ChiCTR registration. The trial will randomly divide 120 children who meet the inclusion criteria into three groups: experimental group 1 (basic treatment + Gegen Qinlian decoction granules + Erbai drink placebo), experimental group 2 (basic treatment + Erbai drink granules + Gegen Qinlian decoction placebo), and control group (basic treatment + Gegen Qinlian decoction placebo + Erbai drink placebo). The main efficacy indicators will be antibiotic use rate and clinical cure rate, and the secondary efficacy indicators will be time to antibiotic intervention, effective rate, and course of treatment determined after 5 days. The following physical and chemical indicators will be measured: routine blood parameters, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, electrocardiogram, liver and kidney function, electrolytes, routine urinalysis, routine stool analysis, and stool culture (including drug sensitivity). DISCUSSION: The results of this study may provide an objective clinical basis for the use of traditional Chinese medicine in managing antibiotic-resistant bacterial diarrhea in children, formulating relevant guidelines, and demonstrating the use of traditional Chinese medicine for reducing the use of antibiotics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900027915 . Last refreshed on December 4, 2019.

Effectiveness of Bailing capsules in the treatment of lupus nephritis: A meta­analysis.

Previous studies have explored the treatment of lupus nephritis with Bailing capsules; however, due to limited sample sizes and inconsistent results across these studies, no definitive conclusions have been drawn. Thus, the present study aimed to provide evidence for the effectiveness of Bailing capsules in the treatment of lupus nephritis. To obtain relevant clinical studies (published before 20 July 2019), PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were searched, and relevant studies concerning the use of Bailing capsules for treating lupus nephritis were selected. The extracted data were general characteristics such as the first author, publication year, study year, follow­up time, age, sex, course of the disease and a number of outcome indicators. These included systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score, serum albumin (Alb), 24­h urinary protein, serum creatinine, anti­ds­DNAIgM, complement component 3 (C3), and the number of effective treatments and complications. Meta­analysis was performed using R­3.12 software. Publication bias was assessed using Egger's test. A total of 14 studies comprising 1,301 participants were combined for analysis in the present study. The results demonstrated that with the exception of anti­ds­DNAIgM and complement C3, other indicators, such as SLEDAI score, Alb, 24­h urinary protein, serum creatinine, and the number of effective treatments and complications) in the Bailing capsule treatment group were improved compared with those in the control group. The results of the present meta­analysis suggested that Bailing capsules may be effective in the treatment of lupus nephritis.