Analysis of Clinical Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Recovery Stage of Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: We provide an updated meta-analysis with detailed information on a combination of TCM and routine treatment. METHODS: Retrieve appropriate articles with no language restrictions on keywords until 8 July 2019 in an electronic database. All trajectories are screened according to certain criteria. The quality of certified research was also evaluated. We made a detailed record of the results of the measurement. Meta-analysis was carried out by using the Revman 5.3 software. RESULTS: Sixty-seven RCTs were included, and 6594 subjects were analyzed. Compared with routine treatment, the total effective rate (TER) of TCM combined with routine treatment was improved, and the recovery of stroke was also significantly accelerated. Regulation of blood lipids by notably shrinking the contents of TC, TG, and LDL and enhancing the levels of HDL. The levels of serum hs-CRP, WHV, and WLV decreased significantly, indicating that the expression of thrombomodulin was decreased after the comprehensive treatment of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The combination of TCM treatment could enhance the protection of neural function by decreasing the NIHSS scoring while increasing the BI scoring. Paeoniae Radix Rubra, Angeticae Sinensis Radix, etc., can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of stroke convalescent patients and promote the recovery of neurological function. ACU of Baihui, Renzhong, etc., can improve the clinical rehabilitation effect of patients. However, our findings must be handled with care because of the small sample size and low quality of clinic trials cited. Other rigorous and large-scale RCTs are in need to confirm these results. CONCLUSION: A combination of TCM and routine treatment in the treatment of stroke could improve TER, and it is beneficial to the rehabilitation of patients in the recovery period of apoplexy. These effects can be mediated by a combination of several mechanisms. Nevertheless, due to the limitations of this study, these results should be handled with caution.

Evaluation of the Therapeutic Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative disease of bone and joint characterized by the damage of articular cartilage and hypertonia, which often occurs in the middle-aged and elderly. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy, including acupuncture (ACU), oral administration, and external use of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), can significantly improve the therapeutic effect on OA and reduce the occurrence of side effects. We provide a latest meta-analysis on the treatment of OA with TCM. Materials and Methods: In the electronic database, appropriate articles without language restrictions on keywords were selected until August 1, 2019. All trajectories are screened according to certain criteria. The quality of qualified research was also assessed. We have made a detailed record of the results of the measurement. Meta-analysis was carried out with Revman 5.3 software. Results: Forty-four articles involving 4014 patients (2012 cases in the experimental group and 2002 cases in the control group) with OA were selected. This article focuses on the study of the treatment of OA by using the general mode of TCM. The quality evaluation included in the study was evaluated independently according to the Cochrane intervention system evaluation manual. In this meta-analysis, 68.18% of the literature correctly described the conditions for the generation of random assignment sequences, only 6.82% of the literature correctly mentioned the hidden details of allocation, and all studies mentioned randomly assigned participants. Compared with Western medicine, the total effective rate (TER) of OA treatment in TCM was significantly increased and the recurrence rate (RR) was significantly decreased (P < 0.00001). In addition, the experimental group was also superior to the control group in terms of the indicators of joint activity function, inflammatory factor content, and various indicators affecting bone metabolism. It can be showed by the network analysis diagram that Aconiti Radix, Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix, and other TCMs can inhibit inflammatory stimulation and relieve the pain symptoms of patients with OA. ACU at Yinlingquan, Xiyan, and other acupoints can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients with OA. Conclusion: TCM therapy in treatment of patients with OA could effectively restore joint function, enhance the TER, and reduce RR. However, the results of this study should be handled with care due to the limitations existing. Some rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to confirm these findings.