Objective To assess the benefits and harms of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods We electronically searched MEDLINE (1966-2003), EMBASE (1974-2003), Controlled Trials Register and The National Research Register, The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2003, CBM disc, VIP, CNKI, and CMCC. We also handsearched some related journals. The search was conducted in Nov., 2003. The quality of included randomized controlled trials was evaluated and meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 4.2.2. Results We identified 33 studies including 2 337 patients and 27 traditional Chinese medicines. Some traditional Chinese medicines alone or integrated Chinese and Western medicine may be effective for improving patients’ bone mineral density, serum oestradiol and serum calcium. For example, Compared with placebo, Bushen Yigu soft extraction with WMD 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.65 to 0.87, Bushen Qianggu capsule with WMD 39.94, 95% confidence interval 35.12 to 44.76 were effective for improving the level of serum oestradiol.There were no confirmed results of the other traditional Chinese medicines because of the small number of studies or inconsistent conclusions among studies. We didn’t find obvious side effects. Conclusions Some traditional Chinese medicines may be effective for treating postmenopausal osteoporosis. Due to the limited evidence identified, we can not draw a firm conclusion. More randomised controlled trials of high quality are needed for ber evidence.
Objective To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of Shuxuetong in the treatment of cerebral infarction. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from MEDLINE (1996 to Feb. 2006), EMBASE (1984 to Dec. 2005), Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Issue 4, 2005), Chinese Cochrane Centre Database, CBMdisc (1978 to Dec. 2005). We handsearched the related published and unpublished data and their references. All trials about Shuxuetong injection for cerebral infarction were included. Data were extracted and evaluated by two reviewers independently with designed extraction form. RevMan 4.2.8 software was used for data analysis. Results Eleven RCTs involving 1 122 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis were listed as follows: ① Total effective rate: Compared with Danshen, three studies showed that Shuxuetong were more effective with OR 4.01, 95%CI 2.00 to 8.04; ② Adverse effect: The number of adverse drug reaction was small and the symptoms were moderate; ③ Neurologic impairment score: Compared with safflower, one study showed that Shuxuetong had better improvement with WMD -2.60, 95%CI -3.23 to -1.97. Conclusions Shuxuetong may increase the total effective rate of cerebral infarction. More high quality trials are required.
The clinical practice guideline on traditional Chinese medicine alone or combined with antibiotics for patients with acute upper respiratory infection in children was issued by China Association of Chinese Medicine in June 2017. Base on the evidence, consensus and experience, five manage groups, steering committee, consensus expert group, systematic review group, drafting group and secretary group, have promoted the project. The main work process refers to up-to-date clinical practice guideline definitions of institute of medicine and quick recommendations guide of guidelines international network and WHO. In order to provide readers with a better understanding of the guideline, the drafting process of guideline principle, main work process, and basis policy were described in detail in this paper. The guidelines’ scientific characteristics, accuracy and practicability were better exhibited in attempt to enhance its promotion and application.
Randomized controlled trials are considered as the gold standard for determining the causality, and are usually used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of medical interventions. However, in some cases it is not feasible to conduct a randomized controlled trial. In recent years, a framework called “target trial emulation study” has been formally established to guide the design and analysis of observational studies based on real-world data. This framework provides an effective method for causal inference based on observational studies. In order to facilitate domestic scholars to understand and apply the framework to solve related clinical problems, this article introduces it from the basic concept, framework structure and implementation steps, development status, and prospects.
In recent years, the number of randomized controlled trials using cohorts and routinely collected data (e.g., electronic health records, administrative databases, and health registries) has increased. Such trials can ease the challenges of conducting research and save cost and time. Accordingly, to standardize such trials and increase the transparency and completeness of research reports, an international panel of experts developed the CONSORT-ROUTINE (2021) reporting guideline. The reporting guideline was published in 2021 in the BMJ. To help understand and formally apply the reporting guideline and improve the overall quality of this type of study, the present paper introduced and interpreted the development process and reporting checklist of the CONSORT-ROUTINE.
Comorbidity is a prominent public health problem in the elderly population. To carry out research on the comorbidity of the elderly is not only an important breakthrough to realize the national strategy of actively responding to the aging population, but also a vivid practice of earnestly implementing the "Healthy China" and other action programs. Based on the major public health issues of elderly comorbidity, this paper lists the main contents and methods of elderly comorbidity research from the perspective of secondary research and empirical research, and holds that this field contains both the profound thought of "holistic concept" and the advanced idea of "integrative medicine". At the same time, under the background of the new era, the gradual deepening of the research in this field may give birth to a brand-new discipline - geriatric comorbidity.
Statistical graph is an indispensable part of scientific papers. It is helpful to promote the communication, dissemination, and application of academic achievements by presenting research results intuitively and accurately through standardized and beautiful visual graphs. The safety of a medical intervention is the basic premise of its clinical application, and randomized controlled trial (RCT) as an important design to determine the efficacy and safety of medical interventions, it is extremely important to accurately present the information on the safety outcomes of interventions found therein. However, the research found that the reports of RCTs didn’t adequately use visual graphs to present harms data. In order to promote clinical researchers to better use visual graphs to present harms data, international scholars recently published a consensus study in BMJ, which identified and recommended 10 statistical graphs for presenting harms data in RCTs. In order to facilitate domestic scholars to understand and apply the consensus, this article interprets the consensus and recommendations, and it is expected to provide help for improving the quality of harms visualization in domestic papers of RCTs.
It is very important to develop and revise expert panel consensus on Chinese patent medical clinical application. The contents of the expert panel consensus include determination of the subject, clarity of the application scope, indications, dosage and administration, and safety of Chinese patent medicine. In the process, clinical researchers establish project team, formulate clinical management questions, select the outcome index, retrieve and make the evidence, and develop expert consensus with consensus methods strictly according to the requirements of methodology.