Radix Sophorae flavescentis versus other drugs or herbs for chronic hepatitis B

Reporting Quality of Oral TCM Systematic Reviews Based on the PRISMA Harms Checklist from 2013 to 2020

Background

Systematic reviews focusing on the effectiveness of different kinds of healthcare interventions have been widely published, but there were few guidelines for reporting safety concerns before 2016. The PRISMA harms checklist, which was published in 2016, can standardize reporting quality.

Objectives

To evaluate the safety information reporting quality of oral traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in systematic reviews before and after the PRISMA harms checklist was published and to explore factors associated with better reporting.

Methods

We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase to identify all systematic reviews using oral TCM as interventions published before (from 2013 to 2015) and after (from 2017 to 2020) the PRISMA harms checklist was published. We used the PRISMA harms checklist to assess the quality of reporting of the safety information to included systematic reviews.

Results

In total, 200 systematic reviews were sampled from eligible studies published between 2013 and 2020. Reviews from 2016 were excluded. Scores on the PRISMA harms checklist (23 items) ranged from 0 to 12. A systematic reviews published after 2016 had better reporting quality compared with studies published before 2016 with regard to the title (P=0.03), results of individual studies (P=0.016), and risk of bias across studies (P=0.043). In all included systematic reviews of our study, the state conclusion in coherence with review findings was reported adequately with the proportion of adherence at 95%; other items had a reporting proportion ranging from 0% to 57%. The four essential reporting items of the PRISMA harms checklist also had a low reporting quality ranging from 0% to 4%.

Conclusions

Oral TCM systematic reviews reported inadequate safety information before and after the PRISMA harms checklist was published. This survey suggested that the PRISMA harms checklist should be recommended more to both original research and systematic review authors.

Mitochondrial Targeting Therapeutics: Promising Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, and its prevalence is still growing rapidly. However, the efficient therapies for this liver disease are still limited. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been proven to be closely associated with NAFLD. The mitochondrial injury caused reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and oxidative stress can aggravate the hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. which contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of NAFLD. Therefore, pharmacological therapies that target mitochondria could be a promising way for the NAFLD intervention. Recently, natural products targeting mitochondria have been extensively studied and have shown promising pharmacological activity. In this review, the recent research progress on therapeutic effects of natural-product-derived compounds that target mitochondria and combat NAFLD was summarized, aiming to provide new potential therapeutic lead compounds and reference for the innovative drug development and clinical treatment of NAFLD.

Properties of Ethnomedicinal Plants and Their Bioactive Compounds: Possible Use for COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the global scenario. To date, there are no treatment or preventive options. The discovery of a new drug will take time. In addition, the new drug will have side effects, and the virus will gradually become resistant to it. Therefore, it is important to search for a drug with a natural origin.

OBJECTIVE

In this review, we analyzed and summarized various ethnomedicinal plants and their bioactive compounds as a source of antiviral agents for COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

METHODS

From the literature, we selected different natural compounds that can act as potential targets at low cost with broad-spectrum antiviral activity.

RESULTS

Of the 200 Chinese herbal extracts tested for their possible role against SARS-CoV, Lycoris radiata, Artemisia annua, Pyrrosia lingua, and Lindera aggregate showed anti-SARS-CoV effects with the median effective concentration = 2.4-88.2 μg/mL.

CONCLUSION

Ethnomedicinal herbs can be used as an alternative source of novel, promising antiviral agents that might directly or indirectly inhibit the COVID-19 progression.