Clinical efficacy of Jingyin granules, a Chinese patent medicine, in treating patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019

Effectiveness of Lianhua Qingwen Granule and Jingyin Gubiao Prescription in Omicron BA.2 Infection and Hospitalization: A Real-World Study of 56,244 Cases in Shanghai, China

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effectiveness of Chinese medicine (CM) Lianhua Qingwen Granule (LHQW) and Jingyin Gubiao Prescription (JYGB) in asymptomatic or mild patients with Omicron infection in the shelter hospital.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted in the largest shelter hospital in Shanghai, China, from April 10, 2022 to May 30, 2022. A total of 56,244 asymptomatic and mild Omicron cases were included and divided into 4 groups, i.e., non-administration group (23,702 cases), LHQW group (11,576 cases), JYGB group (12,112 cases), and dual combination of LHQW and JYGB group (8,854 cases). The length of stay (LOS) in the hospital was used to assess the effectiveness of LHQW and JYGB treatment on Omicron infection.

RESULTS

Patients aged 41-60 years, with nadir threshold cycle (CT) value of N gene <25, or those fully vaccinated preferred to receive CM therapy. Before or after propensity score matching (PSM), the multiple linear regression showed that LHQW and JYGB treatment were independent influence factors of LOS (both P<0.001). After PSM, there were significant differences in LOS between the LHQW/JYGB combination and the other groups (P<0.01). The results of factorial design ANOVA proved that the LHQW/JYGB combination therapy synergistically shortened LOS (P=0.032).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with a nadir CT value <25 were more likely to accept CM. The LHQW/JYGB combination therapy could shorten the LOS of Omicron-infected individuals in an isolated environment.

The efficacy of herbal medicines on the length of stay and negative conversion time/rate outcomes in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review

Introduction

In recent years, diverse initiatives have been carried out to control the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from measures restricting social activities to analyzing drugs and vaccines. Studies on herbal medicines are also increasingly conducted in various countries as an adjuvant therapy or supplement. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to investigate the efficacy of herbal medicines analyzed from various countries through clinical trials with the randomized controlled trial method. The outcomes of Length of Stay (LOS), Negative Conversion Time (NCT), and Negative Conversion Rate (NCR) were the main focus.

Methods

An extensive review of literature spanning from 2019 to 2023 was carried out using well-known databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane. The search included relevant keywords such as "randomized controlled trial," "COVID-19," and "herbal medicine."

Results

A total of 8 articles were part of the inclusion criteria with outcomes of LOS, NCT, and NCR. In terms of LOS outcomes, all types of herbal medicines showed significant results, such as Persian Medicine Herbal (PM Herbal), Persian Barley Water (PBW), Jingyin Granules (JY granules), Reduning Injection, and Phyllanthus emblica (Amla). However, only JY granules showed significant results in NCR outcome, while JY granules and Reduning Injection showed significant results in reducing NCT.

Conclusion

These findings enrich our understanding of the potential benefits of herbal medicines in influencing LOS, NCR and NCT parameters in COVID-19 patients. Herbal medicines worked to treat COVID-19 through antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory mechanisms.

Plant-derived compounds as potential leads for new drug development targeting COVID-19

COVID-19, which was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, is a respiratory illness caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although some patients infected with COVID-19 can remain asymptomatic, most experience a range of symptoms that can be mild to severe. Common symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of taste or smell and muscle aches. In severe cases, complications can arise including pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, organ failure and even death, particularly in older adults or individuals with underlying health conditions. Treatments for COVID-19 include remdesivir, which has been authorised for emergency use in some countries, and dexamethasone, a corticosteroid used to reduce inflammation in severe cases. Biological drugs including monoclonal antibodies, such as casirivimab and imdevimab, have also been authorised for emergency use in certain situations. While these treatments have improved the outcome for many patients, there is still an urgent need for new treatments. Medicinal plants have long served as a valuable source of new drug leads and may serve as a valuable resource in the development of COVID-19 treatments due to their broad-spectrum antiviral activity. To date, various medicinal plant extracts have been studied for their cellular and molecular interactions, with some demonstrating anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro. This review explores the evaluation and potential therapeutic applications of these plants against SARS-CoV-2. This review summarises the latest evidence on the activity of different plant extracts and their isolated bioactive compounds against SARS-CoV-2, with a focus on the application of plant-derived compounds in animal models and in human studies.

Efficacy and Safety of Huashi Baidu Granules in Treating Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Huashi Baidu Granules (HSBD) in treating patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant.

METHODS

A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted during COVID-19 Omicron epidemic in the Mobile Cabin Hospital of Shanghai New International Expo Center from April 1st to May 23rd, 2022. All COVID-19 patients with asymptomatic or mild infection were assigned to the treatment group (HSBD users) and the control group (non-HSBD users). After propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio, 496 HSBD users of treatment group were matched by propensity score to 496 non-HSBD users. Patients in the treatment group were administrated HSBD (5 g/bag) orally for 1 bag twice a day for 7 consecutive days. Patients in the control group received standard care and routine treatment. The primary outcomes were the negative conversion time of nucleic acid and negative conversion rate at day 7. Secondary outcomes included the hospitalized days, the time of the first nucleic acid negative conversion, and new-onset symptoms in asymptomatic patients. Adverse events (AEs) that occurred during the study were recorded. Further subgroup analysis was conducted in vaccinated (378 HSBD users and 390 non-HSBD users) and unvaccinated patients (118 HSBD users and 106 non-HSBD users).

RESULTS

The median negative conversion time of nucleic acid in the treatment group was significantly shortened than the control group [3 days (IQR: 2-5 days) vs. 5 days (IQR: 4-6 days); P<0.01]. The negative conversion rate of nucleic acid in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group at day 7 (91.73% vs. 86.90%, P=0.014). Compared with the control group, the hospitalized days in the treatment group were significantly reduced [10 days (IQR: 8-11 days) vs. 11 days (IQR: 10.25-12 days); P<0.01]. The time of the first nucleic acid negative conversion had significant differences between the treatment and control groups [3 days (IQR: 2-4 days) vs. 5 days (IQR: 4-6 days); P<0.01]. The incidence of new-onset symptoms including cough, pharyngalgia, expectoration and fever in the treatment group were lower than the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In the vaccinated patients, the median negative conversion time and hospitalized days were significantly shorter than the control group after HSDB treatment [3 days (IQR: 2-5 days) vs. 5 days (IQR: 4-6 days), P<0.01; 10 days (IQR: 8-11 days) vs. 11 days (IQR: 10-12 days), P<0.01]. In the unvaccinated patients, HSBD treatment efficiently shorten the median negative conversion time and hospitalized days [4 days (IQR: 2-6 days) vs. 5 days (IQR: 4-7 days), P<0.01; 10.5 days (IQR: 8.75-11 days) vs. 11.0 days (IQR: 10.75-13 days); P<0.01]. No serious AEs were reported during the study.

CONCLUSION

HSBD treatment significantly shortened the negative conversion time of nuclear acid, the length of hospitalization, and the time of the first nucleic acid negative conversion in patients infected with SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant (Trial registry No. ChiCTR2200060472).

Effects of genus Epimedium in the treatment of osteoarthritis and relevant signaling pathways

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative joint disease in clinical practice with a high prevalence, especially in the elderly. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that OA belongs to the category of "Bi syndrome" and the "bone Bi syndrome". The etiology and pathogenesis lie in the deficiency of the liver and kidney, the deficiency of Qi and blood, and external exposure to wind, cold, and dampness. Epimedium is a yang-reinforcing herb in TCM, which can tonify the liver and kidney, strengthen muscles and bones, dispel wind, cold and dampness, and can treat both the symptoms and the root cause of "bone Bi syndrome". In addition, Epimedium contains a large number of ingredients. Through modern science and technology, more than 270 compounds have been found in Epimedium, among which flavonoids are the main active ingredients. Therefore, our study will review the effects and mechanisms of genus Epimedium in treating OA from two aspects: (1) Introduction of Epimedium and its main active ingredients; (2) Effects of Epimedium and its active ingredients in treating OA and relevant signaling pathways, in order to provide more ideas for OA treatment.

Efficacy analysis and research progress of complementary and alternative medicines in the adjuvant treatment of COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted human lifestyles around the world, causing huge distress in terms of public health systems, emergency response capacity and economic development. The causative agent of COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is associated with respiratory involvement, cardiovascular-related diseases, and ultimately causes multiple organ failure and death in severely affected individuals. Thus, effective prevention or early treatment of COVID-19 is critical. An effective vaccine offers a way out of the pandemic for governments, the scientific community and people worldwide, but we still lack effective drug therapies, including treatments for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. This had led to a high global demand for many complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). Moreover, many healthcare providers are now requesting information about CAMs that prevent, relieve, or treat the symptoms of COVID-19 and even alleviate vaccine-related side effects. Experts and scholars must therefore become familiar with the use of CAMs in COVID-19, current research directions and effectiveness of CAMs for COVID-19. This narrative review updates the current status and research worldwide on the use of CAMs for COVID-19. The review provides reliable evidence on theoretical viewpoints and therapeutic efficacies of CAM combinations, and evidence in support of the therapeutic strategy of Taiwan Chingguan Erhau (NRICM102) against moderate-to-severe novel coronavirus infectious disease in Taiwan.