Effect of Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Tang on sleep disturbances in menopausal women

Nutritional interventions in treating menopause-related sleep disturbances: a systematic review

CONTEXT

Sleep disturbances are a core symptom of menopause, which refers to the permanent cessation of menstrual periods. Nutritional interventions may alleviate menopause-related sleep disturbances, as studies have shown that certain interventions (eg, tart cherry juice, or tryptophan-rich foods) can improve relevant aspects of sleep.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review was to examine the effect of nutritional interventions for menopause-related sleep disturbances, in order to inform the subsequent development of specific interventional trials and assess their potential as a treatment for menopause-related sleep disturbances.

DATA SOURCES

Published studies in English were located by searching PubMed and PsycArticles databases (until September 15, 2022).

DATA EXTRACTION

Following full-text review, a final total of 59 articles were included. The search protocol was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.

DATA ANALYSIS

A total of 37 studies reported that a nutritional intervention improved some aspect of sleep, and 22 studies observed no benefit. Most (n = 24) studies recruited postmenopausal women, 18 recruited menopausal women, 3 recruited perimenopausal women, and 14 recruited women from multiple groups. The majority of the studies were of low methodological quality. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies, a narrative synthesis without meta-analysis is reported.

CONCLUSION

Despite the large heterogeneity in the studies and choice of intervention, the majority of the identified studies reported that a nutritional intervention did benefit sleep, and that it is mainly subjective sleep that is improved. More high-quality, adequately powered, randomized controlled trials of the identified nutritional interventions are necessary.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration no. CRD42021262367.

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma: The popular occurrence of herbal medicine applied in classical prescriptions

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma is a well-known herbal medicine with a wide range of pharmacological functions that has been used throughout Chinese history. This review presents a comprehensive introduction to this herb and its classical prescriptions. The article discusses the resources and distribution of species, methods of authentication and determination chemical composition, quality control of the original plants and herbal medicines, dosages use, common classical prescriptions, indications, and relevant mechanisms of the active content. Pharmacokinetic parameters, toxicity tests, clinical trials, and patent applications are discussed. The review will provide a good starting point for the research and development of classical prescriptions to develop herbal medicines for clinical use.

Recovery of a patient with severe COVID-19 by acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine adjuvant to standard care

There is currently no drug or therapy that can cure the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is highly contagious and can be life-threatening in severe cases. Therefore, seeking potential effective therapies is an urgent task. An older female at the Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China, with a severe case of COVID-19 with significant shortness of breath and decrease in peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂), was treated using manual acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine granule formula Fuzheng Rescue Lung with Xuebijing Injection in addition to standard care. The patient’s breath rate, SpO₂, heart rate, ratio of neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR), ratio of monocyte/lymphocyte (MLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and chest computed tomography were monitored. Acupuncture significantly improved the patient’s breathing function, increased SpO₂, and decreased her heart rate. Chinese herbal medicine might make the effect of acupuncture more stable; the use of herbal medicine also seemed to accelerate the absorption of lung infection lesions when its dosage was increased. The combination of acupuncture and herbs decreased NLR from 14.14 to 5.83, MLR from 1.15 to 0.33 and CRP from 15.25 to 6.01 mg/L. These results indicate that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, as adjuvants to standard care, might achieve better results in treating severe cases of COVID-19.

Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli decoction for insomnia: A protocol for a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Insomnia is a prevalent and bothersome disorder of sleep initiation and maintenance. Although efficacious treatments for insomnia have been available for decades, they all have their own limitations. Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Decoction (GGLMD), a popular complementary and alternative therapy, has been widely applied to treat insomnia in some Asian countries for centuries. Yet no systematic reviews have comprehensively assessed the efficacy and safety of GGLMD as a treatment for insomnia.

METHODS

A comprehensive search up to November, 2019 will be conducted in the following electronic databases: the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), the Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and the Wanfang Database. The primary outcomes will be sleep quality including Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and polysomnography (PSG). Stata 15 will be used for data analysis as well.

RESULTS

This study will provide the current evidence of insomnia treated with GGLMD from the several points including PSQI and PSG.

CONCLUSION

The consequence of this summary will furnish proof to evaluate if GGLMD is effective in the treatment of insomnia.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Without personal information involved, ethical approval and informed consent form is no need. The review will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal prospectively to spread our findings.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42018118336.