Who are the users of a traditional Chinese sanfu acupoint herbal patching therapy in China?: A cross-sectional survey

Acupoint herbal patching for bronchitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Acupoint herbal patching (AHP) has long been used to treat patients with bronchitis in East Asia. This review assessed the efficacy and safety of AHP as a treatment for bronchitis.

METHODS

We performed a literature search using the 9 databases and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs that used AHP for bronchitis. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook version 5.3, the risk of bias tool, and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

RESULTS

Seven RCTs were included based on the inclusion criteria. All RCTs were published in China and had a high risk of bias. Three RCTs compared AHP with conventional drug therapy for the treatment of bronchitis. The meta-analysis also showed a significant improvement in treatment effectiveness (relative risk [RR] 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15, 1.42; P < .00001; I2 = 0%). Two RCTs investigated AHP combined with conventional drug therapy versus conventional drug therapy. The meta-analysis showed that AHP was significantly more effective than conventional therapy in terms of treatment effective rate (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03, 1.29; P = .01; I2 = 0%). Three RCTs reported adverse events, and none reported severe adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

AHP appears to be more effective than conventional drug therapy alone or a placebo. Furthermore, the AHP appears to be a safe treatment option. However, due to the small number of included trials and their poor methodological quality, future studies should include larger sample sizes and well-designed RCTs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO: CRD 42018110380.

Acupoint Herbal Patching for Long-Term Immune Function in Children with Recurrent Respiratory-Tract Infections: A Systematic Review of Real-World Data

Objective: Acupoint herbal patching (AHP) has been used for the prevention and treatment of recurrent respiratory-tract infections (RRTIs) in children. some studies have suggested relevance to immune function as AHP's mechanism. This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of AHP on immune function in pediatric patients with RRTIs based on real-world data from more than 1-year of follow-up. Materials and Methods: Eleven English-, Korean-, and Chinese-language databases were searched comprehensively up to January 2020. Real-world clinical data assessing AHP for children with RRTI and reporting long-term immune function-related biomarkers as outcomes were included. Descriptive analyses of the details of the participants, interventions, and outcomes were conducted. The risk of bias was assessed, using the ROBINS-I [Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies-of Interventions] tool. Results: Four observational studies with 399 pediatric participants were included. Two studies reported salivary secretory immunoglobulin (Ig) A (sIgA) as an immune function-related biomarker and 2 reported serum levels of IgA, IgG, and IgM. sIgA levels showed inconsistent results at 1 year after AHP. However, IgA, IgG, and IgM levels were increased significantly at both 1 and 2 years after AHP. The frequency and duration of respiratory infections were also reduced significantly after AHP. Most studies had high risks of bias, especially lack of consideration of confounding factors. Conclusions: Current evidence suggested that AHP might be connected to immune function-related biomarker levels and symptoms in pediatric patients with RRTIs in the long-term. Further well-designed, large-size, long-term registries are needed to investigate the effects of AHP on immune function in pediatric patients with RRTIs.

The effectiveness and safety of sanfu acupoint herbal patching for treating allergic rhinitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common chronic disease of the nasal mucosa globally. Several clinical studies have shown that sanfu acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) has obvious advantages in treating AR. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of SAHP for treating AR.

METHOD

The following 9 electronic databases will be searched from January 2010 to October 2020: PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database, WANFANG Database, China Biology Medicine disc. The selection of the studies and the extraction of the data are independently completed by 2 reviewers. The qualities of the studies are evaluated by Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. The main outcome of included studies is total effective rate. Secondary outcomes are Total Nasal Symptom Score, recurrence rate, Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, adverse events and laboratory indicators: serum immunoglobulin E (IgE). And the STATA 14.0 software will be implemented for data synthesis and meta-analysis.

RESULTS

The review is ongoing, no results can be reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The systematic review will provide a better option for patients to treat AR.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

INPLASY2020100101.

Potential factors that influence usage of complementary and alternative medicine worldwide: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

To determine similarities and differences in the reasons for using or not using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) amongst general and condition-specific populations, and amongst populations in each region of the globe.

METHODS

A literature search was performed on Pubmed, ScienceDirect and EMBASE.

KEYWORDS

'herbal medicine' OR 'herbal and dietary supplement' OR 'complementary and alternative medicine' AND 'reason' OR 'attitude'. Quantitative or qualitative original articles in English, published between 2003 and 2018 were reviewed. Conference proceedings, pilot studies, protocols, letters, and reviews were excluded. Papers were appraised using valid tools and a 'risk of bias' assessment was also performed. Thematic analysis was conducted. Reasons were coded in each paper, then codes were grouped into categories. If several categories reported similar reasons, these were combined into a theme. Themes were then analysed using χ2 tests to identify the main factors related to reasons for CAM usage.

RESULTS

231 publications were included. Reasons for CAM use amongst general and condition-specific populations were similar. The top three reasons for CAM use were: (1) having an expectation of benefits of CAM (84% of publications), (2) dissatisfaction with conventional medicine (37%) and (3) the perceived safety of CAM (37%). Internal health locus of control as an influencing factor was more likely to be reported in Western populations, whereas the social networks was a common factor amongst Asian populations (p < 0.05). Affordability, easy access to CAM and tradition were significant factors amongst African populations (p < 0.05). Negative attitudes towards CAM and satisfaction with conventional medicine (CM) were the main reasons for non-use (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Dissatisfaction with CM and positive attitudes toward CAM, motivate people to use CAM. In contrast, satisfaction with CM and negative attitudes towards CAM are the main reasons for non-use.

Acupoint herbal patching for children with recurrent respiratory tract infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Acupoint herbal patching (AHP) has been used for recurrent respiratory tract infection (RRTI) in children. This systematic review aimed to analyze the safety and efficacy of AHP in pediatric RRTI.

METHODS

Eleven databases were comprehensively searched up to January 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using AHP as a monotherapy or adjunctive therapy in pediatric patients with RRTI were included.

RESULTS

Twenty-two RCTs with 3579 participants were included. Meta-analyses showed that outbreaks and disease duration of respiratory tract infection (RTI) per year significantly decreased in the AHP group compared with the placebo group, when follow-up was conducted after 1, 2, or 3 years. Moreover, AHP as a monotherapy or adjunctive therapy significantly decreased outbreaks and disease duration of RTI without serious adverse events.

CONCLUSION

This review provides promising evidence that AHP may reduce the frequency and duration of RTI and improve immune function in pediatric patients with RRTI.

Acupoint herbal patching for bronchitis: A protocol systematic review of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Acupoint herbal patching (AHP) is widely used for symptom management in patients with acute and chronic bronchitis. The purpose of this protocol review is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AHP for the treatment of bronchitis.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This protocol of systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). The databases searched will include PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, 3 Korean medical databases (OASIS, Korea Med, and KMBASE), and the Chinese database China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs using AHP for bronchitis will be considered. The selection of the studies, data abstraction, and validations will be performed independently by 3 researchers.

CONCLUSION

The conclusion of the review will provide evidence that AHP is an effective intervention in patients with bronchitis.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

As individuals were not involved, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. This systematic review may inform the treatment of bronchitis patients in clinical practice.

REGISTRATION

This systematic review has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). The reference number is CRD42018110380.

Treatment of intradialytic hypotension with an herbal acupoint therapy in hemodialysis patients: A randomized pilot study

OBJECTIVE

Hypotension during hemodialysis (HD) is the most common complication that negatively affects the quality of life of patients. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of herbal acupoint therapy (HAT) for intradialytic hypotension (IDH).

METHODS

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial was performed in 32 HD patients to determine whether HAT was more effective than a sham treatment for the treatment of IDH. The outcomes were frequency of IDH episodes and number of nursing interventions during HD sessions, pre- and post-dialysis BP, subjective change in fatigue as measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and recovery time from fatigue after dialysis at the 0th and 4th week. Data analyses were performed using per-protocol population.

RESULTS

In all, 27 patients (84%) completed the entire study. At the end of the intervention, the patients in the HAT group were found to have a significantly lower frequency of IDH episodes, fewer nursing interventions, a lower intervention failure rate, and earlier discontinuation of dialysis than those in the sham group (p < .05). The improvement in degree of fatigue (p = .001) was greater and recovery time from fatigue after dialysis (p = .03) was shorter in the group treated with HAT than in the sham group. HAT was safe, with 2 withdrawal cases due to local erythema caused by the patch.

CONCLUSIONS

HAT appears to be safe and efficacious for improving IDH-related symptoms and intervention in HD patients. Larger studies are needed to confirm the benefit of this technique for IDH.

In Vivo Study on Site of Action of Sinapine Thiocyanate following Acupoint Herbal Patching

Objective. To investigate the site of action of sinapine thiocyanate (ST), following acupoint herbal patching (AHP). Methods. Twenty Wistar rats were randomized into five groups (groups A, B, C, D, and E), and all groups received the same AHP in vivo. Skin samples were excised at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 10 h, and 26 h after AHP administration from group A to group E separately and the concentrations of ST in the skin were determined using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. A pharmacokinetic profile of ST following AHP was performed at the same time in a group of five Wistar rats to detect plasma levels at the same time intervals. Results. The mean ± SD ST concentrations (ng/ml) at 2 h (group A), 4 h (group B), 6 h (group C), 10 h (group D), and 26 h (group E) after AHP administration were 250.01±61.99, 61.01±30.41, 40.12±26.94, 78.66±59.43, and 19.55±18.95, respectively. No ST was detected in rats’ plasma samples at the same time points. Conclusions. The site of action of ST following AHP is in the skin.

Traditional Chinese medicine as an adjunctive therapy to oral montelukast for treating patients with chronic asthma

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of Ping Chuan Ke Li (PCKL) as an adjunctive therapy to oral montelukast compared with placebo plus montelukast for treating patients with chronic asthma (CAS).

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial involved 72 patients with CAS. They were randomly allocated to an intervention group or a control group, 36 subjects per group. Participants in the intervention group received PCKL and oral montelukast, while those in the control group received placebo and oral montelukast. The primary outcome was lung function, measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). The secondary outcomes included quality of life, measured by St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

Compared to placebo plus montelukast, PCKL and montelukast revealed greater efficacy in lung function, measured by FEV1 (P <.05), and quality of life, measured by the SGRQ scale (P <.05). Additionally, no significant differences were found in AEs between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSION

Traditional Chinese medicine PCKL as an adjunctive therapy to oral montelukast alleviated the symptoms of CAS. Future studies with larger sample sizes are still needed to verify the efficacy and safety of PCKL plus montelukast in patients with CAS.