OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study assessed the methodological quality of systematic reviews (SRs) of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) published in Chinese between Jan 2021 and Sep 2022. METHODS: Chinese language CHM SRs were identified through literature searches across 3 international and 4 Chinese databases. Methodological quality was appraised using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2. Logistic regressions were used to explore associations between bibliographical characteristics and quality. RESULTS: Analyses of methodological quality found that among the 213 sampled SRs, 69.5% were of critically low quality, 30.5% were of low quality, and none achieved high or moderate quality. Common shortcomings included the failure to identify the studies excluded from the analysis, failure to disclose funding sources, and limited evaluation of the potential impact of bias on conclusions. Logistic regressions revealed that SRs led by corresponding authors affiliated with universities or academic institutions tended to be of lower quality than SRs led by authors affiliated with hospitals or clinical facilities. CONCLUSION Recent Chinese language CHM SRs exhibited limited methodological quality, making them unlikely to support the development of clinical practice guidelines. Urgent initiatives are needed to enhance training for researchers, peer-reviewers and editors involved in the preparation and publication of SRs. Adoption of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines in Chinese language journals is crucial to improve the relevance of SRs for Chinese medicine development. Addressing deficiencies in methodology and reporting is essential for promoting evidence-based practices and informed clinical decisions in Chinese medicine. Please cite this article as: Jiang Y, Zhong CC, Wang BH, Xu SS, Ho FF, Kwong MH, Ho L, Zhou JHS, Lam KC, Liu JP, Zhang BT, Chung VCH. Methodological quality of systematic reviews on orally administered Chinese herbal medicine published in Chinese between 2021 and 2022: A cross-sectional study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):492-501.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Systematic Reviews as Topic/standards* ; Humans ; China ; Administration, Oral ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective This study investigated lower limb biomechanics and lateral asymmetry during the continuous vertical jump(CVJ)landing process in individuals with unilateral functional ankle instability(FAI)and compared these characteristics with those of healthy individuals.Methods Fourteen males with unilateral FAI were selected as the experimental group,and 14 males without ankle joint injury were matched to the control group.Both the groups performed 30 CVJ landing tasks.Lower limb kinematic and kinetic characteristics during the 1st,15th,and 30th CVJ landings were synchronously collected using Vicon and Kistler equipment,and a 2×3 mixed analysis of variance was adopted for the data.Results In the execution of CVJ landing tasks,patients with FAI demonstrated no significant differences in the kinematic and kinetic characteristics of the affected limbs compared with healthy controls.However,a greater degree of lateral asymmetry was observed in the FAI group,particularly in the symmetry index(SI)of the vGRF peak.Despite the increase in the number of jump landings and consequent increase in fatigue levels,which led to adjustments in lower limb movement patterns,these adjustments did not appear to have a significant impact on the biomechanical characteristics and asymmetry of the affected limb in patients with FAI.Conclusions This study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention of recurrent ankle sprains in patients with FAI,as well as rehabilitation training prior to their return to sports.These findings underscore the importance of addressing lower limb asymmetry in the rehabilitation training of patients with FAI to reduce the risk of potential long-term injuries.When formulating rehabilitation plans for patients with FAI,particular attention should be paid to the correction of lower limb asymmetry with consideration of biomechanical adaptability under different states to achieve a more comprehensive rehabilitation outcome.

Objective This study aimed to explore the potential targets of Yishenqingli Formula in treating idiopathic membranous nephropathy(IMN)using a combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)analysis and network pharmacology.Methods The active ingredients of the Yishen Qingli Formula were identified through the BATMAN-TCM database and LC-MS qualitative analysis.The biological processes and mechanism pathways of the Yishen Qingli Formula in treating IMN were predicted using network pharmacology,and molecular docking and in vitro,experiments were conducted to verify the selected core targets.The core targets were selected and validated through molecular docking and in vitro experiments.Results A total of 15 active ingredients were selected from the Yishen Qingli Formula,and 72 core genes were obtained by intersecting its target with the IMN disease target.GO enrichment analysis results showed that the regulation of apoptosis signaling pathway,white cell migration,peptide tyrosine phosphorylation,and so on were involved;The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis results showed that the treatment of IMN with Yishen Qingli Formula involves apoptosis-related signaling pathways such as TNF,PI3K/AKT,MAPK,etc.In vitro,experiments have shown that Yishen Qingli Formula can reduce podocyte apoptosis by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway.Conclusion Yishen Qingli Formula is a treatment for idiopathic membranous nephropathy through multiple targets and pathways.It has an anti-apoptotic effect on the C5b-9 induced podocyte sub-lysis model,and its mechanism of action may be related to the TNF,PI3K/AKT,MAPK signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND:Muscle weakness is a common symptom after coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)infection and affects the ability to perform daily activities in humans during recovery.Low-frequency pulsed magnetic field stimulation at a strength of 1.5 mT and a frequency of 3 300 Hz can enhance the maximal voluntary contraction and strength endurance of human skeletal muscle by inducing and activating classical transient receptor potential channel 1(TRPC1),which produces a series of pathological support effects on muscle tissue.It has not been studied whether this means will improve muscle weakness in patients recovering from COVID-19. OBJECTIVE:To select the low-frequency pulsed magnetic field for magnetic stimulation of lower limb muscle groups in patients with COVID-19,in order to observe the effect of this stimulation on the improvement of muscle weakness of lower limb muscle groups in patients with COVID-19 during the recovery period. METHODS:Fourteen patients infected with COVID-19(Omicron strain)positive for Innovita COVID-19 Ab Test(Colloidal Gold)and accompanied by muscle weakness were recruited and randomly divided into two groups:a test group receiving magnetic field stimulation and a control group receiving sham treatment,respectively.The total duration of the trial was 3 weeks.The test group was given low-frequency pulsed magnetic stimulation of the lower limbs every 48 hours and the control group was given the same intervention procedure as the test group but with sham stimulation.Patients in both groups were not informed whether the magnetic stimulation apparatus was running or not.Nine sessions were performed in both groups and the changes in the maximum voluntary contraction,explosive leg force and strength endurance of the local muscle groups of the lower limbs were subsequently observed in both groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Among the eight local muscle groups collected,seven local muscle groups in the test group showed an increase in the maximum voluntary contraction value after 3 weeks of low-frequency pulsed magnetic field stimulation.In the control group,there were only three muscle groups with improvement in the maximum voluntary contraction.The rate of improvement in the anterior and posterior muscle groups of the left leg in the test group was significantly higher than that in the control group.The longitudinal jump height and peak angular velocity of the knee joint in both groups were improved compared with the pre-test measurement,and the elevation rate of jumping height in the test group was higher than that in the control group.Under the fatigue condition,the decline rates of peak angular velocity of the knee joint and jumping height in the test group decreased significantly,while those in the control group did not change significantly.The above data confirmed that the low-frequency pulsed magnetic field stimulation with the intensity of 1.5 mT and frequency of 3 300 Hz could improve the muscle strength of more local muscle groups in the lower limbs of patients with COVID-19 during the recovery period compared with the human self-healing process,and the whole-body coordination ability and functional status based on explosive leg force of the legs could be significantly improved.Therefore,low-frequency pulsed magnetic field stimulation can be used as an effective,non-exercise rehabilitation tool to improve muscle weakness in the lower limbs of patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND:Nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis is the main pathological basis for intervertebral disc degeneration,and inflammation and peroxidation are important factors leading to apoptosis in the nucleus pulposus.Studies have shown that matrine has antioxidant,senescent,inflammatory and apoptotic effects,and may be a potential drug for the treatment of disc degeneration. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of matrine on apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells in rats with intervertebral disc degeneration by regulating the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes(STING)signaling pathway. METHODS:(1)Nucleus pulposus cells of rats at a logarithmic phase were randomly separated into a control group,a model group,a low-dose matrine group,a high-dose matrine group,an empty group,and a high-dose matrine+cGAS overexpression group.Except for the control group,cell models of intervertebral disc degeneration were established in the other groups through oxygen-glucose deprivation.At the same time of modeling,the low-dose and high-dose groups were treated with 0.4 and 0.8 mmol/L matrine,respectively,and the empty group was transfected with the empty plasmid,while the high-dose+cGAS overexpression group was treated with 0.8 mmol/L matrine with the transfection of the cGAS overexpression plasmid.After 24 hours of treatment,cell activity and apoptosis,intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species,superoxide dismutase,tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β,and intracellular expression of apoptotic proteins and cGAS-STING pathway proteins were detected.(2)Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into six groups(n=10 per group):control group,model group,low-dose matrine group,high-dose matrine group,empty group,and high-dose+cGAS overexpression group.After 12 weeks of modeling,60 and 120 mg/kg matrine were given by gavage in the low-dose and high-dose matrine groups,respectively(once a day),and the empty plasmid was injected into the tail vein in the empty group(2 times/week),while the high-dose+cGAS overexpression group was given 120 mg/kg matrine by gavage and injected with cGAS overexpression plasmid to the tail vein.Treatment in each group was given consecutively for 3 weeks.Samples were taken after drug administration and assayed for apoptosis,levels of reactive oxygen species,superoxide dismutase,tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β,as well as apoptotic protein and cGAS-STING pathway protein expression. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the control group,in the model group,cell activity and superoxide dismutase levels were decreased(P<0.05),and apoptosis rate,levels of reactive oxygen species,tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β,and the expression of cGAS,STING,cleaved caspase-3 and Bax proteins were elevated(P<0.05).Matrine dose-dependently ameliorated the above changes in each index due to cellular modeling(P<0.05),whereas cGAS overexpression partially antagonized the ameliorative effect of high-dose matrine.Similar results to the in vitro cellular experiments were obtained in animal experiments.These results indicate that matrine could inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress by blocking the cGAS-STING signaling,which in turn attenuates apoptosis and elevates the activity of nucleus pulposus cells in rats with intervertebral disc degeneration.

Humans ; Electronic Health Records ; Phenotype ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Databases, Factual ; Algorithms

Objective: To assess the prevalence, risk factors and treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: A descriptive method was used to analyze the prevalence and treatment of anemia in CKD patients based on regional health data in Yinzhou District of Ningbo during 2012-2018. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent influence factors of anemia in the CKD patients. Results: In 52 619 CKD patients, 15 639 suffered from by anemia (29.72%), in whom 5 461 were men (26.41%) and 10 178 were women (31.87%), and anemia prevalence was higher in women than in men, the difference was significant (P<0.001). The prevalence of anemia increased with stage of CKD (24.77% in stage 1 vs. 69.42% in stage 5, trend χ² test P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that being women (aOR=1.57, 95%CI: 1.50-1.63), CKD stage (stage 2: aOR=1.10, 95%CI: 1.04-1.16;stage 3: aOR=2.28,95%CI: 2.12-2.44;stage 4: aOR=4.49,95%CI :3.79-5.32;stage 5: aOR=6.31,95%CI: 4.74-8.39), age (18-30 years old: aOR=2.40,95%CI: 2.24-2.57, 61-75 years old: aOR=1.35,95%CI:1.28-1.42, ≥76 years old: aOR=2.37,95%CI:2.20-2.55), BMI (<18.5 kg/m²:aOR=1.29,95%CI: 1.18-1.41;23.0-24.9 kg/m²:aOR=0.79,95%CI: 0.75-0.83;≥25.0 kg/m²:aOR=0.70,95%CI: 0.66-0.74), abdominal obesity (aOR=0.91, 95%CI: 0.86-0.96), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR=1.15, 95%CI: 1.09-1.22), cancer (aOR=3.03, 95%CI: 2.84-3.23), heart failure (aOR=1.44, 95%CI: 1.35-1.54) and myocardial infarction (aOR=1.54, 95%CI:1.16-2.04) were independent risk factors of anemia in CKD patients. Among stage 3-5 CKD patients with anemia, 12.03% received iron therapy, and 4.78% received treatment with erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) within 12 months after anemia was diagnosed. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia in CKD patients was high in Yinzhou. However, the treatment rate of iron therapy and ESA were low. More attention should be paid to the anemia management and treatment in CKD patients.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of bone cement leakage after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF).Methods:A multi-center, large-sample, case-control study was carried out to analyze the clinical data of 2 273 OVCF patients (2 689 vertebrae) undergone PVP at four hospitals between May 2018 and October 2021, including 994 males and 1 279 females, with the age of 52-91 years [(69.1±3.1)years]. Of all, 581 patients (604 vertebrae) were allocated to leakage group and 1 692 patients (2 085 vertebrae) to no leakage group according to the occurrence of bone cement leakage. The gender, age, fracture sites, vertebral compression degree, endplate integrity of fractured vertebrae, surgical segments, surgical approaches and bone cement injection volume were recorded. Univariate analysis was used to investigate the correlation between those indicators with bone cement leakage. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors for bone cement leakage.Results:Univariate analysis showed that gender, age, fracture sites, vertebral compression degree, bone cement injection volume were related to bone cement leakage after PVP ( P<0.05 or 0.01), but no correlation was found in the endplate integrity of fractured vertebrae, surgical segments and surgical approaches (all P>0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that fracture sites ( OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.11-2.55, P<0.05), vertebral compression degree more than 40% ( OR=1.98, 95% CI 1.29-3.02, P<0.01), bone cement injection volume greater than or equal to 5.5 ml ( OR=1.55, 95% CI 1.07-2.26, P<0.05) were significantly associated with bone cement leakage after PVP. Conclusion:Thoracic vertebral fracture, vertebral compression degree more than 40% and bone cement injection volume greater than or equal to 5.5 ml are independent risk factors for bone cement leakage after PVP in OVCF.

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether naringenin plays a protective role during thoracic aneurysm formation in Marfan syndrome. METHODS: To validate the effect of naringenin, Fbn1^C1039G/+ mice, the mouse model of Marfan syndrome, were fed with naringenin, and the disease progress was evaluated. The molecular mechanism of naringenin was further investigated via in vitro studies, such as bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET), atomic force microscope and radioligand receptor binding assay. RESULTS: Six-week-old Fbn1^C1039G/+ mice were fed with naringenin for 20 weeks. Compared with the control group, naringenin significantly suppressed the aortic expansion [Fbn1^C1039G/+ vs. Fbn1^C1039G/++naringenin: (2.49±0.47) mm, n=18 vs. (1.87±0.19) mm, n=22, P < 0.05], the degradation of elastin, and the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and MMP9 in the ascending aorta of Fbn1^C1039G/+ mice. Besides, treatment with naringenin for 6 weeks also attenuated the disease progress among the 20-week-old Fbn1^C1039G/+ mice with established thoracic aortic aneurysms [Fbn1^C1039G/+ vs. Fbn1^C1039G/++naringenin: (2.24±0.23) mm, n=8 vs. (1.90±0.17) mm, n=8, P < 0.05]. To understand the underlying molecular mechanisms, we examined the effects of naringenin on angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor (AT1) signaling and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling respectively, which were the dominant signaling pathways contributing to aortopathy in Marfan syndrome as previously reported. The results showed that naringenin decreased angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ)-induced phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) and extracellular regulating kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in HEK293A cell overexpressing AT1 receptor. Moreover, naringenin inhibited Ang Ⅱ-induced calcium mobilization and uclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) signaling. The internalization of AT1 receptor and its binding to β-arrestin-2 with Ang Ⅱ induction were also suppressed by naringenin. As evidenced by atomic force microscope and radioligand receptor binding assay, naringenin inhibited Ang Ⅱ binding to AT1 receptor. In terms of TGF-β signaling, we found that feeding the mice with naringenin decreased the phosphorylation of Smad2 and ERK1/2 as well as the expression of TGF-β downstream genes. Besides, the serum level of TGF-β was also decreased by naringenin in the Fbn1^C1039G/+ mice. Furthermore, we detected the effect of naringenin on platelet, a rich source of TGF-β, both in vivo and in vitro. And we found that naringenin markedly decreased the TGF-β level by inhibiting the activation of platelet. CONCLUSION Our study showed that naringenin has a protective effect on thoracic aortic aneurysm formation in Marfan syndrome by suppressing both AT1 and TGF-β signaling.
Angiotensin II/metabolism* ; Animals ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic/prevention & control* ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Elastin/metabolism* ; Fibrillin-1/metabolism* ; Flavanones ; Marfan Syndrome/metabolism* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Protein Kinase C/metabolism* ; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1/metabolism* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism* ; Transforming Growth Factors/metabolism* ; beta-Arrestins/metabolism*