A clinical pathway for integrative medicine in the treatment of functional constipation in Hong Kong, China.

Objective: Functional constipation (FC) is a common intestinal disease worldwide. Despite the presence of criteria such as Roman IV, there is no standardized diagnosis and treatment algorithm in Hong Kong that combines both Western and Chinese medicine approaches. This study integrates current effective and safe diagnosis and treatment methods for FC and provides a clear and scientific pathway for clinical professionals and patients.

Acupuncture for post-stroke depression: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Patients with post-stroke depression (PSD) usually experience anxiety, hopelessness, and insomnia, which have a negative impact on their daily activities and post-stroke rehabilitation. Acupuncture (AC), as a minimally invasive technique, has become a popular choice for improving depression symptoms. However, it is still unclear which therapy is associated with the best outcomes for PSD.

Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness and Safety of Shugan Jieyu Capsules for the Treatment of Insomnia.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Shugan Jieyu capsules for treating insomnia by searching seven databases up to February 21, 2022. The study was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of the studies was assessed using the risk of bias assessment tool.

Gut microbiota composition reflects disease progression, severity and outcome, and dysfunctional immune responses in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to explore the alterations in gut microbiota composition and cytokine responses related to disease progression, severity, and outcomes in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: Fecal microbiota communities of 64 patients with ICH, 46 coronary heart disease controls, and 23 healthy controls were measured by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene. Serum concentrations of a broad spectrum of cytokines were examined by liquid chips and ELISA.

Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in colorectal cancer patients: a single-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is a major first-line conventional therapy for advanced and metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). However, oxaliplatin causes chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Acupuncture has long been used to alleviate limb numbness in Chinese medicine practice.

The combination of Chinese and Western Medicine in the management of rheumatoid arthritis: A real-world cohort study across China.

To investigate the efficacy of Integrative medicine (IM), compare with Western medicine (WM), in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a cohort study. This is a cohort study with recruitment of RA patients from 10 hospitals in China. The primary outcome was change in disease activity score 28 (DAS28) during 4 follow-up visits.

Outcome of the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine for functional constipation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Functional constipation (FC) is a common and chronic gastrointestinal disease and its treatment remains challenging.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on efficacy rate, global symptoms, bowel movements and the Bristol Stool Scale score in patients with FC by summarizing current available randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods: RCTs with CHM to treat FC were identified by a systematic search of six databases from inception to October 20, 2020.

Would integrated Western and traditional Chinese medicine have more benefits for stroke rehabilitation? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Stroke is a major cause of death or long-term disability worldwide. Many patients with stroke receive integrative therapy consisting of Western medicine (WM) and routine rehabilitation in conjunction with Chinese medicine (CM), such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. However, there is no available evidence on the effectiveness of the combined use of WM and CM interventions in stroke rehabilitation.

A Clostridia-rich microbiota enhances bile acid excretion in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

An excess of fecal bile acids (BAs) is thought to be one of the mechanisms for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). However, the factors causing excessive BA excretion remain incompletely studied. Given the importance of gut microbiota in BA metabolism, we hypothesized that gut dysbiosis might contribute to excessive BA excretion in IBS-D.

Irritable bowel syndrome and functional constipation management with integrative medicine: A systematic review.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional constipation (FC) are two commonly encountered functional gastrointestinal disorders in clinical practice and are usually managed with Western medicines in cooperation with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions. Although clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been developed to assist clinicians with their decisions, there are still gaps in management with regard to integrative medicine (IM) recommendations.

Aim: To comprehensively review the currently available CPGs and to provide a reference for addressing the gaps in IBS and FC management.

Standard Protocol Items for Clinical Trials with Traditional Chinese Medicine 2018: Recommendations, Explanation and Elaboration (SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018).

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems of medicine. More and more attention has been paid to TCM application, but the variable quality of clinical trials with TCM impedes its widespread acceptance. The Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) 2013 Statement has established guidelines for designing clinical trials to ensure that the trial results are accurate and reliable.

Whether Syndrome Differentiation Affects Treatment Result: Study Protocol of MaZiRenWan () for Functional Constipation in A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Syndrome is one of the most important concepts in Chinese medicine (CM) theory. However, it was not well accounted in most of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Objectives: To determine whether CM syndrome differentiation affects the treatment results, functional constipation (FC) was selected as a target disease, and MaZiRenWan (, MZRW), a classic CM formula commonly used for constipation with excessive heat syndrome, was selected for study.

CONSORT in China: past development and future direction.

The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement was published in 1996, and first introduced to China in 2001. Although CONSORT has been widely accepted in high-quality international journals, we still need to have more investigation on how many Chinese journals have adopted the CONSORT Statement, and whether the quality of reporting has improved. A systematic search of the "Instructions to authors" in all Chinese medical journals in China Academic Journals (CAJ) Full-text Database was conducted up to February 2012 and only 7 journals officially listed the requirements of the CONSORT Statement.

Therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicine against neuroendocrinological diseases especially related to hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis.

This is a systemic review of plants used traditionally for neuroendocrinological diseases related to hypothalamus-pitutary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamus-pitutary-gland (HPG) axis. By searching from PubMed literature search system (1950-2013), Medline (1950-2013) and CNKI (China Journals of Full-text database; 1989-2013), 105 papers met the inclusion criteria were displayed in this review. 96 herbal drugs were classified into two parts which include hormones mainly related to HPA and HPG axis.