OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review is to assess the effectiveness of TCM as a treatment option for musculoskeletal symptoms in patients with breast cancer who were treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs).
METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, SAGE journals, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Medline, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang, and Chinese Medical Journal Database (CMJ) from May 2020 to November 2020. The literature review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TCM for AI-related musculoskeletal symptoms.
RESULTS: Four RCTs incorporating TCM were assessed by meta-analysis and reported favorable effects in reducing worst pain score (n = 284, mean difference [MD]: 2.31; 95% CI, 1.74 to 2.88; P
Materials and Methods: Study design was cross-sectional, in which sociodemographic data of respondents were collected through a validated questionnaire; results were analyzed by using validated data collection tool. The results were concluded on the basis of good, moderate, and poor response, which was evaluated through data analysis by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 20.0. A P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: Respondents were 182 (44.4%) males and 228 (55.6%) females; better knowledge was recognized among the females (P < 0.001) with mean knowledge of 15.55 ± 2.7. Chinese population had good knowledge with statistically strong correlation with mean knowledge of 15.63 (P = 0.006). Likewise, Buddhism was reported to have good knowledge among all the religions. Rural population was underlined with lesser family income and they showed good practice and understanding (P = 0.006). Comparatively positive attitude was noticed among the females (P < 0.001) with mean attitude of 15.55 ± 2.7. The highest level of education in this study was postgraduate, which showed 77.1% good attitude. Postgraduate participants were having varied results with standard deviation of ±6.23. Statistically highly significant association was seen between the religion and attitude of respondents with the P < 0.001. Chinese medicine is widely used, but religious difference was found among the races. Similar difference was found in knowledge and practice among the population of rural side and low family income compared to urban population with higher income and access to allopathic medicine.
Conclusions: Despite having better practice among the Malaysian population, still the knowledge needs to be disseminated among the population for the overall use of traditional Chinese medicine with safety to improve health and quality of life in Malaysia.
CONCLUSION: All examined treatments, although potentiality effective against COVID-19, need either appropriate drug development or clinical trial to be suitable for clinical use.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Self-administered online survey was carried out between January and June 2021 in China.
RESULTS: A total of 1132 complete responses were received from a nationwide sample. A considerable proportion viewed TCM to be more effective than Western medicine for treating COVID-19 (67.1 %) and stated that it is safer to use TCM (63.5 %) and easier to access TCM for treating COVID-19 (63.5 %). A total of 16.4 % (95 %CI 14.3-18.7) reported ever self-medicating with TCM to resolve COVID-19 symptoms and 12.2 % (95 % CI 10.3-14.2) ever using TCM to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Lianhua Qingwen capsule/granule (53.2 %), Ganmao granule (50.5 %) and Banlangen granule (44.6 %) were most commonly used to resolve COVID-19 symptoms whereas Banlangen granule (60.1 %) was commonly used for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Older age participants, from rural areas, with chronic diseases, higher socioeconomic status, and a positive attitude towards TCM were more likely to self-medicate using TCM to resolve COVID-19 symptoms.
CONCLUSION: Self-medication with TCM during the COVID-19 pandemic for symptom control or prevention is prevalent. The findings of the user behavioural profile and types of TMCs commonly used in this study provide beneficial information for the development of strategies to improve public health-seeking behaviour and the performance of the country's healthcare system in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview and identify the present landscape of hemp research topics, trends, and gaps.
METHODS: A systematic search and analysis strategy according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis-ScR (PRISMA-ScR) checklist on electronic databases including MEDLINE, OVID (OVFT, APC Journal Club, EBM Reviews), Cochrane Library Central and Clinicaltrials.gov was conducted to include and analyse hemp research articles from 2009 to 2019.
RESULTS: 65 primary articles (18 clinical, 47 pre-clinical) were reviewed. Several randomised controlled trials showed hempseed pills (in Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation MaZiRenWan) improving spontaneous bowel movement in functional constipation. There was also evidence suggesting benefits in cannabis dependence, epilepsy, and anxiety disorders. Pre-clinically, hemp derivatives showed potential anti-oxidative, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-neuroinflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-acne, and anti-microbial activities. Renal protective effects and estrogenic properties were also exhibited in vitro.
CONCLUSION: Current evidence on hemp-specific interventions are still preliminary, with limited high quality clinical evidence for any specific therapeutic indication. This is mainly due to the wide variation in test item formulation, as the multiple variants of this plant differ in their phytochemical and bioactive compounds. Future empirical research should focus on standardising the hemp plant for pharmaceutical use, and uniformity in experimental designs to strengthen the premise of using hemp in medicine.