An Overview of Meta-Analyses of Danhong Injection for Unstable Angina

Abstract

Objective. To systematically collect evidence and evaluate the effects of Danhong injection (DHI) for unstable angina (UA). Methods. A comprehensive search was conducted in seven electronic databases up to January 2015. The methodological and reporting quality of included studies was assessed by using AMSTAR and PRISMA. Result. Five articles were included. The conclusions suggest that DHI plus conventional medicine treatment was effective for UA pectoris treatment, could alleviate symptoms of angina and ameliorate electrocardiograms. Flaws of the original studies and systematic reviews weaken the strength of evidence. Limitations of the methodology quality include performing an incomprehensive literature search, lacking detailed characteristics, ignoring clinical heterogeneity, and not assessing publication bias and other forms of bias. The flaws of reporting systematic reviews included the following: not providing a structured summary, no standardized search strategy. For the pooled findings, researchers took statistical heterogeneity into consideration, but clinical and methodology heterogeneity were ignored. Conclusion. DHI plus conventional medicine treatment generally appears to be effective for UA treatment. However, the evidence is not hard enough due to methodological flaws in original clinical trials and systematic reviews. Furthermore, rigorous designed randomized controlled trials are also needed. The methodology and reporting quality of systematic reviews should be improved.

Salvia miltiorrhizaandCarthamus tinctoriusExtract Prevents Cardiac Fibrosis and Dysfunction after Myocardial Infarction by Epigenetically Inhibiting Smad3 Expression

“…Salvia miltiorrhiza and Carthamus tinctorius extract (SCE) is a standardized medication prepared from two Chinese herbs: Salviae miltiorrhizae (Danshen in Chinese) and Flos carthami (Honghua in Chinese). The main pharmacological active components of SCE are as follows: phenolic acids, diterpenes, and flavonoids, such as salvianolic acid B, danshensu, tanshinone IIA, and hydroxysafflor yellow A. SCE is widely used in patients with coronary heart disease for relieving angina [10]. Administration of SCE as a supplementary therapy appears to show benefit to the patients during the acute phase of MI [11].…”

Traditional Chinese medicine for knee osteoarthritis: An overview of systematic review

“…Hence, to get a balanced evaluation of an intervention, we emphasize here the crucial importance of the development of a standardized format for reporting adverse events in SRs. Finally, the methodology and quality of evidence from other SRs on TCM [ 37 – 39 ] were likewise problematic, which may suggest the deficiency of education or training for TCM researchers who conduct SRs and original clinical trials. We strongly recommend that relevant training should be provided to develop the TCM researchers’ consciousness and abilities in designing, conducting, and reporting TCM studies.…”

Advancements in pharmacotherapy for angina

“…Salvia miltiorrhiza is one such adjunct therapy present in Danshen, Danhong, and Guanxinshutong injections. Some evidence suggests that these injections may be effective in improving angina [18]. Danshen has been shown to have protective effects with anti-lipid peroxidation, positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects, and coronary artery dilation [19].…”