Efficacy and safety of Shaoyao Gancao Tang for restless leg syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a common and chronic neurological disease characterized by an irresistible and overwhelming urge to move the legs. In recent years, a growing body of clinical trials has demonstrated that -traditional Chinese herbal medicine Shaoyao Gancao Tang (SG-Tang) may improve RLS. However, a critical examination of the available evidence is warranted. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SG-Tang in the treatment of RLS. The protocol of this study was registered and published at International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42020173520). Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the efficacy and safety of SG-Tang in the treatment of RLS were identified by searching the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Chinese Biological Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and VIP Information Database from inception to February 14, 2022. The primary outcome measurements were the total effective rate, and the secondary outcome measurements included the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale for Severity of Restless Legs Syndrome (IRLS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the incidence of adverse events. The Review Manager 5.3 software was utilized to conduct quantitative synthesis according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Six eligible RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. Compared to conventional medications, SG-Tang intervention showed significant improvements in the total effective rate (risk ratio [RR] = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] (1.09,1.36), P = 0.004), the IRLS (mean difference [MD] = −4.74, 95% CI (−8.65, −0.83), P = 0.02), and the PSQI (MD = −2.54, 95% CI (−4.34, −0.74), P = 0.006) with less incidence of adverse events (RR = 0.21, 95% CI (0.09, 0.31), P = 0.0005). SG-Tang may be effective and safe as a complementary and alternative treatment to relieve RLS. However, the results need to be interpreted with caution because of limited data and the undesirable methodological quality of the included studies. More well-designed, large-scale, high-quality, and multi-center RCTs are required to be performed for further verification.

Concentration of potentially toxic elements in fillet shrimps of Mediterranean Sea: Systematic review, meta-analysis and health risk assessment

“…Our inclusion criteria were including full texts presented as English text; analysis of PTEs in fillet shrimps in Mediterranean Sea, use reliable detection method, present level statistics (average, range, standard deviation). Book chapters, Books, review papers, thesis, letters to editors and conferences were excluded ( Huang et al, 2022 , Tian, 2023 , Aranega & Oliveira, 2022 ). The species of shrimps, country, Statistics level (methyl-Hg, inorganic As, Cd, Ni and Pb, Cu and Zn), includes mean, standard deviation, and analysis technique were extracted.…”

Human brucellosis and associated risk factors in the Middle East region: A comprehensive systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression

“…Study heterogeneity was analyzed using the I 2 index and Chi-squared test. Heterogeneity was considered significant if the I 2 value exceeded 50 % [ [33] , [34] , [35] ].The combined odds ratio (OR) from the studies was calculated using a random effect model (REM) to evaluate the overall prevalence rate of human brucellosis across the studied countries [ 36 , 37 ]. Furthermore, the prevalence rate of human brucellosis in Middle Eastern countries throughout time was examined using meta-regression analysis [ 38 , 39 ].…”

New value chain Pentadesma nuts and butter from West Africa to international markets: Biological activities, health benefits, and physicochemical properties

“…A comprehensive literature search was performed by combining the appropriate keywords, including “tallow tree,” “butter tree,” “ Pentadesma butyracea Sabine,” “taxonomy,” “nutritional composition,” “proximate composition,” “traditional uses,” “phytochemicals,” “physiochemical properties,” “antioxidant properties,” “bioactive compounds,” “health benefits.” As for the search engine, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PubMed were independently searched (Aranega & Oliveira, 2022 ; De Souza et al., 2021 ; Huang et al., 2022 ; Tian et al., 2023 ). Both English and French‐language published articles were considered.…”