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Traditional continuous training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can increase maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max). However, there is conflicting evidence regarding which form of training demonstrates the greatest improvements to V̇O2max , and data in women is sparse. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to assess whether moderate to vigorous-intensity continuous training (MVICT) or HIIT was superior at improving V̇O2max in women. Randomised controlled and parallel studies examined the influence of MVICT and/or HIIT on V̇O2max in women. There was no statistical difference in V̇O2max improvements after training between women in the MVICT and HIIT cohorts (mean difference [MD]: −0.42, 95%CI: −1.43 to 0.60, p>0.05). Both MVICT and HIIT increased V̇O2max from baseline (MD: 3.20, 95% CI: 2.73 to 3.67 and MD: 3.16, 95% CI 2.09 to 4.24, respectively, p<0.001). Greater improvements in V̇O2max were observed in women who participated in more training sessions in both training formats. Long-HIIT was superior to short-HIIT protocols at increasing V̇O2max. Although MVICT and long-HIIT sessions elicited greater increases in V̇O2max in younger women compared to short-HIIT protocols, these differences were negligible in older women. Our findings suggest MVICT and HIIT are equally effective strategies for improving V̇O2max and indicate an effect of age on its response to training in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to assess the effects and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on blood lipids among adults with overweight or obesity. Fourteen bibliographic databases were comprehensively searched, from their respective inceptions up to April 2021, for randomised placebo-controlled weight-loss trials using CHM formulation on total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol over ≥4 weeks. Data collection, risk of bias assessment, and statistical analyses were guided by the Cochrane Handbook (v6.1). Continuous outcomes were expressed as the mean difference with 95% confidence intervals, and categorical outcomes were expressed as a risk ratio with 95% confidence intervals. All analyses were two-tailed with a statistical significance of p < 0.05. Fifteen eligible studies with 1,533 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Findings from meta-analyses indicated that CHM interventions, compared to placebo, reduced triglyceride (MD −0.21 mmol/L, 95% CI −0.41 to −0.02, I2 = 81%) and increased HDL cholesterol (MD 0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.27, I2 = 94%) over a median of 12 weeks. The reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were not statistically significant. Furthermore, the tendency of reduced triglycerides was identified among overweight participants with high baseline triglycerides. Attrition rates and frequency of adverse events were indifferent between the two groups. CHM may provide lipid-modulating benefits on triglycerides and HDL cholesterol among participants with overweight/obesity, with the tendency for significant triglyceride reduction observed among overweight participants with high baseline triglycerides. However, rigorously conducted randomised controlled trials with larger sample sizes are required to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This review investigated the effects and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulas on weight management. Methods. Eighteen databases in English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese were searched from their inceptions to September 2019. The treatment groups included CHM formulations, and the control included placebo, Western medication (WM), and lifestyle intervention (LI), with or without cointerventions (WM and/or LI). Quality of studies was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias assessment tool. Body weight and body mass index (BMI) were analysed in RevMan v5.4.1 and expressed as mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI), while adverse events were expressed as risk ratio with 95% CI. Results. Thirty-nine RCTs were eligible for qualitative analysis, 34 of which were included in the meta-analyses. The majority of studies had a high or unclear risk of selection, performance, and detection bias. Twenty-five CHM studies involving cointerventions revealed that CHM had significant adjunct effects on body weight and BMI at the end of treatment compared to control. No serious adverse events were reported in the CHM groups. Conclusion. CHM indicates a promising adjunct to facilitate WM or lifestyle change for weight management. However, methodological barriers such as lack of allocation concealment and double-blinding may have led to challenges in data synthesis. More rigorously designed RCTs involving cointerventions are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulae for managing menopausal hot flushes (MHF). Methods: Seven English and Chinese databases were searched for studies from respective inceptions to February 2019. Randomized controlled trials investigating the clinical effects and safety of CHM formulae on MHF were considered for inclusion. The outcomes of subjective feelings (MHF and quality of life), objective changes (hormones and peripheral blood flow) and safety were analyzed. The most frequently prescribed formulae and herbs were summarized. Results: Nineteen randomized clinical trials involving 2469 patients were included. When compared to menopausal hormone therapy, CHM had similar effects to menopausal hormone therapy on total effectiveness rate (OR 1.41, 95% CI 0.84 to 2.35) and total Kupperman index (KI) score (SMD -0.13, 95% CI -0.61 to 0.36), and could significantly reduce vasomotor symptom score (MD -0.43, 95% CI -0.55 to -0.31) and upper-body peripheral blood flow (MD -3.56, 95% CI -5.14 to -1.98 under the jaw, MD -7.10, 95% CI -11.01 to -3.19 in the fingertip). When compared to placebo, CHM could reduce MHF severity (MD -0.70, 95% CI-1.00 to -0.40) and improve total KI score (MD -12.61, 95% CI -15.21 to -10.01). However, no statistically significant changes to hormone levels were detected. Most commonly seen adverse events were mild gastrointestinal tract reactions. The most popularly studied formula was Kun Tai capsule and the most frequently prescribed herb was Bai shao (Paeoniae Radix Alba, Paeonia lactiflora Pall.). More than 50% included studies had low risks of bias in the domains of selection, performance, attrition and reporting. Conclusions: This review indicated that CHM formulae were safe to be applied in MHF females and able to improve MHF-related symptom scores as well as the peripheral blood flow. Further studies should focus on specific formulae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atopic eczema (AE) affects 10-20% of children in industrialised countries. Objective: This review systematically evaluated the effects and safety of topical use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for AE. Methods: Randomised controlled trials on topical use of CHM were identified through searching electronic databases. Their risk of bias was assessed. Meta-analysis was conducted by employing the RevMan 5.2 software. Results: Ten studies involving 1,058 participants were included. These studies had high risk of bias in randomisation, blinding and outcome data. Meta-analysis showed that topical applications of CHM were superior to conventional medications in total effectiveness rate (risk ratio 1.19; 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.36). No significant difference was observed in overall skin lesion score (standardised mean difference -0.05; 95% confidence interval -0.88 to 0.78) compared to corticosteroid creams. Conclusions: There was no conclusive evidence to demonstrate that topical application of CHM for AE was superior to other control interventions due to methodological weaknesses of the included randomised controlled trials. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The therapeutic effects of Guizhi Fuling Wan (GFW) on uterine fibroids have been tested on various animal models, but to date, the findings of these studies have not been comprehensively synthesised. This study aimed to evaluate the preclinical effects of GFW on uterine fibroids in different animal models. Twenty databases were searched from their earliest recorded publications to March 2019 to identify in vivo studies of non-modified GFW compared with no treatment for animal models with uterine fibroids. The methodological quality was assessed using the ARRIVE guidelines. Two groups of outcome measures were evaluated: fibroid characteristics (uterine weight, coefficient or smooth muscle thickness) and sex hormones indexes (oestradiol, progesterone or the gene expression of their receptors). A total of 21 studies (22 experiments) involving 461 female animals met the eligibility criteria. The quality of the included studies scored at 14.24 ± 1.00 out of 20. Four animal species were used and induced by oestrogen or oestrogen combined with progesterone, including guinea pig (n = 20), rats (n = 385, SD and Wister) and mice (n = 56). Overall, the available evidence suggests that GFW has potentially beneficial effects over placebo on both fibroid characteristics and sex hormones in SD rats (except progesterone), Wister rats (except progesterone receptor [PR] gene expression) and ICR mice (except PR gene expression). GFW appears to reduce uterine weight and smooth muscle thickness in the guinea pig, but no data on sex hormone index was available. Noting the unevenly distributed covariates of animal model types, experimental evidence suggested that GFW may be a promising intervention for the management of uterine fibroids in animal models. Future natural product studies should be optimised by reporting the voucher specimen. More studies on composition and providing evidence of the involvement of relevant cell signalling pathways are required. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]