Are case reports valuable?Exploring their role in evidence based medicine and patient care

Case reports,often overlooked in evidence-based medicine(EBM),play a pivotal role in healthcare research.They provide unique insights into rare conditions,novel treatments,and adverse effects,serving as valuable educational tools and generating new hypothesis.Despite their limitations in generalizability,case reports contribute significantly to evidence-based practice by offering detailed clinical information and fostering critical thinking among healthcare professionals.By acknowledging their limitations and adhering to reporting guidelines,case reports can contribute significantly to medical knowledge and patient care within the evolving landscape of EBM.This editorial explores the intrinsic value of case reports in EBM and patient care.

循证医学(Evidence-based Medicine)——临床研究与实践的新时代

80年代以来的大规模、随机、双盲、多中心、安慰剂对照临床试验证明,以经验和推论,如以一些临床化验指标为依据的传统临床试验不能反映病人的长期预后。为了对新药和已上市药物作出恰当的评价,应当从所谓“众说纷坛”转向注重和评价病人预后,包括总死亡率、重要心脑血管事件、生活质量、卫生经济学等的“循证医学”。反过来,“循证医学”和临床治疗指南的发展将对新药的研究与开发、医生的临床实践、药物经济学、医疗保健服务决策等带来积极和正面的影响。

Traditional Chinese Medicine as a Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis:From Empirical Practice to Evidence-Based Therapy

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a common autoimmune condition with an elusive etiology.Conventional and biological disease-modifying drugs sometimes fail or produce only partial responses.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has long been used in China as a treatment for RA and is achieving everincreasing acceptance worldwide.TCM treatments are traditionally guided by the theory of treatment based on TCM syndrome differentiation;however,they remain a matter of empirical practice relying on TCM theories and doctors’own experience,which places severe restrictions on worldwide TCM application.Nevertheless,TCM is a treasure trove for drug discovery,particularly as a treatment for complicated human conditions.The discoveries of artemisinin as a treatment for malaria and of TCM–arsenic trioxide(As2O3)combination therapy as a treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)are excellent examples of the great value of TCM.Regarding RA treatments,many Chinese medicinal herbs and their formulas,extracts,ingredients,and even single compounds have been used in clinical applications.Several Chinese proprietary medicines(CPMs)derived from TCM formulas or herbal bioactive components,such as the controlled-release ZhengQingFengTongNing(ZQFTN)Tablets,Tripterygium Glycoside Tablets,and Total Glucosides of Peony(TGP)Capsules,have been included in the National Health Insurance Directory of China,and show comparable therapeutic efficacies to those of western chemical drugs with fewer side effects.As TCM research has advanced,particularly in the use of multidisciplinary technologies,the scientific foundations and characteristics of the use of TCM to treat RA have been revealed,and the quality of TCM treatments have been increasingly enhanced.However,TCM generally lacks sufficient clinical and laboratory data to be consistent with international standards for quality,safety,and efficacy in order to support its application worldwide.Therefore,intensive basic and clinical studies on TCM are required.In particular,investigations that use cutting-edge technologies in analytical chemistry,biology,and biomedical sciences,and the development of randomized clinical trials(RCTs)and personalized pragmatic randomized controlled trials(PPRCTs)are necessary.Researchers should also collaborate to advance TCM from empirical practice to evidence-based therapy,thus consistently promoting TCM development and globalization in a vital,beneficial,and contributable manner.

Evidence-Based Medicine Research on Prescriptions in Synopsis of the Golden Chamber in the Treatment of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Purpose: Based on the National Natural Science Foundation of China, we collect and sort out the literature published in approximately the last 30 years, which use prescriptions in Synopsis of the Golden Chamber to treat pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This study provides theoretical basis for the treatment of PID;we recommend this achievement to colleagues. Method: Firstly, we searched and collected the literatures from last three decades in CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases, which are about classical prescriptions treating endometriosis. Then, by screening all the literatures, we obtained the clinical research literatures and individual case reports. Finally, we went through the internal quality of the two categories of literatures to get the dominant prescriptions. Using a retrospective study of evidence-based medicine research, we comprehensively collect literature, standardize the disease spectrum, classify the evidence, and then evaluate the internal quality. Results: We refine 4 prescriptions which commonly are used in the treatment of PID;in other words, they are also the clinical symptoms of PID: Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan symptom, which manifests blood stasis and cold-damp stagnancy;Dang Gui Shao Yao San symptom, which manifests disharmony of liver and spleen, qi-blood stasis and damp obstruction;Da Huang Mu Dan Tang symptom, which manifests the gathering toxic heat and qi-blood stasis;Yi Yi Fu Zi Bai Jiang San symptom, which manifests the internal toxic heat and qi-blood injury. Conclusion: This study is gospel for the patients with recurrent episodes of PID who can’t often use antibiotics. At the same time, it is also a green therapeutics which Chinese ancients dedicated to human medicine.

Calling into Question the Efficacy of Evidence-Based Medicine: Is It Always the Best Approach? Is That Really the Placebo Effect?

The techniques of evidence-based medicine (EBM) are being frequently used recently. The generally accepted theory is that if a medicine is not absorbed by the body, it will have no effect. However, the author has noticed that even when substances, including medicines, are not absorbed by the body, they can have a marked effect. In some cases, just bringing the substance close to the body can have an effect;in such cases, the efficacy of EBM for estimating the therapeutic value of medicines may be debatable. Therefore, a more accurate evaluation method should be devised. The author proposes that another group be introduced into trials. This group would include subjects who were exposed to but did not have an opportunity to absorb the medicine being tested.

EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE AND THE CLINICAL STUDY ON ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION

In this article, the authors hold that the evidence based medicine(EBM) is a new medical action produced at the historic moment in clinical practice, which is promoting development of the medicine and even the whole life science in a fully new train of thought and method. Further the briefly introduced contents are the effect of EBM, the difficulty of utilizing in the acupuncture clinical practice and how to resolve them. It is highly recommended that the doctors of the acupuncture science field should study EBM and its effect and difficulties in practice as earlier as possible, insistently assimilate new knowledge and keep abreast of the times’ progress to facilitate the further development of acupunctology.

Evidence based medicine:clinical trials that guide the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction of elderly patients

Cardiovascular disease is the most frequent diagnosis in elderly people and is the leading cause of death in both men and women older than 65 years. Every year in the United States more than 700,000 patients arrive at the emergency room with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI). About 60 percent of hospital admissions for AMI are of people older than 65 years. Their in-hospital, 1-month,and 1-year mortality is high. 1 In this article, we will provide a review on clinical trials that guide the management of STelevation myocardial infarction of the elderly patients.……

COVID-19: Off-label therapies based on mechanism of action while waiting for evidence-based medicine recommendations

The world pandemic due to coronavirus disease 2019,known as COVID-19,embodies a high rate of disease transmission that causes a critical hospitalization overload.As of May 15,2020,the disease has been the cause of more than 4 million infections and more than 280000 deaths all over the world.At the beginning,we underestimated the disease;now,we have sufficient information and it is clear that it is not just a respiratory disease.In fact,if a prompt treatment is not initiated,the disease may evolve towards an abnormal immune response and cytokine storm with an important thrombophilic pattern.Therefore,we think that while waiting for certainties to be established by evidence-based medicine,it is not ethical to not try off-label therapies for some of the well-known drugs,as they could have some efficacy based on their mechanisms of action.

Research in spinal surgery: Evaluation and practice of evidence-based medicine

Evidence-based medicine(EBM) is a common concept among medical practitioners, yet unique challenges arise when EBM is applied to spinal surgery. Due to the relative rarity of certain spinal disorders, and a lack of management equipoise, randomized controlled trials may be difficult to execute. Despite this, responsibility rests with spinal surgeons to design high quality studies in order to justify certain treatment modalities. The authors therefore review the tenets of implementing evidencebased research, through the lens of spinal disorders. The process of EBM begins with asking the correct question.An appropriate study is then designed based on the research question. Understanding study designs allows the spinal surgeon to assess the level of evidence provided.Validated outcome measurements allow clinicians to communicate the success of treatment strategies, and will increase the quality of a given study design. Importantly,one must recognize that the randomized controlled trial is not always the optimal study design for a given research question. Rather, prospective observational cohort studies may be more appropriate in certain circumstances, and would provide superior generalizability. Despite the challenges involved with EBM, it is the future of medicine. These issues surrounding EBM are important for spinal surgeons, as well as health policy makers and editorial boards, to have familiarity.

The Downsides of Evidence-Based Medicine

There exist problems in the actual evidence-based in the practice of medicine relating to the time available and the stringent algorithms employed by the attending physicians. The mistakes are often serious. Illustrating clinical examples are given as to how things can go wrong under the pressure baring on clinicians by the factors given.

Evidence-Based Medicine Research on Shanghan Zabing Lun Prescriptions in the Treatment of Endometriosis

Objective: Adopting the methods of Evidence-based Medicine research to acquire the dominant prescriptions of Shanghan Zabing Lun in the treatment of Endometriosis, meanwhile to fully dig the value of classical prescriptions. Method: Firstly, we searched and collected the literatures from last three decades in CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases, which are about classical prescriptions treating endometriosis. Then, by screening all the literatures, we obtained the clinical research literatures and individual case reports. Finally, we went through the internal quality of the two categories of literatures to get the dominant prescriptions. Results: 22 Shanghan Zabing Lun prescriptions have been used in the treatment of endometriosis. According to the clinical research and case literatures, Guizhi Fuling Wan is the prime prescription to treat endometriosis with high quality and high frequency. Conclusions: Through evidence-based medical research and evaluation of evidence, it can be seen that treatment of endometriosis presents a certain tendency that Guizhi Fuling Wan, Wenjing Decoction and Dahuang Zhechong Wan have good clinical effect treating endometriosis and their syndromes are well matched with the symptoms of endometriosis in the present clinical environment.

Herbal traditional Chinese medicine and its evidence base in gastrointestinal disorders

Herbal traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is used to treat several ailments, but its efficiency is poorly documented and hence debated, as opposed to modern medicine commonly providinge ffective therapies. The aim of this review article is to present a practical reference guide on the role of herbal TCM in managing gastrointestinal disorders, supported by systematic reviews and evidence based trials. A literature search using herbal TCM combined with terms for gastrointestinal disorders in Pub Med and the Cochrane database identified publications of herbal TCM trials. Results were analyzed for study type, inclusion criteria, and outcome parameters. Quality of placebo controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trials was poor, mostly neglecting stringent evidence based diagnostic and therapeutic criteria. Accordingly, appropriate Cochrane reviews and meta-analyses were limited and failed to support valid, clinically relevant evidence based efficiency of herbal TCM in gastrointestinal diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric or duodenal ulcer, dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. In conclusion, the use of herbal TCM to treat various diseases has an interesting philosophical background with a long history, but it received increasing skepticism due to the lack of evidence based efficiency as shown by high quality trials; this has now been summarized for gastrointestinal disorders, with TCM not recommended for most gastrointestinal diseases. Future studies should focus on placebo controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trials, herbal product quality and standard criteria for diagnosis, treatment, outcome, and assessment of adverse herb reactions. This approach will provide figures of risk/benefit profiles that hopefully are positive for at least some treatment modalities of herbal TCM. Proponents of modern herbal TCM best face these promising challenges of pragmaticmodern medicine by bridging the gap between the two medicinal cultures.

Hepatocellular carcinoma and evidence-based surgery

Transplantation cannot be considered the most important therapeutic procedure for hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. In France, no more than 2% of patients with HCC undergo a transplantation. Randomized conb＇olled trial must assess the benefit to risk ratio of various potentially ＂curative＂ treatment procedures （transplantation, resection, radiofrequency ablation）.

Evidence-based Management of Glaucoma

Purpose: The evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a new medical mode that is completely different from traditional experience-based medicine. The core of EBM is that decision-making during clinical practices must be based on objective research results.With the rapid development of modern ophthalmology, some former viewpoints according to experience-based medicine face challenges. Evidence-based ophthalmology (EBO) is imperative under the situation. Glaucoma, as a disease resulting in blindness, which can not be cured by operation, is thought more and more of by medical management officials and doctors. One challenge for ophthalmologists entering the 21st century will be to make clinical decisions based on valid information or evidence rather than intuition, hearsay, or peer practice. How can we do? Here reviews the application of EBM in medical management of glaucoma since EBM' s naissance and give a reference.

Application of Evidence-based Prosthodontics in Practice

The concepts and progress of evidence-based dentistry were introduced in this critical review. An extensive PubMed search was conducted to provide sound evidences for some frequently encountered problems in prosthodontic daily practice. Conlusively, it is important for prosthodontists to keep current by looking for efficient ways of interpreting high quality evidences to clinical practice.

Joint Development of Evidence-Based Medical Record by Doctors and Patients through Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine on Digestive System Diseases

Building the clinical therapeutic evaluation system by combing the evaluation given by doctors and patients can form a more comprehensive and objective evaluation system.A literature search on the practice of evidence-based evaluation was conducted in key biomedical databases,i.e.PubMed,Excerpt Medica Database,China Biology Medicine disc and China National Knowledge Infrastructure.However,no relevant study on the subjects of interest was identified.Therefore,drawing on the principles of narrative medicine and expert opinion from systems of Chinese medicine and Western medicine,we propose to develop and pilot-test a novel evidence-based medical record format that captures the perspectives of both patients and doctors in a clinical trial.Further,we seek to evaluate a strategic therapeutic approach that integrates the wisdom of Chinese medicine with the scientific basis of Western medicine in the treatment of digestive system disorders.Evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of remedies under the system of Chinese medicine is an imperative ongoing research.The present study intends to identify a novel approach to assess the synergistic benefits achievable from an integrated therapeutic approach combining Chinese and Western system of medicine to treat digestive system disorders.

Evidence-based Practice Method of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine Based on Literature Retrieval through PICO Question and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Topics

An evidence-based practice method according to literature retrieval through PICO （Patients,Intervention,Comparison,Outcome） questions and complementary and alternative medicine （CAM） topics,which can obtain helpful evidence for guiding clinical practice,was introduced with a practical example in this paper.The knowledge of diseases and Western medicine treatment can be acquired by literature retrieval through PICO question,while searching by CAM topics may provide evidence for Chinese medicine （CM）.Thus the author held that literature retrieval through both PICO question and CAM topics was an ideal evidencebased practice method for integrative Chinese and Western medicine （ICWM）.However,since the standard in CM evidence hierarchy is still under study,the value of the CAM thematic retrieval method remains very limited.In the future,studies on the definition and hierarchy of CM evidences and the herb-drug interaction between Western and Chinese medicine during a combination therapy should be strengthened to improve the status of ICWM evidence-based practice.

Evidence-Based Therapies of Chinese Medicine for Chronic Urticaria:Where Do We Stand and Where Are We Going?

Chronic urticaria（CU）is characterized by repeated occurrence of wheals or itching for more than 6 weeks.When urticaria symptoms repeatedly occur despite taking Western medicines such as antihistamines,Chinese medicine（CM）has been shown to relieve symptoms and prevent recurrence.However,the lack of robust evidence from the evidence-based medicine perspective is hindering acceptance of CM by the Western medicine community.In recent years,more and more evidence-based studies of CU treatment by CM were report in English literatures,including acupuncture,herbs,and food,although some of evidence is still with low quality.These progress in CM treatment of CU will inspire high quality evidences via randomized,controlled trials assessing efficacy and safety of CM treatment of CU.