Qili Qiangxin capsule is a standardized Chinese herbal treatment that is commonly used in China for heart failure (HF) alongside conventional medical care. In 2014, Chinese guidelines for the treatment of chronic HF highlighted Qili Qiangxin capsules as a potentially effective medicine. However, there is at present no high quality review to evaluate the effects and safety of Qili Qiangxin for patients with HF. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis and followed methods described in our registered protocol [PROSPERO registration: CRD42013006106]. We searched 6 electronic databases to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) irrespective of blinding or placebo control of Qili Qiangxin used as an adjuvant treatment for HF. We included a total of 129 RCTs published between 2005 and 2015, involving 11,547 patients, aged 18 to 98 years. Meta-analysis showed no significant difference between Qili Qiangxin plus conventional treatment and conventional treatment alone for mortality (RR 0.53, 95 % CI 0.27 to 1.07). However, compared with conventional treatment alone, Qili Qiangxin plus conventional treatment demonstrated a significant reduction in major cardiovascular events (RR 0.46, 95 % CI 0.34 to 0.64) and a significant reduction in re-hospitalization rate due to HF (RR 0.49, 95 % CI 0.38 to 0.64). Qili Qiangxin also showed significant improvement in cardiac function measured by the New York Heart Association scale (RR 1.38, 95 % CI 1.29 to 1.48) and quality of life as measured by Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MD −8.48 scores, 95 % CI −9.56 to −7.39). There were no reports of serious adverse events relating to Qili Qiangxin administration. The majority of included trials were of poor methodological quality. When compared with conventional treatment alone, Qili Qiangxin combined with conventional treatment demonstrated a significant effect in reducing cardiovascular events and re-hospitalization rate, though not in mortality. It appeared to significantly improve quality of life in patients with HF and data from RCTs suggested that Qili Qiangxin is likely safe. This data was drawn from low quality trials and the results of this review must therefore be interpreted with caution. Further research is warranted, ideally involving large, prospective, rigorous trials, in order to confirm these findings.

Although Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely used in clinical settings, a major challenge that remains in TCM is to evaluate its efficacy scientifically. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. In order to improve the transparency and research quality of this clinical trial, we prepared this statistical analysis plan (SAP). The trial design, primary and secondary outcomes, and safety outcomes were declared to reduce selection biases in data analysis and result reporting. We specified detailed methods for data management and statistical analyses. Statistics in corresponding tables, listings, and graphs were outlined. The SAP provided more detailed information than trial protocol on data management and statistical analysis methods. Any post hoc analyses could be identified via referring to this SAP, and the possible selection bias and performance bias will be reduced in the trial. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01138930 , registered on 7 June 2010.

Objective: Colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CCLM) is a common and serious complication of colorectal cancer and is one of the main causes of patient death. This study examines the trend of CCLM research using bibliometric and visualization analysis to provide a reference for further research. Methods: We searched for publications related to CCLM published between 2015 and March 2025 in the Web of Science and PubMed databases and visualized and analyzed data using R (version 4.4.2), VOSviewer (version 1.6.20), and CiteSpace (version 6.3.R1) software. Results: A total of 8656 relevant publications were included. The number of CCLM publications has shown a steady upward trend from 2015 to 2025, with articles being the predominant type. The field has developed a larger number of core authors, with Pawlik, Timothy M. scholar having the highest cumulative number of publications. “Cancers” contributed the most publications. China is the country contributing the most publications in the field, but American scholars have the highest average number of citations per publicaton. “colorectal cancer”, “survival”, “cancer”, “chemotherapy”, “liver metastases”, “hepatic resection”, “surgery” and so on are the keywords that appear with high frequency in this field. The most frequently cited journal is “Annals of Surgery”. The most cited publication is “Clinical score for predicting recurrence after hepatic resection for metastatic colorectal cancer—Analysis of 1001 consecutive cases”. The citing journals are mainly in the fields of oncology, surgery, and imaging, while the cited journals also include some journals in other basic disciplines. Clinical research on CCLM has mainly focused on prospective studies, with an emphasis on gender, age, treatment outcomes, and disease-free survival. Conclusion: This study comprehensively analyzes the current research status and hotspots in the field of CCLM, which can provide valuable references for future research and help other scholars grasp the dynamics of research in this field and discover potential research directions.