Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of shenfu injection on myocardial protective effects after mitral valve replacement surgery.Methods: We searched four international databases (PUBMED, Embase, Web of Science and CNKI) and three domestic electronic databases (OASIS, RISS and NDSL) for relevant studies. We used following keywords ‘shenfu’, ‘valve replacement’, ‘mitral valve’ at PUBMED, Embase and Web of Science; ‘二尖瓣’, ‘参附注射液’, ‘瓣膜’ at CNKI and ‘이첨판’, ‘판막’, ‘삼부’ at domestic databases. The search range included randomized controlled trials. When appropriate, meta-analyses were performed.Results: Seven randomized controlled trials were selected. All studies used Shenfu injection after mitral valve replacement surgery. We analyzed myocardial damage, cardiac function, patients’ recovery rate, with various evaluation indicators. We also used meta-analysis for CK-MB, cTnI, MDA and voluntary recovery of heartbeat. CK-MB was analyzed in two subgroups: 8 hours and 24 hours after surgery. Std was -2.34(95% CI -4.10, -0.58) for 8 hours and -1.95(95% CI -4.79 to 0.88) for 24 hours. 8 hours showed statistically significant difference. cTnI appeared significant decrease with Std of -2.13(95% CI -2.60, -1.66). MDA showed significant decrease with Std of -0.95(95% CI -1.43 to -0.47). Voluntary recovery of heartbeat significantly increased with the odd ratio of 4.34(95% CI 1.76, 10.70).Conclusions: We suggest that Shenfu injection after Mitral valve replacement surgery may have significant myocardial protective effects in terms of reducing myocardial damages, reactive oxygen species, increasing cardiac function and patients’ recovery after surgery. However, the evidence is limited, further research is required.

Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common compressive neuropathy caused by entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. Although conventional treatments such as injections and surgery are used, Korean medicine interventions, including pharmacopuncture, are also used in clinical practice. However, clinical evidence from randomized controlled trials of pharmacopuncture for CTS remains limited. Ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture may improve procedural precision by enabling real-time identification of the median nerve and surrounding anatomical structures. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a pragmatic ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture as an additional treatment to lifestyle management and exercise education in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Methods and Analysis: This is a multicenter, randomized, assessor-blinded, waiting-list-controlled clinical trial registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS; KCT0011180). A total of 64 participants with clinically diagnosed CTS will be enrolled at two Korean medicine hospitals and randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or the waiting-list control group. The intervention group will receive ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture once weekly for 3 weeks in addition to lifestyle management and exercise education, whereas the waiting-list control group will receive lifestyle management and exercise education only during the study period. The primary outcome is the change in hand numbness and pain visual analog scale score from baseline to Visit 4 (Week 4). Secondary outcomes include the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire, median nerve cross-sectional area measured by ultrasound, maximum grip strength of the affected hand, and Patient Global Impression of Change. The primary effectiveness outcome will be evaluated in the full analysis set using a mixed-effects model for repeated measures. Conclusion: This trial will provide comparative effectiveness and safety evidence for ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture added to lifestyle management and exercise education in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Background/Objectives: We aimed to explore whether selected non-invasive three-dimensional (3D) body surface indicators differed between prospectively defined enrollment groups and, in linked post-hoc analyses, to identify candidate indicators associated with expert manual judgment. Methods: At screening (visit 1), 88 participants underwent manual examination and pelvic X-ray assessment. Of these, 60 entered the prospective pilot study and underwent 3D body surface analysis at visit 2. The prespecified prospective comparison used the protocol-defined malalignment group (n = 30) and comparison group (n = 30). Final manual diagnosis served as an expert-judgment reference comparator. For post-hoc exploratory ROC analyses, the same 60 participants were reclassified according to final manual diagnosis alone as manual-positive (n = 40) or manual-negative (n = 20). Results: In the prespecified prospective comparison, neither 3D surface-height asymmetry nor marker-angle outcomes differed significantly between the protocol-defined enrollment groups across postures P1–P4. Among all 88 screened participants, X-ray sensitivity and specificity relative to final manual diagnosis were 88.6% and 34.1%, respectively. In the post-hoc exploratory ROC analyses, IC surface-height difference at P3 showed an apparent AUC of 0.684 (p = 0.015), and the highest individual marker-angle AUC was 0.706 at P2 (p = 0.005). An exploratory five-variable model, developed and evaluated in the same dataset, yielded an apparent in-sample AUC of 0.756. Conclusions: The prespecified 3D comparisons did not distinguish the protocol-defined enrollment groups. Post-hoc analyses of the same 60 participants identified candidate 3D indicators associated with expert manual judgment, but these findings were exploratory and do not establish diagnostic accuracy or clinical utility. Prospective validation using prespecified indicators and thresholds, an appropriate independent or composite reference standard, and formal reliability assessment is required before a clinical role for 3D body surface analysis can be determined.

Background/Objectives: Plant-derived ingredients have attracted interest as adjuncts for reducing body fat, but clinical evidence for Lythrum salicaria extract alone remains limited. We evaluated its effects on body fat and its safety in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 23–30 kg/m². Methods: Ninety adults aged 19–75 years participated in a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants received either 500 mg/day of L. salicaria extract powder (corresponding to approximately 400 mg/day of plant-derived extract solids) or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in body fat mass from baseline to day 84, assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Efficacy was evaluated primarily in the per-protocol (PP) population, with supporting intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses. Anthropometric measures, other DXA outcomes, and blood markers were assessed as secondary endpoints. Results: The PP population included 84 participants. Baseline-adjusted differences in body fat mass change, expressed as extract minus placebo, were −2.01 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], −2.51 to −1.52; p < 0.001) in the PP population and −2.04 kg (95% CI, −2.66 to −1.42; p < 0.001) in the ITT population. Exploratory secondary analyses favored the extract for BMI, body weight, body fat percentage, and adiponectin. No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusions: Supplementation with L. salicaria extract powder for 12 weeks was associated with a reduction in DXA-measured body fat mass compared with placebo. Larger trials with longer follow-up are needed to confirm the findings and investigate the mechanisms involved.