SynthesisPloS one2021
Traditional Chinese Medicine as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicines combined with biomedicine in the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- Recent Advances in Clinical Diagnosis and Pharmacotherapy Options of Membranous Nephropathy.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of Mahuang Fuzi and Shenzhuo Decoction for treatment of primary membranous nephropathy: a multicenter prospective trial.Renal failure · 2024Trial
- Treatment of High-Risk Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy with Huaier Granules and RASi: A Case Series.International medical case reports journal · 2026Article
- The effects of traditional Chinese botanical medicine on membranous nephropathy.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Study on the diagnostic criteria of syndrome of dampness obstruction in idiopathic membranous nephropathy based on expert consensus.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2025Article
- Licorice in nephropathy treatment: phytochemical compositions and pharmacological mechanisms.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Traditional Chinese medicine for idiopathic membranous nephropathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Effect of QingreHuoxue formula on Th17 cells and Tregs in mice with idiopathic membranous nephropathy.American journal of translational research · 2024Article
- Shensu IV maintains the integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier and exerts renal protective effects by regulating endogenous hydrogen sulfide levels.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- The efficacy and safety of Sanqi Qushi Granule in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy --protocol of a multicenter, randomized control trial (SQ-AUTUMN).BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Article
- Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Primary Podocytosis: From Fundamental Science to Clinical Research.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIdiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults involving multiple targets and factors. The effect of conservative nonimmunosuppressive or immunosuppressive therapies is unsatisfactory and with many side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can regulate immune function and improve kidney function. PURPOSE: To evaluate the total effective rate, curative rate, recurrence rate and adverse events of TCM alone or TCM as an adjunctive therapy for IMN.
methodsRandomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing either TCM alone or the combination of TCM to western medicine (WM) therapies for patients with IMN were retrieved by searching English and Chinese database. Risk of bias summary was used to assess the methodological quality of eligible studies. Dichotomous data were presented using odds ratios (OR). The primary outcome measure was the total effective rate. Secondary outcomes included curative rate, recurrence rate and adverse events.
results29 RCTs involving 1883 participants met the inclusion criteria. There was no statistically significant difference between the therapy of TCM alone and WM on the total effective rates (OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 0.80-4.98; P = 0.14) and curative rate (OR: 1.66; 95%CI: 0.66-4.22; p = 0.28). However, compared to basic treatment or immunosuppressive therapies alone, results showed that TCM as an adjunctive therapy had beneficial effects on the total effective rate (OR: 2.59; 95% CI: 1.38-4.86; P = 0.003 and OR: 3.01; 95% CI: 2.25-4.04; P < 0.00001) and curative rate (OR: 3.01; 95%CI: 1.24-7.28; p = 0.01 and OR: 1.73; 95%CI: 1.10-2.71; p = 0.02). In addition, the combination of TCM treatment could reduce the recurrence rate (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.12-0.68; P = 0.004) and adverse reactions (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.27-0.54; p < 0.00001).
conclusionThe results indicate that TCM is well-tolerated for the treatment of IMN. However, there remains a need for large-scale and high-quality trials.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.