Evidence mapPaperPMID 41852476Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in endocrinology2026

Traditional Chinese medicine for type 2 diabetes with metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease: unified effects and design thresholds.

Youfang Liu, Bibi Wang, Liting Wang, Haozhe Xiong, Hua Zhang, Yang Cheng

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Youfang LiuInstitute of Liver Diseases, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Bibi WangInstitute of Liver Diseases, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Liting WangInstitute of Liver Diseases, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Haozhe XiongChina-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Hua ZhangInstitute of Liver Diseases, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Yang ChengInstitute of Liver Diseases, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to reorganize randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD; including legacy NAFLD) into a clinical evidence-anchored knowledge graph (KG) and harmonize effect semantics ("unified effects") to support endpoint- and design-aware evidence navigation. Methods: We systematically reviewed RCTs (2015-2025). Effect direction and scale were unified using a prespecified rule (treatment effect [TE] >0 indicates improvement). The prespecified primary endpoints maximizing cross-trial comparability were alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triglycerides (TG), Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP); aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was retained for robustness. Metabolic endpoints were synthesized at the 12-week timepoint, while imaging endpoints (CAP and liver stiffness measurement [LSM]) were synthesized within a prespecified 8- to 24-week window. Trials were stratified as add-on versus mixed, with primary efficacy inferences based on add-on trials with balanced background Western medicine. Evidence was synthesized using REML-based random-effects meta-analysis (reporting prediction intervals) and weighted meta-regression. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 and certainty of evidence using GRADE. Results: A total of 95 trials were included ( Conclusion: In adults with T2DM and MASLD, add-on trials show directionally favorable pooled biochemical/metabolic changes after unified effect harmonization, but uncertainty remains substantial. CAP may be a more reproducible short-term imaging endpoint than LSM. Evidence-derived design patterns should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating rather than causal thresholds. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420251167450.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Drugs, Chinese HerbalMedicine, Chinese TraditionalNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicDrugs, Chinese Herbalinterpretable machine learningknowledge graphmeta-analysismetabolic-associated steatotic liver diseasetraditional Chinese medicinetype 2 diabetes mellitus

Identifiers

PMID41852476
PMCPMC12992033

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.