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Background/Aims: Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGH) is a serious medical condition which affects a large number of individuals. Endoscopic therapy accompanied by medication is a standard approach that is used to improve the prognosis of UGH patients and a few medications have been developed including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), histamine H₂ receptor antagonist (H2RA), somatostatin analogues and tranexamic acid. This study is set to compare the efficacy and safety of various medical interventions that are used to manage upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase for relevant articles. Eligible studies were determined by using both the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Both traditional pair-wise meta-analysis and net-work analysis were carried out to evaluate the corresponding interventions. Results and Conclusion: PPI is an effective medication for UGH patients and intravenous PPI exhibits equivalent effectiveness and safety in comparison to oral PPI. H2RA is not recommended for UGH patients as patients treated with H2RA are associated with an increased risk of adverse events including rebleeding, need for surgery and all-cause mortality. Moreover, patients treated with H2RA exhibit an increased length of average hospital stay and blood transfusion amount compared to those treated with PPI. Tranexamic acid is also considered as another promising medication for UGH.

Background: The objective of this meta-analysis was to summarize and identify the available evidence from studies to estimate the clinical value of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). And provides clinicians with evidence on which to base their clinical decision making. Methods: This review will include all studies comparing clinical efficacy of TCM in the treatment of MPE. The search strategy will be performed in 9 databases. We will not establish any limitations to language and publication status, published from inception to the July, 2020. Two reviewers will screen, select studies, extract data, and assess quality independently. Outcome is clinical efficacy, QLQ-C30 questionnaire and safety. The methodological quality including the risk of bias of the included studies will be evaluated. We will carry out statistical analysis using RevMan 5.3 software. Results: This study will summarize current evidence to assess the efficacy and safety of TCM in the treatment of MPE. Conclusion: The findings of this study will provide helpful evidence for the clinician, and will promote further studies, as well as studying the value of TCM.

Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is one of the commonest causes of an exudative pleural effusion. Breathlessness, dyspnea and other symptoms often seriously distress and affect the quality of life. The external application of mirabilite and rhubarb (EAMR) combined with intrathoracic infusion of cisplatin, as an alternative treatment for MPE, is popular in China. The study aims to assess its effectiveness and safety combined with intrathoracic chemotherapy. Methods: This study is a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. Patient visits were performed at baseline and days 14 and 28 after treatment. Clinical outcomes were measured after chest drain placement using the criterion of efficacy refer to WHO standard, and QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Results: Database records of patients treated in our institution for MPE between October, 2016 and March, 2019. The study included 84 eligible patients. They were categorized with a randomization schedule into treatment group (N = 42) and control group (N = 42). There is statistical significance in the comparison of the total effective rate between these 2 groups (66.67% vs 54.76%, P < .05). Furthermore, there is statistical significance in the comparison of items of Physical (1.95 ± 0.50 vs 2.19 ± 0.58%, P < .05), Pain (1.98 ± 0.42 vs 2.07 ± 0.32, P < .05), and Global Health (1.23 ± 0.64 vs 1.13 ± 0.23%, P < .05) between these 2 groups. None of the patients had adverse reactions such as skin allergy and chest tightness. Conclusions: The total effective rate of treatment group using extra external application of mirabilite rhubarb powder is significantly higher than that of control group. The improvement of patients’ clinical symptoms is greater in treatment group and no adverse reactions is found. Therefore, external application of mirabilite and rhubarb combined with intrathoracic infusion of cisplatin is an effective method for the treatment of MPE, which is worth popularizing.