Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy combined with traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis in elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods Fifty-six patients with KOA were randomized into the drug therapy group(n=28) receiving only traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis therapy for four weeks and the combined treatment group(n= 28)receiving extracorporeal shock wave therapy combined with traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis therapy for four weeks.WOMAC score as an specific severity-of-illness score was used to evaluate knee joint function of patients before and four-week after treatment. Results WOMAC scores of all patients were significantly decreased which indicated states of an illness were improved after four-week treatment as compared with pre-treatment(all P< 0.05).The combined treatment group versus the drug therapy group showed markedly lower WOMAC scores,including pain score(3.17 ± 1.03 vs.5.27 ± 1.58,t= 7.316,P< 0.05),morning stiffness score(2.23 ± 0.91 vs.3.32 ± 1.14,t= 3.440,P< 0.05),activity restrict of daily living score(20.13 ± 6.46 vs.27.35 ± 13.28,t= 4.691,P< 0.05)and total score(28.37 ± 11.62 vs.40.16 ± 5.93,t=8.015,P<0.05). Conclusions Compared with single traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis, the extracorporeal shock wave therapy combined with traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis therapy may significantly reduce the pain and morning stiffness degree,and enhance activities of daily living in elderly patients with KOA.

Ruxolitinib， a small molecule inhibitor， selectively targets Janus kinase （JAK） by competitively binding to adenosine triphosphate on the catalytic site of the JAK1 and JAK2 domain， thereby inhibiting JAK activation and signal transducer and activator of transcription （STAT） phosphorylation and prevents the expressions of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Oral ruxolitinib has demonstrated promising efficacy for myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera. The topical Ruxolitinib cream， approved by the US FDA as the first non-segmental vitiligo home treatment drug， is set to be launched in domestic medical pioneer areas in August 2023 and is expected to bring about a breakthrough in the treatment of vitiligo. Clinical cases have also shown that Ruxolitinib cream has significant curative effects on atopic dermatitis， alopecia areata， and other conditions， indicating great application prospects.