Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a well-accepted therapy for atopic dermatitis (AD). However, there are currently no evidence-based guidelines integrating TCM and Western medicine for the treatment of AD, limiting the clinical application of such combined approaches. Therefore, the China Association of Chinese Medicine initiated the development of the current guideline, focusing on key issues related to the use of TCM in the treatment of AD. This guideline was developed in accordance with the principles of the guideline formulation manual published by the World Health Organization. A comprehensive review of the literature on the combined use of TCM and Western medicine to treat AD was conducted. The findings were extensively discussed by experts in dermatology and pharmacy with expertise in both TCM and Western medicine. This guideline comprises 23 recommendations across seven major areas, including TCM syndrome differentiation and classification of AD, principles and application scenarios of TCM combined with Western medicine for treating AD, outcome indicators for evaluating clinical efficacy of AD treatment, integration of TCM pattern classification and Western medicine across disease stages, daily management of AD, the use of internal TCM therapies and proprietary Chinese medicines, and TCM external treatments. Please cite this article as: Du XR, Wu MY, Tao MC, Lin Y, Gu CY, Wu MF, Cao Y, Chen DC, Li W, Wang HW, Wang Y, Wang Y, Lu HZ, Liu X, Su XF, Li FL. Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis with integrative traditional Chinese and Western medicine. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):641-653.
Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Integrative Medicine ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

Objective: To investigate the potential efficacy and safety of Lutai Danshen Baishao granules (LDBG) for treating female melasma associated with kidney deficiency and blood stasis patterns. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, China from March to December 2023. A total of 110 female patients with melasma linked to kidney deficiency and blood stasis were enrolled and treated with either LDBG or a placebo twice daily for 60 days. Efficacy was assessed through measures such as the total melasma area, reduced melasma area, reduction rate of melasma area, melasma color score, Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) score, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom score scale. Safety assessments included routine blood and biochemical tests. Results: Participants in both groups were aged 52–63 years, with no significant differences. After the 2-month intervention, the total melasma area decreased in both groups; however, a greater reduction was observed in the test group [462.50 mm2 (12.81%) vs. 100.00 mm2 (3.11%), P < .001]. Moreover, LDBG treatment significantly reduced the MASI and melasma color scores in the test group (P < .05). The total TCM symptom evaluation score significantly decreased (test group: 6.00 vs. placebo group: 7.00, P = .001), with significant relief in symptoms such as improvement in dark lips, nails, and waist soreness in the test group, compared with that in the placebo group (P < .05). Within-group comparisons revealed that TCM syndrome was significantly alleviated in the test group (P < .05). Conclusion LDBG intervention shows promising effectiveness in reducing female melasma and alleviating TCM syndromes.

Objective To analyze the changes of B lymphocyte(B cells)subsets in peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB)and to explore its clinical significance.Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from 37 treatment-na?ve CHB patients who were admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from July 2022 to October 2022,and peripheral blood samples collected from 18 healthy individuals who have received the hepatitis B vaccine as healthy controls(HC).The study subjects'clinical indexes such as age,HBV DNA viral load,HBsAg quantification,HBeAg semi quantification,ALT,AST,and AST/ALT ratio were collected.The change characteristics of the frequency,phenotypic and functional markers of peripheral blood B lymphocytes and their subsets were compared between CHB and HC.Using multi-color flow cytometry,and the correlation between them and clinical indexes was analyzed.Results Frequency analysis of each subset of B cells showed that compared with HC,the frequency of total B cells,transitional B cells and naive B cells was decreased(P<0.05),while the frequency of mature B cells,memory B cells,atypical memory B cells and activated memory B cells was increased in CHB patients(P<0.01).And there was no significant difference in the frequency of resting memory B cells between the two groups(P>0.05).The results of functional analysis showed that compared with HC,the expression levels of CD79b on total B cells,mature B cells,memory B cells,naive B cells,activated memory B cells,atypical memory B cells and resting memory B cells in CHB patients were increased(P<0.05).The expression level of programmed cell death protein-1(PD-1)on atypical memory B cells in CHB patients was also higher than that in HC group(P<0.05).The results of correlation analysis showed that the frequency of total B cells in CHB patients was slightly negatively correlated with age(r=-0.39,P<0.05),while the expression of programmed death-1(PD-1)on total B cells,mature B cells,transitional B cells,memory B cells and naive B cells were slightly positively correlated with age(r>0.36,P<0.05).Conclusions Chronic HBV infection leads to depletion of the frequency and function of a portion of B cells in the peripheral blood of CHB patients,and age is a potential risk factor for the decline in humoral immune function in CHB patients.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

AIM To investigate the protective effects of Tangtongyin on podocyte injury in rats with diabetic nephropathy(DN).METHODS The DN rat models established by feeding of high-fat and high-sugar diet combined with multiple injections of streptozotocin(STZ)were randomly divided into the model group,the irbesartan group(13.5 mg/kg)and the low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose Tangtongyin groups(930,1 860,3 720 mg/kg),in contrast to those normal rats of the blank group.In the 8 weeks consecutive administration,each group was intragastrically dosed with the corresponding drug once daily.The rats had their fasting blood glucose(FBG),24-hour urine protein(24-h UP),serum creatinine(Scr)and blood urea nitrogen(BUN)levels detected;their renal pathological changes observed by HE staining;their ultrastructural changes of renal podocytes observed by transmission electron microscopy;their mRNA expressions of renal PTEN,PI3K,Akt,nephrin,podocin and CD2AP detected by RT-qPCR;and their protein expressions of renal PTEN,PI3K,Akt,p-Akt,nephrin,podocin and CD2AP detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the Tangtongyin groups displayed decreased levels of FBG,24-h UP,Scr and BUN(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);improved renal pathological morphology and podocyte ultrastructure;increased mRNA and protein expressions of PTEN,nephrin,podocin and CD2AP(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and decreased expression of p-Akt protein(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Additionally,the medium-dose and high-dose Tangtongyin groups shared indecreased mRNA and protein expressions of PI3K and Akt(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION Tangtongyin can protect the renal podocytes in DN rats,and its mechanism may associate with its efficacy via PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

AIM To establish the quality standard of the zhujieshen Formula Granules based on standard decoction.METHODS The contents and transfer rates of ginsenoside Ro and chikusetsu saponin Ⅳa in standard decoction and formula granules were determined by HPLC,after which the transfer rates were calculated.The HPLC characteristic chromatograms of standard decoctions were established,after which cluster analysis and principal component analysis were adopted.Then the HPLC characteristic chromatograms of formula granules were established.RESULTS Nine common peaks were found in the HPLC characteristic chromatograms of seventeen batches of standard decoctions with the similarities of more than 0.9(except for S6,S12),which were clustered into two categories,and the accumulative variance contribution rate of three principal components reached 86.7％.The contents of ginsenoside Ro in three batches of formula granules were 83.1-88.6 mg/g,and the transfer rates were 53.1％-55.5％.The contents of chikusetsusaponin Ⅳa were 14.8-15.0 mg/g,and the transfer rates were 47.4％-48.1％.Nine common peaks were found in the HPLC characteristic chromatograms of three batches of formula granules with the similarities of 0.998,0.998 and 0.999,respectively.CONCLUSION This reasonable and reliable method can comprehensively evaluate the quality of Zhujieshen Formula Granules,and provide a reference for the quality control.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Objective:To explore potential predictors of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP) in early stage. Methods:The prospective multicenter study was conducted in Zhejiang, China from May 1 st, 2019 to January 31 st, 2020. A total of 1 428 patients with fever >48 hours to <120 hours were studied. Their clinical data and oral pharyngeal swab samples were collected; Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA in pharyngeal swab specimens was detected. Patients with positive Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA results underwent a series of tests, including chest X-ray, complete blood count, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and procalcitonin. According to the occurrence of RMPP, the patients were divided into two groups, RMPP group and general Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (GMPP) group. Measurement data between the 2 groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between clinical data and RMPP. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse the power of the markers for predicting RMPP. Results:A total of 1 428 patients finished the study, with 801 boys and 627 girls, aged 4.3 (2.7, 6.3) years. Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA was positive in 534 cases (37.4%), of whom 446 cases (83.5%) were diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, including 251 boys and 195 girls, aged 5.2 (3.3, 6.9) years. Macrolides-resistant variation was positive in 410 cases (91.9%). Fifty-five cases were with RMPP, 391 cases with GMPP. The peak body temperature before the first visit and LDH levels in RMPP patients were higher than that in GMPP patients (39.6 (39.1, 40.0) vs. 39.2 (38.9, 39.7) ℃, 333 (279, 392) vs. 311 (259, 359) U/L, both P<0.05). Logistic regression showed the prediction probability π=exp (-29.7+0.667×Peak body temperature (℃)+0.004×LDH (U/L))/(1+exp (-29.7+0.667×Peak body temperature (℃)+0.004 × LDH (U/L))), the cut-off value to predict RMPP was 0.12, with a consensus of probability forecast of 0.89, sensitivity of 0.89, and specificity of 0.67; and the area under ROC curve was 0.682 (95% CI 0.593-0.771, P<0.01). Conclusion:In MPP patients with fever over 48 to <120 hours, a prediction probability π of RMPP can be calculated based on the peak body temperature and LDH level before the first visit, which can facilitate early identification of RMPP.

Objective To investigate the prognosis of childhood T-lymphoblastic lymphoma(T-LBL)treated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL)regimen and related influencing factors.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the prognostic characteristics of 29 children with T-LBL who were treated with ALL regimen(ALL-2009 or CCCG-ALL-2015 regimen)from May 2010 to May 2022.Results The 29 children with T-LBL had a 5-year overall survival(OS)rate of 84％±7％and an event-free survival(EFS)rate of 81％±8％.The children with B systemic symptoms(unexplained fever＞38° C for more than 3 days;night sweats;weight loss＞10％within 6 months)at initial diagnosis had a lower 5-year EFS rate compared to the children without B symptoms(P＜0.05).The children with platelet count＞400x109/L and involvement of both mediastinum and lymph nodes at initial diagnosis had lower 5-year OS rates(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in 5-year OS and EFS rates between the children treated with CCCG-ALL-2015 regimen and those treated with ALL-2009 regimen(P＞0.05).Compared with the ALL-2009 regimen,the CCCG-ALL-2015 regimen reduced the frequency of high-dose methotrexate chemotherapy and the incidence rate of severe infections(P＜0.05).Conclusions The ALL regimen is safe and effective in children with T-LBL.Children with B systemic symptoms,platelet count＞400x109/L,and involvement of both mediastinum and lymph nodes at initial diagnosis tend to have a poor prognosis.Reduction in the frequency of high-dose methotrexate chemotherapy can reduce the incidence rate of severe infections,but it does not affect prognosis.

Objective To evaluate the process risk of the implementation of prevention and control measures for surgical site infection(SSI)after colorectal surgery,and explore the application effect of failure mode and effects analysis(FMEA)based on action priority.Methods FMEA based on action priority was adopted to evaluate the whole process of the implementation of prevention and control measures for SSI after colorectal surgery.Prioritiza-tion ranking was conducted according to whether optimized measures were taken.Standard-reaching rate of comp-liance to SSI prevention and control measures as well as SSI incidence before and after the implementation of FMEA were compared.Results After evaluation,there were 7 high-priority and 22 medium-priority prevention and control measures for SSI.The control of medium-priority measures was strengthened,with a focus on developing further preventive and detectable measures for high-priority measures.The re-evaluation results after improvement showed that 7 high-priority measures have been downgraded to medium priority,and 16 medium-priority measures have been downgraded to low priority.Standard-reaching rate of compliance to SSI prevention and control measures in-creased from 77.15％(2 566/3 326)to 92.47％(3 096/3 348),and SSI incidence decreased from 6.04％(58/960)to 2.54％(60/2 364).Conclusion Application of FMEA based on action priority can effectively evaluate the risk of prevention and control process of SSI after colorectal surgery,and adopting preventive risk control measures accord-ing to the current situation can reduce the incidence of SSI after colorectal surgery.