ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of phases on the pharmacokinetic behavior of seven components from Banxia Xiexintang（BXT） in normal rats by investigating and comparing their pharmacokinetic profiles in different phase samples. MethodsThe phase separation of BXT was carried out by centrifugation-dialysis method， and three phase samples were obtained， including the precipitated phase（PP）， colloidal phase（CP） and true solution phase（TP）. A total of 24 male SD rats were randomly divided into BXT， PP， CP and TP groups（n=6）. The BXT group was gavaged at a dose of 24.1 g·kg^-1（calculated by the dosage of raw materials）. After proper treatments， PP， CP and TP groups were administrated at the same dose as that of BXT group， respectively. Blood was collected from each group at set time points after gavage of BXT and the phase samples. The contents of 7 components（baicalin， wogonoside， wogonin， berberine， palmatine， ammonium glycyrrhizinate and isoliquiritin） in rat plasma were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry（UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS）， and the pharmacokinetic parameters of each component were analyzed by DAS 2.0. ResultsThe peak concentration of baicalin was the highest among the blood-entered components in each group， followed by wogonoside. The results of the concentration-time curves and pharmacokinetic parameters of the 7 components showed that the area under the concentration-time curve（AUC） of isoliquiritin in the BXT group was the highest， followed by that in the CP group. AUC values of baicalin， wogonoside， wogonin and ammonium glycyrrhizinate in the BXT group were similar to those of the CP group， and AUC of palmatine in the BXT group was similar to that of the PP group. The elimination half-life（t_1/2） values of baicalin and wogonoside in the BXT group was the longest， the t_1/2 values of ammonium glycyrrhizinate and berberine were similar to those of the CP group， and the t_1/2 of palmatine was similar to that of the PP group. The t_1/2 of wogonin was the longest in the PP group， and the t_1/2 of isoliquiritin was the longest in the TP group was the longest， which was similar to that in the PP group. Except for isoliquiritin， the other 6 components showed double peaks in the concentration-time curve of the PP group， indicating that the above components might be reabsorbed through the enterohepatic circulation in vivo， which resulted in the maintenance of high plasma concentrations for a long time， and consequently exhibited sustained-release properties. ConclusionThe pharmacokinetic characteristics of the components in different phases were different， and the CP phase may be the effective phase from the perspective of the pharmacological action of BXT. Compared with the BXT group， the in vivo action times of some components in the CP and PP groups were prolonged. The study explores the phase differences of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） compound decoction in the aspect of pharmacokinetics， and verifies that the phase states from TCM compound decoction will affect the pharmacokinetic behaviors of the active components， which may consequently lead to the difference in in vivo effects.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of phases on the pharmacokinetic behavior of seven components from Banxia Xiexintang（BXT） in normal rats by investigating and comparing their pharmacokinetic profiles in different phase samples. MethodsThe phase separation of BXT was carried out by centrifugation-dialysis method， and three phase samples were obtained， including the precipitated phase（PP）， colloidal phase（CP） and true solution phase（TP）. A total of 24 male SD rats were randomly divided into BXT， PP， CP and TP groups（n=6）. The BXT group was gavaged at a dose of 24.1 g·kg^-1（calculated by the dosage of raw materials）. After proper treatments， PP， CP and TP groups were administrated at the same dose as that of BXT group， respectively. Blood was collected from each group at set time points after gavage of BXT and the phase samples. The contents of 7 components（baicalin， wogonoside， wogonin， berberine， palmatine， ammonium glycyrrhizinate and isoliquiritin） in rat plasma were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry（UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS）， and the pharmacokinetic parameters of each component were analyzed by DAS 2.0. ResultsThe peak concentration of baicalin was the highest among the blood-entered components in each group， followed by wogonoside. The results of the concentration-time curves and pharmacokinetic parameters of the 7 components showed that the area under the concentration-time curve（AUC） of isoliquiritin in the BXT group was the highest， followed by that in the CP group. AUC values of baicalin， wogonoside， wogonin and ammonium glycyrrhizinate in the BXT group were similar to those of the CP group， and AUC of palmatine in the BXT group was similar to that of the PP group. The elimination half-life（t_1/2） values of baicalin and wogonoside in the BXT group was the longest， the t_1/2 values of ammonium glycyrrhizinate and berberine were similar to those of the CP group， and the t_1/2 of palmatine was similar to that of the PP group. The t_1/2 of wogonin was the longest in the PP group， and the t_1/2 of isoliquiritin was the longest in the TP group was the longest， which was similar to that in the PP group. Except for isoliquiritin， the other 6 components showed double peaks in the concentration-time curve of the PP group， indicating that the above components might be reabsorbed through the enterohepatic circulation in vivo， which resulted in the maintenance of high plasma concentrations for a long time， and consequently exhibited sustained-release properties. ConclusionThe pharmacokinetic characteristics of the components in different phases were different， and the CP phase may be the effective phase from the perspective of the pharmacological action of BXT. Compared with the BXT group， the in vivo action times of some components in the CP and PP groups were prolonged. The study explores the phase differences of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） compound decoction in the aspect of pharmacokinetics， and verifies that the phase states from TCM compound decoction will affect the pharmacokinetic behaviors of the active components， which may consequently lead to the difference in in vivo effects.

Objective:To establish a comprehensive evaluation index system based on government supervision for private hospitals to standardize their management and guide their healthy operation with standardized, quantifiable assessment criteria.Methods:Through literature review, regulatory challenges and key issues in private hospital management were identified. Drawing on public hospital performance evaluations and hospital accreditation standards, a three-tiered evaluation index system was developed across four dimensions: legal establishment and practice, service capability and quality & safety, operational management, and comprehensive evaluation. The Delphi method was employed to screen indicators and determine their weights, followed by empirical research to validate the system.Results:The response rate for both rounds of expert consultation was 100%, with an authority coefficient>0.85. Indicators were optimized based on the following criteria: mean scores for importance, feasibility, and sensitivity>3.5; coefficient of variation<0.1; and Kendall′s coefficient of concordance P<0.05. The final comprehensive evaluation system consisted of 4 first-level indicators, 10 second-level indicators, and 49 third-level indicators. The evaluation of 6 private hospitals was basically consistent with the actual situation of the hospitals and the understanding of the health management department on the hospitals. Conclusions:The validated evaluation index system could provide a multi-dimensional, objective assessment of private hospitals, offering quantifiable criteria for management and serving as a reference for government oversight to promote standardized development.

Objective:Bidirectional causal associations of 41 cytokines with atopic dermatitis(AD)were explored based on a Mendelian randomization(MR)approach.Methods:Pooled data from genome wide association study(GWAS)of 41 cytokines and AD were utilized for instrumental variable(IV)screening,and single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)affecting the results of MR analyses was excluded by the MR-PRESSO outlier test as well as by the MR Steiger filtering method.Two-sample bidirectional MR analyses were performed using inverse variance weighting(IVW),MR-Egger regression,and weighted median methods(WM).MR-Egger intercept term test and Cochran's Q test were performed to test the pleiotropy and heterogeneity of IV,and MR results were visu-alized by scatterplots,funnel plots,and leave-one-out plots.Results:Forward MR analysis showed that MIG(IVW:OR=0.89;95%CI:0.81～0.97;P=0.006)reduced the risk of AD development.In contrast,IL-5(IVW:OR=1.17;95%CI:1.01～1.36;P=0.042)and IL-18(MR Egger:OR=1.17;95%CI:1.03～1.33;P=0.030)increased the risk of AD development.Inverse MR analysis showed a potential causal association between AD and increased MIG(IVW:Beta=0.10;95%CI:0.02～0.17;P=0.014).None of the sensitivity analyses indicated pleiotropy and heterogeneity of the included IV.Conclusion:MIG may be an important marker in the progression of AD with a potential bidirectional causal association with risk of morbidity.IL-5 and IL-18 have a potential positive causal association for AD.

Objective:To establish a practical patient-based internal quality control method for valproic acid drug concentration monitoring.Methods:Observational Study. A PBRTQC model based on the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) method was established using Python. All results of a total of 28, 757 valproic acid concentration data from February 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024 were collected and split into training set and validation set at a ratio of 80% and 20% respectively. The truncation limit (TL) was optimized by using the winsorized mean method and the trimmed mean method. Different weighting coefficients λ were set. Different TL and different λ were combined with the EWMA algorithm into different patient-based real-time quality control (PBRTQC) models. The optimized models were verified by introducing simulated constant errors (CE) and proportional errors (PE) respectively. The false positive alarm rate (FAR) was used to evaluate specificity, and the average number of patients before error detection (ANPed) was used to evaluate sensitivity. According to the daily test volume and quality target requirements, we comprehensively judged whether the performance evaluation indicators of FAR and ANPed meet the laboratory requirements. Bias detection curve was used for determination of the best model.Results:The parameters of the best PBRTQC model for valproic acid drug concentration monitoring are: trimmed mean method with 1.5 standard deviations (i.e., truncating data outside 1.5 standard deviations of the data mean), λ=0.01. The performance verification result shows that ANPed of CE and PE of this model are both less than 100. The comparison between the EQA results and the EWMA results show that the EWMA method results are comparable to the EQA results.Conclusion:A PBRTQC model for the valproic acid drug concentration monitoring project based on the EWMA method has been successfully established. It is comparable with both IQC and EQA results, which means PBRTQC may be used as a supplement to the quality control of daily quality control products.

The accuracy of medical imaging diagnosis will directly impact the clinical forensic evaluation's scientific validity and objectivity.This study systematically analyzed the primary causes of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in imaging examinations,focusing on representative cases,including rib fractures,traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage,joint injuries with ligament damage,nasal fractures,congenital skeletal variations,and epiphyseal injuries.Key contributing factors encompassed limitation of imaging technologies,the insufficient interpretive experience of examiners,the complexity of injury mechanisms,and inadequate post-traumatic dynamic imaging follow-up.To address these issues,improvement strategies are proposed,which were establishing standardized imaging review protocols,implementing multimodal imaging approaches,rigorous evaluation of original imaging data,and enhancing professional knowledge regarding anatomical variations and injury differentiation.These measures aim to elevate the quality of forensic imaging diagnosis,providing more precise and reliable strategies for forensic clinical identifications.