ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Modified Guomin Decoction （加味过敏煎， MGD） in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis （AD） of the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pattern of heart fire and spleen deficiency， and to explore its possible mechanisms. MethodsIn this randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled study， 72 patients with mild to moderate AD and the TCM pattern of heart fire and spleen deficiency were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group， with 36 cases in each group. The treatment group received oral MGD granules combined with topical vitamin E emulsion， while the control group received oral placebo granules combined with topical vitamin E treatment. Both groups were treated twice daily for 4 weeks. Clinical efficacy， TCM syndrome scores， Visual Analogue Scale （VAS） for pruritus， Dermatology Life Quality Index （DLQI） scores， Scoring Atopic Dermatitis （SCORAD） and serum biomarkers， including interleukin-33 （IL-33）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， immunoglobulin E （IgE）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were compared before and after treatment. Safety indexes was also assessed. ResultsThe total clinical effective rates were 77.78% （28/36） in the treatment group and 38.89% （14/36） in the control group， with cure rates of 19.44% （7/36） and 2.78% （1/36）， respectively. The treatment group showed significantly better clinical outcomes compared to the control group （P＜0.05）. The treatment group exhibited significant reductions in total TCM syndrome scores， including erythema， edema， papules， scaling， lichenification， pruritus， irritability， insomnia， abdominal distension， and fatigue scores， as well as reductions in VAS， DLQI， SCORAD， and serum IgE and IL-33 levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly better improvements in all indicators except for insomnia （P＜0.05）. No adverse events occurred in either group. ConclusionMGD is effective and safe in treating mild to moderate AD patients with heart fire and spleen deficiency pattern. It significantly alleviates pruritus， improves TCM syndromes and quality of life， and enhances clinical efficacy， possibly through modulation of immune responses.

Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy(TAO)is a rare organ-specific autoimmune disease with an unclear pathogenesis. At present, the treatment still relies mainly on glucocorticoids and traditional immunosuppressants. However, some patients respond poorly to these drugs and experience treatment-related adverse reactions, highlighting the urgent need for novel drugs for TAO treatment. In recent years, with the deepening of research on the pathogenesis of TAO, a multitude of biologics targeting specific targets have emerged. Among them, teprotumumab, which targets the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor(IGF-IR), has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of TAO, and several other biologics are currently in clinical trials. This review provides the latest reference for the clinical prevention, treatment, and research of TAO by summarizing the current clinical research status of biologics targeting IGF-IR, neonatal Fc receptor(FcRn), thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor(TSHR), B cells, cytokines, and other biological agents in TAO and analyzing their impact on clinical treatment and future research trends.

To improve the evaluation indicators of medical quality in TCM hospitals; To realize objective, fair, and accurate evaluation of the quality of TCM. Based on relevant literature on medical quality in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals research and thematic group discussions, 21 evaluation indicators for TCM characteristics were formed. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 40 experts, and 37 were effectively collected, with a positive coefficient of 92.50%. After two rounds of expert consultation, the evaluation indicators were determined to be: the intensity of outpatient use of TCM decoction pieces (utilization rate of TCM decoction pieces, prescription number of TCM decoction pieces, dosage of TCM decoction pieces, and service price of TCM decoction pieces), the intensity of the use of TCM technology (proportion of TCM technology, number of TCM projects, cost of TCM technology, and course of treatment). Case studies were conducted on relevant data from 10 departments using the operational decision support system (BI) platform of Yueyang Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to verify the rationality of indicators. The 10 departments were analyzed and evaluated, and the results obtained were basically consistent with the actual medical quality situation of the hospital. The indicators used in this study can reflect the actual medical quality situation, and have a certain degree of scientificity, feasibility, and applicability, providing reference for improving the medical quality evaluation indicators of TCM hospitals.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Ruyi Zhenbaowan（RYZBW）in the treatment of initial and early knee osteoarthritis （KOA） through a prospective multicenter，randomized，double-blind，and placebo-parallel controlled trial. MethodFrom October 13^th， 2021 to December 25^th， 2021， 240 KOA subjects meeting the acceptance criteria were enrolled in 15 sub-centers including Wangjing Hospital， Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， and they were randomly divided into observation group and control group， with 120 cases in each group. The intervention measures for the observation group were RYZBW + health education， and the intervention measures for the control group were RYZBW placebo + health education. The intervention period in both groups was four weeks， and they were followed up for four weeks after the intervention. The primary outcome measure was the total score of Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index score （WOMAC score）， and the secondary outcome measures were the response rate of visual scale （VAS） pain score， WOMAC sub item scores （joint pain， joint stiffness， and joint function）， quality of life （SF-12） score， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score. Result（1） Efficacy evaluation. The marginal model results showed that the observation group was better than the control group in improving the WOMAC total score and WOMAC pain score in the treatment of KOA with RYZBW， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. There was no significant difference between the two groups in improving VAS score response rate， WOMAC function score， WOMAC stiffness score， SF12-PCS （quality of life-physical health） score， SF12-MCS （quality of life-mental health） score， and TCM syndrome score. （2） Subgroup analysis. ① In terms of VAS score response rate， the response rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group for subjects with baseline VAS score of （4， 5］， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. ② In terms of TCM syndrome score， for subjects aged ［56， 60］ and ［61， 65］， the decrease in total TCM syndrome score in the observation group was better than that in the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. ConclusionTibetan medicine RYZBW has good clinical efficacy in improving WOMAC total score， VAS score response rate， WOMAC pain score， WOMAC function score， and TCM syndrome score for patients with initial and early KOA， which can fill the lack of Tibetan medicine RYZBW in the treatment of KOA and make a demonstration study for the inheritance and development of ethnic medicine.

Objective To investigate peripheral blood cell count and characteristics of dyshaematopoiesis of peripheral blood and bone marrow cells in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS).Methods A total of 40 patients with MDS newly diagnosed in the hospital from January 2015 to December 2022 were selected as the experimental group,while 17 patients with megaloblastic anemia(MA group),11 patients with aplastic a-nemia(AA group),and 24 patients with autoimmune disease(AID group)were selected as the non-MDS group.Blood routine of patients in each group was detected by whole blood cell analyzer Sysmex XN20,and the white blood cell count(WBC),red blood cell count(RBC),hemoglobin(Hb),platelet count(PLT),mean red blood cell volume(MCV)and coefficient of variation of red blood cell distribution width(RDW-CV)of patients in 4 groups were compared and analyzed.Bone marrow and peripheral blood cell morphology in 4 groups were observed and recorded by artificial microscopy.The positive rate of common dyshaematopoiesis of peripheral in 4 groups was compared and analyzed.Results Compared with MA group,RBC and Hb in MDS group were significantly increased(P＜0.05),while MCV was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with AA group,WBC,MCV,RDW-CV and PLT in MDS group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Com-pared with AID group,WBC,RBC,Hb and PLT in MDS group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),while MCV and RDW-CV were significantly increased(P＜0.05).The positive rate of peripheral blood primitive cells in MDS group was significantly higher than that in non-MDS group(P＜0.05).Large red blood cells and polylobulated granulocyte were the main dysplasia types in the peripheral blood of MA group,and the positive rate of dyshematopoietic was significantly higher than that in MDS group(P＜0.05).Compared with the non-MDS group,the positive rates of five types of dyshaematopoiesis in the MDS group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05),including increased blasts,decreased or absent cytoplasmic gran-ules,pseudo Pelger neutrophils,binucleated granulocytes and micromegakaryocytes.The positive rates of polylobulation and giant change in granulocytes,giant change,large red cells,basophilic stippling erythrocyte and H-J corpuscle in erythrocytes in MA group were significantly higher than those in MDS group(P＜0.05).Dyshematopoiesis was absent or rare in the bone marrow smears of AA group and AID group.Conclu-sion Specific dyshaematopoiesis combined with peripheral blood cell count is helpful for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of MDS,and reduces the possibility of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.

Objective To explore prescription and syndrome law of TCM in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD);To provide reference for clinical medication.Methods The relevant literature on the treatment of NAFLD with TCM was retrieved from CNKI,VIP,Wanfang Data and CBM from the establishment of the databases to October 31,2023.Excel 2019,Lantern 5.0 and SPSS Modeler 18.0 software were used to analyze the latent structure model,association rules and frequency statistics of high-frequency drugs(≥3%)to explore the prescription and syndrome law of TCM in the treatment of NAFLD.Results A total of 453 prescriptions were included,involving 260 kinds of Chinese materia medica,with a cumulative frequency of 4 910 times.The high-frequency drugs were Crataegi Fructus,Salviea Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Alismatis Rhizoma,Bupleuri Radix,Poria and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,etc.The efficacy categories were mainly tonic medicine,diuretic dampness medicine,blood circulation-activating and stasis-resolving medicine,heat-clearing medicine and qi-regulating medicine.The latent structure model obtained 12 latent variables,24 latent classes,and 7 comprehensive clustering models.The commonly used prescriptions were Erchen Decoction,Yinchenhao Decoction,Danggui Shaoyao Powder,Sini Powder,Sijunzi Decoction,Weiling Decoction,Zhuyu Decoction and Dihuang Decoction categorized formula.Conclusion NAFLD is the syndrome of deficiency in root and excess in superficiality.Spleen deficiency is the root cause,phlegm,dampness,heat and blood stasis are the symptoms.In clinical practice,it is mainly based on tonifying qi and spleen,cooperating with the methods of resolving phlegm,eliminating dampness,clearing heat and activating blood circulation.

Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy(TAO)is a multifactorial-mediated autoimmune orbital disease with the highest incidence of orbital disease in adults.Due to the complex clinical manifestations and prolonged course,TAO seriously affect the physical and mental health of patients.The pathogenesis of TAO has not been fully elucidated and the treatment lacks specificity.Therefore,in-depth research on the pathogenesis of TAO is to find effective treatments.In recent years,studies have suggested that there is gut microbiota disorder in TAO,and the risk factors of TAO can promote gut microbiota disorder.Disordered gut microbiota can participate in the occurrence and development of TAO via influencing T cell differentiation,mimicking autoantigens,and influencing host non-coding RNA expression.Modulating the gut microbiota also has therapeutic effects on TAO and is a promising therapeutic approach.

In recent years, the potential hepatotoxicity of green tea extract (GTE) has attracted more and more attention. With reference to the current studies on liver injury caused by GTE and the latest drug hepatotoxicity classification, this article systematically elaborates on the objectivity and causal mechanisms of liver injury caused by GTE. Based on the main risk factors for liver injury caused by GTE, this article also proposes recommendations for safe and rational use of such products, so as to provide valuable insights for in-depth research on the mechanism of liver injury caused by GTE and risk prevention and control, and meanwhile, it also provides an important reference for the therapeutic use of GTE to improve health conditions.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of An'erning granules in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children. MethodA randomized， double-blind， single-simulation， placebo-controlled trial was designed in this study. The children were randomly assigned into an observation group （An'erning granules combined with ceftriaxone sodium） and a control group （An'erning granules placebo combined with ceftriaxone sodium） according to the ratio of 2∶1. The disease cure rate was taken as the main indicator of efficacy， and the safety of An'erning granules was observed. ResultA total of 206 children （137 in the observation group and 69 in the control group） were included in this study. Before treatment， the age， sex， body height， body weight， diagnosis time of pneumonia， and symptom and sign scores had no significant differences between the two groups. After 8 days of continuous medication， the observation group［70.80%（97/137）］ had higher cure rate than the control group［56.52%（39/69）］（χ²=4.17，P<0.05） and total effective rate of chest X-ray ［97.98%（97/99）］ than the control group［86.27%（44/51）］ （χ²=12.98，P<0.01）. The observation group was superior to the control group in the alleviation of TCM syndrome under the condition of 0-3 g dose stratification on day 3 of medication （P<0.01）. The recovery time， time to complete fever abatement， time to fever abatement and expectoration alleviation， rate of conversion to severe case， and reduction in the frequency of antibiotic use showed no significant differences between the two groups. In terms of safety， 13 and 7 adverse events occurred in the observation group and control group， respectively， which were relieved or disappeared after drug withdrawal or symptomatic treatment and showed no significant difference between the two groups. ConclusionIntravenous drip of ceftriaxone sodium combined with An'erning granules is effective in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children. It can accelerate the absorption of pulmonary inflammation， alleviate the clinical symptoms in a short time for young children or the children with mild symptoms， and is safe in clinical application.

Graves' ophthalmopathy is the most common clinical orbital disease, and T helper (Th) cells play an important role in the development of Graves' ophthalmopathy. Th17 cells are a major subpopulation of Th cells and abnormally highly expressed in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. Th17 cells and the related cytokines interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-21 and IL-23 are involved in regulating the inflammatory response, fibrosis and adipogenesis. Th17 cells are unstable and exhibit a degree of plasticity, and they can differentiate into IL-17A and interferon (IFN)-γ dual-producing Th17.1 cells, which exacerbate the pathogenicity of Th17 cells. In addition, Th17 cells and the relevant factors are strongly associated with disease activity and severity in Graves' ophthalmopathy.
Humans ; Cytokines ; Th17 Cells ; Graves Ophthalmopathy ; Adipogenesis