Mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of psoriasis with depression:A review

Psoriasis is a kind of immune-mediated, chronic, inflammatory skin disease, which is often associated with different degrees of psychological disorders. Specifically, there is a significant correlation between psoriasis and depression, and they show the relationships of reciprocal causation and mutual promotion. Psoriasis with depression is more harmful than simple psoriasis, and its prognosis is worse, which brings a huge burden to the family and society and is worthy of clinical attention. Based on the pathogenic factors of western medicine and pathogenesis of traditional Chinese medicine in psoriasis with depression, the paper summarized and elaborated the research progress on the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of psoriasis with depression, in order to provide new ideas for clinical treatment.

Exploring the transformative impact of traditional Chinese medicine on depression:Insights from animal models

Depression,a prevalent and complex mental health condition,presents a significant global health burden.Depression is one of the most frequent mental disorders;deaths from it account for 14.3%of people worldwide.In recent years,the integration of complementary and alternative medicine,including traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),has gained attention as a potential avenue for addressing depression.This comprehensive review critically assesses the efficacy of TCM interventions in alleviating depressive symptoms.An in-depth look at different research studies,clinical trials,and meta-analyses is used in this review to look into how TCM practices like herbal formulations,acupuncture,and mindbody practices work.The review looks at the quality of the evidence,the rigor of the methods,and any possible flaws in the current studies.This gives us an idea of where TCM stands right now in terms of treating depression.This comprehensive review aims to assess the efficacy of TCM interventions in alleviating depressive symptoms.In order to learn more about their possible healing effects,the study also looks into how different types of TCM work,such as herbal formulas,acupuncture,and mind-body practices.

Research Progress in the Treatment of Poststroke Depression with Traditional Chinese Medicine

In recent years,the incidence rate of stroke has increased year by year.Post stroke depres‐sion is one of its main complications,which seriously affects the recovery of physiological functions and quality of life of stroke patients.Traditional Chinese medicine has signifi‐cant therapeutic effects in treating this disease.This article provides a classification and review of traditional Chinese medicine treatment methods for post-stroke depression,and looks forward to the current problems.

Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine to increase efficiency and reduce toxicity

Rheumatoid arthritis imposes a huge disease burden.Existing practice guidelines do not meet the needs of integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.We established a guideline working group consists of a steering committee,a secretary group,an evidence evaluation group,a consensus group and a review group and developed a guideline following the guidance of the World Health Organization Handbook and the Chinese Medical Association.The guideline includes 35 recommendations which reached consensus by the two rounds Delphi surveys.These recommendations were formulated to address the following themes of most concern to clinician:diagnostic imaging,disease staging,traditional Chinese medicine syndromes,effectiveness and toxicity of integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

Treatment of postpartum depression with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing and electrical stimulation

BACKGROUND Postpartum depression(PPD)is a common psychological disease among puerperal women,and postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction is a common disease among pregnant women.The occurrence of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction will increase the incidence of PPD.AIM To explore the therapeutic effect of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing combined with electrical stimulation of pelvic floor muscles and the rectus abdominis on PPD.METHODS From April 2020 to January 2022,100 parturients with a rectus abdominis muscle separation distance>2.0 cm who underwent reexamination 6 wk after delivery at our hospital were selected as the research subjects.According to the random number table method,the patients were divided into either an observation group(n=50)or a control group(n=50).There was no significant difference in the general data between the two groups(P>0.05).Both groups were treated by electrical stimulation.The observation group was additionally treated by integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing.A self-designed Depression Knowledge Questionnaire was used to evaluate the awareness of knowledge on depression in all patients 3 wk after intervention.The Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD)was used to evaluate the depression before intervention and 1 wk and 3 wk after intervention,and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale(MMAS-8)was used to evaluate the medication compliance.SPSS19.0 was used for statistical analyses.RESULTS The rate of awareness of knowledge on depression in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P<0.05).The scores of MMAS-8 were comparable between the two groups before intervention(P>0.05),but were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group at 1 wk and 3 wk after intervention(P<0.05).The HAMD scores were comparable between the two groups before intervention(P>0.05),but were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group at 1 wk and 3 wk after intervention(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing combined with electrical stimulation of pelvic floor muscles and the rectus abdominis is effective in the treatment of postpartum depression and worthy of clinical promotion.

Traditional Chinese Medicine as a Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis:From Empirical Practice to Evidence-Based Therapy

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a common autoimmune condition with an elusive etiology.Conventional and biological disease-modifying drugs sometimes fail or produce only partial responses.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has long been used in China as a treatment for RA and is achieving everincreasing acceptance worldwide.TCM treatments are traditionally guided by the theory of treatment based on TCM syndrome differentiation;however,they remain a matter of empirical practice relying on TCM theories and doctors’own experience,which places severe restrictions on worldwide TCM application.Nevertheless,TCM is a treasure trove for drug discovery,particularly as a treatment for complicated human conditions.The discoveries of artemisinin as a treatment for malaria and of TCM–arsenic trioxide(As2O3)combination therapy as a treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)are excellent examples of the great value of TCM.Regarding RA treatments,many Chinese medicinal herbs and their formulas,extracts,ingredients,and even single compounds have been used in clinical applications.Several Chinese proprietary medicines(CPMs)derived from TCM formulas or herbal bioactive components,such as the controlled-release ZhengQingFengTongNing(ZQFTN)Tablets,Tripterygium Glycoside Tablets,and Total Glucosides of Peony(TGP)Capsules,have been included in the National Health Insurance Directory of China,and show comparable therapeutic efficacies to those of western chemical drugs with fewer side effects.As TCM research has advanced,particularly in the use of multidisciplinary technologies,the scientific foundations and characteristics of the use of TCM to treat RA have been revealed,and the quality of TCM treatments have been increasingly enhanced.However,TCM generally lacks sufficient clinical and laboratory data to be consistent with international standards for quality,safety,and efficacy in order to support its application worldwide.Therefore,intensive basic and clinical studies on TCM are required.In particular,investigations that use cutting-edge technologies in analytical chemistry,biology,and biomedical sciences,and the development of randomized clinical trials(RCTs)and personalized pragmatic randomized controlled trials(PPRCTs)are necessary.Researchers should also collaborate to advance TCM from empirical practice to evidence-based therapy,thus consistently promoting TCM development and globalization in a vital,beneficial,and contributable manner.

Bibliometrics and visual analysis for clinical research on intervention of traditional Chinese medicine nursing technology on rheumatoid arthritis

Objective:The objective of this study is to explore the current situation,clinical research hot spots,and trends of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)nursing technology in rheumatoid arthritis(RA),to draw a panorama of clinical research,to provide the basis and clues for subsequent high-level evidence integration and further in-depth research.Materials and Methods:Seven databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Chinese Scientific Journal Database(VIP),Wanfang Database,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database(Sino-Med),PubMed,Embase,and the Cochrane Library were searched.The bibliometric method and visualization software CiteSpace were used to conduct a multi-dimensional analysis of the included literature.Results:A total of 805 pieces of literature were included(of them,one was written in German and four in English),and the number of published literature showed an increasing trend year by year.There were only 30(3.73%)pieces of literature published in nursing journals.The hot spots of the co-occurrence map were concentrated in:(1)the nursing of fumigation in RA;(2)the efficacy evaluation of TCM nursing technology on pain,joint malformation,and joint dysfunction caused by RA.The included literature themes focused on five TCM technologies:fumigation,moxibustion,acupoint patching,acupoint injection,and Chinese herbal soaking.The beginning year and strength in TCM fumigation were 2012 and 5.2,and those in moxibustion were 2011 and 3.38.Conclusion:The related studies are on the rise.It has entered the field of international readers with clear research hot spots.However,there are still shortcomings such as little literature published in Chinese nursing core journals,few non-Chinese-related documents,and a lack of international exchanges and cooperation.The current research hot spots in this field are TCM fumigation,and the cutting-edge trend of future research may be fumigation and moxibustion technology.It is suggested that further research can focus on evidence integration and original research on the self-optimization of these two techniques.

Effect of traditional Chinese medicine on rheumatoid arthritis bone destruction:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective:To systematically evaluate the efficacy of Traditional Chinese medicine for improving bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis(RA),and provide guidance for clinical treatment.Methods:computer retrieval China hownet database(CNKI),Chinese biomedical literature retrieval(SinoMed),ten thousand Data knowledge service system(WanFang Data),VIP full-text database(VIP),PubMed,MedLine and the cochrane library,collect relevant Chinese medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,bone destruction randomized controlled trial(RCT),screening from built by researchers at the two libraries to literature in February 2020,to extract the required indicators,and incorporated into RevMan 5.2 analysis.Results:a total of 1291 patients were included in 14 RCTS.The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group,The traditional Chinese medicine treatment group could improve the 25-hydroxyvitamin D of patients with RA bone damage,which was better than the western medicine control group,and the difference was statistically significant.TCM treatment group can improve the balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts(nuclear factor B receptor activating factor;Bone mineral density;Bone alkaline phosphatase;Bone protectin;(osteocalcin),and was superior to the western medicine control group,the difference was statistically significant;(3)traditional Chinese medicine treatment group can improve RA patients with bone destruction of the balance of osteoblast and osteoclast(Ⅰtype collagen amino terminal propeptide before;Carboxy-terminal peptide of collagen;The effect of nuclear factor B receptor activator factor and bone protectin was similar to that of the western medicine control group,and the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion:At present,the existing evidence can prove that Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis bone damage has an exact effect,regulate the function of osteoblasts and osteoclasts,improve the level of bone metabolism of patients,prevent the progress of bone damage.

Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of coronary heart disease complicated with anxiety and/or depression after PCI:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective:The clinical efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of anxiety and/or depression after PCI for coronary heart disease were systematically evaluated.Methods:The databases of CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,CMB,PubMed,Web of Science,PubMed,Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched by computer,and the Chinese and English randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of anxiety and/or depression after PCI of coronary heart disease published from the database to November 2020 were included.The Cochrane bias risk tool and the modified Jadad scale were used to evaluate the quality of the included literature,and the RevMan 5.3 and Stata 16.0 software were used for Meta-analysis.Results:A total of 23 RCTs were included,including 1837 subjects,including 917 cases in the treatment group of traditional Chinese medicine,920 cases in the control group,the baseline situation between groups was consistent,comparable.Meta-analysis results show that TCM treatment improves the total clinical effective rate[OR=2.34,95%CI(1.61,3.40),P<0.00001],and the efficacy of TCM syndrome[OR=5.19,95%CI(2.74,9.86),P<0.00001],reduce Hamilton anxiety scale HAMA score[SMD=-0.96,95%CI(-1.78,-0.14),P=0.02],Hamilton Depression Scale HAMD score[SMD=-1.10,95%CI(-1.79,-0.41),P=0.002],SAS self-rating scale score[SMD=-1.20,95%CI(-1.75,-0.65),P<0.0001],SDS self-rating scale score[SMD=-1.14,95%CI(-1.62,-0.65),P<0.00001]and other indicators are better than the control group,and the difference is statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:The combination of traditional Chinese medicine intervention and conventional western medicine treatment after PCI can further improve the clinical efficacy of patients with anxiety and/or depression after PCI of coronary heart disease and has good safety.Due to the general quality of the literature included in this study,the above conclusions need to be further confirmed by high-quality randomized controlled double-blind clinical trials.

A Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach in Treating Depression by Promoting Liver Qi Circulation: A Western Medicine Perspective

Depression is a prevalent mental illness in developed countries. In Western medicine, experimental and clinical investigations have demonstrated that depression is associated with the dysregulation of neurotransmitter signaling, and symptoms of depression can be alleviated by therapeutic intervention. However, patients taking antidepressant drugs often experience serious side effects and high relapse rates. On the other hand, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views depression as a manifestation of liver qi stagnation. Practitioners of TCM have long been treating depression with herbs that promote qi circulation in the liver. In this article, we offer a hypothesis stating the biochemical basis of the linkage between liver qi stagnation and depression. Liver qi is involved in the processing of macronutrients into molecules to fuel energy metabolism in brain neurons, as well as the synthesis of plasma proteins that maintain blood circulation to the brain, thereby enabling these fuel molecules to be delivered to the brain. In cases of liver qi stagnation, the failure in delivering sufficient fuel molecules to the brain disrupts mitochondrial ATP production in neurons. Because neurotransmitter release and neurotropin transport are driven by ATP, the deficiency in release and transport processes resulting from insufficient ATP production could lead to depression. Therefore, if liver qi stagnation is causally related to the pathogenesis of depression, the promotion of liver qi circulation by Chinese herbs might offer a promising prospect for the effective treatment of depression.

Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of arrhythmia combined with anxiety and depression

Objective:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of arrhythmia combined with anxiety and depression by meta analysis.Methods:Chinese and foreign medical literature databases such as CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,PubMed and The Cochorane Library were searched by computer until September 2020.Collect all the published clinical randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in the treatment of arrhythmia combined with anxiety and depression.The risk assessment tools provided by Cochrane were used to evaluate the quality of the studies,and meta analysis was carried out by Revman 5.3 software.Results:17 studies were included,with a total sample of 1773 cases,including the experimental group useing traditional Chinese medicine with western medicine therapy(n=888),and the control group using simple routine western medicine treatment(n=885).The results of Meta analysis showed that:compared with the control group(western medicine),the experimental group(traditional Chinese medicine combined with western medicine)can significantly improve the curative effect of TCM syndrome[RR=1.28(1.19,1.39)],decrease the number of attacks for arrhythmia[RR=1.29(1.21,1.36)],reduce the score of anxiety[RR=-1.44(-2.09,-0.78)]and depression scale[RR=-0.94(-1.34,-0.53)],the differences were statistically significant.Conclusion:Traditional Chinese medicine has significant clinical effect in the treatment of arrhythmia combined with anxiety and depression,and the adverse reaction is mild,which is better than the simple use of western medicine,but more rigorous high-quality clinical RCTs are needed for further verification.

Research progress of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of tumor-related depression

Cancer related depression(CRD)refers to the significant and lasting depression of the patient due to tumor diagnosis,treatment and comorbidities.It can be attributed to the category of“stagnation syndrome”in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Clinically,cancer-related depression can be divided into three stages,namely primary,middle and final stages by analogy with depression syndrome.The location of the initial disease is in the liver.The main syndrome was excess,while the basic pathogenesis is mainly due to liver-qi stagnation syndrome and the principle of treatment is dispersing stagnated liver qi for relieving qi stagnation by using modified Xiaoyao Powder and Chaihu Shugan Powder.In the middle stage of the disease,the location is in the spleen and stomach.The main syndrome was intermingled deficiency and excess.The principle of treatment is relaxing bowels,dissipating phlegm and eliminating dampness,regulating qi-flowing and promoting blood,invigorating spleen and heart,nourishing qi and blood.Xuefuzhuyu tang,Guipi decotion,Bailongjieyu granules can be used as treatment for this period.At the final stage of the disease,the main syndrome was deficiency,the principle of treatment is replenishing lung and heart,benefiting qi and regulating spleen,nourishing lung and kidney.Baihe formulas,Kai-Xin-San are chosed at this stage.

May Traditional Chinese Medicine Reduce the Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis?An One-armed Prospective Study

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a worldwide public health problem.Intervention and prevention before the onset of rheumatic diseases is a new direction in current research.Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential and feasibility of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in the prevention of RA.Methods:This was a single-armed prospective clinical trial.All participants were recruited from a single center in Guangdong,China.Adults who were tested positive for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody(anti-CCP)and/or rheumatoid factor(RF),had no synovitis and never been treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs(DMARDs),were enrolled to take the Huayu-Qiangshen-Tongbi(HQT)decoction orally twice daily,200 mL each time for 24 weeks.Primary outcome was the proportion of patients who met 2010 ACR(American College of Rheumatology)/EULAR(European League Against Rheumatism)classification criteria of RA during observation.Secondary outcomes included levels of anti-CCP,RF,erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),C-reactive protein(CRP),assessment of signs and symptoms,and radiographic progression by magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).Results:19 individuals were enrolled in the study,4 of which withdrew because of the epidemic of COVID-19.During the observation period,3 individuals(20%)developed RA and they had longer morning stiffness(P=0.009)and more obvious synovial enhancement in MRI(P=0.041)at baseline when compared with those who did not develop RA.After 24 weeks of intervention,there were improvements in 28-swollen joint count(SJC28)(P=0.046),Visual Analog Scale(VAS)(P=0.019),Patient’s Global Assessment(PtGA)(P=0.019)and Physician’s Global Assessment(PGA)(P=0.031),but no statistical significance was observed in the levels of anti-CCP,RF,ESR,CRP,morning stiffness,28-tender joint count(TJC28),Health Assessment Questionnaire(HAQ)and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)analysis(P>0.05).Conclusion:The HQT formula is safe and could improve joint symptoms and signs in these at-risk individuals,but it remains to be investigated in futher study to see if it might potentially reduce the risk of developing RA.Besides,for individuals at high risk to develop RA,morning stiffness and synovial enhancement in MRI might be predictive factors and warning signs.

A Review of Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Treatment of Depression

Depression is a common mental illness with symptoms such as loss of interest.At present,It is mainly treated with antidepressants,which are effective in a short time,but it is highly addictive and has a high probability of adverse reactions.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)treatment of depression has the advantages of high feasibility,good tolerance,obvious effect,and small side effects.In addition,TCM has great potential for the treatment of depression with the overall concept of the unity of nature and man as its guiding ideology and rich clinical experience.This review mainly expounds on the research progress of TCM treatment of depression from two aspects of TCM non-drug therapy and TCM drug therapy,to provide a reference for clinical treatment of depression.

Metabolomic and structural brain connectomic evidence validating traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic classification of major depressive disorder

OBJECTIVE Major depressive disorder(MDD) is a highly heterogeneous mental illness.Further classification may help characterize its heterogeneity.The purpose of this study was to examine metabolomic and brain connectomic associations with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) diagnostic classification of MDD.METHODS Fifty unmedicated depressed patients were classified into Liver Qi Stagnation(LQS,n=30) and Heart and Spleen Deficiency(HSD,n=20) subtypes according to TCM diagnosis.Healthy volunteers(n=28) were included as controls.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) and diffusion tensor imaging were used to detect serum and urinary metabolomic profiles and whole-brain white matter connectivity,respectively.RESULTS In metabolomic analysis,28 metabolites were identified for good separations between TCM subtypes and healthy controls in serum and urine samples.While both TCM subtypes had similar profiles in proteinogenic branched-chain amino acids and energy metabolism-related metabolites that were differentiated from healthy controls,the LQS subtype additionally differed from healthy controls in multiple amino acid metabolites that are involved in the biosynthesis of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters.Several metabolites are differentially associated with the two subtypes.In connectomic analysis,The LQS subtype showed significant differences in multiple network metrics of the angular gyrus,middle occipital gyrus,calcarine sulcus,and Heschl′ s gyrus when compared to the other two groups.The HSD subtype had markedly greater regional connectivity of the insula,parahippocampal gyrus,and posterior cingulate gyrus than the other two groups,and microstructural abnormalities of the frontal medial orbital gyrus and middle temporal pole.The insular betweenness centrality was strongly inversely correlated with the severity of depression and dichotomized the two subtypes at the optimal cutoff value with acceptable sensitivity and specificity.CONCLUSION The LQS subtype may represent an MDD subpopulation mainly characterized by abnormalities in the biosynthesis of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters,closer associations with stress-related pathophysiology,and aberrant connectivity of the audiovisual perception-related temporal-occipital network,whereas the HSD subtype is more closely associated with hyperconnectivity and microstructural abnormalities of the limbicparalimbic network.Certain metabolomic and connectomic variables are potential biomarkers for TCM diagnostic subtypes which is perhaps an alternative classification for depressive disorders.

Randomized control study in the influence of different training methods of Tai Chi on Chinese medicine constitution of international students with depression or depression tendency

目的：探讨太极拳不同训练方式对留学生抑郁或抑郁倾向的影响.方法：38名留学生被随机分为太极拳单纯动作练习组（简称单纯动作组）和太极拳动作练习配合呼吸吐纳组（简称呼吸吐纳组）,并比较两组实验前后中医体质的均分变化.结果：与训练前相比,38名留学生中偏颇体质的平均得分明显下降（P〈0.05）.与训练前相比,呼吸吐纳组中气虚型、阳虚型、痰湿型、气滞型的偏颇体质的平均得分显著降低（P〈0.05）.单纯动作组的阳虚型、血瘀型、气滞型的偏颇体质的平均得分也显著下降（P〈0.05）.另外,气虚型、阳虚型、阴虚型、痰湿型、气滞型的偏颇体质的平均得分均显著低于单纯运动组中这些体质的得分,提示太极拳动作练习配合呼吸吐纳的方法优于太极拳单纯动作练习（P〈0.01）.结论：与呼吸吐纳法结合,太极拳动作练习对改善与抑郁或抑郁倾向相关的偏颇体质有更好的效果.

Identification of protein targets for the antidepressant effects of Kai-Xin-San in Chinese medicine using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation

Kai-Xin-San consists of Ginseng Radix, Polygalae Radix, Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma, and Poria at a ratio of 3:3:2:2. Kai-Xin-San has been widely used for the treatment of emotional disorders in China. However, no studies have identified the key proteins implicated in response to Kai-Xin-San treatment. In this study, rat models of chronic mild stress were established using different stress methods over 28 days. After 14 days of stress stimulation, rats received daily intragastric administrations of 600 mg/kg Kai-Xin-San. The sucrose preference test was used to determine depression-like behavior in rats, while isobaric tags were used for relative and absolute quantitation-based proteomics to identify altered proteins following Kai-Xin-San treatment. Kai-Xin-San treatment for 2 weeks noticeably improved depression-like behaviors in rats with chronic mild stress. We identified 33 differentially expressed proteins: 7 were upregulated and 26 were downregulated. Functional analysis showed that these differentially expressed proteins participate in synaptic plasticity, neurodevelopment, and neurogenesis. Our results indicate that Kai-Xin-San has an important role in regulating the key node proteins in the synaptic signaling network, and are helpful to better understand the mechanism of the antidepressive effects of Kai-Xin-San and to provide objective theoretical support for its clinical application. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Research from the Chinese PLA General Hospital(approval No. X5-2016-07) on March 5, 2016.

A Clinical Study of Suogudan Granule (索骨丹颗粒) in the Treat ment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective： To study the clinical efficacy of Suogudan Granule （SGDG, 索骨丹颗粒） in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis （RA）. Methods： Ninety patients with RA were randomly divided into the treated group and the control group. The treated group was administered orally with SGDG 6 g each time, thrice a day, while the control group with the combined therapy of Fenbid Oapsules 0.3 g each time, twice a day and Tripterygium tablet 20 mg each time, thrice a day. The treatment course for both groups was 6 weeks. The changes of clinical symptoms and signs, and laboratory indices such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）, rheumatoid factor （RF）, antistreptolysin O （ASO）, routine examination of blood and urine, liver and kidney function, etc. before and after treatment were observed. Results： （1） The total effective rate in the treated group （88.0 %） was obviously higher than that in the control group （67.5 %） with significant difference （P〈0.05）. （2） The improvement in arthralgia, joint swelling, time of morning stiffness, 15-meter walking, analgesia initiation and persistence in the treated group was better than that in the control group （P〈0.05, P〈0.01）, but there was no obvious difference in improvement of joint tenderness, range of joint motion, grip strength, and initiating detumescence time （P〉0.05）. （3） The improvement in ESR and RF in the treated group was better than that in the control group with significant difference （P〈0.05）. The negative-conversion rate of ASO in the treated group was also higher than that in the control group （P〈0.01）. （4） No evident abnormality in blood, urine, liver or kidney function was found in either group. Conclusion： SGDG is effective and safe for the treatment of RA.

Advances in TCM Symptomatology of Rheumatoid Arthritis

In view of the rich experiences and new advances in TCM treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, it is very promising to find a further breakthough in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Treating the disease by means of differentiation of symptoms and signs is a distinctive feature of TCM, however the difficult and also the major point would be the research of mechanism of its symptomatology. The following is a summary of the advances in the study of symptomatology, especially its epidemiology, the role of immune system and blood rheology made since 1987 when the ARA criteria1 was published.……

TCM Treatment for 40 Cases of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Channel Blockage due to Yin Deficiency

To verify the therapeutic effects of the method of softening and lubricating the joints, and calming the endogenous wind in case of rheumatoidirthritis (RA) with the syndrome of channel blockage due to yin deficiency, 60 RA patients with the syndrome of channel blockage due to yin deficiency were randomly divided into a treatment group (40 cases) and a control group (20 cases) and treated respectively by the The result turned out to be that the effect in the treatment group was very satisfying. The treatment group obtained a better result in the accumulated points of syndrome and RA, morning rigidity of the joints, grip strength, 20m walking time and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P＜0.01 or P＜0.05). The above indicates that channel blockage due to yin deficiency is an important pathogenesis of RA, and calming the endogenous wind is a method of choice for treating RA.