The patient was diagnosed with primary liver cancer featuring intrahepatic metastasis (Barcelona stage B; Stage IIB), hepatitis B infection, and post-hepatitis B cirrhosis during the period of compensated liver function. Following a 7-month regimen combining traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) with Renvatinib and Carrelizumab, the patient exhibited favorable tolerability, no bleeding risks, and stable tumor progression. The effectiveness of TCHM in this case was marked by significant symptom alleviation, reduced serum molecular markers, minimized adverse reactions, and obviated surgical intervention. Blood tests displayed alpha-fetoprotein levels ranging from 8.85 to 20.65 IU/mL, with no increase in bleeding risks.

The rising costs of cancer care and subsequent medical financial hardship for cancer survivors and families are well documented in the United States. Less attention has been paid to employment disruptions and loss of household income after a cancer diagnosis and during treatment, potentially resulting in lasting financial hardship, particularly for working-age adults not yet age-eligible for Medicare coverage and their families. In this article, the authors use a composite patient case to illustrate the adverse consequences of cancer diagnosis and treatment for employment, health insurance coverage, household income, and other aspects of financial hardship. They summarize existing research and provide nationally representative estimates of multiple aspects of financial hardship and health insurance coverage, benefit design, and employee benefits, such as paid sick leave, among working-age adults with a history of cancer and compare them with estimates among working-age adults without a history of cancer from the most recently available years of the National Health Interview Survey (2019–2021). Then, the authors identify opportunities for addressing employment and health insurance coverage challenges at multiple levels, including federal, state, and local policies; employers; cancer care delivery organizations; and nonprofit organizations. These efforts, when informed by research to identify best practices, can potentially help mitigate the financial hardship associated with cancer.

Objective: This study intends to investigate the medication patterns of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of acute cardiorenal syndrome (ACRS) through clinical data mining.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at China-Japan Friendship Hospital, encompassing hospitalized patients with ACSR admitted from June 1, 2013, to June 30, 2022. Patient treatment records, including TCM prescriptions, were gathered to establish a comprehensive prescription database. The prescriptions underwent analysis using the ancient and modern medical case cloud platform, incorporating the frequency, properties and flavors and channel tropism of each herbs, and clustering patterns, combination relationships, and complex network analysis of the whole.

Results: A total of 330 prescriptions from eligible hospitalized patients were included, which totally involves 324 kinds of different herbs. The therapeutic effects primarily emphasized descending qi and eliminating turbidity, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, drying dampness and dispelling phlegm, and promoting the ascension of Yang Qi. The properties were largely warm, netural, slightly cool and cold, with warm being predominant. The flavors were chiefly sweet, spicy, and bitter, with sweetness being the most common. The major channel tropism were the lung and spleen meridians, followed by the stomach, liver, heart, and kidney meridians. Combination analysis identified 30 pairs of combinations, with higher associations found in combinations such as Jiegeng, Huangqi, Chaihu, Baizhu, Zhimu, and Dangshen. Cluster analysis categorized high-frequency herbs into 4 groups: Gualou–Fabanxia–Chuanxiong–Chishao, Fuling–Baizhu–Zhigancao–Chenpi, Maidong–Guizhi–Huangqi–Chaihu–Shengma–Zhimu–Shanzhuyu, and Huangqi–Dangshen–Jiegeng–Chaihu–Shengma–Zhimu–Shanzhuyu. Complex network analysis revealed core prescriptions for treating ACRS, including 17 herbs.

Conclusions: In the treatment of ACRS, TCM herbs with the properties of warm and neturality, and the flavors of sweet and spicy are commonly utilized. The prescribed herbal formulas have the effect of descending qi and eliminating turbidity, tonifying qi, activating blood and resolving stasis, resolving phlegm and promoting water.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) poses a significant threat to human life and well-being. The presence of psycho-cardiology diseases not only exacerbates the progression of CHD but also imposes a substantial financial burden. Consequently, there is a pressing need to prioritize the prevention and management of psycho-cardiology conditions. Given the complex adverse effects associated with antidepressants, it is imperative to investigate alternative, safer, and more efficacious early interventions for psycho-cardiology diseases. The trial will randomly divide 99 patients who meet the inclusion criteria into two groups in a ratio of 1:2. Both groups will be administered standard western medicine treatment for CHD. The Qi-Shao-Tong-Mai-An-Shen (QSTMAS) group will be treated with an additional 30 mL QSTMAS herbal paste orally twice daily for up to 12 weeks. The primary endpoints are the changes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores after the intervention for 12 weeks. The secondary endpoints include the scores of Traditional Chinese medicine syndromes, 6-min walking test, Insomnia severity index sleep scale, laboratory tests, and other examinations of both groups after the intervention for 12 weeks. The QSTMAS herbal paste exhibits potential and promise as a treatment modality for mild-to-moderate psychological disorders within the department of cardiology. The implementation of a rigorous trial design will facilitate an objective and scientific assessment of the clinical effectiveness and safety of combining QSTMAS herbal paste with standard western medicine for CHD patients with depression and/or anxiety. Trial Registration: China Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2200065179. Registered 31 October 2022.

Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most common microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus and has become the primary cause of end-stage renal disease in China. In patients with severe renal insufficiency, Western medical treatments often yield unsatisfactory results. Preliminary studies have indicated that the Chinese herbal formula Tangshen Fang improves estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with DKD.

Methods/design: This is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial. DKD patients with eGFR levels between 25 and 75 mL/min (1.73 m²) and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥ 30 mg/g, or eGFR level between 25 and 60 mL/min (1.73 m²) and UACR <30 mg will be included. A total of 144 participants will be randomly allocated to the treatment group (Tangshen Fang plus standard Western medicine with or without other traditional Chinese medicine [TCM]) and the control group (standard Western medicine with or without other TCM) at a 1:1 ration. The study duration will be 24 weeks and the follow-up period will be extended to 96 weeks. The primary endpoint will be the change in eGFR from baseline to week 24. Secondary endpoints will include changes in UACR, body weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid levels, fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin A₁c (HbA₁c), and improvement in TCM symptoms and quality of life. Adverse events will also be evaluated.

Discussion: This study will provide evidence of the effectiveness and safety of Tangshen Fang in treating patients with DKD. It will also form the clinical pathway and expert consensus on integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine for DKD and provide clinical evidence for the rational use of hospital preparations of Tangshen Fang.

Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trials Registry, ChiCTR2300069269. Registered March 10, 2023.

Treatment integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine for primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) has yielded positive results and gained wide acceptance. However, the absence of standardized clinical management in certain regions has led to suboptimal outcomes in the diagnosis and treatment of pSS in China. In response, the Center for Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, in collaboration with the Beijing Association of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Rheumatology Professional Committee, initiated a project led by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department of Rheumatism. The project (Beijing Association of the Integrating of Traditional and Western Medicine standardization expert consensus record number: 2021Z031A3) aims to develop a set of quality control indicators for the integrated treatment of pSS using traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Based on the 2021 version, the consensus revision incorporates seven new items, focusing on essential assessment areas for pSS patients, treatment response, and healthcare cost management. The 2023 expert consensus update seeks to enhance pSS diagnosis and treatment practices in China, offering a benchmark for medical quality control.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is the most common complication of systemic lupus erythematosus and the leading cause of mortality. The complex pathogenesis and various clinical manifestations of this disease increase the difficulty of the treatments. The current treatments with Western medicine including glucocorticoids, mycophenolate mofetil and other immunosuppressants, and biological agents have greatly improved the patients' survival. However, frequent recurrence occurred and LN remained an important cause of end stage renal disease. The increasing adverse effects with the prolongation of treatment also restrained the efficacy of Western medicine. Increasing evidence has demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which provides a theoretical basis for the integrative therapy of TCM and Western medicine for LN. We previously established a unique comprehensive treatment strategy for LN with the combination of TCM and Western medicine based on the TCM theory and achieved good clinical efficacy. This review will summarize the single‐center experience that integrative therapy of TCM, represented by Lupus Recipe and artesunate, and Western medicine for LN treatment, and elucidate the potential mechanism, with the purpose to provide reliable evidence for developing more effective personalized treatment strategies in the future.

Hemorrhoidal disease is one of the most prevalent and frequently occurring conditions worldwide. Treatment modalities for hemorrhoids are multifaceted and tailored according to the severity of the condition. Various surgical procedures and modified approaches had been invented since 1937. Here we review the workflow, advantages, and disadvantages of different types of hemorrhoid surgery (conventional excisional hemorrhoidectomy, modified excisional surgery, stapled/partial stapled hemorrhoidopexy, and Doppler‐guided hemorrhoidal artery ligation). There is no single treatment that fits all hemorrhoid patients. Surgeons should make the operation plan based on patients' conditions and wills.

The integrated treatment with Chinese and Western medicine plays an important role in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which can significantly relieve the patient's symptoms and improve quality of life. However, as a result of the lack of standardization of clinical management in some regions, the quality of AS treatment in China remains unoptimistic. In 2021, initiated by the Center for Integrative Medicine of China‐Japan Friendship Hospital, led by the traditional Chinese medicine department of rheumatology of China‐Japan Friendship Hospital, relying on the rheumatology branch of the Beijing Association of the integrating of traditional and Western medicine, and using the Delphi method, an expert consensus on “Quality Control Indicators for Integrative Medicine in Ankylosing Spondylitis” was established (Beijing Association of the Integrating of Traditional and Western Medicine Standardization Expert Consensus Filing Number: 2021Z031A2). The consensus revision updates the 2021 version by adding four items, which will provide a reference for the quality control of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for AS in China and help improve the current diagnosis and treatment status of AS.

Objective: To evaluate the advancements in cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) among overweight or obese patients.

Methods: Reviewed the recent studies on clinical trials of CPET in overweight and obese patients, thought about the CPET advantage in obesity, while CPET equipment use for elucidating the principles underlying obesity and using CPET kinematic scheme to explore fat metabolism.

Results: The exercise program developed by CPET is scientific, sustainable and advantageous. With this trial, we can develop a relatively effective, fast and measurable amount of exercise, on the basis of the exercise test in obese people, CPET can provide scientific and digital motion reducing weight for overweight patients. At the same time, the trial has become widely applied in research into drug and surgical treatments for overweight patients. It is possible to quantify the efficacy of a trial and ultimately assess the merits of CPET.

Conclusion: CPET is considered as a fundamental criterion for designing motion schemes. Despite limitations of equipment errors and patient endurance, the benefits of CPET in program formulation have been gradually recognized, which made it a promising tool in the field of obesity management.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a group of rare tumors with strong heterogeneity. Among these tumors, well‐differentiated tumors can have a relatively good survival prognosis, while some tumors can have strong malignant potential and lead to increased mortality. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has a long history of thousands of years, has been widely used to treat tumors due to its unique advantages, such as economy, efficacy and few side effects. In recent years, the role of TCM in the treatment of NENs has gradually emerged. It can not only help prevent tumor recurrence and reduce the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy but also relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Various clinical studies have indicated that TCM has achieved good curative effects at different stages of treatment. We summarized the last 10 years of research progress on the clinical application of TCM in the treatment of NENs from four points of entry, aiming to provide a reference for the treatment of NENs.

Primary cutaneous CD30 positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (PC‐ALCL) is a rare non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. Combined chemotherapy regimens such as CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone), MACOP‐B (methotrexate, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and bleomycin), or F‐MACHOP (5‐fluorouracil, methotrexate, cytosine‐arabinoside, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) are often used for its clinical treatment. In this study, we reported a new treatment method using a traditional Chinese therapy involving oral Wenyang Shengji decoction (WSD) combined with Huanglian ointment applied externally in a 32‐year‐old female patient with PC‐ALCL. Introduction: A 32‐year‐old woman who complained of an ulcer on the forehead accompanied by significant pain. PC‐ALCL was diagnosed by histopathological examination and immunohistochemical analysis. Treatment plan: WSD was prepared in 300 mL water and administered orally as a 150 mL decoction twice daily, and Huanglian ointment was applied to the ulcer three times daily. After 8 weeks of treatment with WSD combined with Huanglian ointment, the lesion healed completely. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the presence of scattered CD3+++, CD4++, CD8++, CD20++, and CD30‐positive cells. After 12 weeks of treatment, the ulcer healed completely, leaving only a marked pale red‐ pitted scar. The patient was followed up for 3 years without recurrence and no adverse events. Conclusion: oral WSD combined with Huanglian ointment applied to the ulcer for PC‐ALCL can promote the healing of ulcers, reduce or alleviate the formation of scar, and eliminate CD30‐positive cells. This case report provides a reference for the clinical treatment of PC‐ALCL using traditional Chinese medicine.

AXL belongs to the TAM receptor tyrosine kinase family. Relying on binding its high‐affinity ligand—growth arrest‐specific protein 6 (Gas6)—AXL plays an important role in tumor initiation and progression. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been clinically used in tumor treatment for a long time, and remarkable therapeutic efficacy has been achieved. Recent studies pointed out that some natural products derived from TCM could inhibit tumor growth by targeting AXL. The potential antitumor mechanisms of natural products targeting AXL still need to be understood. In this review, we discussed the relationship between the AXL axis and tumor malignant phenotype, including migration, invasion, drug resistance, and immunosuppression. The effects and mechanisms of natural products on targeting AXL in tumors also have been systematically summarized.

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition characterized by its recurrent nature, often accompanied by various systemic comorbidities. It may not fully satisfy the precise diagnostic and therapeutic demands for psoriasis by the theory of syndrome differentiation and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Guided by Academician Tong Xiaolin's “theory of state‐target differentiation and treatment,” psoriasis can be divided into “early stage, middle stage, and late stage,” and “constraint state, excess state, and deficiency state.” Defining the target prescription and targeted Chinese materia medcia of psoriasis in each stage and establishing the system of state‐target differentiation and treatment of psoriasis could provide a new model for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Diabetic foot is a chronic refractory wound associated with high disability and mortality rates, which not only threatens the health of patients but also imposes a heavy medical burden on patients and their families. Chinese medicine has been widely used to treat diabetic foot. As a traditional Chinese medicine, ulcer oil possesses a number of beneficial properties. It can clear heat and toxins, activate blood and tissue regeneration, reduce swelling, and alleviate pain. Moreover, ulcer oil can regulate inflammation, promote capillary neoangiogenesis, and enhance granulation growth and epithelial crawling. Furthermore, it can maintain a moist environment within the wound. It is hypothesized that ulcer oil can accelerate the healing of diabetic foot ulcers via a combination of these effects. These observations indicate that ulcer oil has the potential to prevent diabetic foot ulcers and treat high‐risk diabetic foot conditions. In this article, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the utilization of ulcer oil in the management of diabetic foot conditions. Its indications, contraindications, and other pertinent aspects are described to establish a foundation for the clinical application of this therapeutic modality.