Meta-analysis of Distribution Frequency of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome in Primary Osteoporosis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndromes of primary osteoporosis（POP） in China by using evidence-based medicine methods， and to understand the distribution law of the syndromes. MethodChina National Knowledge Infrastructure（CNKI）， VIP Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database（VIP）， WanFang Data Knowledge Service Platform（WanFang） and China Biology Medicine（CBM） were searched to obtain representative literature， and each database was searched from the 1994 World Health Organization defined diagnostic criteria for osteoporosis until May 1， 2023. Two researchers independently screened literature according to the criteria， extracted data， and cross-checked them. Meta analysis was conducted using R4.1.3， and subgroup analysis was performed. ResultA total of 56 Chinese papers were included， involving 14 415 patients. After standardized classification of syndromes， 11 articles were excluded， and Meta analysis results of the ultimately included 45 Chinese articles showed that the distribution frequencies of liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome， spleen-kidney Yang deficiency syndrome and kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome in 12 723 patients were 27%［95% confidence interval（CI） 0.24-0.31］， 32%（95% CI 0.29-0.36）， 36%（95% CI 0.30-0.42）. Subgroup analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of the three TCM syndromes in the north and south（P<0.05）. In addition， the incidence of TCM syndrome fractures in different types of POP was 15%（95% CI 0.09-0.24） for liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome， 20%（95% CI 0.12-0.30） for spleen-kidney Yang deficiency syndrome， and 31%（95% CI 0.25-0.39） for kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. ConclusionThe distribution of syndromes in POP patients is mainly kidney deficiency， accompanied by liver and spleen dysfunction. Liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome， spleen-kidney Yang deficiency syndrome and kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome are all the main syndromes of POP and osteoporotic fractures， and kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome is most closely related to the development of osteoporotic fractures. The reference standards for syndrome determination among the included studies are inconsistent， and in the future， it is necessary to focus on their determination standards to obtain consensus research results， at the same time， conduct large-scale syndrome research to obtain representative research results， providing a basis for clinical practice and research.

Current Situation of Health Technology Assessment in Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveThis study aims to understand the recognition of practitioners in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals on hospital-based health technology assessment （HB-HTA）， assessment needs， challenges， and suggestions， so as to provide references for the future work. MethodThe convenient sampling method was adopted to survey the relevant practitioners in TCM hospitals. The questionnaire included 39 questions in 4 dimensions and was distributed through the online platform Weijuanxing. ResultA total of 244 questionnaires were recovered， and the obtained data were analyzed in SPSS. The results showed that 137 practitioners were very familiar with HB-HTA and there was no significant difference in the recognition of practitioners in different occupations （F=0.251； P=0.778）. The practitioners in Hong Kong， Macao， and Taiwan had lower recognition than those in other regions. In terms of the assessment needs， 127 practitioners believed that it was very necessary to carry out HB-HTA in TCM hospitals in the future. Chinese patent medicines/Chinese herbal medicine decoction pieces （5.91） and TCM appropriate technology （5.57） had higher assessment priority scores. The assessment needs were high for the effectiveness （235 practitioners） and safety （224 practitioners） of health technology. The lack of specialized organization and standardized evaluation process system and the shortage of talents were considered to be the major challenges for the future development in this field. ConclusionThe stakeholders carrying out the health technology assessment in TCM hospitals had certain awareness of HB-HTA. Most practitioners believed that it was necessary to carry out HB-HTA in TCM hospitals in the future， while the work might face challenges such as the lack of organizations and system and the shortage of talents， which requires policy support.

Bloodletting puncture in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke: protocol for a mixed-method study of a multi-center randomized controlled trial and focus group.

This study is to investigate the effectiveness and safety of bloodletting puncture (BP) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) when used in combination with standard treatment, as well as the patients' feelings and attitudes toward the treatment. This is a mixed method research which includes a multi-center, superiority, randomized controlled clinical trial, and focus group interview. A total of 360 AIS participants will be enrolled. They will be randomized into one of the following two groups for 7 d: (a) BP with standard treatment group (n = 180); (b) standard treatment group (n = 180). The primary outcome will be National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score at day 7 after treatment. Secondary outcomes will be changes of Glasgow Coma Scale score, NIHSS score, mRS and Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome score from baseline to 7, 14, and 30 d after treatment, recurrence rate and all-cause mortality rate within 30 d, and the safety assessments. The focus group will be conducted with a purposive sample of 1-2 acupuncturists and 1-2 patients respectively at each center at 7 and 30 d after treatment. We designed a mixed method study to evaluate the effect of BP, an acupuncture therapy for patients with AIS. If the findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of BP to reduce the NIHSS score and other related outcomes and patients are willing to accept the therapy, we believe this study will help the implementation of this therapy in clinical practice, and provide new evidence for the treatment of AIS.

Clinical Evidence of Oral Chinese Patent Medicines in Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease： A Scoping Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo review the information and clinical studies of oral Chinese patent medicines （CPMs） for chronic kidney disease （CKD）. MethodThe CPMs for treating CKD were retrieved from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China， National Essential Drugs List， and Medicine List for National Basic Medical Insurance， Employment Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance. China National Knowledge Infrastructure（CNKI）， VIP， Wanfang Data， SinoMed， PubMed， Embase， Cochrane， and Web of Science were searched for the clinical trials of the treatment of CKD by CPMs from their inception dates to September 25， 2022. A database was established with the collected CPMs， and then the general conditions of the clinical trials were analyzed and presented visually. ResultA total of 16 CPMs for CKD were included in this study， including 5 classical traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） prescriptions involving Rehmanniae Radix and 11 new CPMs. The indications of the TCM prescriptions did not mention the corresponding western disease names， and those of the new CPMs mainly included chronic renal insufficiency， chronic renal failure， and chronic nephritis. Four CPMs were prepared with single Chinese medicine or active components. Specifically， Bailing Preparation and Jinshuibao Preparation were mainly prepared with the powder of Cordyceps， and the main components of Haikun Shenxi capsules and Huangkui capsules were fucoidan sulfate and the flower extract of Abelmoschi Corolla， respectively. The CPMs mainly exerted tonifying and eliminating effects on the lung， spleen， and kidney. A total of 892 clinical trials were screened out， covering all the areas in China and presented an increasing trend. Bailing Preparation was the most studied， followed by Niaoduqing Preparation. Among the 892 studies， 475 focused on single CPMs without combination with other CPMs or therapies. These studies mainly compared between conventional intervention and conventional intervention + CPM， which accounted for 75.58%. The 475 studies covered different kidney diseases， such as chronic kidney disease， chronic renal failure， nephrotic syndrome， diabetic kidney disease， IgA nephropathy， and membranous nephropathy， and involved a variety of populations including the elderly and children. Thirty-six studies evaluated TCM syndromes， reflecting the characteristics and advantages of TCM treatment. ConclusionThere are abundant oral CPMs for CKD， with varied efficacy and characteristics for different kidney diseases. However， the instruction manuals of the oral CPMs are not detailed or standard. According to the clinical research evidence in this field， the research on oral CPMs for CKD is characterized by a wide scope， rich study types， and wide disease coverage， while the sample size and quality remain to be improved.

Three oral Chinese patent medicines for children with tic disorder: a rapid health technology assessment / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the clinical value of Shaoma Zhijing Granules(SZG), Changma Xifeng Tablets(CXT), and Jiuwei Xifeng Granules(JXG) in the treatment of children with tic disorder with the method of rapid health technology assessment(RHTA), which is expected to serve as a reference for medical and health decision-making and clinical rational use of drugs in children. To be specific, relevant articles were retrieved from eight databases and three clinical trial registry platforms. After the quality evaluation, rapid assessment was carried out from the dimensions of disease burden and unmet needs, technical characteristics, safety, efficacy and economy, and the results were analyzed and presented descriptively. A total of 22 articles(1 in English, 21 in Chinese) were screened out: 18 randomized controlled trials(RCTs) and 4 clinical controlled trials(CCTs). Among them, 5 were about the SZG(all RCTs) and 9 were on CXT(6 RCTs and 3 CCTs). The rest 8 focused on JXG(7 RCTs and 1 CCT). Moreover, the overall risk of bias for 94.40% RCTs was evaluated as "some concerns" and only one(5.60%) had high risk of bias. In terms of quality, the 4 CCTs scored 5-6 points(<7 points), suggesting low quality. SZG alone or in combination with tiapride has obvious advantages in improving traditional Chinese medicine syndromes and tic symptoms compared with tiapride alone, with the average daily cost of CNY 79.44-119.16. Compared with conventional western medicine or placebo, CXT alone or in combination with conventional western medicine can improve the total effective rate and alleviate tic symptoms, and the average daily cost is CNY 22.50-67.50. JXG alone or in combination with conventional western medicine can effectively relieve tic symptoms compared with conventio-nal western medicine or placebo, with the average daily cost of CNY 82.42-164.85. The adverse events related to the three Chinese patent medicines mainly occurred in the digestive, respiratory, and nervous systems, all of which were mild. In general, SZG, CXT, and JXG are effective for children with tic disorder. They have been approved to be used in this field, of which SZG was approved in 2019, with the most up-to-date research evidence and high-quality RCT in Q1 journals. However, the comparative analysis of the three was affected by many factors, which should be further clarified. Based on the large sample data available in multiple dimensions, a comprehensive comparative evaluation of the three Chinese patent medicines should be carried out, thereby highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of them and serving a reference for rational clinical use and drug supervision.

Systematic review and Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of Fengliao Changweikang prescription in treatment of acute gastroenteritis / 中国中药杂志

This study systematically evaluated the clinical efficacy and safety of Fengliao Changweikang prescription for treating acute gastroenteritis(AGE). The databases of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, Medline, Cochrane Library and two clinical trial registration platforms were retrieved from inception to August 30, 2022, to collect randomized controlled trial(RCT) on Fengliao Changweikang prescription treating AGE. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment according to pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. RevMan 5.4.1 was used for data analysis. Finally, 18 RCTs were included, involving 3 489 patients. Meta-analysis showed that compared with conventional western medicine, Fengliao Changweikang prescription improved the relief rate of abdominal pain(RR=1.27, 95%CI[1.17, 1.38],P<0.000 01); Fengliao Changweikang prescription + conventional western medicine increased the cure rate(RR=1.43, 95%CI[1.12, 1.82], P=0.004), shortened the duration of diarrhoea(RR=-1.65, 95%CI[-2.44,-0.86], P<0.000 1), abdominal pain(RR=-1.46, 95%CI[-2.00,-0.92], P<0.000 01), vomiting(RR=-2.16, 95%CI[-2.51,-1.81], P<0.000 01) and fever(RR=-2.61, 95%CI[-4.00,-1.23], P=0.000 2), down-regulated the level of interleukin-8(IL-8)(RR=-1.07, 95%CI[-1.26,-0.88], P<0.000 01), IL-6(RR=-8.24, 95%CI[-8.99,-7.49], P<0.000 01) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)(RR=-3.04, 95%CI[-3.40,-2.69], P<0.000 01) and recurrence of AGE(RR=0.20, 95%CI[0.05, 0.90], P<0.04). In conclusion, Fengliao Changweikang prescription was safe in clinical application. It was beneficial to alleviate the clinical symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever, and down-regulate the levels of some serum inflammatory factors in AGE patients. However, considering that few high-quality studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of Fengliao Changweikang prescription in treatment of AGE, further evidence is needed in the future.

Introduction to Health Research Priority Setting Methods and Application Recommendations of Methods in Field of Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Health research priority setting， based on the existing disease burden or healthcare needs， screens out specific areas or topics with relatively high research priority by scientific and systematic methods， and optimizes the allocation of health resources by influencing healthcare decision-making， so as to alleviate the imbalance between regional or global health and development. Many developed countries have carried out related research and practical work on different scales， and the World Health Organization （WHO） attaches great importance to the transformation and application of relevant achievements in developing countries. As the largest developing country in the world， China's research in this field started relatively late， and only a small number of scholars have carried out part of the localization methodology research and practice according to the specific national conditions. However， health research priority setting has not yet attracted the attention of large-scale research institutions or government organizations in China. Although the priority setting is rarely mentioned in the research on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， the research and decision-making on the diseases responding specifically to TCM can also be regarded as the practical work of exploring the priority of TCM. Policymakers have a sense of priority support in the "priority of TCM research"， but the decisions from the top design are mainly based on the consensus reached by high-level think tanks. There is a lack of extensive research， and moreover， the data of multiple stakeholders are not included. Therefore， it is urgent to introduce appropriate priority setting methods to solve the problem of transparency and scientificity in the decision-making process. Given the perspective of the specific implementation， the present study introduced three international priority setting methods， i.e.， the James Lind Alliance and Priority Setting Partnerships（JLAPSP，）the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative（CHNRI）， and the Council on Health Research and Development （COHRED）， and presented relevant recommendations on how to apply them in the research of TCM， which is expected to provide references for the local research.

Clinical Evidence of Oral Chinese Patent Medicines in Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmia： A Scoping Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo review the drug information and research progress on oral Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia to identify existing problems and provide references for follow-up research. MethodChinese patent medicines against cardiac arrhythmia were retrieved from the three major drug catalogues，Yaozh.com，and relevant guidelines with arrhythmia as the retrieval term. The instructions for included Chinese patent medicines were retrieved through Yaozh.com and specific information was extracted. The research articles on Chinese patent medicines included were retrieved from the five databases，and the information meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria was extracted and displayed in the form of text description and graphs after statistical analysis. ResultSixty-five oral Chinese patent medicines were included in this study，with the main functions of activating the blood and resolving stasis. The average daily cost of medicines was 8.17 yuan，and there were 42 medicines with an average daily cost of less than 10 yuan，showing a moderate medicine cost. A total of 351 research articles on Chinese patent medicines were screened out，including 259 randomized controlled trials （RCTs），16 non-RCTs，eight non-controlled trials，62 systematic reviews，two guidelines，and two expert consensuses. Eighteen types of Chinese patent medicines were involved，whose clinical trials had been conducted in 28 provinces，cities，autonomous regions，and municipalities in China. Wenxin granules and Shensong Yangxin capsules were the top medicines under investigation，accounting for 75.21% of all research articles. Among the included studies，the most common comparison design was Chinese patent medicine combined with western medicine vs western medicine （64.25%）. The outcome evaluation was mainly based on clinical efficacy，symptom efficacy，arrhythmia efficacy，adverse reactions，and heart rate changes. ConclusionThe number of clinical studies of oral Chinese patent medicines against cardiac arrhythmia varies greatly，but traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome differentiation thinking is less considered in practical application. Due to unstandardized clinical research and low-quality literature，further advancement is required in the future.

Clinical Evidence of Chinese Patent Medicines in Treatment of Respiratory Diseases in Children： A Scoping Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveThis study performed a scoping review to comprehensively analyze and report the information on the instructions of Chinese patent medicines and clinical research evidence for the treatment of respiratory diseases in children. MethodChinese patent medicines against respiratory diseases in children were obtained by searching the three major drug catalogues. The Chinese and English databases were searched for relevant literature，followed by data statistics and visualized analysis. ResultAfter screening and analysis，52 Chinese patent medicines were included，involving nine dosage forms. The main drugs were Scutellariae Radix，Armeniacae Semen Amarum，Forsythiae Fructus，etc. The main functions included clearing heat and releasing exterior syndrome，and relieving cough and dissipating phlegm. The indications mainly included common cold with wind-heat syndrome and cough in children. Adverse drug reactions and contraindications were only specified in 19.23% （10/52） of Chinese patent medicines，and the rest only displayed "unclear". A total of 279 articles were included，including 277 articles from Chinese Core Periodicals and two articles from SCIE. In terms of research type，those articles included 253 randomized controlled trials （RCTs，with six dosage form/dose comparisons involved），11 retrospective analyses based on Hospital Information System （HIS） data，one case series，13 systematic reviews/Meta-analyses （with two network Meta-analyses involved），and one economic evaluation article. Among them，72.76% （203/279） of the articles were published in the Core Journals of Chinese Science and Technology. Only 33 Chinese patent medicines were involved，and Xiaoer Feire Kechuan Oral Liquid was the top 1 under investigation，accounting for 15.71% （44/280）. The indicated diseases were mainly infantile pneumonia，bronchitis，respiratory tract infection，cough，asthma，and other western medicine diseases. Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules and Xiaoer Dingchuan Oral Liquid were used off-label. The sample size was concentrated in 51-150 cases，accounting for 67.17% （178/265）. The interventions in the experimental group were mainly Chinese patent medicine + western medicine + basic treatment or Chinese patent medicine + western medicine. The main outcomes were the effective rate and the improvement of clinical symptoms. The adverse reactions were mainly gastrointestinal reactions，drug-induced skin symptoms，etc.，and two studies have shown that drug doses were associated with adverse reactions. ConclusionIn research years，the research on Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of respiratory diseases in children has advanced rapidly. However，there are still some problems that need to be resolved in the future，such as incomplete information on drug content in the instruction，concentrated drugs to be studied，limited indications，failure to highlight the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes，unstandardized research design，and an incomplete reflection of Chinese patent medicine.

Tonic Traditional Chinese Medicine Injections Against Cerebral Ischemic Stroke： An Overview of Systematic Reviews/Meta-analyses / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo re-evaluate the systematic reviews/Meta-analyses （SRs/MAs） of tonic traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） injections against cerebral ischemic stroke （CIS） and provide evidence support for clinical practice and decision-making. MethodTCM injections of different varieties were obtained after searching the three major drug catalogues. Seven Chinese and English databases were searched from database inception to March 13，2022，for the relevant SRs/MAs. The methodological quality，risk of bias，reporting quality，and quality of evidence were assessed by Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 （AMSTAR-2），the Risk of Bias in Systematic Review （ROBIS），the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses 2020 （PRISMA 2020），and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment，Development，and Evaluation （GRADE）. In addition，the literature overlap matrix was established to calculate the corrected covered area （CCA） and evaluate the rate of overlaps of the original literature. ResultFive types of TCM injections and 18 SRs/MAs were included. AMSTAR 2 evaluation showed that the methodological quality of 18 SRs/MAs was extremely low，and 14 SRs/MAs had a high risk of bias assessed by ROBIS. The quality evaluation results reported by the PRISMA 2020 showed that the scores of the studies included ranged from 19.5 to 28.5，with 10 being of medium quality and eight of low quality. The evaluation with the GRADE system demonstrated that one outcome was moderate-quality evidence，15 outcomes were low-quality evidence，and 41 outcomes were very low-quality evidence. The CCA of the included SRs/MAs was 0.263，indicating a low rate of overlaps of the original literature. ConclusionTonic TCM injections are effective and safe in the treatment of CIS，but this conclusion should be treated with caution because of the low quality of methodology，reports，and evidence in published SRs/MAs. It is recommended to improve the study design，obtain clinical evidence of higher quality，and conduct systematic evaluations in strict accordance with procedures to standardize the reporting of research results.

Guideline for clinical comprehensive evaluation of Chinese patent medicine (2022 version) / 中国中药杂志

Currently,the research or publications related to the clinical comprehensive evaluation of Chinese patent medicine are increasing,which attracts the broad attention of all circles. According to the completed clinical evaluation report on Chinese patent medicine,there are still practical problems and technical difficulties such as unclear responsibility of the evaluation organization,unclear evaluation subject,miscellaneous evaluation objects,and incomplete and nonstandard evaluation process. In terms of evaluation standards and specifications,there are different types of specifications or guidelines with different emphases issued by different academic groups or relevant institutions. The professional guideline is required to guide the standardized and efficient clinical comprehensive evaluation of Chinese patent medicine and further improve the authority and quality of evaluation. In combination with the characteristics of Chinese patent medicine and the latest research achievement at home and abroad,the detailed specifications were formulated from six aspects including design,theme selection,content and index,outcome,application and appraisal,and quality control. The guideline was developed based on the guideline development requirements of China Assoication of Chinese medicine. After several rounds of expert consensus and public consultation,the current version of the guideline has been developed.

Clinical Comprehensive Evaluation of Biantong Capsules and Biantong Tablets in Treatment of Constipation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo carry out the clinical comprehensive evaluation of Biantong capsules and Biantong tablets in the treatment of constipation guided by the clinical value of drugs， and to provide a scientific basis for the rational pricing， rational use， and cataloging of Biantong capsules/tablets. MethodThe available evidence and survey data were used for the clinical comprehensive evaluation of Biantong capsules/tablets and three control drugs in the treatment of constipation in terms of the six dimensions including effectiveness， safety， economics， innovation， suitability， and accessibility. ResultIn terms of effectiveness， Biantong capsules/tablets can improve the response rate， with clear pharmacological mechanism. In terms of safety， the absence of toxic reaction， the mild adverse reactions， and the favorable prognosis indicate high safety. In terms of economics， the average daily cost of Biantong capsules/tablets is the lowest among the tested drugs， which indicates a cost-effectiveness advantage. In terms of innovation， Biantong capsules/tablets have been authorized patents in China and listed as members in the third category of new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine/ninth new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine. In terms of suitability， Biantong capsules/tablets are convenient to store and take and have good suitability in terms of drug technical characteristics and drug usage. In terms of accessibility， Biantong capsules/tablets have a wide coverage in hospitals， sufficient capacity， low patient burden， extensive drug catalogue coverage， and no major environmental risk for long-term application. The comprehensive values of the tested drugs follow a descending order of control drug B （84.27 score）， Biantong capsules/tablets （82.47 score）， control drug A （70.47 score）， and control drug C （59.46 score）. The recommendations of the expert panel are Class A （18/18）， which can be directly converted into decision-making. ConclusionBiantong capsules/tablets demonstrate a high clinical comprehensive value in the treatment of constipation， providing a reference for the rational pricing， rational use， and cataloging of drugs.

Quality evaluation of the research literature on the pharmacoeconomics of traditional Chinese medicines in China from 2018 to 2022 / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of research literature on pharmacoeconomics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in China from 2018 to 2022， to understand the development status and problems of TCM pharmacoeconomic research in China， and to provide a reference for future standardized research on this field. METHODS The systematic search of relevant databases at home and abroad was conducted to obtain the published literature on TCM pharmacoeconomic research in China from January 1， 2018 to November 21， 2022 to summarize the basic information of the literature， the research profile， the method and content of pharmacoeconomic evaluation and to evaluate the quality of the literature by using the CHEERS 2022 checklist； calculate the total literature score by counting the scores of the specific entries of each piece of literature and classifying the quality of the literature as excellent， good， qualified， and unqualified. RESULTS A total of 71 studies were included， involving 60 in Chinese and 11 in English， and 53.52% of the literature was supported by grants； the most studied TCM dosage form was injection （31.03%）； less than half （46.48%） of the literature reported the study angle； short-term economic evaluation was predominantly used （69.01%）； the Chinese studies were dominated by cost-effectiveness analyses （70.00%）， and the English studies were dominated by cost-utility analysis （54.55%）. The average score of literature quality evaluation was 11.02， with two （2.82%） of the literature being of good quality， nine （12.68%） of the literature being of qualified quality， and the majority of the literature （84.51%） being of unqualified quality. The average score of Chinese literature was 9.98， and the average score of English literature was 16.73， with the quality of the latter being significantly better than that of the former. CONCLUSIONS At present， the pharmacoeconomic researches of TCM mainly has problems such as lack of scientific selection of intervention in the control group， nonstandard cost measurement， unreasonable selection of research time limit， quality of evidence for health output indicators to be improved， selection of evaluation methods to be improved， and lack of scientific basis for threshold selection. In order to support the implementation and development of high-level pharmacoeconomics research on TCM， policymakers need to create a favorable policy environment and formulate pharmacoeconomic evaluation guidelines that meet the characteristics of TCM， so as to promote the application and transformation of evaluation results.

Mixed methods research in complementary and alternative medicine: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To update the current characteristics about the scope and quality of mixed methods research (MMR) in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) after nearly 10 years. METHODS: A 5-stage approach for conducting a scoping review was adopted. Articles published on the top 10 journals in CAM with the highest impact factor in 2020 were screened for MMR. Information of included articles were extracted, and then synthesized to illustrate the current state. Methodological quality was evaluated according to the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) 2018 version. RESULTS: A total of 55 (55/2991, 2%) articles using mixed methods were retrieved, including 17 medical studies and 38 ethnobotanical studies. We performed an in-depth analysis on the 17 medical studies, which studied cancer, stress, pain, fatigue, exercises, mindfulness intervention, herbal medicine use, art and acupuncture. Thirteen pilot studies applied MMR to evaluate the feasibility of interventions or programs (13/17, 76%); phenomenology was inferred as the most common philosophical assumptions (13/17, 76%); the most applied type of MMR was convergent design (16/17, 94%); integration often took place at integration (12/17, 71%). Among the 16 eligible studies for quality appraisal, majority were rated as good (14/16, 88%), whereas two studies were rated as poorly described. Primarily, a poor rating was due to incomplete reporting of data analysis and citations in qualitative components; lack of confounder controlling and the sampling strategy in quantitative components; poor description of integration and justification for mixed methods. Comparing with the previous review, fewer MMR were published in 2020 in CAM, but the proportion of studies that clearly reported MMR has increased by 4 times (4%→15%). CONCLUSION: CAM researchers need to realize the benefits that MMR can have on conducting further health care research. Our findings highlight that applying MMR will be helpful to understand the complex dynamics and interdisciplinary nature of complex intervention. In addition, addressing a standardized reporting criteria for MMR is recommended.

Attention Situation of Chinese Patent Medicine for Constipation in Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines/Consensus and National Reimbursement Drug List / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo evaluate the methodological quality of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） diagnosis and treatment guidelines/consensus of constipation with Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation Ⅱ （AGREE Ⅱ）tool， and to study the attention situation of the included Chinese patent medicines in China's National Reimbursement Drug List in the guidelines/consensus. MethodThe data of CNKI，VIP，Wanfang Data，SinoMed，PubMed and Cochrane from the inception of the databases to October 2021 were searched to collect the TCM diagnosis and treatment guidelines/consensus of constipation. Then，the diagnosis and treatment standards and recommended Chinese patent medicines were extracted. Two researchers assessed the methodological quality of the guidelines/consensus with AGREE Ⅱ tool independently. The quality of reports was evaluated by Reporting Items for practice Guidelines in HealThcare （RIGHT） Statement. The recommended Chinese patent medicines in the guidelines/consensus were compared with those in the National Reimbursement Drug List. ResultEleven consensus and 2 guidelines were included，involving 794 experts. The scores of AGREE II were clarity of presentation（59.0%），scope and purpose（44.0%），stakeholder involvement（23.1%），rigor of development （12.1%），applicability （11.1%），and editorial independence （8.3%） from high to low. Five articles were recommended at B level（recommended after revision） and 8 articles were at C level （not recommended）. The average scores of RIGHT Statement were as follows：basic information （93.59%），background （57.69%），evidence （18.46%），recommendations （20.88%），review and quality assurance （19.23%），funding，declaration and management of interests （0.00%）， and other information （0.00%）. The included guidelines/consensus recommended a total of 27 Chinese patent medicines，among which 20 were included in the National Reimbursement Drug List，with 4 species of Class A and 16 species of Class B， accounting for 74.1% of all recommended Chinese patent medicines. Ten purgative Chinese patent medicines in the National Reimbursement Drug List were recommended by the guidelines/consensus，accounting for 50% of all purgative drugs， and 8 were not recommended. There were prescriptions for purgation， for promoting digestion and removing food stagnation， for clearing heat and purging fire，and for warming the middle and dissipating cold，Tibetan medicine and Mongolian medicine. ConclusionBy the AGREE Ⅱ assessment，the methodological quality of the TCM diagnosis and treatment guidelines/consensus of constipation included in this study needed to be improved in the future. The report quality evaluated with RIGHT Statement was low. Most drugs included in the National Reimbursement Drug List were paid attention in the TCM diagnosis and treatment guidelines/consensus of constipation. Moreover，the drugs included in the National Reimbursement Drug List could basically fulfill the clinical needs reflexed from the guidelines/consensus recommendations. However， the reasons of some drugs failing to be included in the National Reimbursement Drug List needed to be studied in the future.

Evaluation of Dominant Diseases of Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Case Study of Ischemic Stroke / 中国实验方剂学杂志

The present study explored the effective approaches to realize the leading role of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in preventing diseases， the synergistic role in treating serious diseases， the core role in the rehabilitation of diseases and summarized the experience to provide feasible plans for the evaluation of other dominant diseases of TCM. To evaluate the effectiveness， safety， and economy of TCM in the treatment of ischemic stroke， encephalopathy project team of the China Center for Evidence-based Traditional Chinese Medicine（CCEBTCM） established an evaluation group to determine the work plan and complete the evaluation work. The concepts of the evaluation involved high-quality evidence， expert opinion survey， expert interview， and drug catalog. Under the guidance of clinical experts and methodologists， the evaluation work was completed in accordance with four steps， i.e.， plan making， data collection and data extraction， evidence synthesis and evaluation， and report writing with the rapid review method. Through the review of TCM and western medicine experts， the advantage of TCM in the treatment of ischemic stroke was positioned in the convalescence period with the predominant effects of improving the neurological function defect and improving the daily living ability. In the convalescence period of stroke， TCM treatment could improve post-stroke motor dysfunction， post-stroke cognitive impairment， consciousness disorder， swallowing disorder， aphasia， constipation， urinary function， diplopia， etc.， and the advantages of acupuncture， Chinese medicine， and traditional exercise were more prominent. In terms of safety， TCM treatment of ischemic stroke showed lower incidence of adverse reactions， fewer adverse events， and a milder degree of related symptoms. In terms of economic performance， the combined treatment of TCM and western medicine played a synergistic role and made the treatment cost more reasonable. Compared with conventional intervention， the integrated TCM and western medicine rehabilitation program showed more economic and social benefits.

An Introduction of EVIDEM Framework and Its Application in Healthcare Decision Making / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Evidence and value：impact on DEcisionMaking （EVIDEM） framework was developed by EVIDEM collaboration. Its core is the combination of multiple criteria decision analysis （MCDA） model and standardized health technology assessment （HTA） report， which aims to evaluate the overall value of medical interventions. It has been tested and implemented in the real-world evaluation environments. After more than 10 years of development， EVIDEM framework has been updated to version 10， and the relevant operation manuals have been published. More than 40 countries have joined the collaboration and more than 20 countries have carried out relevant studies. The framework is constructed with patients， population and sustainability as the overall goals， combing the evidence and value， forming a relatively complete decision-making framework system composed of 2 levels， 7 dimensions and 20 criteria. The two levels include normative universal criteria and contextual criteria. The normative universal criteria， namely EVIDEM core model， is the quantitative evaluation， consisting of 5 dimensions and 13 criteria. Contextual criteria， namely contextual tools， are qualitative evaluation， consisting of 2 dimensions and 7 criteria. The specific operation steps of EVIDEM framework include selecting and constructing criteria， assigning weights， integrating and evaluating evidence， quantitative and qualitative evaluation of value， comprehensive value estimation and ranking based on value estimation. EVIDEM framework is applicable to disease diagnosis， treatment， management and other fields. Its application scope includes medical insurance reimbursement， clinical practice decision-making， drug selection and so on， which can provide a method for more systematic， transparent and scientific healthcare decision-making. At present， the framework has been introduced into the field of traditional Chinese medicine and can provide a scientific and feasible evaluation tool and methodology system for the clinical comprehensive evaluation of Chinese patent medicine.

Feasibility Analysis of EVIDEM Framework in Health Technology Assessment of Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） health technology assessment （HTA） provides scientific information and decision-making basis for decision-makers at all levels to choose TCM health technology reasonably. However， it is still in its infancy. In the future， it is necessary to strengthen top-level design， improve cognition and attention， enhance talent training and cooperation， and speed up the development of evaluation criteria in line with the characteristics of TCM， so as to promote the development of HTA in TCM. Therefore， it is imperative to create a method system and tools suitable for TCM HTA. Evidence and value impact on decisionmaking （EVIDEM） framework is developed by EVIDEM collaboration. It combines evidence and value to form a relatively complete decision-making framework system， which can provide methodological support for medical insurance reimbursement， clinical practice decision-making， drug selection and so on. The introduction of EVIDEM framework into the field of TCM has methodological feasibility and practical operability， but it is still necessary to further integrate and optimize the TCM characteristics. On the basis of theoretical research， pilot studies are carried out with Chinese patent medicine as the breakthrough point， forming a preliminary framework and implementation path for the research of TCM HTA， in order to promote healthcare decision-making and achievement transformation.

Oral Chinese Patent Medicines for Breast Cancer：A Scoping Review of Clinical Evidence / 中国实验方剂学杂志

To clarify the research progress and existing problems in the clinical research on oral Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of breast cancer. National drug catalogs and databases were searched for oral Chinese patent medicines against breast cancer. Chinese and English databases were searched for clinical trials on oral Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of breast cancer. The main functions，drug composition，literature basic characteristics，intervention measures， and outcome indicators of Chinese patent medicines were comprehensively analyzed and evaluated by a scoping review based on visual charts. In 68 Chinese patent medicines included，53% of them were potent in activating blood， resolving stasis， tonifying the kidney， and strengthening the spleen. In terms of frequency， the top drugs were Ligustri Lucidi Fructus， Astragali Radix， Moutan Cortex， Poria， and Olibanum，indicating the importance of the therapeutic principles of activating blood， resolving stasis， tonifying the kidney， and strengthening the spleen for breast cancer treatment. In 161 included clinical trials，70.71% of the intervention measures were Chinese patent medicine combined with chemotherapy. Literature studies mainly reported Xihuang pills and Huaier granules，which may be related to the combination of chemotherapy and the inclusion in the medical insurance. The outcome evaluation was mainly based on immune indexes，tumor markers，Karnofsky score，safety report and objective response rate，while the survival time and characteristic outcome indicators of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） were insufficient. The application and research on oral Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of breast cancer have advanced in recent years，but most of the clinical research evidence is not robust，and the evaluation of outcome indicators is not standardized，which needs to be improved.

Oral Chinese Patent Medicines for Influenza： A Scoping Review of Clinical Evidence / 中国实验方剂学杂志

This study aims to summarize the clinical research evidence on oral Chinese patent medicines for the treatment of influenza with the method of scoping review， and thus clarify the status quo and problems. Specifically， the target medicines were selected from related drug catalogues and diagnosis and treatment protocols， and the basic information of the medicines on the specifications was collected. Articles on these medicines were retrieved from Chinese and English databases for statistical analysis and visualization. Finally， 36 medicines and 87 articles were included. The main efficacy of the medicines is clearing heat and removing toxin， and the main components of the medicines are Lonicerae Japonicae Flos， Forsythiae Fructus， and Isatidis Radix. A total of 12 medicines can be used for the treatment of mumps and acute bronchitis in addition to influenza. Only 6 medicines have contraindications and adverse reactions labeled on the specifications. Papers on oral Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of influenza show an increasing trend， and the authors are from 25 provinces and cities in China. Among them， papers on Lianhuaqingwen preparations take up the largest proportion. The studies were mostly randomized controlled trials， non-randomized controlled trials， and retrospective research. A total of 13 studies were supported by national funding， and only 9 studies included more than 200 cases. The most frequently used method was the comparison of the intervention effect of Chinese patent medicines with western medicine， and the treatment course was generally 3-14 days. A total of 7 outcome indicators were used in the studies and the frequency was in the order of ① composite effective rate，② antipyretic effect， ③ symptom improvement， ④ safety indicator， ⑤ virological examination， ⑥ serum inflammatory factor， and ⑦ traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score. The conclusions in the clinical studies show difference from the information in drug catalogues. The drug specifications are generally not standard. The available clinical studies have the limitations of small quantity， low in quality， and no demonstration of TCM advantages. In the future， it is necessary to optimize the specifications of Chinese patent medicines， enhance clinical research， further standardize the design of clinical research， and highlight the characteristics of Chinese patent medicines， thereby providing evidence to support the comprehensive clinical evaluation of oral Chinese patent medicines for influenza.