2.3.2. Drug
’ major symptoms, pain
The control group received MTX (16 tablets/bottle, Shanghai Xinyi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Lot no. 036180503) 10 mg once a week and Glucosidorum Tripterygll Totorum (100 tablets/bottle, Guizhou Hanfang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., lot no. 1459001) 20 mg thrice daily for 4 consecutive weeks. The treatment group received MTX, 10 mg once a week, combined with JSQS (0.45 g, 36 capsules/bottle, from Department of Pharmacy, Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, lot no. 20180101) 4 capsules each time, thrice daily for 4 consecutive weeks. Both groups took folic acid tablets 10 mg (100 tablets/bottle, Changzhou Pharmaceutical Factory Co., Ltd., lot no. 18082511) on the next day during the MTX administration. Patients of both groups were allowed to take celecoxib capsules (6 capsules/box, Pfizer Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., lot no. W64713) orally at a maximum dose of 2 capsules per day during the study period due to joint pain, and the number of taken capsules and the withdrawal time were recorded separately for both groups.The criteria for determining efficacy were formulated with reference to the Guiding Principles for Clinical Research on New Chinese Medicines (Trial) 2020. Efficacy was defined as the overall improvement rate of patients’ main symptoms and signs of ≥75%, while erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were normal or significantly improved. Progress was defined as the overall improvement rate of patients’ main symptoms and signs of ≥50%, while ESR and CRP improved. Effectiveness was defined as the overall improvement rate of patients’ major symptoms and signs of ≥30%, while ESR and CRP were improved or not improved. Ineffectiveness was defined as the overall improvement rate of patients’ main symptoms and signs of <30%, while ESR and CRP did not improve. The total effective rate was calculated as follows:Total effective rate = (significant + improvement + effective)/ total number of cases.