• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.97-110
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• 2021

Objectives: This study was performed to review the research trends in the relationship between primary dysmenorrhea and doppler indicies of uterine artery. Methods: The search for related papers used 'Pubmed', a reserch engine in the America National Library of Medicine and Korean studies Information Service System (KISS). Used searching terms were 'primary dysmenorrhea', 'menstrual pain' in all cases. And among these studies, we searched by using key word 'uterine artery', 'doppler indices', 'doppler parameters', 'pulsatile index', 'resistance index'. Results: Overall 49 studies, 8 studies were finally selected to this study. There were 6 controlled studies and 2 randomised-controlled studies. In all 8 studies, transvaginal ultrasound was used to measure the resistance of uterine blood vessels. All of these studies reported that in patients with primary dysmenorrhea, hemodynamic values of uterine arteries measured by Doppler ultrasound were significantly higher than in normal subjects. Conclusions: According to the results, it was found that there was a positive correlation between the pain level of primary dysmenorrhea and the pulsation index and resistance index of the uterine artery. Based on these results, it can be seen that the doppler indicies of uterine artery have the potential to be used as an evaluation scale for Korean traditional medicine for primary dysmenorrhea.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.15-28
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• 2021

Objectives: This study was designed to examine the anti-cancer activity by innate immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory effects of liriopis tuber water extract (LPE). Methods: Cell cytotoxicity was tested with 4T1 mouse mammary carcinoma cells, spleen cells, macrophage, and RAW264.7 cells. To investigate innate immunomodulating effects of LPE on macrophage, we measured tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and interleukin-10 (IL-10). To investigate innate immunomodulating effects of LPE on RAW264.7 cell, we measured TNF-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6). In addition, TNF-α and nitric oxide (NO) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were measured after treating with LPE to observe innate immunomodulating effect of LPE on RAW264.7 cell. Also, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) were examined by western blot analysis. Results: In an in vitro cytotoxicity analysis, LPE affected tumor cell growth above specific concentration. As compared with the control group, the production of TNF-α, IL-12, and IL-10 were increased in macrophage. As compared with the control group, the production of TNF-α and IL-6 were increased in RAW 264.7 cell. The expression of TNF-α and NO induced by LPS after treating LPE was decreased. In addition, treatment of RAW 264.7 cell with LPE increased the phosphorylation levels of p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK), p-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), and p-p38. Conclusions: LPE might have impact on the anti-cancer effect by activation of innate immune system and inflammation control.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.137-156
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of taking herbal medicine for the postpartum lactation. Methods: We searched 9 databases for recent three years, that contained four english, two chinese, one japanese and two korean database from September 17, 2016 to December 31, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible. Measurement of outcome included total curative effective rate, volume of lactation, volume of milk supplement, and serum prolactin concentration. The risk of bias was assessed by two independent authors using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: Total 725 of studies was screened, 11 RCTs were finally selected. Number of participants per study ranged from 60 to 257. The treatment group of taking a herbal medicine is effective for improving total curative effective rate, volume of lactation, volume of milk supplement, and serum prolactin concentration compared with control group. Because most of the studies had considerable heterogeneity in terms of type of intervention and comparison for outcome measurement, meta analysis for quantitative analysis was impossible. Conclusions: This studies showed that taking a herbal medicine is effective on increasing volume of lactation and speeding up the start of the first breastfeeding. However, included studies suffered from incomplete reporting, high or unclear risk of bias and substantial heterogeneity between studies. In the Future, further high-quality RCTs are needed to prove effectiveness of herbal medicine for breastfeeding and reduce the risk of bias.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.73-89
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this review is to analyze domestic and foreign studies related to the effect of Korean Medicine Treatment for Postpartum Back Pain. Methods: Clinical studies applying Korean Medicine Treatment on Postpartum Back Pain were searched using domestic and foreign search engines up to December 2022. After searching studies, we analyzed selected studies and 11 studies were selected as a result. Results: All of the patients studied in the case study showed a decrease in Postpartum Back Pain after treatment compared to before treatment and in the control study, it was found that indices evaluating Postpartum Back Pain after treatment were significantly improved in the experimental group compared to before treatment in the experimental group. It was found that the scores of the relevant indicators were more significantly improved in the experimental group than control group. Conclusions: Korean Medicine Treatment is effective for Postpartum Back Pain. In the future, studies to analyze the specific effects and safety of each Korean Medicine Treatment for postpartum back pain and well-designed studies will be needed to establish the foundation of Korean Medicine Treatment for Postpartum Back Pain.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.54-72
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review the recent clinical study trends on Korean Medicine treatment for vaginitis during pregnancy. Methods: We searched articles published from electric databases including Oasis, KISS, Pubmed, and CNKI. The period was set from 2012 to 2021. Searched keywords were "임신 중 질염", "한약", "Vaginitis during pregnancy", "Herbal medicine", "妊娠合并阴道炎", "中药". Results: 34 articles were finally selected. Except 1 case series study, there were 33 RCTs, 1 article of which used both herbal decoction and herbal fumigation for treatment group (TG) ; 18 employed herbal fumigation only, and 14 took both herbal fumigation and western medicine. The total effective rate or cure rate in TGs, regardless of treatment methods, was higher than that of control group in all RCT studies. Conclusions: Our review found that Korean medicine alone or combined with western medicine is more effective for alleviating symptoms of vaginitis during pregnancy than the control group.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.161-173
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with primary menstrual difficulties taking NSAIDs. Methods: 30 women with primary menstrual difficulties with NSAIDs were assigned to treatment groups (n=15) and control groups (n=15). On their first visit, both groups were provided with a menstrual diary and were required to record the intensity of pain and the dosage of painkillers during each menstrual cycle. The treatment group received two acupuncture treatments per cycle during two cycles, and the control group did not receive acupuncture. Pain strength during menstruation was evaluated using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the total number of painkillers taken during menstruation and the average number of painkillers taken during a single dose was measured. Results: The treatment group had significant pain relief compared to the pre-test group and significant differences from the control group. In addition, there was a significant difference between the treatment group and the control group in the frequency of taking painkillers during the menstrual period and the dose in the test group was significantly lower than before treatment. Conclusions: This clinical trial showed that this acupuncture can help alleviate primary menstruation and reduce the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to report the results of Korean medicine treatment infertility support program in Gwang-ju Metropolitan City in 2021. Methods: Participants of Korean medicine treatment infertility support program were provided Herbal medicine, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture and Counseling for 3 months and followed up for 3 months after the treatments. The project was carried out for 100 infertile women under the age of 42 living in Gwang-ju Metropolitan City, of which 91 completed treatment until the end. Collected data of 91 women containing pregnancy rates, characteristics of subjects, treatments, and satisfaction of the program were analyzed. Results: After the treatment, 23 out of 91 subjects were pregnant, two of whom were miscarried, and 21 were maintained. The average age of pregnant women in 23 pregnant subjects was 33.8 years old, of which the average age of those who maintained pregnancy was 32.4 years old, and the age of one miscarried person was 39 years old. More than 85% of subjects answered that they were satisfied with the program in the satisfaction survey. Conclusions: Based on this report, the clinical data were obtained from the infertility treatment program. This study can be used as basic data to help establish infertility support programs and subsequent policies like support for men in the future Korean medicine infertility project and extension of the herbal medicine treatment period.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.25-45
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review the clinical research trends of ovarian cysts and to recognize the efficacy of Korean medicine intervention. Methods: Based on four domestic databases, including Korean studies Information Service System (KISS), Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), Korean Medical Database (KMbase) and Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), we analyzed the case reports using Korean medicine intervention, which include acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine. Data retrieval was carried out from May 12^th, to 18^th, 2022, and a total of 9 papers were included. Results: All papers were published in Korea and they contain seventeen case reports in total. The most frequently used intervention was herbal medicine, especially Gyejibokryeong-hwan-gami (桂枝茯苓丸加味), Guichulpajing-tang-gagam (歸朮破癥湯加減), Guibiondam-tang-gami (歸脾溫膽湯加味). Most cases reported statistically significant results on using Korean-medicine intervention. Also, there was no serious side effect of Korean medicine. Conclusions: In this study, we investigated the efficacy of Korean medicine intervention as an adjuvant therapy for ovarian cyst patients and research trends on ovarian cysts. Further studies are needed to supplement the safety and the evaluation of Korean medicine. However, the results should be taken cautiously as more clinical studies are needed.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.46-61
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this systemic review is to overview and evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in female patients with chronic constipation. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of the literature to identify randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of acupuncture on female patients with chronic constipation. Key words searched included "Female Constipation", "Women Constipation", "Acupuncture" in database KISS, DBPIA, RISS, Cochrane Central, Scopus, Pubmed, CNKI. Results: Nine randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. Our analysis found that acupuncture was associated with significant improvements in spontaneous bowel movements, complete spontaneous bowel movements, stool consistency, and quality of life in female patients with chronic constipation. Acupuncture was generally well-tolerated, with few adverse effects reported. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that acupuncture treatment would be effective way to treat chronic constipation of female patients.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.65-82
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine acupuncture intervention suggested in the papers of assisted reproductive technology(ART, hereafter) in medicine journals and to establish the further direction. Methods: The papers published between 1996 and 2009 in Pubmed were reviewed. Results: 1. A variety of randomized controlled trials and case series were found in Pubmed concerning influence of acupuncture in ART. It was investigated into improvement of pregnancy rate, analgesic effect during oocyte retrieval, change of serum hormone, and reduction of anxiety. 2. It was on clinical pregnancy rate that main focus of the investigation was placed and the improvement of pregnancy rate differed from studies. 3. For the analgesic effect during oocyte retrieval, the electro acupuncture was mainly used and the studies reported the reduced pain rate, tiredness, and nausea. 4. Acupuncture was reported as significant in improving the state of anxiety during ART. Conclusion: It would be necessary to further study the period of acupuncture intervention, the selection of acupoint through well-designed study, and establish standard of evidence of them.