• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1043-1052
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• 2018

Study Design: Level III retrospective cross-sectional study. Purpose: To define and characterize the presentation, symptom duration, and patient/surgical risk factors associated with 'post-decompressive neuropathy (PDN).' Overview of Literature: PDN is characterized by lower extremity radicular pain that is 'different' from pre-surgical radiculopathy or claudication pain. Although it is a common constellation of postoperative symptoms, PDN is incompletely characterized and poorly understood. We hypothesize that PDN is caused by an intraoperative neuropraxic event and may develop early (within 30 days following the procedure) or late (after 30 days following the procedure) within the postoperative period. Methods: Patients who consented to undergo lumbar laminectomy with or without an instrumented fusion for degenerative lumbar spine disease were followed up prospectively from July 2013 to December 2014. Relevant data were extracted from the charts of the eligible patients. Patient demographics and surgical factors were identified. Patients completed postoperative questionnaires 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Questions were designed to characterize the postoperative pain that differed from preoperative pain. A diagnosis of PDN was established if the patient exhibited the following characteristics: pain different from preoperative pain, leg pain worse than back pain, a non-dermatomal pain pattern, and nocturnal pain that often disrupted sleep. A Visual Analog Scale was used to monitor the pain, and patients documented the effectiveness of the prescribed pain management modalities. Patients for whom more than one follow-up survey was missed were excluded from analysis. Results: Of the 164 eligible patients, 118 (72.0%) completed at least one follow-up survey at each time interval. Of these eligible patients, 91 (77.1%) described symptoms consistent with PDN. Additionally, 75 patients (82.4%) described early-onset symptoms, whereas 16 reported symptoms consistent with late-onset PDN. Significantly more female patients reported PDN symptoms (87% vs. 69%, p=0.03). Patients with both early and late development of PDN described their leg pain as an intermittent, constant, burning, sharp/stabbing, or dull ache. Early PDN was categorized more commonly as a dull ache than late-onset PDN (60% vs. 31%, p=0.052); however, the difference did not reach statistical significance. Opioids were significantly more effective for patients with early-onset PDN than for those with late-onset PDN (85% vs. 44%, p=0.001). Gabapentin was most commonly prescribed to patients who cited no resolution of symptoms (70% vs. 31%, p=0.003). Time to symptom resolution ranged from within 1 month to 1 year. Patients' symptoms were considered unresolved if symptoms persisted for more than 1 year postoperatively. In total, 81% of the patients with early-onset PDN reported complete symptom resolution 1 year postoperatively compared with 63% of patients with late-onset PDN (p=0.11). Conclusions: PDN is a discrete postoperative pain phenomenon that occurred in 77% of the patients who underwent lumbar laminectomy with or without instrumented fusion. Attention must be paid to the constellation and natural history of symptoms unique to PDN to effectively manage a self-limiting postoperative issue.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.138-146
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• 2011

Objective : This study was performed to prove the effect of the oriental medical treatments on urticaria and angioedema caused from serum sickness reaction by bee venom. Method : We treated one case of urticaria and angioedema with oriental medical treatments such as 8 constitution acupuncture, herbal medicine, venesection therapy and facial pack therapy. We took pictures through the treatment to evaluate the improvement. Six items, itching, burning sensation, pain, wheal, redness, edema were used to diagnose urticaria and angioedema. Result & Conclusion : After treatments the urticaria and angioedema were improved. The symptom of itching, heating, pain, wheal, redness of whole body and facial edema disappeared.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.150-157
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• 1997

Capsaicin cream has been used to attenuate the pain associated with diabetic neuropathy, rheum-atoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and postherpetic neuralgia. But its common side effect, local irritation, limits the use of it and there is still a need for a new analgesic devoid of this side effect. This study was conducted to compare the local irritant effect of DA-5018, a new capsaicin derivative, with that of capsaicin in various animal models and human beings. Capsaicin, applied topically to the mouse ear, produced dose-dependent increase of ear volume and the frequency of ear scratching behavior in mice. Neither ear volume nor scratching behavior was affected by DA-5018. In eye wiping test of rat, DA-5018 was 10 times less irritant than capsaicin. Capsaicin administered intradermally into the rat paw elicited paw lick/lift response with a potency which was three times that of DA-5018. Zostrix-HP (0.075% capsaicin cream), but not DA-50180.3% cream, increased ear volume of rat and induced thermal hyperalgesia in normal and carrageenan inflamed paws. Six day-treatment of Zostrix-HP failed to develop tolerance against this thermal hyperalgesia. In human beings, Zostrix-HP produced burning sensation and itching in more than 90% of volunteers involved and its maximum irritant effect was significantly higher than that of DA-5018 cream. These results suggest that local irritation and burning sensation produced by DA-5018 is much less than capsaicin.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.177-187
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• 2023

Varicose veins have a substantial burden on individuals' aesthetics and overall quality of life. The current body of research on Korean medical interventions for varicose veins is limited in Korea, and exploration into clinical trends is lacking. This review specifically analyzed fire acupuncture, which is an understudied intervention in Korea that demonstrated efficacy in alleviating pain and paralysis while promoting tissue regeneration. A comprehensive investigation of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database was conducted, utilizing terms such as "varicose vein," "fire needle," "fire acupuncture," "burning acupuncture," "burning needle," "huǒzhēn," "xiàzhī jìngmài," and "jìngmài qūzhāng." This review included 14 studies investigating the role of fire acupuncture in treating varicose veins. We extracted variables, including age, sex, disease duration, intervention method, treatment frequency, treatment period, acupoints, and outcomes. Fire acupuncture appeared as the primary intervention method, followed by general acupuncture. The protruding part of varicose veins is the main treatment area for fire acupuncture, while the acupoints BL57 and ST36 were most frequently utilized for general acupuncture. Treatment results revealed significant improvement in all studies. However, there are limitations, such as scarce studies, limited side effects studies, and potential bias. Consequently, extensive and well-structured future studies are necessary to demonstrate the role of fire acupuncture in varicose veins.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.189-195
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• 2009

The life changes of burning mouth syndrome patients were evaluated through the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) questionnaire. 67 subjects were included for the study and they were categorized into 2 groups (BMS 33 persons, control 34 persons) and investigated in the Dept. of Oral Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital from January to December, 2008. The obtained results were as follows : 1. BMS Group have experienced more changes in their lives than the control group within one year. This difference is showed between 7 to 12 months before hospital visit. 2. There is no significant difference between high score group(life vairation above 150) and the control group. 3. When the survey is divided by six categories, no significant difference shows within six categories. However, the BMS group shows high score within the social life category.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.22-26
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to estimate the effectiveness of burning acupuncture therapy (Hwachim) and sweet bee venom pharmacopuncture (S-BV pharmacopuncture) in treating lateral epicondylitis of elbow. Methods: We selected 33 patients at first, but 13 patients were excluded due to unclear medical records. Finally, a total of 20 patients who had received treatment from January 2012 to December 2013 were included in this study; all 20 patients had undergone Hwachim for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis of elbow, and 19 of the 20 had been treated with S-BV pharmacopuncture (Korea Pharmacopuncture Institute, KPI) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as an ancillary treatment method. The degrees of pain of the 20 patients were evaluated by using the visual analogue scale (VAS) score at their first and final visits. The Wilcoxon signed rank test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare the VAS scores statistically. Results: The VAS score had decreased significantly from $10.00{\pm}0.00$ to $4.00{\pm}2.47$ (P = 0.000) by the end of the treatment. No significant changes were observed based on the number of treatments (P = 0.246), the age of the patients (P = 0.810), the duration of the illness (P = 0.705), and the location of the lesion (P = 0.076). Conclusion: This study suggests Hwachim and S-BV pharmacopuncture are very effective for treating lateral epicondylitis of the elbow.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.624-643
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between Ryodoraku and two pattern-identification questionnaires in patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). Methods: The study participants were 30 patients with BMS who visited the Oral Diseases Clinic of Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Hospital from June to November, 2019. The Ryodoraku test and two pattern-identification questionnaires were administered to all patients. Measurements included the average Ryodoraku score, which is called the Total Average (TA), and each score on the Ryodoraku point scale. The degree of Yin-deficiency, Qi-stagnation, and pain were assessed with the Yin-deficiency Questionnaire (YDQ), Qi-stagnation Questionnaire (QSQ), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively. Results: The average TA score was 29.90. The LF5 (p=0.013) and RF5 (p=0.016) scores were lower than the TA scores, and the RH5 (p=0.020) and RH6 (p=0.006) scores were higher than the TA scores. A negative correlation was detected between the YDQ scores and the LH1 (r=-0.366, p=0.046), LH2 (r=-0.507, p=0.004), LH3 (r=-0.374, p=0.042), RH1 (r=-0.361, p=0.050), RH2 (r=-0.403, p=0.027) points. The LF5 (p=0.050) and RF2 (p=0.048) scores were lower in the patients with Qi-stagnation patients than without Qi-stagnation. Conclusions: Our results suggest that low TA and Ryodoraku scores on LF5 and RF5 and high Ryodoraku scores on RH5 and RH6 could be quantitative indicators for the diagnosis of BMS. The LH1, LH2, LH3, RH1, RH2, LF5, and RF2 scores could also be an indicators for diagnosis of Yin-deficiency and Qi-stagnation in patients with BMS.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.1-19
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and physiological variables of chest pain induced by exercise test in angina suspected patients. The subjects of this study consisted of 28 inpatients and outpatients aged between 40 and 75 who underwent treadmill test at exercise testing laboratory of S-University from January 2000 to June 2000. Subjects were interviewed with questionnaire regarding sociodemography, the past health history and history related to chest pain before the exercise test. Subjects were interviewed with questionnaire concerning quality, intensity, duration of chest pain induced by walking on the treadmill(Marquette, U.S.A. 1992) according to Bruce protocol following exercise test. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured before, during and after the test, heart rate was determined by ECG. The results of this study were as follows ; 1) Quality of chest pain induced by exercise test were feeling stiffness 19(67.9%), heavy 10(36.0%), exploded 9(32.1%), crushing, suffocating, tight 8(28.6%), stuffy, prickly 7(25.0%), burning 6(21.4%), clasp 5(17.9%), cleaved, tensed, piercing 3(10.7%), perfectly fitting, sore 2(7.1%), tearing, tingling, ticklish, heartburn 1(3.6%). 2) Mean score of VAS(intensity of pain) following exercise test was $5.79{\pm}2.27$ and mean duration of chest pain after the test was $7.83{\pm}5.31$ minutes. 3) Sites of chest-pain induced by exercise test were middle site 11(39.3%), left-chest 10(35.6%), right-chest 6(21.5%). Radiation site of chest-pain was neck(18.0%), right flank site 1(3.6%), left shoulder & arm 2(7.1%) and back 1(3.6%). 4) Symptoms other than chest-pain induced by exercise test were dyspnea 21(75.6%), perspiration 14(50.4%), fatigue 12(43.2%), leg-pain 11(39.6%), dizziness 7(25.2%) anxiety toward chest-pain 3(10.8%), thirst 2(7.1%), and palpation, headache and tingling sensation of hand and leg 1(3.6%). 5) Mean MET(intensity of exercise) during the exercise test was $7.64{\pm}2.57$ and mean RPE(rating of perceived exertion) was $15.89{\pm}2.36$. Mean duration of exercise was $6.79{\pm}2.88$. 6) correlation coefficients between RPE and VAS was 0.500(p=0.003), those between MET and VAS was 0.287(p=0.069) and those between either depression or elevation of ST segment and VAS was 0.236(p=0.114). 7) There was a significant difference in mean systolic pressure between before and after the test as $146.29{\pm}28.18mmHg$ and $177.96{\pm}28.82mmHg$(t=-5.640, p=0.000), a significant difference in mean diastolic blood pressure between before and after the test as $84.85{\pm}15.07mmHg$ and $88.89{\pm}13.72mmHg$(t=-2.082, p=0.047), and there was a significant difference in mean heart-rate between before and after the test as $81.89{\pm}12.22/min$ and $160.68{\pm}21.77/min$(t=-21.255, p=0.000).

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the individually perceived quality of life in Korean patients with BMS using two questionnaires : the Medical Outcome Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49). This cross-sectional study included sixty subjects diagnosed with BMS and sixty healthy subjects as controls. All subjects in this study completed two questionnaires: the Medical Outcome Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49), which had been translated into Korean and subsequently validated for use in Korea. All of the subscales in the SF-36 exhibited significantly lower scores in BMS patients than control groups. Comparison of the mean SF-36 scores between the two groups revealed the greatest differences to be for the subscales of physical pain and role emotional (role limitations due to emotional problems). The mean score on each subscale of the OHIP-49 was significantly higher in BMS patients than control groups. Comparison of the mean OHIP-49 scores between the two groups revealed the greatest difference to be for the subscale of physical pain. These findings demonstrated that BMS had an impact on various components of a patient's quality of life. BMS patients exhibited more impaired results and a poorer quality of life than control groups.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.467-477
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• 1999

Personality characteristics of orofacial pain patients was analyzed psychologically by means of the SCL-90-R. 36 TMD patients, 20 burning mouth syndrome(BMS) patients, 31 trigeminal neuralgia(TN) patients, 20 control I and 28 control II were subjected at Orofacial pain clinic, Department of Oral Medicine and Health Promotion Center, Pusan National University Hospital during the period from 1998 to 1999. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Mean values of T-scores on 9 basic scales in all the groups were within normal range. 2. The T-scores of SOM, O-C, ANX and HOS in TMD patient group were significantly higher than those in control I group, but there was no significant difference in all scales between TMD patient group and control II group. 3. The T-scores of SOM in BMS patient group was significantly higher than those in control I group, but there was no significant difference in all scales between BMS patient group and control II group. 4. The T-scores of SOM in TN patient group was significantly higher than those in control II group. 5. As compared with present and absent of the history of systemic diseases, there was no significant difference of the scales in TMD, BMS and TN patient groups but the T-scores of the patient groups with the history of systemic diseases tended to higher than those of the patient group without the history of systemic diseases. 6. As compared with acute and chronic groups, the T-scores of O-C, I-S, PAR, PSY in chronic BMS patient group were significantly higher than those in acute BMS patient.