• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2024

Objectives : This study developed an AI-based patient chatbot and examined the usability and educational effectiveness of the chatbot in the context of Korean medicine education. Methods : The patient chatbot was developed using the AI chatbot builder 'Danbee', and a total of five experts were surveyed and interviewed to determine the usability, effectiveness, advantages, disadvantages, and improvement points of the chatbot. Results : The patient chatbot was found to have high usability and educational effectiveness. The advantages of the patient chatbot were 1) it provided students with practical experience in performing clinical skills, 2) it provided instructors with assessment materials while reducing their teaching burden, and 3) it could be effectively used for horizontal and vertical integration education. The disadvantages and improvements of the patient chatbot were 1) improving the accuracy of intention inference, 2) providing students with specific instructions for problem-solving activities, and 3) providing assessment results and feedback about students' activities. Conclusions : This study is significant in that it proposes a new training method to overcome the limitations of the existing doctor-patient simulation. It is hoped that this study will stimulate further research on the improvement of students' clinical skills using artificial intelligence.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.76-87
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• 2020

Objectives : Bee venom has been widely practiced in many countries around the world. The number of clinical trials and biochemical researches on bee venom has been constantly increasing. The objective of this study is to analyze the trend of research on bee venom using bibliometric approach, a quantitative analytical method. Methods : We searched articles about bee venom which were published from 2000 to 2019 from Web of Science Database. Original and review articles published in English were included and data were extracted in terms of publication year, country, journal, keywords, organizations, and authors. Trends in bee venom research were visualized using VOSviewer program. Results : 1,547 English articles about bee venom were identified and analyzed. South Korea is a main hub in the field of bee venom research. Research organizations in South Korea showed high link strength with domestic organizations as well as with international organizations. A keyword analysis showed the following three major types of studies: studies on components of bee venom, studies on allergy and immune response, and clinical research of bee venom therapy. Conclusions : This study provides a macroscopic overview of the research on bee venom. This bibliometric analysis has identified influential authors and organizations in the field on bee venom research and provides a useful guideline to researchers who are in search of contributory research topics.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.116-125
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• 2017

Objectives : The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension in postmenopausal women. Methods : The study was a multi-center, four-arm, non-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. The experimental groups received 10 acupuncture sessions over 4 weeks(Group A, n=20) or 20 sessions over 8 weeks(Group B, n=20) along with usual care. The acupoints were GB20, LI11, ST36, and SP6, bilaterally. The acupuncture groups were followed-up for an additional 12 weeks after acupuncture treatment. The control groups received usual care for 16 weeks(Group C, n=10) or 20 weeks(Group D, n=10). The outcomes were blood pressure, blood pressure control rates, lipid profile, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP). Results : After 4 weeks, DBP in the acupuncture groups(A+B) showed no significant decrease compared to the control group(C+D). However, after 8 weeks of acupuncture treatment, group B showed a significant decrease in DBP after acupuncture treatment and follow-up period compared to control group. Although there was no difference between the acupuncture and control groups in SBP after acupuncture treatment, group B showed a significant decrease in SBP compared to control group after follow-up period. Lipid profiles and hs-CRP did not differ significantly between acupuncture and control groups. Conclusions : Acupuncture treatment for 8 weeks showed the effect on prehypertension and mild hypertension. To verify the effect of acupuncture on blood pressure, rigorous trials including more participants are required.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.109-115
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• 2017

Objectives : Many researches have studied warm needling technique to standardize its treatment by temperature measurement and material differences in the effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to compare the temperature changes of the acupuncture needle shaft during the combustion process of the moxa stick to determine the heat transfer pattern of the warn needling. Methods : A moxa stick($7{\times}8mm$) was connected to one side of the needle shaft using a stainless steel needle(ø 0.3 mm, ø 0.5 mm, ø 0.8 mm, shaft length 40 mm) with the needle handle removed. During the warm needling, temperature changes of the needle shaft were observed with an infrared camera(Flir E30) and an infrared thermometer(TESTO 845). Results : In the normal condition, heat transmit of needle shaft increased at spots 10 mm and 25 mm below the moxa stick. The amount of heat transmit increased with the diameter of needle shaft. However, when the heat shield was installed to exclude radiant heat from the moxa stick, heat transfer was less at 10 mm below the moxa stick and no temperature change was observed at 25 mm below the moxa stick. Heat transfer by warm needling does not reach the end of needle shaft even in ø 0.8 mm needle. Conclusions : It is suggested that the radiant heat of moxa stick results in the heat transmit of acupuncture needle shaft. Thus, radiant heat transmit must be considered as one of the heat transfer characteristics of the warm needling.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.146-155
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• 2017

Objectives : This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Crataegi Fructus water extract(CFWE) on hair growth in an alopecia model of C57BL/6N mice and human dermal papilla cells(hDPCs). Methods : Six-week old mice were depilated and separated in 3 groups ; CON, MXD(2% Minoxidil), and CFWE. The treatments were applied twice a day for 18 days. The hair growth was determined photographically. The hair density, thickness and length were identified by Folliscope and the weights of body were measured. In dorsal skin tissue, the expression of hair growth-related protein was analyzed by Western blot. In hDPCs with/without $IFN-{\gamma}$, cell proliferation and the expression of hair growth-related genes were analyzed. Results : We observed that CFWE promoted hair growth compared to CON. CFWE improved the hair density, thickness and length compared to CON. CFWE increased the $Wnt/{\beta}$-catenin signaling in dorsal skin. In hDPCs, CFWE accelerated the cell proliferation and inhibited $IFN-{\gamma}$-induced hDPCs degeneration. CFWE increased the mRNA expression of ${\beta}$-catenin, Axin-2, BMP-4, FGF-7, FGF-10, and ALP compared to CON and $IFN-{\gamma}$ treated cells. Conclusions : These results suggest that CFWE has a hair regrowth activity via $Wnt/{\beta}$-catenin signaling and can be useful for the treatment of alopecia.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2017

Objectives : Despite the applicability of Korean Medicine(KM) treatments for facial asymmetry, no relevant study has been reported. In this case report, we report the effect and safety of KM treatments on facial asymmetry by mandibular lateral displacement. Methods : Three patients suffering from facial asymmetry received twelve KM treatment sessions composed of Motion Style Treatment(MST), Yinyang Balance Appliance(YBA) of Functional Cerebrospinal Therapy(FCST), and Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization(IASTM). The photos of each patient were taken before and after the treatment. And four primary reference lines were assessed before and after the treatment. Results : All subjects were improved after KM treatments on photos. However, no statistical significance was observed. Conclusions : This case report is the first to introduce the effect of KM treatments on facial asymmetry. Further well-designed, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are needed to verify these results.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.126-135
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• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to describe the type of claimed adverse events related to Korean Medicine practices in South Korea. Methods : Claims with regard to the Korean Medicine practice submitted to the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency from April 2012 to December 2016 were collected. We analyzed claims that explicitly reported the type of Korean medicine intervention and were deemed as being adverse events as defined by the Korea Good Clinical Practice. Claims that did not mention the Korean medicine practice explicitly or those related to the patient's dissatisfaction to the service rather than adverse health outcomes were excluded. Types, related interventions and the suspected severity of claimed adverse events were summarized. Results : Of 197 claims obtained, 140 claim cases were eligible and 144 claimed events were deemed as possible adverse events of the Korean medicine practice. Pain(16%), local infection/inflammation(12%) and neurological symptoms(11%) were the most frequently reported types of claimed adverse events. Thirty-nine claimed serious adverse events(SAE) were identified, including pneumothorax(28.2%) and death(17.9%). Conclusions : A wide range of claimed adverse events were identified. Routine monitoring of claims data may provide undetected safety information with regard to the Korean medicine practice. High risk of misclassification of the intervention and claimed adverse events due to insufficient information is the main caveat of this study.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 1997

The floristic characteristics and ecological conservation measures for the plant resources of the Mt. Kumjung(801m), Pusan, Korea were discussed. The field works was done for about twenty times in nine major areas from March, 1995 to Octover, 1996. The total number of vascular plants In this area were summarized as 103 families, 312 genera, 493 species and 564 kinds. The fourteen kinds of artificially planted, ten kinds of Korean endemics and twenty-nine kinds of Korean rare and endangered species in the area were revised and compiled in the list. The flora of the area were categorized into the South-coast put of the Korean Region, where the species such as Platycarya strobilacea, Quercug serrata, Eutya japonica, Camellia japonica, Trachelosperm urn asia talcum vu . in termedium, Quercus acu tissima were roles as major floristic components in the Korean Region and endemized in the south-cosat part of Korea. The natural communities such as Pinus thunbergii Community, Quercus mongolica community, Cupinus laxiflora Community, Wistria floribunda Community and swamp vegetation in Bukmun area as well as upland grassland at the summit of Kodangpong were represented for their floristic values in the area. The thirty kinds of medichinal plant, fifteen kinds of ornamental plants and thirteen kinds of edible plants are faced potentially in endangered from the outrageous collections by the local peoples. The action plan for the conservation management of the area which enables sustainable use by the local peoples must have established in the near feature.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.102-113
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• 2016

Objectives : This study is aimed at developing and discussing the prediction model of blood stasis pattern of traditional Korean medicine(TKM) using machine learning algorithms: multiple logistic regression and decision tree model. Methods : First, we reviewed the blood stasis(BS) questionnaires of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese version to make a integrated BS questionnaire of patient-reported outcomes. Through a human subject research, patients-reported BS symptoms data were acquired. Next, experts decisions of 5 Korean medicine doctor were also acquired, and supervised learning models were developed using multiple logistic regression and decision tree. Results : Integrated BS questionnaire with 24 items was developed. Multiple logistic regression models with accuracy of 0.92(male) and 0.95(female) validated by 10-folds cross-validation were constructed. By decision tree modeling methods, male model with 8 decision node and female model with 6 decision node were made. In the both models, symptoms of 'recent physical trauma', 'chest pain', 'numbness', and 'menstrual disorder(female only)' were considered as important factors. Conclusions : Because machine learning, especially supervised learning, can reveal and suggest important or essential factors among the very various symptoms making up a pattern identification, it can be a very useful tool in researching diagnostics of TKM. With a proper patient-reported outcomes or well-structured database, it can also be applied to a pre-screening solutions of healthcare system in Mibyoung stage.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.121-130
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• 2016

Objectives : Recently, people who have normal brachial blood pressure(BP) are being threatened by high-risk disease such as stroke. The aim of this study is to suggest that new method to assess systemic circulation. It can be performed by analyzing optimal blood pulse wave on 3 sites belonging to subjects that have normal BP. Methods : We respectively extracted main peaks(h1) of optimal blood pulse wave on left/right temporal artery(LR1=h1), radial artery(LR2=h1) and dorsalis pedis artery(LR3=h1). We obtained h1 from 30 subjects who are discreetly chosen and have normal BP. Main peak(h1) can be extracted by using 3D pulse imaging analyser(DMP-1000+, DAEYOMEDI Co., Korea) that has 5-level pressure method. We analyzed the ratio of [LR1/LR2] and [LR3/LR2]. Results : In the case of male group, the results are [LR1/LR2=0.7100.177] and [LR3/LR2=0.9290.317]. In the case of female group, the results are [LR1/LR2=0.6680.121] and [LR3/LR2=0.7050.195]. Especially, it is statistically verified that the result of ratio [LR3/LR2] is much higher in male group than in female group(p<0.05). Conclusions : We suggested the standard ratio of [LR1/LR2] and [LR3/LR2] for normal subjects, respectively. It can be adopted as a new method to evaluate the systemic circulation.