• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2008

Background: A transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) is one of the methods for the conservative treatment of the lumbar spinal stenosis. As efforts to prolong the therapeutic duration and to predict the outcome of TFESI are very important, we analyzed factors considered to be associated with the therapeutic duration of a TFESI. Methods: Between August 2006 and March 2007, 69 patients (Group A: patients with no pain relief, Group B: patients with pain relief of less than 6 months, Group C: patients with pain relief of more than 6 months) who failed to the medical treatment were included to undertake a fluoroscopic-guided TFESI. Prior to treatment, the VAS (visual analogue scale), ODI (Oswestry disability index), BDI (Beck depression inventory), and BAI (Beck anxiety inventory) scores were determined to evaluate the degree of pain, disability, and psychological status. The VAS and ODI scores were used to assess the degree of pain relief. To identify the total duration of pain relief, regular outpatient visits for six months were conducted, and for the patients who were not able to visit the outpatient clinic regularly, outcome was assessed by telephone interviews after six months. Results: The dural sac cross-sectional area (DSCSA), ODI, pain duration, BDI, BAI, and age showed similar distribution for patients in the A, B, and C groups. Conclusions: The DSCSA, ODI, pain duration, BDI, BAI, and age were not associated with the therapeutic duration of TFESI in lumbar spinal stenosis patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive health promotion program for North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea. Methods: The comprehensive health promotion program consisted of nutrition, mental healthcare, physical activity and sexual behavior was developed on the basis of need assessment results. For the evaluation of the program, 70 North Korean young adults who were attending two alternative schools for North Korean defectors were recruited. The program had taken place once a week for 13 or 19 weeks. Effectiveness of the health promotion program was evaluated using anthropometric measurement, 3-day food records and a questionnaires that comprised the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Short Form with 36 questions (SF-36) and health behaviors. The surveys were proceeded at the beginning and after the program. Results: After health promotion program, participants' height was significantly increased (p=0.004) and body fat mass (0=0.004) and percentage of body fat mass (p=0.003) were significantly decreased. The number of subjects who ate breakfast alone was decreased whereas the number of subjects who ate breakfast with friends was increased (p<0.001). There were no significant changes in dietary intakes, mental health status and quality of life. North Korean young adult defectors' willingness to participate and interests in the health promotion program were high, however the practice rate was low. Conclusion: The health promotion program could induce interests and willingness to participate, but bring about limited effects on the health behaviors. These results imply that a health promotion program for North Korean young adult defectors should have a long-term strategy as well as short-term plan. Furthermore, it should be based on their health problems, health related behaviors, academic performance and daily life matters.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.109-121
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical trends of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on combined treatment of acupuncture and relaxation therapy. Methods: Clinical trials based on acupuncture and relaxation therapy searched and were selected from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). In this study we selected clinical research articles using acupuncture and relaxation therapy as intervention. Studies were assessed by Risk of Bias (RoB) tool, and Jadad scale. Results: Eleven randomized controlled trials on combined treatment of acupuncture and relaxation therapy were selected, and these studies were published in China. Most studies have targeted psychiatric disorders such as insomnia and anxiety. Manual Acupuncture (MA) was the most used acupuncture treatment, and in five studies two or more relaxation therapies were used in parallel. Although the treatment result using acupuncture and relaxation therapy was superior, heterogeneity of the control group was high and it was difficult to estimate additional effects of relaxation therapy. Conclusions: Qualitative analysis revealed that the combination of acupuncture and relaxation was more effective than control in most studies. However, quality of most studies was low. Therefore, higher quality clinical research on combined treatment of acupuncture and relaxation therapy is required.

• The Korean Nurse
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 1994

The cutaneous stimulation is an independent nursing intervention used in various painful conditions, and is explained by gate control theory. This study was aimed at identifying the effect of cutaneous stimulation on reduction of arteriovenous fistula puncture pain of hemodialysis patients. One group repeated measurement post test research was designed. Forty-five hemodialysis patients who received arteriovenous fistula puncture regulary in hemodialysis units of an attacted D hospital to K university have been studied from August 16 to 21, 1993. First the arteriovenous fistula puncture pain of control period was measured, and then the arteriovenous fistula puncture pain of experimental period(with cutaneous stimulation) was measured. The instrument used for this study were visual analogue pain scale as subjective pain measurement, objective pain behavior checklist and Spielberger's Trait Anxiety Inventory as intervening variables. Analysis of data was done by use of paired t-test, t-test, ANOVA and Perarson correlation coefficient. The results of this study were summarized as follows; 1) The first hypothesis that the subjective pain score of arteriovenous fistula puncture pain in experimental period(with cutaneous stimulation) will be lower than in control period was partly supported. The subjective pain score of arterial line was rejected(paired t=-0.28, p=0.77) and the subjective pain score of venous line was supported(paired t=2.61, p=0.01). 2) The second hypothesis that the objective pain behavior score of arteriovenous fistula pain in experimental period(with cutaneous stimulation) will be lower than in control period was rejected(arterial line paired t=-0.45, p=0.65; venous line paired t=-0.36, p=0.72). 3) The third hypothesis that the cardiopulmonary signs of arteriovenous fistula puncture pain in experimental period(with cutaneous stimulation) will be lower than in control period was rejected(pulse paired t=-0.8, p=0.42; systolic BP paired t=0.98, p=0.33; diastolic BP paired t=0.43, p=0.66). Further experimental studies with simple intravenous injection patients will be recommended in order to identify the effect of cutaneous stimulation.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated sleep quality in female full-time homemakers and evaluated the relationship of sleep disturbance with psychological and socio-environmental factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study adopted a structured survey and sequential recruitment method for randomized participation of community-dwelling full-time female homemakers. Sleep quality and mental health were measured using the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (K-PSQI), Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (K-BDI-II), Korean version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (K-BAI), and Korean version of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (K-BHS). The willingness-to-pay (WTP) method was selected to measure the self-evaluated monetary value of household service work. The relationship among the main relevant factors was statistically analyzed through a mediation model. Results: A total of 166 participants were analyzed and classified having poor versus good sleep quality (poor : 24.1%, n = 40 ; good : 75.9%, n = 126 ; cut-off point = 9 on the K-PSQI). Significant between-group differences were observed in mental health status (K-BDI-II, p < 0.001 ; K-BAI, p < 0.001 ; K-BHS, p = 0.003). The moderated mediation model was verified, indicating that depression may mediate the association between nurturing burden and sleep disturbance. The path from nurturing burden to depression may be moderated by average monthly household income. Conclusion: A relatively high portion of full-time female homemakers may suffer from sleep disturbance and interactions between psychological and socio-environmental factors might determine sleep quality, suggesting the need for public health policies targeting improvement of sleep quality and mental health among full-time homemakers.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.84-87
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• 2022

Purpose: This was a pilot study to examine the clinical usefulness of the newly developed three-dimensional sweep mode extracorporeal shockwave treatment (ESWT) in patients with plantar fasciitis. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional sweep mode ESWT was performed once a week for 5 weeks in patients with plantar fasciitis who showed no improvement with the conventional conservative treatment. A 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) reading for pain from walking and at rest after walking were collected before the treatment and 8 and 16 weeks after the initial treatment. In addition, the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and EuroQol-5-dimension (EQ-5D) scores before and 16 weeks after the treatment were evaluated. Results: VAS for pain for walking improved from 50.60±8.38 to 19.80±15.61 at 8 weeks after the initial treatment (p=0.008) and 9.80±9.62 at 16 weeks after the treatment (p<0.001). VAS for pain at rest after walking improved from 36.60±19.55 to 11.80±12.95 at 8 weeks after the initial treatment (p=0.052) and 8.80±8.87 at 16 weeks after the treatment (p=0.024). Preoperative FAOS increased from an average of 74.80±9.73 before the treatment to an average of 81.00±8.86 at week 16 after the procedure (p=0.49) and compared to pre-treatment levels, there was a decrease of one level in the anxiety/depression domain of the EQ-5D, post-treatment. Conclusion: The results of this preliminary study confirmed that the newly developed EWST with the smart forging sweep mode was effective in improving pain and function in plantar fasciitis.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.99-105
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aims to report on the effect of providing customized visiting exercise, a musculoskeletal intervention method, to the elderly in the community. Methods: In this study, subjective pain was measured to evaluate pain and physical ability of the elderly, and timed up & go (TUG) test and psychological level test were performed for myofascial pain perception symptoms and gait function. Measurements were performed twice before and 4 weeks after treatment. Participants in the exercise group (n=108) performed the spine exercise, whereas those in the spine exercise group (n=108) performed the spine exercise using complex exercise program (3 times/week for 4 weeks). Results: The significant test of visual analogu scale (VAS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), TUG, psychosocial factor according to applying the exercise within groups used T-test. In the result following analysis, there was significance on VAS (p=.000), PPT (p=.000), TUG (p=.000), Psychosocial factor (Depresion; p=.000, Anxiety; p=.000) within group. Conclusion: Then, exercise has benefit on the VAS, PPT, TUG, psychosocial factor in patients with myofacial pain syndrome. So, it may suggest that exercise will be helpful of the pain, gait and psychosocial factor improvement the patients with spine pain.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.389-400
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• 2022

Objectives: Depression is a highly prevalent disease, and the market for antidepressant drugs continues to grow at a steady rate. Although current antidepressants are reported to be effective, because of their low remission rate and side effects, new antidepressants are needed. The use of Banhahubak-tang (BHT) to treat the symptoms of depression is supported by experimental evidence. The proposed study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of BHT in treating depression. Methods: A randomized, waitlist-controlled, parallel clinical trial will be conducted to assess the efficacy of BHT in depression. A total of 84 participants with depression will be randomized into the intervention group or waitlist-control group at a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the intervention group will be administered BHT three times a day for four weeks and followed up for four more weeks after therapy completion. Patients in the waitlist-control group will undergo the same intervention and follow-up after a four-week waiting period. The primary outcome is change in the Korean version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (K-HDRS) scores for major depressive disorders after four weeks. The secondary outcomes include scores on the K-HDRS, Korean Symptom Check List 95 (KSCL-95), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Korean version (STAI-K), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-Korean version (STAXI-K), and the Instrument on Pattern Identifications for Depression and EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D). Conclusions: This trial will provide high-quality clinical evidence of the efficacy and safety of BHT in the management of depression.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.163-176
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to understand the changes in the daily life and quality of life of the elderly due to the spread of COVID-19. This study attempted to supplement the limitations of quantitative analysis by performing both quantitative and qualitative analysis. A large-scale representative data, the Elderly Survey 2017 and 2020, were analyzed, and in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 16 elderly people in Gwangju and Seoul. As a result, it was found that the overall quality of life was positively changed compared to before Corona. The frequency of contact and visits with family members decreased whereas the time spent watching TV increased. The elderly's adaptation to daily life has a series of processes since the first outbreak of COVID-19. At the beginning of the outbreak, there were fear, anxiety, and depression due to isolation, but gradually made efforts to adapt to the new situation. They reported that they realized the importance of human relationships, especially spouses, in a crisis situation and that there were some positive aspects as well. Finally, in all these results a difference was found between single-person households and multi-person households. Through the above research results, academic and policy measures were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.331-341
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• 2022

This systematic review evaluates current evidence regarding the feasibility of using needleless jet injection instead of a conventional local anesthetic needle. EBSCO, ProQuest, PubMed, and Scopus databases were used to identify relevant literature published in English from 2005 to 2020. Ten studies were selected. Five of them were randomized clinical trials, 3 case-control studies, and 2 equivalence trials. Using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist, 6 studies scored between 67% and 100%, and 4 studies scored between 34% and 66%. According to Jadad's scale, 2 studies were considered strong, and 8 studies were considered moderate in quality. The results of the 10 studies showed differences in patient preference for needleless jet injection. Needleless injection technique has been found to be particularly useful in uncooperative patients with anxiety and needle phobia. Needleless jet injection is not technique sensitive. However, with needleless jet anesthesia, most treatments require additional anesthesia. Conventional needle anesthesia is less costly, has a longer duration of action, and has better pain control during dental extraction. Needleless jet anesthesia has been shown to be moderately accepted by patients with a fear of needles, has a faster onset of action, and is an efficient alternative to conventional infiltration anesthesia technique.