• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.75-108
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• 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review the acupuncture treatment for Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women. Methods: We searched articles in 3 search engines with keywords related to 'Polycystic ovary syndrome', 'PCOS', and 'Stein-leventhal' in February 2024. Clinical researches and case reports that used acupuncture on PCOS were included. Animal studies and non clinical data were excluded. Data on acupuncture treatment such as methods, site, duration, frequency, and period were analyzed. Results: Of 60 selected articles, there were 51 randomized controlled trials, 5 clinical trials and 4 case reports. Studies were conducted using manual acupuncture, electro acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, thread embedding acupuncture, warm needling and laser acupuncture. Most studies used more than one acupoint, and there were 78 acupoints selected for acupuncture treatment for PCOS. The most commonly used acupoint was 三陰交 (SP6)(n=50). By analyzing the network of acupoints, 關元 (CV4), 氣海 (CV6), 中脘 (CV12), 三陰交 (SP6), 血海 (SP10), 天樞 (ST25), 足三里 (ST36) were located in center of the network. The mean treatment time, number of treatments, and duration were 28.63±4.48 minutes, 34.52±29.26 times, and 98.18±38.25 days. Conclusions: The results of this study could be useful in establishing the evidence for performing standardized acupuncture treatment for Polycystic ovary syndrome.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.259-267
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• 2023

Stature is an essential component of biological profile analysis since it determines an individual's physical identity. Long bone dimensions are generally used to estimate the stature of skeletal remains; however, non-long bones such as the sternum, cranium, and sacrum may be necessary for some forensic situations. This study aimed to generate a regression equation for stature estimation of the skeletal remains in the Thai population. Ten measurements of the sacrum were measured from 200 dry sacra. The results revealed that the maximum anterior breadth (MAB) provided the most accurate stature prediction model among males (correlation coefficient [r]=0.53), standard error of estimation (SEE=5.94 cm), and females (r=0.48, SEE=6.34 cm). For the multiple regression model, the best multiple regression models were stature equals 41.2+0.374 (right auricular surface height [RASH])+1.072 (anterior-posterior outer diameter of S₁ vertebra corpus [APOD])+0.256 (dorsal height [DH])+0.417 (transverse inner diameter of S₁ vertebra corpus [TranID])+0.2 (MAB) with a SEE of 6.42 cm for combined sex. For males, stature equals 63.639+0.478 (MAB)+0.299 (DH)+0.508 (APOD) with a SEE of 5.35, and stature equals 75.181+0.362 (MAB)+0.441 (RASH)+0.132 (maximum anterior height [MAH]) with a SEE of 5.88 cm for females. This study suggests that regression equations derived from the sacrum can be used to estimate the stature of the Thai population, especially when a long bone is unavailable.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.467-473
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• 2004

Background: The sinus conversion rate after the maze procedure in chronic atrial fibrillation using radiofrequency energy is lower than with either conventional 'cut and saw' technique or cryothermia. The creation of incomplete transmural lesions due to poor tissue-catheter contact is thought to be the main cause. To address this problem, the current study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a specially constructed compression device designed to enhance tissue catheter contact during unipolar radiofrequency catheter ablation. Material and Method: Circum-ferential right auricular epicardial lesions were created with a linear radiofrequency catheter in 10 anesthetized pigs. A device specially designed to increase contact by compression of the catheter to the atrial wall was used in 5 pigs (study group). This device was not used in the control group (5 pigs). Conduction block across the right auricular lesion was assessed by pacing, and the transmurality of the lesions were confirmed by microscopic examination. Result: Conduction block was observed in a total of 8 pigs; 5 in study group and 3 in control group. Transmural injury was confirmed microscopically by the accumulation of acute inflammatory cells and loss of elastic fibers in the endocardium. In two pigs with failed conduction block, microscopic examination of the endocardium appeared normal. Conclusion: Failed radiofrequency ablation is strongly related to non-transmural energy delivery. The specially constructed compression device in the current study was successful in creating firm tissue-catheter contact and thereby generating transmural lesions during unipolar radiofrequency ablation.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1-17
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• 2011

Objectives : This study aimed to review randomized controlled trials of acupuncture performed in South Korea that used sham acupuncture as a control group. Methods : The following databases were searched through the end of September 2011: Koreanstudies information service system (KISS), Korean medical database (KMbase), national discovery OR science leaders (NDSL), oriental medicine advance searching integrated system (OASIS), and research information service system (RISS). The following search terms were used: acupuncture AND (sham or placebo). The reference lists of searched articles and Korea institute of oriental medicine (KIOM) reports(2005~2009) were identified. The following data were extracted: year/first author, disease, number of participants, blinding, intervention, outcome, and result. Where appropriate, we performed meta-analysis. The methodological quality was assessed according to the Jadad scale and 'risk of bias' by Cochrane Handbook procedure. Results : Twenty-nine studies were included in this review. In eighteen studies, penetrating sham controls were used as the control intervention, whereas the remaining eleven studies adopted non-penetrating sham controls such as the Park Sham Device or blunt auricular acupuncture. Nine studies showed statistically significant difference in outcomes. Twelve studies concerning insomnia after stroke, chronic tension-type headache, idiopathic Parkinson's disease, Hwa-Byung, and smoking cessation were included in meta-analysis. A meta-analysis of insomnia after stroke only found significant difference(MD -4.31, 95% Cl -6.19 to -2.42, $p$<0.00001). In general, all of the studies showed low methodological quality(Jadad score: mean 2.1). Risk of bias by Cochrane Handbook procedure varied. Conclusions : The results of this study could not suggest conclusive evidence that acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture in several diseases. In the future, more studies with rigorous acupuncture trials using sham controls should be conducted.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.115-129
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• 2015

Objective : This study aims to review clinical studies evaluating effectiveness of Korean medicine for smoking cessation. It also aims to critically analyze study design of the studies and suggest strategies for future clinical studies on smoking cessation. Method : Only domestic databases such as RISS, KISS, DBPIA, NDSL, and OASIS were searched from August to November 2011 for clinical studies on smoking cessation. There was no limitation on study design, period, and language. The studies were qualitatively analyzed focusing on study design including participants, intervention, and outcome measurements. Results : Out of 537 studies searched, 27 studies were included in the analysis. 56% of the studies were observational studies, 33% were quasi-experimental studies, and 11% were randomized controlled studies. 44% and 32% of the studies were conducted at educational institutions and hospitals, respectively. The average number of the participants were 182, which ranged from 15 to 1,056. Most of the participants were male. Intervention used were mostly auricular acupuncture, and the most frequently used acupoints were Lung, Shinmun, Endocrine, Pharynx & Larynx, and Inner nose. The average length of treatment period was four weeks, and the treatment was provided twice per week. The outcomes were measured at the end of the treatment and only 26% of the studies conducted follow-up measurements. 26% of the studies utilized questionnaires of which validity was evaluated and only 15% used objective measurements such as exhaled Carbon monoxide and Cotinine test. Conclusion : Though many clinical studies on effectiveness of Korean medicine for smoking cessation were conducted, there are still debates on quality of evidence. Recently, guidelines have been developed for clinical trials evaluating effectiveness of smoking cessation program. Thus, in the future, clinical studies should be developed based on these guidelines and designed to improve validity and reliability.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.52-65
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• 2012

Objectives: Toad venom, called Chan-Su, is a traditional Oriental medicine secreted from the auricular and the skin glands of the Bufo bufo gargarizanz Cantor or B. melanosticus Schneider and has been widely used in China, Korea and other parts of Asia for the treatment of pain, heart conditions, and cancer. We examined the concentrations of the main chemical constituents within a commercially available toad venom product and compared the levels for different extraction methods. Methods: Toad venom was extracted using either cold or hot water, ethanol (EtOH), methanol (MeOH), or ethyl acetate (EtOAc), was fractionated using precipitation or reflux, and was then analyzed using thin layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HTLC), and liquid chroma-tography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Individual components were identified by comparisons of the retention times, the ultraviolet spectra, and mass spectras and differences in chemical constituents for different solvents and extraction methods are presented. Results: Components with authentic standards, including serotonin and bufodienolides (cinobufagen, bufalin, cinobufalin, and resibufogenin), were detected. The water extract of toad venom contained the greatest amount of serotonin ($75.7{\pm}0.1$ mg/g), but very small amounts of bufodienolides ($3.8{\pm}0.0$ mg/g). In contrast, the use of MeOH or EtOH extraction solutions resulted in 5-26 times higher concentrations of bufodienolides, with only trace amounts of serotonin. The relative and the absolute concentrations of the component also varied based on the extraction method; i.e., EtOH extracts yielded the greatest total amounts of bufodienolides, and EtOAc precipitation had the lowest amounts of bufodienolides. Conclusions: Toad venom consists of serotonin and several bufodienolides, and the choice of solvent to extract chemical the constituents is important as a way to enrich the purported active components for treating different conditions.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.179-190
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to review the research trends regarding the treatment of Postpartum Depression (P.P.D) in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Methods: We searched articles in CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from 2004 to 2013. Search key words were "产后抑郁症", "Postpartum Depression", and we selected 27 studies except for non-clinical studies, insufficient number of studies, unrelated studies and tests on animals. Results: We selected 27 articles with following results: 1) One study of Jadad Quality Assessment Scale score showed 3 points, 4 studies showed 2 points and 22 studies showed less than 1 point. Overall, the quality of the studies was low. 2) DSM - IV was frequently used as a diagnostic criteria and HAMD was mostly used as evaluation criteria. Diagnostic criteria and evaluation criteria were the same in HAMD and EPDS. 3) In TCM, there are various ways, such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, electro acupuncture, auricular acupuncture and/or massage to treat the postpartum depression. 4) The roots of Bupleurum falcatum Linne, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, Angelica gigas Nakai and Paeonia lactiflora Pall, the rhizome of Atractylodis macrocephala Koidz, the semen of Zizyphus jujuba Mill, the radix of Curcuma aromatica Salisb, the sclerotium of Poria cocos Wolf and the rhizomas of Cyperus rotundus L and of Cnidium officinale Makino are mainly used in the herbal medicine. BaekHoi (GV20) and Yindang (Ex-HN3) are mainly used in acupuncture points. 5) Most of the studies showed effective results. Some of the results were similar to those of the control groups which were cured by western medicine. Other results were better than those of control groups. Conclusions: Research on postpartum depression has been actively conducted in TCM and all studies showed effective results in the study group patients. Therefore, with this study, we hope to activate more clinical research on the treatment of patients in Korean traditional medicine.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2008

This study was carried out to determine the therapeutic effect of injection-acupuncture (AP) with bee-venom (apitoxin) in cases of canine otitis externa (COE). Fifteen dogs with naturally-acquired otitis externa were used in this study. The dogs were divided into the following antibiotics group (control group), apitoxin group (experimental group A) and apitoxin combined with antibiotics group (experimental group B). All groups were treated by ear cleaning with normal saline once on day 1. The control group was treated with susceptible antibiotics, and experimental group A was given injection-AP with apitoxin $(100{\mu}g/head)$ at TH17 (Yi Feng), SI19 (Ting Gong), GB03 (Shang Guan) and TH03 (Zhong Zhu) bilaterally. Experimental group B was treated with susceptible antibiotics and injection-AP with apitoxin at the same acupoints as experimental group A. All the groups were treated 3 times/week for 2 weeks. The identity of the causative agents, the changes in the clinical signs, otoscopic findings, bacterial count in the auricular discharges, and total WBC counts and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio in the peripheral blood were investigated in all groups. In bacterial isolation, Staphylococcus spp. combined with Streptococcus spp. was detected higher than other agents. The bacterial cell count in experimental group A was significantly decreased at 2 weeks (p<0.01), and those in experimental group B was significantly decreased at 1 week (p<0.01) and 2 weeks (p<0.01) compared by those of control group, respectively. The changes of clinical score in experimental group B were significantly decreased at 2 weeks (p<0.01) compared by those of control group, but, those of experimental group A was similar to those of control group. The changes of total WBC counts and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio were no significant difference found. In conclusion, injection-AP with apitoxin is an effective treatment for COE and might be an alternative method for treating COE.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 1976

One hundred and seventy-four patients were treated in this Department since 1956. One hundred and fifteen patients of them were surgically treated. They were classified on the basis of the disease entity as follows; 48 case of thrombo-angiitis obliterance, 8 cases of Leriche syndrome, 12 cases of arterial embolism, 36 arterial aneurysm, 5 arterio-venous fistula, 15 arterial and venous injuries, 8 pulseless diseases, 2 coarctation of aortas, 15 varicose veins, 12 thrombophlebitis, 9 superior venacaval syndromes, 2 inferior vena caval obstructions and Raynaud's diseases. All the cases of the Burger's diseases were males, and half of them were in the fourth decades, 39 cases underwent undergone unilateral or bilateral sympathectomies. All the Leriche syndromes were males aged over fifty. Three cases out of six were suffering from diabetes mellitus. 2 cases underwent aorto-femoral bypass graft with Y-shaped dacrons. And two embolectomies were performed in 2 cases. Eight cases of arterial embolisms among 12 had mitral valvular diseases with auricular fibrillation The most common site of lodgement of emboli was femoral artery. Nine out of 14 underwent embolectomies with Fogarty catheters. There were 14 peripheral arterial aneurysms, 16 thoracic and/or abdominal aortic aneurysms, and 4 dissecting aneurysms. Most frequent cause of peripheral arterial aneurysms were external trauma. Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms were non-traumatic. And four cases of the dissecting aneurysms had significant hypertension and aged over fifty. Among 5 cases of arteriovenous fistulas, 2 cases hand typical Branham's sign, and they were normalized after operation. Eight cases of pulseless disease were females and aged from three to twenty-five. Three out of them were treated surgically using dacron prosthetic grafts, but the results of the surgery were variable and not satisfactory. A case of coarctation of aorta was treated surgically with an excellent result. Fourteen out of 15 varicose veins underwent ligation of the saphenous vein system, exstirpation of the varicose veins, stripping or some combination of these methods. Two cases of superior vena caval syndromes were operated by bypass graft between the left innominate vein and the right auricle. Two cases of inferior vena caval obstructions were operated upon through right atrial route using extracorporial circulation. All the four cases of vena caval obstructions showed excellent results postoperatively. Two cases out of 12 thrombophlebitis underwent thrombectomies. One of two Raynaud's diseases was surgically treated with an excellent result.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.57-64
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• 2011

Objectives : The aim of this study is to overview the current status of Cochrane systematic review of acupuncture. Methods : Published Cochrane systematic reviews and protocols for evaluating acupuncture and/or moxibustion were searched by the terms 'acupuncture' and 'moxibustion' in Issue 1, Cochrane Library, 2011. Only reviews or protocols that regarded acupuncture or moxibustion as primary methods of intervention in their reviews were included. Data regarding first author national affiliation, intervention and disease, as well as the number of reviews or protocols that included Korean, Chinese, or Japanese databases in search strategies were obtained. Results : We found 92 hits at screening, and 59 studies were eligible for this review. Included interventions were acupuncture (n=56), auricular acupuncture (n=2), and moxibustion (n=1) for various diseases and conditions. The number of publications of Cochrane systematic reviews or protocols increased gradually from 2002 to 2011. First authors' affiliations were located in China (n=32), Australia (n=8), UK (n=7), Canada (n=4), U.S. (n=4), Germany (n=2), Norway, (n=1) and Korea (n=1). 44, four and four Cochrane reviews adopted Chinese, Korean and Japanese databases, respectively. Conclusions : Search strategies in a substantial number of Cochrane reviews or protocols for acupuncture and moxibustion heavily relied on Chinese databases. Korean databases were underused in existing Cochrane reviews and protocols, and Korean authors were much less involved in the Cochrane systematic reviews or protocols than Chinese authors. Further studies need to be conducted in order to incorporate evidence of acupuncture reported in Korean databases into the Cochrane systematic reviews.