• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.191-203
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• 2022

Background: Direct-acting antivirals are recommended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus in Korea. However, evaluation of direct-acting antiviral regimens in a real-world setting is limited. The aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antiviral treatment in Korean patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b or 2 at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted with patient data obtained between August 2015 and August 2019 at Jeonbuk National University Hospital. The primary effectiveness endpoint was sustained virological response 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12) via intention-to-treat (ITT) and modified intention-to-treat (mITT) analyses. Results: Of the 270 patients, 47.0% were infected with genotype 1b and 53.0% with genotype 2. ITT analysis revealed that SVR12 was achieved in 78.9% of all patients, 77.2% in genotype 1b patients, and 80.4% in genotype 2 patients. Of the 21.1% of all patients who did not achieve SVR12, the majority of treatment failures were non-virologic failures (19.7%). mITT analysis revealed that SVR12 was achieved in 98.2% of all patients, 98.0% in genotype 1b patients, and 98.3% in genotype 2 patients. Almost half of all patients experienced one or more adverse events (43.3%), leading to 2.6% discontinuing scheduled treatment. The most common adverse event was anemia. Conclusions: Direct-acting antiviral-based treatment regimens showed high effectiveness and safety. Non-virological factors, such as premature treatment discontinuation due to adverse events or loss of follow-up, were the major disruptors in achieving SVR12.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.48-63
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• 2017

Objectives: This study was performed to review the recent clinical research trends of the effects of herbal medicine treatment on chronic pancreatitis in China. Methods: We searched for clinical studies about chronic pancreatitis from the China Academic Journal (CAJ) of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from January 1, 2005, to August 1, 2016. Results: Thirty-seven papers were selected from 126 studies. The most commonly used herbal prescriptions included Bupleuri Radix (柴胡), Paeoniae Radix Alba (白芍藥), Glycyrrhizae Radix (甘草), Scutellariae Radix (黃芩), Aucklandiae Radix (木香), and Rhei Rhizoma (大黃). Qingyi-tang (淸胰湯) was the most frequently used herbal prescription. Clinical symptoms, physicochemical examination, radiological examination, and relapse were used to evaluate the treatments. The effective treatment rate was 77.5-100%, and effectiveness in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group in 15 papers (p<0.05). Conclusions: Herbal medicine treatment has been shown as an effective treatment for chronic pancreatitis. In the future, more scientifically designed clinical studies should be performed to prove the effectiveness of herbal medicine treatment on chronic pancreatitis. These research results can be utilized in other clinical studies and in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2006

To find out the effectiveness of clinical examination for the diagnosis of respiratory tuberculosis, a 78 respiratory tuberculosis patient,s group was matched by sex and age with 78 control healthy subjects. In the result of blood chemistry, mean values of $123.5{\pm}62.04mg/dL$ in glucose, $429.01{\pm}150.77IU/L$ in LDH, and $44.51{\pm}43.76IU/L$ in ${\gamma}$-GTP, were higher than that of the controls (healthy subjects), and $3.51{\pm}0.68mg/dL$ in albumin was lower than that of the controls. In the result of the haematology examination, mean values of $12.52{\pm}3.27g/dL$ in hemoglobin, $36.72{\pm}7.28%$ in hematocrit, and $24.61{\pm}12.36%$ in lymphocyte, were lower than that of the controls, $9.23{\pm}5.25%$ in monocyte $78.30{\pm}37.35mm/hr$ in ESR, and $48.45{\pm}35.15U/L$ in ADA were higher than that of the controls. For the comparisons of the tuberculosis patients values from normal reference values, 22.2% in glucose, 22.4% in LDH, 25.0% in ${\gamma}$-GTP, 35.4% in albumin, 88% in ESR, and 88.6% in ADA, showed abnormal values. We concluded that the values of glucose, ${\gamma}$-GTP, albumin, WBC, RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocyte, monocyte, ADA, and the ESR were useful in tuberculosis diagnosis.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.19-35
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to show effectiveness of Acupuncture treatment on gastrointestinal dysfunctions after Cesarean section by analyzing randomized controlled clinical trials. Methods: We searched randomized controlled clinical trials related with acupuncture treatment on gastrointestinal dysfunctions after Cesarean section through national and overseas database and analyzed them in detail. Results: 6 articles were included according to our selection criteria and 1,084 women were involved. 3 studies used TEAS (Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation), 2 studies used Elastic band and 1 study used Acupressure by hand. Their results were statistically more effective than control groups. The most frequently used acupoints were Neiguan (PC6), Zusanli (ST36) followed by Sanyinjiao (SP6), Hegu (IL4). Conclusions: There was significant difference in the effectiveness of the intervention including Acupuncture treatment. Based on analysis, it could be an effective way for the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunctions after Cesarean section in clinical practice.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.853-862
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• 2021

Objectives: This case study examined the effectiveness of Korean medical treatment for pediatric Crohn's disease. Methods: A 15-year-old female Korean patient with Crohn's disease received acupuncture, electroacupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, and aromatherapy treatment for 1 month in a hospital. Results: Decreases in the Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index score (from 22.5 to 7.5) and the size of two abscesses (from 39.97 mm to 33.36 mm, and from 28.14 mm to 18.71 mm) according to an abdominal CT were observed following treatment. Nausea and vomiting disappeared, stool condition improved, and weight increased (from 30 kg to 33 kg) following treatment. Nausea and vomiting disappeared, stool condition improved, and weight increased (from 30 kg to 33 kg) following treatment. Conclusion: It would be worth examining the long-term effectiveness of Korean medical treatment for pediatric Crohn's disease.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2019

Background: In Korean medicine, carpal tunnel syndrome is treated by stimulating the acupoints around the wrist. Although a deep understanding of anatomy and guidance is needed to stimulate these acupoints to avoid undesirable side-effects, currently there are no published guidelines for acupotomy treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of fluoroscopy-guided acupotomy compared with conventional acupotomy treatment. Methods: This is a randomized, patient-assessor, patient blind, parallel clinical trial. A total of 30 patients will be enrolled at Wonkwang University Gwangju Hospital, and will be allocated to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group will be treated using fluoroscopy-guided acupotomy and the control group will be treated using the conventional acupotomy method. Results: The primary outcome measure will be identification of a cross-section area of the median nerve measured by ultrasonography, and the secondary outcome measure will be the alleviation of pain measured by the Visual Analogue Scale, improvement in the Nerve Conduction Study, Tinel test, Phalen's test, EuroQol 5-dimension scale, and Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire score. Safety components will be measured by monitoring vital signs, electrocardiographs, blood tests, general chemical tests, urine tests and pregnancy tests. In addition, observations for adverse effects will be performed during the trial. Conclusion: This study will provide a more effective, and less harmful way of treating carpal tunnel syndrome compared with conventional acupotomy. Fluoroscopy-guided acupotomy will help practitioners to be accurate in direction and depth of the needle for treating carpal tunnel syndrome.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.32-47
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• 2019

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate clinical studies on the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment on growing pains in China, and to seek better methods to treat and study for growing pains in South Korea. Methods The clinical studies from the China Academic Journal (CAJ) in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) that were published up to January 2019 were reviewed. The key word used were '生長痛', '發育期痛', '治療', '中?治療', '中藥'. Then, the literature were analyzed in regards to the treatment methods and results. Results Among the 35 searched studies, 1 randomized controlled trials, 16 case series, and 3 case reports were selected and analyzed. In most of the studies, the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment on growing pains was significantly positive. The most commonly used herbs for oral administration were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (甘草), Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix (牛膝), Paeoniae Radix Alba (白芍藥), Dioscoreae Rhizoma (山藥), Angelicae Gigantis Radix (當歸), Astragali Radix (黃?), Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba (白朮), Poria Sclerotium (茯?) Rehmanniae Radix Preparata (熟地黃), Lycopodii Herba (伸筋草). Other treatment methods such as, external application of herb medicine, massage, acupuncture were also used to treat growing pains. Conclusion Based on the results of the clinical studies from China, the use of chinese medicine for treatment of growing pains has been shown to be effective. Additional clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.209-216
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• 2023

Purpose: This study was conducted to compare dental plaque scores obtained through clinical examinations and various imaging techniques, as well as to assess the effectiveness of herbal and conventional toothpastes for plaque removal. Materials and Methods: Thirty volunteers were divided into 3 groups. Each group was given a different toothpaste (from 2 herbal toothpastes and a conventional toothpaste) with which to brush their teeth for 21 days. Both initially and after brushing, dental plaque samples were collected, and plaque on the buccal surfaces of anterior teeth was scored using several imaging systems after staining with a disclosing agent. Specifically, digital dental photography, intraoral digital scanning, and FluoreCam imaging were employed to capture intraoral images. The Turesky Modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index was used for clinical examination and image analysis. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses and correlational assessments between clinical examination and imaging scores were conducted before and after toothpaste use. The Shapiro-Wilk test and Pearson correlations were utilized. Results: The lowest mean value was observed in the clinical examination without staining, while the highest was obtained using the FluoreCam method. No significant change was found in the level of any microorganism assessed following toothpaste use (P<0.05), with the exception of a decrease in S. mutans levels after using conventional toothpaste (P<0.05). Conclusion: Herbal toothpaste demonstrated plaque-removal effectiveness comparable to that of conventional toothpaste. The use of imaging methods for measuring plaque index has been suggested as a means to educate patients about plaque control and promote ongoing oral care.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.87-97
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• 2011

1. Objectives: We aimed to derive using status of Sasang Constitutional herbal prescription and good effective one in specific disease. 2. Methods: We sent Questionnaire to 463 oriental medical doctor listed Korea Sasang Constitutional medicine from 2009 years. 10 to 11 and got back 191 questionnaire, which consisted of sex, age, clinical duration, working type, using status and effectiveness of Sasang Constitutional herbal prescription. 3. Results: - Digestive tract disease was especially most effective field, and circulatory, the endocrine, dermatology, psychopathy, urogenital disease went in order in western disease. - Spleen disease was especially most effective field, and the heart and circulatory, neuropsychiatry, lung, liver, psychopathy, gynecology disease went in order in oriental medicine pathology. - Chungshimyenja-tang was effective to neuropsychiatry and heart disease in Taeeumin, Hyangsayangwi-tang to disease related digestive system, Palmulgunja-tang to gynecology disease in Soeumin, Dockhalgiwhang-tang to diet disorder, Yanggeuksanwha-tang to heart and psychologic disease in Soyangin. 4. Conclusions: Constitutional prescription effected on special pathological symptom support weaken organ, and these result will help to make treatment standard and support clinical study of constitutional medicine.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.40-50
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• 2018

Objective: This study presented the analysis period, the complexity of combined therapy and comparator choice as the key limitations in the economic evaluation of new drugs, and discussed programs for coping with these limitations. Methods: This study evaluated the post-evaluation, risk-sharing agreement, extra funding program, and flexible incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) threshold as actions or programs that would increase accessibility to costly new drugs. The study also presented the cases of other countries. The application of the post-evaluation was considered to deal with high uncertainty regarding new drugs. Results: The risk-sharing agreement was introduced in European countries as well as South Korea and has been responsible for the shift from using the financial schemes to outcome-based schemes. The drug funding program has had troubled in securing stable extra funds. The application of higher ICER in the economic evaluation of expensive and innovative oncology drugs was criticized because of the inequity between oncology patients and patients with other diseases. Conclusion: Therefore, introducing and applying actions that would increase the accessibility to costly new drugs in South Korea have been deemed necessary after careful reviews and discussions with various stakeholders (insurer, policy makers, pharmaceutical companies and patients).