• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.28-41
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of moxibustion in infertility with In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET). Methods: We searched 8 databases (Embase, PubMed, CiNii, CNKI, OASIS, ScienceOn, KMBASE, KISS)to identify eligible studies published before 2021 Oct. We included randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) using moxibustion in infertility with IVF-ET. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: Two RCT studies were eligible in our review. The overall risk of bias was evaluated as unclear. The meta-analysis of 2 trials indicated that favorable results for the use of moxibustion with IVF-ET. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials suggests that moxibustion with IVF-ET can effect on Infertility patients. However, because of studies included analysis was biased due to unclear risk of bias and unreliable study design, future RCT studies and additional Meta-Analysis are needed to judge the supplementary treatment role of moxibustion in infertility with IVF-ET.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.5-23
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• 2023

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of combination treatment of herbal medicine for external use and western medicine for atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: We searched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which assess the effect of combination treatment of herbal and western medicine for AD through 8 electronic databases from the start to December 2022. The data synthesis was conducted by using Review Manager (RevMan, ver.5.4.1) and Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias. Results: 13 RCTs were included. The combination treatment group had significantly higher total efficacy rate(p<0.0001) and lower SCORAD score (p<0.00001) than the western medicine treatment group. The adverse event rate was also significantly lower in the combination treatment than the western medicine treatment group (p<0.0001). But there was no significant difference in recurrence rate (p=0.09). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the combination treatment of herbal and western medicine could be safe and effective for AD. However, due to limits of included studies such as high heterogeneity between the literature and unclear risk of bias, further studies are warranted.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.96-104
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• 2022

This study aimed to examine the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome by reviewing published randomized controlled trials. Among the 186 studies retrieved from 7 online databases (PubMed, Cochrane library, CNKI, NDSL, RISS, OASIS, KMbase) on October 29, 2021, 4 studies were selected according to the inclusion, exclusion criteria, and were evaluated using risk of bias. Control groups for electroacupuncture were wearing a splint at night, traditional acupuncture, and medication. Methods such as total effective, functional status scale, symptom severity scale, electromyography, tip pinch strength, visual analogue scale, numeric rating scale, and ultrasound were used to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Electroacupuncture was reported to have significant treatment results compared with the control group in methods such as total effectiveness, electromyography, and tip pinch strength. However, the quality of the studies (using risk of bias) does not allow reliable conclusions to be made. Many high quality (low risk of bias) randomized controlled trials are needed to examine the efficacy of electroacupuncture treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.129-142
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• 2018

Introduction: This systematic review evaluated the use of buffered versus non-buffered lidocaine to increase the efficacy of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB). Materials and Methods: Randomized, double-blinded studies from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and ProQuest were identified. Two of the authors assessed the studies for risk of bias. Outcomes included onset time, injection pain on a visual analog scale (VAS), percentage of painless injections, and anesthetic success rate of IANB. Results: The search strategy yielded 19 references. Eleven could be included in meta-analyses. Risk of bias was unclear in ten and high in one study. Buffered lidocaine showed 48 seconds faster onset time (95% confidence interval [CI], -42.06 to -54.40; P < 0.001) and 5.0 units lower (on a scale 0-100) VAS injection pain (95% CI, -9.13 to -0.77; P=0.02) than non-buffered. No significant difference was found on percentage of people with painless injection (P = 0.059), nor success rate (P = 0.290). Conclusion: Buffered lidocaine significantly decreased onset time and injection pain (VAS) compared with non-buffered lidocaine in IANB. However due to statistical heterogeneity and low sample size, quality of the evidence was low to moderate, additional studies with larger numbers of participants and low risk of bias are needed to confirm these results.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.17-25
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• 2022

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of manual therapy for knee meniscus injuries. Methods We searched seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CAJ, Wanfang, RISS, ScienceON, and OASIS) to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using the keywords "manual therapy OR chuna OR tuina" and "meniscus injury." Results Eleven RCTs were selected based on the inclusion criteria, and all studies were conducted in China. Five studies were meta-analyzed. The systematic review revealed a positive effect of manual therapy for knee meniscus injury. Low risk of selection, attrition, and reporting bias were demonstrated in all studies. Ten studies had a high risk of performance bias. Conclusions The systematic review reported favorable results using manual therapy for knee meniscus injury. However, this study has several limitations because of the high risk of bias. Further clinical studies and reviews with higher levels of evidence are warranted.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.92-109
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• 2022

Objectives: The objective of this study was to appraise the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) for the treatment of acute gout. Methods: Since no suitable study could be found in the domestic database, we performed a literature search up to the end of December 2020 using four international electronic databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effectiveness of EA in the treatment of acute gout were included. The risk of bias was evaluated from the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: Eight appropriate RCTs were included and analyzed. Three evaluation tools were mainly used: Total Effective Rate (TER), Uric acid (UA), and Pain score (VAS). In the case of TER, in all eight cases, electroacupuncture alone and combined treatment showed a statistically significant level of improvement compared to Western medicine treatment. In the case of VAS score, electroacupuncture alone and combined treatment showed a more significant effect than Western medicine treatment. In the case of UA level, electroacupuncture combined treatment showed a more significant effect than western medicine treatment. Although not all three evaluation tools were used in all studies, the majority of studies showed that electroacupuncture was effective for acute gout patients. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that EA treatment may be effective for acute gout. It should be noted, however, that the studies included in this study were geographically biased, small in number, and mostly at high risk of bias. More well-designed studies are needed in the future.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.28.1-28.13
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• 2020

Objectives: To evaluate the outcome of in vitro studies comparing the effectiveness of QMix irrigant in removing the smear layer in the root canal system compared with other irrigants. Materials and Methods: The research question was developed by using Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome and Study design framework. Literature search was performed using 3 electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCOhost until October 2019. Two reviewers were independently involved in the selection of the articles and data extraction process. Risk of bias of the studies was independently appraised using revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2.0) based on 5 domains. Results: Thirteen studies fulfilled the selection criteria. The overall risk of bias was moderate. QMix was found to have better smear layer removal ability than mixture of tetracycline isonomer, an acid and a detergent (MTAD), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and phytic acid. The efficacy was less effective than 7% maleic acid and 10% citric acid. No conclusive results could be drawn between QMix and 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid due to conflicting results. QMix was more effective when used for 3 minutes than 1 minute. Conclusions: QMix has better smear layer removal ability compared to MTAD, NaOCl, Tubulicid Plus, and Phytic acid. In order to remove the smear layer more effectively with QMix, it is recommended to use it for a longer duration.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.37-56
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of electroacupuncture for treating postpartum hypogalactia. Methods: We searched 9 databases on May, 2022, which contained four English, two Chinese, one Japanese, and two Korean databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible. Measurement of outcome included total effective rate, lactation amount, serum prolactin level, and degree of breast fullness. The risk of bias was assessed by two independent authors using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: 101 trials were screened, 5 RCTs were finally selected. Number of participants per study ranged from 56 to 273. The treatment group was effective of improving total effective rate, lactation amount, serum prolactin level compared with control group, and the result was stastically significant. The quality of the evidence for specific comparisons ranged from low to high. Conclusions: Included studies showed that electroacupuncture on acupoints related to lactation would be effective way to increase milk supply among mothers who are suffering from postpartum hypogalactia. In the future, further high-quality RCTs are needed to prove effectiveness of electroacupuncture for relieving hypogalactia with low risk of bias.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.23.1-23.12
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aimed to summarize the outcome of in vitro studies comparing the antibacterial effectiveness of QMix with other irrigants against Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and Methods: The research question was developed by using population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and study design framework. The literature search was performed using 3 electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCOhost until October 2019. The additional hand search was performed from the reference list of the eligible studies. The risk of bias of the studies was independently appraised using the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2.0). Results: Fourteen studies were included in this systematic review. The overall risk of bias for the selected studies was moderate. QMix was found to have a higher antimicrobial activity compared to 2% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), 2% chlorhexidine (CHX), mixture of tetracycline isonomer, an acid and a detergent (MTAD), 0.2% Cetrimide, SilverSol/H2O2, HYBENX, and grape seed extract (GSE). QMix had higher antibacterial efficacy compared to NaOCl, only when used for a longer time (10 minutes) and with higher volume (above 3 mL). Conclusions: QMix has higher antibacterial activity than 17% EDTA, 2% CHX, MTAD, 0.2% Cetrimide, SilverSol/H2O2, HYBENX, GSE and NaOCl with lower concentration. To improve the effectiveness, QMix is to use for a longer time and at a higher volume.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.14-26
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of nursing intervention programs for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) through a critical review of recent studies. Methods: Studies related to effects of nursing intervention programs for women with GDM published in English or Korean between 2000 and 2019 were extracted from 10 electronic databases. The quality of the studies was evaluated and double-checked for accuracy by two reviewers using the Revised Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool for randomized controlled trials. Results: Twenty studies were selected, of which 19 had a low risk of bias and one had a high risk of bias. Interventions fell into six main groups: (1) integrated interventions, (2) self-monitoring of blood glucose levels, (3) dietary interventions, (4) exercise, (5) psychotherapy, and (6) complementary therapy. This review found that nursing interventions for GDM were of many types, and integrated interventions were the most common. However, low-carbohydrate diets and blood glucose monitoring interventions did not show statistically significant results. Evidence shows that various nursing intervention programs applied to GDM improved diverse aspects of maternal, fetal, and neonatal health, including both physical and psychological aspects. Conclusion: The composition and delivery of integrated interventions continue to evolve, and these interventions affect physical and psychological indicators. Although interventions affecting physical health indicators (e.g., blood glucose levels, diet, and exercise) are important, many studies have shown that programs including psycho-emotional nursing interventions related to anxiety, depression, stress, self- efficacy, and self-management are also highly useful.