• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.429-437
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• 2016

Objectives: Photodynamic therapy has been proven to promote additional clinical and microbiological benefits in the treatment of chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the photodynamic therapy for patient with periodontitis. Methods: We searched the eight Korean databases and Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-EMBASE, Cochrane Library. Total 300 studies were searched and 13 studies were included in the final assessment. Each of the stages from literature search and extraction of data were carried out independently by 2 researchers. We used tools of Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Networks for assessment of the quality of studies. Results: The safety of the photodynamic therapy was assessed by bleeding. The effectiveness of the photodynamic therapy was assessed by the reduction of Probing pocket depth (PPD) and the gain of Clinical attachment level (CAL). The mean difference of PPD was 0.46(95% CI 0.09~0.82), (p=.01).). The mean difference of CAL was ?0.49(95% CI ?1.12~0.14), (p=.13). Conclusion: The additional use of $^{\circ}{\infty}$Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy for Periodontitis$^{\circ}{\pm}$ caused hemorrhage to similar extents to conventional treatment modalities, where scaling and root planing are solely performed, in patients with periodontitis who are expected to have a lower degree of treatment response to non-surgical or surgical periodontal therapies (implant or refractory periodontitis) and those where there is a concern for the possible occurrence of antimicrobial side effects or resistance. This indicates that there are no problems with its safety. But there were no consistent reports about the effects of the additional use of photodynamic therapy. This led to a decision that the safety and efficacy of the current technology deserve further studies (Recommendation rating of A, Classification of technology II-a).

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.33-46
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• 2009

Objectives : The objective of the study was to summarize randomized clinical trials(RCTs) that have assessed the effectiveness of herbal medicine on treatment of obesity and to propose better process of study. Methods : NLM Medline(pubmed), EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Science Direct, EBSCO, 4 Korean medical databases were systematically searched and 4 Korean medical journals were manually searched for clinical trials investigating the efficacy of herbal medicines on treatment of overweight or obese people from 1998 to 2008. The methodological quality was assessed using a Jadad score and validity was assessed using Oxford Pain Validity Scale(OPVS). Results : 14 RCTs met all the inclusion criteria. The methodological and ethical quality of the trials was generally low. The mean score by Jadad was 2.6 and the mean score of validity was 11.2. Complex herbal medicine was used in 8 RCTs and single herbal medicine was used in 6 RCTs. Except 1 RCT, the other RCTs reported positive effects of herbal medicine on treatment of obesity. Herbal medicines didn't seem to affect toxicity. In general adverse events relevant with the therapy were minor, but more than half of RCTs did not report about the safety or adverse events of herbal medicine, questioning their reliability. Conclusions : Although most RCTs concluded the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines on treatment of obesity, the quality of trials was low in general. Further rigorous clinical trials using complex herbal medicine should be performed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.419-432
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• 2017

Objectives: This study provides an evaluation of the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of essential tremors (ETs) using randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: Nine databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, OASIS, NDSL, CNKI, Wanfang, J-STAGE, and CiNii) and the keywords "Essential tremor", "Benign tremor", "Familial tremor", and "Acupuncture" were used to compile RCTs that used acupuncture to treat ETs. Studies that were not RCTs, such as case studies, reviews, and essays, were excluded. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, and where appropriate, meta-analyses were performed. Results: Initially, 819 studies were found, but 773 were excluded after title and abstract screening. After further screening of the resulting 46 papers, eight RCTs were selected that had been published between 2003 and 2016, and the total effective rate (TER) was used as the primary evaluation method for all eight studies. It was found that the TER was significantly higher in treatment groups (83.33-96.7%) than in control groups (56.5-80.0%), and seven studies included in the meta-analysis showed positive results for acupuncture for ETs (Risk Ratio: 1.43, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.21-1.69, P<0.0001) Confidence Interval. Conclusions: This meta-analysis of clinical trials suggests that acupuncture is effective for treating ET patients; however, further studies are needed or larger populations to prove its effectiveness.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4327-4333
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• 2016

Purpose: To systematically review efficacyand safety of robotic gastrectomy (RG) compared with conventional laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for gastric carcinoma. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out using PubMed, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, WanFang, VIP and other sources like relevant references to obtain comparative studies assessing the effectiveness and safety between RG and LG published between 2013 and 2016. Then the literature was screened and the data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. The quality of the literature was assessed, and the data analyzed using Stata/SE 14 software. Fixed effects or random effects models wereapplied according to heterogeneity. Results: A total of 12 non-randomized observational clinical studies involving 3,580 patients were included, of which 1,096 had undergone RG and 2,484 had received LG. The results of the meta-analysis showed in terms of effectiveness, RG was associated with less blood loss, less time to first flatus and greater number of harvested lymph nodes, but there were no significant differences in proximal and distal resection margins, compared with LG. In terms of efficiency, RG was associated with shorter hospital stay, but longer operative time. In terms of safety, there were no statistically significant differences in complications, mortality and conversions between RG and LG. Conclusions: RG can achieve comparable or better short-term and radical effects than LG, with respect to effectiveness, efficiency and safety in treatment of gastric carcinoma. Future studies involving RG should focus on decreasing operative time and reducing cost. Moreover, there is a need for randomized controlled trials comparing the two techniques with long-term follow-up.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1771-1777
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• 2012

The impact of anatomic resection (AR) as compared to non-anatomic resection (NAR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a factor for preventing intra-hepatic and local recurrence after the initial surgical procedure remains controversial. A systematic review and meta-analysis of nonrandomized trials comparing anatomic resection with non-anatomic resection for HCC published from 1990 to 2010 in PubMed and Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Science Citation Index were therefore performed. Intra-hepatic recurrence, including early and late, and local recurrence were considered as primary outcomes. As secondary outcomes, 5 year survival and 5 year disease-free survival were considered. Pooled effects were calculated utilizing either fixed effects or random effects models. Eleven non-randomized studies including 1,576 patients were identified and analyzed, with 810 patients in the AR group and 766 in the NAR group. Patients in the AR group were characterized by lower prevalence of cirrhosis, more favorable hepatic function, and larger tumor size and higher prevalence of macrovascular invasion compared with patients in the NAR group. Anatomic resection significantly reduced the risks of local recurrence and achieved a better 5 years disease-free survival. Also, anatomic resection was marginally effective for decreasing the early intra-hepatic recurrence. However, it was not advantageous in preventing late intra-hepatic recurrence compared with non-anatomic resection. No differences were found between AR and NAR with respect to postoperative morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization. Anatomic resection can be recommended as superior to non-anatomic resection in terms of reducing the risks of local recurrence, early intra-hepatic recurrence and achieving a better 5 year disease-free survival in HCC patients.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.173-183
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• 2014

Purpose: This study examined the effects of exercise programs on the pain and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Electronic bibliographic databases of KiSTi, KoreaMed, KISS and KERIS were searched to identify studies of randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials. As a result, 1213 publications identified and 16 studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria. All studies examined for quality assessment of studies using Cochrane's risk of bias. Results: The 16 studies were eligible for inclusion criteria, then the meta-analysis was conducted to examine effectiveness of exercise programs on pain and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The meta- analysis based on the random effect model showed that the exercise program was beneficial in decreasing pain (effect size .69; 95% confidence interval 0.45~0.91). Also, the exercise programs have been shown to be effective in significantly improving the quality of life. However, it was not statistically significant due to severe deviations of studies (effect size 1.06; 95% confidence interval -0.34~2.46). Conclusion: Exercise programs had positive effects on pain relief and improvement of the quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis, although the quality of life was not statistically significant due to severe deviations of studies.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.269-277
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• 2016

Background: The findings of currently available studies are not consistent with regard to the association between the risk of cancer and ginseng consumption. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate this association by conducting a meta-analysis of different studies. Methods: To systematically evaluate the effect of ginseng consumption on cancer incidence, six databases were searched, including PubMed, Ovid Technologies, Embase, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese VIP Information, from 1990 to 2014. Statistical analyses based on the protocol employed for a systematic review were conducted to calculate the summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: We identified nine studies, including five cohort studies, three case-control studies, and one randomized controlled trial, evaluating the association between ginseng consumption and cancer risk; these studies involved 7,436 cases and 334,544 participants. The data from the meta-analysis indicated a significant 16% lower risk of developing cancer in patients who consumed ginseng (RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.76-0.92), with evidence of heterogeneity (p = 0.0007, $I^2$ = 70%). Stratified analyses suggested that the significant heterogeneity may result from the incidence data for gastric cancer that were included in this study. Publication bias also showed the same result as the stratified analyses. In addition, subgroup analyses for four specific types of cancer (colorectal cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, and liver cancer) were also performed. The summary RRs for ginseng intake versus no ginseng consumption were 0.77 for lung cancer, 0.83 for gastric cancer, 0.81 for liver cancer, and 0.77 for colorectal cancer. Conclusion: The findings of this meta-analysis indicated that ginseng consumption is associated with a significantly decreased risk of cancer and that the effect is not organ specific.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2013

Purpose: To identify an associations between health care workers' uniforms and health care-associated infection. Methods: Electronic databases, including Ovid-Medline, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, KMbase, and KoreaMed, were searched. The search terms included doctor, nurse, health care worker/staff/assistant, clothing, (white) gown, uniform, (neck)tie, and attire. Only papers published in English and Korean were included. Results: 16 studies were selected from 1,900 references screened. All of the studies were non-comparative studies except for one. Four were conducted with doctors, six with nurses, one with health care workers including physiotherapists and one for medical staff plus visitors in a neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors more frequently changed their uniforms than neckties; therefore, the degree of contamination was more serious in neckties. The cuff zone was more likely to be heavily contaminated than other areas of long-sleeve gowns. Coats become contaminated quickly once worn, and colony counts reached a similar level within the first few hours after wearing them. Wearing a plastic apron or protective clothing did not prevent the bacterial contamination of nurses' uniforms, and the best way to decrease the contamination was changing to newly laundered uniforms before starting every duty. Conclusion: Healthcare workers' uniforms are a potential source of health care-associated infection although there was no robust evidence. The government must establish standards for laundering of uniforms or a requirement for institutions to provide a laundering service for healthcare workers' uniforms.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.513-522
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to utilize concept analysis to obtain a better understanding of the concept of "continuity of care" in chronic diseases. Methods: The concept of continuity of care was analyzed using the Walker and Avant method. Covering literature in English from 1930 to 2018, the data sources included CINAHL Complete, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE, PsyARTICLES, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library. Results: A comprehensive definition of concept of continuity of care was developed based on a systematic search and synthesis. The key defining attributes were identified as (a) care over time, (b) the relationship between an individual patient and a care team, (c) information transfer, (d) coordination, and (e) meeting changing needs. The antecedents of continuity of care were having a chronic disease, inexperienced with disease management, a poorly coordinated healthcare system, and medical care limitations. The consequences of continuity of care were decreasing hospital admissions, reducing costs, reducing emergency room visits, improving the quality of life, improving patient satisfaction, and delivering good healthcare. Conclusion: The thorough concept analysis provides insight into the nature of "continuity of care" in chronic diseases and also helps ground the concept in healthcare.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2010

Objectives : This study aims to evaluate current clinical evidence of acupuncture treatment for rehabilitation in patients with traffic accident in South Korea. Methods : Seven Korean databases were searched for prospective clinical trials for acupuncture on rehabilitation in patients with traffic accident from their inception to June, 2009. Only studies conducted in Korean language were searched. Risk of bias in included randomized controlled trials were assessed by Cochrane Handbook procedure. Results : Fifteen clinical trials were included among 31 studies searched. Eight were observational studies, five were non-randomizedcontrolled trials, and two were randomized controlled trials. In all of included studies, acupuncture were conducted with other concomitant treatment. Included studies dealt with such conditions as neck pain, low back pain tinnitus after traffic accident, post-traumatic stress, oculomotor nerve palsy, diplopia and insomnia. All of included studies reported favorable effects of acupuncture group compared to baseline or control group. All of included studies lacked the occurrence of adverse events. High risk of bias were observed in two randomized controlled trials. Conclusions : There is no evidence that acupuncture is effective for rehabilitation of traffic accident. All of included studies lacked appropriate methodological qualities and internal validity. Future welldesigned clinical trials that evaluate the effects and safety of acupuncture treatment for rehabilitation in patients with traffic accident is needed.