• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.110-121
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of various types of acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes (HF). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from 8 electronic databases, and the risk of bias was evaluated for the included studies. Pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis were performed using Review Manager and R software for indirect comparison and ranking, respectively. In total, 23 RCTs (2,302 patients) were eligible for systematic review, of which 10 were included in network meta-analysis. Network meta-analysis showed manual acupuncture (MA) had the highest probability of reducing HF frequency and severity, followed by sham acupuncture (SA), electroacupuncture, usual care, or no treatment; furthermore, warm acupuncture significantly improved menopause-specific quality of life compared with MA or electroacupuncture. Compared with hormone replacement therapy, acupuncture had less efficacy in reducing HF frequency but enhanced menopause-specific quality of life. There was no significant difference between MA and SA in mitigating HF. The existing evidence showed that MA could be used for alleviating menopausal HF. However, it is recommended that more high-quality RCTs should be performed.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.71-89
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of Banhabaeckchulchunm a-tang(BBCT) for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV) Methods : We searched randomized controlled trials(RCTs) which assess the effect of BB CT for BPPV through 8 electronic databases from their inception to July 2021. RevMan 5.4 was used to evaluate the risk of bias. Results : 12 RCTs with 901 subjects were included. The BBCT treatment group had significantly higher total effetive rate(TER) than the western medicine treatment group(P=0.0001), and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory(DHI) score(P=0.003), traditional chinese medicine syndrome(TCM syn.) score(P<0.00001), and Visual analog scale(VAS)(P=0.0006) were significantly lower than the western medicine treatment group. The combined treatment of BBCT and canalith repositioning procedure(CRP) group had significantly higher TER than only CRP treatment group(P=0.02), and there was no significant difference in DHI score(P=0.12). TG(P=0.006) and TC(P=0.04) were significantly lower, and ApoA1 was significantly higher(P=0.0001). There was no significant difference in LDL(P=0.24). Conclusions : These results demonstrate that BBCT could be effective for BPPV especially after CRP. However, because of limits of included studies such as high heterogeneity between the literatures, unclear risk of bias, insufficient reports of adverse events(AEs), a well-designed RCTs with a low risk of bias in more diverse countries are needed in the future.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.262-272
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• 2020

Objectives: Whiplash injury is one of the major diseases in recent times because of increasing traffic accidents. This review aims to analyze the overall trend of studies on pharmacopuncture for whiplash injury after traffic accidents. Methods: We searched through 4 Korean electronic databases from 2001 up to October 2020 for relevant clinical studies for whiplash injury after traffic accidents, regardless of the patients' age, gender, or race. We included studies that had an intervention group receiving pharmacopuncture therapy with or without other additional treatments, and also included studies that had a control group receiving sham treatment or active treatment such as physical therapy and herbal medication. For the clinical outcomes, we did not place any restrictions on evaluation scales if they are objective metrics. Results: We included 6 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 10 non-randomized controlled trials (nRCTs). 10 nRCTs were divided into 4 categories that were case-control studies, case series, case report, and retrospective observational study. In RCTs, Hwangryun-haedoktang (黃蓮解毒湯) pharmacopuncture was the most frequently used. In nRCTs, Jungsong-ouhyul (中性瘀血) pharmacopuncture, and bee venom pharmacopuncture were the most frequently used. As target points of Hwangryun-haedoktang pharmacopuncture, Ashi-points, Jianjing (GB21), and Fengchi (GB20) were the most frequently used. As target points of Jungsong-ouhyul pharmacopuncture, Ashi-points were the most frequently used. And as target points of Bee venom pharmacopuncture, Fengchi (GB20) was the most frequently used. Conclusion: Hwangryun-haedoktang pharmacopuncture, bee venom pharmacopuncture, and Jungsong-ouhyul pharmacopuncture were mainly used for whiplash injury, and their usual target points were Jianjing (GB21), Fengchi (GB20), and Ashi-points. However, a high level of evidence should be conducted through studies with systematic methodology in the future.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.1089-1099
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cinnamon on the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) and to introduce its use in Korea. Method: We searched the experimental studies in electronic databases (PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang, CiNii, J-STAGE, Science ON, and OASIS) using the key search terms "cinnamic acid", "cinnamon", "cinnamomum", "Parkinson's disease", "Parkinson disease", "Parkinsonism", and "dopamine". This study only involved experimental studies (in vivo and in vitro) that adopted cinnamon as a single administration and measured indicators relating to Parkinson's disease, including parkin, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and dopamine. Results: A Total of 11 literature studies were selected, and they all showed that treatment with cinnamon has a neuroprotective effect. Cinnamon activated neuroprotective factors and restored neurotransmitters and it reduced the rate of oxidative stress and inflammation in neurons. As a result, cell viability was upregulated, while cell apoptosis and neurodegeneration were downregulated. Five in vivo studies, through behavioral tests, also confirmed that cinnamon recovers locomotor function in PD models. Conclusion: We identified that cinnamon is an effective neural protector and improves motor performance in behavioral testing in the experimental PD studies.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2021

Objectives To assess the effectiveness of chuna manual therapy for patients with total knee arthroplasty. Methods We searched 9 electronic databases(KISS, NDSL, RISS, OASIS, KMBASE, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CNKI, Wangfang data) using the keywords 'total knee arthroplasty OR total knee replacement' and 'tuina OR chuna' to identify RCTs that investigated the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy after total knee arthroplasty. Results 23 RCTs were selected based on inclusion criteria. The systematic review showed positive effect of using chuna manual therapy after total knee arthroplasty. Conclusions 23 studies reported that chuna manual therapy had significant effects on total knee arthroplasty. However, many studies were exposed to probable high risk of bias. Also, all of the studies were published in one overseas country. Therefore, further research is required using well-designed RCTs to support the effectiveness of chuna manual therapy.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2021

Objectives This review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and clinical significance of Chuna manual therapy (CMT) in the treatment of pediatric cough. Methods Ten electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, CNKI [CAJ], KMBASE, KISS, KISTI, NDSL, RISS, and Oasis) were searched. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using CMT for pediatric cough treatment were included. The methodological quality of each RCT was evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (v1.0). Results Nine RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed positive effects of CMT in the treatment of pediatric cough. Both CMT alone and CMT combined with Chinese medication or Chinese medicine acupoint application (CMAA) were effective in treating pediatric cough. Conclusions This systematic review shows the reliability, effectiveness, and clinical significance of CMT in the treatment of pediatric cough. However, the evidence is limited due to the defective design of the included RCTs. More well-designed RCTs are required to provide clearer evidence for this claim.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.227-244
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• 2021

Objectives: The Korean National Environmental Health Survey provides representative biomonitoring data for environmental pollutants in South Korea. Over the last decade, there have been various studies published using this data. In this study, we aimed to provide information and implications by reviewing each study. Methods: We searched comprehensive electronic databases from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Naver Academic database using the key words 'Korean National Environmental Health Survey' and 'KoNEHS' through March 2021. A total of 57 studies were selected after reviewing the relevance of the data. Results: The most frequently studied pollutants were heavy metals (10), Cotinine (8), Bisphenol A (7), and Phthalates (6), in that order. In particular, Phthalates, Bisphenol A, and Parabens were often studied together (6). A decline in urinary cotinine and heavy metals in the body was shown over time among studies on exposure association. It was demonstrated that Phthalates and Bisphenol A were significantly related to obesity and diabetes from the studies of health impacts. Cross-section study design, spot urine, and insufficient health status information were mostly reported as limitations of the data. Conclusion: Since research has been focused on adults, further investigations of children and adolescents are required. In this regard, it is necessary to maintain the consistency of the data structure and provide integrated weights for all ages. In addition, it would allow the measurement of several environmental pollutants by considering subsample design. Lastly, integrated studies with multi-cycles and the health effects from co-exposure to multiple chemicals would be expected to provide important knowledge.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2021

Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chuna manual therapy for rhinitis. Methods We performed a literature search using ten electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese Academic Journals(CAJ), Research Information Sharing Service(RISS), Dbpia, National Digital Science Library(NDSL), Koreanstudies Information Service System(KISS), Korean Medical database(KMbase), and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System(OASIS)) and two academic journals up to the end of April 2021. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which appraised the effect of chuna manual therapy (CMT) in the treatment of rhinitis. The risk of bias was evaluated from the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Results 4 appropriate RCTs were included and analyzed. The efficacy rate of the CMT group was statistically higher compared to the control group treated with medicine[RR 1.14 (95%CI 1.06 1.22), P<0.01]. Conclusions Based on results, CMT could be effective in rhinitis. However, evidence were limited due to small number of studies, lack of well-designed RCT and regional bias. Further well-designed research should be required to obtain stronger evidence.

• 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.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2021

The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for patients with rotator cuff diseases. There were 12 electronic databases and 3 trial registries searched up to November 30th, 2019. All randomized trials were eligible, regardless of language, date of publication, or settings. The primary outcomes were pain, shoulder function, and proportion of improved participants assessed within 12 weeks of randomization of the trial. The Cochrane risk of bias for the studies was assessed. Effects sizes were presented as a risk ratio, mean difference, or standardized mean difference with a 95% confidence intervals. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was adopted to rate certainty of evidence. Of the 3,686 records screened, 28 randomized trials (2,216 participants) were included in this review. The types of acupuncture included manual acupuncture, dry needling, electroacupuncture, acupotomy, warm needle acupuncture, and fire needle acupuncture. All of the studies had an unclear or high risk of bias related to more than 1 domain. Significant benefits of acupuncture in terms of pain and shoulder function were observed in all comparisons, however, the proportion of improved participants was not described in 2 comparisons. There was substantial heterogeneity among meta-analyzed trials. No serious harm was observed. For primary outcomes, the overall certainty of evidence was very low. There was very low certainty of evidence for the benefits of acupuncture for patients with rotator cuff diseases. The safety of acupuncture remains unclear due to the incompleteness of reporting. Future well-designed randomized trials with transparent reporting are required.