• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.57-61
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• 2000

Gastrointestinal (GI) medications have been administered to many patients without any gastrointestinal diseases. The objectives of this study were to evaluate use of GI drugs and assess related factors. Medical records of 600 outpatients were reviewed from January 1997 to December 1997 at A Hospital, Kyunggi-do, Korea. Fifty patients every month among all outpatients were randomly selected up to total 600 patients. Surgical patients, visitors for regular health examination and inpatients were excluded. GI symptoms included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, constipation, heartburn, dysphagia and abdominal pain. The prescribed gastrointestinal drugs were antacids. $H_2$-antagonist, sucralfate, cisapride, omeprazole, laxatives, digestive enzymes and antidiarrheal agents. Patients without GI symptoms were 348 out of 600 outpatients who were screened. Two hundred and eighty two of 348 patients $(81\%)$ were given GI drugs though they did not have any GI symptoms. There were no differences in regard to sex and age of patients. Most of medical departments prescribed gastrointestinal drugs for these patients. The most frequently prescribed drugs were in order of digestive enzyme, antacids and $H_2$-antagonists. In view of economic aspects, patients paid 12.28 percents of total cost per prescription for unnecessary medicines. The medical practice of prescribing GI drugs should be assessed to define appropriate subgroups to have benefits with prophylactic administration and to reduce adverse effects caused by drug interactions. Pharmacists would have a significant role to promote rational drug therapy.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.617-627
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• 1999

The present study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of four kinds of legumes(black soybean: BS, yellow soybean: YS, green peas: GP, soybean curd residue: SCR) as a high-fiber supplement in the therapeutic diet for diabetic patients. Seven groups of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were fed isocaloric experimental diets containing 8% dietary fiber from one of legumes for 6 weeks. The effects of legumes on the gastrointestinal function and diabetic symptoms in diabetic rats were also examined and compared with the effects of cellulose or pectin diet. Legume supplementations had no significant effects on alleviating typical diabetic symptoms such as polydipsia, polyphasia, polyuria, and urinary glucose excretion when compared with cellulose or pectin supplementations. The supplementations of legumes all resulted in remarkable changes in gastrointestinal functions: shortening of GI transit time and increases in fecal volume, fecal water and crude fat contents. Legume supplementations appeared to supress the damages of the small intestine villi and the enteritis symptoms in diabetic rats. GP led to regular villus patterns closer to normal villus. BS, YS and GP led to the enlargement of cecum in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the present studies have demonstrated that legumes may possess a significant physiological actions in the control of various diabetic conditions.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.172-181
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• 1993

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of NRM which was newly developed as a combination product containing antacids, digestive enzyme and herbal drugs, and OTA powder, called OHTA'S ISAN on the morret, for the treatment of various symptoms in upper gastrointestinal diseases. 63 patients were recruited, 36 as a treated group with NRM and 27 as a controlled one with OTA. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either NRM or OTA t.i.d. for treatment of upper G-1 symptoms and undergone endoscopic, symptomatic and clinical laboratory assessments before and after 2 weeks. The results were as follows; 1. The general improvement rates of subjective symptoms in upper G-1 diseases were observed in 100%(32/32) for NRM and in 92%(23/25) for OTA. 2. The overall effective rates in terms of the symptoms and endoscopic findings were 88.9%(32/36) for NRM and 85.2%(23/27) ,or OTA respectively. 3. In NRM group, no significant side effects by NRM were observed except a mild and transient vomiting in one patient, but in OTA group treatment was discontinued due to nousea in one patient, However, there were no clinically significant changes detected in the laboratory parameters. According to the result of this trial, it is cocluded that NRM was safe and effective and (but not statistically significant) was superior to OTA in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases caused by gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcer, functional gastrointestinal disorder, non-ulcer dyspepsia etc.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.987-992
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• 2008

This study was carried out to understand the macroscopic aspects of the digestive system symptoms occurring after taking oriental herb complex decoction as observing morphological changes in esophagus, stomach and duodenal bulb by endoscopy of upper gastrointestinal tract when these symptoms developed. The subjects of this study were 46 patients (male 22, female 24, mean age : $54.72{\pm}14.26$ years) who were chosen among ones who took oriental herb complex decoction for medical care and developed symptoms related to the gastrointestinal tract while taking an oriental herb decoction, which were assumed that the digestive symptoms were newly developed because of administration. The subjects were given morphological examination by endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract. As a result of the endoscopy operated due to the digestive symptoms developed during the administration of oriental herb decoction, there were 2 cases of esophagitis, 5 cases of acute gastritis, 1 case of chronic gastritis A type, 15 cases of chronic gastritis B type, 1 case of duodenitis, 1 case of gastric ulcer, 1 case of gastric polyp, 2 cases of intestinal metaplasia, 1 case of gastric ptosis and 17 cases of normal findings which didn't have any abnormality macroscopically with endoscopy. With regards to the patients who complained of the digestive symptoms after taking oriental herb decoction, it has been found that the symptoms occurred as the oriental herbal medicine taken by the patients who had the digestive symptoms at ordinary times influenced on the gastrointestinal tract. Especially, many of them were had chronic gastritis and functional dyspepsia in the past. The disease accompanying macroscopic lesions at endoscopy which occurred due to the oriental herb decoction as direct cause, was acute gastritis, and it was the prescription to cure the pains and inflammations of skeletomuscular disease.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.177-185
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• 2020

This study investigated the clinical effect of Korean medicine treatments on two patients who experienced gastrointestinal symptoms with anxiety disorder. The patients were treated with herbal medicine (Yukgunja-tang, Banhabakchulchunma-tang) and acupuncture for 11 days and 26 days, respectively. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) scores on the day of hospital admission and after treatment were compared; both the BAI and GSRS scores decreased after treatment. Moreover, the grade of the gastrointestinal symptoms changed from severe to mild or none. Therefore, these cases are useful for describing Korean medicine treatments for anxiety disorders in patients who experience gastrointestinal symptoms. However, additional case reports and studies are be needed in the future to confirm these findings.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.794-801
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• 2018

Objectives: These cases report the benefits of administration of Banhasasim-tang extracts or decoctions to patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders after motor vehicle accidents. Methods: The patients were treated with Banhasasim-tang extract or decoction three times daily. History-taking and imaging tests were used to differentiate other diseases. We evaluated the patients using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), which is used to assess overall gastrointestinal symptoms. Results: Treatment with herbal medicine resulted in a decrease in the patients' complaints of symptoms. The GSRS scale showed improvement in all four cases. Conclusions: Banhasasim-tang, regardless of its form, has beneficial effects in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders after motor vehicle accidents.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.113-117
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• 2019

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease, where treatment with medication may lead to gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The objective of this case study was to investigate the effectiveness of Korean medicine (KM) in treating PD with drug-induced GI dysfunction. A 70-year-old female participant was diagnosed with PD in 2010 and drug-induced gastritis in 2016. Her major symptoms were related to GI, PD, and overall feeling of weakness. She was treated with KM including pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicines, in combination with Western medicines during 46 days of in-patient care. This study showed an improvement in symptoms and scores on the GI symptom scale, Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale, Hoehn and Yahr staging, Berg balance scale, PD quality of life, and stress index at discharge. This case demonstrated that the symptoms of drug-induced GI dysfunctions in PD was improved by treatment with KM.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.1 s.45
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• pp.74-83
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• 1994

To investigate the sleeping patterns and gastrointestinal disorders of shift workers, the author studied 434 female workers who worked at textile industry ill Taejon city from September 1,1992 to September 31,1992. Shift pattern were divided into 3 categories ; 3 shift(shifts per 8 hours), 2 shift(day and night shift) and day work. The results obtained were as follows : 1 The average sleeping hours when adjusted for the education level of the total study subjects was 6.1 hours. That of 3 shift workers was 6.1 hours, 2 shift workers was 6.0 hours, but that of day workers was 6.5 hours. There were no significant difference among the shift workers. 2. For the 3 shift workers, the average physiologic adjusted duration in day shift (2.2 days) was shorter than that of night shift(2.7 days) and there were significant difference among the rotating shift works (p<0.001). The sleeping problems in day shift was less than those of night shift (p<0.001). 3. 44.9% of 3 shift workers, 39.3% of 2 shift workers and 33.1% of day workers complained gastrointestinal symptoms when adjusted for the age, education level, job tenure, work post. And the rates of gastrointestinal symptoms complained increase with job tenures (p<0.001). 4. The most frequent gastrointestinal diseases were gastitis and gastric ulcer with 14.2% , Irritable bowel syndrome with 3.1 %, duodenitis and duodenal ulcer with 2.1% and combined gastrointestinal disease with 2.1%. Age, eating habit, amount of coffee per day, job tenure, work post and shift pattern showed no significant difference with the gastrointestinal diseases when adjusted for the age. According to the above results, the author suggested that the shift pattern and job tenure can affect to the sleeping problem and gastrointestinal symptoms.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.337-345
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• 2004

Objective : The purpose of this study is to determine a distribution of sasang constitution among dyspepsia patients, and to weigh their symptoms score. Methods : We surveyed symptoms of dyspepsia and QSCCII in one hundred dyspepsia patients who had undergone upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Results : In distribution of sasang constitution in total dyspepsia patients group and distribution according to the result of endoscopy, ratio and symptoms score of So-Eum-tn were higher than the others. However the differences were not statistically significant. According to symptoms score by age, symptoms score of Tae-Eum-In in patients above 35 years old group was higher than the others. In patients group under 35 years old, symptoms score of So- Yang-In is higher than the others. However in neither group was this statistically significant.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7831-7836
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• 2015

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to assess the general knowledge of CRC in individuals living in Rasht, Iran, using a population-based cross-sectional telephone survey. Materials and Methods: A total of 1557 participants between 18 and 80 years of age were interviewed using random sampling from the telephone directory. Knowledge of risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and prevention of CRC was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Results: The mean knowledge level of the 1,557 respondents (average age 46 y) was $13.5{\pm}4.29$ (maximum possible score = 26), and 46.4% (722/1,557) of the subjects achieved grades lower than the mean score. The mean scores for knowledge of symptoms and risk factors were $3.97{\pm}1.83$ (range: 0-7) and $5.17{\pm}1.65$ (range: 0-9), respectively. Older age, higher education, and employment were significantly associated with better scores for recognition of risk factors and warning symptoms. The majority of subjects correctly identified weight loss (70.2%; 1,093/1,557) and rectal bleeding (63.3%; 986/1,557) as symptoms of CRC, and that smoking (85.9%; 1,337/1,557) and a low-fiber diet (73.4%; 1,143/1,557) were risk factors. Approximately half of the subjects noted increasing age, genetic background and fried food as other risk factors. A considerable number (54.8%; 853/1,557) identified colonoscopy as a screening method for detecting CRC in asymptomatic patients. However, a third of the subjects in the target group for screening (${\geq}50y$) were not interested in undergoing screening, primarily due to a lack of symptoms. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the knowledge of CRC is poor among the public, and therefore greater attempts should be made to increase awareness. Public education emphasizing the risk factors and symptoms of CRC, as well as the importance of regular screening regardless of the presence of symptoms, may help to reduce CRC morbidity and mortality.