• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.1
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• pp.32-35
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• 2013

Urothelial carcinomas (UCs) can occur in the upper urinary tract or lower urinary tract. Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUT-UC) is relatively a rare disease and accounts for only about 5% of UC cases. Sporadic cases of late-onset metastasis, associated with UC of the bladder, have occasionally been reported. In contrast, no late-onset distant metastatic UUT-UC without local recurrence has, to the best of our knowledge, been reported in the English literature. We report an extremely rare case of distant metastatic UC, mimicking lung adenocarcinoma that originated from UUT-UC 12 years previously.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.828-833
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• 2017

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of traditional Korean medicine as a treatment for diabetes mellitus with herniated intervertebral lumbar discs. Method: The patients were treated with the herbal medicine Jungso-tang to reduce serum glucose (FBS/PP2hrs) and HbA1c to improve diabetes mellitus in parallel with lumbar herniated intervertebral disc treatment. Results: The treatment with Jungso-tang decreased the serum glucose (FBS/PP2hrs) and HbA1c levels. Conclusion: Korean medicine may be an effective treatment for diabetes mellitus with lumbar herniated intervertebral disc.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.125-131
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• 2021

This study reports the effectiveness of Korean medicine therapy by improving symptoms in patients with herniated lumbar disc (HLD) diagnosed with chronic overflow urinary incontinence (OUI). The patient was treated with two types of herbal medicine and electroacupuncture for 10 days. We used diary of voiding and incontinence, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms questionnaire (BFLUTS) and numeral rating scale (NRS) to assess the symptoms. After treatment, the number of nocturia decreased from 5 to 2.5. OABSS decreased from 9 to 2 and BFLUTS decreased from 95 to 87. The NRS of back pain decreased from 7 to 3. This study may suggest that Korean medicine therapy can be effective therapy for OUI with HLD.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2019

Background: To suggest potential of Korean medicine treatments as a conservative management for neurogenic claudication and lower extremity weakness due to spinal stenosis. Case Summary: The patient suffered weakness, pain and numbness of the right leg and difficulty walking with diagnosis of spinal stenosis due to herniated lumbar intervertebral disc. Korean medicine treatments, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture and Chuna manual therapy were applied. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of pain and numbness in the right leg decreased from 7 to 4, with an increase in strength of the right leg from 60% to 95% compared to the strength of left leg. Walking duration also increased from less than one minute to more than five minutes. Conclusion: Korean medicine treatment may be considered as an effective conservative management for symptoms of spinal stenosis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.242-246
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to report on the clinical improvement of a patient treated with Korean medicine for Post COVID-19 syndrome. A 52-year-old male patient with headache and chronic fatigue was diagnosed with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. He had clinical symptoms such as headache, sweating, fatigue, and insomnia and was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicines such as Sasammaekmoondong-tang. To assess the treatment outcomes, the authors used the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Numeral Rating Scale (NRS). Following treatment, fatigue improved, with the FSS score dropping from 48 at the first visit to 18 at the final visit, and clinical symptoms such as headache and insomnia disappeared. According to the findings of this study, Korean Medicine could be used in the clinic to treat post-COVID-19 complications.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.999-1010
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• 2023

This case report shows the effect of Korean medicine treatment in a patient with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after cerebral infarction who is suspected of having post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) due to the loss of thrombus after receiving new oral anticoagulant (NOAC) treatment. The patient was treated with Korean medicine (Boyanghwano-tang and Hyulbuchuko-tang) three times a day. Acupuncture, moxibustion, infrared, and extra-physical therapy were given to the patient for 24 days. Clinical assessment - grading of edema and circumference of the left lower extremity were observed twice a week until the end of the treatment. NOAC treatment was continued for 24 days. After treatment, the patient's edema grade and circumference of the extremity improved. On the 24th day, the patient's chief complaints improved, and she requested termination of treatment. The results suggest that Korean medicine treatments, including Boyanghwano-tang, Hyulbuchuko-tang, and acupuncture therapy, can be effective in improving the clinical symptoms of DVT and PTS.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.42-46
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• 2013

Hypochondroplasia (HCH) is an autosomal dominant inherited skeletal dysplasia, usually caused by a heterozygous mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3). A 27-year-old HCH woman with a history of two consecutive abortions of HCH-affected fetuses visited our clinic for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). We confirmed the mutation in the proband (FGFR3:c.1620C>A, p.N540K), and established a nested allele-specific PCR and sequence analysis for PGD using single lymphocyte cells. We performed this molecular genetic analysis to detect the presence of mutation among 20 blastomeres from 18 different embryos, and selected 9 embryos with the wild-type sequence (FGFR3:c.1620C). A successful pregnancy was achieved through a frozen-thawed cycle and resulted in the full-term birth of a normal neonate. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a successful pregnancy and birth using single-cell allele-specific PCR and sequencing for PGD in an HCH patient.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.134-139
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• 2010

Objectives: The lung cancer mortality in Korea has increased remarkably during the last 20 years, and has been the first leading cause of cancer-related deaths since 2000. The aim of the current study was to examine the time trends of occupational lung cancer and carcinogens exposure during the period 2006-2009 in South Korea, by assessing the proportion of occupational burden. Methods: We defined occupational lung cancer for surveillance, and developed a reporting protocol and reporting website for the surveillance of occupational lung cancer. The study patients were chosen from 9 participating university hospitals in the following 7 areas: Seoul, Incheon, Wonju, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju. Results: The combined proportion of definite and probable occupational lung cancer among all lung cancers investigated in this study was 10.0%, 8.6%, 10.7%, and 15.8% in the years 2006 to 2009, respectively, with an average of 11.7% over the four-year study period. The main carcinogens were asbestos, crystalline silica, radon, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), diesel exhaust particles, chromium, and nickel. Conclusion: We estimated that about 11.7% of the incident lung cancer was preventable. This reveals the potential to considerably reduce lung cancer by intervention in occupational fields.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.3
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• pp.180-184
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• 2010

Slowly growing lung cancers are quite rare and the leading cause of length time bias and over-diagnosis bias in lung cancer screening. We report 6 cases of slowly growing lung cancer in a tertiary hospital between January 1999 and December 2008. The clinical characteristics of these 6 cases with slowly growing lung cancer were examined. The median age at diagnosis was 68 years (range, 49~72), and 5 patients (83%) were female. The most common histology type was adenocarcinoma (83%). After excluding two patients who showed no change in the tumor size, the median tumor doubling time was 189 months (range, 86~387). The proportion of patients with slowly growing lung cancer appears to be particularly large in women, especially among patients with adenocarcinoma. Our experience shows that slowly growly lung cancers are more heterogeneous and diverse.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.4
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• pp.317-325
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• 2021

Background: Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are significant public health issues in the world, but the epidemiological data pertaining to HAP/VAP is limited in Korea. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes of HAP/VAP in Korea. Methods: This study is a multicenter retrospective cohort study. In total, 206,372 adult patients, who were hospitalized at one of the 13 participating tertiary hospitals in Korea, were screened for eligibility during the six-month study period. Among them, we included patients who were diagnosed with HAP/VAP based on the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) definition for HAP/VAP. Results: Using the IDSA/ATS diagnostic criteria, 526 patients were identified as HAP/VAP patients. Among them, 27.9% were diagnosed at the intensive care unit (ICU). The cohort of patients had a median age of 71.0 (range from 62.0 to 79.0) years. Most of the patients had a high risk of aspiration (63.3%). The pathogen involved was identified in 211 patients (40.1%). Furthermore, multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens were isolated in 138 patients; the most common MDR pathogen was Acinetobacter baumannii. During hospitalization, 107 patients with HAP (28.2%) had to be admitted to the ICU for additional care. The hospital mortality rate was 28.1% in the cohort of this study. Among the 378 patients who survived, 54.2% were discharged and sent back home, while 45.8% were transferred to other hospitals or facilities. Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of HAP/VAP in adult hospitalized patients in Korea was 2.54/1,000 patients. In tertiary hospitals in Korea, patients with HAP/VAP were elderly and had a risk of aspiration, so they were often referred to step-down centers.