• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.54-66
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• 2024

Background and Purpose: Dementia subtypes, including Alzheimer's dementia (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), pose diagnostic challenges. This review examines the effectiveness of ¹⁸F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET) in differentiating these subtypes for precise treatment and management. Methods: A systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was conducted using databases like PubMed and Embase to identify studies on the diagnostic utility of ¹⁸F-FDG PET in dementia. The search included studies up to November 16, 2022, focusing on peer-reviewed journals and applying the goldstandard clinical diagnosis for dementia subtypes. Results: From 12,815 articles, 14 were selected for final analysis. For AD versus FTD, the sensitivity was 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-0.98) and specificity was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.70-0.92). In the case of AD versus DLB, ¹⁸F-FDG PET showed a sensitivity of 0.93 (95% CI 0.88-0.98) and specificity of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.70-0.92). Lastly, when differentiating AD from non-AD dementias, the sensitivity was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.80-0.91) and the specificity was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.91). The studies mostly used case-control designs with visual and quantitative assessments. Conclusions: ¹⁸F-FDG PET exhibits high sensitivity and specificity in differentiating dementia subtypes, particularly AD, FTD, and DLB. This method, while not a standalone diagnostic tool, significantly enhances diagnostic accuracy in uncertain cases, complementing clinical assessments and structural imaging.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment and the Muscle Energy Technique on foot drop through a case study with a patient with common peroneal neuropathy. Methods : A patient with severe foot drop after an ankle sprain was hospitalized and treated with acupuncture and traditional medicine and the Muscle Energy Technique. The effect of the treatment was evaluated with the Numeric Rate Scale(NRS), dorsiflexion angle evaluation, and the Manual Muscle Test (MMT). Results : The results of the NRS, dorsiflexion angle evaluation and MMT showed greatly improvementwith results changing from 8 to 2, 0 to 15, and Grade 2 to Grade 4, respectively. Conclusions : This study suggests that Korean medicine treatment and the Muscle Energy Technique could be effective treatments for foot drop with common peroneal neuropathy. However further clinical studies are needed to establish a definite conclusion.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.35-43
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• 2014

Objective : To report a case of cervical block vertebra with neck pain successfully treated with conservative Korean Traditional Medicine treatment with Thoracic Chuna Manipulation. Methods : A patient diagnosed with block vertebra was treated with Thoracic Chuna manipulation, acupuncture, pharmacoacupuncture, and herbal medicine. Numeric Rating Scale(NRS) and Neck Disability Index(NDI) scores were collected before and after treatment for comparison. Results : There was a significant decrease in NRS and NDI scores. The mean NRS score decreased from 8 to 1, and NDI from 50 to 8. Conclusion : Conservative Korean Traditional Medicine treatment appears to be effective for treatment of cervical block vertebra.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.471-479
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was aimed to analyze the correlation of clinical characteristics of cancer patients treated with Korean Medicine and their natural killer cell activity (NKA). Methods: The medical records of 52 cancer patients who conducted NKA test at Cheonan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University from March 2016 to May 2018 were reviewed. NKA was determined at Seegene Medical institute using NK Vue Gold(R) kit, evaluating activated $IFN-{\gamma}$ by enzyme immunoassay after incubation of whole blood. Careful investigations were conducted by categorizing the patients by their sex, origin, stage, ECOG scale, and conventional treatment type. We used data from the medical records and statistical analysis using SPSS 25.0 V. Results: The average NKA of all patients was $623.1{\pm}722.0pg/mL$. The NKA value was higher for females than for males. No correlation was evident between age and NKA, but patients aged over 70 years had the lowest NKA average result. Stage III and IV patients showed clearly lower NKA values when compared to stage I and II patients. NKA and ECOG scale values showed no evident relationship. Conclusions: This study presented the characteristics of NKA in cancer patients treated with Korean medicine. The NKA result differed by gender and stage. Based on these findings, further study is needed regarding the clinical meaning of NKA.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.709-715
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• 2001

Pressure sore(Decubitus ulcer) is an area of ulceration and necrosis of the skin and underlying tissues occurring over the body prominence such as the sacrum, greater trochanter, scapula, lateral malleolus, thoracic spine and heels after prolonged or often repeated pressure. These days incidence of pressure sore have been increased because of the many population of the old, traffic accidents and cerebral vascular disease. But the treatment was not confirmly established. As for treatment, we used Talcum powder for 10 days in case 1 and 6 days in case 2. The patients were improved within 14 days after treatment in case 1 and 10 days in case 2.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.89-99
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examines the domestic study trends on adenomyosis treated with Korean medicine. Methods: We investigated the studies on Korean medicine treatment for adenomyosis via searching 8 online databases. Results: As a result, 12 records (14 cases) were found to be analyzed according to their modes of diagnosis, symptoms, interventions, treatment period, follow up period and relevant outcomes. In diagnosis of adenomyosis, the most used method was ultrasonography. The most common complaint for patients with adenomyosis was dysmenorrhea. The most applied intervention for adenomyosis was herbal medication. Acupuncture was the second most used. Conclusions: Analyzing the domestic study trends would be helpful to establish a basic knowledge of the future study. It is anticipated that this review benefits the future in-depth study to confirm the efficacy of Korean medicine treatments for adenomyosis.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1109-1117
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• 2023

Tongue acupuncture is not only a body acupuncture treatment for the tongue but also a new microacupuncture treatment. Tongue acupuncture is a very promising treatment from a diagnostic and therapeutic point of view. According to several studies, Guan's tongue acupuncture and tri-tongue acupuncture are frequently used. Tongue acupuncture can be used for dysphagia, dysarthria, aphasia, insomnia, autism spectrum disorder, burning mouth syndrome, and cerebral palsy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.4
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• pp.358-367
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• 2017

Background: Bacterial pneumonia occurring after respiratory viral infection is common. However, the predominant bacterial species causing pneumonia secondary to respiratory viral infections other than influenza remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to know whether the pathogens causing post-viral bacterial pneumonia vary according to the type of respiratory virus. Methods: Study subjects were 5,298 patients, who underwent multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction for simultaneous detection of respiratory viruses, among who visited the emergency department or outpatient clinic with respiratory symptoms at Ulsan University Hospital between April 2013 and March 2016. The patients' medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 251 clinically significant bacteria were identified in 233 patients with post-viral bacterial pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most frequent bacterium in patients aged <16 years, regardless of the preceding virus type (p=0.630). In patients aged ${\geq}16years$, the isolated bacteria varied according to the preceding virus type. The major results were as follows (p<0.001): pneumonia in patients with influenza virus (type A/B), rhinovirus, and human metapneumovirus infections was caused by similar bacteria, and the findings indicated that Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia was very common in these patients. In contrast, coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus infections were associated with pneumonia caused by gram-negative bacteria. Conclusion: The pathogens causing post-viral bacterial pneumonia vary according to the type of preceding respiratory virus. This information could help in selecting empirical antibiotics in patients with post-viral pneumonia.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.358-360
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• 2022

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.234-245
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• 2024

Variant angina causes chest pain due to abnormal coronary vasospasms. A 60-year-old male who was diagnosed with variant angina was admitted to the Oriental Medicine Hospital and treated with herbal medicines, including Pyungjinsujeom-san and Simjeok-hwan. After treatment, the frequency of chest pain and use of nitroglycerin decreased. Subjective symptoms of chest pain measured using a numerical rating scale (NRS) also decreased. These improvements persisted throughout the hospitalization period. In conclusion, Korean medicines, including Pyungjinsujeom-san and Simjeok-hwan, can be effective for patients with chest pain due to variant angina.