• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2024

Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer, an intermediate stage between a completely resectable state and an unresectable state, requires a multidisciplinary treatment approach. This study aimed to elucidate the main characteristics and recent research trends regarding borderline resectable pancreatic cancer to gain further insights into them. Data from published papers about borderline resectable pancreatic cancer were collected from Web of Science (2014-2023) for the analysis. This study included 355 papers; data on major countries, publishing organizations, and keywords were collected and analyzed. Furthermore, R studio and VOSviewer were used for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of keywords. Publication of papers on borderline resectable pancreatic cancer was observed to be increasing annually by 12.8%, with the United States and Japan being the main publishing countries. In 2014, keywords related to surgery and chemotherapy were dominant; however, a shift toward more integrative approaches, such as neoadjuvant therapy, was observed over time. This study demonstrates rapidly evolving trends and paradigm changes in the research and management of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. Thus, the results of this study are expected to contribute to establishing future research strategies and improving patient treatment outcomes.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2019

Objective: For knee osteoarthritis (OA), there is a demand for alternative modalities in order to delay surgery and to avoid the side effects of medications. This study compared the effects of applying seaweed pack and mudpack for the treatment of knee OA. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-five patients with knee OA who satisfied the criteria were included. The patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment method: mudpack (n=12) and seaweed pack (n=13). The two groups were treated for 20 minutes, twice a day for five continuous days at the Ocean Healing Center at Wando Island, South Korea. Participants were assessed by clinical scores (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey) and lab results (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1], tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ [$TNF-{\alpha}$]) during the follow-up period. Results: For the most part, clinical scores improved after therapy and maintained improvements for four weeks in both groups (p<0.05). In the seaweed group, $TNF-{\alpha}$ was significantly decreased at two weeks post-therapy (p<0.05). In both groups, IGF-1 was significantly increased immediately post-therapy (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences after therapy between the groups in clinical scores and labs. Conclusions: Seaweed packs and mudpacks had similar positive effects for knee OA. Additionally, the seaweed pack group showed decreased levels of $TNF-{\alpha}$ at two weeks post-treatment, which may explain the reduced inflammatory reaction. For rehabilitation therapy, use of seaweed packs may serve as an alternative modality for the treatment of knee OA.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.151-159
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• 2024

Purpose : This study was conducted to investigate correlation between patient satisfaction and rehabilitation motivation in a physical therapy environment. Methods : This study conducted a survey on musculoskeletal and neurological patients receiving rehabilitation treatment at a hospital. The subjects of the study were patients who were currently receiving rehabilitation treatment, either hospitalized or outpatient. 234 people were collected. A questionnaire was consisted of a total of 55 questions, including 27 questions about motivation for rehabilitation, 14 questions about physical therapy service environment, and 14 questions about patient satisfaction and intention to revisit. The detailed items in rehabilitation motivation consisted of 8 questions about task-oriented motivation, 7 questions about change-oriented motivation, 4 questions about obligatory motivation, 4 questions about external motivation, and 4 questions about intrinsic motivation, and in the physical therapy service environment, 4 questions about facility service and therapist service. , 6 questions, 4 questions about services used, 3 questions about friendliness, 4 questions about professionalism, 3 questions about treatment satisfaction, and 2 questions each about repeat visit and recommendation. Results : Facility service (r=.21) was highly correlated for task-oriented motivation, therapist service (r=.22) for change-oriented motivation, therapist service (r=.31) for mandatory motivation, therapist service (r=.19) for external motivation, and facility service (r=.56) for internal motivation. Revisit for task-oriented motivation (r=.47) is kind to change-oriented motives (r=-.13) was highly correlated with kindness (r=.19) for mandatory motives, recommendation (r=.14) for external motives, and expertise (r=.52) for internal motives. There was a high correlation between professionalism (r=.61) for facility services and kindness (r=.53) for therapist services, and revisit (r=.40) for service use. Conclusion : According to the results of this study, it was found that there was a correlation between patient satisfaction and rehabilitation motivation in a physical therapy environment.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.51-62
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• 2021

This study evaluated the cosmetic effects of a far-infrared hot and cool mask (BBSkinplus) on face skin moisturization, whitening, and wrinkles using a randomized clinical trial. Forty female participants (mean age 47.7 ± 4.6 years) were allocated into the treatment group (BBSkinplus treatment and lotion application twice a day) or the control group (only lotion application twice a day), and moisture, brightness, and wrinkles were measured at 0, 1 and 2 weeks. The average values of each measurement were changed significantly by BBSkinplus treatment compared to the control group. At the 2-week treatment time point, the statistical differences in improvement rates between the two groups were significant at 8.7% vs. 3.9% for moisture (p < 0.01), 0.7% vs. 0.4% for brightness (p < 0.01), and -3.1% vs. 0.0% as Ra and -6.3% vs. 1.5% as R3z for wrinkles (p < 0.05), respectively. No notable complaint was reported regarding any kind of adverse effects such as erythema, itching, or burning. This clinical data support the potential of BBSkinplus as a home beauty device providing moisturizing, whitening, and anti-wrinkle effects on the face.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.52-65
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• 2012

Objectives: Toad venom, called Chan-Su, is a traditional Oriental medicine secreted from the auricular and the skin glands of the Bufo bufo gargarizanz Cantor or B. melanosticus Schneider and has been widely used in China, Korea and other parts of Asia for the treatment of pain, heart conditions, and cancer. We examined the concentrations of the main chemical constituents within a commercially available toad venom product and compared the levels for different extraction methods. Methods: Toad venom was extracted using either cold or hot water, ethanol (EtOH), methanol (MeOH), or ethyl acetate (EtOAc), was fractionated using precipitation or reflux, and was then analyzed using thin layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HTLC), and liquid chroma-tography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Individual components were identified by comparisons of the retention times, the ultraviolet spectra, and mass spectras and differences in chemical constituents for different solvents and extraction methods are presented. Results: Components with authentic standards, including serotonin and bufodienolides (cinobufagen, bufalin, cinobufalin, and resibufogenin), were detected. The water extract of toad venom contained the greatest amount of serotonin ($75.7{\pm}0.1$ mg/g), but very small amounts of bufodienolides ($3.8{\pm}0.0$ mg/g). In contrast, the use of MeOH or EtOH extraction solutions resulted in 5-26 times higher concentrations of bufodienolides, with only trace amounts of serotonin. The relative and the absolute concentrations of the component also varied based on the extraction method; i.e., EtOH extracts yielded the greatest total amounts of bufodienolides, and EtOAc precipitation had the lowest amounts of bufodienolides. Conclusions: Toad venom consists of serotonin and several bufodienolides, and the choice of solvent to extract chemical the constituents is important as a way to enrich the purported active components for treating different conditions.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.160-169
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• 2013

Objectives: This survey was performed to investigate attitudes of western medicine doctors (WMD) and Korean medicine doctors (KMD) toward Korean medicine education (KME) to provide basic data for developing effective KME programs. Methods: We selected study objects in western medicine (WM) - Korean medicine (KM) collaborative institutions and structured questionnaires were administered to both WMD and KMD for comparison. The data from 167 WMD and 135 KMD were analyzed statistically by frequency, ${\chi}^2$ test and T-test analysis. Results: 61.1% of WMD have never experienced KME and 15% were not interested in cooperative practices and research. Most KME was done in medical schools (45%) and only 5% in residency education. WMD interested or experienced in cooperation have had more KME than the uninterested and inexperienced groups. Intentions of WMD to cooperative practices and research made a difference on the willingness to take KME, while relevant experiences didn't. WMD and KMD differed in ideas about major KME topics; WMD put the greatest emphasis on the herb-drug interaction, while KMD did on KM diagnosis and treatment. They also have different views on the optimal KME course load. Conclusions: For successful collaboration, more continuing KME and motivation for cooperation is required for WMD. Improvements are also needed in the form and contents of KME to meet the demands of learners.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.107-119
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• 2017

Purpose : Recently, cancer has become a chronic disease that requires supervision because of early diagnosis and the development of therapeutic technology. As a result, cancer patients are interested in improving the quality of their lives besides the treatment of cancer itself. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a qualitative research to understand the vivid experiences of cancer patients and structure their treatment experience. Among qualitative researches, grounded theory is developed based on the data collected in the field. The grounded theory research method is easy to analyze for the process and structure of the treatment experience. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide basic data on the integrated medical experience of cancer patients Methods : Participants were conveniently selected, and the criteria for selection were for those who had more than 1 month of hospitalization so that they could dictate their situation and experience in a meaningful manner. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and continued until the data were saturated through theoretical sensitivity and continuous comparison methods. The collected data were analyzed through the process of open-coding, axial coding, and selection coding, which are the research methods of grounded theory. Results : Cancer patients differ in their path, purpose, and attitudes depending on their respective situations and the internal and external resources of individuals. There is also a difference in the perception of their situation among the cancer patients and their families. Cancer patients were shown to recognize and cope with problems in the integrated medical treatment process, and have been classified into 6 different types after the results. Cancer patients showed positive changes in terms of physical, emotional, and lifestyle after their integrated medical treatment. Cancer patients perceived the integrated medical treatment process as a horizontal relationship structure and with diversity. Conclusions : The experience of integrated medical treatment of cancer patients is a process of rehabilitation that heals the body and restores life within the interaction of support system, contextual situation, and internal resources of the individual. Despite this, there is a need not only for the efforts of integrated medical service providers but also institutional support in the future with regards to the current weaknesses and points for improvement. In addition, there is a need for an objective criterion to measure the outcome of integrated medicine for the standardization of integrated medical services.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.89-106
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• 2022

Objectives In this study, a scoping review was conducted to inform decision-making related to traditional Korean medicine for people with disabilities in the future. Methods Seven databases were searched to find previous studies on traditional Korean medicine for people with disabilities. Studies published until August 2021 were considered. Using the methodology of scoping review, research on traditional Korean medicine for people with disabilities was reviewed with the following steps: 1) drawing research questions, 2) searching for related studies, 3) selecting studies, 4) extracting data, and 5) analyzing and reporting results. Results Out of 2,072 studies, 7 research papers and 10 reports were finally selected. The research papers included 5 cases studies, 1 survey study, and 1 chart review. Most studies used herbal medicine and acupuncture treatment, but the reports on the interventions were not detailed. The reports included policy studies, project performance guidelines, and project results reports, and most of the evaluation indicators tended to be standardized. Conclusions This study reviewed the literature on traditional Korean medicine for people with disabilities. It presents future directions for clinical research on traditional Korean medicine for people with disabilities and can be used to inform healthcare policies and clinical practice. In the future, quantitative research such as clinical trials, meta-analysis, and health insurance big data analysis is needed to understand the current status and effects of traditional Korean medicine for people with disabilities. In addition, qualitative research is necessary to identify unmet demands of traditional Korean medicine for people with disabilities.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2020

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory disease that affects 1%-20% of people worldwide. Despite affecting many people, AD current treatments, such as corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, have not only harmful secondary effects but are also often ineffective. Therefore, natural nontoxic compounds are on high demand for developing new effective AD treatments. Panax ginseng Meyer has been used traditionally for its promising healing and restorative properties to treat many diseases including skin disorders, reason why in this review we want to explore the research performed with AD and P. ginseng as well as determining its potential for new drug development. Previous researches have shown that P. ginseng has positive effects in AD patients such as lower eczema area and severity index, transepidermal water loss, and immunoglobulin E levels and better quality of sleep. In vivo animal models, as well, have shown positive results to P. ginseng and derived ginsenosides, such as the decrease of transepidermal water loss, immunoglobulin E levels in serum, allergy-related cytokines, and downregulation of NF-κB, MAPK, and Ikaros pathways. All of these previous data suggest that P. ginseng and its derived ginsenosides are undoubtedly a nontoxic effective option to treat AD.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.290-294
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• 2021

Extracellular beta amyloid (Aβ) plaques are the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Accordingly, reducing Aβ levels is considered a promising strategy for AD prevention. 3'-O-acetyl-24-epi-7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-D-xylopryranoside significantly decreased the Aβ production and this effect was accompanied with reduced sAPPβ production known as a soluble ectodomain APP fragment through β-secretases in HeLa cells overexpressing amyloid precursor proteins (APPs). This compound also increased the level of sAPPα, which is a proteolytic fragment of APP by α-secretases. In addition, 3'-O-acetyl-24-epi-7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-D-xylopryranoside decreased the protein level of β-secretases, but the protein levels of A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) family, especially ADAM10 and ADAM17, are increased. Thus, 3'-O-acetyl-24-epi-7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-D-xylopryranoside could be useful in the development of AD treatment in the aspect of amyloid pathology.