• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with storage, voiding, and post-micturition reduce quality of life and cause mental health problems. In traditional medicine, Baliao points have been empirically used to treat urinary system diseases. In this review, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using sacral acupuncture on Baliao points with sham treatment, other remedies, or other acupoints were retrieved from 8 electronic databases up to June 2021. Sixteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using a risk-of-bias (ROB) tool. Most of the evaluation indicators used in the included RCTs showed that sacral acupuncture had a significant therapeutic effect compared with the sham control intervention groups, and other remedies. However, all studies using acupoints (other than the Baliao points) as a control intervention had a "high" ROB and only reported secondary processed information, making it difficult to evaluate the efficacy of sacral acupuncture treatment for LUTS. No serious adverse effects were reported for sacral acupuncture, and only a low number of minor side effects were observed. These results suggest that sacral acupuncture could be considered as an alternative to existing treatments, with the added benefit of low cost. Large-scale, long-term RCTs are required in the future.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.188-200
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• 2023

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) disease is a condition in which the stomach contents return to the larynx and pharynx via the esophagus, causing mucosal injury. While conventional treatments, such as proton pump inhibitors, have limitations, acupuncture has been shown to reduce LPR symptoms. However, its effectiveness has not been systematically assessed. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating LPR. We review 10 electronic databases with a consistent search strategy, and 2 independent reviewers screened the articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study selected and analyzed 7 randomized controlled trials after the screening to assess primary outcomes, including reflux symptom index and reflux finding score, and secondary outcomes, including upper and lower esophageal sphincter pressure. The results revealed the statistically significant effectiveness of acupuncture in combination with conventional treatment in reducing LPR symptoms compared with conventional treatment alone. The most commonly used acupuncture points were CV22, ST36, and LR3. However, the meta-analysis demonstrated low reliability, as assessed using the GRADE Tool. Further research is needed to improve the evidence and draw clear conclusions regarding the clinical use of acupuncture for treating LPR.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2024

This review examined and analyzed clinical research trends in the treatment of compression fractures in traditional Korean medicine using case studies. Accordingly, 5 web databases were searched using relevant Korean and English terms. Based on predefined exclusion and inclusion criteria, 16 case studies were selected, analyzed, and classified according to the journal, publication year, participants, chief complaints, affected vertebrae, treatment and evaluation methods, and improvement. The case studies reported various treatment methods, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, physical therapy, cupping, moxibustion, and band training. All 16 case studies reported the use of combination therapy. All 23 cases reported in these case studies demonstrated improvement in chief complaints, and none reported any side effects.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.10
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• pp.1057-1068
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• 2014

This paper proposes elastic-plastic constitutive relations for a composite material with two phases-inclusion and matrix phases-using a homogenization scheme. A thermodynamic framework is employed to develop non-local plasticity constitutive relations, which are specifically represented in terms of the second-order gradient terms of the internal state variables. A combined two back-stress evolution equation is also established and the degradation of the state and internal variables is expressed by continuum damage mechanics in terms of the damage factor. Then, deformation localization is analyzed; the analysis results show that the proposed model yields a wide range of shear band formation behaviors depending on the evolution of the specific internal state variables. The analysis results also show good agreement with the results of simplified Rice instability analyses.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.153-173
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to ascertain what should be considered in the "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer" by analyzing the existing guidelines and clinical trials. Methods: The committee searched guidelines and clinical trials about herbal medicine for lung cancer. The searched trials were analyzed in terms of inclusion and exclusion of participants, intervention, comparator, outcomes and trial design. Then, we compared the results of our analysis with the guidelines to identify the issues we will have to consider when making the "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer". Several guidelines for anti-tumor agents and clinical trials with herbal medicine were searched on the national institution homepage. The search terms were as follows: 'lung neoplasm', 'herbal medicine', 'Medicine, Korean traditional', 'Medicine, Chinese Traditional' etc. Results: There was no guideline for clinical trial with herbal medicine for lung cancer. In addition, 7 articles were searched through database searching. All the participants had non-small cell lung cancer. The type of intervention was decoction. Comparators included conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. The outcome measurements used in the studies were quality of life, tumor response, and survival duration, etc. Safety was evaluated by recording adverse events and blood test. Conclusions: Findings were made by reviewing existing guidelines and comparing them with clinical trials for lung cancer and herbal medicinal products. These results will be utilized in the development of "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer".

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.187-197
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the changes in the muscle activity of the trunk stabilizer muscles before and after incorporating Pilates breathing during three types of Pilates chair exercises. Methods: This study included 33 healthy men and women in their 20's; they were recruited according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. sEMG was used to measure the changes in the muscle activity in the internal oblique/transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae during the three types of Pilates chair movements (footwork, twist footwork, and bridging) without and with the Pilates breathing integration. The muscle activities of the trunk stabilizers between without and with Pilates breathing were statistically analyzed and compared. Results: The internal oblique/transverse abdominis showed an increase and a significant difference in the muscle activity in all three movements of footwork, twist footwork, and bridging after the Pilates breathing integration (p<.001). The muscle activity of the rectus abdominis (p<.05) and the erector spinae (p<.05) also increased and showed a significant difference after the Pilates breathing incorporation, except in the bridging movement for the erector spinae. The increase in the rate after integrating Pilates breathing was relatively greater in internal oblique/transverse abdominis than in other muscles. Conclusion: When Pilates breathing was applied, the activities of the trunk stabilizer muscles increased significantly and immediately in all three movements of Pilates chair footwork, twist footwork, and bridging. This means that the use of breathing is expected to have a positive and immediate effect on the activation of trunk stabilizers, thus indicating that it can possibly be an effective re-enforcing tool to promote trunk stability when it is integrated to the Pilates chair exercise. Incorporating Pilates breathing also seemed to have a tendency to activate the deep trunk stabilizer muscles more than the superficial stabilizer muscles.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.141-148
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate on the application of the yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) lasers for acupoints irradiation. Methods : We conducted a systematic search for peer-reviewed studies published from inception to November 2023, in the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in English, Science ON, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS) and Research Information Sharing Service (RISS) in Korean, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang in Chinese, and Japan Science Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic (J-STAGE) and Citation Information by NII (CiNii) in Japanese. Inclusion criteria were original articles including clinical and experimental studies related with YAG lasers for acupoints including Ashi or meridian sinews. Results : Among the 8 selected studies, there were 7 studies on human subjects and 1 study on animals, 7 studies on Nd:YAG (1,064 nm) laser, and 1 study on Er:YAG (2,940 nm) laser. A total of 16 acupoints were used, 15 of which were in the face and 1 of which was located in the foot. In addition, there were two studies using Ashi. 4 studies looked at the effect of pain relief, 2 studies looked at safety, 1 study looked at changes in blood flow, and 1 study looked at the effect of skin care. There were no reported adverse events, and the YAG laser was confirmed to be safe and effective in pain relief, beautifying the skin, and increasing blood flow. Conclusions : We suggest that high intensity YAG lasers can be applied to laser acupuncture or laser moxibustion. YAG lasers are considered to be worth using for various clinical indications of Korean medicine because of photobiomodulation effects, analgesic action, and deep penetration depth. Further scientific research and clinical evidences should be warranted.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2020

Rapid expansion of supercritical solution (RESS) process was used to make molsidomine (MOL) loaded peracetyl-β-cyclodextrin (PAc-β-CD) nanoparticles, which were collected into the air. The effect of the concentration of the drug PAc-β-CD (0.5 and 1 wt%), extraction temperature (45 ~ 60 ℃), nozzle length (5 ~ 20 mm) and internal diameter (ID) (50 ~ 150 μm) of a capillary, and spray distance on the particle size and morphology of the resulting particles were investigated. The interaction of a drug and PAc-β-CD was confirmed by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy while the particle size was measured by means of a scanning electron microscope. It was found that increasing the temperature from 45 ℃ to 60 ℃ and decreasing the nozzle diameter from 150 μm to 50 μm had an increasing effect on the average particle size, while increasing the spray distance led to a decrease in the average particle size at a constant pressure of 34.5 MPa and temperature of 45 ℃. With 0.5 wt% of PAc-β-CD, the capillary nozzle of short length (5 mm) and small ID (50 μm) gave the smallest size (165 nm). The obtained nanoparticles showed increased dispersity and solubility in oil. The oil suspension of the inclusion complex showed increased sustainability, which can increase the in-vitro controlled release time of the drug.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.817-825
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• 1999

Background : Forceps biopsy, bronchial brushing, and bronchial washing are used in conjunction with bronchoscopy to provide specimens for histologic and cytologic analysis in patients with suspected lung cancer. This study was performed to evaluate how many times brushing should be done and how much fluid should be used during bronchial washing for increasing diagnostic yield, and to evaluate which combination of these procedures gives the highest diagnostic yield. Methods : Forty patients, with suspected lung cancer, who had bronchoscopically visible lesions were enrolled in this prospective study. During one bronchoscopic examination four forceps biopsies, four bronchial brushings, and bronchial washing were done in all patients. The patients were divided into four groups by the amount of normal saline used for bronchial washing; group I, 10 ml ; group II, 20ml ; group III 30ml, and group IV, 40ml. We analyzed the results in 36 patients confirmed as lung cancer. Results : The diagnostic sensitivity of bronchial washing before and after forceps biopsy and bronchial brushing were 36% and 28%, respectively. The cumulative diagnostic sensitivity of bronchial washing was 47% and significantly higher than that of bronchial washing before or after forceps biopsy and bronchial brushing (p<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity of bronchial washing with saline of 30ml was significantly higher than that of bronchial washing with saline of 10ml or 20ml (p<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity of the first brushing was 75%, the second brushing 78%, the third brushing 83%, and the fourth brushing 67%. With repeated brushing up to three times, the diagnostic sensitivity increased to 92% (p<0.05). However, inclusion of the fourth brushing did not give a further increase of the diagnostic sensitivity. The diagnostic sensitivity of forceps biopsy was 86%. The diagnostic sensitivities of forceps biopsy by the type of bronchial lesion were as follows: tumor, 88%; infiltration, 67%; infiltration with nodularity, 80%; and collapse, 100%. The combination of forceps biopsy and bronchial washing gave a diagnostic sensitivity of 89%. The diagnostic sensitivity of combining forceps biopsy with bronchial brushing was 97%. Addition of bronchial washing did not increase the diagnostic yield over forceps biopsy and bronchial brushing. Conclusion : In patients with central lung cancer, forceps biopsies and repeated brushings up to three times should be done for maximal diagnostic yield.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.333-340
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• 2017

The prevalence of periodontal disease was steadily increased. The best prevention methods for periodontal disease are teeth brushing and scaling. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of scaling experience and related factors among some workers. Total 455 workers in 5 manufacturing companies in Gwangju were selected using convenience sampling method. General characteristics, work-related characteristics, oral health-related characteristics and scaling experience were collected by self-reported questionnaires. Chi-square tests, t-tests and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate the factors influencing the scaling experience using SPSS software. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value<0.05. The proportion of scaling experience during the past year was 47.0%. In simple analysis, age, current working position, number of oral disease, interest in oral health, use of secondary oral products, oral health screening use, oral health education experience and awareness of scaling inclusion in the National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage were associated with scaling experience. Finally, the odds ratios (ORs) for scaling experience were significantly higher in younger subjects (adjusted OR [aOR], 3.09; 95% confidence internal [CI], 1.60~5.96), assistant manager (aOR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.55~4.63), subjects with high interest in oral health (aOR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.02~4.52), subjects with oral health screening use (aOR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.50~5.11) and awareness of scaling inclusion in the NHI coverage (aOR; 2.91, 95% CI, 1.80~4.72) in multiple logistic regression analysis. Scaling experience was relatively low (47.0%). The related factors with scaling experience were age, working position, use of screening and awareness of scaling inclusion in the NHI coverage. Considering these factors will increase the utilization rate of scaling.