• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.48-64
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• 2022

Objectives The purpose of this study was to review and evaluate the clinical evidence of the efficacy and safety of treatment based on Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) for post-stroke patients by systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published in 10 electronic databases up to December 2020, were searched. For the included studies, Cochrane's risk of bias assessment was performed to analyze the methodological quality. The strength of evidence was evaluated using the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation system based on the results of analyses. All review processes were performed by two independent researchers. Results Five RCTs were finally included. All included RCTs were conducted for one month on post-stroke patients in 60-80s, four studies on Tae-Eum patients and one study on So-Yang patients. Four types of constitution-specific herbal medicine (Chungpyesagan-tang, Cheongsimsanyak-tang, Yeoldahanso-tang, and Yangkyuksanhwa-tang) and constitution-specific acupuncture therapy were identified as interventions. More than half of the included studies were evaluated as low quality due to the high-risk of bias in selection, performance, and detection. The combination of constitution-specific herbal medicine, acupuncture, and conventional treatment was more effective in improving the patients' motor impairment, dysphagia, aphasia, and depression than conventional treatment alone. No serious adverse events by SCM treatment were reported. Conclusions SCM treatment may improve the sequelae of post-stroke patients safely in combination with conventional treatment. Since the quality of clinical evidence included in this study was low, higher quality clinical evidence obtained in well-designed clinical studies will be needed.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.356-372
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to study academic tendency in the researches on the service quality of Korean restaurants by analyzing the studies related to the service quality of Korean restaurants. As a result of this study, the studies related to the service quality of Korean restaurants, included in 7 academic journals selected, are totally 26 articles. Among them, there are 14 researches targeting medium-large size Korean restaurants with more than 100 seats. In the methodological aspect, the scales, which were used most frequently in measuring the service quality of Korean restaurants, were indicated to be SERVQUAL in Parasuraman et al.(1988), DINESERV in Stevens et al.(1995) and Brady & Cronin(2001)'s scale. Also, as a result of examining the tendency of researches related to the service quality in Korean restaurants in the contextual aspect, the interaction quality between employees and customers out of customers' perceived service quality was surveyed to have greater influence upon customers' behavioral reaction than the physical quality or technical quality. Consequently, in order to conduct an institutional research through examining the service quality in Korean restaurants, understanding the customers' perceived service quality needs to be implemented preferentially with a systematically verified scale. Moreover, such researches on the service quality of Korean restaurants appear to focus on specific subjects. Thus, in order to escape from this tendency, it is necessary to explore creative research subjects and design diversely and scientifically analytical methods.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1-17
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• 2011

Objectives : This study aimed to review randomized controlled trials of acupuncture performed in South Korea that used sham acupuncture as a control group. Methods : The following databases were searched through the end of September 2011: Koreanstudies information service system (KISS), Korean medical database (KMbase), national discovery OR science leaders (NDSL), oriental medicine advance searching integrated system (OASIS), and research information service system (RISS). The following search terms were used: acupuncture AND (sham or placebo). The reference lists of searched articles and Korea institute of oriental medicine (KIOM) reports(2005~2009) were identified. The following data were extracted: year/first author, disease, number of participants, blinding, intervention, outcome, and result. Where appropriate, we performed meta-analysis. The methodological quality was assessed according to the Jadad scale and 'risk of bias' by Cochrane Handbook procedure. Results : Twenty-nine studies were included in this review. In eighteen studies, penetrating sham controls were used as the control intervention, whereas the remaining eleven studies adopted non-penetrating sham controls such as the Park Sham Device or blunt auricular acupuncture. Nine studies showed statistically significant difference in outcomes. Twelve studies concerning insomnia after stroke, chronic tension-type headache, idiopathic Parkinson's disease, Hwa-Byung, and smoking cessation were included in meta-analysis. A meta-analysis of insomnia after stroke only found significant difference(MD -4.31, 95% Cl -6.19 to -2.42, $p$<0.00001). In general, all of the studies showed low methodological quality(Jadad score: mean 2.1). Risk of bias by Cochrane Handbook procedure varied. Conclusions : The results of this study could not suggest conclusive evidence that acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture in several diseases. In the future, more studies with rigorous acupuncture trials using sham controls should be conducted.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.259-274
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide clinical evidence to support the use of auricular blood-letting therapy (ABT) for headaches. Methods: Studies were identified by a comprehensive search of five databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of the ABT for headaches were included. Two authors independently extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using Cochrane's risk-of-bias tool. If two or more studies reported the same outcome, a meta-analysis was performed. Meta-analysis results for dichotomous variables are expressed as risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of eight RCTs were included in this review. The total effective rate (TER) was the most commonly used outcome measurement. Among the eight RCTs, five were included in the metaanalysis. The TER was not statistically significantly different in the ABT group compared to the medication group (two studies, n=55, RR=1.24, 95% CI: 0.78 to 1.96, p=0.36, I² =86%). However, the TER of the combined ABT and medication group was significantly different compared to the medication alone group (four studies, n=159, RR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.35, p<0.0001, I² = 0%). Pain and mental health-related outcomes in the combined ABT and medication group were significantly different from the control groups. The methodological quality of the included RCTs was generally low. Conclusions: ABT combined with medication may be effective for treating headaches. However, the number of studies included was small, so the results were insufficient, and statistically significant effects were not confirmed for a single implementation of ABT. Thus, well-designed further studies based on the findings of this study are recommended.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.25-42
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• 2023

Objective : The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of a single-subject research study and qualitative levels in which occupational therapy interventions were performed on children with cerebral palsy. Methods : This study targeted papers, published in Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), National Digital Science Library (NDSL), Koreanstudies Information Service System (KISS), and E-article from May 20 to 29, 2022. The search terms were 'cerebral palsy' AND 'single subject research design' OR 'individual subject study'. Eleven papers, were finally selected and analyzed. Results : Most of the studies were medium in methodological quality, and the subjects were pre-school age and spastic hemiplegia. Among the single-subject designs, intervention-removal designs were the most common, and among them, ABA designs were the most common. Interventions included assistive devices, constraint-induced therapy, neurodevelopmental therapy, and sensory integration therapy were 2, and upper extremity exercise, interactive metronome, and CO-OP were 1. Dependent variables were measured with 2 to 4 measurement tools, Significant improvements were found in postural control ability, gait and balance, hand function, and upper extremity function. Conclusion : This study confirmed that it is helpful to apply cerebral palsy occupational therapy by presenting the characteristics of cerebral palsy, intervention sessions and effects, measurement tools and methodological quality levels.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.135-148
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• 2023

Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of post-disaster musculoskeletal pain by reviewing relevant clinical studies. Methods A systematic search was conducted across 10 electronic databases to identify relevant clinical studies on acupuncture treatment for post-disaster musculoskeletal pain until May 2023. The methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 and Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non-randomized studies tools. Results Six articles were analyzed, including two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), two before-after studies, one qualitative research, and one case series. Overall, acupuncture therapy showed some improvement in pain scale among musculoskeletal pain survivors. However, no significant improvement was observed in the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2). Subgroup analysis of participants who completed at least four acupuncture sessions revealed a significant effect on the SFMPQ-2. Additionally, a significant improvement in 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF36P) was observed after 6 months of treatment, but the 2-month treatment period did not show statistically significant effects on SF-36P improvement. The evaluation of the methodological quality of the RCTs identified some concerns of bias. Conclusions The results suggest that acupuncture is effective in alleviating post-disaster musculoskeletal pain. However, considering the limited number of selected studies and the inclusion of subjective evaluation measures, caution should be exercised in interpreting the results. Further large-scale follow-up studies are needed to determine the optimal frequency and duration of acupuncture treatment. Well-designed controlled trials should be conducted to provide more robust evidence regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture for post-disaster musculoskeletal pain.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.448-464
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• 2012

Objectives : This study reviews the latest articles in Korea and other countries that studied oriental medicine treatment on poststroke depression. Methods : Korean articles were retrieved from the 9 major Korean web article search engines. Foreign articles were retrieved from PubMed. Article published date was from 2000 up to September 2012. There were no restrictions on the types of publication, but articles not available in full text were excluded. The methodological quality was assessed according to Cochrane's assessment of risk of bias and Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale. Results : Twenty-two articles were included in this study. Eleven articles were published in Korea, the rest were published in China. Nine articles were randomized controlled trials (RCT), one article was a non-randomized study (NRS), four articles were case reports, three articles were cross-sectional studies, two articles were comparative studies. In RCT articles, risk of selection bias and performance bias were generally high, risk of detection bias was unclear. The NRS article took four stars in Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment. Comparison Hamilton rating scale for depression score between oriental medicine treated group and western medicine treated group revealed that there was no remarkable difference in mean score changes after treatment on PSD. Conclusions : The results of this study suggest that oriental medicine treatment is as effective as western medicine treatment for PSD. In the future, more rigorous oriental medicine treatment studies should be conducted.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8361-8366
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• 2014

This meta-analysis was performed to assess the implementation effects of clinical pathways in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. A comprehensive search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (from inception to May 2014). Selection of studies, assessing risk of bias and extracting data were performed by two reviewers independently. Outcomes were analyzed by fixed-effects and random-effects model meta-analysis and reported as mean difference (MD), standardized mean difference (SMD) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Jadad methodological approach was used to assess the quality of included studies and the meta-analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.1 software. Nine citations (eight trials) involving 642 patients were included. The aggregate results showed that a shorter average length of stay [MD = -4.0; 95% CI (-5.1, -2.8); P < 0.00001] was observed with the clinical pathways as compared with the usual care. A reduction in inpatient expenditure [SMD = -1.5; 95% CI (-2.3, -0.7); P = 0.0001] was also associated with clinical pathways, along with higher patient satisfaction [OR = 4.9; 95% CI (2.2, 10.6); P < 0.0001]. Clinical pathways could improve the quality of care in patients with gastrointestinal cancer, as evidenced by a significant reduction in average length of stay, a decrease in inpatient expenditure and an improvement in patient satisfaction. Therefore, indicators and mechanisms within clinical pathways should be a focus in the future.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.520-549
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• 2018

Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the recent clinical research trends regarding the effects of traditional herbal medicine (THM) on chemotherapy-induced leukopenia. Methods: Randomized controlled trials that verified effects of herbal medicine treating chemotherapy induced leukopenia were included in the study. A literature search was performed in the English, Chinese, and Korean databases for papers published from January 1, 2007, to September 1, 2017. The selected literature was assessed by Cochrane's Risk of Bias (RoB). Results: Forty-two of 232 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly used herbal prescriptions called '升白湯 (shengbai decoction)' which means elevating the numbers of White blood cells (WBCs). And the mostly included herbs such as Astragali Radix, Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba, Codonopsis Pilosulae, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Ligustri Lucidi Fructus are commonly used to elevate qi, blood and yin. The count of WBC in peripheral blood, the level of leukopenia presented in WHO (World Health Organization), and clinical symptoms were used to evaluate the treatments. The effective rate was 68.6-98.18% and the effectiveness was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group in 38 articles (p<0.05). No serious adverse events were reported. Only five articles (5/42, 11.9%) were rated as having adequate methodological quality with a low level of bias. Conclusion: Some traditional herbal medicines may be effective as therapeutic treatments for chemotherapy-induced leukopenia, but the majority of reviewed studies were of poor quality. The present findings need to be confirmed by rigorously conducted high-quality trials, including pharmacokinetic studies, to confirm the absence of interactions between traditional herbal medicine agents and chemotherapy.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.82-99
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review systematically the effects of home based pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients using qualitative synthesis. Methods: Studies designed randomized controlled trials were identified to extract data and to assess the quality of studies in 8 domestic and 3 foreign search engines, and hand search reference reviews. Results: A total of 9 studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the methodological quality of the studies ranged from average to poor. Home based pulmonary rehabilitation consisted of exercise, education, and psychosocial interventions. Several exercises such as aerobic, strength, respiratory muscle training, and flexibility were used in home based pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients. Upper muscle exercise and walking were the most frequently used exercises. The most common topics for education were 'knowledge of the illness' and 'drug management'. Walking distance test (WDT) and quality of life (QoL) were the most frequently measured as the dependent variables to evaluate rehabilitation outcomes, followed by pulmonary function test (PFT) and dyspnea. WDT was the most effective outcome, followed by dyspnea, QoL and PFT. Conclusion: This study informed about the details of scientific and effective home based rehabilitation programs in COPD patients for future researchers and clinicians. These findings can help expand the recognition and accessibility of home based rehabilitation in COPD patients.