• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.29
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• pp.14.1-14.8
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• 2014

Objectives Some plants were placed in indoor locations frequented by asthmatics in order to evaluate the quality of indoor air and examine the health benefits to asthmatics. Methods The present study classified the participants into two groups: households of continuation and households of withdrawal by a quasi-experimental design. The households of continuation spent the two observation terms with indoor plants, whereas the households of withdrawal passed the former observation terms with indoor plants and went through the latter observation term without any indoor plants. Results The household of continuation showed a continual decrease in the indoor concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the entire observation period, but the household of withdrawal performed an increase in the indoor concentrations of VOCs, except formaldehyde and toluene during the latter observation term after the decrease during the former observation term. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) increased in the households of continuation with the value of 13.9 L/min in the morning and 20.6 L/min in the evening, but decreased in the households of withdrawal with the value of -24.7 L/min in the morning and -30.2 L/min in the evening in the first experimental season. All of the households exhibited a decrease in the value of PEFR in the second experimental season. Conclusions Limitations to the generalizability of findings regarding the presence of plants indoors can be seen as a more general expression of such a benefit of human-environment relations.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2005

Backgrounds : Gamichungsangboha-tang extract has been known to improve pulmonary functions and quality of life within four weeks of treatment. Cessation of treatment causes recurrence of symptoms and regression of pulmonary function and poorer quality of life. Long-term herbal therapy is difficult to maintain due to economic burden and other reasons. AF-365 is made with reduced dosage of Gamichungsangboha-tang extract. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of AF-365 for maintenance therapy. Materials and Methods : The subjects consisted of 27 patients with asthma who had beed treated with AF-365 for four weeks. First, patients were treated with Gamichungsangboha-tang extract for four weeks. Second patients stopped herbal medicine for four weeks and after that they took AF-365. Pulmonary function test(PFT) was checked before and after four weeks of treatment. Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics(QLQAKA) was checked every two weeks from the beginning. The effects of AF-365 were analysed throughout the last four weeks. Results : Treatment of AF-365 for four weeks resulted in significant increase in PEFR%, QLQAKA. The QLQAKA of the step3, step4 group classified by Global initiative for asthma(GINA) showed significant improvement, and the QLQAKA of the step2 group showed no significant difference. In step3 group, PEFR% increased significantly. Conclusions : This study supports a role for AF-365 in maintenance of pulmonary function and quality of life, especially in persistent symptomatic asthmatics.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.222-226
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• 2014

Background: Focusing on the respiratory function for health effect indices, we conducted a cross-sectional study on workers who did and did not handle toner to compare the longitudinal changes. Methods: Among 116 individuals who worked for a Japanese business equipment manufacturer and participated in the study, the analysis included 69 male workers who we were able to follow up for 4 years. We categorized the 40 workers engaged in toner-handling work as the exposed group and the 29 workers not engaged in these tasks as the referent group, and compared their respiratory function test results: peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), vital capacity (VC), predicted vital capacity (%VC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$), and forced expiratory volume in 1 second as a percent of forced vital capacity ($FEV_1%$). Results: The cross-sectional study of the respiratory function test results at the baseline and at the $5^{th}$ year showed no statistically significant differences in PEFR, VC, %VC, $FEV_1$, and $FEV_1%$ between the exposed and referent workers. Also, respiratory function time-course for 4 years was calculated and compared between the groups. No statistically significant differences were shown. Conclusion: Our study does not suggest any toner exposure effects on respiratory function. However, the number of subjects was small in our study; studies of larger populations will be desired in the future.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.498-506
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• 2005

Background : This study compared the bronchodilator efficacy and safety of tiotropium inhalation capsules ($18{\mu}g$ once daily) with a ipratropium metered dose inhaler (2 puffs of $20{\mu}g$ q.i.d.) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Method : After the initial screening assessment and a two-week run-in period, patients received either tiotropium $18{\mu}g$ once daily or ipratropium $40{\mu}g$ four times daily over a period of 4 weeks in a double blind, double dummy, parallel group study. The outcome measures were the lung function, the daily records of the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), the patients' questionnaire, and the use of concomitant salbutamol. The forced expiratory volume in one second ($FEV_1$) and the forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured 5 minutes before inhalation, and 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 hours after inhaling the study drug on days 0, 14 and 28. Result : In 16 centers, 134 patients with a mean (SD) age of 66 (7) years and a predicted $FEV_1$ of 42 (12)% were analyzed. The trough $FEV_1$ response was significantly higher in the tiotropium group than in the ipratropium group after a four-week treatment period. The weekly mean morning PEFR of the tiotropium group was consistently higher than that of the ipratropium group during the 4-week treatment period with differences ranging from 12.52 to 13.88 l/min, which were statistically significant. Tiotropium was well tolerated by the COPD patients during the 4-week treatment period and had a similar safety profile to ipratropium. Conclusion : This study shows that tiotropium administrated once daily has a superior bronchodilator effect with a similar safety profile in treating COPD patients compared with ipratropium, inhaled four times daily.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.202-212
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of an education program for patients with asthma who use inhalers. Methods: The research design for this study was a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental study. Participants in this study were 36 patients for the control group, and 43 patients for the experimental group. The experimental group participated in the education program. The control group received the usual care. Data were collected before and 1 month and 2 months after the program finished and were analyzed using the SPSS 12.0 program. Results: The experimental group had significantly higher scores of knowledge of inhalers, and inhalation technique compared to the control group. However, no significant differences were found between two groups for PEFR, asthma instability, and satisfaction with inhalers. Conclusion: According to the results, the education program was effective in improving knowledge of inhalers, and inhalation technique. Therefore, it is recommended that this education program be used in clinical practice as an effective nursing intervention for patients with asthma on inhalers.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.131-141
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• 2001

Objectives : Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which the airway smooth muscle undergoes exaggerated constriction and is abnormally responsive to external stimuli and clinically manifests dyspnea, cough, and wheezing. Recently in Korea, the number of asthma patients has tended to increase as air pollution increases and new allergens appear. This study aimed to identify the therapeutic effects of Sochongryong-tang, which has been used on asthmatic patients in Oriental Medicine for a long time. Methods : We studied 10 asthmatic patients who had visited the Division of Respiratory System, Department of Internal Medicine of Kyunghee Oriental Medical Center from February 1, 2001 to June 30, 2001, which examined the patients by the pulmonary function test (PFT) and Quality of Life Questionnaire for adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA) before and after taking Sochongryong-tang for two weeks. The data was analyzed using paired t-test. Results : After treatment with Sochongryong-tang for two weeks, FEV 1.0 showed a significant increase of 14.2%, FVC a significant increase of 9.3% and PEFR a significant increase of 16.2% in results of patients examined asthmatic by PFT. In the results of QLQAKA, the mean of scores increased significantly over 0.5 points in total score, symptom domain, emotion domain, and environmental domain. Conclusions : This study shows that Sochongryong-tang has the effect of improvements of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.151-160
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• 2002

Background: Nowadays asthma is considered to be an inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Production of cytokines by bronchial epithelial cells may contribution to the local accumulation of inflammatory cells in patients with bronchial asthma. In many recent studies molecular biological methods have been used to investigate the role of cytokines in pathogenesis and new therapeutic targets of asthma. Objectives: We aimed to identify the clinical effects of Chuongsangboha-tang and the effects of Chuongsangboha-tang on serum cytokines in asthmatic patients. Materials and Methods: The subjects consisted of 36 patients with asthma who had been treated with Chuongsangboha-tang for four weeks. Chuongsangboha-tang is an herbal decoction which has been used of the traditional therapeutic agent of asthma. PFT, Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA), blood eosinophil, serum IgE, Serum IL-4, IL-5, IFN- were checked before and 4 weeks after treatments. Results: Treatment with Chuongsangboha-tang for four weeks resulted in significant increase in FEV1.0%, PEFR%, QLQAKA. The blood eosinophil, serum IgE, IL-4 and IL-5 in asthmatic patients increased significantly compared to the normal control group, while the serum IFN-decreased significantly. Conclusions: This study shows that Chuongsangboha-tang has effects on improvement of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients. Obviously, further research concerning this is still necessary.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.155-164
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• 2003

Objective : Recently questionnaires that reflect the quality of life (QOL) in asthma patients were developed. We aimed to identify the clinical effects of Gamipaima-tang and the side effects of Gamipaimo-tang in asthmatic patients. Materials and Methods : The subjects are consisted of 34 patients with asthma who had been treated with Gamipaimo-tang for four weeks. Gamipaima-tang is an herbal decoction which has been used as a traditional therapeutic agent for asthma. Pulmonary function test (PFT) was checked before and after 4-week treatments. Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA) was checked before and after 2 weeks and 4 weeks of treatment. Results : Treatment with Gamipaima-tang for four weeks resulted in significant increase in FVC%, $FEV_{1.0}%$, PEFR%, and QLQAKA. The total efficacy rate in the patient group was 52.9% after 4 weeks. The total efficacy rate of the step 4 group (n=18, 55.6%) classified by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) was higher than that of the step 3 group (n=13, 46.2%) classified by GINA. Conclusion : This study shows that Gamipaima-tang has the effects of improvement of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients. Obviously further research concerning this is still necessary.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.507-521
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• 2010

Training for asthma patients by professionals has been highly emphasized for patients' self-management. In the present study, three standardized training sessions targeting hospital pharmacists were performed. On the basis of the number of training sessions taken, a non-educated group (CG), an once-educated group (NG), and a twice more-educated group (IG) were allocated. The most frequent errors of using an inhalant were shaking before the use in MDI while taking breathe out before inhaling in the case of DPI, and the total average number of errors were the biggest for CG and the smallest in IG. On comparison in the number of the four symptoms of asthma according to the level of seriousness, it was revealed that the total average number was the biggest in CG and the smallest in IG. In the level of awareness regarding the contents of training for patients, patients over 50 tended to answer that they were aware of education contents, and particularly in mouth rinsing and the use before/after a meal, significant similarity was examined. Regular asthma patient training performed by hospital pharmacists appeared to reduce errors in the inhaler usage, increase the quality of life of an patient, and help a patient remember the contents of the training. Especially among patients over 50, it was found to be more effective and retraining of more than two sessions was requisite.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.184-191
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• 2003

Background : Nowadays asthma is considered to be an inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Production of cytokines by bronchial epithelial cells may contribution to the local accumulation of inflammatory cells in patients with bronchial asthma. Chungsangboha-tang is the herbal treatment of choice in persistent asthma patients. It has been recognized that cessation of treatment with Chungsangboha-tang evokes a recurrence of symptoms in patients with controlled asthma. This study was designed to evaluate the long-term effect of Chungsangboha-tang. Materials and Methods : The subjects consisted of 24 patients with asthma who had been treated with Chungsangboha-tang for four weeks. Chungsangboha-tang is an herbal decoction which has been used as the traditional therapeutic agent for asthma. PFT, QLQAKA, blood eosinophils, serum IgE, Serum IL-4, IL-5, $IFN-{\gamma}$ were checked before treatment, before withdrawal and 3 months after cessation of treatment with Chungsangboha-tang. Results : Treatment with Chungsangboha-tang for four weeks resulted in significant increase in FEV1.0%, PEFR%, and QLQAKA. The patients were treated with Chungsangboha-tang for four weeks with no significant difference in the blood eosinophils, serum IgE, IL-4 and IL-5. The serum $IFN-{\gamma}$ in asthmatic patients decreased significantly after 4 weeks of treatment. Discontinuation of treatment with Chungsangboha-tang resulted in significant drops in QLQAKA. Others measures in asthmatic patients 3 months after discontinuation of treatment with Chungsangboha-tang showed no significant difference. Conclusion : This study demonstrates that asthma can be exacerbated by discontinuation of treatment with Chungsangboha-tang in patients with asthma. Obviously further research concerning this is still necessary.