• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.13-25
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• 2022

Objective This study aimed to analyze randomized controlled trials of the effect of acupuncture on Tourette syndrome and to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. Methods Based on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Pubmed search with the key search terms of 'Tourette syndrome, acupuncture', dated from 2000 to 2021, ten randomized controlled trials were identified and analyzed for this study. Results 1. The most commonly used acupoints were Taechung (LR3), Sinmun (HT7), Hapgok (LI4), Pungji (GB20) and Backhoe (GV20). 2. The most commonly used meridians were Bladder Meridian, Stomach Meridian and Gallbladder Meridian. 3. Acupuncture treatment was found to be significantly more or equally effective than western medicine such as haloperidol and tiapride. Conclusions Based on the results of the randomized controlled trials analyzed in this study, acupuncture was found to be effective in the treatment of Tourette syndrome. However, more clinical studies are needed to prove the effectiveness of acupuncture in Tourette syndrome.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.125-138
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to review previous literature to determine the effects of nature-based program for workers. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency's guidance for undertaking systematic reviews for intervention. Literature search was performed using National Assembly Digital Library, Korean Studies Information Service System, and Korea Education & Research Information Service for literature published until March 2019. The participants were full-time workers, and intervention of nature-based programs was conducted in the outdoor, indoor, and indirect nature contact exposures, with comparators in the control group who did not receive the treatment. The results showed that the programs were effective in physical, psychological, and social health. The methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCT) was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias(RoB) tool, while non-randomized controlled trials (N-RCT) were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of bias assessment tool for non-randomized studuies (RoBANS). A total of 16 studies were selected for assessment: two RCTs, 10 N-RCTs, and four one-group pretest-posttest designs. Most interventions were provided at the workplace and in the community. There were many kinds of nature-based interventions, and forest therapy and horticultural therapy programs were most common. Various interventions for workers effectively improved job stress, depression, serum cortisol and stress-response. However, the included studies lacked methodological rigor. Future research is needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of nature-based programs for workers using rigorous research designs.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.63-74
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• 2022

Objective This study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of Tuina therapy for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) through a randomized controlled clinical study in China. Methods We used the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) as a resource and conducted a search using key words: 'ADHD', '推拿'. Six randomized control studies were identified and analyzed in this study. Results 1. The Tuina treatment group showed significant changes compared to the control group. 2. The most commonly used meridians were Spleen meridian (脾經穴), Liver meridian (肝經穴), Errenshangma (二人上馬穴), Xiaotianxin (小天心), Qinghetianshu (清河天水), Kidney meridian (腎經穴). Conclusions The results of this study showed that Tuina therapy is effective for ADHD patients with ADHD. It can be used for future research on Tuina therapy for ADHD.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 2023

Objectives To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture for facet joint syndrome. Methods We conducted search across 9 electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL (CENTRAL), KoreaMed, Kmbase, Koreanstudies Information Service System (KISS), ScienceOn, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang) to find clinical trials that used acupuncture as treatment for facet joint syndrome. The methodological quality of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool, while non-randomized controlled clinical trials (nRCTs) were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Study (RoBANS) tool. Results Nine RCTs and one nRCT met our inclusion criteria. Fire needle was more effective than medial branch block in terms of visual analogue scale (VAS) after 1 month (p=0.02). Also, Fire needle was more effective than Ibuprofen in terms of VAS and oswestry disability index (ODI) (p<0.05). However, in the rest of the study results, the intervention group did not show a statistically significant difference than the control group. Conclusions Although our review found encouraging but limited evidence of acupuncture for facet joint syndrome, most of the studies included in the analysis were evaluated as methodologically high risk of bias. From now on further well-designed RCTs should be encouraged.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2023

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) and injection therapy through qualitative and quantitative analysis by synthesizing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted on patients with various shoulder diseases. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Methods: This review conducted a literature search through international electronic databases in January 2023 to compare the effects of ESWT and injection therapy. Qualitative analysis was performed as a risk of bias tool, and quantitative analysis was synthesized with a random effect model to show the effect size as a standardized mean difference (SMD). Results: Five RCTs involving 298 individuals with shoulder disorders were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. ESWT showed a moderate effect on pain (SMD=-0.44; 95% CI, -0.95 to 0.06) and a large effect on shoulder function (SMD =-0.81; 95% CI, -1.70 to 0.07) than injection therapy. A significant difference was found in the shoulder range of motion, showing a large effect size (SMD=1.50; 95% CI, 0.58 to 2.43). Conclusions: When considering treatment options for the management of patients complaining of shoulder disorders, it is appropriate to recommend ESWT first rather than injection therapy to increase the range of motion of the joint. In addition, ESWT is safe for pain control and shoulder function improvement, and a positive prognosis could be expected.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.471-477
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• 2022

Objective: The greatest motor impairment after stroke is a decreased ability to walk. Most stroke patients achieve independent gait, but approximately 70% do not reach normal speed, making it difficult to reach a standard of daily living. Therefore, a wearable exoskeleton is recommended for optimal independent gait because different residual disorders hinder motor function after stroke. This review synthesized the effect on gait speed in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which gait training using a wearable exoskeleton was performed on post-stroke patients for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of a randomized controlled trials Methods: RCTs using wearable exoskeletons in robotic rehabilitation of post-stroke patients were extracted from an international electronic database. For quality assessment and quantitative analysis, RevMan 5.4 was used. Quantitative analysis was calculated as the standardized mean difference (SMD) and presented as a random effect model. Results: Five studies involving 197 post-stroke patients were included in this review. As a result of the analysis using a random effect model, gait training using a wearable exoskeleton in post-stroke patients showed a significant improvement in gait speed compared to the non-wearing exoskeleton (SMD=1.15, 95% confidence interval: 0.52 to 1.78). Conclusions: This study concluded that a wearable exoskeleton was more effective than conventional gait training in improving the gait speed in post-stroke patients.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.12-27
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• 2023

Objective This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of the tuina treatment for congenital muscular torticollis based on randomized controlled clinical studies in China. Methods The China National Knowledge Infrastructure was the main source of data. Using the keywords "tuina", "chuna", "推拿", and "斜颈", 12 randomized controlled clinical studies were identified and analyzed. Results Compared with the control group, the tuina treatment group showed statistically significant changes with respect to the therapeutic effect. Conclusions This study suggests that tuina treatment is effective for congenital muscular torticollis patients and provides evidence for further studies on oriental medicine treatments, including tuina for congenital muscular torticollis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.57-71
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• 2023

In this study, we analyze a finite-buffer M/G/1 queueing model with randomized pushout space priority and nonpreemptive time priority. Space and time priority queueing models have been extensively studied to analyze the performance of communication systems serving different types of traffic simultaneously: one type is sensitive to packet delay, and the other is sensitive to packet loss. However, these models have limitations. Some models assume that packet transmission times follow exponential distributions, which is not always realistic. Other models use general distributions for packet transmission times, but their space priority rules are too rigid, making it difficult to fine-tune service performance for different types of traffic. Our proposed model addresses these limitations and is more suitable for analyzing communication systems that handle different types of traffic with general packet length distributions. For the proposed queueing model, we first derive the distribution of the number of packets in the system when the transmission of each packet is completed, and we then obtain packet loss probabilities and the expected number of packets for each type of traffic. We also present a numerical example to explore the effect of a system parameter, the pushout probability, on system performance for different packet transmission time distributions.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 2023

Objective: A previous study reported that cardiovascular training (CT) decreased interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine with bidirectional effects. However, because of conflicting results of increasing and decreasing IL-6 levels in stroke patients, it is essential to clarify the effects of CT on IL-6 levels in this population. Therefore, this review aimed to investigate the effects of CT on IL-6 levels in stroke patients through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), synthesizing and analyzing the effects qualitatively and quantitatively. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods: In this review, conducted in April 2023, electronic databases (Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, Google Scholar) were searched to ascertain the effects of CT on IL-6 levels in stroke patients. For qualitative evaluation, ReVMan, provided by the Cochrane Group, was used, and for quantitative evaluation, a random-effects model and SMD (Standardized Mean Difference) were used. Results: Three RCTs measured IL-6 in 117 patients with stroke. The experimental group to which CT was applied showed no significant change compared to the control group.The result of analysis using the random effect model is SMD=-0.23; 95% confidence interval, -0.66 to 0.20. Conclusions: CT does not affect IL-6 levels in stroke patients. These results suggest that CT can be applied regardless of its positive or negative effect on IL-6 levels in stroke patients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.145-155
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• 2023

Objectives : The aim of this study is to review the effect of acupuncture/moxibustion on vitiligo. Methods : Using 5 databases(Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, RISS, OASIS) clinical studies about effect of acupuncture/moxibustion on vitiligo were searched. Only randomized controlled trials(RCTs) were selected to analyze. Results : Total 235 studies were searched. After screening those studies 5 studies were selected from china and Iran. 3 studies used effective rate to measure the effect of acupuncture for vitiligo. 1 study used Vitiligo Area Scoring Index(VASI) and 1 study assessed 4 grade of repigmentation to prove acupuncture's effect on vitiligo. All studies showed repigmentation in acupuncture/moxibustion group. Adverse effects reported in the five studies were temporary erythema, itching, and dryness. Conclusions : These findings suggest that acupuncture and moxibustion can be considered a safe treatment for vitiligo. However, due to the small number of RCTs conducted on acupuncture and moxibustion for vitiligo, more RCTs should be conducted to confirm the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion for vitiligo.