• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.211-219
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• 2019

This review analyzed randomized controlled trials and case reports to identify the effectiveness, and level of evidence showing that acupuncture treatment aids the recovery of patients with tennis elbow. A literature search was performed between $1^{st}$ to $10^{th}$ September, 2019 which used PubMed, the Cochrane library, the Korean databases Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean Studies Information Service System to retrieve Korean and international studies. Amongst the 243 articles retrieved there were 9 randomized controlled trials and 18 case reports. The level of evidence for the recovery of patients with tennis elbow, for efficacy and safety of acupuncture was low. It was observed that the studies had a high risk of bias, missing acupuncture details, multiple combinations of treatments rather than a single treatment, insufficient indicators of assessment, and lacked robustness. Compliance with international standards such as using consolidated standards of reporting trials, will improve the quality of evidence.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.425-451
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• 2022

Objectives: To review trends of clinical trials on Korean medicine treatments for postoperative sleep improvement. Methods: We searched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on Korean medicine treatments for postoperative sleep improvement from ten domestic and foreign databases. Sample sizes, diseases, types of operation, diagnosis tools, pattern identification, interventions, outcome measurements, and main results of included studies were extracted and analyzed. Results: A total of 20 RCTs were selected. Most studies were published in China. The most common target disease was cancer, followed by cardiovascular disease. Most studies lacked detailed description regarding participants such as onset, duration of sleep disturbance, and preoperative sleep issues. Herbal medicine was the most frequently used in 12 studies. The most commonly used prescription was Suanzaoren decoction. The effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment on improving postoperative sleep was found to be significant in most studies. Conclusions: Korean medicine treatments might be effective in postoperative sleep improvement. However, the quality of included studies was low. Therefore, further well-designed research studies are needed to provide high quality clinical evidence on Korean medicine treatments for postoperative sleep improvement.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.75-101
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• 2021

Objectives: ncluding stroke. The aim of this study was to systematically review the clinical evidence of CT for stroke. Methods: To identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the effectiveness and/or safety of CT, seven databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for articles published from January 2000 to February 2021 without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software and the results were presented as mean difference (MD) or standard mean difference (SMD) for continuous variables and odds ratio (OR) for diverse variables with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Assessment of the methodological quality of the eligible trials was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for risk of bias in RCTs. Results: Twenty-two RCTs with 1653 participants were included in the final analysis. CT provided additional benefit in improving upper limb motor function (Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper limb motor function, MD 6.91, 95% CI 4.64 to 1.67, P<0.00001) and spasticity (response rate, OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.31 to 8.22, P=0.08) in stroke survivors receiving conventional medical treatment. These findings were supported with a moderate level of evidence. CT did not significantly increase the occurrence of adverse events. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the potential of CT to be beneficial in managing a variety of complications in stroke survivors. However, to compensate for the shortcomings of the existing evidence, rigorously designed large-scale RCTs are warranted in the future.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.51-61
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• 2016

Background : Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse effect in cancer patients who were exposed to chemotherapy. CIPN impacts on the quality of life and could delay chemotherapy. The aim of this review was to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of herbal medicine in CIPN patients. Methods : Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this review. We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane database, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang and four Korean databases without restrictions on time or language. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results : Eleven RCTs involving 706 patients met the inclusion criteria. Eleven different herbal medicines were examined in the included trials. Almost RCTs showed insufficiency in the reporting randomization method and allocation concealment. One trial used allocation concealment and a double-blinding method. Five studies reported that participants dropped out of RCTs and conducted an 'as-treated analysis'. One trials reported adverse effects of herbal medicine. In ten of the eleven trials, the use of herbal medicine had shown significant differences in clinical symptoms or nerve conduction velocity. Conclusions : The use of herbal medicines for CIPN showed significant improvements in the management of CIPN. However, conclusions cannot be drawn because of the generally low quality of methodology and low quantity of data for each single herbal medicine. Further rigorous trials are needed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.209-216
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• 2007

Objectives : To review and summarize the existing evidence on acupuncture treatment for cancer and cancer related symptoms. Methods: Literature searches were made through domestic and international databases. Data were extracted according to pre-defined criteria. The methodological quality was assessed using the Modified Jadad scale. Results: Seven studies were included. Two of the studies were high in methodological quality. One study concerning acupuncture treatment for cancerous dyspnea reported insignificant differences between the treatment group and placebo group. The other study concerning auricular acupuncture for cancer related pain showed significant pain relief compared with the control group. All the other studies were non-blinded or uncontrolled trials. Conclusion : The hypothesis that acupuncture may be effective for the treatment of cancer is not supported by the data in recent clinical trials. More accurately designed randomized control trials (RCT) are needed.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.1-19
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the research trends of randomized controlled trials on Traditional Korean Medicine treatment for postpartum depression in women. Methods: In order to investigate the effect of Traditional Korean Medicine on postpartum depression, randomized controlled trials on postpartum depression were searched using domestic and foreign search engines and a total of 11 studies were selected. Results: 1. There were 6 studies comparing Traditional Korean Medicine treatment methods with western medicine: fluoxetine hydrochloride (4), paroxetine (1), and mirazapine (1). 2. There were 5 studies comparing methods of Traditional Korean Medicine or sham acupuncture: 1 study evaluated the efficacy of Balance Acupuncture and Guipi Decoction, 1 study compared the effects of conventional acupuncture and Dispersing Liver Regulating Spirit Acupuncture, 1 study evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture and Heat-sensitive Moxibustion, 1 study compared the effects of conventional acupuncture and Musical Electroacupuncture, and 1 study compared the effects of conventional acupuncture and non-invasive sham acupuncture. 3. Postpartum depression is closely related to Heart and Liver, and there were many studies using acupoints Taichong (LR3) and Shenmen (HE7). Cranial acupoints Baihui (DU20) and Yintang (EX-HN3) were also frequently used. 4. Xiaoyaosan and Guipi Decoction were used in herbal medicine treatment for postpartum depression. 5. Novel treatment methods such as Heat-sensitive Moxibustion and Musical Electroacupuncture were used to treat postpartum depression. Conclusion: Traditional Korean Medicine treatment is a good treatment option for postpartum depression. Further systematic studies are needed to establish the basis for Traditional Korean Medicine treatment for postpartum depression.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.29-38
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• 2011

Objectives : Recent well-designed randomized controlled trials(RCTs) and their meta-analysis have been published on the efficacy of acupuncture in different condition. In most of them, real acupuncture is compared with sham acupuncture including invasive and non-invasive sham methods. But it is not clear how active sham methods are. These results tend to lead the conclusion that acupuncture has no more effective than sham acupuncture. In order to investigate that sham acupuncture is appropriate as a control, we reviewed several acupuncture trials using different sham acupuncture as a control. Methods : We searched Cochrane researches of acupuncture, reviewed and analyzed 25 RCTs in 42 Cochrane reviews. And especially we compared the effect of acupuncture according to the type of sham acupuncture. Results : Invasive sham acupunctures are used in 12 RCTs and non-invasive types are used in the rest. The majority of studies(19 RCTs) fail to show effects beyond a sham acupuncture. Streitberger's sham needle is a validated sham acupuncture of non-invasive type that was used in 8 trials and also no significant group differences are shown except one trial. Conclusions : Acupuncture is a complex intervention. Clinical trials of acupuncture need to be reexamined and redesigned to remove several bias. Especially, sham acupuncture as a control might be investigated for physiological effects as well as validation test including patient-blinding and de qi sensation. Other research need to be investigated and developed for acupuncture trials.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.97-110
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• 2015

Objectives Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Plantar fasciitis can be managed with acupuncture, but the evidence for its effectiveness is uncertain. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for plantar fasciitis. Methods I searched specific Korean and foreign electronic databases (KCI, RISS, NDSL, OASIS, KTKP, National Assembly Library, KMbase, PubMed, The Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure). The key search terms were 'heel pain', 'plantar fasciitis' and 'acupuncture'. Twenty-seven trials were included; eleven case reports, fourteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and two non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs). Results Twenty-seven studies reported that acupuncture treatment reduced plantar fasciitis pain. However, the evidence provided by the case reports was regarded as weak because the methodological quality was poor, and the placebo effect of acupuncture was not accounted for in the RCTs and NRCTs. Overall, the methodological quality of the RCTs and NRCTs was weak. Conclusions There is some evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for plantar fasciitis. However, in order to reinforce the evidence for acupuncture's effectiveness, additional placebo-controlled trials with well-designed methodologies are required.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.269-275
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• 2014

Recently, there are lots methodologies to improve the quality of research in medical and public health fields. One of them is to checking a process of research with a reporting guideline before reporting paper. Especially, reporting guideline for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is the consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORT). Therefore, this review describes the latest version of the CONSORT statement, CONSORT 2010, including intent, background, and contents of this. The CONSORT statement comprises a checklist of essential items that should be included in reports of RCTs and a diagram for documenting the flow of participants through a trial. This report guideline aims at providing guidance to authors about how to improve the reporting of their trials. As consulting the CONSORT, authors could be strictly reported about research methods and results. From this review, we expect to elevate the quality of such research about dental hygiene and to establish the foundation for evidence-based dental hygiene.