• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.39-49
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• 2022

Objectives This research aimed to investigate recent clinical treatment of herbal medicine fumigation for plantar fasciitis. Methods We searched recent clinical studies regarding herbal medicine fumigation in traditional Chinese medical journals on plantar fasciitis through the China Academic Journal (CAJ). Clinical articles published from 2012 to July 2022 were analyzed. This study examined the types of study, periods, herbal medicine, assessment, and risk of bias and conducted a comparative evaluation of herbal medicine fumigation added to other treatments. Results Ten studies were selected from 52 studies. Eight studies were classified as randomized controlled trial. Various assessment scales were used. Most treatments were administered for approximately 20 to 30 min once daily. Most studies revealed that herbal medicine fumigation is effective for plantar fasciitis. Conclusions Most studies showed that herbal medicine fumigation is effective for plantar fasciitis. More studies are needed for Korean medicine development.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.225-250
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• 2022

This study aims to examine the effects of infant's social development forest experience activities through meta-analysis. The final nine studies(total of 165 in the experimental group and 159 in the control group) were selected as a method of systematic review. Meta-analysis on overall effect size estimation, chi-square test, significance analysis, publication bias analysis, and subgroup analysis was performed using the R program. The overall effect size of 9 studies was 1.59, indicating a large effect size. As a result of subgroup analysis of the sub-factors of sociality, autonomy showed the largest effect size at 1.47, the adjusted effect size of cooperation was 1.34, the effect size adjusted for peer interaction was 1.29, and the adjusted effect size for perspective-taking ability was 0.97. All were found to have a statistically significant effect. To analyze the moderating effect, a meta-regression analysis was conducted on the participation period(4, 5~6, 7~8weeks), the number of sessions(6~10, 11~15, 16~20), the frequency per week(1, 2, 5), and the participation time(40, 60, 90, 120, 150min), but there was no statistical difference. Although not statistically significant, the effect size was larger when the participation period was 4 weeks, the number of sessions was 16 to 20, the frequency was 2 times per week, and the participation time was 40 minutes. This results can be usefully utilized by policy makers and forest commentators related to the vitalization of forest education through forest experience activities.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.603-620
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• 2023

Objectives: This study reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy of herbal medicine on sleep disorders associated with Parkinson's disease and suggests a better research process. Methods: We searched for RCTs for herbal medicine treatments for sleep disorders related to Parkinson's disease on July 31, 2023 using eight databases (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], the Research Information Service System [RISS], Science ON, the Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS], and the Korea Citation Index [KCI]). Cochrane's risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the RCTs. Results: A total of 16 RCTs met all the inclusion criteria, and in most reports, the treatment group showed a significant improvement in sleep disorders compared to the control group. Total effective rate (TER), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), TCM Symptom Score (TSS), Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS), etc., were used as evaluation indicators. Conclusion: Herbal medicine is a potential treatment for sleep disorders associated with Parkinson's disease. However, the selected RCTs were of poor quality, and it is necessary to perform more systematic studies.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.403-420
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• 2023

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of herbal medicine for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) based on recent clinical studies. Methods: Studies were searched through four databases. Clinical research studies on herbal medicine treatment for GAD patients were included. The studies were analyzed according to study design, diagnostic criteria, population, and intervention. A risk of bias assessment was performed to assess the quality of the included randomized controlled trials (RCT). If the intervention applied to the treatment and control groups was the same and two or more studies were reporting the same items as outcome indicators, a meta-analysis was performed. Results: A total of 19 studies, including 12 RCTs were selected. The most common pattern identification was 'Phlegm fire disturbing upward' (痰熱上擾), and the most used herb for therapeutic purposes was 'Rhizome of Poria cocos' (茯苓). Meta-analysis results of three studies showed that there were no significant differences in effectiveness between the herbal medicine intervention and the Western medicine intervention. Meta-analysis results of five studies showed that the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale was significantly reduced in the case of herbal medicine intervention compared to Western medicine intervention. Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrated that herbal medicine treatment for GAD is effective in alleviating anxiety symptoms and chief symptoms of GAD. However, this study has several limitations; there was a lack of placebo-controlled RCT and an absence of objective diagnostic criteria in case reports. Therefore, further well-designed clinical studies, conducted based on the results of this study, are recommended.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.77-87
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• 2024

In this paper, we propose a study applying the Delphi technique to domestic blockchain experts to determine urgent and pivotal conditions for NFT proliferation. We examine these conditions from a PEST (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological Analysis of the Macro Environment) perspective, as well as the functions of digital assets (measurement, storage, and exchange). Through two rounds of expert surveys on the seven NFT perspectives, we identify 6 activating factors that can help guide future policy-making for the NFT market. These factors have broad implications for the development of new industries using blockchain technology and tokens. The Delphi method employed in this study is a group discussion technique that gathers opinions from experts anonymously through two rounds and to address drawbacks related to expert selection bias and opinion alignment, additional opinion collection and review of projections were conducted in each round.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2024

Purpose : This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of laser acupuncture for each condition using information from laser acupuncture trials registered on clinicaltrials.gov from January 2013 to June 2023. Methods : We quantitatively and qualitatively analysed the results of 16 clinical trials of laser acupuncture whose research results were confirmed. A risk of bias assessment was also carried out to assess the quality of each clinical trial. Results : A meta-analysis including three clinical trials was conducted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of laser acupuncture and sham laser acupuncture in reducing pain and found that the laser acupuncture group had a statistically significant reduction in pain compared with the sham laser acupuncture group. In addition, 11 of the 13 trials not included in the meta-analysis showed a positive effect of laser acupuncture. Conclusion : Although laser acupuncture has a long history of clinical use and a lot of research, there is still some scepticism due to the lack of a clear mechanism of action and inconsistent reports of clinical effectiveness. In addition, there is a significant lack of systematic reviews of clinical evidence for major disease specific, and ongoing research is needed to establish an objective evidence base for the clinical effectiveness of laser acupuncture.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1197-1211
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• 2023

Objectives: This study presents evidence by analyzing the research trends in acupuncture treatment for cluster headache in the last 10 years. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about acupuncture for cluster headache were searched from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, ScienceON, Korean Studies Information Service System, and Research Information Sharing Service. The search terms were the combinations of "cluster headache", "acupuncture", and "needle therapy", and the articles were restricted to those published between 2013 and 2023. Only RCTs were selected. The risk of bias (RoB) was assessed according to the revised Cochrane RoB2 criteria. Results: Six RCTs were selected and analyzed in this review. All selected studies were conducted in China. All RCTs comprised 628 participants. Manual acupuncture was used in all studies. Acupuncture targeting the sphenopalatine ganglion was performed in two papers published after 2020. ST8, Ex-HIN3, and GB14 were the most frequently used acupoints in acupuncture treatment. The most commonly used indicators for evaluation were headache attack frequency, clinical efficacy, and the visual analog scale. In each study, adding acupuncture treatment to conventional therapy had significant effects in relieving the symptoms of cluster headaches. Conclusion: The results suggest that acupuncture is an effective treatment for cluster headache. To ensure objective evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in cluster headache, it is important to continue large-scale case reports and RCTs.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

Background: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monograph conducted a systematic review of the relationship between asbestos and ovarian cancer. However, there may have been information bias due to the undue weight given to few articles. To address this limitation, the present study performed a meta-analysis integrating studies published both before and after the 2012 IARC Monograph on Asbestos, with the aim of investigating the association between asbestos exposure and ovarian cancer. Methods: A comprehensive search of major journal databases was conducted to identify studies examining the relationship between asbestos exposure and ovarian cancer, including those featured in the 2012 IARC Monograph on Asbestos. A meta-analysis on asbestos exposure and cancer risk was performed. Results: The meta-analysis of studies published after the 2012 IARC Monograph on Asbestos found a summary Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) of 2.04 (95% CI: 1.03-4.05; p = 0.0123; 5 studies), with a significant degree of heterogeneity among the studies (I² = 72.99%). The combined analysis of 15 studies before and after the 2012 IARC Monograph showed an overall summary SMR of 1.72 (95% CI: 1.43-2.06; p = 0.0349; 15 studies), with a moderate degree of heterogeneity (I² = 42.99%). Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides evidence of a significant association between asbestos exposure and ovarian cancer mortality. While the possibility of misdiagnosis in earlier studies cannot be completely ruled out, recent findings suggest a robust correlation between asbestos exposure and ovarian cancer. This highlights the importance of sustained efforts to minimize asbestos exposure and protect public health.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.713-722
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• 2024

This study highlights the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology on journalism, discussing its utility and addressing major ethical concerns. Broadcasting companies and media institutions, such as the Bloomberg, Guardian, WSJ, WP, NYT, globally are utilizing AI for innovation in news production, data analysis, and content generation. Accordingly, the ecosystem of AI journalism will be analyzed in terms of scale, economic feasibility, diversity, and value enhancement of major media AI service types. Through the previous literature review, this study identifies key ethical and social issues in AI journalism as well. It aims to bridge societal and technological concerns by exploring mutual development directions for AI technology and the media industry. Additionally, it advocates for the necessity of integrated guidelines and advanced AI literacy through social consensus in addressing these issues.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2024

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines has been a remarkable advancement. However, the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of these vaccines in individuals with liver cirrhosis require careful evaluation due to their compromised immune status and potential interactions with underlying liver disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in liver cirrhosis patients. In the present study, we searched international databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science. The search strategy was carried out by using keywords and MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms. STATA ver. 15.0 (Stata Corp., USA) was used to analyze the data statistically. The analysis was performed using the randomeffects model. We also used the chi-square test and I² index to calculate heterogeneity among studies. For evaluating publication bias, Begg's funnel plots and Egger's tests were used. A total of 4,831 liver cirrhosis patients with COVID-19 were examined from 11 studies. The rate of hospitalization in the patients with liver cirrhosis was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9%-44%). The rate of fever in the patients with liver cirrhosis was 4.5% (95% CI, 0.9%-8.1%). The rate of positive neutralizing antibodies in the patients with liver cirrhosis was 82.5% (95% CI, 69.8%-95.1%). Also, the rates of seroconversion after the second vaccination in patients with liver cirrhosis and the control group were 96.6% (95% CI, 92.0%-99.0%), and 99.7% (95% CI, 99.0%-100.0%), respectively. COVID-19 vaccines have demonstrated promising efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety profiles in individuals with liver cirrhosis, providing crucial protection against COVID-19-related complications.