• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2022

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is defined as damage to the spinal cord that temporarily or permanently changes its function. There is no definite treatment established for neurological complete injury patients. This study investigated the effect of ginseng extract and ginsenosides on neurological recovery and antioxidant efficacies in rat models following SCI and explore the appropriate dosage. Searches were done on PubMed, Embase, and Chinese databases, and animal studies matches the inclusion criteria were selected. Pair-wise meta-analysis and subgroup analysis were performed. Ten studies were included, and the overall methodological qualities were low quality. The result showed ginseng extract and ginsenosides significantly improve neurological function, through the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale (pooled MD = 4.40; 95% CI = 3.92 to 4.88; p < 0.00001), significantly decrease malondialdehyde (MDA) (n = 290; pooled MD = -2.19; 95% CI = -3.16 to 1.22; p < 0.0001) and increase superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels (n = 290; pooled MD = 2.14; 95% CI = 1.45 to 2.83; p < 0.00001). Both low (<25 mg/kg) and high dosage (25 mg/kg) showed significant improvement in the motor function recovery in SCI rats. Collectively, this review suggests ginseng extract and ginsenosides has a protective effect on SCI, with good safety and a clear mechanism of action and may be suitable for future clinical trials and applications.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.202-208
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• 2022

Background: Neurolytic celiac plexus block (NCPB) is a typical treatment for severe epigastric cancer pain, but the therapeutic effect is often affected by the variation of local anatomical structures induced by the tumor. Greater and lesser splanchnic nerve neurolysis (SNN) had similar effects to the NCPB, and was recently performed with a paravertebral approach under the image guidance, or with the transdiscal approach under the guidance of computed tomography. This study observed the feasibility and safety of SNN via a transdiscal approach under fluoroscopic guidance. Methods: The follow-up records of 34 patients with epigastric cancer pain who underwent the splanchnic nerve block via the T11-12 transdiscal approach under fluoroscopic guidance were investigated retrospectively. The numerical rating scale (NRS), the patient satisfaction scale (PSS) and quality of life (QOL) of the patient, the dose of morphine consumed, and the occurrence and severity of adverse events were recorded preoperatively and 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months after surgery. Results: Compared with the preoperative scores, the NRS scores and daily morphine consumption decreased and the QOL and PSS scores increased at each postoperative time point (P < 0.001). No patients experienced serious complications. Conclusions: SNN via the transdiscal approach under flouroscopic guidance was an effective, safe, and easy operation for epigastric cancer pain, with fewer complications.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.220-234
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• 2022

Purpose: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has increased in recent years, and the optimal surgical strategy for AEG remains highly controversial. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction (PG-DT) for the treatment of patients with AEG. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with Siewert type II/III AEG between January 2013 and July 2018. Clinicopathological characteristics, survival, surgical outcomes, quality of life (QOL), and nutritional status were compared between the PG-DT and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis (TG-RY) groups. Results: After propensity score matching, 33 patients in each group were analyzed. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival. The surgical option was not an independent prognostic factor based on the multivariate analysis. In addition, no differences were found in terms of surgical complications. There were no significant differences in QOL assessed by the Visick grade, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, or endoscopic findings. Furthermore, the long-term nutritional advantage of the PG-DT group was significantly greater than that of the TG-RY group. Conclusions: PG-DT is a safe and effective procedure for patients with local Siewert type II/III AEG, regardless of the TNM stage.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.80 no.6
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• pp.701-709
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• 2021

The paper aims at improving the understanding and mitigating the effects of tunnel fires that may breakout due to the burning fuel and/or explosion within the tunnel. This study particularly focuses on the behavior of the commonly used horse shoe geometry of tunnel systems. The problem has been obtained using an adequate well-established program incorporating the Lagrangian approach. A transient-thermo-coupled static structural analysis is carried out. The effects of radiation and convection to the outer walls of the tunnel is studied. The paper also presents the impact of the hazard on the structural integrity of the tunnel. A methodology is proposed to study the tunnel fire using a model which uses equivalent steel sheet to represent the presence of reinforcements to improve the computational efficiency with adequate validation. A parametric study has been carried out and the effect of suitable lining property for mitigating the fire hazard is arrived at. Detailed analysis is done for the threshold limits of the properties of the lining material to check if it is acceptable in all aspects for the integrity of the tunnel. The study may prove useful for developing insights for ensuring tunnel fire safety. To conduct such studies experimentally are tremendously costly but are required to gain confidence. But, scaled models, as well as loading and testing conditions, cannot be studied by many trials experimentally as the cost will shoot up sharply. In this context, the results obtained from such computational studies with a feasible variation of various combinations of parameters may act as a set of guidelines to freeze the adequate combination of various parameters to conduct one or two costly experiments for confidence building.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.81-92
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of the study is to measure the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the fatigue of rescuers wearing PPE (Level D) during a CPR session and to ultimately provide suggestions of safety standards for rescuers. Methods: 36 subjects were enrolled in the study. The subjects were divided randomly into three groups of two-members, three-members, and four-members. Each group performed CPR for 30 minutes. Blood lactate concentration, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, chest compression depth and rate were measured before experiment and after each cycle. Results: There was a difference in the blood lactate concentration during CPR cycle by member of shifts (p=.014). The blood lactate concentration increased during CPR (p=.000). Subjective fatigue was a significant difference of chest compression in cycles 3, 4, and 5 for the member of shifts during CPR (p=.049, p=.009, p=.015). Depth and rate of chest compression were not different for the member of shifts during CPR. Conclusion: It is necessary to establish standards for the member of shifts during CPR, to reduce the fatigue of rescuers.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.252-264
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• 2023

Background: The primary aim of this study is to statistically analyze and compare the difference in treatment outcomes based on the frequency and duration of acupotomy treatment for lumbar disk herniation. Methods: The evaluation of efficacy and safety involved using visual analog scale (VAS), numeric rating scale (NRS), Roland Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), EuroQol 5-dimention (EQ-5D), and similar parameters. This was achieved through the establishment of a comparable cohort using propensity score matching. Group A comprised 46 patients who underwent 4 sessions of acupotomy treatment for 2 weeks, while Group B consisted of 15 patients who received 6 acupotomy sessions for 3 weeks. Results: For Group A, the average amount of change in VAS values at weeks 4 and 6 was significantly decreased. However, the average amount of change in RMDQ values was not significant. Notably, the average amount of change of EQ-5D values at week 6 increased significantly. As for Group B, the average amount of change of NRS values in weeks 2 and 3 was significantly decreased. Conversely, the average amount of change in RMDQ and EQ-5D values was not significant. In comparing the 2 groups at the final follow-up, the average amount of change in all evaluation values was not significant. Further, no significant interaction effect was observed in the changes over time in all evaluation values between the 2 groups. Conclusion: This study establishes that there was no statistically significant difference in pain reduction, functional impairment, and quality of life improvement between 2 group.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.132-148
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical features of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and the effectiveness and safety of Korean medicine treatment at the Public health center. Methods: The study was conducted among 11 patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome who attended a single public health center from January to December 2022. We retrospectively analyzed the charts of 11 patients and collected clinical characteristics, previous treatments, Korean medicine treatments, outcome variables (Numeral Rating Scale (NRS), Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), Visual Analog Scale (VAS)), adverse events, etc. Results: Of the 11 patients, six were women, and the average age of all patients was 68.27±12.31 years. The most common symptom were cough(n=9, 81.82%) and sore throat(n=9, 81.82%), followed by sputum, fatigue, rhinorrhea, and loss of appetite, etc. All 11 patients were treated with herbal medicine, with Samso-eum(n=6, 54.55%), Yeonkyopaedok-san(n=5, 45.45%), and Haengso-tang(n=3, 27.27%) being the most commonly used. After herbal medicine treatment, the median cough NRS decreased from 5 to 1, and the median sore throat NRS decreased from 4 to 1, both of which were statistically significant. One patient reported adverse event of dyspepsia and heartburn, but it was mild. Conclusions: The study presented the clinical features of the post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and suggested that Korean medicine treatment at public health centers may be effective and safe in alleviating associated symptoms.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.28-42
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• 2023

Objective This study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of external washing therapy for seborrheic dermatitis based on randomized controlled clinical studies in China. Methods We used the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) as a data resource and conducted a search using the following key words: "Seborrheic Dermatitis" and "外洗" Seven randomized controlled clinical studies were identified and analyzed in this study. Results 1. The external washing treatment group showed significant changes in total efficiency, relapse rates, Quality of life, and Hamilton depression rating scale, compared with the control group. 2. The most commonly used herbal medicines were Sophorae Radix (苦蔘), Thujae Orientalis Folium (側柏葉), Impatiens balsamina L. (透骨草), Phellodendri Cortex (黃柏), and Stemonae Radix (百部根). Conclusions The results indicate that external washing treatment is effective for patients with seborrheic dermatitis. Futher research on external washing treatment of seborrheic dermatitis in the future may be useful.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2023

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a noninvasive surgery, but postoperative pain is a major problem. Studies have indicated that erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has an analgesic effect after LC. We aimed to compare the efficacy of different ESPB anesthetic concentrations in pain control in patients with LC. Methods: This retrospective study included patients aged 20 to 75 years scheduled for LC with the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification I or II. ESPB was administered using 0.375% bupivacaine in group 1 and 0.25% in group 2. Both groups received general anesthesia. Postoperative tramadol consumption and pain scores were compared and intraoperative and postoperative fentanyl requirements in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) were measured. Results: Eighty-five patients were included in this analysis. Tramadol consumption in the first 12 hours, second 12 hours, and total 24 hours was similar between groups (p>0.05). The differences between postoperative numeric rating scale (NRS) scores at rest did not differ significantly. The postoperative NRS scores upon bodily movement were not statistically different between the two groups, except at 12 hours. The mean intraoperative and postoperative fentanyl requirements in the PACU were similar. The difference in the requirement for rescue analgesics was not statistically significant (p=0.788). Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided ESPB performed with different bupivacaine concentrations was effective in both groups for LC analgesia, with similar opioid consumption. A lower concentration of local anesthetic can be helpful for the safety of regional anesthesia and is recommended for the analgesic effect of ESPB in LC.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2024

In electrical power substations, bulky iron-core potential transformers (PTs) are installed in a tank of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) to measure system voltages. This paper proposed a low-power voltage transformer (LPVT) that can replace the conventional iron-core PTs in response to the demand for the digitalization of substations. The prototype LPVT consists of a capacitive voltage divider (CVD) which is embedded in a spacer and an impedance matching circuit using passive components. The CVD was fabricated with a flexible PCB to acquire enough insulation performance and withstand vibration and shock during operation. The performance of the LPVT was evaluated at 80%, 100%, and 120% of the rated voltage (38.1 kV) according to IEC 61869-11. An accuracy correction algorithm based on LabVIEW was applied to correct the voltage ratio and phase error. The corrected voltage ratio and phase error were +0.134% and +0.079 min., respectively, which satisfies the accuracy CL 0.2. In addition, the voltage ratio of LPVT was analyzed in ranges of -40~+40℃, and a temperature correction coefficient was applied to maintain the accuracy CL 0.2. By applying the LPVT proposed in this paper to the same rating GIS, it can be reduced the length per GIS bay by 11%, and the amount of SF6 by 5~7%.