• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1385-1391
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• 2016

Background: To investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with performance of annual mammography by women above 40 years of age. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted at an oncology reference service in Southern Brazil from October 2013 to October 2014 with 525 women aged 40 years or older. Results: The prevalence of annual mammography was 54.1%; annual mammographic screening was performed for women without private medical insurance, who were under hormone replacement therapy and who had used contraception in the past. An association was found between non-performance of breast clinical and self-examination and non-performance of mammographic screening. Conclusions: Use of mammography for breast cancer screening in the public health care setting proved to be accessible; nevertheless, the proportion of screened women was low, and they exhibited poor adherence to the basic measures of care recommended for breast assessment. Thus, control of breast cancer requires implementing actions targeting the population most vulnerable to non-adherence to screening in addition to continuously monitoring and assessing that population to reduce the prevalence of this disease.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.14-21
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• 2013

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine how an integrated approach to type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment could improve glycemic control and immune-potentiating activities adherent to oral hypoglycemic agents along with a botanical compound, among primary care patients. Methods: In this study, we used the self-control and the group-control methods. Candidates meeting the trial conditions were selected from among volunteers who had taken the test substance for 45 days. During the trial, all groups were on a controlled diet; neither were the original medications nor their dosages changed. Results: The results showed that the botanical compound (Glyco-Persica$^{(R)}$) significantly reduced the main clinical symptoms in diabetes type 2. In the treatment group, 36 of 52 patients (69.23%) and in the control group 10 of 52 patients (19.23%) showed reduced symptoms, and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The fasting blood sugar in the treatment group after treatment compared with that before treatment and with that in the control group after treatment was statistically different (P < 0.05). The post-prandial glucose in the treatment group after treatment was significantly different from that before treatment and from that in the control group after treatment (P < 0.05); the post-prandial blood sugar in the treatment group was reduced by 8.98%. Conclusions: The results revealed that the botanical compound (Glyco-Persica$^{(R)}$) has significant hypoglycemic properties which affect main clinical symptoms in diabetes type 2. Body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, routine blood, stool and urine tests showed no meaningful negative changes after the course of treatment. There was no significant adverse reaction during the trial.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.141-154
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• 2021

Objectives: Pharmacopuncture is a Korean medicine treatment that combines acupuncture and herbal medicines. The aim of this study was to investigate the current usage status of pharmacopuncture for insomnia among Korean medicine doctors (KMDs). Methods: We conducted a self-reporting online survey targeting KMDs from February 23 to March 15, 2021 with cooperation of the Association of Korean Medicine. Responses of 957 KMDs were analyzed. Results: Types of pharmacopuncture mainly used in treatment for insomnia were placenta pharmacopuncture and Hwangryunhaedok-tang pharmacopuncture. Cephalic and facial region were preferred as the treatment site. For one treatment, total usage of pharmacopuncture was more than 0.5 cc but less than 1 cc. Among respondents, the largest number of respondents thought that clinical experience and patient symptoms were important as selection criteria of acupoints using Pharmacopuncture for insomnia. Average treatment duration of using Pharmacopuncture for insmonia was more than 4 weeks. Most KMDs preferred treatment for one to four times a week regarding the treatment cycle. The use of Pharmacopuncture for insomnia was recognized as having a good effect, although other KMDs were concerned about the insufficient evidence and the high cost due to non-reimbursement of pharmacopuncture therapy. Conclusions: In order to activate pharmacopuncture treatment for insomnia, it is necessary to secure effectiveness and safety through basic research, create evidence through clinical research, and reduce costs for patients.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

The abundance of multi-drug resistance ATPase binding cassette and deranged self-renewal pathways shown in cancer stem cells (CSCs) played a crucial role in tumorigenesis, tumor resistance, tumor recurrence, and tumor metastasis. Therefore, elucidation of CSCs biology can improve diagnosis, enable targeted treatment, and guide the follow up of GI cancer patients. In order to achieve chemoquiescence, seizing cancer through complete ablation of CSCs, CSCs are rational targets for the design of interventions that will enhance responsiveness to traditional therapeutic strategies and contribute in the prevention of local recurrence as well as metastasis. However, current cancer treatment strategies fail to either detect or differentiate the CSCs from their non-tumorigenic progenies mostly due to the absence of specific biomarkers and potent agents to kill CSCs. Recent advances in knowledge of CSCs enable to produce several candidates to ablate CSCs in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, especially cancers originated from inflammation-driven mutagenesis such as Barrett's esophagus (BE), Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric cancer, and colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Our research teams elucidated through revisiting old drugs that proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and potassium competitive acid blocker (p-CAB) beyond authentic acid suppression, chloroquine for autophage inhibition, sonic hedgehog (SHH) inhibitors, and Wnt/β-catenin/NOTCH inhibitor can ablate CSCs specifically and efficiently. Furthermore, nanoformulations of these molecules could provide an additional advantage for more selective targeting of the pathways existing in CSCs just like current molecular targeted therapeutics and sustained action, while normal stem cells intact. In this review article, the novel approach specifically to ablate CSCs existing in GI cancers will be introduced with the introduction of explored mode of action.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.264-270
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• 2014

This study developed a portable respiratory training device to improve breathing stability, which is an important element in using the CyberKnife Synchrony respiratory tracking device, one of the typical Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT) devices. It produced an interface for users to be able to select one of two displays, a graph type and a bar type, supported an auditory system that helps them expect next respiration by improving a sense of rhythm of their respiratory period, and provided comfortable respiratory inducement. By targeting 5 applicants and applying individual respiratory period detected through a self-developed program, it acquired signal data of 'guide respiration' that induces breathing through signal data gained from 'free respiration' and an auditory system, and evaluated the usability by comparing deviation average values of respiratory period and respiratory amplitude. It could be identified that respiratory period decreased $55.74{\pm}0.14%$ compared to free respiration, and respiratory amplitude decreased $28.12{\pm}0.10%$ compared to free respiration, which confirmed the consistency and stability of respiratory. SBRT, developed based on these results, using the portable respiratory training device, for liver cancer or lung cancer, is evaluated to be able to help reduce delayed treatment time due to respiratory instability and improve treatment accuracy, and if it could be applied to developing respiratory training applications targeting an android-based portable device in the future, even use convenience and economic efficiency are expected.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.141-151
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• 2009

Cognitive degree of musculoskeletal symptoms and existence (or non-existence) of experience was conducted following dental hygienists' health habits, heath state and working environment targeting dental hygienists who were working for the dental clinics in Masan-si, Changwon-si and Jinhae-si in Gyeongsangnam-do for one year or more. The research findings were as follows. 1. Cognitive degree of musculoskeletal symptom following general characteristics was the highest among the subjects who were 40 years old or above. 2. As for the education level, cognitive degree of musculoskeletal symptoms was high while prevalence was low, which were statistically significant when the education level was higher. 3. Cognitive degree of musculoskeletal symptom was high when the subjects exercised, and cognitive degree of musculoskeletal symptom and prevalence were significantly high when they are engaged in leisure activities or hobbies. 4. Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms was statistically high if they are afflicted with disease, if they feel burdened by their job, if they suffer from considerable physical fatigue, if they feel chronic fatigue or if they feel that their health state is poor. 5. Cognitive degree of musculoskeletal symptom and prevalence were higher, which was statistically significant, when the number of years worked was higher. 6. Cognitive degree of musculoskeletal symptom was higher, but prevalence was lower when the time that they were seated was longer. This research demonstrated that the musculoskeletal disorders related to their job that afflicts the dental hygienists is not caused by one element, but it is possible to see that the musculoskeletal disorders results from the interaction of the diverse elements that are interrelated such as the subjects' characteristics and health habits and heath state, working environment and so forth including inappropriate work related movements. To this, dental hygienists need to improve their health habits so that they can form proper health habits that will ensure health in every day life on their own with the improvement of their every day life habit and positive self-evaluation to act on the health promotion behaviors, education and publicity, and measures to prevent and to manage musculoskeletal disorders in overall need to bepursued after in an active manner.