• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.285-293
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• 2023

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive disorder characterized by abdominal discomfort or pain accompanied by a change in stool condition. Owing to its complicated mechanisms, a standard treatment for IBS has not yet been established. Yukgunja-tang (YGT) is a Korean herbal medicine known in Asia to be effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms. In this study, we will conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the efficacy and safety of YGT in IBS treatment. Methods and analysis: English databases, such as Embase, Medline (via PubMed), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, will be searched for articles published up to April 2023. Additional databases, such as five Korean, one Chinese, and one Japanese database, will be included. RCTs and quasi-RCTs will also be included in the assessment of the efficacy of YGT. The overall efficacy rate will be the primary outcome, and data such as IBS quality-of-life measurements, global symptom scores, and adverse events will be the secondary outcomes. Review Manager Version 5.3 will be used for evaluation, and the risk of bias (RoB) will be evaluated using Cochrane Collaboration's RoB tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach will be used to score the quality of evidence. Conclusion: This study will demonstrate the efficacy and safety of YGT for treating patients with IBS.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.40.1-40.11
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• 2023

Microbial community profiling using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing allows for taxonomic characterization of diverse microorganisms. While amplicon sequence variant (ASV) methods are increasingly favored for their fine-grained resolution of sequence variants, they often discard substantial portions of sequencing reads during quality control, particularly in datasets with large number samples. We present a streamlined pipeline that integrates FastP for read trimming, HmmUFOtu for operational taxonomic units (OTU) clustering, Vsearch for chimera checking, and Kraken2 for taxonomic assignment. To assess the pipeline's performance, we reprocessed two published stool datasets of normal Korean populations: one with 890 and the other with 1,462 independent samples. In the first dataset, HmmUFOtu retained 93.2% of over 104 million read pairs after quality trimming, discarding chimeric or unclassifiable reads, while DADA2, a commonly used ASV method, retained only 44.6% of the reads. Nonetheless, both methods yielded qualitatively similar β-diversity plots. For the second dataset, HmmUFOtu retained 89.2% of read pairs, while DADA2 retained a mere 18.4% of the reads. HmmUFOtu, being a closed-reference clustering method, facilitates merging separately processed datasets, with shared OTUs between the two datasets exhibiting a correlation coefficient of 0.92 in total abundance (log scale). While the first two dimensions of the β-diversity plot exhibited a cohesive mixture of the two datasets, the third dimension revealed the presence of a batch effect. Our comparative evaluation of ASV and OTU methods within this streamlined pipeline provides valuable insights into their performance when processing large-scale microbial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing data. The strengths of HmmUFOtu and its potential for dataset merging are highlighted.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.143-169
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• 2008

Objective: This study was to investigate the relation of what insomnia patients' symptoms with Heart Rate Variability(HRV), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Questionaire(IQ). Methods: For this study, we carried out HRV, PSQI and IQ of 43 patients with insomnia who have come to Donguei oriental hospital of Donguei university from September 2007 to May 2008. We studied the relationship HRV with PSQI and IQ. For every symptom, this study classified the patients as none-symptom, symptom groups and analyzed each group's HRV, PSQI and IQ. Result : 1. The rate of xerostomia in female group is significantly higher than male group. 2. P1 (hypnagogic time), P3(awakening time), LF has negative correlation with age. The score of PI (hypnagogic time), P3(awakening time), P4(time of recoverable sleep) in the group whose age is more than 50 are higher than the group whose age is lesser than 50. 3. The frequency of using hypnotics(P6) in the group whose duration of onset are over 1 year was significantly higher than the score in the group whose duration of onset were below 1 year. 4. The accompanied symptoms in the group who started sleep disorder after stressor are higher than the number in the group whose duration of onset were poor-defined. 5. The drinking group have lower rate of anorexia, higher score of P1 (hypnagogic time) and TP than non-drinking group. 6. The score of P-total(general quality of sleep) have negative correlation with NNSO, HF, TP and positive correlation with LF/HF. 7. The score of P1(hypnagogic time) have negative correlation with LF. 8. The score of P5a(frequency of delayed hypnagogue) have positive correlation with LF/HF. 9. The score of P5e(frequency of cough or snoring) have negative correlation with RMSSD. 10. The score of I1a(degree of onset insomnia), I1b(degree of maintenance insomnia) have negative correlation with NN50, pNN50, HF. 11. The score of I1c(degree of termination insomnia) have negative correlation with RMSSD, NN50, pNN50, HF, TP and positive correlation with MHR, LF/HF. 12.. The score of P5i(frequency of night pain), LF/HF in the group with headache are higher than the group without headache. 13. The score of P5a(frequency of delayed hypnagogue), P5c(frequency of awakening for urine of stool) in the group with xerostomia are higher than the group without xerostomia. 14. The score of P9(degree of unrecoverable sleep) and I5a(degree of onset insomnia) in the group with chest discomfort are lower than the group without chest discomfort. 15. The score of P7(frequency of drowsiness for daytime) in the group with palpitation are lower than the group without palpitation. 16. The score of P5c(frequency of awakening for urine of stool), P5f(frequency of burning sensation), P5h(frequency of nightmare), I1c(degree of termination insomnia) in the group with burning sensation of upper trunk are higher than the group without burning sensation. 17. The score of NN50, pNN50, LF, TP in the group with anorexia are lower than the group without anorexia. 18. The score of P-total(general quality of sleep), P2(duration for sleep start) in the group with constipation are higher than the group without constipation. 19. The score of P4(recoverable sleep time) in the group with depression are higher than the group without depression. 20. In the group with anxiety, the score of P1(time of hypnagogue), P5a(frequency of onset insomnia) are lower and the score of I1b(degree of maintenance insomnia), I4(objective degree of impairment by insomnia) are higher than the group without anxiety. 21. The score of NN50, pNN50, HF, TP in the group with inertia are lower than the group without inertia. 22. The accompanied symptoms haver posirive correlation with P5f(frequency of burning sensation), P5h(frequency of nightmare), P5i(frequency of night pain) and LF/HF. Conclusion: This study provides insights into the complicated relations of the pattern of sleep disorder with many symptoms such as headache, chest discomfort, depression and any others. And this study showed that autonomic nervous system have important function in the regulation of sleep.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.130-139
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of Korean sofa design in 2013 and understand the change of it in comparison with the characteristics of sofa in 2001. For the sake of it, this study analyzed the styles, forms, materials, colors and composition of 220 sofas posted on 7 main furniture companies' internet homepage of Korea, and used the results of the previous study for the materials in 2001. As the results of analysis, the style of furniture was almost modern and there was much of lineal in the form of sofa, rather than curved. The percentage of using leather for main material of sofa was greatly increased compared with 2001. In case of minor material, there was difference in each company in percentage of using wood and metal. The use of brown color was greatly increased compared with 2001, and the diversification of color use was reduced. The percentage of using a single color gets increased compared with 2001, but the cases of strong contrast were more than that of weak contrast. The percentage of sofa for 3 people gets lowered compared with 2001, and the case of sofa for 4 people gets greatly increased. In case of auxiliary component, the use of couch and stool, which were almost not used in 2001, gets more increased than sofa for single, with many cases of using the corner, though small. In conclusion, the characteristics of Korean sofa design are diversification of the sofa configuration, the tendency of high-quality sofa, and simplification and concentration of the sofa design.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.63-71
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• 2023

Urinary incontinence (UI), affecting 3%-11% of males and 25%-45% of females globally, is expected to rise with an aging population. It significantly impacts mental health, causing depression, stress, and reduced quality of life. UI can exacerbate psychiatric conditions, affecting treatment compliance and effectiveness. It is categorized into transient and chronic types. Transient UI, often reversible, is caused by factors summarized in the acronym DIAPPERS: Delirium, Infection, Atrophic urethritis/vaginitis, Psychological disorders, Pharmaceuticals, Excess urine output, Restricted mobility, Stool impaction. Chronic UI includes stress, urge, mixed, overflow, functional, and persistent incontinence. Drug-induced UI, a transient form, is frequently seen in psychiatric treatment. Antipsychotics, antidepressants, and other psychiatric medications can cause UI through various mechanisms like affecting bladder muscle tone, altering nerve reflexes, and inducing other conditions like diabetes or epilepsy. Specific drugs like lithium and valproic acid have also been linked to UI, though mechanisms are not always clear. Managing UI in psychiatric patients requires careful monitoring of urinary symptoms and judicious medication management. If a drug is identified as the cause, options include discontinuing, reducing, or adjusting the dosage. In cases where medication continuation is necessary, additional treatments like desmopressin, oxybutynin, trihexyphenidyl, or amitriptyline may be considered.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.71-82
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• 2020

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical utilization by measuring compliance with the use of mobile health applications (AtopyPHR developed in a previous study) for patients with atopic dermatitis. Methods : Based on the AtopyPHR and the input period and frequency survey results for each symptom item, a scenario for measuring compliance was derived. The study period was 4 weeks. Participants installed AtopyPHR app and Telegram app on their smartphones, conducted user training on the app, and recorded symptoms using the app for 4 weeks. At the 2nd and 4th week visits, the AtopyPHR data recorded by the user can be viewed on the web page and used for medical decision. Compliance was analyzed by the date the symptoms were recorded. Results : There were 28 participants, all (100%) were compliant, and the compliance was 96.8. The patients were 1 to 18 years old, and the average age was 8.2±5.7 years, 10 males and 18 females. The actual date of participation in recording symptoms was 28.6±0.56 on average. Compared to Week 1, compliance decreased at Week 2, and Week 4 had the highest compliance. Daily check, daily emotion, stool/urine/sleep, and meal management showed high compliance, SCORAD and quality of life were higher than required to record. Conclusions : AtopyPHR was effective in compliance. The results of this study could be used to collect personal health data in daily life through the AtopyPHR, improving participant compliance. It is considered to be meaningful because it measured the compliance with the symptom record actually recorded using the mobile app rather than a questionnaire. This study may be useful not only for personal health care but also for medical decisions, as opinions are given by experts who treat atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.349-354
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• 2012

In this experiment, two inclusion levels (15 and 30% of diets, as-fed basis) of brown rice (BR) were tested against a control diet with 0% BR (51% wheat flour of diet). Six female Miniature Poodles (8~9 months age, initial mean body weight of 3.5 kg) were assigned to treatments in replicated $3{\times}3$ Latin square design. Total tract digestibilities of DM, OM, CP, acid hydrolyzed fat and gross energy increased linearly (P<0.05), and observed digestible energy and metabolizable energy values also increased linearly (P<0.001 and P=0.007, respectively) with increasing BR inclusion levels. Wet and dry fecal output decreased linearly (P=0.001) with increasing BR inclusion levels in the diets. Linear (P<0.05) effects was observed in fecal score for dogs fed BR and fecal ammonia concentration increased linearly (P<0.05) in response to increasing BR inclusion level. It seems that the increase in fecal ammonia concentration may be partially related to the decrease in short-chain fatty acid concentration (P<0.01). This study clearly demonstrates that BR improves nutrients digestibility and fecal characteristics of dog.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.32-41
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• 2019

Objective : The purpose of this study is to develop a personal health record(PHR) application of atopic dermatitis in Korean Medicine(KM). Methods : We have identified the items necessary to provide an PHR application that helps to record and manage the symptoms of an atopic dermatitis in KM. We also derived the symptom collection process and method and applied it to the application. Results : In this study, the types of symptoms collected for atopic dermatitis were derived. Symptoms include daily check, stool/urine/sleep, daily emotion, meal management, symptom photographs, SCORAD, quality of life, progress check, original symptom, pediatric health check, weakness check, and subjective symptoms. The recording cycle can be divided into the first, daily, weekly, specific day, and subjective. We developed the PHR application of atopic dermatitis in KM by deriving the type of symptoms and symptom recording process. The app organized menus into dashboards, checklists, daily checks, and health records. Conclusions : We developed a PHR application for atopic dermatitis by deriving symptom collection items of atopic dermatitis and developing symptom collection process and collection technique. The app does not make an accurate diagnosis of atopic dermatitis symptoms, but it helps facilitate symptom collection and helps to identify or predict a person's health condition. It can also be used for medical treatment through sharing symptoms with Korean medicine. Patients are able to communicate in both directions on a daily, weekly, self-aware basis, at the request of a doctor, to record their symptoms and use them for medical purposes. If the doctor asks for a progress check to refer to the next examination, it can be written through the system. This manages atopic dermatitis in daily life and can be used in the clinical field.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.4 s.28
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• pp.555-577
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• 1989

This study was conducted to compare the delivery management including laboratory tests, medication and surgical procedures for the delivery in various medical facilities. Two university hospitals, two general hospitals, three hospitals, two private obstetric clinics, and two midwifery clinics in a large city were selected as they permitted the investigators to abstract the required data from the medical and accounting records. The total number of deliveries occurred at these 11 facilities between 15 January and 15 February, 1989 was 789 among which 606(76.8%) were vaginal deliveries and 183 (23.3%) were C-sections. For the normal vaginal deliveries, CBC, Hb/Hct level, blood typing, VDRL, hepatitis B antigen and antibody, and urinalysis were routinely done except the private clinics and midwifery clinics which did not test for hepatitis B and Hb/Hct level at all. In one university hospital ultrasonography was performed in 71.4% of the mothers and in one general hospital liver function test was done in 76.7% of the mothers. For the C-section, chest X-ray, bleeding/clotting time and liver function test were routinely done in addition to the routine tests for the normal vaginal deliveries. Episiotomy was performed in 97.2% of the vaginal deliveries. The type and duration of fluid infused and antibiotics administered showed a wide variation among the medical facilities. In one university hospital antibiotics was not administered after C-section at all while in the general hospitals and hospitals one or two antibiotics were administered for one week on the average. In one private clinic one pint of whole blood was transfused routinely. A wide variation was observed among the medical facilities in the use of vitamin, hemostatics, oxytocics, antipyreptics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents. sedatives. digestives. stool softeners. antihistamines. and diuretics. Mean hospital day for the normal vaginal deliveries of primipara was 2.6 days with little variation except one hospital with 3.5 days. Mean hospital day for the C-section of primipara was 7.5 days and that of multipara was 7.6 days and it ranged between 6.5 days and 9.4 days. Average hospital fee for a normal vaginal delivery without the medical insurance coverage was 182,100 Won for the primipara and 167,300 Won for the multipara. In case of the primipara covered by the medical insurance a mother paid 82,400 Won and a multiparous mother paid 75,600 Won. Average hospital fee for a C-section without the medical insurance was 946,500 Won for the primipara and 753,800 Won for the multipara. In case of the primipara covered by the medical insurance a mother paid 256,200 Won and a multiparous mother paid 253,700 Won. Average hospital fee for a normal vaginal delivery in the university hospitals showed a remarkable difference, 268,000 Won vs 350,000 Won, as well as for the C-section. A wide variation in the laboratory tests performed for a normal vaginal delivery and a C-section as well as in the medication and hospital days brought about a big difference in the hospital fee and some hospitals were practicing the case payment system. Thus, standardization of the medical care to a certain level is warranted for the provision of adequate medical care for delivery.