• 대한한의학방제학회지
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.205-210
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• 2022

Conventional pharmacology has followed the notion of the reductionist 'single target selective drug paradigm'. Network pharmacology has made conventional pharmacology newer while meeting the challenges of this era. Conventional pharmacological methods have not solved the problems of Korean Medicine. For this reason, Network pharmaco- logy needs urgently and desperately for Korean medicine research. However, the information on drug interactions in herbal medicines is complex and less known. There are still some hurdles before network pharmacology emerges, one factor which constitutes Korean medicine research. There is a need to look for solutions other than inheriting the network pharmacology to solve problems that Korean medicine has before. The way of 'in silico' research should be the best to meet this challenge. With the help of 'in silico' research, there might have been emerged new findings of experimental data in Korean Medicine. If 'herbalomics' has been close to foundation through the 'in silico' method, it will contribute to the formation of modern Korean medicine and, simultaneously, come to a foundation for revitalizing exchanges with orthodox Western medicine. Eventually, it ends with a significant profitable and healthy result for the patients.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제59권1호
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• pp.77-82
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• 2021

As malaria remains a major health problem worldwide, various diagnostic tests have been developed, including microscopy-based and rapid diagnostic tests. LabChip real-time PCR (LRP) is a small and portable device used to diagnose malaria using lab-on-a-chip technology. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of LRP for detecting malaria parasites. Two hundred thirteen patients and 150 healthy individuals were enrolled from May 2009 to October 2015. A diagnostic detectability of LRP for malaria parasites was compared to that of conventional RT-PCR. Sensitivity of LRP for Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale was 95.5%, 96.0%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Specificity of LRP for P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale was 100%, 99.3%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Cohen's Kappa coefficients between LRP and CFX96 for detecting P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale were 0.96, 0.98, 1.00, and 1.00, respectively. Significant difference was not observed between the results of LRP and conventional RT-PCR and microscopic examination. A time required to amplify DNAs using LRP and conventional RT-PCR was 27 min and 86 min, respectively. LRP amplified DNAs 2 times more fast than conventional RT-PCR due to the faster heat transfer. Therefore, LRP could be employed as a useful tool for detecting malaria parasites in clinical laboratories.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.135-142
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• 2018

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed early gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol compared to a conventional midfollicular GnRH antagonist protocol and a long GnRH agonist protocol for in vitro fertilization (IVF) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: Randomized patients in all three groups (early antagonist, n = 14; conventional antagonist, n = 11; long agonist, n = 11) received 21 days of oral contraceptive pill treatment prior to stimulation. The GnRH antagonist was initiated on the 1st day of stimulation in the early antagonist group and on the 6th day in the conventional antagonist group. The GnRH agonist was initiated on the 18th day of the preceding cycle. The primary endpoint was the number of oocytes retrieved, and the secondary endpoints included the rate of moderate-to-severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and the clinical pregnancy rate. Results: The median total number of oocytes was similar among the three groups (early, 16; conventional, 12; agonist, 19; p= 0.111). The early GnRH antagonist protocol showed statistically non-significant associations with a higher clinical pregnancy rate (early, 50.0%; conventional, 11.1%; agonist, 22.2%; p= 0.180) and lower incidence of moderate-to-severe OHSS (early, 7.7%; conventional, 18.2%; agonist, 27.3%; p= 0.463), especially among subjects at high risk for OHSS (early, 12.5%; conventional, 40.0%; agonist, 50.0%; p= 0.324). Conclusion: In PCOS patients undergoing IVF, early administration of a GnRH antagonist may possibly lead to benefits due to a reduced incidence of moderate-to-severe OHSS in high-risk subjects with a better clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer. Further studies with more subjects are required.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.935-940
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• 2013

Background: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of conventional ultrasonography and real time ultrasound elastography in differentiating degenerating cystic thyroid nodules mimicking malignancy from papillary thyroid carcinoma. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed conventional ultrasonographic and elastographic characteristics of 19 degenerating cystic thyroid nodules mimicking malignancy in 19 patients, with 30 surgically confirmed PTCs as controls. Based on size, the nodules had been grouped into less than 10mm (group A) and greater than 10 mm (group B). We evaluated conventional parameters and elasticity pattern. Color-scaled elastograms were graded as to stiffness of nodules using an elasticity pattern from I (soft) to IV (stiff). Results: Degenerating cystic thyroid nodules were similar to PTCs in conventional ultrasonographic findings, but the former frequently showed oval to round in shape (group A, 69.2% vs 18.8%, P=0.017; group B, 66.7% vs 7.14%, P=0.017) and punctuate hyperechoic foci (group A, 61.5% vs 0, P<0.001; group B, 50% vs 0, P<0.001). On real time ultrasound elastography, 7 of 13 degenerating cystic thyroid nodules in group A were pattern I, 5 were pattern II, 1 was pattern III. One degenerating cystic thyroid nodule in group B was pattern II, 5 were pattern III. The area under the curve for elastography was 0.98 in group A (sensitivity 92.3%, specificity 100%, P = 0.002), and 0.88 in group B (sensitivity 16.7%, specificity 100%, P = 0.014). Conclusions: As a dependable imaging technique, elastography helps increase the performance in differential diagnosis of degenerating cystic thyroid nodule and malignancy.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.99-111
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of moxibustion treatment for Cardiac arrhythmia through a systematic review. Methods: Electronic database including Cochrane library, Pubmed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Embase, DBpia, and Korean studies Information Service System were searched by combining the keywords such as "arrhythmias", "cardiac arrhythmias", "心律失常", "moxibustion" and "艾灸". Through the searching, 5 randomized controlled trials(RCTs) were included except animal testing and cellular experiment etc. The quality of each RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: We included 5RCTs involving 468 participants. Two RCTs compared moxibustion versus conventional treatment, another RCT compared moxibustion plus acupuncture versus conventional treatment, another RCT compared moxibustion plus herbal medicine verus conventional treatment, the other RCT compared moxibustion plus herbal medicine and ointment versus conventional treatment. These studies were evaluated by the efficacy rate of treatments. Studies measured outcomes in efficacy, heart rate, electrocardiogram and symptoms. Each of 5 trials statistically showed a significant differences in efficacy rate. One study reported about side effects and another study reported about complications. The overall risk of bias was unclear in 5 studies. Conclusions: The evidence suggests that moxibustion treatment may help to reduce cardiac arrhythmia, however, it is limited, low-certainty and we cannot rule out benefits or risks with this treatment. High-quality studies that report adverse effects are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• 제48권6호
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• pp.331-341
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• 2022

This systematic review evaluates current evidence regarding the feasibility of using needleless jet injection instead of a conventional local anesthetic needle. EBSCO, ProQuest, PubMed, and Scopus databases were used to identify relevant literature published in English from 2005 to 2020. Ten studies were selected. Five of them were randomized clinical trials, 3 case-control studies, and 2 equivalence trials. Using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist, 6 studies scored between 67% and 100%, and 4 studies scored between 34% and 66%. According to Jadad's scale, 2 studies were considered strong, and 8 studies were considered moderate in quality. The results of the 10 studies showed differences in patient preference for needleless jet injection. Needleless injection technique has been found to be particularly useful in uncooperative patients with anxiety and needle phobia. Needleless jet injection is not technique sensitive. However, with needleless jet anesthesia, most treatments require additional anesthesia. Conventional needle anesthesia is less costly, has a longer duration of action, and has better pain control during dental extraction. Needleless jet anesthesia has been shown to be moderately accepted by patients with a fear of needles, has a faster onset of action, and is an efficient alternative to conventional infiltration anesthesia technique.

• 대한세포병리학회지
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.33-39
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• 2004

We compared the diagnostic accuracy of liquid-based cervicovaginal cytology using $MonoPrep2^{TM}$ system (Monogen, Herndon, Virginia, USA), a manual system based on membrane filtration method, with conventional Pap smear. Study population included 92 patients visiting the gynecologic department under the suspicion of uterine cervical disease. In thirty of them, surgical biopsy was performed. $MonoPrep2^{TM}$ system provided well-preserved monolayer specimen with good nuclear morphology. However, about 19% of specimens were inadequate to interpret due to low cellularity. The detection rate of abnormal cells more than ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of unknown significance) was 23.9% and higher than 19.4 % of conventional Pap smear. Diagnostic concordance rate with conventional Pap smear was 81%, and severe discordance rate influencing on the management of patient was 7.6 %. Among these seven cases, $MonoPrep2^{TM}$ system was more diagnostic only in four. In comparison with histology, the sensitivity of diagnosis of $MonoPrep2^{TM}$ system was 78.9% and slightly higher than 73.5% of conventional Pap smear. However, the specificity was 81.1% and lower than 90.9% of Pap smear. In conclusion, $MonoPrep2^{TM}$ system provided diagnostic accuracies similar to the conventional Pap smear. The inexpertness of slide preparation and the low cellularity were considered to endow a limitation in more accurate evaluation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.2049-2053
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• 2016

Background: The LigaSure vessel sealing system has been proposed to save operation time and reduce intraoperative blood loss for various surgeries. However, its usage for gastric cancer is still controversial. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of LigaSure with conventional surgery in gastrectomy. Materials and Methods: Sources were retrieved from the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Google Scholar until February, 2015. All randomized controlled trials comparing LigaSure with conventional surgery in curative gastric cancer resection were selected. After data extraction, statistics were performed by Review Manager 5.1 software. Results: Three eligible randomized controlled trials were evaluated, with a total of 335 patients. The quality of the included trials was good, yet some methodological and clinical heterogeneity existed. There were no significant differences between the LigaSure and conventional groups in operative time (weighted mean difference [WMD], -22.95 minutes; 95% confidence interval [CI], [-59.75, 13.85]; P = 0.22), blood loss (WMD, -45.8 ml; 95% CI, [-134.5, 42.90]; P = 0.31), nor the incidence of surgical complications (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, [0.68, 2.05]; P = 0.54). But there was a longer duration of hospital stay in LigaSure group (WMD, 1.41 days; 95% CI, [0.14, 2.68]; P = 0.03). Conclusions: All available randomized evidence has been summarized. LigaSure does not confer significant advantage over conventional surgery for curative gastric cancer resection. The usefulness of the device may be limited in gastrectomy. But, more trials are needed for further assessment of the LigaSure system for gastric cancer.

• 핵의학기술
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.49-53
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• 2016

최근 Cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) 반도체를 이용한 심장전용 감마카메라가 심장 핵의학 검사에 사용되고 있다. 본 연구는 기존 NaI(Tl) 신틸레이터를 사용한 감마카메라와 성능을 비교해 보고자 한다. CZT반도체를 사용한 심장전용 감마카메라(DSPECT, Spectrum-dynamic)와 범용 신틸레이터 SPECT 감마카메라(Infinia, GE)를 사용하여 연구를 진행했다. 방사성 동위원소는 $^{99m}TcO^{-4}$를 사용하고, 일반 임상 심장핵의학 검사에 사용된 조건을 실험 조건으로 설정 했다. NEMA 2001, 3 line phantom을 사용하여 반치폭(full width at half maximum, FWHM)을 측정하여 공간분해능(Spatial resolution)을 비교했다. 심장 팬텀을 사용하여 대조도대잡음비(Contrast to noise, CNR)를 비교하여 영상을 평가했다. 그리고 팬텀의 시간 당 MBq당 계수를 측정하여 민감도도 평가했다. NaI (Tl) 신틸레이터를 사용한 범용SPECT 감마카메라와 CZT 반도체를 사용한 심장 전용 감마카메라의 영상평가에서 감도는 $52.83counts{\cdot}sec^{-1}{\cdot}MBq^{-1}$과 $195.83counts{\cdot}sec^{-1}{\cdot}MBq^{-1}$로 나왔고, 공간분해능은 16.90 mm과 9.47 mm로 나왔다. 그리고 대조도대 잡음비는 3.6 과 4.2 로 나왔다. 기존 카메라를 이용한 심장 핵의학 영상과 비교하여 CZT를 사용한 심장 전용 감마카메라는 감도 및 공간분해능, 대조도대잡음비가 기존 감마카메라와 비교하여 월등하여 임상에서 환자의 피폭선량 저감과 검사 시간 단축, 높은 분해능의 영상으로 환자 만족도에 큰 영향을 줄 것으로 사료 된다.

• 대한근전도전기진단의학회지
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.84-90
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• 2018

Objective: To assess the correlation between surface electromyography (SEMG) and conventional EMG in patients with facial nerve palsy. Additionally, compare the discomfort and the time required by the patients in two methods. Method: 36 patients with facial palsy were given nerve conduction studies (NCS) via conventional EMG. Then, the peak root mean square (RMS) values were obtained from the SEMG. We also recorded visual analogue scale (VAS), House-Brackmann scale, and the time required for the examination. Results: Pearson's correlation coefficient between the amplitude loss ratio of the RMS values obtained by SEMG compared to the unaffected side (RSEMG) and the amplitude loss ratio of CMAP amplitudes compared to the unaffected side (RCMAP) was 0.567 at the frontalis, 0.456 at the orbicularis oculi, 0.393 at the nasalis, and 0.437 at the orbicularis oris. An increase in RSEMG is positively correlated with an increase in RCMAP. The mean VAS score with conventional EMG was $3.55{\pm}1.42$, whereas that experienced when using SEMG was $0.11{\pm}0.52$ and the mean time required for conventional EMG was $610{\pm}103.84$ seconds, while that required for SEMG was $420{\pm}86.32$ seconds. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between facial muscle activities as measured by SEMG and conventional EMG in patients with facial nerve palsy. SEMG has the benefits of being more comfortable and faster when diagnosing facial palsy.