• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.4385-4394
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• 2014

Cancer is the most deadly disease that causes the serious health problems, physical disabilities, mortalities, and morbidities around the world. It is the second leading cause of death all over the world. Although great advancement have been made in the treatment of cancer progression, still significant deficiencies and room for improvement remain. Chemotherapy produced a number of undesired and toxic side effects. Natural therapies, such as the use of plant-derived products in the treatment of cancer, may reduce adverse and toxic side effects. However, many plants exist that have shown very promising anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo but their active anticancer principle have yet to be evaluated. Combined efforts of botanist, pharmacologist and chemists are required to find new lead anticancer constituent to fight disease. This review will help researchers in the finding of new bioactive molecules as it will focus on various plants evaluated for anticancer properties in vitro and in vivo.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.753-762
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• 2017

Objectives: We conducted this study to report the clinical effects of Sibak-tang (Saiboku-to) in an elderly patient suffering from sputum and dysphagia after conventional treatment for pneumonia. Methods: The Sibak-tang was administered to the patient to treat sputum and dysphagia. The results were assessed by measuring the frequency of the sputum and conducting a videofluoroscopic swallowing study. Results: After about three weeks of herbal medicine treatments, the patient's symptoms of respiratory problems improved. The results of the videofluoroscopic swallowing study were also improved. Conclusion: Sibak-tang could be an effective treatment for elderly patients suffering from sputum and dysphagia after conventional treatment for pneumonia.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.319-324
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• 1997

Despite the direct placement of sperm within the oocyte, fertilization failure still occurs after ICSI. This study was accomplished to analyze the chromosomes in oocytes failed to fertilize after ICSI comparing to oocytes failed to fertilize by conventional in vitro insemination. Seventy-four ICSI cycles and 122 conventional IVF cycles were included in analysis. Included unfertilized oocytes were from 74 patients (mean age = $32.7{\pm}3.7$). Ninety-three oocytes were informative and 83 oocytes were legible for cytogenetic analysis. Sixty-two oocytes out of 83 (74.7%) had normal chroruosomes, while 15 (18.1%) were hypoploidy, 6 (7.2%) were hyperploidy. Eighteen oocytes out of 93 (17.6%) were premature chromosome condensation (PCC). Two hundred ninety-four unfertilized oocytes after conventional insemination were subjected to chromosomal analysis and 180 oocytes were legible for analysis. One hundred thirty-two oocytes out of 180 (73.3%) were normal, while 22 (12.2%) were hypoploidy, 20 (11.1%) were hyperploidy, and 6 (3.3%) were polyploidy. Twenty-two oocytes (12.2%) were PCC. There was no difference in chromosomes between oocytes that failed to fertilize after ICSI or conventional insemination. High PCC rates in fertilization-failed oocytes suggest that oocytes maturity is another important factor in achieving successful fertilization.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.372-378
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• 2000

The carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common entrapment neuropathy. Surgical treatments consist of conventional open technique, alternative technique using retinaculatome, and endoscopic surgery. This study compares the outcomes of surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome following conventional versus endoscopic release. The authors reviewed 56 cases of 33 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome treated surgically in our institute from January 1991 to May 1998. The follow-up evaluation was possible in 36 cases of 20 patients who had conventional release and in 11 cases of 7 patients with endoscopic release. The following parameters were evaluated for comparison : improvement of symptom, return to normal work, recovery of strength of grip and pinch, rate of complication, follow-up electrophysiologic finding. Compared with open decompression, the group of endoscopic decompression needed significantly less time to go back to work(p<0.001). Also strength of grip and pinch improved faster in the group of endoscopic decompression as well, compared with open decompression(p<0.05). These results indicate that endoscopic procedure is an excellent, minimally invasive method to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, performed by surgeons who are fully aware of the anatomy.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.114-136
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine treatment for treating hyperthyroidism. Methods: We searched for randomized controlled trials of Hyperthyroidism treated with herbal medicine, published from January 2016 to May 2021, through electronic database such as Pubmed, EMBASE, China Academic Journal (CAJ). Interventions and results of the selected clinical studies were analyzed. Results: The 25 randomized controlled trials were finally included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Treatment group was treated with herbal medicine alone in 2 studies, and with herbal medicine and conventional medicine in 23 studies. Control group was treated with conventional medicine. Outcome measures are total efficacy rate, thyroid function test, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores, liver function test, recurrence rate, etc. Prunellae Spica (夏枯草) (60%) was the most frequently used herb in herbal medicine treatment. In all of 25 studies, treatment group was more effective and safer for hyperthyroidism than the control group. Conclusions: This study indicates that herbal medicine treatment alone or combined with conventional medicine treatment could be helpful in improving the therapeutic effect on hyperthyroidism and reducing side effects as well.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1974-1984
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy between no-touch (NT) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and conventional RFA using twin internally cooled wet (TICW) electrodes in the bipolar mode for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Materials and Methods: In this single-center, two-arm, parallel-group, prospective randomized controlled study, we performed a 1:1 random allocation of eligible patients with HCCs to receive NT-RFA or conventional RFA between October 2016 and September 2018. The primary endpoint was the cumulative local tumor progression (LTP) rate after RFA. Secondary endpoints included technical conversion rates of NT-RFA, intrahepatic distance recurrence, extrahepatic metastasis, technical parameters, technical efficacy, and rates of complications. Cumulative LTP rates were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Considering conversion cases from NT-RFA to conventional RFA, intention-to-treat and as-treated analyses were performed. Results: Enrolled patients were randomly assigned to the NT-RFA group (37 patients with 38 HCCs) or the conventional RFA group (36 patients with 38 HCCs). Among the NT-RFA group patients, conversion to conventional RFA occurred in four patients (10.8%, 4/37). According to intention-to-treat analysis, both 1- and 3-year cumulative LTP rates were 5.6%, in the NT-RFA group, and they were 11.8% and 21.3%, respectively, in the conventional RFA group (p = 0.073, log-rank). In the as-treated analysis, LTP rates at 1 year and 3 years were 0% and 0%, respectively, in the NT-RFA group sand 15.6% and 24.5%, respectively, in the conventional RFA group (p = 0.004, log-rank). In as-treated analysis using multivariable Cox regression analysis, RFA type was the only significant predictive factor for LTP (hazard ratio = 0.061 with conventional RFA as the reference, 95% confidence interval = 0.000-0.497; p = 0.004). There were no significant differences in the procedure characteristics between the two groups. No procedure-related deaths or major complications were observed. Conclusion: NT-RFA using TICW electrodes in bipolar mode demonstrated significantly lower cumulative LTP rates than conventional RFA for small HCCs, which warrants a larger study for further confirmation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.6
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• pp.523-530
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• 2007

Background: A ThinPrep$^{(R)}$ Processor was developed to overcome the limitations of conventional cytology and is widely used to diagnose various cancers. This study compared the diagnostic efficacy of conventional cytology for lung cancer with that of the ThinPrep$^{(R)}$ cytology using the bronchial washing fluid. Methods: The bronchial washing fluid of 790 patients from Jan. 2002 to Dec. 2006, who were suspected of gaving a lung malignancy, was evaluated. Both ThinPrep$^{(R)}$ and conventional cytology were performed for all specimens. Result: Four hundred forty-six men and 344 women were enrolled in this study, and 197 of them were diagnosed with cancer from either a bronchoscopic biopsy or a percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy. ThinPrep$^{(R)}$ cytology showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and false negative error rate of 71.1%, 98.0%, 92.1%, 91.1%, 8.9%, respectively. The conventional cytology showed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, nagative predictive value and false negative error rate of 57.9%, 98.0%, 90.5%, 87.5%, 12.5%, respectively. For central lesions, the sensitivity of conventional cytology and ThinPrep$^{(R)}$ were 70.1% and 82.8%, respectively. Conclusion: ThinPrep$^{(R)}$ cytology showed a higher sensitivity and lower false negative error rate than conventional cytology. This result was unaffected by the histological classification of lung cancer. Therefore, ThinPrep$^{(R)}$ cytology appears to be a useful method for increasing the detection rate of lung cancer in bronchial washing cytology test.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.81-96
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• 2020

Objectives This study aims to evaluate the effect of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation treatment for cerebral palsy in children. Methods 7 electro-database (PubMed, CENTRAL, CNKI, DBpia, KISS, OASIS, KJTK) were searched for using the keywords "cerebral palsy AND acupuncture" which study is designed in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Results 10 out of 303 studies were included in analysis after screened. Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation treatment had a significant effect on motor function. Only 1 study reported minor adverse effects. Conclusions All of the studies have shown acupuncture combined with conventional rehabilitation treatment was effective in cerebral palsy. Additional well-designed studies are needed to justify the effectiveness of acupuncture in cerebral palsy.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.89-100
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• 2014

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada(VKH) Disease is a bilateral granulomatous uveitis often associated with exudative retinal detachment and extraocular manifestations, such as pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid and, in some case, vitiligo, poliosis, alopecia, and dysacusis. There has been no previous report for the disease in the field of Korean traditional medicine. The case was treated with conventional medical intervention and Korean traditional treatment including acupuncture and herbal medicine. The case was discharged with improvement in fundus photography and optical coherence tomography. The authors report the case to suggest that Korean medical approach combined with conventional treatment can be helpful for the disease.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.111-128
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• 2023

Trigger finger is a common cause of hand disability that results in finger catching, clicking, or locking. Conventional treatment options such as medication, injection, and surgery have limitations. Studies have indicated that acupuncture and acupotomy can be effective in treating trigger finger. However, no review regarding these treatment modalities has been published yet. This review included randomized controlled trials published until January 2023, investigating acupuncture-related interventions. The primary outcomes of interest included the effectiveness rate (ER) and pain intensity, measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and secondary outcomes were the Quinnell grade (QG) and recurrence rate (RR). Adverse events (AEs) have also been reported wherever available. Overall, 19 studies were included, and results demonstrated that arcedge acupuncture improved the ER and QG and reduced NRS, and acupuncture was effective in reducing VAS. Compared with conventional surgery, acupotomy alone improved the ER and QG and lowered VAS and RR, with relatively fewer AEs. Acupotomy add-on treatment was more effective than conventional treatment; however, careful interpretation is needed for VAS. Acupotomy add-on treatment was more effective than acupotomy alone. However, the overall results must be interpreted with caution because of study quality, small sample size, and heterogeneity of the results.