• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.173-187
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• 2022

Recent studies have focused on self-management of hypertension using smart devices (cellular phones, tablets, watches). It has proven to be an effective tool for early detection and control of high Blood Pressure (BP) without affecting patients' daily routines. This systematic review surveys the existing self-monitoring systems, evaluate their effectiveness and compares the different approaches. We investigated the current systems in terms of various attributes, including methods used, sample size, type of investigation, inputs/ outputs, rate of success in controlling BP, group of users with higher response rate and beneficiaries, acceptability, and adherence to the system. We identified some limitations, shortcomings, and gaps in the research conducted recently studying the impact of mobile technology on managing hypertension. These shortcomings can generate future research opportunities and enable it to become more realistic and adaptive. We recommended including more observable factors and human behaviors that affect BP. Furthermore, we suggested that vital monitoring/logging and medication tuning are insufficient to improve hypertension control. There is also a need to observe and alter patient behavior and lifestyles.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.6033-6038
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• 2015

Background: Experience of lung cancer includes negative impacts on both physical and psychological health. Pain is one of the negative experiences of lung cancer. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are often recommended as treatments for lung cancer pain. The objective of this review was to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques in treating lung cancer pain. This review considered studies that included lung cancer patients who were required to 1) be at least 18 years old; 2) speak and read English or Thai; 3) have a life expectancy of at least two months; 4) experience daily cancer pain requiring an opioid medication; 5) have a positive response to opioid medication; 6) have "average or usual" pain between 4 and 7 on a scale of 0-10 for the day before the clinic visit or for a typical day; and 7) able to participate in a pain evaluation and treatment program. This review considered studies to examine interventions for use in treatment of pain in lung cancer patients, including: biofeedback, cognitive/attentional distraction, imagery, hypnosis, and meditation. Any randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for pain specifically in lung cancer patients were included. In the absence of RCTs, quasi-experimental designs were reviewed for possible conclusion in a narrative summary. Outcome measures were pain intensity before and after cognitive behavioural therapy techniques. The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished literature. A three-step search was utilised by using identified keywords and text term. An initial limited search of MEDLINE and CINAHL was undertaken followed by analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract, and of the index terms used to describe the article. A second search using all the identified keywords and index terms was then undertaken across all included databases. Thirdly, the reference list of all identified reports and articles were searched for additional studies. Searches were conducted during January 1991- March 2014 limited to English and Thai languages with no date restriction. Materials and Methods: All studies that met the inclusion criteria were assessed for methodological quality by three reviewers using a standardized critical appraisal tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Three reviewers extracted data independently, using a standardized data extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Ideally for quantitative data meta-analysis was to be conducted where all results were subject to double data entry. Odds ratios (for categorical data) and weighted mean differences (for continuous data) and their 95% confidence intervals were to be calculated for analysis and heterogeneity was to be assessed using the standard Chi-square. Where statistical pooling was not possible the finding were be presented in narrative form. Results: There were no studies located that met the inclusion requirements of this review. There were also no text and opinion pieces that were specific to cognitive behavioral therapy techniques pain and lung cancer patients.Conclusions: There is currently no evidence available to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy techniques for pain in lung cancer patients.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.51-57
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• 2015

Objectives To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy for nocturnal crying. Methods We conducted search across the 3 electronic databases (Pubmed, CAJ and Oasis) to find all of randomized controlled clinical trials(RCTs) that used Chuna manual therapy as a treatment for nocturnal crying. The methodological quality of each RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and nRCTs was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Study tool. Results Two RCTs and three nRCTs met our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed positive results for the use of Chuna manual therapy in terms of the efficacy rate when compared to medication treatments alone. Positive results were also obtained, in terms of the efficacy rate, when comparing Chuna manual therapy combined with acupoint application therapy to Chuna manual therapy alone, but was not statistically significant. Conclusions Our systematic review found encouraging but limited evidence of Chuna manual therapy for nocturnal crying. We recommend clinical trials which compare the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy with usual care to obtain stronger evidence without the demerits of trial design.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2020

Objectives : This study aimed to evaluate the randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) analyzing the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy (CMT) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods : Among the literature published until May 2020, a literature search was carried out using 10 electronic databases using related keywords to identify all RCTs that applied CMT for the treatment of BPH. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of each RCT. Results : Five RCTs met our inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. These studies showed that CMT had no positive results compared to herbal medication. However, positive results were shown in terms of an increased efficacy rate, reduced international prostate symptom scores, and increased maximum flow rate when CMT was combined with acupuncture or herbal medication. Conclusions : Based on the analysis, this review has limited evidence of CMT being beneficial in the treatment of BPH. Therefore, further investigation is required using well-designed RCTs to support the effectiveness of CMT and to obtain higher evidence.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.107-121
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• 2019

The diagnosis and management of gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) and GER disease (GERD) in infants and children remains a challenge. Published guidelines and position papers, along with Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Database were reviewed and summarized with the intent to propose a practical approach and management of GER and GERD for healthcare providers and to standardize and improve the quality of care for infants and children. For this purpose, 2 algorithms were developed, 1 for infants <12 months of age and the other for older children. None of the signs and symptoms of GER and GERD are specific and there is no gold standard diagnostic test or tool. Nutritional management is recommended as a first-line approach in infants, while in children, a therapeutic trial with antacid medication is advised for early management. The practical recommendations from this review are intended to optimize the management of GER in infants and older children and reduce the number of investigations and inappropriate use of medication.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2022

Objectives : Recent studies reported that Dokwhalkisaeng-tang (DHJST) could relieve the clinical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms and the level of RA-related blood test. However, evidence-based review on effectiveness and safety of DHJST with medication on RA was not yet provided. Methods : Searching randomized controlled trials on the use of DHJST for RA will be performed using multiple electronic databases, manual search, and contact to author. Studies will be selected according to the pre-defined criteria and collected data on study participants, interventions, control groups, outcome measurements, the results, adverse events, and risk of bias will be summarized. Primary outcome will be the disease activity score (including effective rate, swollen joint count, tender joint count, and morning stiffness), and the secondary outcomes will be RA-related blood test and adverse events. We will use Review Manager software to perform a meta-analysis, Cochrane Collaboration "risk of bias" tool for assessing the risk of bias, and Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation for the determination of quality of evidence. Results : We are going to investigate the effectiveness and safety of DHJST with medication for RA. Conclusion : This study will provide reliable evidence on whether DHJST combined with medicine is more effective on RA than medicine monotherapy.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2017

Objectives: To systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Chuna manual therapy (CMT) for chronic gastritis (CG). Methods: We searched twelve English, Chinese and Korean databases using relevant keywords up to September 2017. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CMT for CG were considered for inclusion. The methodological quality of included RCTs was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: Seven RCTs with 403 CG patients were included. The meta-analysis of 6 studies showed that CMT had statistically significant effects (p<0.0001) on effective rate for CG compared to conventional medication. Conclusions: This systematic review suggests that CMT seems effective for CG, but limited evidence from risk of bias. For future studies, high-quality RCTs such as sham-controlled studies with standardized interventions are needed to provide sufficient evidence on the effects of CMT for CG.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.302-312
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• 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous disease. Not all patients with COPD respond to available drugs. Identifying respondents to therapy is critical to delivering the most appropriate treatment and avoiding unnecessary medication. Recognition of individual patients' dominant characteristics by phenotype is a useful tool to better understand their disease and tailor treatment accordingly. To look for a suitable phenotype, it is important to understand what makes COPD complex and heterogeneous. The pathology of COPD includes small airway disease and/or emphysema. Thus, COPD is not a single disease entity. In addition, there are two types (panlobular and centrilobular) of emphysema in COPD. The coexistence of different pathological subtypes could be the reason for the complexity and heterogeneity of COPD. Thus, it is necessary to look for the phenotype based on the difference in the underlying pathology. Review of the literature has shown that clinical manifestation and therapeutic response to pharmacological therapy are different depending on the presence of computed tomography-defined airway wall thickening in COPD patients. Defining the phenotype of COPD based on the underlying pathology is encouraging as most clinical manifestations can be distinguished by the presence of increased airway wall thickness. Pharmacological therapy has shown significant effect on COPD with airway wall thickening. However, it has limited use in COPD without an airway disease. The phenotype of COPD based on the underlying pathology can be a useful tool to better understand the disease and adjust treatment accordingly.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2019

Objectives The purpose of this study is to provide an evidence base for the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy (CMT) alone for cervicogenic dizziness. Methods We conducted a search up to October 2018 in 7 electronic databases. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that performed CMT for cervicogenic dizziness were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results Ten RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis of 4 RCTs showed favorable results for the use of CMT alone compared to medication. Conclusions In 10 RCTs, we found that CMT was effective in cervicogenic dizziness. However, most of the included RCTs were unclear risk of bias. Therefore, well designed RCTs would be needed to obtain the stronger evidence level of CMT for cervicogenic dizziness.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.49-78
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Korean Medicine Therapy (KMT) for the treatment of Chemotherapy-induced Cognitive Impairment (CICI) through systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as proceeding research to further research the efficacy of KMT for CICI patients. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). The RCTs on the efficacy of KMT for treatment of CICI were searched by structured search strategies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, CAJD, KISS, NDSL, KoreaMed, and OASIS. The searched RCTs were screened by inclusion and exclusion criteria. We evaluated the quality of the method in the included studies using the Jadad score and Cochran ROB tool. The efficacy outcomes were the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Clinical total Effective Rate (CER) of CICI. They were analyzed using mean difference for continuous variable or Relative Risk (RR) for Dichotomous variable in the random-effect model. The RevMan 5.3 program was used for meta-analysis. Results: We included 19 RCTs, including 653 participants, in the systematic review and meta-analysis. There were favorable results for the KMT group after the intervention compared with the pharmacotherapy group, physiotherapy group, and combined treatment group. KMT group showed improvement using CER and VAS compared with exercises, but their heterogeneities were slightly significant. KMT was more effective compared to the Rehabilitation program in CER and the subgroup analysis results showed that KMT had a significant difference compared to other therapies in VAS, to Medication therapy in CER. Conclusions: KMT presented reasonable evidence on improving the Clinical total Effective Rate and Visual Analogue Scale in CICI patients. However, further evaluation in future research is required.