• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제39권4호
• /
• pp.520-549
• /
• 2018

Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the recent clinical research trends regarding the effects of traditional herbal medicine (THM) on chemotherapy-induced leukopenia. Methods: Randomized controlled trials that verified effects of herbal medicine treating chemotherapy induced leukopenia were included in the study. A literature search was performed in the English, Chinese, and Korean databases for papers published from January 1, 2007, to September 1, 2017. The selected literature was assessed by Cochrane's Risk of Bias (RoB). Results: Forty-two of 232 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly used herbal prescriptions called '升白湯 (shengbai decoction)' which means elevating the numbers of White blood cells (WBCs). And the mostly included herbs such as Astragali Radix, Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba, Codonopsis Pilosulae, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Ligustri Lucidi Fructus are commonly used to elevate qi, blood and yin. The count of WBC in peripheral blood, the level of leukopenia presented in WHO (World Health Organization), and clinical symptoms were used to evaluate the treatments. The effective rate was 68.6-98.18% and the effectiveness was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group in 38 articles (p<0.05). No serious adverse events were reported. Only five articles (5/42, 11.9%) were rated as having adequate methodological quality with a low level of bias. Conclusion: Some traditional herbal medicines may be effective as therapeutic treatments for chemotherapy-induced leukopenia, but the majority of reviewed studies were of poor quality. The present findings need to be confirmed by rigorously conducted high-quality trials, including pharmacokinetic studies, to confirm the absence of interactions between traditional herbal medicine agents and chemotherapy.

• 재활간호학회지
• /
• 제19권2호
• /
• pp.82-99
• /
• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review systematically the effects of home based pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients using qualitative synthesis. Methods: Studies designed randomized controlled trials were identified to extract data and to assess the quality of studies in 8 domestic and 3 foreign search engines, and hand search reference reviews. Results: A total of 9 studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the methodological quality of the studies ranged from average to poor. Home based pulmonary rehabilitation consisted of exercise, education, and psychosocial interventions. Several exercises such as aerobic, strength, respiratory muscle training, and flexibility were used in home based pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients. Upper muscle exercise and walking were the most frequently used exercises. The most common topics for education were 'knowledge of the illness' and 'drug management'. Walking distance test (WDT) and quality of life (QoL) were the most frequently measured as the dependent variables to evaluate rehabilitation outcomes, followed by pulmonary function test (PFT) and dyspnea. WDT was the most effective outcome, followed by dyspnea, QoL and PFT. Conclusion: This study informed about the details of scientific and effective home based rehabilitation programs in COPD patients for future researchers and clinicians. These findings can help expand the recognition and accessibility of home based rehabilitation in COPD patients.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제30권10호
• /
• pp.2240-2244
• /
• 2009

A simple high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to evaluate the quality of Moutan Cortex Radicis based on chromatographic fingerprints that characterize eight pharmacological compounds, namely, gallic acid, paeoniflorin, galloyl paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, quercetin, benzoylpaeoniflorin, paeoniflorigenone, and paeonol. These compounds were identified by their characteristic UV profiles and the mass spectroscopy data, and their contents were determined by HPLC. The chromatographic separation was performed on a $C_{18}$ column by gradient elution with 0.05% formic acid in water and acetonitrile. The methodological validation gave acceptable linearities (r = 0.9996) and recoveries (ranging from 99.4∼103.1%). The limits of detection (LOD) of these compounds ranged from 10 to 30 $\mu$g/mL. The representative chromatographic fingerprints of Moutan Cortex Radicis were obtained by analyzing 20 batches of samples collected from markets in Korea and China. For the efficient evaluation of quality for the commercial Moutan Cortex Radicis it is recommended that the total content of the six characteristic compounds should contain more than a minimum of 2% and that the content of total paeoniflorin and paeonol should exceed a minimum of 1.5% of dry weight of Moutan Cortex Radicis.

• 대한치과교정학회지
• /
• 제46권5호
• /
• pp.331-342
• /
• 2016

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the diagnostic tools available for assessing maxillary transverse deficiencies. Methods: An electronic search of three databases was performed from their date of establishment to April 2015, with manual searching of reference lists of relevant articles. Articles were considered for inclusion if they reported the accuracy or reliability of a diagnostic method or evaluation technique for maxillary transverse dimensions in mixed or permanent dentitions. Risk of bias was assessed in the included articles, using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool-2. Results: Nine articles were selected. The studies were heterogeneous, with moderate to low methodological quality, and all had a high risk of bias. Four suggested that the use of arch width prediction indices with dental cast measurements is unreliable for use in diagnosis. Frontal cephalograms derived from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were reportedly more reliable for assessing intermaxillary transverse discrepancies than posteroanterior cephalograms. Two studies proposed new three-dimensional transverse analyses with CBCT images that were reportedly reliable, but have not been validated for clinical sensitivity or specificity. No studies reported sensitivity, specificity, positive or negative predictive values or likelihood ratios, or ROC curves of the methods for the diagnosis of transverse deficiencies. Conclusions: Current evidence does not enable solid conclusions to be drawn, owing to a lack of reliable high quality diagnostic studies evaluating maxillary transverse deficiencies. CBCT images are reportedly more reliable for diagnosis, but further validation is required to confirm CBCT's accuracy and diagnostic superiority.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• 제47권1호
• /
• pp.3-8
• /
• 2020

Genital lymphedema (GL) is an uncommon and disabling disease that manifests as enlargement of the genital region resulting from the disturbance of lymphatic drainage. Although conservative treatment such as decompression is typically the first-line approach, surgical intervention has been shown to be effective in certain cases. This study aimed to systematically review studies evaluating available surgical alternatives for the treatment of male GL. A systematic search strategy using keyword and subject headings was applied to PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library in May 2019. Studies investigating various surgical techniques to treat penile and scrotal lymphedema were included. The potential risk of bias of included trials was evaluated using the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). In total, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, nine of which were determined to be high-quality. The average MINORS score was 12.45 for studies involving excision and 14 for studies involving lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA). The most common reason for a low score was a failure to describe the inclusion criteria. Recurrence of lymphedema during follow-up was reported in four studies involving excision and in no studies involving LVA. In general, the quality of the included literature was considered to be fair. Although surgical intervention might not always prevent the recurrence of lymphedema, all of the studies reported improved quality of life after the procedure. This study could be used as the basis for evidence-based guidelines to be applied in clinical practice for managing male GL.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제40권3호
• /
• pp.343-355
• /
• 2019

Objectives: Traditional oriental medicine is used in treating breast cancer-related lymphedema to alleviate symptoms. Upper limb lymphedema is a symptom that is frequently observed in patients with breast cancer, and it impairs their quality of life. This systematic review aimed to summarize the current available evidence to evaluate the effect of traditional oriental medicine on upper limb lymphedema in breast cancer patients. Methods: The review evaluated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) measuring the effect of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion on upper limb lymphedema in breast cancer patients within four electronic databases. The Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) tool was used to assess the quality of the RCTs. Results: In total, 23 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 22 studies reported that the rate of severity of lymphedema improved after treatment in the traditional treatment group using herbal medicine, acupuncture, or moxibustion better than in the conventional medicine group. The methodological quality of the RCTs was insufficient with an unclear and high ROB. Conclusions: Traditional oriental medicine may have a potential to improve lymphedema in patients with breast cancer. To confirm the clinical recommendation, further research with a rigorous study design is required to support the effects of traditional oriental medicine.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제42권3호
• /
• pp.340-350
• /
• 2021

Objectives: Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a common adverse effect of chemotherapy in cancer patients. This review synthesizes research results to assess the effect of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) on HFS in cancer patients. Methods: Four databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Research Information Sharing Service, China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effects of TKM on HFS. The effects and quality of RCTs were assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) tool. Results: Six RCTs met our study criteria. In all six, TKM showed improvement in HFS symptoms as well as quality of life scores when compared to the control group. However, the methodological quality of RCTs was relatively low due to the unclear or high ROB. Conclusions: TKM would be helpful to patients with HFS after chemotherapy. To clarify the clinical efficacy of TKM, well-designed studies are required in the future.

• 한국융합학회논문지
• /
• 제12권7호
• /
• pp.93-104
• /
• 2021

본 연구는 만성폐쇄성폐질환자에게 수중운동 중재의 효과를 파악하기 위해 체계적 문헌고찰 및 메타 분석하였다. 선정된 문헌은 2013부터 2018년 7월까지 8개 검색엔진(Cochrane central, EMbase, Cinahl, Pubmed, Riss4U, NDSL, DBPIA, Koreamed)으로 체계적으로 문헌 검색하였다. 2명의 연구자가 문헌을 선정하고, 질 평가하였다. 총 5개의 문헌이 선정되었으며, 문헌의 질 평가 결과가 우수하지 않았다. 또한 수중운동 중재와 일반적인 간호를 메타 분석한 결과 6분 보행거리, 삶의 질에서 효과가 큰 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 COPD 환자를 대상으로 수중 내에서 이뤄지는 다양한 형태의 운동 중재를 소개하여 프로그램 적용에 유용한 자료가 될 것으로 생각된다. 그러나 문헌의 수가 적어 일반화에 어려움이 있다.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제39권4호
• /
• pp.283-296
• /
• 2022

In this study, the evidence of thread embedding acupuncture (TEA) in treating cervical radiculopathy in randomized controlled trials was investigated. We searched 16 databases up to August 22, 2022. Of the 2,644 studies retrieved, 22 randomized controlled trials (2,483 participants) were selected. Quality assessments were performed using Cochrane's risk-of-bias tool and RevMan 5.4 software. Outcome measures in the included studies typically showed TEA had a significant therapeutic effect compared with simple acupuncture and other remedies, and TEA was better than sham TEA. Catgut and polydioxanone had no difference in effectiveness, however, catgut was considered to be less safe. TEA was shown to be more therapeutic when inserted deeper into the skin. Ultrasound guided TEA was more effective and safer than conventional TEA, and using a flat blade needle was better than conventional needles for TEA. No serious adverse events were reported from using TEA, and only a few mild side effects were observed. However, the limited number and heterogeneity of the included studies, together with the unclear methodological quality, indicate that higher-quality studies need to be conducted to determine the effectiveness and safety of TEA for cervical radiculopathy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제41권1호
• /
• pp.29-52
• /
• 2024

The aim of this review is to consolidate findings from clinical investigations spanning the past decade regarding the impact of acupuncture on Parkinson's disease (PD). The objective is to assess the efficacy of acupuncture as a therapeutic approach to PD, with the intention of informing future clinical practices and advancing the foundation for subsequent research endeavors in this area. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify clinical trials exploring the effects of acupuncture on PD between January 2014 and August 2023. Databases search included PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, OASIS, KISS, KMBASE, RISS, and ScienceON. Quantitative evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was systematically reviewed, and the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4.1 software. The systematic review encompassed a total of 38 RCTs involving 2,786 participants. Meta-analysis of 12 studies revealed that individuals treated with a combination of acupuncture and Western medicine exhibited notable improvements compared to those receiving Western medicine alone or sham acupuncture alongside Western medicine. However, the overall quality of the RCTs was deemed low, and no serious adverse events were reported. Across clinical investigations conducted in the past decade, acupuncture appears to hold promise as a complementary treatment for PD patients when administered alongside Western medicine. Nevertheless, this study identifies certain limitations that warrant consideration in future research endeavors. Enhanced emphasis on conducting high-quality RCTs is imperative to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in managing PD.