• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.131-136
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• 2012

Objective: This study evaluated and compared the adherence to the CONSORT for quality of reports on the randomized controlled trials (RCT) abstracts by four major Korean Science Citation Index (SCI) journals and The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Methods: A descriptive analysis of published RCT abstracts in Korean SCI journals and NEJM from 2007/01 to 2011/06 was conducted by two reviewers, independently extracting data from a PubMed search. A modification of CONSORT for abstract was used including 16 checklist items. Reporting of checklist items for individual group was conducted to compare adherence patterns between two groups. Results: We identified the potential 57 RCT abstracts from Korean SCI and 50 from NEJM meeting our inclusion criteria; among them, three abstracts from Korean SCI and one from NEJM were excluded. Among total 16 checklist items based on CONSORT statement, Korean SCI journals and NEJM were statistically equivalent in 4 items; Korean journals were better in three items and NEJM were in nine. The methodological quality domains were inadequately reported in both journals: allocation concealment about 1.9% and 4.0%, and blinding 44.4% and 40.8%. In general, The CONSORT adherence of NEJM was better than that of Korean SCI in the method and result domain (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The quality of NEJM reporting of RCT abstracts was better than that of Korean SCI, in general. This study on adherence of RCT reports from Korean SCI journals and NEJM abstracts to the CONSORT statement reveals that there is a need for improvement, especially Korean SCI. Further investigation on the quality of RCT reports and ways to improve reporting quality is required.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

Objectives : The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the efficacy and safety of Sanjoin-tang (Suanzaoren decoction, SZRD) for insomnia in menopausal syndromes. Method : We searched the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database (VIP), Wanfang, Research Information Service System (RISS), OASIS, Korean studies Information Service System (KISS), and National Digital Science Library (NDSL) databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs that used SZRD for women in menopause were included. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed using the risk of bias tool. Results : In total, nine RCTs were finally included. The included RCTs had a high risk of bias across their domains. Three RCTs examined the effects of SZRD compared with western medicine (WM) in insomnia. Three RCTs showed favorable effects of SZRD with insomnia. Infrastructure also showed that SZRD resulted in better clinical WM (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.32, P=0.001, I²=0%). Four RCTs showed favorable effects of Modified SZRD with insomnia. Infrastructure also showed that Modified SZRD resulted in better clinical WM (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.23, P=0.004, I²=0%). Among the 4 RCTs, three RCTs showed an equivalent effect on the total Pittsburh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The meta-analysis also showed that Modified SZRD had a superior effect on the total of PSQI (total of PSQI : MD -2.55, 95% CI -3.72 to -1.37, P<0.0001, I²=85%). Only 2 trials reported adverse events and none reported severe adverse events. Conclusion : SZRD appears to be safe, but there is insufficient evidence to make a definitive conclusion because only a few studies reported adverse events. Due to the poor methodological quality of the included studies and the small number of trials included, the evidence cannot be reproduced and assessed. Well-designed RCTs with a larger sample size are needed in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.46-57
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• 2016

Objective : The purpose of this study is to prove the effects of exercise intervention on postural control of children with cerebral palsy in Korea by systematic review. Methods : Total 18 studies were selected through Korean research database engine such as DBpia, KISS and RISS for the systematic review in this study. Key words used were 'cerebral palsy', 'postural control' and 'balance' and publication time period was limited only after October 2006 in the research selection. All the selected studies were reviewed in terms of quality level of evidence and methodological quality level, and then the results were analyzed with Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO). Results : For the level of evidence, it is found that 8 studies show Grade I, 5 studies show Grade III, and 2 studies show Grade V. In terms of Methodological quality, majority of the studies showed 'Fare' level. Majority of target population of the studies was children with spastic diplegia. Most research design of the studies were randomized controlled trials. The results in several suited showed that the postural control exercise used in Korea has positive impact on improvement of motor and balance ability. Conclusion : Impact of the exercise intervention used in Korea for postural control of children with cerebral palsy has been evidenced in this study. It is proposed that further research need to be done considering several types of cerebral palsy.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.64-74
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of therapeutic interventions on upper extremity function of children with cerebral palsy using systematic review methods and to suggest intervention trends in Korea. Methods : The subjects of the study were the researches published in the Korean Journal since 2008. Total 12 studies were selected through Korean research database engine such as DBpia, Scholar, KSDC, KISS and RISS for the systematic review. Key words were 'cerebral palsy', 'upper extremity function' and 'hand function'. The results of this study were analyzed by qualitative level and methodological quality level of evidence, and the results of each study were analyzed according to the PICO approach, that is Patient, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome. Results : For the level of evidence, Grade IV and V were most frequent. In terms of methodological quality, majority of the studies showed 'Fair' level. The subjects were the children with hemiplegia, and Single-subjects designs and case studies were frequent experimental design. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) was most frequently conducted among the intervention studies, and Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test was most frequently used evaluation tool. Eleven studies showed that the upper limb functions were significantly improved or were positively effective. Conclusion : Various intervention methods have been implemented to improve the upper limb functions of children with cerebral palsy. In the future, studies on intervention methods based on the type of paralysis and studies with high quality of evidence should be conducted in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.93-108
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• 2022

PURPOSE: This review sought to confirm the correlation between dual-task gait and cognitive function in cognitively impaired and healthy older adults. METHOD: We used four databases (DBs), Pubmed, Cochrane library, Kmbase, and Koreamed. Searches were carried out according to the PICOS method, P (participants) were the elderly (above 65 years) with cognitive decline, I (intervention) was walking with dual tasks, C (control group) comprised the elderly without cognitive decline, O (outcome) was the correlation between gait and cognitive function and S (study) was the cross-sectional study. For the methodological quality assessment of each study, we used the Quality Assessment Tool for Observation Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). RESULTS: A total of 10 articles were included in this systematic review. For the components of gait, we used pace, rhythm, and variability and we observed that mild cognitive impairment mostly causes low gait performance while performing dual tasks. Among the 10 articles, 9 articles studied pace, of which 7 showed significant results. However, 2 were not significant. Also, 1 article that studied rhythm and 3 articles that studied variability showed significant results. The methodological quality of the 10 studies was fair. CONCLUSION: Gait pace was found to have a high correlation between memory, which is a cognitive ability, and overall cognitive function. It was observed that older adults with mild cognitive impairment have reduced gait pace in single-task walking, and further decrease in dual-task gait pace shows the correlation between memory and gait pace during walking.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.89-100
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• 2020

Objectives : This study aimed to verify the clinical effectiveness of Baduanjin for shoulder pain. Methods : We searched 10 electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CAJ, KISS, KISTI, KMBASE, RISS, NDSL, and OASIS) up to May 2020. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using Baduanjin for shoulder pain. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results : As a result of the search, a total of 6 RCTs were eligible for analysis. Of these 6 studies, one applied Baduanjin alone and 5 cases used Baduanjin in combination with other treatments, such as acupuncture or electroacupuncture. Except for 2 studies, descriptive analysis was performed without meta-analysis due to the high level of heterogeneity between studies. A high risk of bias was observed in all studies. Conclusions : When considering the results of the included papers, there was limited information derived on the therapeutic effect of using Baduanjin as a single intervention, but the results showed significant effectiveness when Baduanjin was combined with other oriental interventions, such as acupuncture and electroacupuncture, in the clinical field. Although all RCTs included in the analysis were biased to CAJ and the number was limited, this study was conducted in accordance with the methodological process of systematic literature reviews and revealed the clinical effects of Baduanjin on shoulder pain.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2012

Purpose: The aims of this study were to examine the trend of quantitative study in Korean Journal of Adult Nursing published between 1989-2011 and to provide future directions for nursing research in adult health nursing. Methods: A total of 883 published articles were reviewed, and main subject and the methodology were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The most frequently cited keywords were elderly, quality of life, depression, knowledge, stress and anxiety. The survey study was the most popular research design (67.6%) followed by experimental (26.5%), and methodological study (5.5%) design. Over 80% of studies with translated or developed instruments reported reliability for psychometric analysis, while only 18% of the studies reported validity of the instruments they used. In the periods of 2006~2011, significantly more studies utilized experimental design, obtained IRB approval and written consent, and included power analysis for sample size calculation. In recent experimental study, educational program and complimentary therapy were the two most frequently used interventions. Conclusion: Through the analysis of nursing studies published in Korean Journal of Adult Nursing, we found the number of experimental studies has increased and methodological rigor has improved in recent years.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.349-367
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• 2012

Recently, the global paradigm on the economic structure has been changed from the price-oriented borderless competition toward the sustainable quality movement due to the ever-increasing global warming and environmental issues. Since Korea hosted the global 20 summit in 2010, it has promoted the green growth policies and asked for the other countries to participate in. Unfortunately, it is not easy to figure out the green growth or green productivity because the economic performance has a side effect of environmental pollution such as CO2 emission. This paper aims to analyzes the methodological comparison for all the related issues with green productivity and suggests the new paradigm of global Malmquist-Lundberger index (GML) as the most flexible field and performance-oriented criteria to measure the green productivity.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.79-94
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• 2010

Objectives : Many researchers in western societies raised questions on methodological limitations of randomized controlled trial (RCT) for studying Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), and they have tried to find alternatives to RCT. Some of them recently have interest in health service research as one of the alternatives. Discussing the significance of health services research in CAM studies will be helpful to guide the researchers in Korea who are also interested in developing an appropriate research methodology for traditional Korean medicine. Methods : Previous studies on methodological issues of studying CAM and health service researches published in western societies until 2009 were searched mainly from Pubmed. The definition, main research domains, and research methods of health service research and the significance of it for researches on CAM were summarized. Results & Conclusions : Health service researches are important in two aspects. First, health service researches evaluate the actual practice of CAM, including the individualized diagnosis as well as treatment and interaction between practitioners and patients. Second, when evaluating the outcomes, they put an emphasis on subjective evaluation by patients as well as objective evaluation by doctors. Thus, it can reflect the treatment goals of CAM which is improving the overall quality of life and the physical and psychological health. Therefore, health services researches such as descriptive studies, qualitative studies, outcomes studies including economic evaluation, and whole systemic research should be more utilized in order for studying traditional Korean medicine.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.299-307
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• 2019

This study aims to explore the theoretical concepts of inclusive development in relation to the spatial context, assessment the disparities in the social and economic development of the regions of Kazakhstan and substantiate the main mechanisms for overcoming them. In this research, authors propose the methodological tools for presenting a standard form of evaluation of social and economic development in the regions of Kazakhstan. In this study used methods, which based on measuring disproportions between the levels of economic and social development of the regions, as well as disproportions between the republican and regional levels. According to the author's methodological approach, complex and integral indexes have calculated over the period 2012-2017 for a number of indicators adapted to the conditions of Kazakhstan. The calculated indexes proposed to use as instruments for measuring the level of the social and economic development. In addition, according the obtained indexes and the results of their ranking can be the basis for the development of regional programs and management decisions. This will improve the targeted support of the population in backward regions in order to ensure inclusive development and improve the quality of life of the population.