• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.101-114
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• 2020

Objectives : This study aimed to determine the current trends in manual therapy for low back and pelvic girdle pain as regards pregnancy. Methods : Using 7 online databases, we searched for appropriate clinical studies. Results : Eighteen studies were selected from online databases. The included studies consisted of 8 randomized controlled trials, 6 uncontrolled trials, 4 case reports, and 1 non-randomized controlled trial. Four studies were performed in pregnant patients, while others were in postpartum patients. The majority of studies used relaxing or rubbing of soft tissue and some of the studies were manipulated. The visual analog scale (VAS) was the most frequently used outcome, with the effective rate second. Conclusions : This study demonstrates that manual therapy may be a promising therapeutic option low back and pelvic girdle pain for patients as regards pregnancy or postpartum.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2019

Objectives This study was performed to research the trends of Korean traditional medicine treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Methods Clinical studies about Korean traditional medicine of CSM were searched in 7 online databases. We extracted the characteristics of selected studies according to author, publication year, country, research design, treatment methods, evaluation tools, and adverse events. Results Nineteen studies were selected in online databases. The included studies consist of 8 uncontrolled trial, 7 case reports, 3 randomized controlled trials and 1 non-randomized controlled trials. In these studies, various Korean traditional medicine treatments were performed, and herbal medicine was the most common. The most commonly used outcomes was effective rate. Conclusions This study showed that Korean traditional medicine could be an effective treatment for CSM. It was suggested that various studies should be conducted to provide objective evidence of the therapeutic effects of Korean traditional medicine treatment for CSM.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.1184-1198
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the latest clinical studies on Korean medicine treatment of post-concussion syndrome (PCS) in the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI). Methods: We searched the last 10 years of clinical studies discussing Oriental medicine-based treatments for PCS in the CNKI database. The search focused on the authors, publication year, type of study, purpose of the study, method and duration of treatment, evaluation criteria, and results of each article. Results: Of the 22 selected studies, 1 was a non-randomized controlled trial (nRCT), 2 were case series, and 19 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Treatments included oral herbal medicine in 16 studies, oriental medicine through external use in 2 studies, acupuncture in 3 studies, and traditional Chinese medicine injection in 2 studies. The most frequently used herb was Cnidii Rhizoma (川芎). All 22 studies confirmed the efficacy of Oriental medicine treatments. Conclusion: More varied and scientifically designed clinical studies are required to develop treatments for PCS. The results of this study could be used as basic data for further PCS studies.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.181-200
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Bojungikgi-tang (BJIG) and its modifications for patients with anemia. Methods: The subject of analysis of this study was a parallel design randomized controlled trial in which BJIG or its modifications was administered orally to patients who met the World Health Organization's anemia criteria and the efficacy and safety were prospectively measured. Electronic databases were searched to retrieve eligible literature published from 1 January 2000 to 12 February 2023. A meta-analysis was conducted, and the risk of bias (RoB) and level of evidence of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool and GRADE method, respectively. Results: Five studies were included in the meta-analysis. When BJIG or its modifications was administered to anemia patients receiving conventional treatment, additional benefits compared to the non-administered group were found in terms of an increase in red blood cell count (mean difference (MD) 0.46 × 10¹²/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17 to 0.74), hemoglobin concentration (MD 9.28 g/L, 95% CI 6.06 to 12.51), hematocrit (MD 2.57%, 95% CI 1.76 to 3.38), total effective rate (odds ratio 5.29, 95% CI 2.05 to 13.68), and traditional Chinese medicine symptom scores (standardized MD -1.51, 95% CI -2.79 to -0.24). Conclusions: This study demonstrated the clinical potential of BJIG and its modifications to provide additional benefits to patients with anemia receiving conventional treatment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.200-209
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of oral gargling with an aromatic solution on xerostomia, objective oral status, and oral health-related quality of life in psychiatric inpatients. Methods: A nonequivalent control group with a non-synchronized design was used in this study. The experimental group (n=34) received oral gargling with an aroma solution, while the control group (n=33) gargled with 0.9% normal saline. Dependent variables were measured at pre-, post-, and follow-up test. Data were analyzed using an χ²-test, Fisher's exact probability test, t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS/WIN v.21.0. Results: After the intervention, significant differences were revealed in xerostomia (F=15.30, p<.001), objective oral status (F=38.44, p<.001), and oral health-related quality of life (F=62.70, p<.001) with an interaction effect between group and time. Conclusion: These findings indicate that gargling with an aroma solution is more effective than 0.9% normal saline for the oral health of psychiatric inpatients. Therefore gargling with an aroma can be safely recommended as a brief, economical, and positive intervention in clinical settings.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2015

Objective: In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that aerobic exercise might exert its cardio-protective effect by preventing oxidative stress and improving cardiac function in rat models with doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: We randomly divided experimental rats into four groups: the normal group was used as a non-cardiomyopathy normal control (n=10); the control group included non-aerobic exercise after doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy (n=10); the experimental group I included aerobic exercise (3 m/min) after doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy (n=10); and experimental group II included aerobic exercise (8 m/min) after doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. Rats in the treadmill training groups underwent treadmill training, which began at 2 weeks after the first intraperitoneal injection. At the end of the exercise period, we determined the heart weight change for each rat. Changes in the levels of oxidative stress enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances [TBARS], and catalase) in the cardiac tissue of rats from all four groups were examined at the end of the experiment. Results: Significant cardiac myocyte injury and increase in myocardial TBARS concomitant with a reduction in myocardial SOD and catalase were observed following cardiomyopathy (p<0.05). Significant cardiac tissue and increase in myocardial TBARS along with reduction in myocardial SOD and catalase were observed following cardiomyopathy (p<0.05). Oxidative parameters were significantly improved in the aerobic exercise groups compared with the control group. Conclusions: These findings indicate that aerobic exercise effectively prevents oxidative stress in rat models with cardiomyopathy.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.1823-1829
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• 2019

Background: Stroke patients have leg muscle weakness and impaired balance resulting in compensatory changes. To restore balance in these patients, functional training using postural strategy is needed. Objective: To examine the effects of ankle and hip strategy training on the center of pressure (COP) movement and limits of stability (LOS) in standing posture in stroke patients. Design: The study was an assessor-blinded and randomized-controlled clinical trial. Methods: Thirty patients were randomly assigned to an ankle strategy training group and a ankle/ hip strategy training group. Patients in the ankle strategy training group underwent ankle strategy exercise for 30 min, and those in the ankle/ hip strategy training group underwent 15 min of ankle strategy exercise and 15 min of hip strategy exercise. Both groups underwent training thrice a week for four weeks. Forward, backward, paretic side, and non-paretic side COP movements and LOS were measured using BioRescue. Results: After the intervention, except for the backward area in the ankle strategy training group, the COP movement area and the LOS were significantly improved in both the groups. In addition, these improvements were significantly higher in ankle/ hip strategy training group than that in the ankle strategy training group. Conclusions: Ankle strategy training in addition to hip strategy training improves COP movement (forward-backward, paretic side area, and non-paretic side area) and LOS in stroke patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.315-321
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• 2021

Background: Pillar pain may develop after carpal tunnel release surgery (CTRS). This prospective double-blinded randomized trial investigated the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in pillar pain relief and hand function improvement. Methods: The sample consisted of 60 patients with post-CTRS pillar pain, randomized into two groups. The ESWT group (experimental) received three sessions of ESWT, while the control group received three sessions of sham ESWT, one session per week. Participants were evaluated before treatment, and three weeks, three months, and six months after treatment. The pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Hand functions were assessed using the Michigan hand outcomes questionnaire (MHQ). Results: The ESWT group showed significant improvement in VAS and MHQ scores after treatment at all time points compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Before treatment, the ESWT and control groups had a VAS score of 6.8 ± 1.3 and 6.7 ± 1.0, respectively. Three weeks after treatment, they had a VAS score of 2.8 ± 1.1 and 6.1 ± 1.0, respectively. Six months after treatment, the VAS score was reduced to 1.9 ± 0.9 and 5.1 ± 1.0, respectively. The ESWT group had a MHQ score of 54.4 ± 7.7 before treatment and 73.3 ± 6.8 six months after. The control group had a MHQ score of 54.2 ± 7.1 before treatment and 57.8 ± 4.4 six months after. Conclusions: ESWT is an effective and a safe non-invasive treatment option for pain management and hand functionality in pillar pain.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.442-451
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• 2022

Background: This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of fractional flow reserve (FFR) on clinical outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: Five online databases were searched for studies that (1) enrolled patients who underwent isolated CABG or CABG with aortic valve replacement and (2) demonstrated the effect of an FFR-guided strategy on major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after surgery based on a randomized controlled trial or adjusted analysis. MACE included cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction (MI), and repeated revascularization. The primary outcomes were all MACE outcomes and a composite of all-cause death and MI, and the secondary outcomes were the individual MACE outcomes. Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and the Egger test. Results: Six articles (3 randomized and 3 non-randomized studies: n=1,027) were selected. MACE data were extracted from 4 studies. The pooled analyses showed that the risk of MACE was not significantly different between patients who underwent FFR-guided CABG and those who underwent angiography-guided CABG (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.57-1.12). However, the risk of the composite of death or MI was significantly lower in patients undergoing FFR-guided CABG (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41-0.94). The individual MACE outcomes were not significantly different between FFR-guided and angiography-guided CABG. Conclusion: FFR-guided CABG might be beneficial in terms of the composite outcome of death or MI compared with angiography-guided CABG although data are limited.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.311-318
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• 2022

Background: Ketamine is widely used in infants and young children for procedural sedation and anesthesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low dose oral ketamine to control pain and distress in children during intravenous (IV) cannulation. Methods: This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind study, including children aged between 3 and 6 years requiring a non-emergent IV-line placement. Children were randomly assigned to two groups, treated either with oral ketamine or a placebo. All patients were monitored for vital signs. Pain was assessed using the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS) and Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFS) scales and sedation using a 5-point sedation score. The facility of IV-line placement was measured by a 3-point scale. Adverse effects were recorded after 1 and 24 hours. Results: A total of 79 and 81 children were entered in the ketamine and placebo groups, respectively. The heart and respiratory rates increased significantly in the placebo group. The median CHEOPS 4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3, 4, P < 0.001) and WBFS 6 (95% CI: 4, 6, P < 0.001) scores decreased statistically in the ketamine group. IV-line placement was 50% easier in the ketamine group (95% CI: 37%, 63%, P < 0.001). No serious adverse effects were observed in all cases. Conclusions: Low dose oral ketamine effectively decreased the pain and distress during IV cannulation in children without any significant adverse reactions.