• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.95-113
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• 2023

Objectives: To review studies evaluating effects of acupuncture on pain and depressive symptoms in fibromyalgia. Methods: Quantitative evidences (RCTs) were systematically reviewed. Literature were searched for a combination of fibromyalgia and depression (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, medline (via PubMed), Kmbase, KISS, ScienceON, OASIS, CiNii, CNKI). Quantitative research findings were critically appraised by Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tool and pooled. Meta-analysis was then conducted using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4. Results: Eighteen studies were selected. American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for Fibromyalgia Syndrome was most frequently used as diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. As for outcome measurement, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Total Effective Rate (TER) were used most commonly. Meta-analysis of ten studies revealed that both Depression and VAS scores of the Acupuncture+Western Medicine group were significantly lower than those of Western Medicine group (Depression: SMD, -0.94, 95% CI, -1.17 to -0.70; VAS: MD, -1.51, 95% CI, -1.83 to -1.19). Also, TERs of both Acupuncture group and Acupuncture+Western Acupuncture+Western Medicine group were significantly higher than those of the Western Medicine group (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.29 to 4.41; and OR: 7.40, 95% CI: 3.41 to 16.07). There was no significant difference in Depression or VAS score between the Acupuncture Group and the Western Medicine Group. Conclusions: Acupuncture might be an effective option for pain and depressive symptoms of fibromyalgia when it is combined with Western Medicine treatment. For more accurate results, more types of Korean medicine treatment should be conducted.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.97-113
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• 2023

Objectives This study examined the trends in domestic and international research on the treatment of sarcopenia and analyzed the effectiveness of the treatment. Based on the results, we suggest directions for future Korean medicine research on sarcopenia. Methods The study was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology. It included three international databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library) and five domestic databases (Korean studies Information Service System, Korean Medical database, Oriental Medicine Advanced Search Integrated System, Research Information Sharing Service, ScienceON) were used. Literatures published until April 30, 2023, including the contents of 'sarcopenia' and Korean Medicine treatment', were searched. Results A total of 45 studies were included in the analysis. The number of studies on Korean medicine treatments for sarcopenia is steadily increasing, with the majority of studies coming from Asian countries. Of the 45 studies, 30 were conducted in the field of medicine, and the study design was analyzed into 10 clinical studies and 35 non-clinical studies. Among the 10 clinical studies, the most common treatment interventions were herbs (n=4), followed by Daoist exercises (n=3). The most common diagnostic criteria used in clinical studies were those published by the Asian working group for sarcopenia, and various physical examinations and laboratory tests were used as outcome measures. Conclusions The future direction of Korean medicine research on sarcopenia should be to expand the number of clinical studies applying Korean medicine treatment interventions.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2022

Objectives: Smoking had a long negative impact on public health. The ingredients of a cigarette are major risk factors for several diseases. Owing to the problems about economic and quality of life, we need to ensure smoking cessation (SC). There are several approaches for SC including pharmacological therapy, nicotine replacement therapy, education, and behavioral intervention. However, due to some limitations, other alternative approaches are gaining popularity. Acupuncture has been reported to have few side effects and be more effective than some conventional treatments in several articles. However, there are no systematic reviews on the comparison of acupuncture combination treatment with other conventional monotherapies. Methods: Randomized controlled trials that used acupuncture as an adjunct treatment for SC will be searched and data will be summarized according to the predefined criteria. The primary outcome will be the abstinence rate, and secondary outcomes will be adverse events and biochemical indicators. We will use Review Manager to perform a meta-analysis, Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool for the risk of bias assessment, and the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach to determine the quality of evidence. We will investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combination treatment for SC with this study. Ethics and dissemination: This study will provide reliable clinical evidence on additional effect of acupuncture on smoking cessation. We will publish our results in a peer-review journal.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.492-497
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• 2007

The objectives of this study are to determine the full extent of the negative media reports and to broaden public awareness through content analysis. Samples of this study are news reports on vibrio on three major broadcasting companies such as MBC, KBS and SBS and three major national newspapers such as Chosun daily, Joongang daily and Donga daily in Korea for 5 years from January 1st in 2000 to December 31st in 2004. Total 628 cases were searched through from the web sites of fore mentioned TV and newspaper companies. It is highly advised to adhere to the proven fact as much as possible and full and thorough research on the outcome should be sought by media before they reach to the public.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.159-181
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• 2017

The current study is the first attempt to review the [Korean Journal of Psychology: Culture and Social Issues] systematically. For the past 22 years from 1994 to 2015, 464 articles have been published in the Journal. We analyzed the 337 empirical research articles, with respect to their objectives, predictor and outcome variables, and their methodologies. Most of the studies dealt with variables at individual level; some dealt with variables of the community and socio-cutural environment level. Many of the studies included general population, not necessarily social minorities. The results were compared with the literature on the social issues that Koreans perceive as social issues. Also it is noteworthy that many studies failed to specify such demographic characteristics as age, gender, and locality of their participants in the articles. Based on the analysis results, we discussed the roles of psychology and of the Journal in the contemporary Korean context.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.45-59
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• 2023

Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze the trends of researches on oriental medicine treatments for supraspinatus tendinopathy. Methods We used five databases for searching researches; Korean studies Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Research Information Sharing Service, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Only randomized controlled trials suitable for the subject were selected. The methodological quality of included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results Twenty randomized controlled trials were analyzed. There were 9 types of treatment interventions; acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture, electroacupuncture, fire needling, warming needle, catgut-embedding therapy, herbal medicine, cupping. The most frequently used treatment intervention was acupuncture and acupotomy. There were 9 outcome measurements including visual analog scale (VAS), Constant-Murley Score (CMS), and range of motion. The most used measurement was VAS. As a result of meta-analysis, acupuncture was more effective than control group in VAS. Additionally, acupotomy was clinically significant compared to control groups in VAS and CMS. Conclusions In this review, we analyzed researches on effectiveness of oriental medicine for supraspinatus tendinopathy. A provisional conclusion can be produced that acupuncture and acupotomy showed beneficial effect to supraspinatus tendinopathy. Although there were some RCT studies, many of them had a high risk of bias, so it is hard to conclude that our study can include overall clinical status. Further well-designed trials are needed.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.135-147
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• 2024

Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the research trends in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment for pes anserine bursitis using the search results from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Methods We searched for clinical studies on pes anserine bursitis in the CNKI electronic database. We analyzed the publication year, study type, participant demographics, treatment methods and duration, evaluation criteria, adverse events, and the results of each article. Results Seventeen studies published from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2024 were selected. Among the 17 selected studies, 14 were randomized controlled trials and 2 were case reports. The most frequently used treatment intervention was acupuncture. Nine types of acupuncture were identified, including electro-acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, floating acupuncture, and other new types of acupuncture. The most commonly used evaluation outcome was effective rate. Conclusions Various TCM treatments for pes anserine bursitis were introduced, and we could identify the effectiveness of TCM in treating pes anserine bursitis. However, it is anticipated that more well-designed and high-quality evaluation studies will be required in the future.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2024

Objectives: Obesity is a globally prevalent public health issue. Hence, there is a need for the development of safer and more effective anti-obesity drugs. Lythrum salicaria, a traditional medicinal herb used for centuries, has been reported to improve lipid metabolism and fat accumulation. It also has a low toxicity profile. Therefore, its potential as a functional ingredient in health functional foods needs to be evaluated. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 90 participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Each subject will orally receive L. salicaria extract (1,350 mg/day) (500 mg L. salicaria+850 mg lactose as vehicle) or lactose (1,350 mg/day) as a hard capsule formula for 84 days (12 weeks). The primary outcome will be body fat mass (kg), which will be assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (performed only at visits 2 and 4). Secondary outcomes include body mass index, body weight, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage (%) measured using DXA, lean body mass (kg) measured using DXA (assessed only at visits 2 and 4), lipids (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and calculated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), free fatty acid, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, adiponectin, and leptin. Conclusions: This protocol will be implemented after approval of Institutional Review Board of Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital (approval number: PNUKHIRB-2022-08-002) and registration with the Korean National Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) (CRIS-KCT0008060). The results of this trial will provide potential of L. salicaria as a new anti-obesity functional food with fat-reducing effects and low toxicity.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.865-875
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• 2022

Background and Objectives: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective treatment for heart failure. However, in pediatric and congenital heart disease (CHD) patients, current adult indications cannot be directly applied because of heterogeneity in anatomy and diagnosis. Therefore, CRT responses and clinical outcomes in these patients were investigated to derive possible candidates for CRT. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 16 pediatric and CHD patients who underwent CRT implantation at a single center in early (0.7±0.2 year) and late (4.7±0.3 years) follow-up period after CRT. Results: The median age at CRT implantation was 2.5 (0.3-37.2) years, and median follow-up duration was 6.3 (0.1-13.6) years. Thirteen had non-transvenous CRT. Two had congenital complete atrioventricular (AV) block with previous right ventricular pacing, 5 had dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with left bundle branch block, and 9 had CHD. The mean ejection fraction of the systemic ventricle increased from 28.1±10.0% to 44.3±21.0% (p=0.003) in early and 51.8±16.3% (p=0.012) in late outcome. The mean functional class improved from 3.1±0.9 to 1.8±1.1 after CRT (p=0.003). Twelve patients (75%) showed improvement in ventricular function or functional class after CRT. Proportion of responders differed between patients without CHD (2/2 patients with complete AV block and 5/5 with DCM, 100%) and those with CHD (5/9, 56%), although statistical significance was not reached (p=0.088). Conclusions: CRT improved ventricular function and functional status according to the underlying condition in pediatric and CHD patients. However, further large and longer-term studies are needed to establish the guideline for the patient selection of CRT in these patients.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.429-440
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• 2022

Background and Objectives: Endovascular therapy (EVT) first strategy has been widely adopted for the treatment of chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI) patients in real-world practice. This study aimed to investigate long-term outcomes of CLTI patients who underwent EVT and identify prognostic factors. Methods: From the retrospective cohorts of a Korean multicenter endovascular therapy registry, 1,036 patients with CLTI (792 men, 68.8 ± 9.5 years) were included. The primary endpoint was amputation-free survival (AFS) defined as the absence of major amputation or death. Secondary endpoints were major adverse limb events (MALE; a composite of major amputation, minor amputation, and reintervention). Results: Five-year AFS and freedom from MALE were 69.8% and 61%, respectively. After multivariate analysis, age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.476; p<0.001), end-stage renal disease (ESRD; HR, 2.340; p<0.001), Rutherford category (RC) 6 (HR, 1.456; p=0.036), and suboptimal EVT (HR, 1.798; p=0.005) were identified as predictors of major amputation or death, whereas smoking (HR, 0.594; p=0.007) was protective. Low body mass index (HR, 1.505; p=0.046), ESRD (HR, 1.648; p=0.001), femoropopliteal lesion (HR, 1.877; p=0.004), RC-6 (HR, 1.471; p=0.008), and suboptimal EVT (HR, 1.847; p=0.001) were predictors of MALE. The highest hazard rates were observed during the first 6 months for both major amputation or death and MALE. After that, the hazard rate decreased and rose again after 3-4 years. Conclusions: In CLTI patients, long-term outcomes of EVT were acceptable. ESRD, RC-6, and suboptimal EVT were common predictors for poor clinical outcomes.