• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2010

Objectives : This study was performed to analyze the quality of Ojeok-san extract powders distributed in Korea. Methods : HPLC analyses of Ojeok-san decoction produced in laboratory and 8 kinds of Ojeok-san extract powders were done. Also, quantity analyses of paeoniflorin in Paeonia lactiflora, Glycyrrhizin in Glycyrrhiza uralensis, alkaloid in Ephedra sinica, Hesperidin in Citrus unshiu Markovich, and cinnamic acid in Cinnamomum cassia Blume were performed to investigate the accurate content of 6 kinds of Ojeok-san extract powders. Results : In the pattern analysis, the peaks were compared. The content of components in herbal extract powders was 14.7 to 15.8% of that of decoction in average. The range was measured from 8.5 to 25.7%. The pattern comparison showed significant differences among the pharmaceutical companies' products. As for the quantity analysis, one of herbal extract powder contained insufficient amount of Paeonia lactiflora components and one of herbal extract powder was in short of Ephedra sinica components. All of the others contained more than standard component(over 90%). Conclusions : Because herbal extract powders are also medicine, standardized manufacturing methods and consistent quality management are necessary. Therefore exaction and operation of national standards and various researches to improve the quality management of herbal extract powders is urgent.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 2022

Scoliosis is a 3-dimensional change of the spine, presenting 10° above Cobb angle. Various acupuncture methods are being increasingly performed to correct scoliosis. However, no systematic review has been published. Therefore, we report on the effectiveness of acupuncture on mild scoliosis in this systematic review. We searched various databases for acupuncture treatment for scoliosis published before June 2021. The primary outcome was Cobb angle, and the secondary outcomes were patient-centered scores. Six studies were identified. RCTs that compared combination therapy with acupuncture, and other treatment methods and showed significant improvement in the Cobb angle, and effective rate, but, with low quality evidence. Acupuncture monotherapy resulted in significant improvement in the Cobb angle and had high heterogeneity compared with other treatment methods, but no significant improvement in the effective rate was observed, and the quality of evidence was low. Regardless of the type of scoliosis, acupuncture monotherapy or combination therapy with acupuncture showed significant improvement in the Cobb angle, and the quality of evidence was moderate. No serious adverse events were observed in the 6 studies reviewed. Acupuncture is considered safe, and it is more effective when performed with other conventional treatments.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.224-232
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of the case reports in the Journal of Acupuncture Research (JAR). All case reports were retrieved from November 2017 to June 2020. There were 19 case reports included in this assessment based on the case report (CARE) guidelines and case report and standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines. The overall quality of reporting was relatively high (83.08% on Case Report guidelines and 77.78% on Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture guidelines), but several crucial items remained substantially underreported, such as identifying as a case report (keywords), patient information and perspective, clinical findings, diagnostic assessment, and intervention information. In 18 out of 19 included case reports of acupuncture-related interventions, several items remained considerably underreported such as acupuncture regimen variation, depth of needle insertion, response sought, and experience of acupuncturists. In the classification by disease, condition, or syndrome, 13 out of 19 included case reports were for musculoskeletal disorders (68.4%), which is the main clinical medical field of Korean medicine services. The results of this study may help develop more appropriate reporting guidelines for case reports published in JAR.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.382-389
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• 2022

Objectives: The Korean Industrial Standard (KS) for sterile acupuncture needles was established in 2009 based on research on the quality control of acupuncture needles. We aimed to determine the quality of acupuncture needles available in South Korea in 2021 by examining their surface condition and chemical composition using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Methods: In South Korea, there are 23 brands of acupuncture needles, and we examined 10-15 needles from each brand, resulting in a total of 285 needles. The microstructures of the needles were assessed by SEM. Using SEM images, we evaluated the acupuncture needle tips for the following defects/aspects: scratches, lumps, detached coating, bent tip, and tip sharpness. EDS was used to determine the chemical composition of the selected acupuncture needles. Results: Overall, 88.4% of 285 needles were found to have at least one type of abnormality. The most frequently observed abnormalities were scratches and dents on the surface (68.1%), followed by detached coating (63.2%), and lumps (61.8%); blunt tips were observed in about 24% of them. Of 252 needles with at least one defect, 86.9% had two or more types of defects. The ratio of the number of needles with any defect to that of needles without any defect varied among brands, ranging from 50% to 100%. Regarding foreign materials, higher proportions of Si and O were observed on the needles, indicating incomplete or detached silicone coating. Conclusion: The quality of acupuncture needles varied among brands, suggesting that further improvements can be made through various inspection methods.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.109-115
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• 2011

Objectives : This review is to summarize and assess the effects of acupuncture on parasympathetic nervous system(PNS). Methods and Materials : We searched two electronic databases (CNKI, PubMed) for the articles published until Oct. 2010. The randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and uncontrolled clinical trials (UCTs) were considered to be reviewed. We selected four RCTs, seven UCTs and one article which conducted both RCT and UCT, and reviewed them. The quality of RCTs was also assessed with Cochrane criteria. Results : There were four RCTs which reported acupuncture enhanced PNS, and one RCT reported acupuncture reduced PNS. Four UCTs reported acupuncture enhanced PNS, three UCTs reported acupuncture reduced PNS and one UCT reported there was no remarkable change of PNS after acupuncture. Conclusions : Although the majority of reviewed articles showed acupuncture enhance PNS, it is hard to conclude clearly how acupuncture affects PNS due to insufficient quality of trials. Therefore, more trials with strict condition need to be conducted to obviously identify the effects of acupuncture on PNS.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.93-112
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• 2017

Objectives : To evaluate and summarize the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment (AT) in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Methods : Fifteen databases (Pubmed, Cochrane, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang, and eight Korean databases) were searched up to September 2016. Only trials in which acupuncture was the sole treatment were included. Fatigue was used as the primary outcome measure, while the quality of life, pain, mood disorders, and adverse events were used as secondary outcome measures. We adopted three classifications: AT vs Sham AT, AT vs Wait-list, AT vs Western medication. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality. Results : A total of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 869 participants were identified. In comparison with Sham AT, AT significantly alleviated fatigue and pain, but no conclusions about the quality of life and mood disorders could be drawn. In the Wait-list group and Western medication groups, patients with CFS might feel less fatigued following acupuncture treatment, but the evidence was insufficient due to lack of study. Nine of 11 RCTs (81.8%) reported adverse events and there were two cases of mild subcutaneous hemorrhage, but no serious adverse cases. Conclusion : This review found evidence that patients with CFS may generally benefit from alleviation of symptoms by acupuncture treatment, and there is no evidence of worsening symptoms or causing of serious adverse events. A positive effect on fatigue and pain was observed, but no conclusion for improving quality of life and mood disorders.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2010

Objectives : Since The Journal of Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion Society(JKAMS) started publishing in 1984, randomised controlled trials(RCTs) and non-randomised clinical studies(NRSs) consistently have increased in quality and quantity. There has been no study on quality assessment of NRSs. Thus, this study evaluted non-randomised comparative clinical trials in the JKAMS to assess the quantity and quality. Methods : Upon extracting NRSs for assessing the intervention effects from all the articles published in the JKAMS from 1984 to 2009, assessments were made on methodological index for non-randomised studies(MINORS). Also, the analysis were made upon the proportion of non-randomised comparative clinical trials within original articles. The mean scores by research methods and years, and total scores and mean scores of yearly research methods were analyzed. Results : A total of 44 trials on non-randomised comparative clinical trials were selected. In 1980s, 4.3% of the total selected original articles, in 1990s, 4.1%, and in 2000s 14.2% were NRSs. According to the research designs, the mean scores of MINORS were Case-control study 18.3, Controlled before and after 18.5, Quasi randomised trial 18.5, and non randomised trial 17.9(out of 24), respectively. Cross-sectional study was the most frequently used(41.9%). Conclusion : Although NRSs consistently increased in quantity, the assessed mean scores were low and most articles used Cross-sectional study. Thus, there should be studied using appropriate research methods in the future.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.15-26
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• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Intranasal acupuncture treatment in allergic rhinitis patients. Methods: This study was carried with the 42 pediatric allergic rhinitis who had been treated in our hospital. Inner young-hyang was used for the intranasal acupuncture points. Their nasal cavity was observed via anterior rhinoscopy. We induced patient's inferior turbiante bleeding by acupuncture. Patients nasal symtoms and QOL(quality of life) were assessed by the Total Nasal Symptom Score(TNSS) and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Korean Rhinitisian(QLQKR). Results: Total Nasal Symptom Score(TNSS) and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Korean Rhinitisian(QLQKR) were significantly improved. Conclusions: Intranasal acupuncture treatment is relatively effective in treating pediatric allergic rhinitis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.27-31
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• 2002

Background and Purpose: There has been little study about the quality of acupuncture needle tips. In order to ensure safe acupuncture treatment, high quality of needle tips is essential. Therefore, we investigated the current condition of the tips of the acupuncture needles on the market. Methods: We selected needles made by 6 companies in Korea, one company each in Japan, the USA and China, and observed the tip of each needle using a scanning electron microscope. Results and Discussion: We found that needles had several defects such as scratch marks on the surface, metallic scuff, lumps and irregularities of the needle tips, stubbed or malformed tips, tips of point off-center, and peeled off coated tips. There were more faulty ones than good ones. Further, better-designed study with a bigger sample size is warranted.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.29-52
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• 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.