• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2023

Objectives: This study was performed to analyze randomized controlled trial, which studied the effect of herbal medicine treatment on Antiphospholipid antibody positive recurrent abortion. Methods: We searched for randomized controlled trial of last 20 years based on Antiphospholipid antibody positive recurrent abortion and herbal medicine. The paper search was conducted through 7 online databases on July 16, 2022. Results: 9 studies were selected after selection and exclusion criteria. 5 studies compared combined treatment of herbal and western medicine, with western medicine alone. 4 studies compared herbal medicine alone with western medicine. Comparing with control group, the treatment group showed much improvement on conversion rate of anti-phospholipid antibodies, serum hCG and progesterone levels, pregnancy duration or fertility rates, and various symptoms. Conclusions: In this study, we found out benefit of herbal medicine with Antiphospholipid antibody positive recurrent abortion. For reliable evidence, further research is needed to establish safety of herbal medicines, standardize symptom criteria and specify the treatment course.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.35-48
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• 2022

Objectives The purpose of this study is to review relevant clinical studies to investigate the effectiveness of herbal medicines for IgA (Immunoglobulin A) nephropathy in children. Methods Studies on herbal treatment for IgA nephropathy were searched and analyzed through electronic databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, CiNii, J-STAGE, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System and Science ON. Studies included Randomized controlled trials and case series. Results We selected nine studies and analyzed the findings. In most studies, improvement of IgA nephropathy was observed after treatment, and was evaluated using factors as 24 hour urine protein, hematuria, Scr (serum creatinine) and BUN (blood urea nitrogen). The most commonly used herbs for IgA nephropathy were Poria cocos (茯苓), Astragalus membranaceus (黃芪), and Rehmannia glutinosa (生地黃). Conclusions Based on the results of the clinical studies, we identified that herbal medicine is an effective treatment for IgA nephropathy. However, additional systematic clinical studies are necessary to prove its effect and safety.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.57-76
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• 2022

Objectives: This review is aimed to figure out the effectiveness of herbal medicine for treating threatened abortion by analyzing randomized controlled trials. Methods: We searched relevant studies using seven databases including 4 domestic databases and 3 foreign databases. Data retrieval was conducted on May 18, 2022. and the papers published from January 1, 2018 to May 18, 2022 were included. The risk of bias was assessed by using Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Results: 182 studies were searched in domestic and foreign databases, and 9 studies were finally selected. Among 9 studies, the treatment group was treated with only oral herbal medicine in 4 studies and with combined treatment of herbal medicine and western medicine in 5 studies. On the other hand, the control group was treated with only western medicine. In all 9 studies, evaluation indexes in the treatment group showed more effectiveness than those of the control group, evaluation indexes were different for each study though. Conclusions: Herbal medicine was more effective for treating threatened abortion whether using it alone or combining with western medicine compared to using western medicine alone. Additional studies which include large number are needed to confirm long-term effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine treatment.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.42-50
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of female infertility patients who come to Korean medicine clinics and analyze the trends of Korean medicine treatment methods and the effects of female infertility by registry data. Methods: We are recruiting study participants from Korean medicine hospitals and clinics. If female infertility patients come, we will ask them to register for this study. After enrollment, we will collect demographic information, treatment methods, pregnancy results, adverse events, and treatment costs. Result: First, we will analyze the characteristics of patients, the status of the use of Korean medicine treatment interventions, the cost status of Korean medicine infertility treatment, and the delivery characteristics of pregnant women after Korean medicine treatment. Second, we will analyze the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment. The primary outcome is clinical pregnancy rate, and secondary outcomes are 12-week pregnancy maintenance rate, degree of dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome, stress level, and health-related quality of life score. Discussion: This study is the first observational multi-center study in Korea for female infertility. By establishing the registry, we are creating a resource that contains patient-reported outcome measures for female infertility. The registry is expected to provide valuable data for developing Korean medicine Clinical practice guidelines for female infertility.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2022

Postherpetic neuralgia(PHN) is one of the most common intractable chronic pain syndromes. This review was conducted to investigates the trends in recent clinical studies of PHN in China and to find out the efficacy of Chinese medicine treatment for PHN. Based on CNKI databases, nineteen randomized controlled trials(RCTs) were analyzed. The search focused on the authors, publication year, sample size, age, duration of illness, treatment period, lesion sites, methods, outcome measures, and results of the selected articles. Four studies used herbal medicine. The most frequently used herbs were Angelicae Gigantis Radix(當歸) and Corydalis Tube(玄胡索). Eighteen studies used acupuncture treatment. The most frequently used acupoints were ST36, LR3, LI4. Three studies used moxibustion and 5 studies used cupping treatment. In all nineteen studies, the efficacy of Chinese medicine treatments was confirmed. More varied and scientifically designed clinical studies are required to develop treatments for PHN. The results of current study could be used as guidance for further studies of treatment on PHN.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.84-101
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• 1993

The current method of rate adjustment is based on the evaluation of the financial performance of hospitals. The method has the disadvantages such as too complicated, expensive process as well as low reliability due to small sample size. This study, therefore, develops a new model for the rate adjustment with the use of the composite index. In addition to that, it examines the validity of the model by comparing the result of the new method with that of the conventional method. The idea of the new model comes from the Medicare Economic Index(MEI) on which physician fees for the Medicare patients are adjusted periodically in the United States. Medical costs are classified into three groups : labor costs, materials and other expenses. Labor costs are subdivided into physicians and other personnels. Materials are subdivided into drugs and others. Other expenses are subdivided into 5 items. Macro economic indices are selected for each cost item in order to reflect the cost inflation during the specific period. Then the composite index which integrate all items according to the ration of each item in the total costs is calculated. The result from the application of empirical data to the new model is very similar to that of the current method. Furthermore, this method is very simple and also to easy to get social concensus. This model can be replaced the current method based on the analysis of the financial performance for the adjustment of medical fees.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.169-184
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of Korean medicine treatment on overactive bladder. Methods: 64 patients of overactive bladder received Korean medicine treatment for at least 30days. We studied retrospectively symptom disappearance rate, the relationship between the improvement rate and age, scale of symptoms, BMI(Body Mass Index), WHR(Waist Hip Ratio). Results: Symptoms of 27 patients were disappeared, and those of 28 patients were improved. But 9 patients didn't show the improvement of their urination problems. The symptom disappearance rate was 43.08%. The improvement rate was 85.15%. The mean${\pm}$standard deviation of daily frequency was reduced from 10.05128 to 7.44872 after treatment(p<0.0001) The symptom disappearance rate was reverse-related with the OABSS score, KHQ and WHR. The improvement rate of married patients was higher than unmarried patients. And especially that was co-related with the frequency of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that Korean medicine treatments, such as acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal prescriptions have positive efficacy on overactive bladder patients in ordinary clinical practice.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.43-59
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was performed to determine the inhibitory effect of Persimmon Leaves extract (PL) on melanin synthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells B16F10. Methods: The inhibitory effects of PL on melanin synthesis were determined by in vitro assay. To elucidate inhibitory effects of PL on melanin synthesis, we determined the melanin release and melanin production in B16F10. And to investigate the action mechanism, we assessed the gene expression of tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2, PKA, PKC${\beta}$, ERK-1, ERK-2, AKT-1, MITF in B16F10. Results: 1. PL inhibited melanin release, melanin production in B16F10. 2. PL inhibited tyrosinase activity in vitro and in B16F10. 3. PL suppressed the expression of tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2 in B16F10. 4. PL suppressed the expression of PKA, PKC${\beta}$ in B16F10. 5. PL increased the expression of ERK-1, ERK-2, AKT-1 in B16F10. 6. PL suppressed the expression of MITF in B16F10. Conclusion: From these results, it may be concluded that PL is possesed of the antimelanogenetic effects.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.15-24
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• 2023

Objectives This study aimed to identify the current status and satisfaction with Korean medicine treatment and analyze the perceptions of parents about Korean medicine treatment in children. Methods A Web survey (Moaform) was conducted with 52 parents whose children used Korean medicine and 53 parents who did not. We investigated the reasons why the user group chose treatment and satisfaction with each treatment and why the non-user group did not choose the treatment. Results Children in the user group were frequently prescribed herbal medicines (decoctions) and acupuncture. However, they showed low satisfaction in terms of fear of acupuncture and dissatisfaction with the unique taste of herbal medicine. Non-user parents had a favorable opinion of Korean medicine, but had relatively negative perceptions about whether their children were willing to visit in the future. Conclusions Parents who used Korean medicine for their children had positive perceptions and trust in Korean medicine. However, those who did not use Korean medicine were concerned about the safety and potential harm of its application to their children.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.157-165
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• 2023

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in traditional Chinese treatment of medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) and suggest directions for future research in Korea. Methods We investigated clinical studies using traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of MTSS through China National Knowledge Infrastructure search. Fourteen studies published from 2000 to 2022 were adopted and analyzed. We examined authors, type of study design, publishied year, intervention, treatment effectiveness. Results Among 14 studies, 8 were case reports and 6 were randomized controlled trials. Four interventions were used in 14 studies. Acupuncture and physical therapy were most frequently used interventions, each used in 12 studies. For evaluation of treatment effectness, 7 outcome measurements were used, effective rate was the most commonly used measurement. All of 14 studies showed good treatment results. Conclusions Through this study, we were able to identify current trends of Chinese medicine treatment for MTSS. Based on this, more study should be conducted to accumulate evidence for Korean medicine treatment of MTSS.