• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2023

Between May 2014 and April 2022, a total of 926 articles were retrieved from the international database, and a total of 233 articles were retrieved from the Korean database. From there, 14 studies were selected, and evaluated by the published year, terminology of the acupotomy, sample size, disease type, retention time, treatment sites, insertion depth and size of the acupotomy, treatment frequency, and duration, type of acupotomy manipulation method, evaluation index, therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and assessment of the risk of bias in randomized controlled trials. This study examined the need for additional acupotomy studies to secure an objective basis for the application of clinical treatment. Furthermore, the detailed description of the study methods and results and unified terminology can provide evidence for the efficacy of acupotomy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.177-187
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• 2023

Varicose veins have a substantial burden on individuals' aesthetics and overall quality of life. The current body of research on Korean medical interventions for varicose veins is limited in Korea, and exploration into clinical trends is lacking. This review specifically analyzed fire acupuncture, which is an understudied intervention in Korea that demonstrated efficacy in alleviating pain and paralysis while promoting tissue regeneration. A comprehensive investigation of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database was conducted, utilizing terms such as "varicose vein," "fire needle," "fire acupuncture," "burning acupuncture," "burning needle," "huǒzhēn," "xiàzhī jìngmài," and "jìngmài qūzhāng." This review included 14 studies investigating the role of fire acupuncture in treating varicose veins. We extracted variables, including age, sex, disease duration, intervention method, treatment frequency, treatment period, acupoints, and outcomes. Fire acupuncture appeared as the primary intervention method, followed by general acupuncture. The protruding part of varicose veins is the main treatment area for fire acupuncture, while the acupoints BL57 and ST36 were most frequently utilized for general acupuncture. Treatment results revealed significant improvement in all studies. However, there are limitations, such as scarce studies, limited side effects studies, and potential bias. Consequently, extensive and well-structured future studies are necessary to demonstrate the role of fire acupuncture in varicose veins.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.188-200
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• 2023

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) disease is a condition in which the stomach contents return to the larynx and pharynx via the esophagus, causing mucosal injury. While conventional treatments, such as proton pump inhibitors, have limitations, acupuncture has been shown to reduce LPR symptoms. However, its effectiveness has not been systematically assessed. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating LPR. We review 10 electronic databases with a consistent search strategy, and 2 independent reviewers screened the articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study selected and analyzed 7 randomized controlled trials after the screening to assess primary outcomes, including reflux symptom index and reflux finding score, and secondary outcomes, including upper and lower esophageal sphincter pressure. The results revealed the statistically significant effectiveness of acupuncture in combination with conventional treatment in reducing LPR symptoms compared with conventional treatment alone. The most commonly used acupuncture points were CV22, ST36, and LR3. However, the meta-analysis demonstrated low reliability, as assessed using the GRADE Tool. Further research is needed to improve the evidence and draw clear conclusions regarding the clinical use of acupuncture for treating LPR.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.428-450
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• 2023

This meta-analysis examined the surgical management of older patients (>80 years) with gastric cancer, who were often excluded from randomized controlled trials. We analyzed 23 retrospective cohort studies involving 18,372 patients and found that older patients had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (relative risk [RR], 3.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-7.17; P<0.01) and more post-operative complications (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.19-1.56; P<0.01) than did younger patients. However, the surgical complications were similar between the two groups. Older patients were more likely to undergo less extensive lymph node dissection and longer hospital stays. Although older patients had statistically significant post-operative medical complications, they were not deprived of surgery for gastric cancer. The comorbidities and potential risks of post-operative complications should be carefully evaluated in older patients, highlighting the importance of careful patient selection. Overall, this meta-analysis provides recommendations for the surgical management of older patients with gastric cancer. Careful patient selection and evaluation of comorbidities should be performed to minimize the risk of post-operative complications in older patients, while recognizing that they should not be deprived of surgery for gastric cancer.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to review the effects of Daoyin exercise on scoliosis in clinical studies. Methods: In this study, we reviewed 9 electronic databases (Pubmed, CAJ, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CiNii, KISS, KMBASE, OASIS, ScienceON) on May 22, 2021. We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which evaluated the effect of Daoyin exercise on scolisos. The methodological quality of the included studies was checked using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: After screening, eight RCTs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results of the meta-analysis showed that Daoyin exercise improves the measurement value of Cobb's angle, SRS-22, pulmoary function, physiological curvature, muscle strength, effective rate in scoliosis patients. Conclusion: We concluded that Daoyin exercise has therapeutic effects in relief of imbalance, improvement of symptoms, improvement of function, muscle strength for scoliosis. However, the quality of the original articles was low and the number of papers included were few. Thus, to confirm these results, further well-designed RCTs should be conducted.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.278-292
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• 2023

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the effects of thoracic joint mobilization and breathing exercises on diaphragmatic thickness, chest expansion, respiratory function, and endurance in patients with chronic stroke. Design: Randomized controlled trial Methods: The study included 24 chronic stroke patients who were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group (12 people) performed 15 minutes of thoracic joint mobility exercises and 15 minutes of breathing exercises, three times a week for 6 weeks, 30 minutes each time. The control group (12 people) received 15 minutes of conservative physical therapy and 15 minutes of breathing exercises, 3 times a week for 6 weeks, 30 minutes per session, the same as the experimental group. The experimental and control groups performed the same breathing exercises. To assess training effectiveness, changes in diaphragm thickness, chest expansion, respiratory function, and endurance were measured. Results: As a result, the experimental group exhibited significant improvements in diaphragm thickness, chest expansion, and respiratory function. The endurance mode also displayed significant enhancement (p<0.05), a finding consistent with the control group. However, the experimental group displayed more substantial improvements in non-affected diaphragm thickness and thoracic expansion compared to the control group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Drawing from these findings, breathing exercise which combine thoracic mobilization, will be actively utilized in addition to physical therapy interventions in clinical trials as an effective intervention method.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.95-107
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• 2023

Objectives The purpose of this study is to help find the future prospects by analyzing the trends of scalp acupuncture treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) by searching the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and PubMed. Methods We searched clinical studies adopting scalp acupuncture treatment as a main intervention for PD through the searching the database of CNKI and PubMed. We analyzed the characteristics of selected studies especially according to study design, publication year, sample size, treatment period, treatment methods, outcomes criteria and adverse events. Results Twelve randomized controlled trials studies published from January 1, 2012 to July 1, 2023 were selected. In these studies, two types of scalp acupuncture treatments were performed and the most common treatment was Jiao shunfa's scalp acupuncture with fine needles. The most commonly used acupoints were "Chorea tremor control area", 風池 (GB20), 四神聰 (EX-HN1) and 百會 (GV20). The most commonly used outcome measures were effective rate, unified Parkinson disease rating scale (UPDRS) and UPDRS-III. Conclusions Through these results, we found that the Chinese review literature positively reported the effects of scalp acupuncture on PD. However, more high-quality evaluation using the well-designed studies including more objective outcomes should be required.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.283-292
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• 2024

We developed three e-learning systems for endoscopists to acquire the necessary skills to improve the diagnosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) and demonstrated their usefulness using randomized controlled trials. The subjects of the three e-learning systems were "detection", "characterization", and "preoperative assessment". The contents of each e-learning system included "technique", "knowledge", and "obtaining experience". All e-learning systems proved useful for endoscopists to learn how to diagnose EGC. Lecture videos describing "the technique" and "the knowledge" can be beneficial. In addition, repeating 100 self-study cases allows learners to gain "experience" and improve their diagnostic skills further. Web-based e-learning systems have more advantages than other teaching methods because the number of participants is unlimited. Histopathological diagnosis is the gold standard for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Therefore, we developed a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm to standardize the histopathological diagnosis of gastric cancer. Once we have successfully shown that this algorithm is helpful for the accurate histopathological diagnosis of cancer, we will complete a series of e-learning systems designed to assess EGC accurately.