• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.199-209
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to explore objective indicators(outcomes) which are used to evaluate clinical efficacy and figure out the mechanisms of herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS). We searched randomized controlled trials(RCTs) that mediated with herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for IBS and used objective indicators for outcome from November 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. The RCTs that were published in Korean, English and Chinese were included in this study. The selected literatures were analyzed about methods of result measurement and assessed by Cochrane's risk of bias(RoB). Total 18 RCTs were included in this study. There were lots of objective indicators for result measurement; the concentration of hormones in blood and neurotransmitters, the sensitivity of rectum, the functional assessment of central nerve and autonomic nerve system, the change of intestinal flora, the concentration of serum cytokines. Various objective indicators can be used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of with herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for IBS, but due to the limitations of the quality of the included studies, systematic review and meta-analysis will be needed.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.49-60
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• 2022

Objectives : The purpose of this review is to overview the research trend of herbal medicine for urticaria. Methods : We searched for studies of urticaria treated with herbal medicine published from 2010 until March 2022, through 5 web databases. After searching studies, we analyzed selected studies. Results : As a result, 7 studies have been found and analyzed. Three studies were randomized controlled trials, and four studies were before & after clinical research. All of research which selected have reported that herbal medicine treatment was effective for urticaria. Conclusion : According to the results, herbal medicine treatments can be effective treatment for urticaria. Further clinical studies are expected using evaluation methods to analyze the results and to establish high level of evidence.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.680-719
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• 2022

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the trends in research on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using Korean traditional medicine. Methods: This review included studies related to the treatment of NAFLD, irrespective of the year of publication. The search terms were "nonalcoholic fatty liver disease", "non-alcoholic fatty liver", "nonalcoholic hepatitis", "herb", "herbal medicine", "acupuncture", and "traditional medicine". The studies were analyzed according to the type of research. Results: After screening, 179 studies were selected from the 592 identified by the search. The types of studies were 151 in vivo or in vitro studies, 5 randomized controlled trials, 12 case reports, 2 unspecified clinical studies, 8 review articles, and 1 article that was difficult to classify. Conclusion: Analysis of the trends in Korean traditional medicine treatment by reviewing the studies on NAFLD revealed a focus on experimental studies rather than clinical studies. Therefore, multifaceted and well-designed studies are needed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.251-259
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• 2022

Background: Intravenous fluid therapy is one of the most common interventions in critically ill patients. Normal saline is frequently used, but there have been some concerns about hyperchloremia. Due to closer to plasma composition, crystalloids have been used as alternatives to normal saline. However, the optimal choice of resuscitative fluids remains controversial. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were comprehensively searched until July 2021 to compare balanced crystalloids with normal saline in critically ill patients with the risk factors for multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS).The primary endpoint was composite mortality. Secondary outcomes were acute kidney injury (AKI)/acute renal failure (ARF), and new receipt of renal replacement therapy (RRT). Results: A total of 1,240 studies were searched, and finally, 8 randomized controlled trials and 5 cohort studies were included. In the meta-analysis of composite mortality of 30,710 patients, balanced crystalloids compared to normal saline were significantly associated with reduced mortality (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68-0.95). In AKI/ARF, balanced crystalloids had a lower risk than normal saline (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.99). There was no difference between balanced crystalloids and normal saline in risk of new receipt of RRT (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.80-1.04). Conclusion: In fluid resuscitation for patients at high risk of MODS, the use of balanced crystalloids showed a significantly lower incidence of mortality compared to normal saline.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Samryungbaekchul-san on childhood anorexia. Methods We searched 11 English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese databases for studies published up to May 30, 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of Samryungbaekchul-san on childhood anorexia were included. In the meta-analysis, relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were indicated as dichotomous variables, and mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CIs were indicated as continuous variables. Results We included 12 RCTs with 1345 participants. The Samryungbaekchul-san treatment group had a significantly higher total effective rate (TER) than that of the western medicine control group (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.23-1.64, I² = 0%). The combined Samryungbaekchul-san and western medicine treatment group had significantly higher TER (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.40, I² = 0%) and levels of neuropeptide Y (SMD 0.93, 95% CI 0.47-1.39, I² = 70%) and ghrelin (SMD 1.45, 95% CI 1.14-1.76, I² = 0%) than those of the western medicine alone group. Additionally, leptin levels were significantly lower in the combined treatment group (SMD -1.19, 95% CI -1.88 to -0.51, I² = 86%) compared with the western medicine alone group, although statistical heterogeneity was substantial. Conclusions Samryungbaekchul-san may be effective for childhood anorexia. However, owing to limitations such as high clinical heterogeneity between the studies, unclear risks of biases, and insufficient reports of adverse events and follow-ups, well-designed RCTs with a low risk of bias are needed in the future.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.227-237
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• 2023

Objectives: Pharmacopuncture is considered a unique new type of acupuncture in Korean medicine (KM). This study was performed to investigate the research trends regarding pharmacopuncture through a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for this study. The search terms were pharmacopuncture and pharmaco-puncture. The search was conducted on May 23, 2023, and 185 studies retrieved up to this date were included. Software VOSviewer version 1.6.19 was used to perform the bibliometric analysis. After data clearing, keyword co-occurrence and cooperation pattern analyses were performed. Results: The number of studies on pharmacopuncture have gradually increased since the mid-2000s, with the most published in 2020 (46 studies). The quality of the studies has also steadily increased, and recently, several randomized controlled trials of pharmacopuncture have been conducted. Moreover, this treatment has been investigated in the context of KM clinical practice guideline development in Korea. The scope of pharmacopuncture studies to date seems to be limited to musculoskeletal pain and bee venom pharmacopuncture. The researchers from Jaseng Medical Foundation have been the core researchers in the field of pharmacopuncture in Korea. They collaborated with researchers from universities or government-funded research institutes. However, small-scale research teams from KM clinics and university researchers were also identified as independent clusters. Conclusion: Pharmacopuncture research has grown both quantitatively and qualitatively, but the scope needs to be further expanded. There is also a gap between the use of pharmacopuncture by KM doctors in clinical settings and pharmacopuncture research. Based on these findings, some suggestions for future studies in this field are discussed. Furthermore, these findings may be used as data to expand and globalize pharmacopuncture research in the future.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.77-86
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• 2023

Purpose : This study systematically assessed 9 emotion-function programs for schizophrenic individuals that have been implemented over the past 10 years in Korea and abroad, with the objective of providing clinical grounds and data for further programs. Methods : This study identified 2,558 studies from among those registered in the RISS, KISS, EMbase, PubMed and Scopus databases from 2013 to September 2023, using 'schizophrenia' AND 'emotion' AND ('program' OR 'therapy') as keywords. Of the 2,558 studies retrieved from electronic databases, 602 duplicate papers were excluded. After this process, 1,915 papers that did not meet the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria were excluded based on their titles and abstracts. Following a review of the texts of the remaining 41 papers, nine papers were finally selected, excluding 32 papers according to the selection and exclusion criteria. Results : Programs for the emotional function of patients with schizophrenia have continued to be researched. The results of an evaluation on the quality of the selected literature confirmed that a majority of the reviewed items were "uncertain", confirming that there was a risk of bias. The interventions for emotions included art, cognitive-behavioral, and physical programs, of which art programs were frequently applied. Most of the interventions were implemented in hospitals. The dependent variables for evaluating emotions included emotional expression, depression, anxiety, and positive emotions, and among them, emotional expression was used most frequently. Accordingly, the Berkeley expressivity questionnaire was commonly used as an evaluation tool. Conclusion : This study is significant for intending to analyze domestic and overseas programs for the emotions of patients with schizophrenia, thereby proposing the direction for planning and applying interventions in clinical settings. In follow-up studies, it will be necessary to develop a protocol that confirms interventions according to the settings and patient characteristics of programs and expands the scope of literature reviews.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.65-82
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine acupuncture intervention suggested in the papers of assisted reproductive technology(ART, hereafter) in medicine journals and to establish the further direction. Methods: The papers published between 1996 and 2009 in Pubmed were reviewed. Results: 1. A variety of randomized controlled trials and case series were found in Pubmed concerning influence of acupuncture in ART. It was investigated into improvement of pregnancy rate, analgesic effect during oocyte retrieval, change of serum hormone, and reduction of anxiety. 2. It was on clinical pregnancy rate that main focus of the investigation was placed and the improvement of pregnancy rate differed from studies. 3. For the analgesic effect during oocyte retrieval, the electro acupuncture was mainly used and the studies reported the reduced pain rate, tiredness, and nausea. 4. Acupuncture was reported as significant in improving the state of anxiety during ART. Conclusion: It would be necessary to further study the period of acupuncture intervention, the selection of acupoint through well-designed study, and establish standard of evidence of them.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.79-111
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• 2022

Major depressive disorder (MDD) causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It can lead to emotional and physical problems. Treatments such as antidepressant and cognitive behavioral therapy for MDD have many limitations. Traditional East Asian Herbal Medicine (TEAM) is a representative modality of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) which can be used for MDD. However, no study has systematically reviewed the efficacy or safety of TEAM for MDD so far. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate effectiveness and safety of TEAM as a monotherapy for MDD. We only included TEAM that could be used in context of clinical setting in Korean Medicine. Outcomes were the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and total effective rate (TER). After comprehensive electronic search of 11 databases, we included 28 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared HM as monotherapy with antidepressant for MDD. Meta-analysis showed that TEAM had significant benefits in reducing HAMD (MD=-0.40, 95% CI: -0.67 to -0.13, p=0.003, I²=85%) and improving TER (RR=1.06, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.10, p=0.003, I²=0%). It also appeared to be safer than antidepressant in terms of adverse effects. Methods used for RCTs were poor and the quality of evidence was graded 'low' or 'moderate'. These findings indicate that the use of HM as a monotherapy might have potential benefits in MDD treatment as an alternative to antidepressant. However, considering the methodological quality of included RCTs, the clinical evidence is uncertain. Further well-designed RCTs are required to confirm these findings.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.128-134
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• 2023

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and cardiovascular safety of romosozumab compared with placebo. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched from Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science until July 2022. Primary outcomes included the change in bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline at month 6. The secondary outcomes were the change of bone turnover markers (N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP); C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX)) from baseline at month 3, and the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events for the total follow-up period. Results: A total of 7 RCTs on 8,370patients were included. Romosozumab showed better effects in improving BMD in both lumbar spine and femoral neck at month 6 (standardized mean difference, SMD 2.20 [95% CI: 1.89-2.52], SMD 0.63 [95% CI: 0.41-0.86]). In contrast to placebo, romosozumab significantly increased PINP levels and reduced CTX levels at month 3 (SMD 0.93 [95% CI: 0.65-1.22], SMD -1.03 [95% CI: -1.23~ -0.82]. However, there was no significant difference in the composite incidence of cardiovascular adverse events and major adverse cardiovascular events (OR 1.16 [95% CI: 0.82-1.65], OR 1.08 [95% CI: 0.75-1.56]). Conclusion: This analysis showed that romosozumab significantly improved BMD compared to placebo and was beneficial for change in bone turnover markers. There is no significant difference in the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events compared to placebo.