• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.413-429
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• 2021

Background: Migraine headaches are the second leading cause of disability worldwide and are responsible for significant morbidity, reduction in the quality of life, and loss of productivity on a global scale. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of ketamine on migraines and other primary headache disorders compared to placebo and other active interventions, such as midazolam, metoclopramide/diphenhydramine, and prochlorperazine/diphenhydramine. Methods: An electronic search of databases published up to February 2021, including Medline via PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, a hand search of the bibliographies of the included studies, as well as literature and systematic reviews found through the search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating ketamine in the treatment of migraine/headache disorders compared to the placebo. The authors assessed the risk of bias according to the Cochrane Handbook guidelines. Results: The initial search strategy yielded 398 unduplicated references, which were independently assessed by three review authors. After evaluation, this number was reduced to five RCTs (two unclear risk of bias and three high risk of bias). The total number of patients in all the studies was 193. Due to the high risk of bias, small sample size, heterogeneity of the outcomes reported, and heterogeneity of the comparison groups, the quality of the evidence was very low. One RCT reported that intranasal ketamine was superior to intranasal midazolam in improving the aura attack severity, but not duration, while another reported that intranasal ketamine was not superior to metoclopramide and diphenhydramine in reducing the headache severity. In one trial, subcutaneous ketamine was superior to saline in migraine severity reduction; however, intravenous (I.V.) ketamine was inferior to I.V. prochlorperazine and diphenhydramine in another study. Conclusion: Further double-blind controlled studies are needed to assess the efficacy of ketamine in treating acute and chronic refractory migraines and other primary headaches using intranasal and subcutaneous routes. These studies should include a long-term follow-up and different ketamine dosages in diagnosed patients following international standards for diagnosing headache/migraine.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.27
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• pp.201-243
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• 2016

This paper analyzes the research trends from 358 scholarly articles published in the Journal of Daesoon Academy of Sciences from the first published journal in 1996 to the most recent journal published on the 25^th of 2015 and proposes ideas for improvement. First of all, "The Journal of Daesoon Academy of Sciences" does not meet the standards required by the National Research Foundation, falling short of the most important conditions for the registration such as the periodicity and punctuality expected from academic journals. Furthermore, in terms of the Bibliometrical analysis, the number of articles published by the journal is decreasing and the consistency, with regards to rules and principles regulating publication details and bibliography formats, is nonexistent. Although various authors seemed to be meeting these criteria on the surface, the ratio of co-authored articles is too small. Securing researchers specializing in Daesoon Thought for expanding the size of the journal is important, but it is also important to diversify the research topics through exchanging ideas among researchers from various organizations. Here are some ideas for the improvement of the Journal of Daesoon Academy of Sciences: First, in order to meet the standards for punctuality and periodicity, it would be best to publish the journal twice a year with 12 to 15 articles. Second, the journal must become searchable through the creation of a database. Third, the key words and abstracts of articles must be written in Korean and English to facilitate the sharing of articles among researchers. Fourth, the journal must have a diverse and outstanding editorial board which takes into account the geographical situations of its board members. Fifth, the Journal must include articles on relevant topics that reflect the core topics of the Daesoon Thought and other studies. Sixth, articles must have a front page that contains bibliographical items to convey information to the reader. Seventh, it is essential that the journal have a clear publication date detailing the year, month, and day as well as a standard numbering scheme (i.e, Vol. and no).