• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms and coping strategies on the health-related quality of life in elementary and secondary schools female teachers. Methods: 140 female teachers in C province were recruited using a correlational study design. The measurements used were the PMS symptoms scale, the PMS coping scale and the Korean version of health-related quality of life scale. Results: The higher quality of life were predicted by the lower PMS symptoms, the higher PMS coping, the better the quality of sleep, the lower the job and life stress, and the lower work disturbance due to the PMS symptoms. These variables explained 53% of the total variance. Conclusions: For better female teachers' health-related quality of life, health care programs for managing the PMS symptoms need to be developed by considering those identified variables. For health education practice, school health teachers need to distribute health educational materials for female teachers and to provide small-group health counselling services for PMS self care.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2021

Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is condition of cognitive decline shown in transition from normal aging to dementia. Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture (HPP) is a treatment that combines effects of medication and acupuncture by injecting Hominis placenta into acupoints. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HPP for MCI. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-center clinical trial. Eligible patients were randomly allocated to either the HPP group or the placebo group. HPP or saline as placebo was administered to participants for eight weeks. Changes in symptoms were observed. The primary outcome was difference in mean change of Korean Version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K) score between the HPP group and the placebo group. Cognitive function, overall status of mood and sleep, and quality of life (QoL) were also assessed. Safety assessment and economic analysis were then conducted. Results: Thirty participants were enrolled. One participant in the placebo group dropped out. The score of MoCA-K increased after treatment. Its mean change was smaller in the HPP group than in the control group. HPP ameliorated Global Deterioration Scale and Korean Dementia Rating Scale subtests for attention, organization, and memory compared to the placebo. However, none of them was significantly different between the two groups. Mood, sleep, and QoL all improved more in the HPP group than in the placebo group, although differences between the two groups were not statistically significant. There was no adverse event probably related to the drug. HPP treatment needed KRW 345,000 more than the placebo group in improving Geriatric Quality of Life scale-Dementia score by one point for one year. Conclusions: Although HPP treatment did not significantly improve cognition, it changed behavioral and psychological symptoms in MCI.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.261-273
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to introduce effects of Chukyu pharmacopuncture and Brainspotting on knee pain, headaches, and acute stress disorder of a patient with a traffic accident. We treated a patient with Chukyu pharmacopuncture and Brainspotting. Numerical rating scale (NRS), Range of Motion (ROM), Hyperextension Position (HEP), Effusion (Eff), Patella Compression Test (PCT), Frontal Flexion Position (FFP), McMurray (MCM), Lateral Joint Line Tenderness (LJLT), Medial Joint Line Tenderness (MJLT), Anterior Drawer Test (ADT), Lachman Test, Varus/Valgus stress, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Core Seven Emotions Inventory Short Form (CSEI-S), Subjective units of disturbance scale (SUDs), and Heart rate variability (HRV) were used to evaluate the patient. After the patient was treated by Chukyu pharmacopuncture and Brainspotting, the patient showed improvement in NRS, physical examination, and psychological symptom assessment. These results indicate that Chukyu pharmacopuncture and Brainspotting are effective on knee pain, headache, and acute stress disorder after a traffic accident.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2011

Objective: Diurnal preference is an attribute reflecting whether people are alert and preferring to be active either early or late in the day. It also referred to as chronotype or morningness-eveningness trait. The PER3 genes have been known to influence diurnal preference. In this study, we have investigated the associations between the PER3 gene polymorphisms and diurnal preference in a healthy young population, controlling for the social and environmental confounding factors. Methods: The participants in this experiment included 299 unrelated medical college students (M=191, F=108), with a mean age of 22.9 years. Diurnal preference was measured by a single administration of the 13-item Composite Scale for Morningness (CSM). Genotyping of the PER3 VNTR (rs57875989) was performed using polymerase chain reaction. A two-tailed alpha of 0.05 was chosen. Results: The mean${\pm}$SD score on the CSM scale for all subjects was 31.90${\pm}$6.39. There was no significant difference in total CSM score between gender groups, although females showed a trend towards higher morningness score. Although PER3 5R/5R showed the tendency towards high CSM scores, there were no significant differences on CSM scores among genotypes and allele status of PER3 VNTR (rs57875989). Conclusions: We could not confirm that the PER3 VNTR is associated with diurnal preference in a Korean healthy young population. The future studies need to investigate the association between diurnal preference and other polymorphisms of PER3 gene in larger sample of Korean young healthy population.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.324-329
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• 2000

Objective : Psychological factors may have a major influence on the outcome of treatment for back pain. We investigated the relationship between the outcome and some psychological factors, such as self-reported pain intensity, disability, sleep disturbance and fatigue. Method : The study was conducted as a survey using a questionnaire and telephone interviews. The survey included consecutive 294 patients who visited the neurosurgical out-patient department complaining of low back pain and contacted by telephone on average seven months after the first visit. Pain intensity was measured by visual analog scale, and disability was assessed by Waddell's chronic disability index. Results : The outcome of treatment for back pain was recovered in 36.7%, improved in 30.6%, almost same in 28.6%, and aggravated in 4.1%. Overall rate of improvement was 67.3%. The rate of improvement was related to the duration, patterns and intensity of the symptom, and Waddell index. It was not influenced by the doctors, special studies, and methods of treatment. When the duration was more than 6 months, there were the symptoms of both back and legs, and the self-reported Waddell index was 1-3, the rate of improvement was relatively low. Although the intensity of the pain and disability was closely related to the degree of sleep disturbance, fatigue, appetite, or indigestion, the outcome of treatment for back pain was not always bad in patients with high psychological stress. Actually the outcome of the patients who complained severe pain and disability was better than the outcome of the others. Conclusion : The outcome of the back pain can be predicted by the duration, patterns and intensity of the symptom, and Waddell index. The multidisciplinary treatment will be necessary for the patients whose expected outcome is not good to reduce not only the physical symptoms but also the psychological stress.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.305-314
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• 2018

Objectives: The objective of this study was to report the clinical effectiveness of the complex Korean medicine therapy and M&L (Mindfulness & Loving presence) psychotherapy on the patient with panic disorder. Methods: The subject for this study was the patient diagnosed with panic disorder who complained about intermittent panic attack and accompanying insomnia. During the treatment period, the patient received complex Korean therapy and M&L psychotherapy. The clinical effects were evaluated through Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: After the complex Korean medicine therapy and M&L psychotherapy, the overall symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic disorder and insomnia of the patient were lessened in a relatively short period. No specificities or adverse effects were reported during the treatment period. Conclusions: This study established that the complex Korean medicine therapy and M&L psychotherapy was effective in treating patients with panic disorder.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.138-148
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• 2004

Objective : Insomnia is the disorder of initiation or maintenance in sleeping that results in daytime sleepiness and dysfunction, and it arises from multiple psychological, physiological and environmental factors. A number of stroke patients suffer from insomnia are classified as sleep disorder patients with physical illness. In addition, insomnia may have profound deleterious effects on the natural course of stroke. We are to assess the effectiveness of intradermal acupucture on stroke combined with insomnia. Methods : We recruited hospitalized patients with insomnia after stroke. Then, the subjects were allocated into a treatment group and a control group by randomization. The treatment group received intradermal acupuncture therapy at He-7(神門), EH-6(內關) correctly. However in control group, intradermal acupuncture were just attached to He-7(神門), EH-6(內關) without insertion. Treatment over time at first day and second day a various indexes were repeatedly checked such as sleep latency, total sleep time, sleep quality, condition on awakening, ability of concentration, morning sleepiness, Insomnia Severity Index, and Athens Insomnia Scale. In the second analysis, we divided the treatment group into a response and a non-response group by their response to intradermal acupuncture. With the acupuncture treatment, accompanied symptoms were checked Results : Among thirty two subjects, two of them were dropped out: One complained the pain from needle insertion, and the other underwent the change of his herbal medication. At baseline investigation with the residual 30 subjects, the control and the treatment group were assessed to have an equal comparability. In the treatment group, sleep latency, total sleeping time, a number of awakenings, sleep quality and ability of concentration showed improvement significantly compared with the control group. The non-response Group showed symptoms such as nausea and halitosis, belching and acid regurgitation, abundant expectoration, while Responder Group showed palpitation, oppressed feelings in chest and sleep disorder. Conclusions: The result of this clinical study suggests that the intradermal acupuncture at He-7(神門), EH-6(內關) is one of the effective treatments for the insomnia after stroke.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2005

Objectives: Much attention has been paid to sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in the elderly because of its high prevalence. It is expected that SAS in the elderly has both similarities and differences compared to SAS in the young or middle-aged populations. The aim of this study was to elucidate the characteristics and consequences of SAS in the elderly. Methods: In this study we included 210 young or middle-aged adults between 23 and 59 years (20 women and 190 men) and 65 older adults between 60 and 83 years of age (16 women and 49 men). Respiratory disturbance indices (RDIs) of the study subjects were more than 5 in an overnight polysomnography. They completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Informations about body mass index (BMI), neck, waist, and hip measurements, and blood pressure were obtained. Results: No difference was observed between older adults with SAS (older SAS) and adults aged under 60 with SAS (SAS aged under 60) in RDI, apnea index, % time of oxygen saturation less than 90%, and PSQI. Obstructive apnea index and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) were lower in older SAS. Compared to SAS aged under 60, lowest oxygen saturation and central apnea index were higher in older SAS, but they were statistically not significant. BMI and neck circumference were significantly lower in older SAS compared to SAS aged under 60. Diastolic blood pressure was lower in older SAS compared to SAS aged under 60 with no difference in systolic blood pressure. Older SAS showed lower scores in ESS than SAS aged under 60. Significant correlation was observed between RDI and BMI in SAS aged under 60, but not in the case of older SAS. The relationships between RDI and neck circumference, systolic and diastolic pressure, and ESS were similar. Conclusions: The elderly with SAS were not over-weight and there was no relationship between body weight and the severity of SAS. Also, the behavioral and cardiovascular effects of SAS were not marked in the elderly, which might be partly explained by decreased ODI and relatively higher lowest oxygen saturation in older SAS. The normal aging process, aside from increased body weight, might contribute to the development of SAS in the elderly with modest complications.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.808-819
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• 2021

Objectives: This study considered the effectiveness of integrative Korean medical treatment for stress-induced hypertensive patients without the use of conventional medication. Methods: A 62-year-old female with stress-induced hypertension (HTN) was hospitalized for 33 days. Her pattern identification was ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang (Ganyangsanghang)-type HTN. Herbal medicine and acupuncture were used for the treatment: Cheonggansoyo-san for 33 days and Chunwangbosim-dan for 15 days, together with acupuncture for 20 minutes twice a day. Blood pressure was checked daily during hospitalization with a digital sphygmomanometer in the brachial artery. Results: After 33 days of treatment, blood pressure decreased. The Handicap Inventory (DHI) scale and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores both decreased. The patient also reported fewer complaints. A five-month follow-up after discharge, with no further treatment, confirmed stable blood pressure. Symptom improvements continued with no significant side effects. Conclusions: This study indicates that Korean medical treatment is effective for stress-induced hypertensive patients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.361-368
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• 2017

Objectives: This study aimed to explore dimensions in addition to the 5 dimensions of the 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) that could satisfactorily explain variation in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the general population of South Korea. Methods: Domains related to HRQoL were searched through a review of existing HRQoL instruments. Among the 28 potential dimensions, the 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L and 7 additional dimensions (vision, hearing, communication, cognitive function, social relationships, vitality, and sleep) were included. A representative sample of 600 subjects was selected for the survey, which was administered through face-to-face interviews. Subjects were asked to report problems in 12 health dimensions at 5 levels, as well as their self-rated health status using the EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) and a 5-point Likert scale. Among subjects who reported no problems for any of the parameters in the EQ-5D-5L, we analyzed the frequencies of problems in the additional dimensions. A linear regression model with the EQ-VAS as the dependent variable was performed to identify additional significant dimensions. Results: Among respondents who reported full health on the EQ-5D-5L (n=365), 32% reported a problem for at least 1 additional dimension, and 14% reported worse than moderate self-rated health. Regression analysis revealed a $R^2$ of 0.228 for the original EQ-5D-5L dimensions, 0.200 for the new dimensions, and 0.263 for the 12 dimensions together. Among the added dimensions, vitality and sleep were significantly associated with EQ-VAS scores. Conclusions: This study identified significant dimensions for assessing self-rated health among members of the general public, in addition to the 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L. These dimensions could be considered for inclusion in a new preference-based instrument or for developing a country-specific HRQoL instrument.