• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.62-78
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aims to assess the impact of acupotomy on migraine through an examination of clinical studies conducted since 2015. Methods : We conducted a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials (nRCTs) related to acupotomy treatment for migraine, utilizing five Korean online databases (OASIS, Science ON, DBPIA, KISS, RISS), as well as four foreign online databases (CNKI, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library). We identified a total of 10 relevant studies for analysis. Participants characteristics, treatment points, combination treatments, treatment cycles or frequencies, evaluation indices, efficacy, and adverse events were analyzed. The risk of bias in the 10 RCTs was assessed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0). Results : A total of 931 participants were included in 10 studies. In the intervention group, the average duration of migraine morbidity ranged from 15.5±4.5 months to 15.9±4.2 years. Six studies based their diagnoses on the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD), while five studies relied on Chinese diagnostic criteria. All studies specified the treatment area as the region exhibiting tenderness or induration on the head and neck. Treatment cycles ranged from a minimum of 2 days to a maximum of 1 week, with the number of days per treatment course varied from 5 days to 4 weeks. The diameter of acupuncture needles used varied between 0.3 mm and 1 mm. Of the eight studies specifying needle length, the shortest was 20 mm, and the longest was 40 mm. A total of eight evaluation indices were employed, with total efficacy rate (TER) and visual analogue scale (VAS) being the most frequently used. Statistically, all intervention groups showed more significant results compared to the control groups. Adverse events were reported in only two studies within the intervention group. Overall, the risk of bias assessment for the selected RCTs ranged from 'some concerns' to 'high risk of bias.' Conclusions : This study showed that acupotomy treatments for migraine were effective.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.79-89
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate various application methods of focused ultrasound and apply them to clinical use in Korean medicine. Methods : Search was performed using the search engines of electronic databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ScienceON, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Japan Science Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic (J-STAGE) and Citation Information by NII (CiNii), from inception to July 2023 without language limitation. Inclusion criteria were clinical studies including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and animal experimental studies related with focused ultrasound treatments for acupoints or meridian sinews. Results : Total 17 papers, 7 for RCT, 6 for in vivo animal studies, and other experimental studies, were finally selected. Indications used in studies were shoulder pain, back pain, chronic back pain, and degenerative knee arthritis. In experimental studies, studies on animal models of hypoxic ischemic brain damage and hyperlipidemia were also conducted. As for the acupoints, LR3, LI4, and ST36 were used in clinical studies and, in animal experimental studies, GV20, KI1, and ST36 were used. As for the dose, 4 studies below 3 W/cm² and 3 studies in the range of 0.625 to 5 W/cm² in clinical studies, and all studies did not exceed 5 W/cm². In animal experimental studies, 0.5 W/cm², 2 W/cm², 7.5 WW/cm², 15 W/cm², 10~20 W/cm² were used. In all three studies describing the penetration depth during irradiation, it was less than 1 cm. Conclusions : We suggest that focused ultrasound is an appropriate treatment tool for stimulating the acupoints to transfer heat energy. Future studies with rigorous and well-designed RCTs for various diseases will be required to ascertain the focused ultrasound stimulate acupoints or meridian sinews.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.197-204
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the effect of HT008, a multi-herbal mixture consisting of 3 herbs, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Angelica sinensis, and Scutellaria baicaleinsis on arthritic model in rats. Methods : The anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities were observed by utilizing the following models: carrageenan-induced edema of the hind paw of rats, acetic acid-induced writhing response in mice. The perimeter of the paw was measured before injection and then at 1, 2, 4, 6 h after injection of 1% $\lambda$-carrageenan. The HT008 at five dose levels (10, 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) and distilled water given 30 min to treatment groups and control group, before $\lambda$-carrageenan injection. In the writhing test, the mice received 0.7% acetic acid solution in normal saline injected intraperitoneally at a dose of 10 ml/kg. The number of writhes was counted staring 10 min after injection. Results : HT008 at four dose levels (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) significantly decreased the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema perimeter. E. senticosus and S. baicaleinsis extracts reduced acetic acid-induced writhing response in mice. Also A. sinensis extracts significantly decreased the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema perimeter. Conclusions : These results show that HT008, a multi-herbal mixture has both anti-inflammatory activity and analgesic effects in vivo arthritic model, and suggest that HT008 could be a good therapy to treat human osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.95-113
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• 2023

Objectives: To review studies evaluating effects of acupuncture on pain and depressive symptoms in fibromyalgia. Methods: Quantitative evidences (RCTs) were systematically reviewed. Literature were searched for a combination of fibromyalgia and depression (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, medline (via PubMed), Kmbase, KISS, ScienceON, OASIS, CiNii, CNKI). Quantitative research findings were critically appraised by Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tool and pooled. Meta-analysis was then conducted using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4. Results: Eighteen studies were selected. American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for Fibromyalgia Syndrome was most frequently used as diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. As for outcome measurement, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Total Effective Rate (TER) were used most commonly. Meta-analysis of ten studies revealed that both Depression and VAS scores of the Acupuncture+Western Medicine group were significantly lower than those of Western Medicine group (Depression: SMD, -0.94, 95% CI, -1.17 to -0.70; VAS: MD, -1.51, 95% CI, -1.83 to -1.19). Also, TERs of both Acupuncture group and Acupuncture+Western Acupuncture+Western Medicine group were significantly higher than those of the Western Medicine group (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.29 to 4.41; and OR: 7.40, 95% CI: 3.41 to 16.07). There was no significant difference in Depression or VAS score between the Acupuncture Group and the Western Medicine Group. Conclusions: Acupuncture might be an effective option for pain and depressive symptoms of fibromyalgia when it is combined with Western Medicine treatment. For more accurate results, more types of Korean medicine treatment should be conducted.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.313-353
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• 2023

Objectives: Heart failure is a chronic disease with increasing prevalence rates despite advancements in medical technology. Korean medicine utilizes herbal prescriptions to treat heart failure, but little is known about the specific herbal medicines comprising the network of herbal prescriptions for heart failure. This study proposes a novel methodology that can efficiently develop prescriptions and facilitate experimental research on heart failure by utilizing existing databases. Methods: Herbal medicine prescriptions for heart failure were identified through a PubMed search and compiled into a Google Sheet database. NetMiner 4 was used for network analysis, and the individual networks were classified according to the herbal medicine classification system to identify trends. K-HERB NETWORK was utilized to derive related prescriptions. Results: Network analysis of heart failure prescriptions and herbal medicines using NetMiner 4 produced 16 individual networks. Uhwangcheongsim-won (牛黃淸心元), Gamiondam-tang (加味溫膽湯), Bangpungtongseong-san (防風通聖散), and Bunsimgi-eum (分心氣飮) were identified as prescriptions with high similarity in the entire network. A total of 16 individual networks utilized K-HERB NETWORK to present prescriptions that were most similar to existing prescriptions. The results provide 1) an indication of existing prescriptions with potential for use to treat heart failure and 2) a basis for developing new prescriptions for heart failure treatment. Conclusion: The proposed methodology presents an efficient approach to developing new heart failure prescriptions and facilitating experimental research. This study highlights the potential of network pharmacology methodology and its possible applications in other diseases. Further studies on network pharmacology methodology are recommended.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.387-401
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• 2023

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the preventive effect of herbal medicines on restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by reviewing randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: RCTs were searched for herbal medicine treatment after PCI using eight online databases (PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang, J-STAGE, OASIS, ScienceON, KTKP, and KISS). Studies that confirmed restenosis through coronary angiography at follow-up were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The primary outcome was the restenosis rate, and the secondary outcome was the angina recurrence rate. Data were extracted from the final selected studies according to the research methodology and then analyzed with Review Manager 5.4.1. Study quality was assessed using Cochrane's risk-of-bias (RoB) tool. Results: Of the 252 papers obtained through the primary search, nine studies that met the selection criteria were finally selected. In these nine studies, herbal medicine combined with western medicine was used for the experimental group, and western medicine treatment was used alone for the control group. The meta-analysis result revealed that the restenosis rate and angina recurrence rate were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (RR=0.34, 95% CI: 0.22-0.53, p<0.00001, I²=0% and RR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.29-0.78, p=0.004, I²=0%, respectively). Furthermore, the quality of studies assessed by Cochrane's RoB was low. Conclusions: This study showed that the combined treatment of herbal medicine and western medicine was effective in preventing restenosis and angina after PCI. As the number of papers included in this study was small, a large number of high-quality clinical studies should be considered in the future.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.97-113
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• 2023

Objectives This study examined the trends in domestic and international research on the treatment of sarcopenia and analyzed the effectiveness of the treatment. Based on the results, we suggest directions for future Korean medicine research on sarcopenia. Methods The study was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology. It included three international databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library) and five domestic databases (Korean studies Information Service System, Korean Medical database, Oriental Medicine Advanced Search Integrated System, Research Information Sharing Service, ScienceON) were used. Literatures published until April 30, 2023, including the contents of 'sarcopenia' and Korean Medicine treatment', were searched. Results A total of 45 studies were included in the analysis. The number of studies on Korean medicine treatments for sarcopenia is steadily increasing, with the majority of studies coming from Asian countries. Of the 45 studies, 30 were conducted in the field of medicine, and the study design was analyzed into 10 clinical studies and 35 non-clinical studies. Among the 10 clinical studies, the most common treatment interventions were herbs (n=4), followed by Daoist exercises (n=3). The most common diagnostic criteria used in clinical studies were those published by the Asian working group for sarcopenia, and various physical examinations and laboratory tests were used as outcome measures. Conclusions The future direction of Korean medicine research on sarcopenia should be to expand the number of clinical studies applying Korean medicine treatment interventions.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2022

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to establish scientific evidence though a systematic review, of the existing interventional methods and their respective effects, for swallowing disorders among dementia patients. The interventional methods were based on patient characteristics. Methods : An electronic literature search was performed using five electronic databases from 2010 to 2020. The keywords were 'Dementia', 'Alzheimer disease', 'Deglutition disorder', 'Swallowing disorder', 'Dysphagia'. Five articles met the inclusion criteria. Results : One study with moderate-to-severe and four studies with severe dementia patients were included. The interventions consisted of one remedial intervention, three compensatory interventions, and one comprehensive intervention. Compensatory intervention, including behavioral and psychological management, were used in moderate-to-severe patients. For the severe patients, remedial, compensatory, and comprehensive intervention were used to address the feeding tube problem. The interventions used in each study had a positive effect on the outcome variables associated with swallowing ability. Conclusion : The purpose of the intervention and the intervention factors changed depending on the patient's dementia stage. The intervention was effective when considering the progressive stage of the patient. These results may serve as a guide in designing effective interventions for swallowing disorders in dementia patients.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.40.1-40.18
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the influence of different obturation techniques compared to cold lateral compaction on the success rate of primary non-surgical endodontic treatments. Materials and Methods: Systematic searches were performed for studies published up to May 17^th, 2022 in MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and Grey Literature Reports. Randomized clinical trials and nonrandomized (nonrandomized clinical trials, prospective or retrospective) studies that evaluated the success rate of primary non-surgical endodontic treatments obturated with the cold lateral compaction (control) and other obturation techniques were included. The revised Cochrane risk of bias tools for randomized trials (RoB 2) and nonrandomized studies of interventions (ROBINS-I) were used to evaluate the risk of bias. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. Results: Eleven studies (4 randomized clinical trials (RCTs), 4 prospective, and 3 retrospectives) were included. Two RCTs were classified as having some concerns risk of bias and 2 as a low risk of bias. Two nonrandomized studies were classified as having a critical risk of bias and 5 as having a moderate risk of bias. The GRADE analysis demonstrated a very low to moderate certainty of evidence. Conclusions: This systematic review generally evidenced no differences in the success rate of primary non-surgical endodontic treatments when the cold lateral compaction technique and other obturation techniques are performed. Further well-designed studies are still necessary.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1-27
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• 2023

Objectives : To investigate the modern research achievements of agarwood and its association with the efficacy of herbal medicine based on the in vivo and in vitro activities of volatile compounds detected in agarwood. Methods : Databases such as PubMed and ScienceOn were searched for medicinal in vivo and in vitro activity studies on agarwood. They were categorized into "medicine and pharmacy" and "others not related to medicine and pharmacy," and the studies on medicine and pharmacy were organized according to active efficacy. The efficacy and virtue of agarwood as identified in the book (or herbal medicine/herbology) corresponded to modern medical terms and diseases in reference to the . Separately, the Gas Chromatography & Mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis results of agarwood from a total of 5 production areas of Aquilaria crassna from Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Cambodia as identified in previous studies were consulted to search for research papers on the medicinal activity of the 13 compounds of the aromatic sesquiterpene family detected in agarwood, and they were categorized according to topic. Results : There were 123 studies on the medicinal activity of agarwood. Overall, 46 studies on single extracts of agarwood reported activities such as improving mental health, including anti-anxiety and stability, and antiallergic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and digestive system protective effects. In total, 59 papers on the activities of single compounds isolated from agarwood reported anti-inflammatory and mental health benefits. Separately, 13 compounds detected in agarwood, such as α-agarofuran and β-caryophyllene, were reported by 110 studies to have anticancer, stabilizing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities. There were also papers on the cultivation methods and resin formation conditions of agarwood trees unrelated to the efficacy of herbal medicine. Conclusion : Among the pharmacological papers, a total of 57 papers corresponded to the effects of agarwood in traditional herbal medicine, including 33 papers related to agarwood extracts and 24 papers analyzing 8 types of sesquiterpenes, such as β-caryophyllene and cedrol, from previous studies. Based on the research findings of each paper, it was possible to correlate the effects of agarwood in traditional herbal medicine with the achievements of modern pharmacological research. In addition, further research is anticipated in new areas related to traditional herbal medicine, including the improvement of mental health such as anti-depression, as well as activities related to anticancer, antioxidant, and hair growth.