• 대한한의학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Objective: The study aimed to review all randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) performed in Korea with herbal medicine, to produce further useful information for herbal-drug development. Methods: All papers reporting RCT with herbal drugs were collected via public database of Korea Science and Technology Integration Services, and various Oriental medicine journals. Then, the clinical question, herbal medicine, result, RCT design, and its conductor were analyzed. Results: A total of 20 RCTs were finally selected, and most of them were performed after 2003. The main subjects of RCT were related to heart and blood circulation, dermatitis, respiration disorder, Sasang constitution, or psychiatric disorders. Eight RCTs were done with a single herb while 12 RCTs were with multiple herbal formulae. In particular, three RCTs for atopic dermatitis with three formulae showed positive results. The quality of RCT was considered as better than average. Conclusions: This study revealed the current status of RCT using herbal drugs. This result would provide helpful information for research and drug development using traditional herbal medicine.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.33-45
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• 2017

Objectives The objective of this study is to report the evidence that continuous passive motion (CPM) therapy combined with Korean Medicine is effective for knee injuries. Methods We searched 2 Korean medical electronic databases, and 2 Chinese electronic databases to find randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) that treat knee injuries with Korean Medicine combined with CPM therapy. We selected studies by screening. We extracted data from selected RCTs, and analyzed RCTs by using Cochrane's Risk of bias criteria. Results 386 studies are searched, and 7 RCTs are selected. According to the study, several kinds of Korean Medicine such as hydrotherapy, decoction, acupuncture, moxibustion, and manual therapy are used with CPM therapy for the knee joint postoperative rehabilitation. We found the encouraging evidence that Korean Medicine and CPM combined therapy is more effective than single CPM therapy by alleviating pain, increasing range of motion, and improving knee function, etc. However, the risk of bias in most RCTs was judged to be uncertain. Conclusions Combination of Korean Medicine and CPM therapy can compensate the defect of single CPM therapy, and promotes the recovery of knee joint function.

• 대한예방한의학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.39-49
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• 2011

Objectives : This study is to explain the effects of Yoga therapy for relieving dysmenorrhea on the aspect of Oriental Medicine and to identify the therapeutic Yoga asanas applicable to clinic medicine. Methods : We searched papers using Pubmed, CNKI and 7 Korean medical databases. We used "Yoga" and "Dysmenorrhea" as keyword. Limitations were as follows ; the last 20 years of publications and search range only including RCTs. Papers without inclusion criteria were excluded. We classified all the searched RCTs studies into Yoga exercise prescriptions. Results : A total of 47 studies were found. And 38 were excluded during extract screening. Finally 3 RCTs were selected and analyzed out of 9 papers. Blood sampling and survey questionnaires were used in the outcome measure. They reported that Yoga exercise could be used for dysmenorrhea patients, which has a curative effect. Conclusions : Yoga therapy can be explained as Meridian muscle theory in the concept of Oriental Medicine. Also, it may be a favorable choice for dysmenorrhea patients. Further studies to describe the effects of Yoga therapy will be needed more.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제63권4호
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• pp.427-432
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• 2020

Three randomized control trials (RCTs), published in 2013, investigated efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in large vessel occlusions and did not show better results compared to intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) alone. However, most clinicians treating stroke consider mechanical thrombectomy as the standard treatment rather than using IV tPA alone. This paradigm shift was based on five RCTs investigating efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke conducted from 2010 to 2015. They demonstrated that mechanical thrombectomy was effective and safe in acute ischemic stroke with anterior circulation occlusion when performed within 6 hours of stroke onset. There are four reasons underlying the different results observed between the trials conducted in 2013 and 2015. First, the three RCTs of 2013 used low-efficiency thrombectomy devices. Second, the three RCTs used insufficient image selection criteria. Third, following the initial presentation at the hospital, reperfusion treatment required a long time. Fourth, the three RCTs showed a low rate of successful recanalization. Time is the most important factor in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. However, current trends utilize advanced imaging techniques, such as diffusion-weighted imaging and multi-channel computer tomographic perfusion, to facilitate the detection of core infarction, penumbra, and collateral flows. These efforts demonstrate that patient selection may overcome the barriers of time in specific cases.

• 대한한방부인과학회지
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.227-244
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• 2019

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of application of Traditional East Asian Herbal Medicine (TEAM) in the treatment of Atrophic Vaginitis (AV). Methods: Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were obtained from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, RISS, NDSL, and KISS. The risk of bias was assessed by using Cochrane's risk of bias tool, and RevMan 5.3 software was used. Results: 26 RCTs with 3,162 patients were identified and reviewed. Among them, 21 RCTs observe the effect of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. 23 RCTs reported treatment groups was statistically effective than control groups in the study. Also, the recurrence rate was estimated in 10 RCTs and was lower than control groups. 12 studies observed adverse events (AEs) and severe AEs were not reported. Conclusions: This review suggested that TEAM was safe and effective in the treatment of AV. TEAM may also decrease the recurrence rate. However, this could not be proven conclusively. To ensure evidence-based clinical practice, well-designed trials with larger sample sizes are needed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.59-69
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• 2017

Objectives : This study analyzed the current status of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of miniscalpel acupuncture for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) in China. Methods : A literature search was performed using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database. All studies up to June 7th, 2017 were searched. The quality of included RCTs was assessed with the Jadad scale. Results : Five RCTs were finally included in this review. The overall quality of the RCTs was assessed as low. All articles evaluated miniscalpel acupuncture as monotherapy or in combination with filiform needle therapy, drug injection therapy, Tuina treatment, thermal coagulation therapy, or spinal decompression. Miniscalpel acupuncture as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy showed greater therapeutic effect and fewer adverse effects. Conclusion : Miniscalpel acupuncture is a safe and effective nonpharmacological treatment for LSS. However, high-quality studies with consistent treatment protocols are needed to confirm these findings.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.164-170
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• 2010

Objective: This study aimed to produce an overview of RCT for treatments of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Method: All RCT studies for treatments of diabetic peripheral neuropathy were selected via PubMed. The general trend of RCT number, subject and result, including Oriental medicine, were analyzed. Result: A total 147 RCT studies were found. The number of RCT has rapidly increased since 2003. 114 RCTs were conducted with western drugs, while RCTs with electrical stimulation and Oriental medicine were eight and ten respectively. All RCTs with acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal drugs showed positive results. Conclusion: Oriental medicine-derived RCTs for diabetic peripheral neuropathy are very rare, even their potential was sufficient. This study may provide valuable information for development of Oriental medicine against diabetic peripheral neuropathy in the future.

• 대한한방부인과학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.200-217
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• 2008

Purpose: The aim of this study is to review and analyze the status on the obstetric and gynecologic RCTs with acupuncture. Methods: Searching were performed in $7{\sim}14$ July, 2008. Search term used was "acupuncture" only. And we classified all the searched articles as diseases and related health problems. Then we also classified OBGY diseases and analyzed the trends of those parts. Results: We could search 666 articles, RCTs with acupuncture. Of them, we found 88 OBGY articles about nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, labor and postpartum. OBGY surgery, hot flashes and climacteric, ART, Disease with Pregnancy women and menstruation, fetal breech presentation, and breast disease etc. Conclusion: To improve traditional Korean OBGY research, it is needed activation of RCT research, study of meta analysis, development of clinical practice guidelines, variation of research subject, and co-works with conventional medicine.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.87-95
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• 2024

This review aims to analyze the efficacy of acupotomy in treating superior cluneal nerve entrapment syndrome (SCNES) by summarizing the findings of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The RCTs were retrieved from seven databases (i.e., the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Korean Studies Information Service System, Research Information Service System, and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System). Seven RCTs were selected for this review. The results indicate that acupotomy is promising for providing significant pain relief and improving function in patients with SCNES. However, more high-quality RCTs are required to establish the long-term effectiveness and safety of acupotomy. This review provides valuable insights for clinicians and researchers in the management of SCNES.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.251-264
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• 2017

Objectives : To identify the prevalence and types of spin in randomised controlled trials(RCTs) of obesity with statistically non-significant results for primary outcomes to provide adequate reporting directions. Methods : Spin is specific reporting strategy that could lead the readers to misinterpret the results of RCTs. RCTs on obesity with statistically non-significant primary outcomes published from July 2015 to June 2016 were retrieved from PubMed. All included RCTs were classified into 3 intervention categories. The identification and classification of spin in the included articles was performed by two independent researchers. Results : Among 46 RCTs with statistically non-significant primary outcomes, 32 studies were assessed as having at least one spin in title, abstract or main text. Of these, 9 articles were on complementary and alternative medicine, 7 on western medicine and 16 on dietary supplement and exercise. The frequency of spin among the types of interventions was similar. The most common type of spin was 'focusing on statistical significance within-group comparison' in results section of abstract and main text, and 'focusing only on treatment effectiveness with no consideration of statistical significance' in conclusion section of abstract and main text. Studies where random sequence generation was appropriately done was less likely to have spin. Conclusions : As a majority of obesity RCTs have spin, researchers should pay more attention to adequately interpreting and reporting statistically non-significant results.