• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.96-104
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• 2023

The successful restoration program requires a comprehensive understanding of variables influencing seedling efficiency. Below-ground is hypothesized to have a major impact on seedling performance of species when planted in agriculture, and degraded areas with different types of mulching. This study investigated on Sg. Terla Forest Reserve in Cameron Highlands Pahang, Malaysia. In this study randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used. The excavation method was applied to study the root system development, above, and below ground biomass distributions under different types of mulching: coconut mulching (CM), oil palm mulching (OM), plastic mulching (PM) and control (CK). The root diameter, main root length, lateral root length, root coiling, and root direction toward to sun were recorded. The results in this study indicate that mulching had significant effect on root diameter, main root length, and root distributions among treatments while for lateral root length, root: shoot ratio, dry biomass distributions, and above and below ground biomass did not showed significant effect among treatments. The highest values for root diameter, lateral root length, main root length, root distributions, dry biomass distributions and above and below ground biomass were showed in CM treatments. However 75% of root coiling was observed in seedlings between treatments.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.151-163
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• 2011

Objectives : Our aim is to evaluate feasibility for massive clinical research and to make basic analysis of efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue. Methods : This study is a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial. It was developed through literature searches and discussions among researchers. Results : Forty participants allocated to acupuncture group and wait-list group. Participants allocated to acupuncture group will be treated three times per week for a total of 12 sessions over four weeks. Eight points (GV20; bilatral GB20, BL11, BL13, BL15, BL18, BL20, BL23) have been selected for the acupuncture group. Participants in the wait-list group will not receive acupuncture treatment during study period and follow-up will be made in the 5th and 9th weeks after random allocation. Then the same acupuncture treatment as that performed to the acupuncture group will be made to the wait-list group. Fatigue Severity Scale, a short form of Stress Response Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Insomnia Severity Index will be used as outcome variables to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture. Safety will be assessed at every visit. Conclusions : The trial based on this study will be performed. The results of the trial will provide basis for the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of massive clinical research and to make a basic analysis on the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion treatment on knee osteoarthritis compared to usual care. Methods and Results : This study is a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial. Forty participants are assigned to the moxibustion group (n=20) and usual care group (n=20). Participants assigned to the moxibustion group receive moxibustion treatment on the affected knee(s) at six standard acupuncture points (ST36, ST35, ST34, SP9, Ex-LE04 and SP10) three times per week for four weeks (total of 12 sessions). Participants in the usual care group don't receive moxibustion treatment during the study period and follow-up are made on the 5th, 9th and 13th weeks after random allocation. Both groups are allowed to use any kind of treatment, including surgery, conventional medication, physical treatment, acupuncture, herbal medicine, over-the-counter drugs and other active treatments. Education material that explains knee osteoarthritis and current management options and self-exercise is provided for each group. The pain scale of the Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Questionnaire (K-WOMAC) is the primary outcome measurement used in this study. Other subscales of the K-WOMAC, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Physical Function test, Patient Global Assessment, and Pain Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) are used as outcome variables to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture. Safety is assessed at every visit. Conclusions : The result of this trial will provide a basis for the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment for knee osteoarthritis.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.105-113
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• 2011

Objectives: To examine the current status of clinical research in oriental medicine, and to assess 'risk of bias'(ROB) of randomized clinical trials(RCTs) in oriental medicine in Korea. Methods: Special committee for EBM, KOMS(Korean Oriental Medicine Society) reviewed 17 journals related to oriental medicine in Korea (from the first issue to May 2010), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2010), and PubMed (1966 to May 2010). Then we selected eligible RCTs in terms of oriental medicine, and assessed 'risk of bias'. Results: We reviewed 12,653 articles from the 17 journals, and 41 articles from CENTRAL and PubMed. After non-clinical articles were excluded, 1,004 articles were left. Among them, the number of eligible studies in terms of oriental medicine was 306. In these eligible studies, 130 were RCTs. Of RCTs, 69 were on acupuncture, 25 on herbal medicine. The proportion of 'unclear' is high in the criteria of 'Allocation concealment', 'Blinding of participants and personnel', 'Blinding of outcome assessment' and 'Other bias'. On the other hand, 'low' has high in the criteria of 'Incomplete outcome data' and 'Selective reporting'. Conclusions: Risk of bias on oriental medicine is unclear in terms of 'allocation concealment' and 'blinding'. For high-quality research in oriental medicine, further research should be needed on randomization and blinding in the RCTs.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.67-88
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• 2007

Objectives : To present proper protocol as global standard- clinical study about acupuncture treatment, and to demonstrate effectiveness of Sa-am Acupuncture treatment for obesity. Methods : We randomly allocated participants to treatment group 1 and 2. The group 1 is treated by real acupuncture and the group 2 is treated by Kim Sham Acupuncture. We treated Bi-jang seung-gyeok (脾臟勝格) ; Daedon(LR1), EunBaek(SP1) Gyoung-geo(LU8) Sang-gu(SP5), to both group. Primary outcomes were measured by the Body Composition Analysis(Inbody. Korea). Secondary outcomes were measured by Blood Cholesterol, Triglyceride, HDL, LDL Cholesterol. Results : After treatment, the group 1 shown significant weight loss that analysed by Kruskal-Wallis certification, but didn't show notable change in body fat, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol. Group 2 didn't show significant change in body weight, body fat, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, but total cholesterol was notably decreased. Controled group was not changed in body weight, body fat. Aftter treatment, 3 groups didn't show significant change in body weight, body fat, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.205-213
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was to investigate the effects of Carbohydrates on blood glucose levels in healthy adults after taking the monosaccharide glucose and disaccharide candies. Methods: This study was experimental research using a randomized controlled trial. Participants were college students who could agree the purpose of the study and participated voluntarily and met the selection criteria. Considering the dropout rate, 25 subjects in each group were included. The assignments of the experimental group and the control group were randomly assigned, and this study used the allocation concealment. Glucose tablets of 15g in the experimental group, and 15g sugar of candies in the control group were orally ingested. Blood glucose was measured before ingestion, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and 30 minutes after ingestion. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in blood glucose of 10 minutes (U=406.00, p=.069), 15 minutes (U=370.00, p=.264), and 30 minutes after ingestion (U=337.00, p=.634) between experimental (glucose tablet oral ingestion) and control groups (mint candy oral ingestion). Conclusion: There was no difference in the blood glucose level up to 30 minutes after ingestion of monosaccharide glucose and disaccharide candy. Through this study, the decision to use either candy or glucose tablets in the event of hypoglycemia can be chosen according to the patient's preference.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of Chuna manual treatment and Chuna manual treatment with self muscle energy techniques on patients with pelvic malposition Methods : Random allocation was done. We used Chuna manual treatment to control group and Chuna manual treatment with self muscle energy techniques to experimental group. These patient's pelvic malposition were checked by Leg length analysis, measuring Innominate measurement length, obturator foramen size and height of femur head. Results : 1)After the 3 weeks treatment, patients' inequality of leg length and Innominate measurement length were significantly reduced. 2)There was no significant difference between control group and experimental group. Conclusions : Chuna manual treatment and Chuna manual treatment with self muscle energy techniques are considered to be effective and useful in patients with pelvic malposition. But there was no significant difference between control group and experimental group.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.11-20
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• 2020

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of Nordic walking on depression and the physical function of elderly patients with a high risk of depression. METHODS: This study was a blinded randomized allocation study; 32 elderly were assigned to a Nordic walking group (n = 17), consisting of 60 min Nordic walking (including warming up 5 min, warming down 5 min, and Nordic walking 50 min) two days per week for 12 weeks and general leisure group (n = 15), consisting of 60 min leisure program community center. The pre and post 12-week program, depression test, muscle strength (including grip test, and 30sec sit to stand), and balance (including Functional Reach test, and One Leg Standing test) were measured. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare within the group, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare between the groups. RESULTS: After 12 weeks, only the Nordic walking group showed significant improvement in depression, muscle strength, and balance (p < .05). In the general leisure group, however, the left grip strength and Functional Reach Test (FRT) showed a significant decrease. The Nordic walking program was better than the general leisure group, and a significant difference was observed in depression, muscle strength, and balance between the two groups (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Nordic walking was effective for the elderly with a high risk of depression. Therefore, Nordic walking may be an option for preventing elderly mental disorders and functional improvement.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.153-162
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• 2018

Objective: The aim of this trial was to compare the alignment efficiency and intermaxillary arch dimension changes of nickel-titanium (NiTi) or copper-nickel-titanium (CuNiTi) round archwires with increasing diameters applied sequentially to the mandibular arch. Methods: The initial alignment phase of fixed orthodontic treatment with NiTi or CuNiTi round archwires was studied in a randomly allocated sample of 66 patients. The NiTi group comprised 26 women, 10 men, and the CuNiTi ($27^{\circ}C$) group comprised 20 women, 10 men. The eligibility criteria were as follows: anterior mandibular crowding of minimum 6 mm according to Little's Irregularity Index (LII), treatment requiring no extraction of premolars, 12 to 18 years of age, permanent dentition, skeletal and dental Class I malocclusion. The main outcome measure was the alignment of the mandibular anterior dentition; the secondary outcome measure was the change in mandibular dental arch dimensions during 12 weeks. Simple randomization (allocation ratio 1:1) was used in this single-blind study. LII and mandibular arch dimensions were measured on three-dimensional digital dental models at 2-week intervals. Results: No statistically significant difference was observed between NiTi and CuNiTi according to LII (p > 0.05). Intercanine and intermolar arch perimeters increased in the CuNiTi group (p < 0.001). Inter-first premolar width showed a statistically significant interaction in week ${\times}$ diameter ${\times}$ application (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The effects of NiTi and CuNiTi round archwires were similar in terms of their alignment efficiency. However, the intercanine and intermolar arch perimeters, and the inter-first premolar width changes differed between groups.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.75-93
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• 2023

Objectives We aimed to analyze the registration status of interventional clinical trials in children and adolescents with chronic cough. Methods All interventional clinical trials registered up to 3 July, 2023 on the international clinical trial registry platform (ICTRP) of the World Health Organization (WHO) were analyzed. Information was extracted including study design, interventions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and outcome indicators. Results A total of 18 interventional clinical trials were analyzed. For study design, multicentre trials, randomized allocation, parallel group design and phase 4 trials were the most frequently reported. Blinding was used in 44.4% and informed consents were obtained from 61.1%. For intervention, drugs were used in 61.1%, using placebo control group in 27.8%. Quality of life questionnaires were most frequently reported in 50% as the primary outcome, and adverse events were the most as the secondary outcome. In most cases, the assessment timepoints were after two weeks. Conclusions Based on the characteristics of clinical trial design analyzed in this study, it is necessary to design traditional Korean medicine clinical trials with improved quality and accuracy of information.