• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.971-979
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• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of Cheongsimyeonja-tang on the human body. Methods: This was a retrospective study, conducted using electronic medical records (EMR). Appropriate clinical cases were identified and databased through EMR. Changes of vital signs, blood tests, and functional tests before and after taking Cheongsimyeonja-tang were determined. Results: There were several significant changes after taking Cheongsimyeonja-tang. Hemoglobin, total blood proteins, and total bilirubin were increased. Eosinophil, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were decreased. Conclusions: Cheonseomyeonja-tang had significant effects, including improvement of blood cell count (increase of red blood cells and hemoglobin), improvement of blood lipid level (decrease of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol), and blood pressure control (reduction of systolic blood pressure).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4255-4259
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• 2013

Background: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous group of tumors, and approximately 40-50% of patients with STS develop metastatic disease. The median overall survival of those patients was 12 months and their 5-year survival rate was 8%. Therefore, study on more effective treatment, especially the targeting therapies, is urgently needed. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Endostar$^{(R)}$ combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced STS. Methods: A retrospective case-series study was conducted in Cancer Institute of PLA, Xinqiao Hospital. A total of 71 patients suffering from advanced STS (IIB - IV) were included, of whom 49 cases treated with chemotherapy alone were defined as the control group and the rest 22 cases treated with the traditional chemotherapy combined with Endostar$^{(R)}$ were defined as the test group. The short-term therapeutic effects including objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and safety were evaluated in the two groups. In the follow-up, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were also observed. Results: In the test and control groups, the ORR was 18.2% and 12.2%, respectively (P=0.767), and the DCR was 86.4% and 61.2%, respectively (P=0.034). The median time to progression in the test and control groups was 120 days and 70 days with significant difference (P = 0.017), while the median overall survival was 452 days and 286 days without significant difference (P=0.503). The one-year survival rate in the test group and control group was 56.2% and 35.4%, respectively, while the two-year survival rate was 30.2% and 26.5%, respectively. No significant difference in the side effects was found between the two groups. Conclusions: Endostar$^{(R)}$ combined with chemotherapy resulted in a higher DCR and longer PFS in the patients with advanced STS, and the toxicity was tolerable.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.101-106
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• 2000

Menopausal women experience urogenitory and vasomotor symptoms with increased risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases, which can be reduced by hormone replacement therapy. However unopposed estrogen therapy has been associated with an increased risk of endometrial hypeiplasia or cancer. The objectives of this study were to compare effects of continuous vs. sequential hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on lipid profile, bone mineral density and menopausal symptoms of postmenopausal women and to assess how they perceive the menopause and HRT culturally. In this retrospective study, women in menopause longer than 6 months, normal in the mam-mogram and Papanicolaou smear, cholesterol level lower than 190 mg/dL or triglyceride level lower 4han 500 mg/dL were treated with Srogen (conjugated equine estrogen 0.625 mg tablet) and Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate 2.5 mg tablet) for continuous treatment(CT) or Cycloprogynova (Estradiol valerate 2 mg and Norgestrel 0.5 mg complex tablet) for sequential treatment(ST). They were evaluated for lipid profile, bone mineral density, menopausal symptoms, side effects and their perception of menopause and HRT. As results, total sixty-seven patients out of ninety-four enrollees were included in final analysis (33 in continuous therapy, 34 in sequential therapy). There were significant decrease in total cholesterol ($15.04\pm3.17$, p=0.0001), LDL ($19.72\pm3.27$, p=0.0001), and increase in HDL ($5.89\pm1.63$, p=0.0001). Bone minora) density increased significantly with HRT ($0.02\pm0.11$, p=0.0001). But, there were no significant differences in change of lipid profile between continuous and sequential therapy: Total cholesterol, $13.12\pm4.7\;vs.\;16.91\pm4.3;\;LDL\;20.53\pm4.1\;vs.\;18.93\pm5.12:HDL\;7.15\pm2.3\;vs.\;4.67\pm2.2,\;p>0.05$. Incidences of flush reduced from $75\%\;(CT)\;to\;3.13\%\;and\;71.88\%\;(ST)\;to\;9.35\%$. The change of endometrium and breast were found 3 (CT) and 5 (ST) women, respectively. Most of women recognized that HRT is necessary $(70\%)$ for postmenopausal period but did not understand well the cardiovascular protective effect. In conclusion, hormone replacement therapy was effective in improving lipid profile, bone mineral density and menopausal symptoms in both continuous and sequential treatments with similar efficacy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8765-8774
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• 2014

This study aimed at summarizing epidemiological research findings on associations between tobacco, alcohol and tea consumption and risk of gastric cancer (GC) in the Chinese population. The review searched PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and China Biology Medicine (CBM) databases and reference lists of review papers for all studies published in English or Chinese languages. Information extracted, via two independent researchers, from retrieved articles included first author, year of publication, study design, sample size, source of controls and adjusted odds ratio (OR) or relative risk (RR) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each category. Statistical analyses used software STATA version 12.0. The systematic search found 89 articles containing 25,821 GC cases and 135,298 non-cases. The overall random effects in terms of pooled OR and 95%CI for tobacco, alcohol and tea consumption were 1.62 (95%CI: 1.50-1.74), 1.57 (95%CI: 1.41-1.76) and 0.67 (95%CI: 0.59-0.76) respectively; while the heterogeneity among included studies ranged from 80.1% to 87.5%. The majority of subgroup analyses revealed consistent results with the overall analyses. All three behavioral factors showed statistically significant dose-dependent effects on GC (P<0.05). The study revealed that tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking were associated with over 1/2 added risk of GC, while tea drinking conferred about 1/3 lower risk of GC in the Chinese population. However, these results should be interpreted with caution given the fact that most of the included studies were based on a retrospective design and heterogeneity among studies was relatively high.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.124-129
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• 2011

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of oral sildenafil therapy in neonates with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 32 neonates ${\geq}$35 weeks' gestation and fraction of inspired oxygen ($FiO_2$) 1.0 with PPHN. The first dose (0.5 mg/kg) of oral sildenafil was started and 1 mg/kg was given every 6 hour thereafter. Mean airway pressure (MAP), $FiO_2$, oxygenation index (OI), mean arterial blood pressure (MBP) were documented before and 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after sildenafil. For adverse effects, gastrointestinal symptoms, brain ultrasound, funduscopy and auditory brainstem response results were evaluated. Results: The underlying diseases of PPHN (n=32) were meconium aspiration syndrome (n=9), respiratory distress syndrome (n=8), pneumonia (n=3), and idiopathic (n=12). Thirty-one neonates survived; 3 neonates were transferred for inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and all of them survived. In 28 infants, $FiO_2$ and OI improved significantly by 6 hours and MAP improved significantly by 48 hours after initiation of sildenafil. There were no clinically significant adverse effects of sildenafil. Conclusion: Sildenafil may be an effective and safe agent for near-term and term neonates with PPHN, providing significant improvement in oxygenation, and thus may be especially useful in the treatment of PPHN in hospitals without iNO.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4285-4289
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• 2015

Purpose: Blood hemoglobin levels are known to influence response to radiotherapy. This retrospective analysis compared the effect of hemoglobin levels upon response to radiation among patients treated with radiation alone (by accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy) versus those treated with concurrent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy. Materials and Methods: Among patients treated for locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix (LACC) during 2009-10, a total of 60 fulfilled the eligibility criteria. In this time frame, external beam radiotherapy was delivered with either concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT, n=31) (45Gy over 25 fractions, with weekly cisplatin at 40mg/m2), or with accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy (AHRT, n=29) (20Gy over 10 daily fractions over the first two weeks, followed by 30Gy over 20 fractions over the next two weeks, with two fractions of 1.5Gy per day, without the use of chemotherapy). Mean weekly hemoglobin (MWH) levels of all patients were calculated as the arithmetic means of weekly recorded blood hemoglobin levels. As per MWH, patients in both of the AHRT or the CRT groups were classified into two subgroups-those with MWH between 10-10.9g/dL, or with MWH>11g/dL. Complete response (CR) to external beam RT phase (prior to brachytherapy) was declared after clinical examinations and computed tomography. The CR rate was noted for both MWH sub-groups within each of the AHRT and CRT groups. Results: Within the AHRT group, patients with MWH>11g/dL had a much better CR rate in comparison to those with MWH:10-10.9g/dL (80% vs. 21.1%) which was statistically significant (p 0.0045). Within the CRT group, there was no significant difference in the outcomes within the MWH>11g/dL and MWH:10-10.9g/dL sub-groups (CR rates of 80% vs. 61.9%, p=0.4285). Conclusions: The importance of maintaining a minimum hemoglobin level of 11g/dL during RT is much greater for patients treated with RT alone, than for patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Enhanced haemoglobin levels during RT may to an extent negate the ill-effects that may otherwise arise due to non-use of concurrent chemotherapy.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.96-102
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Korean Medicine on postural instability and gait difficulty(PIGD) in patient with parkinsonism. Methods: We reviewed the charts of patients with parkinsonism who were admitted to the department of Korean internal medicine, stroke and neurological disorders center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong from October 2009 to May 2017. We analyzed the data of UPDRS (Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale) and calculated PIGD related UPDRS before and after the admission. Results: The average of PIGD score for the 23 patients of Parkinsonism significantly decreased from $8.35{\pm}5.13$ to $4.52{\pm}3.68$ after treatment. The average of PIGD score for the 16 patients of idiopathic parkinson's disease and 7 patients of atypical Parkinsonism decreased from $9.13{\pm}4.46$ to $4.63{\pm}4.15$ and from $6.57{\pm}6.45$ to $4.29{\pm}2.56$ after treatment, respectively. Conclusions: These results provide that Korean Medicine has an effect on the motor function of patients who suffer from Parkinsonism with Postural Instability and Gait Difficulty. Furthermore it could be effective for improving activities of daily life.

• Journal of Korean Medical Ki-Gong Academy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-26
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• 2018

The objective of this study is to verify the effects of Moosim-Gi-Gong Doinbeop on low back pain targeting low back pain patients hospitalized in Korean medicine hospitals. For the study, 44 adult female and male patients hospitalized with low back pain at M Korean Medicine Hospital and H Korean Medicine Hospital located in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province were recruited. The subjects had a temperature difference between left and right 湧泉(KI1) of over 0.5℃ through infrared thermographic imaging, and 23 of them were classified in the control group for retrospective analysis based on the test records. Infrared thermographic imaging, X-ray pelvic AP view - standing position, a sit-and-reach test and a VAS survey were employed for detection, and IBM SPSS Statistics 24 for the statistical process. The results were rounded down to three decimal places as in an average±standard deviation, and the significance level was 0.05 to be evaluated significant if p<0.05. The result of the study is as follows: 1. In the comparison between before and after conducting Moosim-Gi-Gong Doinbeop, the meaningful difference was shown in the experimental group in all indicators. But Indicators except for the temperature difference between right and left 湧泉(KI1)(difference between before and after) and In displaced pelvic correction indicators on the X-ray showed a significant difference in the control group. 2. As for the variation widths of the experimental group and the control group, the former showed significant temperature differences between 印堂(EX-HN3) and 關元(CV4) and right and left 湧泉(KI1); difference variations of anteflexion; and changes in PI and In displacement on the X-ray. 3. As for changes in the experimental group according to demographic characteristics, gender, age and degree of obesity did not show significant differences in all indicators. However, those who experienced back pain for more than six months in the experimental group showed the biggest body temperature differences between 印堂(EX-HN3) and 關元(CV4), while other indicators had no significant difference. As a result, patients who received Korean medicine treatment showed relieved back pain and improvement in pelvic correction and sports activity; however, those who got Moosim-Gi-Gong Doinbeop together showed more clearer improvement effects in pelvic correction and sports activity.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.20-30
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to verify the effects of H Gambitang (GB-001) on body composition and basal metabolic rate in pre- and post-menopausal obese woman retrospectively. Methods: The study was conducted on 57 middle-aged obese women. They were divided into two groups; pre-menopausal obesity group (Pr-MOG; n=34) and post-menopausal obesity group (Po-MOG; amenorrhea was continued to 14~48 month, n=23) with no significant difference of age, height, body weight and body mass index. All subjects took herbal medicine 3 times a day, for 6 weeks during treatment period. The weight, height, body fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and basal metabolic rate of all subjects were measured on first visit. The following measurements were repeated after 2 weeks (2nd), 4 weeks (3rd) and 6 weeks (4th) with Inbody 370 (Biospace) equipment to identify changes of body fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and basal metabolic rate. Results are represented as mean and standard deviation. Results: Po-MOG showed significantly lower decrease rate in weight reduction on 2~6 weeks while significantly higher decrease rate in skeletal muscle reduction on 4~6 weeks. There were no significant differences between two groups in body fat reduction rate and basal metabolic increasing rate. Conclusions: H Gambitang (GB-001) can be used not only in Pr-MOG but in Po-MOG in weight loss although the effect can be lower in Po-MOG. To prevent skeletal muscle mass loss in Po-MOG, following study on adjusting dose and components of H Gambitang (GB-001) thought to be necessary.

• Journal of Neurocritical Care
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.110-118
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• 2018

Background: The role of clinical pharmacists in medication therapy to improve clinical and economic outcomes has been reported in the literature. This study was conducted to analyze the changes in details of medication interventions before and after the introduction of clinical pharmacists into the care of neurocritical care unit (NCU) patients, and to evaluate the economic effects of clinical pharmacists by calculating the avoidance cost. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted reviewing the electronic medical records from June 2013 to May 2014 (before), and from June 2016 to May 2017 (after). We calculated the number and rates of intervention, the acceptance rates of it, and also reviewed the list of interventions. We calculated avoidance cost if there was no intervention. Results: The monthly mean number of interventions increased from 8.0 (${\pm}5.7$) to 31.7 (${\pm}12.8$) (P<0.001) and the frequency of intervention also increased from 0.8% to 1.6% (P=0.003). The most frequently provided pharmacist intervention was nutritional support before introduction of clinical pharmacists and discussions on the medication plan after. The number of classified interventions was 14 before introduction of clinical pharmacist services and 33 after. The calculated cost avoidance associated with a clinical pharmacists' integration was 77,990,615 won per year. Conclusion: Introduction of clinicals pharmacist into the NCU was associated with increased intervention rates and expanded types of clinical interventions. The cost avoidance achieved by the pharmacists' interventions can be further explored to evaluate if similar expansions of pharmacists' services achieve similar results in other settings.