• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1146-1153
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• 2018

Many studies have investigated the prevalence of neck pain (NP) and its risk factors in the general population. However, the prevalence of NP among athletes has not yet been systematically investigated. We aimed to systematically review the prevalence of NP in athletes. A comprehensive search was conducted in September 2015 using PubMed, Ovid SP Medline, ISI, and Google Scholar. We included studies in English that reported the prevalence of NP in an athletic population during a defined period of time. We assessed the risk of bias in studies due to various definitions of NP, response rates, and reliability of the study instruments. Two reviewers independently assessed the studies' quality and performed data extraction. Of 1,675 titles identified, eight articles were assessed for risk of bias, and six with low or moderate risk were included. NP was shown to be prevalent in athletes, with a 1-week prevalence ranging from 8% to 45%, a 1-year prevalence ranging from 38% to 73%, and a lifetime prevalence of about 48%. The prevalence of NP in athletes is high. More studies regarding the prevalence and risk factors of NP may be useful for planning educational programs and developing appropriate rehabilitation protocols and preventive guidelines. Researchers are encouraged to perform epidemiologic studies in athletes with a low risk of bias.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.39-45
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• 2021

Objectives The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of fascia chuna therapy in the treatment of piriformis syndrome. Methods A literature search was conducted using 8 databases to identify all randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) that investigated fascia chuna therapy as a treatment for piriformis syndrome. The selected studies are analyzed the risk of bias through Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results Among 37 articles that were searched, 3 RCTs met our inclusion criteria and were included in this analysis. These studies demonstrated positive results of Fascia Chuna Therapy with respect to the reduction of pain scale and functional scale compared with other treatment methods. Conclusions Based on results, fascia chuna therapy could be effective in piriformis syndrome. However there are limitations that the number of selected studies was small and risk of bias was unclear. More well-designed RCTs are required to provide clearer evidence.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.424-427
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• 2022

A retrospective record-linkage study (RLS) based on medical records containing drug prescription histories involves immortal time bias (ITB). Thus, it is necessary to control for this bias in the research planning and analysis stages. Furthermore, a summary of a meta-analysis including RLSs that did not control for ITB showed that specific drugs had a preventive effect on the occurrence of the disease. Previous meta-analytic results of three systematic reviews evaluating the association between statin intake and gastric cancer risk showed that the summary hazard ratio (sHR) of the RLSs was lower than 1 and was statistically significant. We should consider the possibility of ITB in the sHR of RLSs and interpret the results carefully.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.59-71
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• 2019

Acupuncture treatment for oculomotor nerve palsy has been increasing recently. This study analyzed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case reports, using the Cochrane risk of bias tool to investigate the efficacy of acupuncture therapy for oculomotor nerve palsy. This analysis was performed on March 7, 2019, using online databases (PubMed, Cochrane, NDSL, OASIS, CNKI) where 208 articles were retrieved. Of these, there were 18 case reports and 18 RCTs that matched the inclusion criteria, of which 32 studies used acupuncture as the primary intervention, 1 used pharmacopuncture, 1 used fire-needling, and 1 used electroacupuncture. The most commonly used acupoints were BL1, BL2, ST2, TE23, Ex-HN5, LI4, GB14, ST36, GB20 and GB1. Significant findings were reported in all RCTs. Six adverse events were reported in 3 RCTs, with no effect on the outcome. No side effects were reported in the case reports. The risk-of-bias analysis showed that the articles did not report the experimental protocol used and it was not clear whether the study was blinded. Hence, it was difficult to assess the risk of bias. Analysis of 36 studies showed that acupuncture therapy for oculomotor nerve palsy was effective in many cases. It was difficult to evaluate the potential bias.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.530-539
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• 2013

This study reviews the latest articles about oriental and traditional medicine treatment of male sexual dysfunction. We searched the article from 2000 to 2012 using 5 data bases. There were no restrictions on the type of publication, but articles not available in full text were excluded. The methological quality of RCT study was assessed according to Jadad scores and Cochrane's assessment of risk of bias. 18 articles were included in this study. 5 articles published in Korea, the rest were foreign articles. 9 articles were randomized controlled trial(RCT), Case-control studies were 3, case reports were 3, One group pre-post test were 3. In RCT studies, Jadad scores were generally low, and risk of selection bias and performance bias were generally high, risk of detection bias was unclear. Oriental and traditional medicine treatment is as effective as western medicine treatment for male sexual dysfunction, more rigorous oriental medicine treatment studies should be warranted.

• 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 Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.1-19
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• 2017

Objectives : This study aimed to validate the effect of herbal medicine intervention to relieve the symptoms of psoriasis using systematic review and meta-analysis and provide the newest reason of effectiveness of Korean medicine to psoriasis. Methods : Data were collected through electronic database including Pubmed, Cochrane CENTRAL, NDSL OASIS, Koreantk. Two experts assessed risk of bias of randomized controlled trials by Cochrane group's Risk of Bias tool after searching, reviewing and selecting papers. Data were analyzed using Review Manager(RevMan) 5.3 and Comprehensive Meta Analysis 2.0. Results : Total number of selected trials was 16 randomized controlled trials. This study evaluated the risk of bias and effectiveness of herbal medicine to psoriasis. There were high frequency uncertain in selection bias, performance bias and detection bias. In this meta-analysis, Korean medicine treatment was more effective than western medicine (ES:0.507, 95%CI:0.147-0.867) and placebo (ES:0.955, 95%CI:0.598-1.312). Conclusions : Herbal medicine intervention can be an effective for treatment in psoriasis. But enhancing levels of evidence, we must try to accumulate clinical researches of herbal medicine to psoriasis in Korea.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.205-221
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• 2018

This systematic review aimed to analyze the efficacy of corticosteroid premedication compared to placebo or no treatment to reduce postoperative pain in endodontic patients. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing corticosteroids via oral, intramuscular, subperiosteal, intraligamentary or intracanal route compared to passive or active placebo, or no treatment were included. Four databases were searched: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Embase up to 2/21/2018. Risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane Risk of bias tool. Fourteen RCTs with 1,462 generally healthy adults in need of endodontic treatment were included. 50% of the studies were at unclear risk and 50% at high risk of bias. Meta-analysis showed Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain at 4-6 hours after Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block (IANB) was significantly lower by 21 points (0-100 scale) in the corticosteroid group compared to the control group (95% CI -35 to -7; P = 0.003), however this difference was not statistically significant after 24 hours (P = 0.116). The route of administration was oral and intraligament injection. Patients who received corticosteroids prior to IANB were 70.7% more likely to have none or mild pain 4-8 hours after treatment (P = 0.001) and 13.5% more likely 24 hours after IANB (P = 0.013) than patients in the control group. In conclusion, corticosteroid administration (oral or intraligamental) may clinically reduce the level of postoperative pain at 4-8 hours after IANB, however the quality of the evidence was low/moderate due to risk of bias and heterogeneity. Further studies are recommended.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.185-196
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• 2021

Objective: Falling is one of main accident to facilitate the physical injuries in order adults. The purpose of the systematic review was to determine the effects of postural balance training whether the recovery of falls in elderly with normal physical function or not throughout summing the selected studies quantitatively. Design: A systematic review Methods: MEDLINE and other four databases were searched up to April 20, 2021 and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating postural balance approaches on fall risks in elderly. The researched studies excluded the double studies, titles and abstract, and finally full-reported study. The selected RCTs studies were extracted characteristics of the studies and summary of results based on PICOS-SD (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and setting- study design) model to synthesize the papers qualitatively. Results: The review involved 22 RCT reports with 4,847 community older adults aged 65 years or over. Nineteen of the selected RCT studies reported dual or multimodal exercises show the beneficial effect for older adults compared to one-type treatment or no intervention. All of selected showed low risk in the selection, attrition, and reporting bias. However, detection bias showed low risk at 75% records of the involved RCTs and performance bias was low risk at only three records. Conclusions: The results of the systematic review propose that a standardized therapeutic approach and the intensity are needed for improving risk of falls in older adults.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.97-112
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• 2024

In order to verify the factors affecting the acceptance of Serious Games for Healthcare (SGHs), this study developed a hierarchical model of general and specific benefit and risk factors affecting the intention to use SGHs based on the valence framework. As a result based on 199 samples, it was revealed that perceived customization and perceived schedule flexibility had a positive effect on the perceived benefits, which, in turn, had a positive effect on the intention to use SGHs. However, among the specific risk factors, only privacy risk had a positive effect on perceived risk, but it did not have a effect on SGHs usage intention. The results related to the fact that the survey respondents were potential users of SGHs and the bias that may overestimate the benefits provided by SGHs called optimistic bias. Based on these findings, some implications were presented such as the spread and distribution of SGHs to the ordinary persons, improvement of negative perceptions of games, and the need for data-based services to refine customized services for SGHs.