• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.612-628
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• 2019

Objective: The aim of this review was to investigate clinical studies on Korean medical treatments for dysmenorrhea. Method: Using the keywords "dysmenorrhea," "Korean medical treatment," "acupuncture," and "herbal medicine," searches were conducted using domestic databases, including the National Discovery for Science Leaders (NDSL), the Research Information Sharing Service(RISS), and the Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS). The keywords were combined in various ways, instead of being searched individually. Papers that did not cover clinical studies or were not matched with the subject, absent of the abstract and text, were excluded. Results: Using the above searching method, 20 studies were found. Of these, 15 were in the form of case reports and five were in the form of randomized controlled trials. Acupuncture, herb medicine, pharmacopuncture, moxibustion, and cupping were used as treatments for dysmenorrhea. All of these studies reported that the Korean medical treatment was effective. Conclusion: According to the results, Korean medical treatments can provide an effective treatment for dysmenorrhea. However, more clinical studies on dysmenorrhea should be conducted for further clinical applications.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.46-61
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this review is to overview the studies of traditional herbal medicine for chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. Methods: We searched relevant studies using seven databases (The Journal of Korean obstetrics & gynecology, National Digital Science Library (NDSL), Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), Pubmed, Cochrane, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)). Data retrieval was carried out on April 5, 2021 and the papers published from January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2021 were included. The risk of bias was assessed by using Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Results: 524 studies were searched in domestic and foreign databases, and 7 studies were finally selected. In all studies, the treatment group was treated with oral traditional herbal medicine and the control group was treated with western medicine. Although the evaluation index was slightly different for each study, all studies used total efficacy rate index. In all 7 studies, the treatment group was more effective than the control group. Conclusions: Traditional herbal medicine can be an effective option in treating chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. Further high quality studies which include large number should be carried out to confirm the evidence and safety of traditional herbal medicine treatment.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.340-350
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• 2021

Objectives: Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a common adverse effect of chemotherapy in cancer patients. This review synthesizes research results to assess the effect of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) on HFS in cancer patients. Methods: Four databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Research Information Sharing Service, China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effects of TKM on HFS. The effects and quality of RCTs were assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) tool. Results: Six RCTs met our study criteria. In all six, TKM showed improvement in HFS symptoms as well as quality of life scores when compared to the control group. However, the methodological quality of RCTs was relatively low due to the unclear or high ROB. Conclusions: TKM would be helpful to patients with HFS after chemotherapy. To clarify the clinical efficacy of TKM, well-designed studies are required in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.327-336
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• 2021

It is important to prevent progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. This study was conducted to investigate cognitive-based intervention and its effectiveness for the older patients with MCI through systematic review. Data search was conducted in September 2020, using the Korea Research Information Service (Riss) and KoreaMed. After selection of literatures according to the predefined inclusion criteria, a total of 12 articles were included. It is revealed that the cognitive-based intervention for the older adults with MCI was found to have a positive effect on the various factors including cognitive function, depression, physical health status, quality of life, and communication. However, it is difficult to draw a definite conclusion due to the various intervention strategies and instruments used. Thus, based on the results of this study, we suggest more studies to verify the effectiveness of such programs.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.77-84
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• 2022

Objectives This study is designed to identify the effectiveness of herbal medicine for osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis. Methods We will investigate 10 databases, 4 Korean databases (KoreaMed, KMBASE, Koreanstudies Information Service System [KISS], ScienceOn) and 6 of abroad (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], WanFang, Citation Information by NII [CiNii]) without publication date, language limitation for clinical study of herbal medicine for osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis. Type, dose, duration, frequency of herb medicine will be analyzed. Results Randomized controlled trials about herbal medicine or herb extract for osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis should be included in the study. Cochrane's risk of bias tools will be used to assess quality of the study. Mean differences or standardized mean differences of 95% confidence intervals will calculated and data synthesis will be conducted using Review Manager (RevMan, ver.5.3; The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark). Conclusions It is expected to provide basic data for the active use of herb medicine by systematically synthesizing and analyzing the actual situation, effectiveness, and safety of herb medicine for osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.29-36
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• 2022

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility for the treatment of hypertension of herbal medicines belong to Umbelliferae family. Methods : Domestic and international articles about Herbology were investigated. A review was performed via the database (DB) search engines such as Pubmed, Korean studies Information Service System (KISS), KoreaScience, and Google Scholar. Hypertension-related terms including "vasorelaxation", "vasorelaxant", "vasodilation", "vasodilatory", "vasodilative", "hypotension", and "hypotensive" were performed as search terms. Results : A list was made about herbal medicines and origin plants belonging to the Umbelliferae family in Korean Pharmacopoeia 12 and Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia. 14 herbal medicine and 22 origin plants were searched. Ostericum koreanum root and rhizome, Notopterygium incisum root and rhizome, N. forbesii root and rhizome, Ligusticum tenuissimum root and rhizome, L. jeholense root and rhizome, Angelica gigas root, A. dahurica root, A. dahurica var. formosana root, Bupleurum falcatum root, Peucedanum japonicum root, P. praeruptorum root, A. decursiva root, Cnidium officinale rhizome, L. chuanxiong rhizome, Foeniculum vulgare fruit, and Ferula assa-foetida resin and stem showed significant vasorelaxant or hypotensive effects. Conclusion : These review results showed that Osterici seu Notopterygii Radix et Rhizoma, Ligustici Tenuissimi Rhizoma et Radix, Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Angelicae Dahuricae Radix, Bupleuri Radix, Peucedani Japonici Radix, Peucedani Radix, Cnidii Rhizoma, Foeniculi Fructus, and Ferulae Resina had vasorelaxant or hypotensive effects. The results are expected as basic data in clinical trials and experimental researches for the treatment of hypertension of herbal medicines.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.238-244
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• 2023

Background: Occipital neuralgia (ON) is an established risk factor for headaches in the posterior cervical region. Several conservative treatments by nerve decompression and pain relief are available for ON, but these treatments have limitations. Acupuncture treatment, which is known to demonstrate analgesic effects, involves various stimulation methods, and several studies have reported their clinical benefit. No recent systematic review (SR) has compared each acupuncture type for ON treatment. Thus, this SR aims to investigate the clinical effectiveness of each acupuncture type for treating ON. Methods: We will identify relevant studies using electronic databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Korean Studies Information Service System (KISS), Korean Medical Database, KoreaMed, and National Digital Science Library (NDSL) from the inception until August 2023. The primary outcome will include the numerical change of pain symptoms (visual analog scale and numerical rating scale) and effective rate. Safety and secondary outcomes will include adverse events and quality of life. We will compare the conservative treatment with the acupuncture treatment using network meta-analysis. The Cochrane Collaboration "risk of bias" tools will be used to assess the quality of included trials. The Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation will be used to examine the evidence level. Conclusion: This study will provide clinical evidence of several acupuncture types for ON and help clinicians decide on the best.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.196-210
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review the research trends of infertile women with uterine myoma in Korean medicine and to recognize the efficacy of Korean medicine intervention. Methods: A search was conducted on November 18, 2022, using six databases, including Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), Cochrane Library Central, Pubmed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and WangFang Med Online. We analyzed the studies using Korean medicine on women with uterine myoma preparing for pregnancy or complaining infertility. Results: Total 4 studies were selected and all of which were case reports. Among 6 cases, Korean medicine treatment including herbal medicine, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, moxibustion was used alone. Ikgibohyeol-tang-gami-bang, Gyejibokryeong-hwan, Saenghwa-tang-gami-bang were prescribed in 2 cases each. Angelicae Gigantis Radix and CV4 were most frequently used herb and acupoint. All subjects were successful in becoming pregnant. Conclusion: This review shows that Korean medicine treatment can be effective in infertile women with uterine myoma. However, the number of included studies is small, so the level of evidence needs to be raised through more clinical studies in the future.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2023

In many industrial sectors, workers are exposed to manufactured or unintentionally emitted airborne nanoparticles (NPs). To develop prevention and enhance knowledge surrounding exposure, it has become crucial to achieve a consensus on how to assess exposure to airborne NPs by inhalation in the workplace. Here, we review the literature presenting recommendations on assessing occupational exposure to NPs. The 23 distinct strategies retained were analyzed in terms of the following points: target NPs, objectives, steps, "measurement strategy" (instruments, physicochemical analysis, and data processing), "contextual information" presented, and "work activity" analysis. The robustness (consistency of information) and practical aspects (detailed methodology) of each strategy were estimated. The objectives and methodological steps varied, as did the measurement techniques. Strategies were essentially based on NPs measurement, but improvements could be made to better account for "contextual information" and "work activity". Based on this review, recommendations for an operational strategy were formulated, integrating the work activity with the measurement to provide a more complete assessment of situations leading to airborne NP exposure. These recommendations can be used with the objective of producing homogeneous exposure data for epidemiological purposes and to help improve prevention strategies.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.67-78
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• 2023

Objectives To evaluate the evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods We searched eight electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese Academic Journals, Research Information Sharing Service, ScienceOn, KMBASE, DBpia) and related two journals up to March 2023. We included randomized controlled trials of testing electroacupuncture for lumbar spinal stenosis patients. The methodological quality of relevant randomized controlled trials assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results Among 90 articles that were searched, seven randomized controlled trials involving 474 participants were finally selected in this systematic review. Electroacupuncture was more effective on lumbar spinal stenosis compared with other treatments including analgesics, acupuncture, bed rest and exercise therapy, but showed ambiguous effect compared with physical therapy. Most of the side effects and adverse reactions were reported as minor and temporary. Conclusions Electroacupuncture for lumbar spinal stenosis was more effective than analgesics, acupuncture, bed rest and exercise therapy. In terms of safety, it was limited because there are many papers that do not mention side effects and adverse reactions related to electroacupuncture. Additional studies are needed to determine the effect of electroacupuncture on lumbar spinal stenosis.