• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.362-413
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to examine the recent clinical research trends on the efficiency of traditional herb medicine (THM) on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and to provide clinical evidence of herbal medicine, Banhasasin-tang or Banxiexin decoction by using a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials (RCTs). Methods: In this study, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included that verified effects of traditional herbal medicine (THM), including a Banxia-xiexin-tang decoction, as a treatment for GERD. A study of the literature in Chinese and Korean databases was performed for papers published from January 1, 2010, to January 1, 2020. The selected literature was assessed by Cochrane's risk of bias (RoB). Results: A total of 90 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Except for four RCT studies, all studies identified the effect of a Banxia-xiexin-tang decoction in the treatment of GERD. The effectiveness of treatment was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group, as shown through various evaluation indicators, including the reflux disease diagnostic questionnaire (RDQ). Adverse effects were reported in 22 articles (24.44%). Conclusions: Treatment with Banhasasin-tang, or a Banxia-xiexin-tang decoction, was found to be effective in treating GERD. However, due to the low quality of available studies, the significance of this conclusion is somewhat limited. This study could serve as a foundation for further clinical studies on the development of diagnosis and treatment methods for GERD based on Korean medicine.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.161-165
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• 2021

Objectives: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreads heterogeneously, disproportionately impacting poor and minority communities. The relationship between poverty and race is complex, with a diverse set of structural and systemic factors driving higher rates of poverty among minority populations. The factors that specifically contribute to the disproportionate rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, are not clearly understood. Methods: We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 test results from community-based testing sites in Los Angeles, California, between June and December, 2020. We used tester zip code data to link those results with United States Census report data on average annual household income, rates of healthcare coverage, and employment status by zip code. Results: We analyzed 2 141 127 SARS-CoV-2 test results, of which 245 154 (11.4%) were positive. Multivariable modeling showed a higher likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among Hispanic communities than among other races. We found an increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 positivity among individuals from zip codes with an average annual household income

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.175-179
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• 2019

This study is a descriptive research of paramedic students who could be exposed to blood and body fluids during the clinical practicum to analyze the risk factors. From June 1 to June 30, 2018, 172 paramedic students who attended the University in Jeolla-do region were analyzed. The collected data were analyzed by using the SPSS WIN 21.0 program. The general characteristics of subjects, the exposure level of blood and body fluids, and etc were obtained for frequency and percentage analysis. The study found that 72.7 percent of students had experience to blood or body fluids exposure during the clinical practicum. Except for any needle injury, 70.4 percent of student were exposed to blood or body fluids. 28.8 percent of them which was the highest percentage of injection injury were exposed during the venous blood draw. 36.5 percent of exposure were related to wound dressings which was the highest percentage related to clinical procedures. 71.2 percent of students mentioned that they did not report this exposure because 68.5 percent students thought that it has no danger. According to the survey on hepatitis B, 50.6% of students had antibodies, but 31.8 percent of students did not confirm that the antibodies were formed. Even though paramedic students do practical training in a hazardous environment with repeated exposure to blood and body fluids due to the nature of job characteristics, the systemic infection control education program is insufficient. In order to prevent exposure and to protect paramedic students who do practical training with patients, it is necessary to make more systematic and active efforts in the continuous monitoring and the preventive education.

• Neurospine
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.338-347
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• 2018

Objective: Patients with extradural spine tumors are at an increased risk for intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and postoperative wound dehiscence due to radiotherapy and other comorbidities related to systemic cancer treatment. In this case series, we discuss our experience with the management of intraoperative durotomies and wound closure strategies for this complex surgical patient population. Methods: We reviewed our recent single-center experience with spine surgery for primarily extradural tumors, with attention to intraoperative durotomy occurrence and postoperative wound-related complications. Results: A total of 105 patients underwent tumor resection and spinal reconstruction with instrumented fusion for a multitude of pathologies. Twelve of the 105 patients (11.4%) reviewed had intraoperative durotomies. Of these, 3 underwent reoperation for a delayed complication, including 1 epidural hematoma, 1 retained drain, and 1 wound infection. Of the 93 uncomplicated index operations, there were a total of 9 reoperations: 2 for epidural hematoma, 3 for wound infection, 2 for wound dehiscence, and 2 for recurrent primary disease. One patient was readmitted for a delayed spinal fluid leak. The average length of stay for patients with and without intraoperative durotomy was 7.3 and 5.9 days, respectively, with a nonsignificant trend for an increased length of stay in the durotomy cases (p=0.098). Conclusion: Surgery for extradural tumor resections can be complicated by CSF leaks due to the proximity of the tumor to the dura. When encountered, a variety of strategies may be employed to minimize subsequent morbidity.

• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.63-66
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• 2017

Allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome are reportedly associated with the $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ genotype. Three patients who developed SCARs after allopurinol administration were subjected to HLA-B genotyping and lymphocyte activation test (LAT) to evaluate genetic risk and to detect the causative agent, respectively. All three patients given allopurinol to treat gout were diagnosed with DRESS syndrome. Symptom onset commenced 7-24 days after drug exposure; the patients took allopurinol (100-200 mg/d) for 2-30 days. HLA-B genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequence-based typing (SBT) method. All patients had a single $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ allele: $HLA-B^{\star}13:02/^{\star}58:01$ (a 63-year-old male), $HLA-B^{\star}48:01/^{\star}58:01$ (a 71-year-old female), and $HLA-B^{\star}44:03/^{\star}58:01$ (a 22-year-old male). Only the last patient yielded a positive LAT result, confirming that allopurinol was the causative agent. These findings suggest that patients with $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ may develop SCARs upon allopurinol administration. Therefore, HLA-B genotyping could be helpful in preventing serious problems attributable to allopurinol treatment, although PCR-SBT HLA-B genotyping is time consuming. A simple genotyping test is required in practice. LAT may help to identify a causative agent.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.337-346
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• 2018

Purpose: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a form of arteriosclerosis that occurs in the extremities and involves ischemia. Previous studies have reported that patients with periodontitis are at high risk for PAD. However, the relationship between these 2 diseases has not yet been fully elucidated. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated this relationship by comparing patients with PAD to those with arrhythmia (ARR) as a control group. Methods: A large-scale survey was conducted of patients with cardiovascular disease who visited Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital. We investigated their oral condition and dental clinical measurements, including probing pocket depth, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment level, and number of missing teeth; we also collected salivary and subgingival plaque samples and peripheral blood samples. All patients with PAD were extracted from the whole population (n=25), and a matching number of patients with ARR were extracted (n=25). Simultaneously, ARR patients were matched to PAD patients in terms of age, gender, prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and the smoking rate (n=25 in both groups). Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the bacterial counts, while the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to measure anti-bacterial antibody titers and proinflammatory cytokine levels in serum. Results: PAD patients had more missing teeth ($18.4{\pm}2.0$) and higher serum levels of C-reactive protein ($1.57{\pm}0.85mg/dL$) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($70.3{\pm}5.7pg/mL$) than ARR patients ($12.0{\pm}1.7$, $0.38{\pm}0.21mg/dL$, and $39.3{\pm}4.5pg/mL$, respectively). Meanwhile, no statistically significant differences were found in other dental clinical measurements, bacterial antibody titers, or bacterial counts between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that PAD patients had poorer oral and periodontal state with enhanced systemic inflammation.

• International Journal of Clinical Preventive Dentistry
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.264-270
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• 2018

Objective: This study performed a quantitative analysis using the real-time polymerase chain reaction technique to examine the oral microbial prevalence in adults and intended to examine the correlations between risk factors of periodontal disease and oral bacteria and correlation between oral test scores and oral microorganisms. Methods: We examined papillary marginal attached (PMA) index, modified patient hygiene performance (M-PHP) index, probing depth (PD), modified gingival index, and oral bacteria counts and surveyed 117, 20 years or older adult males and females who visited dental clinics in the Daejeon region to analyze the prevalence and oral health. Results: The prevalence was 100% for Fusobacterium nucleatum, meaning it was observed in all examined subject, 85.5% for Parvimonas micra, 76.1% for Prevotella intermedia, and 72.6% for Tannerella forsythia. The averages of P. gingivalis and T. forsythia increased as the examined subjects were older, and there was a statistically significant difference between T. forsythia and E. nodatum in relation to medical history, between P. intermedia and P. micra in relation to gender, and between P. intermedia and E. corrodens in relation to smoking (p<0.05). For a correlation between the oral test scores and oral microorganisms, P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum was highly correlated with PD (correlation coefficient of 0.51 and 0.41) (p<0.01) while P. gingivalis, P. micra, C. rectus, and E. nodatum were significantly correlated with M-PHP index, gingival index, PD, and PMA index (p<0.01, p<0.05). Conclusion: For oral health management of adults, the age, systemic disease, and smoking are closely related to oral bacteria, and P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, P. micra, C. rectus, E. corrodens, and E. nodatum are considered to be the oral microorganisms that indicate periodontal health.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.293-307
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigates the effects and safety of Bojungikgi-tang for stress urinary incontinence by systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: RCTs were selected from articles published until December 2019 in seven domestic and foreign databases. The quality of the literature was evaluated using Cochrane's risk of bias (RoB) tool, and RevMan 5.3 was used to synthesize the results. Results: A total of 694 patients with stress urinary incontinence participated in eight RCTs. Meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate of treatment that combines pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and Bojungikgi-tang was significantly higher than that of PFMT alone. The volume of urine leakage per hour after the combined treatment was significantly lower than that of PFMT alone. The International Consultation on Insurance Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) scores from combining PFMT and Bojungikgi-tang were significantly lower than those for PFMT alone. Conclusion: This study suggests that Western medical treatment combined with Bojungikgi-tang for urinary incontinence from stress might be more effective in improving symptoms than conventional Western medical treatment alone. However, the number of studies included in the meta-analysis was insufficient, and the quality of the selected literature was generally low. Therefore, high-quality clinical studies on herbal medicine treatment for urinary incontinence would be required in the future.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.114-118
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• 2021

Background: Exposure to particulate matter (PM) emitted from vehicle exhaust might disrupt systemic function and elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease. In this study, we examined the changes of cardiometabolic biomarkers among vehicle inspectors exposed daily to PM0.25 and components. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at two vehicle inspection centers, Pulogadung and Ujung Menteng, located in East Jakarta, Indonesia. The exposed respondents were 43 workers from vehicle inspection centers, and the unexposed group consisted of 22 staff officers working in the same locations. Vehicle exhaust particulate matter was measured for eight hours using a Leland Legacy personal pump attached to a Sioutas Cascade Impactor. The used filters were 25 and 37-mm quartz filters. The particulate matter concentration was analyzed using a gravimetric method, whereas trace elements were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. An EEL Smoke Stain Reflectometer analyzed black carbon. Results: The personal exposure concentrations of PM0.25 were 10.4-fold higher than those in unexposed groups. Calcium and sulfur were the major components in the obtained dust, and their levels were 3.3- and 7.2-fold higher, respectively, in the exposed group. Based on an independent-samples t-test, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, HbA1c, total immunoglobulin E, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and nitric oxide levels were significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: In summary, it was suggested that PM0.25 exposure from vehicle exhaust might affect cardiometabolic biomarkers change.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.323-339
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigates the effect of electro-acupuncture on aphasia after stroke. Methods: A search of OASIS, NDSL, PubMed, Cochrane, and CNKI was executed between 4 January 2021 and 4 February 2021, with no limitation on publication year. Extraction and selection from the studies were made by 3 authors. The quality of the studies was evaluated using Cochrane's risk of bias (RoB) tool. Results: 10 studies met the selection criteria. As the treatment site for electro-acupuncture, GV20 (Baihui) was used the most. In all studies, the region located on the head was used for treatment without distinguishing between acupoints and areas of scalp acupuncture, and the stimulation was organized into 3 conditions: speed, intensity, and time. The outcome indicators used before and after treatment focused on the evaluation of language function and the degree of aphasia. The results showed that using electro-acupuncture with speech rehabilitation therapy for aphasia after stroke was more effective than using speech rehabilitation therapy alone. Conclusions: In this review, electro-acupuncture for aphasia after stroke was found to have a significant effect compared to the previous treatment alone. However, because of limitations, information was not reliable enough. Additional research is needed to produce more objective evidence.