• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.146-160
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• 2021

Introduction This study is the first to report a significant improvement of Soyangin patients with persistent night sweats through herbal medicine treatment. Methods We reviewed the total of 6 Soyangin patients with moderate to severe persistent night sweats who visited the outpatient clinic. The patients received herbal medicine treatment alone for 4 to 9 weeks. We evaluated the treatment outcome using Night Sweats Degree criteria, developed by Lea and Aber(1985), every other 2 to 4 weeks. In addition, we recorded the treatment period from the first visit to symptom alleviation. Results Persistent night sweats improved significantly in all 6 Soyangin patients, and 4 out of 6 patients had better sleep quality after the treatment. It took 1 to 3 weeks until the symptom alleviated from moderate or severe to mild, and 3 to 7 weeks until the patients have no sign of night sweating. The progression of persistent night sweats and treatment period until no sign of symptom varied according to the Soyangin External and Internal disease diagnosis. Discussion The Soyangin patients having persistent night sweats treated with herbal medicines showed a significant improvement in their symptoms. This result proposes the possibility of using herbal medicine in primary care patients experiencing persistent night sweats.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.205-218
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• 2021

Background: Korean medicine treatment was assessed in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) according to subgroups of: sex, age, cause of knee OA, body mass index, hospitalization period, history, OA compartment, phenotype, and comorbidity. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of 122 inpatients who were admitted to the Hospital of Korean Medicine for Korean medicine treatment of knee pain, and were diagnosed with knee OA based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. Analysis of patient subgroups (sex, age, cause of knee OA, body mass index, hospitalization period, history, OA compartment, phenotype, and comorbidity) was carried out and treatments including acupuncture, cupping, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, chuna therapy, medicinal steaming therapy, manual therapy, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy were listed. The numeric rating scale (NRS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and 5-level EuroQol- 5 Dimension (EQ-5D-5L) scores were measured before and after treatment to assess the effects of treatment on pain and quality of life. Results: Seventeen males and 105 females were included in this study. Most patients were in their 60s. In the total study population, NRS, WOMAC, and EQ-5D-5L scores were improved statistically significant when comparing before and after treatment. The NRS and WOMAC scores improved statistically significant in the medial, patellofemoral, medial + patellofemoral, medial + lateral + patellofemoral compartment. Conclusion: Korean medicine treatment significantly reduced pain, stiffness, and physical dysfunction, and improved the quality of life of patients with knee OA, suggesting that it may be an effective alternative to the current conservative treatments.

• Healthcare Informatics Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.346-358
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• 2018

Objectives: The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and mortality or serious cardiovascular events over a long period of time is not clearly understood. The aim of this observational study was to estimate the clinical effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on an outcome variable combining mortality, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and cerebrovascular insult (CVI) during a follow-up period of 15.5 years ($186{\pm}58$ months). Methods: The data set consisted of 978 patients with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ${\geq}5.0$. One-third had used CPAP treatment. For the first time, a data-driven causal Bayesian network (DDBN) and a hypothesis-driven causal Bayesian network (HDBN) were used to investigate the effectiveness of CPAP. Results: In the DDBN, coronary heart disease (CHD), congestive heart failure (CHF), and diuretic use were directly associated with the outcome variable. Sleep apnea parameters and CPAP treatment had no direct association with the outcome variable. In the HDBN, CPAP treatment showed an average improvement of 5.3 percentage points in the outcome. The greatest improvement was seen in patients aged ${\leq}55$ years. The effect of CPAP treatment was weaker in older patients (>55 years) and in patients with CHD. In CHF patients, CPAP treatment was associated with an increased risk of mortality, AMI, or CVI. Conclusions: The effectiveness of CPAP is modest in younger patients. Long-term effectiveness is limited in older patients and in patients with heart disease (CHD or CHF).

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.51-59
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• 2020

Although the life-sustaining treatment decision law is in effect, health care worker have many difficulties in determining life-sustaining treatment. Therefore, the relationship between the awareness of well-dying(WD), the attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment(AWLST), and the attitude toward euthanasia(AE) for nursing students who will take care of dying patients in the future will be analyzed and used as basic data for bioethics classes. The study period was from April 1 to May 6, 2018, and a survey was conducted on 288 nursing students in D City. As a result of the study, WD was found to have positive (+) correlations with AWLST and AE, while AWLST was positive (+) with active and passive euthanasia. As nurses are expected to experience many ethical conflicts in the life-sustaining treatment process, it is necessary to receive education related to well-dying awareness, bioethics education, and life-sustaining treatment during the nursing student period.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.227-236
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• 2022

Background: The use of low-dose inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol as reliever monotherapy has recently been recommended in the asthma treatment guidelines. However, the efficacy of this treatment strategy has not yet been determined during the stepping-down period in moderate asthma. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of reducing treatment to as-needed budesonide-formoterol (BFM) in moderate asthma with complete remission. Methods: We randomly assigned 31 patients (8 males and 23 females with a mean age of 57.2 years) with complete remission of asthma by inhaled BFM (160/4.5 ㎍) twice daily to receive BFM (160/4.5 ㎍) as needed (16 patients), or budesonide (BUD) (200 ㎍) twice daily (15 patients). The study was an open-label study done for 48 weeks, with the primary outcome as the cumulative percentages of patients with treatment failure (asthma exacerbation or loss of asthma control or lack of satisfaction after using medications) in the two groups. Results: Six patients (42%) using as-needed BFM had treatment failure, as compared with three patients (21.4%) using BUD maintenance (hazards ratio for as-needed BFM, 1.77; 95% confidential interval, 0.44-7.12; p=0.41). The changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second were -211.3 mL with as-needed BFM versus -97.8 mL with BUD maintenance (difference, 113.5 mL; p=0.75) and the change in fractional exhaled nitric oxide was significantly higher in both groups, at 8.68 parts per billion (ppb) in the as-needed BFM group and 2.5 ppb. in the BUD maintenance group (difference, 6.18 ppb; p=0.049). Conclusion: Compared with BUD maintenance, there were no significant differences in treatment failure rate in patients who received as-needed BFM during the stepping down period in moderate asthma. However, they showed reduced lung function and relapsed airway inflammation. The results are limited by imprecision, and further large RCTs are needed.

• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2021

Psychogenic Non Epileptic Seizure (PNES) refers to a case in which symptoms are similar to epileptic seizures (ES), but ES do not appear in EEG and temporary abnormalities caused by physical diseases are also excluded. Psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are most commonly used, but standard treatment for PNES has not been established and there is no alternative treatment available in the case of patients those treatments are not applied. We herein report a case of 46 year old male diagnosed with PNES who suffered from generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The patient underwent korean medical treatment by acupuncture and herbal medicine. The clinical symptom was evaluated by assessing occurrence frequency, number of seizures per 28 days. Compared to the period without korean medical treatment, the number of seizures decreased during the treatment period. The present case report suggested that korean medical treatment could be an effective option for those PNES patients complaining generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.454-470
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• 2023

This study analyzed the microbiological (Lactobacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp., mold, yeast, aerobic bacteria) and physicochemical properties [pH, salinity, water activity, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances]. The starters were used by mixing Debaryomyces hansenii separated from Korean Doenjang (D) and fermented sausage (S). The starter was inoculated with dry-cured ham and aged for 6 weeks at 20℃ and 25℃, respectively. The aerobic bacteria, Lactobacillus spp., and Staphylococcus spp. of D, S, and DS treatment showed significantly higher values at 25℃ than at 20℃. Among them, S25 treatment showed a high tendency. At week 6, the mold of the S25 treatment was significantly higher than the S20 treatment, and the yeast was higher in 25℃ than 20℃ (p<0.05). The pH of all treatment groups increased with the aging period. Compared with that at 25℃, the pH was significantly higher at 20℃ (p<0.05). The water activity showed a significant decrease as the aging period increased, and the treatment of D25, S20, and DS20 showed a significantly higher value at week 6 (p<0.05). Compared with that at 20℃, the VBN content was higher at 25℃. At week 6, the VBN contents of the C20, S25, and DS25 groups were higher than those of the other treatment groups. Therefore, inoculation of D. hansenii separated from fermented sausage produced in Korean starter at 25℃ is expected to improve the safety of harmful microorganisms and physiochemical properties in dry-cured ham.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.225-235
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• 2023

Background: This study aimed to analyze the effects of periodontal treatment and individual- and tooth-related factors on tooth extraction in people with disabilities. Methods: The Korea National Health Insurance claims data of individuals with disabilities aged 40~64 years with chronic periodontitis in 2008 were obtained. Of these, data on the disabled who underwent scaling/root plaining, subgingival curettage/periodontal surgery, or non-periodontal treatments, and data on their teeth were selected. The extraction of 716,688 teeth from 39,097 patients was tracked until 2018, and the patient- and tooth-level factors related to tooth loss were identified using a mixed-effect logistic regression analysis. Results: Data from approximately 17% of the teeth were extracted during a follow-up period of approximately 11 years. Among the tooth-level variables, scaling/root planing treatment at baseline and periodontal treatment during the follow-up period were associated with a lower risk of tooth loss (odds ratio=0.692 and 0.769, respectively, p<0.001). Non-vital teeth increased the risk of tooth loss by 3.159 times (p<0.001). Among the patient-level variables, females were less likely to have lost their teeth than males, and those with orthopedic impairment or brain lesions/mental disabilities, a higher age group, lower income level, or residents in medium/small cities or rural areas were more likely to have lost their teeth (p<0.001). Conclusion: Through approximately 11 years of follow-up, scaling or root planing, experience with periodontal treatment at least once, female sex, older age, lower income, smaller residential areas, type of disability, and pulp vitality were found to be associated with tooth loss in individuals with disabilities aged 40~64 years with chronic periodontitis. To prevent tooth loss in individuals with disabilities, it is necessary to establish a dental treatment plan that considers the timing of periodontal treatment and the characteristics of the patient and teeth.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.231-239
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• 2009

The study distributed the total 210 questionnaires to women of childbearing age in Seoul, Gyeonggi and North Chungcheng from March 26, 2008 to April 16, 2008 and made them draw up them directly. The study applied 208 copies excepting two copies not suitable to data process to data analysis. The purpose of the study was to investigate/analyze awareness of dental treatment, oral health conditions and oral health management during the period of pregnancy and to serve the analyzed data as basic data of oral health education program development to improve expectant mothers' behaviors of oral health management: 1. According to the survey by age with regard to a question 'Should expectant mothers take dental treatment during the period of pregnancy?', women of 18~29 years old (41.9%) and more than 50 years old (52.0%) answered 'They should not take dental treatment'. Women of 30~39 years old (53.6%) and 40~49 years old (54.7%) answered 'They should take dental treatment'. According to pregnant experience, expectant mothers (63.9%) and women with their parity (46.3%) answered 'They should take dental treatment'. 34.8% women without their parity answered 'They should take dental treatment' and 34.8% women with Out their parity answered 'They should not take dental treatment'(p < 0.05). 2. According to the survey by age with regard to a question 'Do you brush your teeth lifter having morning sickness during the period of pregnancy?', women of 18~29 years old (67.3%), 30~39 years old (47.3%) answered 'Brush my teeth' and women of 40~49 years old (51.0%) and more than 50 years old (52.0%) answered 'Don't brush my teeth'(p < 0.001). According to pregnant experience, expectant mothers (72.2%) and women with their parity (43.0%) answered 'Brush my teeth'(p < 0.05). 3. With regard to a question 'Are oral aid hygiene supplies required?', women of 18~29 years old (47.3%) and 30~39 years old (46.4%) answered 'Required' and women of 40~49 years old (41.5%) and more than 50 years old (48.0%) answered 'do not know'(p < 0.05). 4. According to the survey by age with regard to a question 'What are you anxious about during the period of dental treatment?', women of more than 50 years old (56.0%) answered 'Expenses' and women of 18~29 years old (39.2%), 30~39 years old (44.6%) and 40~49 years old (41.5%) answered 'Pain'(p < 0.05). According to pregnant experience, expectant mothers answered 'Pain (38.9%), abort ion (27.8%) and expenses (22.2%)' and women with their parity, answered 'Pain (45.0%), expenses (22.8%) and abortion (14.8%). Women without their parity answered 'Expenses (52.2%) and pain (13.0%)'(p < 0.05).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1080-1087
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• 2004

A trial with twenty-four newly weaned Awassi lambs (initial body weight=21.5$\pm$0.8 kg) was conducted using a 3$\times$2 factorial design to study the effect of feeding three sources of protein supplements (soybean meal (SBM), sunflower seed meal (SSM), and cottonseed meal (CSM)), either untreated or formaldehyde-treated on the growth performance and carcass traits of Awassi lambs. Lambs were randomly assigned to one of the six diets (4 lambs/treatment diet) and were individually fed for a period of 107 days. Experimental diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. Final live weight and average daily gain (ADG) were affected by both source of protein and formaldehyde treatment (undegradable protein). Lambs fed untreated diets had better (p<0.01) daily gain compared to those fed formaldehyde-treated diets. Similarly total feed intake per animal was significantly (p<0.05) affected by protein source and formaldehyde treatment. Formaldehyde treatment caused a significant decrease (p<0.01) in feed intake compared to lambs fed untreated diets. Feed requirement per unit of gain was not affected by formaldehyde treatment during all periods of the experiment except for the second period (the second 28 day period), whereby untreated SBM, SSM and CSM had better feed conversion ratio (FCR) than the treated groups. Source of protein had a moderate effect (p<0.10) on FCR but had a significant effect (p<0.05) on hot and cold carcass weight, digestive tract empty weight and liver weight, with lambs fed SBM having higher values than lambs fed SSM and CSM diets. Supplementation with undegradable protein had a significant effect (p<0.05) on dressing-out percentage (p<0.05), final live weight, and hot and cold carcass weight (p<0.01). The lower values pertain to lambs fed treated diets compared to lambs fed untreated diets. In general, there were no significant differences among all carcass linear dimensions, carcass cut weights and dissected loin tissue weights for both treatments (protein source and formaldehyde treatment). Supplementation with undegradable protein but not the source of protein resulted in significantly higher dissected leg total bone weight (p<0.05), tibia and femur weight (p<0.05), and femur length (p<0.01) at the same carcass weight. Results suggest that the treatment of SBM, SSM and CSM with formaldehyde did not improve efficiency of feed utilization, lamb performance or carcass traits and that the SBM diet resulted in an increase in lamb performance compared to other experimental diets.