• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.23-33
• /
• 2016

Objectives : This study aimed to determine the evidence of effectiveness and safety of Chuna manual therapy for adult constipation patients. Methods : We searched 10 electronic databases(Ovid-MEDLINE, Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CAJ, Oasis, KISS, NDSL, KMBASE, KISTI) and related 2 journals up to October 2016. We included randomized controlled trials(RCTs) of testing Chuna manual therapy for adults constipation patients. The methodological quality of RCTs related assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results : Nine RCTs were eligible in our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis of 6 studies showed positive results for the use of Chuna manual therapy for constipation. Conclusions : There is favorable evidence of Chuna manual therapy for treating adult constipation with meta-analysis. However, our systematic review has limited evidence to support Chuna manual therapy for constipation because of low quality of original articles and further well-designed RCTs should be encouraged.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.55-68
• /
• 2018

Objectives: The objective of this study was to review the trends of Korean medicine-based treatment for thoracic outlet syndrome(TOS). Methods: Korean and foreign on-line databases(Pubmed, Cochran Library, CNKI, NDSL KISS and OASIS) were researched for articles discussing Korean medicine-based treatment for TOS. Repeated articles, review articles, commentaries, and those not relevant to the topic of study were excluded. Results: The total number of studies selected was 26, which included 18 case reports and 8 randomized controlled trials(RCT). In these studies, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, and warm acupuncture were used as interventions for TOS.Chuna therapy was found to be the most commonly used combination treatment. Despite the high prevalence of TOS, only 3 case reports of the 26 studies selected in this review were published in Korean academic journals. Conclusions: In this study, we analyzed the trends of traditional Korean medicine-based treatment for TOS. The results showed that Korean medicine-based treatment could be an effective method for treating TOS.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.23-33
• /
• 2018

Objectives: To determine the evidence supporting the effectiveness and safety of Daoyin exercise therapy for treating low back pain. Methods: We searched 11 electronic databases(Pubmed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CAJ, KISTI, KISS, NDSL, KMBASE, RISS, and DBpia) and two related journals,till April 2018 for randomized controlled trials(RCTs) related to testDaoyin exercise therapy for low back pain. Results: The inclusion criteria were fulfilled by eight RCTs. The meta-analysis of the eight studies showed positive results when Daoyin exercise therapy was used for treating low back pain. Conclusions: Based on the meta-analysis, we found indications for the favorable impact of Daoyin exercise therapy on the treatment of low back pain. However, our systematic review has limited evidence to support this theory because of the low quality of original articles. Hence, additional well-designed RCTs should be encouraged.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.163-170
• /
• 2005

Background : Over the last thirty years, majority of researches on clinical effectiveness of acupuncture have been explanatory (or experimental) randomized controlled trial. The benefits of acupuncture in clinical trials are still controversial and most studies concluded that further control studies were required. Standardized combinations of acupuncture points for all the experimental subjects in various past studies have been criticized because such treatments do not reflect current routine clinical treatment. Objective : This paper aims to review pragmatic clinical trials on the effect of acupuncture treatment and to develop the ideal clinical research methodology of acupuncture study. Method : Clinical studies of acupuncture relevant with pragmatic or individualized trials were searched mainly in Pubmed and Science direct databases. All articles were fully reviewed by researchers, and data were evaluated by usage of a standardized form. Results & Suggestion : Pragmatic acupuncture researches were tried for various symptoms (eg. low back pain, hypertension, depression during pregnancy, sleep quality in HIV disease, chronic poststroke leg spasticity, headache, etc). Individualized acupuncture treatments based on oriental disease pattern diagnosis reflexes practical treatments which is more effective than unified and fixed acupuncture treatments without any theoretical basis of oriental medical philosophy. Conclusion : To overcome the controversies and limitations of past explanatory acupuncture trials, more individualized and tailored acupuncture trials with the theoretical basis of oriental medical diagnosis is highly recommended. Also clear definition and categorization of pattern identification should be established for further active clinical researches and applications of acupuncture.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.97-107
• /
• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to explore the antitumor mechanism and effects of tetrodotoxin through a literature review of experimental and clinical studies. Methods : Medical databases, including The Cochrane Library, Pubmed, NDSL, RISS4u and National Assembly Library, were searched for relevant articles published from January 1, 2000 to October 31, 2014 using the keywords 'tetrodotoxin', 'cancer' and 'tumor'. The results were classified into experimental studies(in vitro and in vivo) and clinical studies. Analysis of the results was conducted on several research areas including the mechanism, antitumor effect and adverse effects of tetrodotoxin(TTX). Results : A total of 34 experimental studies(32 in vitro and 2 in vivo) and 3 clinical studies were found in the search. Most of the experimental studies suggested blocking of voltage-gated sodium channels in metastasis of tumor cells as the main antitumor mechanism of TTX. The most common type of cancers mentioned in the experimental studies were prostate and breast cancer. All of the clinical studies were on the application of TTX on moderate to severe cancer-related pain. No adverse effects of TTX were reported in in vivo studies but mild to moderate adverse events were reported in clinical studies. Conclusions : The results show that tetrodotoxin, which is the main component of Tetraodontidae(commonly known as pufferfish) poison, could be clinically used for antitumor therapy. However, further studies should be conducted on its safety.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.112-125
• /
• 2015

Making a model that is an accurate replica of the oral structure requires precision and efficiency. Nowadays, rapid technological advances bring digitalization in dentistry. One of the most important works in digital dentistry is three-dimensional modeling of the oral cavity and digitizing the 3D data. Among the three components of CAD/CAM, (1) data capture component (digitizers), (2) design component (CAD software), (3) manufacturing component (CAM), the basic component that has a significant impact on the other processes is the data capture component, i.e. intra-oral scanners. This literature review discusses the principles and clinical use of intra-oral scanners in dentistry based on recent publications of the past 5 years using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.122-137
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study is to review the effect of Korean medicinal herbs on treatment of polycystic ovary induced rat models reported in domestic & foreign journals. Methods: 7 electronic databases (Pubmed, CNKI, EMBASE, Oasis, RISS, CENTRAL, Koreankt) were searched with term as polycystic ovary, and study reports on polycystic ovary impairment with Korean medicinal herbs. After selecting several studies, the analysis was focused on items reflected in the Rotterdam criteria for diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome such as hyperandrogenism (HA), ovarian weight, the number of follicle cysts, estrous cycles, and etc. Results: 15 studies were reviewed. As a polycystic ovary induction material, estradiol valerate (EV) was used in 9 studies, testosterone propionate (TP) in 2 studies and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), Poretsky's method and letrozole (LE) was used in rest 4 studies, respectively. Tribulus terrestris (TT), Nardostachys jatamansi (NJ), Lycii cortex (LC), Cinnamomum cassia kees (CCK) and Atractylodis macrocephalae koidz (AMK) produced statistically significant results related to hyperandrogenism. In ovarian weight, Silybum marianum (SM), AMK and Alllium sativum (AS) were statistically significant. In the the number of follicle cysts, SM and TT were statistically significant. In estrous cycles, AMK, NJ, TT and Coix lacryma-jobi (CL) were statistically significant. Conclusions: Based on the diagnosis criteria of Rotterdam, TT, NJ, AMK, SM, AS, and CL produced statistically significant results in rat model.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.79-94
• /
• 2010

Objectives : Many researchers in western societies raised questions on methodological limitations of randomized controlled trial (RCT) for studying Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), and they have tried to find alternatives to RCT. Some of them recently have interest in health service research as one of the alternatives. Discussing the significance of health services research in CAM studies will be helpful to guide the researchers in Korea who are also interested in developing an appropriate research methodology for traditional Korean medicine. Methods : Previous studies on methodological issues of studying CAM and health service researches published in western societies until 2009 were searched mainly from Pubmed. The definition, main research domains, and research methods of health service research and the significance of it for researches on CAM were summarized. Results & Conclusions : Health service researches are important in two aspects. First, health service researches evaluate the actual practice of CAM, including the individualized diagnosis as well as treatment and interaction between practitioners and patients. Second, when evaluating the outcomes, they put an emphasis on subjective evaluation by patients as well as objective evaluation by doctors. Thus, it can reflect the treatment goals of CAM which is improving the overall quality of life and the physical and psychological health. Therefore, health services researches such as descriptive studies, qualitative studies, outcomes studies including economic evaluation, and whole systemic research should be more utilized in order for studying traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.23-39
• /
• 2014

Objective : This review aims at analyzing Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies, using for oral health to know current use of CAM in dental area by analyzing randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs). Method : We searched the following 6 electronic databases until 1 July 2014. : Pubmed, Medline, Embase, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database(AMED), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature(CINAHL), the Cochrane Library. We included parallel RCTs and cross-over RCTs that assessed the efficacy of CAM regardless of blinding and language. Results : A total of 154 RCT articles were included. There were 2-arm parallel study design(69.5%), 3-arm parallel study design(20.8%), 4-arm parallel study design(4.5%) and Cross-over design(5.2%). Complementary and alternative medicine RCTs in oral health tend to increase in the early-2000s and in the mid-2010s. In addition, 154 citations were classified according to diseases and interventions that categorized Natural Products studies(68.2%), Mind and Body Practices studies(31.8%). We classified in detail that vitamin and mineral therapies(29.9%), dietary supplements(24.7%), acupuncture(23.3%), Herbal medicine(13.6%), homeopathy (2.6%), energy therapies(2.6%), Massage(1.9%), biofeedback(0.6%), traditional medicine(0.6%). Conclusion : Increasing publications and diverse interventions regarding CAM for oral health is observed by analyzing RCTs from the literature review. Further studies are needed to be performed as systematic reviews to verify their effectiveness and the research to inquire into side effect.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.77-85
• /
• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to develop a simulator which can analyze the anti-inflammatory effects of medical herbs based on e-cell concerning p38 MAPK signal pathway. Methods : We collected data concerning medical herbs with anti-inflammatory effects and the active compounds to provide as a fundamental databse and to validate the newly developed algorithm. At this time, we used the target database as pubmed and gathered the data by data mining tool, pathway studio. Also we have developed the web-based search system for confirming database related to anti-inflammation. We researched the mechanism of actions of proteins in p38 MAPK signal pathway when active compound has been inserted into the network. We reduced total network into TAK-MKK3-p38 and made the two types of mathematical model about active compounds' interaction. Results & Conclusion : We constructed the database which have 69 cases of medical herbs, 71 cases of active compounds, about 8,000 cases of URL(Uniform Resource Locator) related to papers and reports. We designed the ordinary differential equations for response of TAK, MKK3, p38 in e-cell's cytosol and nucleus. We used this formular as measure whether an active compound of medicinal plants which is inputted by an user would have an anti-inflammation effects. We developed the visualization program which could show the change of concentration over time.