• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.122-152
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was designed to develop a standard tool for pattern identification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients. Methods: Korean and Chinese literature was selected that mentioned pattern identification of GERD. We gathered the pattern identification and their symptoms and a Chinese medical doctor proficient in Korean translated the Chinese characters into Korean. A Korean linguist then confirmed the translation results to develop a draft of the standard tool for pattern identification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (PIGERD). The final PIGERD was developed after assessment by an expert committee composed of professors from the Korean Medicine University, using the following items: inclusion of the pattern identification and its symptoms, importance of items, and validity of translation. Results: Six pattern identifications and 94 symptoms were selected from 45 references and translated into Korean. Four pattern identifications [pattern/syndrome of liver qi invading the stomach (肝胃不和), spleen-stomach weakness (脾胃虛弱), spleen-stomach dampness-heat (脾胃濕熱), and stomach yin deficiency (胃陰不足)] and 49 symptoms were then selected through the Delphi method by the expert committee. The final standard PIGERD tool was completed after the assessment of translation validity and reflection of individual opinions by the expert committee. This tool consists of 40 items including tongue and pulse diagnosis. The weighted value was also computed from assessment of the importance of items. Conclusions: We developed a standard tool for pattern identification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (PIGERD) to clarify the pattern identification of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease for standardized diagnosis.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2021

Background: The understanding of back-pain as one of the commonest clinical presentations, made the path to the present study. More than three-quarters of the world's population experience back-pain at some time in their lives Purpose: The present study has evaluated the selected Naturopathic therapeutic procedures on individuals with low back-pain. Methods: Thirteen patients were selected for the study and randomly divided into two groups, viz., Group A, Naturopathic group and Group B, Control group. One patient discontinued. Naturopathic group was treated with mud pack, aromatherapy massage with Eucalyptus oil, acupressure, steam, wet trunk pack, exercises, relaxation and breathing exercises. Advice for life style and diet was given for patients of both the groups. The effect of the therapy was assessed subjectively and objectively. Particular scores drawn for Naturopathic group and control group were individually analyzed before and after treatment and the values were compared using standard statistical protocols. Results: Naturopathic intervention revealed 100% relief in both subjective and objective parameters (i.e., 6 out of 14 parameters showed statistically highly significant P < 0.01 results, while 8 showed significant results P < 0.05). Conclusion: Statistically highly significant results of this study point out the successful management of the multi factorial low back-pain with a multi focused Naturopathic treatment approach. Such encouraging results may pave the way for a future study on a large sample in a longer duration incorporating clinical investigations.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.281-286
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• 1995

Objects : Manic phase of bipolar disorder is treated with a combination of mood stabilizer and antipsychotic drug, especially in the acute phase. Such combined treatment is often required for the clinical management of manic symptoms until therapeutic effects of mood stabilizer become evident. The present study was the first open trial to evaluate the efficacy of risperidone, and safety of the combination of mood stabilizer and risperidone in the treatment of acute manic patients. Method : This study was performed as an open clinical study. The subjects of this study were 42 patients who had been admitted with first manifestations or acute exacerbations of illness were selected, using DSM-III-R criteria for bipolar disorder, manic episode. Patients were rated using the the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale(ESRS). Other adverse events were assessed by a symptom checklist and by observation by medical personnel. Vital signs were monitored in a standard way and electrocardiography, routine laboratory analysis were performed. Results : Thirty patients(67%) completed the 12-week trial period. The CGI showed a good therapeutic effect with a minimal incidence or severity of side effects. The majority of patients showed a continuos reduction in their BPRS scores. The extrapyramidal symptoms assessed on ESRS generally showed mild to moderate degree. laboratory porameters showed no significant changes during the course of treatment. Conclusion : The results of the study showed a good efficacy of the risperidone in manic patients and further controlled studies are warranted.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.321-329
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that satisfy health services of cancer patients in university hospitals. 420 cancer patients who had visited hospitals in the capital and regional area were selected for this study. The data was collected through questionnaire survey along with a face-to-face interview from March. 21 to March. 30, 2011. This major findings of this research are as follows. First, satisfaction of cancer patients regarding health services is determined by the quality, kindness and detailed explanation of medical team. Second, health services satisfaction of cancer patients is strongly related to good convenience facilities and up-to-date medical equipments. Third, satisfaction of cancer patients regarding health services was statistically proved to have no significant relation to easy accessibility of hospital. Therefore, it is very important for university hospitals to improve quality of medical staff such as ability, kindness and detailed explanation of doctor, offer good convenience facilities and the most advanced equipments. It is expected that the outcomes of this study will contribute to the satisfaction improvement for cancer patients in university hospitals.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7321-7326
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• 2015

As the essence of health in humans, spiritual health is a fundamental concept for discussing chronic diseases such as cancer and a major approach for improving quality of life in patients is through creating meaningfulness and purpose. The present descriptive analytical study was conducted to assess the relationship between spiritual health and quality of life in 210 patients with cancer admitted to the Cancer Institute of Iran, selected through convenience sampling in 2014. Data were collected using Spiritual Health Questionnaire and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ). Patients' performance was assessed through the Karnofsky Performance Status Indicator and their cognitive status through the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Data were analyzed in SPSS-16 using descriptive statistics and stepwise linear regression. The results obtained reported the mean and standard deviation of the patients' spiritual health scoreas $78.4{\pm}16.1$ and the mean and standard deviation of their quality of life score as $58.1{\pm}18.7$. The stepwise linear regression analysis confirmed a positive and significant relationship between spiritual health and quality of life in patients with cancer (${\beta}$=0.688 and r=0.00). The results of the study show that spiritual health should be more emphasized and reinforced as a factor involved in improving quality of life in patients with cancer. Designing care therapies and spiritual interventions is a priority in the treatment of these patients.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2020

Background: Nivolumab and pembrolizumab are antagonists of the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) receptor that function as immuno-oncological agents. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nivolumab and pembrolizumab in elderly patients in outpatient settings. Methods: The safety and efficacy of nivolumab and pembrolizumab were compared retrospectively among patients at the Veterans Health Service (VHS) Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, from September 1, 2017 to August 25, 2018. Results: Eighty-seven patients were selected for the study. The median progression-free survival was 63 days for nivolumab (95% confidence interval (CI), [14 to 282]) vs. 243 days for pembrolizumab (95% CI, [22 to 348]) (p =0.04). The objective response rate (ORR) was 0% in the nivolumab group vs 5.6% in the pembrolizumab group (p =0.310). All the patients exhibited treatment-related adverse effects. More than 89% of the patients exhibited diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Pneumonia, of grades three or higher, was the most common adverse effect, followed by weakness and anorexia. Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference between the nivolumab group and the pembrolizumab group with respect to the ORR. The incidence and severity of the adverse effects in this study were higher than those of previous studies; however, these adverse effects are generally manageable in a real-world clinical setting. Further randomized controlled studies will be necessary to confirm these results in elderly patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.181-186
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• 2017

With advances in the methods of cancer treatment used in modern medicine, the number of breast cancer survivors has been consistently rising. As the number of women who wish to become pregnant after being diagnosed with breast cancer increases, it is necessary to consider fertility preservation in these patients. However, medical doctors may be unaware of the importance of fertility preservation among cancer patients because most patients do not share their concerns about fertility with their doctors. Considering the time spent choosing and undergoing treatment, an early referral to a reproductive specialist is the best way to prevent a delay in cancer treatment. Since it is not easy to make decisions on matters related to cancer diagnosis and fertility, patients should be provided with enough time for decision-making, and to allow for this, an early referral will provide patients with sufficient time to choose an appropriate method of fertility preservation. The currently available options of fertility preservation for patients with breast cancer include cryopreservation of embryos, oocytes, and ovarian tissue and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment before and during chemotherapy. An appropriate method of fertility preservation must be selected through consultations between individual patients and health professionals and analyses of the pros and cons of different options.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.3
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• pp.104-110
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• 2013

Background: Osteopontin (OPN) and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), which are expressed on the surface of tumor cells, are associated with hypoxia during tumor development and progression. However, the roles of these proteins in the plasma of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are poorly understood. Herein, we hypothesized that plasma OPN and CAIX levels could be used as diagnostic and prognostic tumor markers in patients with NSCLC. Methods: Fifty-three patients with NSCLC and 50 healthy control subjects were enrolled. We selected controls without malignancy and matched them with NSCLC patient cases according to age and gender. Blood samples were collected at the time of diagnosis; the plasma levels of OPN and CAIX were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: The plasma levels of OPN in the patients with NSCLC were significantly elevated as compared to those in the controls (p=0.016). However, there was no difference in the plasma level of CAIX between the NSCLC patients and controls. NSCLC patients with a distant metastasis had a remarkable increase in plasma OPN compared with patients without metastasis (p=0.026), but no such correlation was found for CAIX. There was no difference in overall survival rates according to the plasma level of OPN between the two groups (by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis). Conclusion: Plasma OPN levels were elevated in patients with NSCLC as compared with the controls, with greater elevation of OPN levels in the advanced stages of disease. Therefore, plasma OPN may have utility as a diagnostic, but not prognostic, biomarker of advanced NSCLC.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2006

Various heavy metals have been known for causing ischemic stroke. In order to describe the causative relationship between the blood levels of various heavy metals and stroke patients, 116 patients with stroke and 111 patients without stroke were selected from one Oriental medical hospital in Wonju, Korea. Total of 9 kinds of metals such as As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were analyzed in blood from patients with and without stroke. There were no significant differences in the means of metal concentrations between the stroke and nonstroke patients except for the mean of Co concentration. In the case of Co, the means for stroke and non-stroke patients were 0.44 ug/l and 0.40 ug/l showing a significant difference at the level of p-value=0.05. The odds ratios for each metal ranged from 0.96 to 2.86. Most odds ratios were not significant but the odds ratio for Co, $2.86{\pm}1.49$ was significant, indicating that Co increases the risk of stroke by 2.86 times. In order to identify the specific risk level of stroke increased by a multiple interaction of metals, regression coefficients and odds ratio for a pair or multiple pair of metals were reanalyzed. However, all of regression coefficients and odds ratios were not significant. In conclusion, Co showed the significant level in blood from patients with stroke. In addition, the odds ratio of stroke was significantly different from other metals. Thus, it is considered that Co among various metals analyzed in this study is the important metal for increasing the risk of stroke.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2006

Purpose : It has been generally accepted that lobectomy is a standard surgical procedure in treatment of benign thyroid nodules. However lobectomy may cause postoperative hypothyroidism. Most of surgeons believe that nodulectomy has its limitation in treatment of thyroid nodules due to recurrence of nodules and presence of cancer. The current study attempts to determine whether nodulectomy is justified in aspects of preservation of thyroid function, risk of recurrence and complications. Methods: Data was collected retrospectively on 74 patients undergoing thyroidectomy(single nodulectomy, n=43;bilateral nodulectomies, n=9;lobectomy with nodulectomy, n=22) for benign thyroid nodules from 1999 to 2004. All patients were evaluated for complication, postoperative thyroid function, and recurrence of benign nodule and cancer were followed by regular ultrasonographic examination for 2-6 years. Results : The pathologic results of 74 patients were nodular hyperplasia(55 patients), Hashimoto's thyroiditis(8 patients), follicular adenoma(7 patients) and papillary carcinoma(4 patients). Average operation time was 30 minutes from skin incision to specimen out. In postoperative follow-up of 70 patients, six cases(8.5%) became mild hypothyroid, and ultrasonographically detected micronodule was also six cases(8.5%). There were no other complications. Conclusion : Thyroid nodulectomy appears to have advantages of relatively few complication and simple procedure with no access to laryngeal nerves. Therefore, it may be one of treatment options in selected cases of benign thyroid nodules.