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Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between interocular asymmetries of corneal hysteresis (CH) and visual field defects in Korean patients with glaucoma.Methods: A total of 444 eyes from 222 participants with glaucoma in at least one eye were enrolled. CH was measured using an ocular response analyzer (Reichert Technologies Inc). Eyes of each participant were classified into “better eye” and “worse eye” based on the mean deviation (MD) value of visual field test. The correlation between interocular differences in intraocular pressure, axial length, central corneal thickness, CH, and MD values was evaluated using Spearman correlation analysis. To exclude the possible effect of antiglaucoma medication on corneal properties, additional analyses were performed on eyes without any glaucoma treatment at the time of CH measurement (treatment-naive group).Results: Median (interquartile range) MD value was –3.71 dB (–6.87 to –1.30 dB) in the better eye and –10.20 dB (–16.32 to –5.62 dB) in the worse eye. When the correlation between the asymmetry of the MD value and asymmetry of intraocular pressure, axial length, central corneal thickness, and CH were evaluated, only interocular differences in CH were significantly associated with interocular differences in MD values (rho = 0.214, p = 0.001). Among the 222 participants, 60 (27.0%) were treatment-naive group. In these eyes, interocular differences in CH were also significantly associated with interocular differences in the MD values (rho = 0.285, p = 0.029).Conclusions: The interocular asymmetry of CH was significantly correlated with the interocular asymmetry of visual field defects in glaucoma.

To assess and compare the visual performance of two extended depth-of-focus intraocular lenses (IOLs), Tecnis Symfony (Symfony; JohnsonJohnson Vision, Santa Ana, CA) and Acrysof IQ Vivity (Vivity; Alcon Inc, Fort Worth, TX).The medical records of patients undergoing cataract surgery with Symfony or Vivity implantation from May 2021 to September 2021 and the data available for the 3-month follow-up were reviewed. The main measures of the findings were uncorrected and corrected distance (4 m) visual acuity (VA), uncorrected intermediate (66 cm) VA (UIVA) and uncorrected near (40 and 33 cm) VA (UNVA), refractive error (RE), defocus profiles analysis, optical quality parameters, and patient-reported quality of vision questionnaire results.Of the 40 patients, 19 patients (31 eyes) were treated with the Symfony IOL and 21 (32 eyes) with the Vivity IOL. The mean age of the patients was 63.4±7.8 (range, 40-76) years in the Symfony group and 61.8±9.7 (range, 40-77) years in the Vivity group. There was no meaningful difference between the two groups in the preoperative parameters, except that the Vivity group had a better CDVA. Among the main measures of results, there was no statistically significant difference, except for the UNVA (33 cm). The Symfony group also showed a smoother defocus curve at 3 months postoperatively.There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding uncorrected/corrected distance VA, UIVA, UNVA (40 cm), RE, optical quality parameters, and patient-reported quality of vision questionnaire results. The Symfony group demonstrated a significantly superior UNVA (33 cm) and a smoother defocus curve with a broad landing zone.

Depression is a common illness worldwide. Acupuncture is used as an alternative to non-pharmacological therapy. This study aimed to identify the development and global trends in the study of acupuncture therapy for depression over the past two decades using a bibliometric analysis. Articles published between 2001 and 2020 on acupuncture for depression were retrieved from the Web of Science database. Extracted information included authors, organizations, countries, keywords, and journals. The VOSviewer program was used to visualize the impacts and network hubs of the keywords, authors, and affiliations. Analyses of 871 original and review articles revealed that the number of publications has continually increased over the past 20 years. China has published the maximum number of articles, followed by the United States and South Korea. As for research areas, integrative complementary medicine was most well represented in terms of the number of articles. Co-occurrence analysis of keywords indicated that each five sub-group cluster (including "pain related to depressive symptoms," "CAM therapies of depression," "comorbid disease or symptoms of depression," "clinical trials of depression," and "mechanism of acupuncture on depression") has its own impact keyword. The most recent keywords were "protocol" and "systematic review," whereas early keywords were "acupuncture analgesia" and "St john's wort." Co-authorship analysis of authors and organizations revealed 4 influential authors and 2 organizations in the field of acupuncture for depression. The present study provided influential keywords that show comorbid symptoms, treatments, and mechanism. Additionally, it revealed the influential persons or groups related to acupuncture therapy for depression.

Purpose: To report the long-term outcomes of patients with macular edema (ME) secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and to explore the ME incidence and factors associated with ME resolution.Methods: We retrospectively studied patients with ME secondary to CRVO. The visual acuity at baseline was compared to that at the final visit. The incidence and timing of ME resolution during treatment were evaluated and the visual outcomes of patients who did and did not experience ME resolution were compared. We also identified factors predictive of ME resolution.Results: We included 79 patients; the mean follow-up time was 50.1 ± 14.3 months. The mean logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) of visual acuity was 0.94 ± 0.75 at diagnosis and 1.00 ± 0.84 at the final visit (p = 1.000). A logMAR visual loss of 0.3 or greater was noted in 28 patients (35.4%). During follow-up, ME resolution was evident in 40 eyes (50.6%) at a mean of 16.9 ± 17.4 months. Visual improvement was greater in patients who evidenced ME resolution than in those who did not (p < 0.001). The ME resolution rate was higher in patients younger than 60 years (p = 0.039) and in those who lacked subretinal fluid at diagnosis (p < 0.001).Conclusions: In patients with ME secondary to CRVO, the risk of long-term recurrent ME was higher in older patients and those evidencing subretinal fluid at diagnosis indicating that such patients require close follow-up and aggressive treatment.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the short-term effects of bilateral masticatory training using an intraoral device on memory and concentration, which is an advanced form of Gochi, compared to the unilateral form with gum.Methods: Thirty young healthy participants (age, 16–30 years) were screened and randomly assigned to one of two sequences in a crossover design. The participants assigned to sequence A (n=15) performed bilateral mastication using an intraoral device with a total of 300 taps, followed by unilateral mastication using gum with the same number of repetitions and frequency, separated by a 7-day washout period. A reverse order was used for sequence B. The primary and secondary outcomes were the digit span test result and the symbol digit modality test and the word list recallresults, respectively, which were conducted before and after each intervention.Results: Symbol digit modality test scores increased by 12.03±8.33 with bilateral mastication, which was significantly higher than that obtained with chewing gum (5.17 points;95% confidence interval: 0.99, 9.34; p

This study compared the characteristics of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)-related and glaucomatous optic disc hemorrhage (DH). Fundus photographs of eyes with PVD-related DH (PVD group) and glaucomatous DH (glaucoma group) were reviewed. The shape, type, layer, location (clock-hour sector), and DH/disc area (DH/DA) ratio of DH were investigated. In the PVD group, DH presented as a flame (60.9%), splinter (34.8%), and dot or blot (4.3%) shape. However, most of the glaucomatous DH revealed a splinter shape (92.3%), followed by a flame shape (7.7%, p p = 0.003). Both PVD-related and glaucomatous DH were most commonly observed in the 7 o’clock sector. In the PVD group, DH was also found in the 2 and 5 o’clock sectors (p = 0.010). Mean DH/DA ratio in PVD group (0.15 ± 0.19) was greater than in glaucoma group (0.04 ± 0.04, p

Circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness change induced by optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan circle location displacement was not completely compensated despite the use of Guided Progression Analysis (GPA), especially when the "R1" registration method was applied.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of inconsistent OCT scan location on glaucoma progression detection using GPA.Eighty-four glaucomatous eyes with at least 4 serial OCT tests were included. To evaluate the ability of OCT GPA to adjust the OCT scan location, an analysis was performed without manipulation (control set), and after the OCT scan of the latest test was intentionally moved inferotemporally (test set). The eyes were classified into the adjustment and nonadjustment groups based on the superior or inferior quadrant RNFL thickness agreement between the control and test sets.When the OCT GPA parameters between the control and test sets were compared, the test set showed a greater superior RNFL thickness and lesser inferior RNFL thickness compared with the control set (P0.05). The eyes in the nonadjustment group (n=21, 25%) had a lower chance of applying the eye-tracking function (P=0.003) and a higher frequency of the "R1" registration method of OCT GPA (P0.001) than the adjustment group (n=63, 75%); all eyes with the "R1" method were in the nonadjustment group and all eyes with the "R2" method were in the adjustment group.Inconsistent OCT scan location induced changes in RNFL thickness that were not completely compensated despite the use of OCT GPA, especially when the "R1" registration method was applied. These findings indicates a potential for misidentified glaucoma progression.

A bibliometric approach using network analytical methods was applied to explore the research trends on acupuncture for neck pain treatment. Publications related to acupuncture for neck pain treatment from 2000 to 2020 were retrieved from the Web of Science database. The extracted records were analyzed in terms of publication year, research area, journal title, country, organization, authors, and keywords. The research trends on acupuncture for neck pain treatment were visualized using the VOSviewer program. Analyses of 325 articles revealed that the total number of publications has continually increased over the last 20 years. The most represented research area was integrative complementary medicine. The country producing the most articles was the US, followed by China, England, and the Republic of Korea. By assessing the total link strength of organizations and authors, we identified influential organizations and authors who have contributed to research on acupuncture for neck pain treatment. A network analysis based on the cooccurrence of keywords revealed the following two major study designs: clinical study and research methodology. This study examined the research trends on acupuncture for neck pain treatment using bibliometric methods. Our findings provide useful guidelines for researchers in searching for relevant topics.

This study aimed to propose a protocol to demonstrate the efficacy of Codonopsis lanceolata water extract for the improvement of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and function (muscle strength or performance function) and its safety compared to a placebo in adults with reduced muscle strength.A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Participants will be recruited from the Korean Medicine Hospital in South Korea. One hundred and four adults with reduced muscle strength will be randomly assigned a 1:1 ratio to either the experimental or placebo comparator groups. The participants will consume the product corresponding to their assigned group for the following 12 weeks, and efficacy and safety tests will be conducted. This is the first clinical trial of C lanceolata water extract in adults with reduced muscle strength. The results of this study would provide a clinical basis for the efficacy and safety of C lanceolata water extract in patients with sarcopenia.This trial was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital at Gangdong on July 15, 2021 (amendment number: MLB_DDE_H01 [ver. 01]). When a change was made in the clinical trial plan, the IRB reviewed and approved the revised clinical trial plan. The study was registered on the Clinical Research Information Service website on December 3, 2021 (registration number: PRE20211203-003; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do?seq=20841status=1seq_group=20841search_page=M). The results of this clinical trial will be reported in the future. Every document related to the clinical trial, such as the electronic case report form, will be recorded and classified by the subject identification code and not by the subject name.

Purpose To evaluate the performance of two intraocular lenses (IOLs). The new monofocal IOL using a higher-order aspheric optic (Tecnis Eyhance ICB00) was compared to a standard monofocal IOL (Tecnis monofocal ZCB00) of the identical platform and material. Methods The medical records of the patients who had undergone cataract surgery with implantation of either the ZCB00 or the ICB00 in the dominant eye from March 2020 to August 2020 and with available data from the 3-month visit were reviewed. Subjects with ocular comorbidities or corneal astigmatism greater than 1.00 diopters were excluded. The uncorrected near, intermediate, distance visual acuity and corrected distance visual acuity were the main outcome measures. Optical quality parameters measured using an optical quality analysis system, clinical records including age, sex, laterality, ocular dominance, and information related to refractory errors was also collected. Parameters related to the refractory errors were all uniformly based on the Barrett Universal II formula. Results Of the 197 recruited patients, 111 and 86 were implanted with the ICB00 and ZCB00, respectively. No statistically significant differences in baseline parameters were observed between the two groups. While no statistically significant differences in distance visual acuity or optical quality were found between the two groups, compared to the ZCB00 group, the ICB00 group showed significantly higher intermediate visual acuity (p l 0.001) and near visual acuity (p l 0.05) 3 months postoperatively. Conclusions ICB00 provided superior intermediate vision and comparable distance performance and photic phenomena compared to a standard monofocal IOL.

Purpose To elucidate the relationship between partial blink rate (PBR) and ocular surface parameters. Methods We conducted a retrospective cross‐sectional study of the patients who visited the Kim’s Eye Hospital between March 2020 and July 2020. Blinking dynamics, tear film lipid layer thickness (LLT), non-invasive tear film break- up time (NITBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), and meibomian gland (MG) dropout rate were assessed using the IDRA® Ocular surface analyzer (SBM SISTEMI, Inc., Torino, Italy) (IDRA). Dry eye symptoms were quantified by the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire scores. Results A total of 47 non-Sjögren dry eye patients (47 right eyes, mean age = 56.8 ± 14.5 [20–75] years, 66% female) were enrolled. Among the ocular surface parameters, PBR had strong correlations with MG dropout rate (r = 0.811; p

To investigate the current status of electrophysiological test use in ophthalmology.We analyzed 1057 electrophysiological tests conducted at Kim's Eye Hospital from January 1 to December 31, 2018. The included tests were electroretinogram (full-field, multifocal, and pattern ERG), electrooculogram (EOG), and visual evoked potential (pattern and flash VEP). To investigate the distribution of use of subspecialties, it was divided by subspecialties (retina, glaucoma, oculoplastic surgery, pediatric ophthalmology, neuro-ophthalmology, cornea, and external diseases).The patients were aged 50.6 years on average and included 624 men and 433 women. Among the electrophysiological tests, VEP was the most common, with 567 cases (53.6%), followed by ERG with 311 cases (29.4%) and EOG with 98 cases (9.3%). Regarding the purpose of use, the objective of visual function evaluation was the highest at 56.3%, followed by the differential diagnosis of unknown causes (33.0%) and the confirmation of diagnoses (10.7%). Both VEP and ERG were used the most for visual function evaluation, and mfERG was most used for differential diagnosis of unknown etiology. Electrophysiological tests were most often used in the retina department, but VEPs were used in various fields such as neuro-ophthalmology, glaucoma, and oculoplastics.Electrophysiological tests are used to objectively evaluate visual function or discriminate diseases of unknown causes and are used in various departments. Electrophysiology testing is expected to be an additional test to assess visual function.

Evaluation of interocular asymmetry of optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters is important for the glaucoma and optic neuropathies. This study was performed to evaluate the interocular asymmetry of OCT parameters in healthy children and adolescents. The circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, optic nerve head (ONH) parameters, and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness were measured in 620 eyes of 310 healthy children and adolescents using Cirrus HD-OCT. The interocular asymmetry (right eye–left eye) in the OCT parameters was analyzed. The mean ± standard deviation age was 10.3 ± 3.7 years (range 5–17). The right eyes showed thinner superior quadrant RNFL, thicker nasal and temporal quadrant RNFL, lesser rim and disc areas, and thinner average, superior, and superonasal GCIPL than the left eyes (P

PURPOSE We aimed to report a surgical technique for the management of ocular hypotony after tube surgery. METHODS We occluded the tube with ab interno insertion of 2 bent 5-0 polypropylene threads into the tube lumen. Bent stents were used to prevent stent displacement. RESULTS Our case series revealed that this procedure effectively resolved hypotony. Among the 3 cases, the stents were removed in 1 case and left in place in 2 cases. In all cases, the stent location remained stable without displacement. CONCLUSION The insertion of bent intraluminal stents into the tube may be a useful method for the management of ocular hypotony after tube surgery.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acupuncture on obesity-related parameters with regard to metabolomics. Methods: This two-arm parallel, patient- and assessor-blind, sham-controlled randomized clinical trial included 120 obese participants. Participants were randomized into two groups. The treatment group received a combined intervention of manual acupuncture (MA) plus electroacupuncture (EA), while the control group received a combination of sham acupuncture interventions consisting of sham MA plus sham EA for 6 weeks. The serum lipid levels were measured as the primary outcome measure and anthropometric parameters and serum metabolic profiles including amino acids and carnitines were measured as secondary outcome measures. Results: The serum lipid levels and anthropometric measurements did not significantly differ between groups, while body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference were improved within each group and the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased over time in the treatment group. There were no significant differences in amino acid levels between groups, while certain carnitine (C2, C4, C6, and l-carnitine) levels were significantly increased ( p Conclusion: In summary, 6 weeks of acupuncture treatment did not affect anthropometric and serum metabolic parameters, with the exception of certain carnitines, when compared to sham acupuncture. The observation of increased carnitine levels in the acupuncture group could result in potential long-term benefits to obese individuals. Additional studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of acupuncture on lipid metabolism and the underlying mechanism of action. Trial registration number: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02066090).

Jaehyeon Park,1,* Hyungsuk Kim,1,2,* Mi-Yeon Song1 1Department of Korean Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Korean Rehabilitation Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mi-Yeon SongDepartment of Korean Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 23 Kyungheedaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of KoreaTel +82 2-440-7141Fax +82 2-958-9104Email mysong@khu.ac.kr View the original paper by Dr Park and colleagues This is in response to the Letter to the Editor

The aim of this study was to analyze published papers on the use of herbal medicine in obesity research over the past 20 years using bibliometric methods and present an overview of global research trends.English articles on herbal medicine for obesity published from 2001 to 2020 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database using the search terms "herbal" AND "obesity". Microsoft Office Excel was used to sort and analyze the statistical data. Bibliographic analysis and data visualization were performed using visualization of similarities viewer based on publication year, country of publication, journal, research area, author, affiliated institution, and keywords.A total of 463 English articles were retrieved, and we observed a trend in which the number of publications on herbal medicine for obesity has gradually increased over the past 20 years. The most productive countries and research organizations in this field were Korea and Kyunghee University, respectively. Many papers have been published in research areas, such as pharmacology pharmacy and integrative complementary medicine, and the journals with the most published articles in this field were Journal of Ethnopharmacology and Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The main research keywords formed 3 clusters, and keywords with the most occurrences were "obesity," "adipose-tissue," and "insulin resistance."This study presents an overview of the global research trend of herbal medicine for obesity from the bibliographic analysis. An increased understanding of the recently changing research topics provides a new perspective on future research directions. This study may help guide the research in the field of obesity in the future.

We investigated the characteristics of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in which exudation predominantly occurs as a subretinal fluid (SRF) during anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment. A total of 509 treatment-naïve neovascular AMD patients treated with anti-VEGF for 24 months were retrospectively analyzed. The baseline characteristics to determine the odds of occurrence of SRF alone were evaluated using multivariate modeling. SRF was the sole manifestation of lesion activity in 209 (40.9%) eyes during follow-up. The visual outcome of eyes with only SRF occurrence during follow-up was comparable to that of eyes without exudative recurrence. In addition, the incidence of macular atrophy was significantly lower in eyes with only SRF occurrence (9.6%, 20 of 208 eyes) than in eyes without exudative recurrence (16.7%, 9 of 54 eyes, P = 0.018). Multivariate analysis revealed that better best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline (odds ratio [OR], 0.306; P = 0.001), presence of SRF alone at baseline (OR, 5.256; P P = 0.025), and aneurysmal type 1 macular neovascularization (MNV) (OR, 2.594; P = 0.002) were associated with an increased likelihood of SRF occurrence during follow-up. In conclusion, the eyes with only SRF occurrence during anti-VEGF treatment showed more favorable visual outcomes and a lower incidence of macular atrophy. The baseline characteristics, including better baseline BCVA, presence of SRF alone at baseline, lower PED height, and MNV subtype, might influence the predominant development of SRF during anti-VEGF treatment.

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between Sjögren syndrome (SS) duration and ocular surface parameters in patients with SS-related dry eye. Methods: We analyzed 108 eyes of 108 female patients with primary SS-related dry eye. Meibomian gland (MG) dysfunction, MG dropout, lipid layer thickness (LLT), partial and total blinking, and partial blinking rate (PBR) were measured using a LipiView® II ocular surface interferometer (TearScience, Morrisville, NC, USA). All patients underwent rheumatoid serologic tests and ocular surface assessments. The ocular surface assessment included the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED), Schirmer’s I test, non-invasive tear break-up time, and grading of corneal/conjunctival staining. The correlations between SS duration and MG dropout rates as well as other ocular surface parameters were determined. Results: The mean SS duration was 54.1±41.3 months. There was a strong positive correlation between SS duration and MG dropout (r = 0.766, p < 0.001). The average, maximum, and minimum LLTs showed a weak negative correlation with SS duration (r = -0.310, -0.211, and - 0.304, respectively, p = 0.014, 0.028, and 0.022, respectively) and MG dropout (r = -0.191, -0.326, and -0.299, respectively, p = 0.049, 0.002, and 0.009, respectively). Significant positive correlations were also observed between the SPEED scores and SS duration (r = 0.303, p = 0.042) and MG dropout (r = 0.450, p = 0.029). Conclusions: Longer durations of primary SS-related dry eye were associated with worse MG dysfunction.

Objective To compare corneal endothelial cell changes after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) in diabetic and nondiabetic patients. Methods This retrospective study included patients with cataract who underwent FLACS performed by a single surgeon between August 2018 and November 2020. Changes in corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), hexagonality, coefficient of variation in cell size (CV), and central corneal thickness (CCT) at baseline and at the 1-month and 3-month postoperative follow-ups were investigated by dividing the patients into diabetic and nondiabetic groups. Results We included 75 patients (60% men, mean age: 57.7±11.4 years, range: 27-80 years) in the analysis: 31 diabetic patients (64% men, mean age: 58.7±11.9 years, range: 27-79 years) and 44 nondiabetic patients (56% men, mean age: 57.1±11.3 years, range: 34-80 years). No differences were observed between the two groups as regards preoperative and intraoperative parameters, the mean postoperative ECD, hexagonality, and CV. At 1 month postoperatively, the CCT was significantly greater in the diabetic group (P=0.034); however, at 3 months, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.927). Conclusions Changes in postoperative corneal endothelial cells were comparable between patients with and without diabetes after FLACS. Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery seems to cause less damage to the corneal endothelium in diabetic patients because it uses less phacoemulsification energy.

Introduction Chuna manual therapy (CMT), one of the therapeutic modalities of Korean Medicine which is a kind of manual therapies, is well known among Korean Medicine doctors for the treatment of TMD but the evidence for the effect of CMT is insufficient. Therefore, this trial is designed to propose a protocol to investigate the efficacy and economic efficiency of CMT on TMD, compared to usual care (UC). Methods This trial is a prospective, assessor-blinded, two-arm parallel multicenter randomized controlled trial. Eighty patients with temporomandibular disorder, with numeric rating scale (NRS) above 4, will be randomly assigned to either the CMT or the UC group, with a 1:1 ratio. Participants will be recruited by five Korean Medicine hospitals. Participants will be treated eight times for 4 weeks, and will be assessed for pain, range of motion, depressive symptoms, and quality of life. Adverse events will also be reported. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness, medical consumption data (quality of life questionnaire) will be used to assess indices such as the Quality Adjusted Life Year. Discussion There were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of CMT for TMD, however, evidence is evaluated as “Low”. For this reason, this trial was designed as a high-quality RCT protocol. Conclusion We expect that this trial will contribute new knowledge on the effects of CMT for TMD, so that an economically efficient way of treatment could be developed and standardized, providing more populations with the benefits of an effective and economic treatment for TMD.

Introduction In overseas reports, temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are said to affect 5–12% of the population, and the number of TMD patients seeking treatment in Korea is on the rise. Even though Korean medicine (KM) treatments are commonly used for TMDs in clinical practice, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for TMDs in traditional KM have not yet been established. This evidence-based KM CPG on TMDs was therefore established. Methods The key questions of the KM CPG on TMDs were determined based on clinical practice surveys on the use of KM for TMDs and expert opinion from the relevant academic societies by the CPG development committee. Then, a systematic literature review of KM treatments for TMDs was conducted for each key question, and the guideline draft was created in accordance with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) levels of evidence and grades of recommendation. Official consensus was achieved using the Delphi method on the draft, and the draft was further revised through external review to produce the final guideline, which was certified by the relevant academic societies. Results A total of 15 recommendations are established to address the 13 key clinical questions about the clinical efficacy of 9 types of KM treatments for TMD, including grades and levels of evidence. Conclusions The present guideline is expected to aid in the decision-making process of physicians and TMD patients, improve the overall quality of KM practice, and suggest subjects for future clinical research.

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Acupuncture treatment for 6-month period altered DNA methylation patterns, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain., Chronic pain reduces life quality and is an important clinical problem associated with emotional and cognitive dysfunction. Epigenetic regulation of DNA methylation is involved in the induction of abnormal behaviors and pathological gene expression. We examined whether acupuncture can restore epigenetic changes caused by chronic pain, and identified the underlying mechanisms in neuropathic pain mice. Acupuncture treatment for 6 months (3 days/week) improved mechanical/cold allodynia and the emotional/cognitive dysfunction caused by left partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL)-induced neuropathic pain. The effects of acupuncture were associated with global DNA methylation recovery in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Analysis of DNA methylation patterns in PFC indicated that 1364 overlapping genes among 4442 and 4416 methylated genes in the PSNL vs sham and PSNL vs acupuncture points groups, respectively, were highly associated with the DNA methylation process. Acupuncture restored the reduced expression of 5-methylcytosine, methyl-cytosine-phospho-guanine binding protein 2, and DNA methyltransferase family enzymes induced by PSNL in PFC. Methylation levels of Nr4a1 and Chkb associated with mitochondrial dysfunction were decreased in PFC of the PSNL mice, and increased by acupuncture. By contrast, high expression of Nr4a1 and Chkb mRNA in PSNL mice decreased after acupuncture. We also found that acupuncture inhibited the expression of Ras pathway-related genes such as Rasgrp1 and Rassf1. Finally, the expression of Nr4a1, Rasgrp1, Rassf1, and Chkb mRNA increased in the neuronal cells treated with Mecp2 small interfering RNA. These results suggest that acupuncture can relieve chronic pain-induced comorbid conditions by altering DNA methylation of Nr4a1, Rasgrp1, Rassf1, and Chkb in the PFC.

Supplemental material, AIM912259_Supplemental_material for Effects of acupuncture on anthropometric and serum metabolic parameters in premenopausal overweight and obese women: a randomized, patient- and assessor-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial by Koh-Woon Kim, Woo-Chul Shi, Min Sun Choi, Jae-Heung Cho, Hi-Joon Park, Hye Hyun Yoo and Mi-Yeon Song in Acupuncture in Medicine

The objective of this study is to investigate the role of paraspinal muscles in the progression of different types of spondylolisthesis by examining the correlation between cross-sectional area (CSA) of lumbar paraspinal muscle and slip percentage (SP) in degenerative spondylolisthesis and isthmic spondylolisthesis. A multicenter retrospective analysis was carried out including 219 subjects diagnosed with lumbar spondylolisthesis. Using T2-weighted axial magnetic resonance imgaging, CSAs of the psoas major (PM), multifidus (MU), and erector spinae were measured and divided by L5 vertebral body (VB) CSA. SP was measured using sagittal T2-weighted images. Correlations between muscle CSA ratio and SP were calculated in each group. Regression analysis was performed to predict the influence of each muscle CSA/VB CSA ratio on SP. No significant correlation was found in the degenerative spondylolisthesis group between any of the muscle CSA ratios and SP. Both PM/VB ratio (r = −0.24, P = .021) and MU/VB ratio (r = −0.26, P = .012) were negatively correlated with SP in the isthmic spondylolisthesis group. MU had more influence on SP than PM in the isthmic spondylolisthesis group (regression coefficient MU/VB: −8.08, PM/VB: −4.34). Both PM and MU muscle CSA ratios were negatively correlated with SP in the isthmic group. MU had more influence on SP than PM. No muscles had any correlations with SP in the degenerative group. This discrepancy between the two groups suggests that exercise programs or interventions regarding the segmental stability of isthmic spondylolisthesis and degenerative spondylolisthesis should be distinguished in clinical practice. Clinical Research Information Service of Korea Centers for Disease control and Prevention, KCT0002588. Registered on 12 December 2017, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01.jsp?seq=10702