Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jul 2023
Change in the Usage of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Era of Biologics Among Korean Patients With Psoriasis.
Patients with long-standing psoriasis who are not treated with conventional medicine seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The biological revolution in the field of psoriasis since the late 2000s has progressed, expecting clearance or almost clearance of the disease. The frequency and type of CAM usage may have changed after these advances. We aimed to investigate changes in CAM use in Korean patients with psoriasis before and after the prevalent use of biologics. ⋯ Although treatment efficacy has increased with biologics development, CAM usage remains prevalent among Korean patients with psoriasis. Therefore, dermatologists need more efforts to improve patients' understanding of conventional medicine, including biologics.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2023
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Attributable to Seasonal Influenza: A Nationwide Matched Cohort Study.
Although influenza poses substantial mortality burden, most studies have estimated excess mortality using time-aggregated data. Here, we estimated mortality risk and population attributable fraction (PAF) attributed to seasonal influenza using individual-level data from a nationwide matched cohort. ⋯ Individuals with influenza had a 4-fold higher mortality risk than individuals without influenza. Preventing seasonal influenza may lead to 5.6% and 20.7% reductions in all-cause and respiratory mortality, respectively. Individuals with respiratory disease, liver disease, and cancer may benefit from prioritization when establishing influenza prevention strategies.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2023
Effect of a Motivational Interviewing-Based Brief Intervention on Alcohol Use Behavior in Korean Internal Medicine Settings.
A motivational interviewing (MI)-based brief intervention was performed with high-risk drinking outpatients screened at internal medicine settings in Korea after the doctor advised them to reduce alcohol consumption. Participants were assigned to a MI group or a control group where they received a brochure with information on the harm of high-risk drinking and tips on managing drinking habits. ⋯ The findings suggest that short comments received from doctors might be a key component in performing brief interventions for high-risk drinking management in Korean clinical settings. Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0002719.
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An Ethics Committee (EC) is an independent body composed of members with expertise in both scientific and nonscientific arenas which functions to ensure the protection of human rights and the well-being of research subjects based on six basic principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, confidentiality, and honesty. MEDLINE, Scopus, and Directory of Open Access Journals were searched for studies relevant to this topic. This review is focused on the types of research articles that need EC approval, the submission process, and exemptions. ⋯ Despite various issues of cost, backlogs, lack of expertise, lesser representation of laypersons, need for multiple approvals for multisite projects, conflicts of interest, and monitoring of ongoing research for the continued safety of participants, the ECs form the central force in regulating research and participant safety. Data safety and monitoring boards complement the ECs for carrying out continuous monitoring for better protection of research subjects. The establishment of ECs has ensured safe study designs, the safety of human subjects along with the protection of researchers from before the initiation until the completion of a study.