Introduction. Functional dyspepsia (FD), a common upper gastrointestinal disease, is difficult to manage because of the limitations of current conventional treatments. Yukgunja-tang (YGJT) is widely used to treat FD in clinical practice in Korea, Japan, and China. However, YGJT significantly improves few symptoms of FD. In Korean medicine, FD is a well-known functional gastric disease that shows difference in the effect of herbal medicine depending on constitution or type of Korean medicine diagnosis. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of YGJT on FD patients classified by 3-dimensional facial measurement using a 3-dimensional facial shape diagnostic system (3-FSDS). Methods. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, two-center trial will be performed to evaluate the efficacy of YGJT on FD patients. Eligible subjects will be initially classified as two types by 3-dimensional facial measurement using the 3-FSDS. Ninety-six subjects (48 subjects per each type) will be enrolled. These subjects will be randomly allocated into treatment or control groups in a 2 : 1 ratio. YGJT or placebo will be administered to each group during the 8-week treatment period. The primary outcome is total dyspepsia symptom scale, and the secondary outcomes include single dyspepsia symptom scale, proportion of responders with adequate symptom relief, visual analog scale, Nepean dyspepsia index-Korean version, functional dyspepsia-related quality of life, and spleen qi deficiency questionnaire. Discussion. This is the first randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of the YGJT on FD patients classified by 3-dimensional facial measurement. We will compare the treatment effect of the YGJT on FD patients classified as two types using the 3-FSDS. The results of this trial will help the FD patients improve the symptoms and quality of life effectively and provide objective evidence for prescribing the YGJT to FD patients in clinical practice. Trial Registration. This trial is registered with Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0001920, 15 May, 2016.

Introduction Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by persistent upper dyspeptic symptoms without organic lesions. There is no standard therapy for FD. Yukgunja-tang (YGJT) is an herbal medicine used for treating upper gastrointestinal symptoms in Asia. Studies on the effect of YGJT on FD have been conducted. However, the results were inconsistent. In Hyungsang medicine, traditional Korean medicine, FD patients are classified into bladder body (BB) or gallbladder body (GB) subtypes by the shape and angle of their faces. Each subtype may have different characteristics, physiology, and pathology of the same disease. YGJT is more effective for patients with BB subtype. The three-dimensional facial shape diagnostic system (3-FSDS) was shown to be effective in diagnosing BB or GB subtypes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of YGJT on FD patients classified using the 3-FSDS. Materials and Methods The current study was a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized, two-center trial. Eligible patients were diagnosed with either BB or GB FD subtype using the 3-FSDS. Ninety-six participants (48 BB and 48 GB subtypes) were randomly allocated to treatment or control groups in a 2:1 ratio. YGJT or placebo was administered for eight weeks. The primary outcome was assessed using the total dyspepsia symptom scale (TDS), while the secondary outcomes were assessed using the single dyspepsia symptom scale (SDS), proportion of responders, visual analog scale, Nepean dyspepsia index, functional dyspepsia-related quality of life, and spleen qi deficiency questionnaire. Results and Discussion The result of TDS showed the superior effect of YGJT on BB over GB subtype. The subgroup analysis of TDS and SDS scores showed the superior effect of YGJT over placebo. Other outcome variables did not show any significant differences between groups. Conclusion YGJT may be considered for FD patients diagnosed with BB subtype using 3-FSDS.

ObjectivesThis study was performed to make a short-form of Sasang Constitution Questionnaire for Patient(SSCQ-P). MethodsIn order to select important questions of SSCQ-P, we got advice from 10 professors of Oriental Medicine. As a result, we chose 37 questions. In addition, we selected 69 questions which had been used more than 12 times in SSCQ-P as the variable. We used some statistical methods to reduce questions. Finally, a total of 40 questions were selected. To find diagnostic accuracy rate of this short-form, discriminant analysis was performed. We used 1378 cases which was collect ed from February 2008 to June 2013 by online system(Sasang-medi data which has selected by web site, http://www.sasangmedi.or.kr), and 68 cases which was collected from November 2006 to September 2007 by the research "Construction of a biological information collection system for the Constitutional scientific diagnosis"(Korea Constitutional Multicenter Bank data, KCMB data) ResultsWe made a short-form of SSCQ-P consisting of 40 questions. Diagnostic accuracy rate of short-form is 66.18% using Sasang-medi data, and 42.65% using KCMB data. ConclusionsMore cases are needed to improve the diagnostic accuracy rate of this short-form.

A Validation Study of the Sasang Constitution Questionnaire for Japanese(SSCQ-J)

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