• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.159-181
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to introduce and examine the possibilities of infrared (IR) imaging, biophoton detection and gas discharge visualization(GDV) as diagnostic tools in Korean Medicine. Methods : To review the basic mechanism and measurement methods of three modalities, concepts in physics were introduced. Physical backgrounds of IR, biophoton and GDV were briefly explained based on recent research papers. Simple electronics was employed for relevant detectors. In order to find the relation between Korean Medicine and these methods, papers on their applications were reviewed. Opinions from the experts on each modality were obtained from their papers and private communications. Results and Conclusions : IR imaging has been used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool but there are some rooms for the improvement for clinical applications. Experimental confirmation of the meridian activation by a moxa cigar is necessary for its verification. Biophoton is not correlated with human skin temperature but it has a circadian rhythm. Biophoton and GDV have a negligible relation if any. Therefore there are no correlations among three modalities in terms of basic mechanisms. But their clinical relations are yet to be scrutinized. Biophoton and GDV need more rigorous clinical tests before they can be used as diagnostic tools.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.41-55
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• 2004

Objective : To investigate the possible molecular mechanism (s) of melittin as a candidate of anti-cancer drug, we examined the effects of the compound on the growth of human lung carcinoma cell line A549. Methods : Growth inhibitory study, flow cytometry analysis, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis, RT-PCR and in vitro caspases activity assay were performed. Results : Melittin treatment declined the cell viability of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, which was associated with induction of apoptotic cell death. Melittin treatment down-regulated the levels of Bcl-XS/L mRNA and protein expression of A549 cells, an anti-apoptotic gene, however, the those of Bax, a pro-apoptotic gene, were up-regulated. Melittin induced the proteolytic cleavage and activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 protease in a dose-dependent manner without alteration of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins family and Akt expression. Western blot analysis and RT-PCR data revealed that the levels of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 were also remained unchanged. Conclusions : Taken together, these findings suggest that melittin-induced inhibition of human lung cancer cell growth is associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death via regulation of several major growth regulatory gene products, and melittin may have therapeutic potential in human lung cancer.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.5 no.1 s.8
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• pp.135-151
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• 2002

Objective: This study was eanied out to investigate the effects of Raphani Semen on immuno-response in the mouse model of allergic asthma. Methods: In this study, BALB/C mice were divided into 6 groups: Normal (Non-treated group), Control (Group with not treated after allergic sensitization and induction by ovalbumin), Treat I (Group with the oral administration of saline after allergic sensitization and induction by ovalbumin), Treat n (Allergic asthma group treated with acupuncture (BL 13)), Treat III (Allergic asthma group treated with the oral administration of Raphani Semen) and Treat lV (Allergic asthma group treated with the herbal-acupuncture of Raphani Semen (BL 13)). The effect on cytokine was assessed by measuring cytokine (lL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-r) in bronchoalveoar lavage fluid(ELISA). ResuJts : The results obtained as follows: 1. The production of Interleukin-2 was decreased significantly in Treat I group, Treat n group and Treat IV group as compared with Control group. 2. The production of Interleukin-4 was decreased significantly in Treat I group, Treat II group and Treat IV group as compared with Control group. Among them. the production of Interleukin-4 was decreased remarkably in Treat IV group as compared with other groups. 3. The production of Interleukin-5 was decreased significantly in Treat I group and Treat IV group as compared with Control group. 4. The production of Interleukin-10 was decreased significantly in Treat I group and Treat III group as compared with Control group. 5. The production of Interleukin-12 was all decreased significantly in Treat I group, Treat n group, Treat m group and Treat IV group as compared with Control group. 6. The production of Intelferon- showed no significant changes in Treat I group, Treat n group. Treat m group and Treat Ⅳ group as compared with Control group. Conclusion: These results show that the production of Interleukin-4, 5 was decreased significantly in aJlergic asthma group treated with the herbal-acupuncture of Raph Semen (BL 13), It is known that inactivity of Th2 cell constrained the revelation and controlled hypersenstive action. As to this mechanism, it is suggested that the herbal-acupuncture of Raphani Semen(BL 13) constrained the revelation of allergic asthma.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.480-487
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• 2006

Objectives : In this study we investigated BDI(Beck Depression Inventory) improvement of poststroke depression Patients who took the acupuncture with aromatherapy, in order to examine its capacity as a new treatment and to establish a primary data for further studies of developments of diverse Practical acupunctures. Methods : Physicians applied the acupuncture with aromatherapy every day for two weeks. We had evaluated baseline characteristics and BDI of all Patients, and revaluated BDI and examined the side effects two weeks later. The qualified Patients were classified into two groups, depression group (more than 10 points and 10 in BDI) and non-depression group (less than 10 points in BDI) according to the baseline BDI. Results : The study was completed with 27stroke patients. The acupuncture with aroma therapy was applied in 18 post-stroke depression patients and 9 non-depression patients for 2 weeks. And the result showed that the BDI scores in the depression group decreased to $16.5{\pm}11.1$ after the treatment (compared to $24.4{\pm}11.5$ before the treatment). so proved the significant effect on post-stroke depression of the acupuncture. On the other hand. the scores in the non-depression group increased to $9.2{\pm}9.5$ (compared to $3.3{\pm}3.0$). Conclusions : The acupuncture with aromatherapy applied on post-stroke depression patients showed the effect of BDI improvement. Further researches are needed to evaluate the distinct functional mechanism of acupuncture with aromatherapy, and to estimate its effectiveness by well-designed randomized controlled trial.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.92-111
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• 2002

Objective : Carthami Flos has been used as a herb to promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis in oriental medicine for many centuries, and Amun(GV15) has been used as a meridian point to treat apoplexy etc. To investigate treatment of cerevral vascular disease(CVA) by promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis(活血化瘀法), we observed the experimental effects and mechanism of auqa-acupunture of Carthami Flos(ACF) injected into GV15 on cerevral hemodynamics and cardiovascular system of rats. Method : Aqua-acupuncture of Carthami Flos(ACF) was injected into GV15, and then we investigated experimental effects and mechanism of ACF on the cerebral hemodynamics[regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF), pial arterial diameter(PAD), meal arterial blood pressure(MABP)] and cardiovascular system[cardiac muscle contractile force(CMF), heart rate(HR)I by pretreatment with methylene blue(MTB) and indomethacin(IDN). The changes in rCBF, MABP, CMF and HR were tested by Laser Doppler Flowmetry(LDF), and the changes in PAD was determinated by video microscopy methods and video analyzer. Results :The results were as follows in normal rats ; The changes of rCBF and PAD were significantly increased by ACF($120{\mu}{\ell}/kg$) in a injected time-dependent manner, but MABP was not changed by ACF. The changes of cardiovascular system were increased by ACF in a injected time-dependent manner. And pretreatment with MTB was significantly inhibited ACE induced increase of rCBF and PAD, and was decreased ACF induced increase of HR. And pretreatment with IDN was increased ACF induced MABP and CMF. And the results were as follows in cerebral ischemic rats ; The changes of rCBF was increased stabilizly by treatment with ACF($120{\mu}{\ell}/kg$) in during the period of cerebral reperfusion, but pretreatment with MTB was increased ACF induced increase of rCBF during the period of cerebral reperfusion. The results were as follows in normal rats ; The changes of rCBF and PAD were significantly increased by ACF($120{\mu}{\ell}/kg$) in a injected time-dependent manner, but MABP was not changed by ACF. The changes of cardiovascular system were increased by ACF in a injected time-dependent manner. And pretreatment with MTB was significantly inhibited ACF induced increase of rCBF and PAD, and was decreased ACF induced increase of HR. And pretreatment with IDN was increased ACF induced MABP and CMF. And the results were as follows in cerebral ischemic rats ; The changes of rCBF was increased stabilizly by treatment with ACF($120{\mu}{\ell}/kg$) in during the period of cerebral reperfusion, but pretreatment with MTB was increased ACF induced increase of rCBF during the period of cerebral reperfusion Conclusions : In conclusion, ACF causes a diverse response of rCBF, PAD an HR, and action of ACF is mediated by cyclic GMP. I suggested that ACF has an anti-ischemic effect through the improvement of crebral hemodynamics in a transient cerebral ischemia.

• The Journal of Korea CHUNA Manual Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.111-123
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• 2002

Objectives : There have been many studies of the effect of Bee Venom therapy about arthritis, but no one study was reported about its whole functional mechanism to musculo-skeletal system. This study was designed to investigate the effect, Indication, and side effect of Bee Venom therapy on musculo-skeletal disease by literature review of articles. Results : The effects of Bee Venom therapy to musculo-skeletal system are divided to Anti_inflammatory effect and Anti-nociceptive effect. Anti_inflammatory effect is achieved through competitive chemotaxis, immuno-regulation, increasing of cortisol secretion by stimulating hypothalamus-pituitary gland-adrenal cortex axis. Anti-nociceptive effect is achieved by Anti-inflammatory mechanism and it works similar to anti-nociceptive effect of the acupuncture acting on central and peripheral nociceptive transduction system. The Bee Venom therapy could cause severe side effect, for example, hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis, injury to central nerve system and cardiovascular system, peripheral blood system, and renal dysfunction. Conclusions : With its Anti-inflammatory and Anti-nociceptive mechanism, Bee Venom therapy is considered that has good effects to autoimmune disease, chronic inflammation of various musculo-skeletal disease and various pain syndrome. But the clinician must be careful for its side effects.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.39-48
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• 2017

Objectives : The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Dokhwaljihwang-tang (DJT) intravenous pharmacopuncture on cisplatin-induced emesis and gastric mobility disorder in Wistar rats. Methods : Thirty rats were randomly divided into six groups and cisplatin was administered to all groups except the normal group. The cisplatin group (n=5) received a cisplatin injection only. The saline group (n=5) was injected with cisplatin followed by 0.4 mL of saline. Groups DJT-1, DJT-2, and DJT-3 were injected with cisplatin, followed by 0.315 g/kg, 0.104 g/kg, and 0.034 g/kg of DJT, respectively. Body weight, food intake, and kaolin intake of rats were measured 12 h, 24 h, and 36 h after cisplatin injection. Residual food in the stomach was measured 48 h after cisplatin injection. Results : There was no significant difference in weight. The food intake was not significantly different 12 h after cisplatin administration. All groups except the normal group showed significantly decreased food intake after 24 h. After 36 h, food intake was not significantly different between groups DJT-1, DJT-2, and DJT-3 and the normal group. The kaolin intake of groups DJT-1 and DJT-2 was significantly decreased at 12 h and 24 h after cisplatin injection. Kaolin intake and residual food in the stomach were significantly decreased in groups DJT-1, DJT-2, and DJT-3. Conclusion : In a Wistar rat model, DJT intravenous pharmacopuncture is suggested to be effective for cisplatin-induced emesis and gastric motility disorder. In the future, it is necessary to study the mechanism and chemical composition of each individual constitutive drug.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.431-440
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• 2012

Objectives : Recently, network science is very popular topic in various scientific fields and many studies have reported that it gives meaningful results on studying characteristics of a complex system. In this study, based on network theory, we made acupoints network using data of combined acupoints which appeared at "Beijiqianjinyaofang". We focused to find out the distinctive roles of remote and local combinations on the network. Furthermore, we aimed to identify the possibility of numerical and quantitative application to acupuncture researches. Methods : Based on examples of combined acupoints in "Beijiqianjinyaofang", the network consisted of 291 nodes and 2,431 links. The spatial distances between combined acupoints were calculated by the human dummy model. We removed the links step by step for the three cases - remote, local, and random cases, and observed the characteristic changes by calculating path lengths, similarity indices, and clustering coefficients. Also cluster analysis was carried out. Results : The network had a small number of remote links, and a large number of local links. These two links had the distinct characteristics. Whereas the local links formed a cluster of nearby nodes, remote links played a role to increase the correlation between the clusters. Conclusions : These results suggest that acupoints network increases the connectivity between the distal part and the trunk of human body, and enables various combinations of the acupoints. This finding conclusively showed that mechanism of combined acupoints could be interpreted meaningfully by applying network theory in acupuncture researches.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2 s.62
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• pp.241-251
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• 2005

Objectives: This experimental study was designed to investig:ue the effects of Oryungsan-gagampang on leptin and leptin receptor levels and differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocyte. Methods: After 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated with various concentrations of Oryungsan-gagampang and Reductil(r) for 7 days, leptin and leptin receptor levels in 3T3-Ll adipocytes were measured by ELISA. To elucidate the mechanism of inhibitory effects of Oryungsan-gagampang on obesity, the 3T3-L1 adipocytes after oil red 0 staining were taken by digital photo system. Results: 1. Oryungsan-gagampang $1,000{\mu}g/ml$ significantly increased leptin levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in comparison with the control group (p<0.05), and Oryungsan-gagampang 0.1 10, $1,000{\mu}g/ml$ significantly increased leptin receptor levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in comparison with the control group (p<0.05). 2. Oryungsan-gagampang inhibited of differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Conclusions: Oryungsan-gagampang showed significant effects on inhibiting differentiation of 3T3-Ll adipocytes, and increasing leptin levels and leptin receptor levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Therefore, Oryungsan-gagampang could be used to treat obesity, but further studies are required.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2016

Objectives: This study introduces the history and types of Korean pharmacopuncture and reports trends of research on Korean pharmacopuncture. Methods: Pharmacopuncture studies were searched from the first year of each search engine to 2014 by using seven domestic and foreign search databases. Selected studies were divided into the history of pharmacopuncture, kinds and features of pharmacopuncture, research types, and experimental and clinic studies and were then classified by year of publication, type of pharmacopuncture, disease, and topic. Results: Pharmacopuncture can be classified into four large groups: meridian field pharmacopuncture (MFP), eight-principles pharmacopuncture (EPP), animal-based pharmacopuncture (ABP) and mountain-ginseng pharmacopuncture, which is a single-compound pharmacopuncture (SCP). The largest numbers of studies were reported from 1997 to 2006, after which the numbers decreased until 2014. Of experimental studies, 51.9%, 18.7%. 14.3%, 9% and 3.4% were on SCP, ABP, MFP, formula pharmacopuncture (FP), and EPP, respectively. Of clinical studies, 54.7%, 15.3%. 14.9% 10.0% and 1.5% were on ABP, MFP, EPP, SCP, and FP (1.5%), respectively. Among clinical studies, case reports and case series accounted for 76.5%, followed by randomized controlled trials (RCTs, 16.4%) and non-RCT (13.9%). Musculoskeletal diseases, toxicity and safety tests, anti-cancer effects, and nervous system diseases were mainly treated in experimental studies while musculoskeletal diseases, nervous system diseases, toxicity and safety tests, and autonomic nerve function tests were addressed in clinical studies. Bee venom (BV) was the most frequently-used pharmacopuncture in mechanism studies. Pharmacopuncture was mainly used to treat musculoskeletal diseases. Conclusion: Pharmacopuncture and studies of it have made great progress in Korea. Studies on BV pharmacopuncture and musculoskeletal diseases accounted for most of the studies reported during the review period. Research on the types of pharmacopuncture and diseases has to be expanded. Especially, studies on the use of MFP and EPP for treating patients with various diseases are needed.