• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

Objectives : This study was conducted to analyze the single dose toxicity of Mecasin (Gami-Jakyak Gamcho buja Decoction) herbal acupuncture administered in the vein of Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods : All experiments were performed at the Medvill, an institution licensed to conduct nonclinical studies, under the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen in this pilot study. In the experiment, Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of five male and five female animals per group. Doses of Mecasin herbal acupuncture, at 0, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg, were given to the experimental groups, and a dose of normal saline solution, at 2 ml/kg, was administered to the control group. Mecasin herb acupuncture and normal saline were injected into the vein at once, and we observed mortality, clinical signs, weights, and gross findings for 14 days after injection. This study was conducted under the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. Results : There is no death or abnormality in any of the four groups. All groups put on weights favorably. There are no significant gross findings in necropsy examinations. Conclusions : The above results showed that intravenous injection of 500-2,000 mg/kg of Mecasin herb acupuncture did not cause any changes in weight or, in the results of necropsy examinations, in mortalities. Therefore, the toxicity of Mecasin herb acupuncture was not confirmed, and the presumptive lethal dose of Mecasin herb acupuncture was higher than 2,000 mg/kg. The outcomes suggest that treatment with Mecasin herbal acupuncture is relatively safe. Further evaluations on this subject are needed to yield more concrete evidence.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.56-62
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to assess both the approximate lethal dose and the single dose intramuscular injection toxicity of Danggui (Angelica gigantis radix) pharmacopuncture (DGP) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Methods: The experiments were conducted at the good laboratory practice (GLP) laboratory, Biotoxtech Co., which is a laboratory approved by the ministry of food and drug safety (MFDS). The study was performed according to the GLP regulation and the toxicity test guidelines of the MFDS (2009) after approval of the institutional animal care and use committee of Biotoxtech. Single doses of DGP were injected intramuscularly into the rats in three test groups of 6 week old SD rats (5 male and 5 female rats per groups) in the amounts of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mL/animal for groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively, and normal saline solution in the amount of 1.0 mL/animal was injected intramuscularly into the rats (5 male and 5 female rats) in the control group. Observations of the general symptoms and weight measurements were performed during the 14 day observation period after the injection. Hematologic and serum biochemical examination, necropsy, and a local tolerance test at the injection site were done after the observation period. Results: No death was observed in three test groups (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mL/animal group). In addition, the injection of DGP had no effect on general symptoms, weights, hematologic and serum biochemical examination, and necropsy. The results from the local tolerance tests at injection site showed no treatment related effects in the SD rats. Conclusion: The results of single dose intramuscular injection of DGP suggest that the approximate lethal dose is above 1.0 mL/animal for both male and female SD rats and that intramuscular injection of DGP may be safe.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.63-71
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was carried out to analyze the single-dose toxicity of Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture injected into the muscle of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Methods: All experiments were performed at Biotoxtech, an institution certified to conduct non-clinical studies under the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. Six week old SD rats reared by ORIENTBIO were chosen for this pilot study. The reason SD rats were chosen is that they have been widely used in safety tests in the field of medicine, so the results can be easily compared with many other databases. The Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture was made in a clean room at the Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute (KPI, K-GMP). The constituents of the Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture are Angelicae gigantis radix, Strychni semen and Glycyrrhizae radix. These were extracted at low temperature and low pressure in an aseptic room at the KPI. Doses of Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mL, were administered to the experimental groups, and a dose of normal saline solution, 1.0 mL, was administered to the control group. This study was performed under the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee of Biotoxtech Co., Ltd. Results: No deaths or abnormalities occurred in any of the four groups. No significant changes in weight, hematological parameters or clinical chemistry between the control group and the experimental groups were observed. To determine if abnormalities existed in any organs and tissues, we used microscopy to examine representative histological sections of each specified organ; the results showed no significant differences in any of the organs or tissues. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that treatment with Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture is relatively safe and that its clinical use may be beneficial. Further evaluations and studies on this subject will be needed to provide more concrete evidence in support of these conclusions.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.588-592
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• 2007

The prevalence of E. coli(K99), Clostridium perfringens and Cryptosporidium parvum on acute diarrhea in suckling Korean native calves was evaluated in the field by a veterinary practice. In diagnosis, fecal samples were directly collected from calves that had diarrhea between 2 and 98 days of age. 40 samples were analyzed in October, 2006 and December, 2006. Clostridium perfringens and Cryptosporidium parvum were detected in 15(37.5%) and 4(10.0%) of the samples from diarrhetic calves, respectively. However, E. coli(K99) was not detected in the samples from diarrhetic calves. There was no significant difference(p>0.05) between October(5, 25.0%) and December(10, 50.0%) in incidence of detected Clostridium perfringens from diarrhetic calves. On the other hand, significant differences (p<0.05) in the detection rate of Clostridium perfringens were found between the within 1 month age and all other age groups. In the detection of Cryptosporidium parvum, there was no significant difference(p<0.05) between October (2, 10.0%) and December(2, 10.0%) in the incidence of detected Cryptosporidium parvum from diarrhetic calves. These results suggest that causative agents of calf diarrhea occurred frequently with Clostridium perfringens infection than E. coli(K99) and Cryptosporidium parvum.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.553-567
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• 2020

Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with obesity and its related metabolic diseases. Adipose tissues store and metabolize vitamin D and expression levels of vitamin D metabolizing enzymes are known to be altered in obesity. Sequestration of vitamin D in large amount of adipose tissues and low vitamin D metabolism may contribute to the vitamin D inadequacy in obesity. Vitamin D receptor is expressed in adipose tissues and vitamin D regulates multiple aspects of adipose biology including adipogenesis as well as metabolic and endocrine function of adipose tissues that can contribute to the high risk of metabolic diseases in vitamin D insufficiency. We will review current understanding of vitamin D regulation of adipose biology focusing on vitamin D modulation of adiposity and adipose tissue functions as well as the molecular mechanisms through which vitamin D regulates adipose biology. The effects of supplementation or maintenance of vitamin D on obesity and metabolic diseases are also discussed.

• Kidney Research and Clinical Practice
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.69-77
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• 2016

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, and its pathogenesis is complex and has not yet been fully elucidated. Abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism is key to understanding the pathogenesis of DN, which can develop in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A hallmark of this disease is the accumulation of glucose and lipids in renal cells, resulting in oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress, intracellular hypoxia, and inflammation, eventually leading to glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis. There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that dysregulation of 50 adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an enzyme that plays a principal role in cell growth and cellular energy homeostasis, in relevant tissues is a key component of the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus; thus, targeting this enzyme may ameliorate some pathologic features of this disease. AMPK regulates the coordination of anabolic processes, with its activation proven to improve glucose and lipid homeostasis in insulin-resistant animal models, as well as demonstrating mitochondrial biogenesis and antitumor activity. In this review, we discuss new findings regarding the role of AMPK in the pathogenesis of DN and offer suggestions for feasible clinical use and future studies of the role of AMPK activators in this disorder.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제64권3호
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• pp.329-339
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• 2021

It has been recognised for over a century that the events of gastrulation are fundamental in determining, not only the development of the neuraxis but the organisation of the entire primitive embryo. Until recently our understanding of gastrulation was based on detailed histological analysis in animal models and relatively rare human tissue preparations from aborted fetuses. Such studies resulted in a model of gastrulation that neurosurgeons have subsequently used as a means of trying to explain some of the congenital anomalies of caudal spinal cord and vertebral development that present in paediatric neurosurgical practice. Recent advances in developmental biology, in particular cellular biology and molecular genetics have offered new insights into very early development. Understanding the processes that underlie cellular interactions, gene expression and activation/inhibition of signalling pathways has changed the way embryologists view gastrulation and this has led to a shift in emphasis from the 'descriptive and morphological' to the 'mechanistic and functional'. Unfortunately, thus far it has proved difficult to translate this improved knowledge of normal development, typically derived from non-human models, into an understanding of the mechanisms underlying human malformations such as the spinal dysraphisms and anomalies of caudal development. A paediatric neurosurgeons perspective of current concepts in gastrulation is presented along with a critical review of the current hypotheses of human malformations that have been attributed to disorders of this stage of embryogenesis.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.141-154
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• 2024

Background: As preexisting comorbidities are risk factors for Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19), improved tools are needed for screening or diagnosing COVID-19 in clinical practice. Difficulties of including vulnerable patient data may create data imbalance and hinder the provision of well-performing prediction tools, such as artificial intelligence (AI) models. Thus, we systematically reviewed studies on AI prognosis prediction in patients infected with COVID-19 and existing comorbidities, including cancer, to investigate model performance and predictors dependent on patient data. PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were searched. This study included research meeting the criteria of using AI to predict outcomes in COVID-19 patients, whether they had cancer or not. Preprints, abstracts, reviews, and animal studies were excluded from the analysis. Majority of non-cancer studies (54.55 percent) showed an area under the curve (AUC) of >0.90 for AI models, whereas 30.77 percent of cancer studies showed the same result. For predicting mortality (3.85 percent), severity (8.33 percent), and hospitalization (14.29 percent), only cancer studies showed AUC values between 0.50 and 0.69. The distribution of comorbidity data varied more in non-cancer studies than in cancer studies but age was indicated as the primary predictor in all studies. Non-cancer studies with more balanced datasets of comorbidities showed higher AUC values than cancer studies. Based on the current findings, dataset balancing is essential for improving AI performance in predicting COVID-19 in patients with comorbidities, especially considering age.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.57-66
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to analyze single dose toxicity and the lethal dose of Scolopendrid Pharmacopuncture in rats. Methods: All experiments were conducted at the Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTR), an institution authorized to perform non-clinical studies, under the regulations of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen for the pilot study. Doses of Scolopendrid pharmacopuncture, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mL, were administered to the experimental group, and 1.0 mL doses of normal saline solution were administered to the control group. This study was conducted under the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethic Committee. Results: No deaths or abnormalities occurred in any of the groups. No significant changes in the weight, hematological parameters or clinical chemistry were noted between the control group and the experimental group. To check for abnormalities in organs and tissues, we used microscopy to examine representative histological sections of each specified organ; the results showed no significant differences in any of the organs or tissues. Conclusion: The above findings suggest Scolopendrid Pharmacopuncture is a relatively safe to use for treatment. Further studies on the subject should be conducted to yield more concrete evidence.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.157-180
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• 2022

Objectives: To perform a systematic review of placenta pharmacopuncture for treating neuropsychiatric diseases, focusing on its efficacy and the safety so that evidence on its clinical use could be obtained, thus contributing to further studies. Methods: Through Korean, English, and Chinese databases (OASIS, Korean TK, KISS, RISS, ScienceON, Pubmed, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, CNKI, and Wanfang), combinations of keywords (placenta, pharmacopuncture, etc.) were used to select clinical studies published until January 2021 about placenta pharmacopuncture for neuropsychiatric diseases. Interventions included combined treatments. Study design included cases studies, series, and clinical trials. Cohort studies, literature reviews, in vitro and animal experiments were excluded. The primary outcomes involved measurements of symptoms, Visual Analogue Scale, or questionnaires. Data extracted from databases were imported to Endnote X7 to remove duplicates. The quality of the literature was assessed based on CAse REports Guidelines and Cochrane's Risk of Bias (ROB). Results: Twenty-one studies were selected, including ten case reports, three case series, two one-armed clinical trials, one non-randomized clinical trial, and five randomized clinical trials. There were six studies on sleep disorders, five studies on stroke sequela, two on mood disorders, two on enuresis, two on Guillain-Barré syndrome, two on multiple sclerosis, one on neurocognitive disorder, and one on vertigo. The most frequent combined treatment was acupuncture in both the experimental group (n=10) and the control group (n=3). Acupoints were ST36, SP6, BL23, CV4, GB20, GV20, N-HN54, and so on. All studies reported improvement of symptoms. The quality of case studies was relatively high. Assessment of ROBs resulted in low risks. Conclusions: Placenta pharmacopuncture is effective for neuropsychiatric diseases such as sleep disorders, mood disorders, enuresis, and neurocognitive disorders. Regarding insomnia, several studies have reported significant improvements with placenta pharmacopuncture. There was no adverse event associated with placenta pharmacopuncture.