• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.592-600
• /
• 2022

Background: Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the most common endocrine disrupting chemical used as a plasticizer. DEHP is associated with the development of endometrium-related diseases through the induction of inflammation. The major therapeutic approaches against endometrial cancer and endometriosis involve the suppression of inflammatory response. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is a natural product with anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of KRG on DEHP-induced inflammatory response in endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells and a mouse model of endometriosis. Methods: RNA-sequencing was performed and analyzed on DEHP-treated Ishikawa cells in the presence and absence of KRG. The effects of KRG on DEHP-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA levels in Ishikawa cells were determined by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, the effects of KRG on the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) pathway, COX-2, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) p65 after DEHP treatment of Ishikawa cells were evaluated by western blotting. In the mouse model, the severity of endometriosis induced by DEHP and changes in immunohistochemistry were used to assess the protective effect of KRG. Results: According to the RNA-sequencing data, DEHP-induced inflammatory response-related gene expression was downregulated by KRG. Moreover, KRG significantly inhibited DEHP-induced ERK1/2/NF-κB/COX-2 levels in Ishikawa cells. In the mouse model, KRG administration significantly inhibited ectopic endometriosis growth after DEHP-induced endometriosis. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that KRG may be a promising lead for the treatment of endometrial cancer and endometriosis via suppression of the inflammatory response.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.105-116
• /
• 2021

Objectives Lumbar herniated intervertebral disc (L-HIVD) is common disease in which Western-Korean collaborative treatment is performed in Korea. This study aimed to analyze Western-Korean collaborative treatment utilization of Korean patients with L-HIVD using Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service's Patients Sample Data. Methods This study used the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service-National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS) in 2018. Claim data of L-HIVD patients were extracted. The claim data were rebuilt with the operational concept of 'episode of care' and divided into Korean medicine episode group (KM), Western medicine episode group (WM) and collaborative treatment episode group (CT). General characteristics, medical expenses and healthcare utilization were analyzed. In addition, the difference of average visit day and average medical expenses between non-collaborative group (KM plus WM) and CT were analyzed by the propensity score matching method. Results A Total of 64,333 patients and 365,745 claims were extracted. The number of episodes of WM, KM and CT was 69,383 (92.97%), 3,903 (5.23%), and 1,341 (1.80%) respectively. The frequency of collaborative treatment episode was higher in women and the age of 50s. The most frequently described treatment in CT was acupuncture therapy. As a result of the propensity score matching, the number of visit days and medical expenses in the collaborative treatment group was higher than in the non-collaborative group. Conclusions The analysis of healthcare utilization of Korean-Western collaborative treatment may be used as basic data for establishing medical policies and systematic collaborative treatment model in the future.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.11-24
• /
• 2023

Objectives: To report the improvement of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and pantalgia with integrative cancer treatment on adverse effects of chemotherapy in a breast cancer patient. Methods: A 63-year-old female patient who has been diagnosed with breast cancer got treated for 103 days with integrative cancer treatment including acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, physiotherapies, hand and foot bath to decrease side effects of chemotherapy. The patient was also treated Western immunotherapies like Thymosin, Viscum album. Paclitaxel, Carboplatin, Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide was applied and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy(CIPN), pantalgia and nausea occured. The efficacy of treatment was measured by a numeric rating scale(NRS) of symptoms, National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event(NCI-CTCAE) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group(ECOG) Performance Status Scale. Results: The NRS scroes for CIPN, pantalgia, nausea were improved. There was no adverse effects of 3 or higher assessed by the NCI-CTCAE. The ECOG grade improved from grade 2 to 1. Conclusions: This study suggests that integrative cancer treatment could improve CIPN, pantalgia after chemotherapy in breast cancer.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.59-67
• /
• 2023

Purpose : Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is recognized as an important cellular response in metastatic proceduresand characterized by loss of cellular polarity as well as gain of mesenchymal features, which enables migration and invasion. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common primary carcinomas in the liver and exhibits a poor prognosis due to frequent extrahepatic metastasis. Taraxacum officinale has been used for a long time in oriental medicine because of its various pharmacological activitiessuch as anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anticarcinogenic activities. In this study, the anti-metastatic activity of T. officinale water extract (TOWE) and ethanol extract (TOEE) was investigated through the regulation of EMT in the Huh7 cells. Methods : The effects of TOWE and TOEE on migratory and invasive activities were investigated by wound healing and in vitro invasion assays. Western blot analysis was also applied to analyze protein expression levels associated with EMT and their upstream transcription factors in Huh7 cells. Results : TOWE and TOEE treatment potently inhibited migration and invasion of Huh7 cells compared to the untreated group. Both extracts treatment inhibited protein expression levels of N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and vimentin while E-cadherin was significantly accelerated. In addition, the activated status of transcription factors, Snail, nuclear factor (NF)-κ B, and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox (ZEB)1 was also inhibited with statistical significance. In comparison to both extracts, TOEE more potently attenuated migration, invasion, and EMT markers as well as their transcription factors in Huh7 cells than TOWE, which means that TOEE might possess more functional phytochemicals than TOWE. Conclusion : Consequently, TOWE and TOEEattenuated metastatic activity of hepatocellular carcinoma through the regulation of EMT markers and their transcription factors in Huh7 cells, which means that T. officinale might be a promising strategy for a chemopreventive agent against HCC metastasis.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.163-169
• /
• 2020

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate the anti-allergic effect of Persicaria perfoliata water extract (PPWE) on IgE stimulated rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cell line. Methods : P. perfoliata (L.) H. Gross has been used in traditional medicine as an anti-allergic agent, antipyretic, and diuretic and for respiratory disorders. To analyze the anti-allergic activity of PPWE, release of β-hexosaminidase in RBL-2H3 cells was estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Also, the cytotoxic effect of PPWE was identified by WST assay, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB and its upstream signaling molecules were assessed by western blot analysis. Results : PPWE treatment significantly attenuated β-hexosaminidase release in a dose dependent manner without any cytotoxicity. PPWE inhibited β-hexosaminidase activity by 38.4±1.2, 36.6±0.6, 32.5±2.2 and 26.5±1.2 at 500, 250, 100, and 50 ㎍/㎖ of PPWE, respectively, compared with the control group. In addition, an analysis of the expression level of NF-κB, an inflammation transcription factor, in RBL-2H3 cells upon IgE stimulation provided reults consistent with the results of β-hexosaminidase release. The phosphorylated status of upstream signaling molecules for transcription factor, mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), was also analyzed. The results showed that PPWE treatment dose-dependently inhibited phosphorylation of extracellular regulatory kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). These results show that PPWE had a strong IgE-mediated degranulation inhibitory effect on RBL-2H3 cells. Conclusion : P. perfoliata ameliorated IgE-mediated allergic reaction via the modulation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathway in RBL-2H3 cells. These results indicate that P. perfoliata could be a potential candidate for a treatment strategy against various allergic disorders.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.11-22
• /
• 2015

Objective : This study aims to figure out what the medical students' attitudes toward traditional Korean medicine (TKM) are and how TKM education affects them. Method : We performed content analysis on 283 assignments submitted by senior students who took a 'TKM and complementary alternative medicine (CAM)' course in a medical school in 2010 and 2011. The assignment was to write an report after reviewing a research article about 'TKM or CAM' or interviewing a person engaging in a related field. Results : 193(68.2%) students chose a article review and 90(31.8%) students chose an interview. Significantly more students chose TKM topic in interview group than in article review group(p=0.021). Most frequent questions in interview are as follows; 'comparison of TKM and western medicine'(15.7%), 'education in TKM school'(8.8%), and 'TKM and evidence based medicine'(8.8%). Among students who expressed their attitudes toward TKM, 52.4% of them showed positive attitudes before entering medical school, however, 54.6% of them showed negative attitudes in medical school years. Among students who indicated attitude change before and after the TKM course, 35.9% of them changed positively. Conclusion : TKM education might have positive effects on medical students' attitude toward TKM. It is necessary to expand TKM education and introduce effective education stategy in order to alleviate medical students' misunderstanding and prejudice against TKM.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.19-25
• /
• 2005

This study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary salt on the synthesis of glucocorticoids in the adrenal cortex of mice. Mice had ad libitum access to 3% sodium chloride as the only drinking fluid (high salt diet) for either 4 days or 4 weeks. Adrenocortical expression of cytochrome P450 11beta-hydroxylase, a major regulatory enzyme in the biosynthesis of glucocorticoids, was examined by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Ultrastructure of adrenocortical cell and plasma level of corticosterone were analyzed as well. Size and density of lipid droplets in the cortical cell were increased by high salt diet. Four days of high salt diet decreased P450 11beta-hydroxylase in the adrenal cortex, but 4 weeks increased it. Plasma level of corticosterone changed in parallel with the Cortical level of P450 11 beta-hydroxylase. These results suggest that high salt diet may modulate the biosynthesis of glucocorticoids, at least partly, via regulating the expression of P450 11beta-hydroxylase in adrenocortical cells.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.228-236
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The purposes of this study is to provide basic informations on oriental medical research and treatment through analysis of breast cancer patients, who visited M $\mu$ integrative cancer center, O O university East-West neo medical center. Methods: Electronic medical records of 106 breast cancer patients who visited oriental medical center from June 2, 2006 to February 28, 2008 were selected to collect clinical data of those patients. Clinical data were analyzed for types of clinical characteristics, and received therapies. For analysis of survival and recurrence, Kaplan-Meier method was used. All the data were processed and analyzed using SPSS version 13.0. Results: Average age of breast cancer patients, who visited oriental medical center was 48.72 ($\pm$10.13). The stage distribution record indicated stage I (5.8%), stage II (7.0%), stage III (5.8%), and stage IV (81.4%). Original purposes of patients were analyzed to be supplementary treatment for western therapy (68.9%), treatment for recurrence prevention (18.9%), and oriental medical treatment (12.2%) in order. While receiving oriental medical treatment, 60.4% of patients received conventional medical treatment simultaneously. Conclusion: Majority of patients who visited oriental medical hospital were stage IV at terminal stage and mainly visited for the purpose of supportive care. Further clinical study of breast cancer patients is needed to validate the effectiveness of oriental medical treatment based on this study.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.13-30
• /
• 2024

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the influence of various sleep-related factors that affect sleep quality by each Sasang type. Methods A total of 400 subjects were included for this study, 108 males and 292 females. Sasang type was diagnosed using the SCAT. Then, the characteristics of each Sasang type were analyzed using HRV, DITI, and PSQI, PSS, and SDFI questionnaires. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict sleep-related factors that affect sleep disorders by Sasang types. Results This study shows that the pathophysiological characteristics for stress and digestive function of each Sasang type can differentiate sleep management through a logistic regression model including subscales of PSS and SDFI. Stress had no effect on the occurrence of sleep disturbance within only So-Eum, since the stress level is originally high in the So-Eum regardless of sleep quality. Rather, decreased appetite and poor eating habits had a significant impact on the decline in sleep quality. In addition, poor digestion and eating habits in So-Yang had a greater impact and poor digestion in Tae-Eum had a greater impact on the decline in sleep quality. Conclusion The stress and subscales of digestive function provide differentiated sleep management in So-Yang, Tae-Eum, and So-Eum types. The individualized sleep management for each Sasang type with statistically validated PSS and SDFI would be useful for sleep-related experts planning safe and effective person-centered health care as well as for Western clinicians who want to incorporate Sasang typology into their treatments as integrative medical technique in the future.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.61-70
• /
• 2017

Objectives The purpose of this survey is to know the rehabilitation therapists' awareness on the oriental medicine treatments for developmentally delayed children. Methods We distributed questionnaires to 370 rehabilitation therapists and collected 260 of them. We analyzed the data from the collected 260 questionnaires. Results 1. 60% of the participants didn't know what the oriental medicine treatment pertains. 2. 28% of the participants were aware the benefits of the oriental medicine treatment, especially in improving physical fitness and general health. 3. 30% of the participants worried about the side effect of the oriental medicine treatment such as increasing liver somatic index, changing of body weight, muscle stiffness or pain. 4. 53% of the participants said they refer to western medicine primary care doctor when parents of young patients ask rehabilitation therapists about the oriental medicine treatment option for their children. 5. Many participants think that the oriental treatment option should be widely recognized and understood. Conclusions This study shows that the rehabilitation therapists' low awareness about the oriental medicine treatment option for developmentally delayed children.