• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.169-184
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• 2016

Objectives: To investigate the neurophysiological effect of acupuncture treatment on insomnia patients using quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and standardized Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography method (sLORETA).Background: Insomnia is one of the commonly encountered symptoms in primary medical care. Recent studies of acupuncture for insomnia reported that the acupuncture groups showed significant improvements compared with the control groups. However, the neurophysiological mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia has not been revealed and a few studies have measured the effect of acupuncture treatment using QEEG.Methods: Participants who had some problems in initiating or maintaining sleep, or had non-restorative sleep for more than 3 days a week and ISI scores above 8 and below 21 were treated by acupuncture for 2 weeks (3 times a week, total 6 times). We assessed the effectiveness of acupuncture for insomnia by the PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) at baseline and at 2 weeks after the end of treatment (4th week). Also, we performed EEG and analysed the EEG data at baseline and at the end of treatment (2nd week) on the linked ears montage using the Neuroguide software program and sLORETA.Results: Thirty-two participants were enrolled and 2 participants dropped out because of personal reasons. Among the 30 participants, EEGs of 12 participants were included in the analysis of QEEG and sLORETA. Total score on the ISI and PSQI was significantly decreased after acupuncture treatment. The number of electrodes exceeding the range of 90% (±1.65) or 95% (±1.96) in the z scored absolute power of beta was significantly decreased after acupuncture treatment. There was no significant change in brain activation between pre- and post-acupuncture using sLORETA.Conclusions: The deviation of absolute power compared to the normative database was significantly decreased after acupuncture treatment in the alpha and beta ranges. Therefore, we suggest that acupuncture treatment for insomnia might be effective through the central nervous system especially in the brain. There are many limitations to drawing any conclusion. Further studies are needed in the future to overcome these limitations.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.61-70
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• 2017

Objectives The purpose of this review is to analyse the trend in papers related with Korean Medicine Treatment after musculoskeletal disorder surgery. Methods We reviewed Korean Medicine papers by searching Korean web databases 'Korea Traditional Knowledge Portal', 'Scientific and Technological Information Integration Service (NDSL)', 'Academic Research Information Service (RISS)', 'Korea Medical Informati on Portal (OASIS)'. We classified the papers by the year of publishment, the title of journals, the type of study, surgery region, chief complain after surgery, main treatment, periods after surgery, assessment for outcomes. Results 1. Korean Medicine treatment after musculoskeletal disorder surgery has received more attention than in the past and there are attempts to do various studies besides the case reports. 2. 41 research papers were divided in to 3 original articles, 3 review articles, 35 case reports. But almost presented a low level of evidence. 3. Pain was the most common symptom after the musculoskeletal disorder surgery. Pain should be the primary goal of Korean rehabilitation treatment after musculoskeletal disorder surgery. 4. Assessment tools for outcome were concentrated in questionnaries, VAS and NRS. In order to evaluate better, it is necessary to evaluate the overall condition of the patient such as the quality of life evaluation and patient satisfaction. Conclusions In this study, we expect that the development and clinical application of Korean rehabilitation treatment program after musculoskeletal disorder surgery will be actively pursued.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.182-190
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• 2015

Objectives: To introduce a protocol of Mobi-kids study which was aimed to examine an association between radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposure by mobile phone use and brain tumor risk in children and adolescents. Methods: The Mobi-kids study was a multinational matched case control study using a standardized protocol with the number of subjects targeted about 1,000 cases and 2,000 controls aged 10 to 24. In Mobi-Kids Korea, the source population was restricted to Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do province. Eligible cases of primary brain tumor (glioma, meningioma, and others) were diagnosed from January 2012 to June 2015. Eligible controls were appendicitis patients operated during the study period. Two controls were matched on age, gender, and study region for 1 case. Information about pattern and history of mobile phone use and other covariates were obtained by face to face interview by trained interviewer. The Mobi-kids study has been involved in Mobi-expo as a validation study about mobile phone use, XGridmaster to localize tumor in the brain for RF energy calculation, and histological review for validation of diagnosis. Results: The Mobi-kids was the first and largest study in children and adolescents to estimate risk of brain tumor in association with the RF energy absorption in the brain estimated by mobile phone use. Forty-six-cases and 54 controls were collected as of September 2014 in Korea. Conclusions: The meaningful results of the study were expected because of the largest sample size, high validity of EMF exposure assessment as well as the susceptible study populationof children and adolescents.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 1994

We evaluated the effect of nicotinamide on cellular $O_{2}$ consumption and metabolic status i.e., adenylate phosphates and $NAD^{+}$in-vitro, and changes in blood flow in-vivo, to determine whether changes in cellular metabolism or increased oxygen availability, was responsible for increased tumor oxygenation. Thirty min, pre-incubation of cells with$\∼$4mM (= 500mg/kg) nicotinamide resulted in no change in cellular $O_{2}$ consumption. Similarly neither the adenylate Phosphates nor the cellular $NAD^{+}$levels were altered in the presence of $\∼$4mM nicontinamide. In-vivo, nicotinamide (500mg/kg) increased $O_{2}$ availability as estimated by changes in relative tumor blood flow (RBC flux). The changes in RBC flux measured by the laser Doppler method, were tumor volume dependent and increased from$\∼$35$ \% $ in$\∼$ 150$mm_{3}$tumors to$\∼$~75$ \% $ in$\∼$500$mm^{3}$ tumors. In conclusion, these observations indicate a reduction in local tissue $O_{2}$ consumption is not a mechanism of improved tumor oxygenation by nicotinamide in FSa II murine tumor model. The primary mechanism of increased $pO_{2}$ appears to be an increased local tumor blood flow.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.68-73
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• 2016

Ammonia is very toxic, and causes neuronal damage via excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Because the liver is the primary organ for ammonia metabolism, compromised liver function can result from inborn errors of metabolism. Measurement of blood ammonia has some limitations. Recently, several laboratories examined possible concurrent increases in plasma ammonia. However, the collection, handling, storage, and analysis of blood samples are all potential sources of error. For evaluation of rapidity and reliability of measurement of blood ammonia, the DRI-CHEM 100 (Fuji Film Co., Japan) and COBAS 8000 (Roche Diagnostic Ltd., Switzerland) analyzer were used for analysis of ammonia level values. The results of this study detected a high correlation between analyzer. Therefore, one-step measurement was suitable for ammonia analysis. After sampling of the ammonia in the time slot for measurement an increase to 46.5, 57.4, and 79.0 (${\mu}g/dL$) was observed at 30, 90, and 180 minutes. In addition, specific capacity of the ammonia, 7, 10, and 13 (${\mu}L$), was measured as 39, 46, and 43 (${\mu}g/dL$), respectively, and the FDC-100 analyzer was more effective in $10{\mu}L$ (p<0.001). In conclusion, the evaluated analysis may offer useful information for clinical application.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.183-198
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of clinical nutrition services provided at tertiary hospitals and general hospitals in Korea. In total, 157 questionnaires were distributed to the departments of nutrition at hospitals on September 2013. The results of this study are as follows. The median number of beds was 607 and average length of stay was 8 days. 63.1% of dietitians had over 5 years of career experience. Nutritional screening rate was 97% in tertiary hospitals but only 67.2% in general hospitals (P<0.001). The rate of equipment with computerized nutritional screening system was 100% in tertiary hospitals but 71.9% in general hospitals (P<0.001). Hospitals with the best regarding nutritional care were hospitals accredited by JCI (Joint Commission International). On the other hand, hospitals not accredited by the JCI but KOIHA (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation) showed the lowest performance rate of nutritional care. Nutrition support teams (NSTs) were established in all tertiary hospitals but in only 73% of general hospitals (P<0.001). The rate of actively operating NSTs was 89% in tertiary hospitals but only 62% in general hospitals (P<0.001). There is a need to provide proper standardized clinical nutrition services as a primary treatment and we observed large variations in the quality of nutritional service between hospitals. Therefore, local solutions are needed to implement nutritional programs and policies for improved service and care.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.43-52
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• 2021

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of 63 patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who received Korean medicine treatment. Methods This study identified and retrospectively reviewed the first visit records and clinical characteristics of all of the patients who visited the Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital and Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital at Gangdong in South Korea with ASD as their chief complaints. The herbal medicines that were prescribed according to the patient's symptoms were analyzed by separating them into categories. Results The data of 83 children with ASD were collected. Among them, the primary medical record charts of 63 patients were reviewed. Additional analysis was performed for 56 patients who were treated with herbal medicine. Through a retrospective chart review, the patients' clinical characteristics and the tendency of the prescribed herbal medicine was identified. Conclusions This study was conducted to provide preliminary data that proposes Korean medicine as a new alternative medical treatment. Our study is meaningful as it used the demographic and clinical records of 63 patients with ASD in Korea who visited an Korean medicine hospital in the last 11 years to identify tendencies and analyzed the prescriptions of two or more Korean medicine pediatricians.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.48 no.11
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• pp.1002-1011
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• 2018

Background and Objectives: The prognostic impact of left axis deviation (LAD) on clinical outcomes in acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS) with left bundle branch block (LBBB) is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of axis deviation in acute heart failure patients with LBBB. Methods: Between March 2011 and February 2014, 292 consecutive AHFS patients with LBBB were recruited from 10 tertiary university hospitals. They were divided into groups with no LAD (n=189) or with LAD (n=103) groups according to QRS axis <-30 degree. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Results: The median follow-up duration was 24 months. On multivariate analysis, the rate of all-cause death did not significantly differ between the normal axis and LAD groups (39.7% vs. 46.6%, adjusted hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.66, 1.53; p=0.97). However, on the multiple linear regression analysis to evaluate the predictors of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), presence of LAD significantly predicted a worse LVEF (adjusted beta, -3.25; 95% confidence interval, -5.82, -0.67; p=0.01). Right ventricle (RV) dilatation was defined as at least 2 of 3 electrocardiographic criteria (late R in lead aVR, low voltages in limb leads, and R/S ratio <1 in lead V5) and was more frequent in the LAD group than in the normal axis group (p<0.001). Conclusions: Among the AHFS with LBBB patients, LAD did not predict mortality, but it could be used as a significant predictor of worse LVEF and RV dilatation (Trial registry at KorAHF registry, ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT01389843).

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.196-201
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• 2023

Renal fibrosis is the final manifestation of chronic kidney disease (CKD) regardless of etiology. Hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) is an important regulator of chronic hypoxia, and the late-stage renal tubular HIF-2α activation exerts protective effects against renal fibrosis. However, its specific role in progressive renal fibrosis remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of the long-term tubular activation of HIF-2α on renal function and fibrosis, using in vivo and in vitro models of renal fibrosis. Progressive renal fibrosis was induced in renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) of tetracycline-controlled HIF-2α transgenic (Tg) mice and wild-type (WT) controls through a 6-week adenine diet. Tg mice were maintained on doxycycline (DOX) for the diet period to induce Tg HIF-2α expression. Primary TECs isolated from Tg mice were treated with DOX (5 ㎍/ml), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) (10 ng/ml), and a combination of both for 24, 48, and 72 hr. Blood was collected to analyze creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Pathological changes in the kidney tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, and Sirius Red staining. Meanwhile, the expression of fibronectin, E-cadherin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was observed using western blotting. Our data showed that serum Cr and BUN levels were significantly lower in Tg mice than in WT mice following the adenine diet. Moreover, the protein levels of fibronectin and E-cadherin and the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK were markedly reduced in the kidneys of adenine-fed Tg mice. These results were accompanied by attenuated fibrosis in Tg mice following adenine administration. Consistent with these findings, HIF-2α overexpression significantly decreased the expression of fibronectin in TECs, whereas an increase in α-SMA protein levels was observed after TGF-β1 stimulation for 72 hr. Taken together, these results indicate that long-term HIF-2α activation in CKD may inhibit the progression of renal fibrosis and improve renal function, suggesting that long-term renal HIF-2α activation may be used as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CKD.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2024

Background: The pathogenesis of orofacial cleft (OFC) is multifactorial, involving both genetic and non-genetic factors, the latter of which play a key role in the development of these anomalies. This paper addresses the incidence of OFC in Indonesia, with a focus on identifying and examining the distribution of contributory factors, including parental medical history, pregnancy history, and environmental influences. Methods: The study was conducted through the collection of primary data. An interdisciplinary research team from Indonesia administered a standardized questionnaire to parents who had children with OFC and who had provided informed consent. The case group comprised 133 children born with cleft lip and/or palate, and the control was 133 noncleft children born full-term. The risk factors associated with OFC anomalies were analyzed using the chi-square test and logistic regression. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25. A p-value of 0.05 or less was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: The study comprised 138 children, of whom 82 were boys (59.4%) and 56 were girls (40.6%). Among them, 45 patients (32.6%) presented with both cleft lip and cleft palate, 25 individuals (18.1%) had a cleft palate only, and 28 patients (20.3%) had a cleft lip only. OFC was found to be significantly associated with a maternal family history of congenital birth defects (p<0.05), complications during the first trimester (p<0.05), consumption of local fish (p<0.05), caffeine intake (p<0.05), prolonged medication use (p<0.05), immunization history (p<0.05), passive smoking (p<0.05), and X-ray exposure during pregnancy (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings indicate close relationships between the incidence of OFC and maternal medical history, prenatal factors, and environmental influences.