• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: A randomized, controlled pilot trial was conducted. Twenty-two participants were randomized into one of the two groups: an acupuncture group (n=11) and wait-list group (n=11). The treatment group received 8 sessions of electroacupuncture over 8 weeks. Twenty points (CV4, CV12, both LR14, GB26, ST25, ST34, ST40, ST36, SP4, SP6, LR3) were selected for needling. The control group did not receive acupuncture treatment during study period and followup were done in the 4th and 8th weeks after randomization in both groups. The primary outcome was body fat computed tomography and the secondary outcomes included blood test (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transferase, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoproteincholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, blood sugar test, ${\gamma}$-guanosine triphosphate) and body composition test (body mass index, weight, body fat mass, body fat rate, waist hip ratio). Safety was assessed at every visit. Results: There was no significant differences in between the experimental group and control group. There were no adverse events. Conclusions: The results suggest that In patients with NAFLD, electroacupuncture treatment did not induce worsening of liver disease and liver function, but it was no improvement symptoms of fatty liver. Study of herb medicine treatments and other acupuncture therapy of NAFLD are required later.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.112-138
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to organize the research methods and results of studies related to the temperature of the warm needle for systematic utilization of warm needling technique. Methods: This study used the databases of nine (Pubmed, Science Direct, Cochrane Central, 4 Korean databases, CNKI, CiNii) to analyze temperature-related studies of the warm needle from 2000 to June 2019. Results: A total of 19 papers were included. Of these, 15 were used for mugwort, 2 for high frequency, and 1 for both mugwort and high frequency, and the other one for a ceramic heater. The maximum temperature rises as the amount of moxibustion increases. It is also affected by the density of moxa and the ignition part. There were 16 papers using stainless steel needles and 4 papers using a needle made of gold or silver to compare. In the area of the needle, the closer it is to moxibustion, the hotter it is. Compared to stainless steel needles, gold and silver needles showed almost twice the temperature. The effects of environment and radiant heat should be considered during warm needle procedures. Conclusions: There are various experimental methods such as warm needle technique materials, methods, measuring parts, measuring instruments, etc. The results were also very diverse. When setting the heating source, ignition part, size of moxibustion, etc. of warm needles, it should be implemented in a way that takes safety and validity into account. Considerations for temperature characteristics, radiant heat, etc. of warm needles will be needed when making warm needle apparatus.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.257-271
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to confirm that the pulse analyzer is useful for analyzing characteristics of variables of pulse waves in age categories, evaluating pulse waves of the metabolic syndrome group, compared with those of the non-metabolic syndrome group in Korean adults. Methods : The pulse wave variables were measured in Guan of all 1,056 subjects by the pulse analyzer, using a pen-type piezoresistive sensor. The physical measurement, blood test and survey were also performed by each subject. Results : In the age categories, height of pre-incisura (h2), height of tidal wave (h3), area of percussion wave (Aw), and width of percussion wave (w) increased in accordance with increase in age. While ratio of systolic period area (As) went up according to the increase of age, ratio of diastolic period area (Ad) went down. Radial augmentation index (R-AI), h2/h1, h3/h1, w/t and angle of percussion wave went up by aging, generally. Aw rate (Aw/At) also increased. Among the metabolic syndrome group, in the ages of 19 and 44, ratio of systolic period area (As) was higher and ratio of diastolic period area (Ad) was lower than in the non-metabolic group. w/t, Aw/At, and angle of percussion wave were higher than in the non-metabolic syndrome group. Among the metabolic syndrome group over the age of 60, height of pre-incisura (h2), height of tidal wave (h3), total area (At), area of percussion wave (Aw), radial augmentation index (R-AI), h2/h1 and h3/h1 were higher than in the non-metabolic syndrome group. Conclusions : The pulse analyzer is useful to analyze arterial stiffness in the age categories and in the metabolic syndrome group by some measures.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.88-97
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• 2012

DSOM(Diagnosis System of Oriental Medicine), questionnaire for oriental medical(medicine) diagnosis is an online survey system containing 152 questions for female, 149 questions for male that asking the basic symtoms of 16 pathogenic factors(病機). The result of DSOM denotes reliability according to the level of major symptoms of each pathogenic factor. Standard level of reliability is equal to all 16 pathogenic factor basically except phlegm(痰). In case of phlegm(痰) we give different weight depending on whether the factor includes gray color under the orbit(痰飮氣) or not. To examine reliability of DSOM, statistical analysis has been done to the data of felmale 10101, male 1564 except for bad responses and stored between 1st April 2000 to 3rd June 2011. Based on the study, the conclusions were as follows. Reliability of DSOM. For female, all pathogenic factors showed over 85% confidence level except for phlegm 82.6%. For male, all pathogenic factors showed more than 90% confidence level except two factors, phlegm(痰) indicates 87.% and damp(濕) indicates 89.8%. HH rates among pathogenic factors were more than 50 points. For female, HH rates of other 14 pathogenic factors were all over 80% except for heat(熱) 78.2% and insufficiency of Yang(陽虛) 75.3%. For male HH rates of all pathogenic factors were more than 80% except HH rates of heat 78.2% and damp 77.8%. Research based on a degree of satisfaction of reliability derived from pathogenic factors with scores of HH results in for all 16 pathogenic factors showed over 85% of relatively high level of satisfaction for both sexes whose reliability standard come under 5~4 points. Comparing appearance frequency of pathogenic factors for both sexes. Male only displays higer than female in heat(熱). Whereas female were higher than male for other 15 pathogenic factors and the difference was biggest in heart(心) and least in insufficiency of Yin(陰虛). Comparing appearance frequency order of pathogenic factors for both sexes. Female outdistanced male in blood stasis(血瘀) coldness(寒) blood-deficiency(血虛) phlegm(痰), while male outdistance female in heat(熱) insufficiency of Yin(陰虛) deficiency of qi(氣虛). Male had lower average of each pathogenic factors than female except heat(熱) as well as deficiency of qi(氣虛).

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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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.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.45-55
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• 2015

Objective : The aim of this study was to survey the present utilization of pattern identification(PI) in the clinical field among Korean Medicine Doctors. Method : This survey was conducted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31, 2014 by face-to-face interview using structured questionnaire. The subjects were 400 korean medicine doctors who worked in hospitals or clinics. The questionnaire consisted of two sections - a demographics section(i.e., sex, age, clinical experience, place of work, residence and so on) and the main research section(i.e., the PI utilization rate, the utilization of PI systems, the utilization of PI in the clinical domain and in the treatment domain, the correlation between utilization PI and so on). Results : This study revealed that subjects used the PI to 66.7% of their patients on average. The utilization rate of PI in patients was significantly higher for female physicians than for male physicians, for physicians worked in clinics than for physicians who worked in hospitals and for physicians with more than 10 years clinical experience than for physicians with less than 10 years clinical experience. In the utilization of PI systems, Visceral PI was most as 92.0%. There were significant difference on the PI utilization rate according to utilization of Meridian and Collateral PI, Triple Energizer PI, Defense, Qi, Nutrient and Blood PI, Six-Meridian PI and Six Excesses PI. As a result of analysing the PI utilization rate by clinical domain and in the treatment domain, the Treatment and the Drug Treatment showed the highest values. Among utilized PI systems, the correlation coefficients between Defense, Qi, Nutrient and Blood PI and Triple Energizer PI showed the highest value, but the correlation coefficients between Sasang Constitutional Medicine with the each PI showed substantially lower value. Conclusion : The results of this study demonstrate that usage of PI was higher than usage of U code(in KCD) usage in clinical field. we suggested that additional studies on using PI and developing more appropriate standardized tool should be conducted to widen scope of PI's utilization.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.43-56
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• 1996

As considering a study of the So-um-In and So-yang-In desease, I know each of Extra-disease (表病) and Intra-disease (裏病). I takes serious view of the Extra-Intra-Um-Yang-Up-Down (表裏陰陽升降). I try to join costitutional disease to the parts of human body, which base on the theory on Sa-sang constituional Medicine. And I make some diagrams of them. They could be summerized as follows. 1.The Extra-qi (表氣) is four-viscera (四臟) and four back parts of hurman body (後四海). The Intra-qi (裏氣) is four-digestive organs (四腑) and four fore parts of human body (前四海). 2. It is important that Yang-qi (陽氣) go up at So-um-In Extra-disease (少陰人 表病) and Um-qi (陰氣) go down at So-yang-In Extra-disease (少陽人 表病). And It is important that Um-qi (陰氣) go down at So-um-In Intra-disease (少陰人 裏病) and Yang-qi of Large Intestine (大關局) go up at So-yang-In Intra-disese (少陽人 裏病). 3. Looking into the Extra-disease, ◈ Sin-Yang-Gon-Yiel (腎陽困熱) and Ha-Cho-Chuk-Hyel (下篇蓄血) of So-um-In disease are the disease that Yang-qi don't go up from the buttock. So-Yang-sang-Pung (少陽傷風) of So-yang-In disease is the disease that Um-qi don't go down from the upper back. ◈ Yui-Ga-Sil (胃家室) of So-um-In disease is the disease that Yang-qi don't go up from the lower abdomen Gyel-Hung (結胸) of So-yang-In disease is the disease that Um-qi don't go down from the thorax. ◈ Mang-Yang (亡陽) of So-um-In disease is the disease that Yang-qi don't go up from Intra-qi so it go out to the Extra-qi. Mang-Um (亡陰) of So-yang-In disease is the disease that Um-qi don't go down from the Extra-qi so it go into the Extra-qi. ◈ Dea-Jang-Pa-Han of So-um-In disease and Sim-Ha-Gyel-Hung (心下結胸) of So-yang-In desease are half of Extra-qi and Inrea-qi. 4. Looking into the Intra-disease, ◈ The Intra-disease of So-um-In is Tae-um symtom (太陰證) and So-um symtom (少陰證). The So-um symtom is more severe than Tae-um symtom because a cold wave of Large Intestine (大腸冷氣) involve a warm wave of Stomach (胃局). ◈ The Intra-disease of So-yang-In is not to go up Yang-qi of Large Intestine. Deficit of Yang-qi from Large Intestine which go up at Stomach is more sever than deficit of Yang-qi from Stomach which go up at extremes.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1762-1768
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• 2004

The Korean formula medicine, Gami-Yukmi-Jihwang-Tang (GYJT) has been used for growing slowly, short of stature, incomplete development, fatigue, weak child, growing pain of child. However, it is still unclear how GYJT has an effect on experimental models. In the present study, the author investigated the immune-enhancing effect of GYJT. Forced swimming test (FST) was performed as a model of activity test in mice and measured blood urea nitrogen (BUN), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), glucose (Glc) and total protein (TP) in the serum. GYJT (1, 0.1 and 0.01 g/㎏) were orally administered to mice, once per day for 7 days using a feeding atraumatic needle. After 3 days, on FST, the immobility time was significantly decreased in the GYJT (0.01g/㎏/day)-fed group (120.75±5.71s) in comparison with the saline-fed group (153.80±10.74s). After 7 days, the immobility time was significantly decreased in the GYJT (0.1 and 0.01g/㎏/day)-fed group (125.67±5.36s and 107.67±3.71s) in comparison with the saline-fed group (167.67±12.99s). In addition, the contents of BUN and Glc in the blood serum were significantly decreased and the contents of AST, ALT and LDH were also decreased in the GYJT (1g/㎏/day)-fed group. However, the content of TP was not changed. The present results suggest that GYJT may be useful for the anti-fatigue and immune-enhancing agent. Also, the author investigated the effect of GYJT on the production of cytokines in human T-cell line, MOLT-4 cells. However, GYJT has not affected the production of IFN­γ, IL-2, IL-4. These results suggest that GYJT has immune-enhancing effect but does not affect T cell-mediated production of cytokines in the immune function improvement.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.309-316
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• 2017

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) is a non-selective cation channel with modest permeability to calcium ions. It is involved in intracellular calcium signaling and is therefore important in processes such as thermal sensation, skin barrier formation, and wound healing. TRPV3 was initially proposed as a warm temperature sensor. It is activated by synthetic small-molecule chemicals and plant-derived natural compounds such as camphor and eugenol. Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill (SC) has diverse pharmacological properties including antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing activities. It is extensively used as an oriental herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases. In this study, we investigated whether SC fruit extracts and seed oil, as well as four compounds isolated from the fruit can activate the TRPV3 channel. By performing whole-cell patch clamp recording in HEK293T cells overexpressing TRPV3, we found that the methanolic extract of SC fruit has an agonistic effect on the TRPV3 channel. Furthermore, electrophysiological analysis revealed that ${\gamma}$-schisandrin, one of the isolated compounds, activated TRPV3 at a concentration of $30{\mu}M$. In addition, ${\gamma}$-schisandrin (${\sim}100{\mu}M$) increased cytoplasmic $Ca^{2+}$ concentrations by approximately 20% in response to TRPV3 activation. This is the first report to indicate that SC extract and ${\gamma}$-schisandrin can modulate the TRPV3 channel. This report also suggests a mechanism by which ${\gamma}$-schisandrin acts as a therapeutic agent against TRPV3-related diseases.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.157-170
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a standard instrument of diagnosis and assessment for spleen qi deficiency pattern. Methods: Reports published in Korea and China related to spleen qi deficiency pattern were selected. Assessments of selected references were performed to select major symptoms of spleen qi deficiency pattern. Korean translation and review by a Korean linguist were performed to create a draft of [Standard instrument of diagnosis and assessment for spleen qi deficiency (for subject)]. The final [Standard instrument of diagnosis and assessment for spleen qi deficiency (for subject)] was completed after assessment on inclusion or exclusion, on importance of items and on validity of translation by an expert committee, consisting of professors from the National College of Korean Medicine. Results & Conclusions: 1. 14 major symptoms were selected by frequency from 45 references which were related to standard identification of spleen qi deficiency pattern, translated into Korean and reviewed by a Korean linguist. 2. 11 symptoms were selected after assessment on inclusion yes or no by the expert group. Items were listed in order of importance: tiredness of extremities (肢体倦怠), sallow complexion (面色萎黃), reduced appetite (食欲减退), abdominal distension after eating (腹胀食後尤甚), inability to eat (納少), pale tongue and white fur (舌淡苔白), lethargy (神疲), emaciation (消瘦), loose stool (大便溏薄), shortness of breath and reluctance to speak (少氣懶言), and weak pulse (脈緩弱). 3. Final [Standard instrument of diagnosis and assessment for spleen qi deficiency (for subject)] was completed after assessment of translation validity, reflection of individual opinions by the expert committee, and application of weighted value computed from assessment on importance of items.