• Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.528-535
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• 2018

Background/Aims To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Aloe vera (AV) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases for studies dated between 1st January 1960 and 30th December 2017. Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) compared AV to placebo in patients with IBS. The primary outcome was standardized mean difference of the change in severity of IBS symptoms as measured by patient-rated scales. Secondary outcomes included response rate of IBS symptoms and adverse events. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using Cochrane's Q and $I^2$ statistics. Results Three RCTs with a total of 151 patients with IBS were included. The meta-analysis showed a significant difference for patients with AV compared to those with placebo regarding improvement in IBS symptom score (standardized mean difference, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.07-0.75; P = 0.020). Using intention-to-treat analysis, the AV patients showed significantly better response rates of IBS symptoms compared to placebo (pooled risk ratio, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.05-2.73; P = 0.030). No adverse events related with AV were found in included studies. There was no significant heterogeneity of effects across studies (P = 0.900; $I^2=0%$). Conclusion AV is effective and safe for the treatment of patients with IBS compared to placebo.

• Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.61 no.12
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• pp.686-691
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• 2018

Background and Objectives Previous studies have suggested the usefulness and importance of postoperative voice therapy, for which there are indirect and direct methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of treatment according to different voice therapy methods. Subjects and Method Patients with vocal polyp were divided into three groups. Group 1 received direct voice therapy after phonomicrosurgery and Group 2 indirect voice therapy after phonomicrosurgery. Group 3 did not receive any voice therapy. Results Perceptual, acoustic, aerodynamic voice outcome parameters differed significantly between pre and post-operative treatments. In almost all of the voice analysis, Group 1, who underwent direct voice therapy, improved more significantly compared with Group 2 and 3. Conclusion Postoperative voice therapy following phonomicrosurgery may be an effective adjuvant treatment in patients with vocal polyps. In particular, direct voice therapy can be effective for improving postoperative voice outcome.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2019

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) are glycolipids and have several pharmacological efficacies. MELs also show skin-moisturizing efficacy through a yet-unknown underlying mechanism. Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) is a membrane protein that contributes to the water homeostasis of the epidermis, and decreased AQP3 expression following ultraviolet (UV)-irradiation of the skin is associated with reduced skin moisture. No previous study has examined whether the skin-moisturizing effect of MELs might act through the modulation of AQP3 expression. Here, we report for the first time that MELs ameliorate the UVA-induced downregulation of AQP3 in cultured human epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT keratinocytes). Our results revealed that UVA irradiation decreases AQP3 expression at the protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, but that MEL treatment significantly ameliorated these effects. Our mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor analysis revealed that phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), but not extracellular signal-regulated kinase or p38, mediates UVA-induced AQP3 downregulation, and that MEL treatment significantly suppressed the UVA-induced phosphorylation of JNK. To explore a possible mechanism, we tested whether MELs could regulate the expression of peroxidase proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($PPAR-{\gamma}$), which acts as a potent transcription factor for AQP3 expression. Interestingly, UVA irradiation significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of $PPAR-{\gamma}$ in HaCaT keratinocytes, whereas a JNK inhibitor and MELs significantly rescued this effect. Taken together, these findings suggest that MELs ameliorate UVA-induced AQP3 downregulation in HaCaT keratinocytes by suppressing JNK activation to block the decrease of $PPAR-{\gamma}$. Collectively, our findings suggest that MELs can be used as a potential ingredient that modulates AQP3 expression to improve skin moisturization following UVA irradiation-induced damage.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2019

Recent researches demonstrated well promising anticancer activities for antibiotics. Such effects would be significantly increased while nanoparticle based delivery systems were applied. In this study, the goal was aim to improve anticancer and antitoxic effects of Streptomycin by loading on special kind of dendrimer (anionic-linear-globular second generation). In the current study, Size and zeta potential as well as AFM techniques have been used to prove the fact that the loading was performed correctly. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the drug loaded on dendrimer nanoparticle were determined and compared with both of dendrimer alone and free drug with respect to staphylococcus aureus as the test microorganism. The anticancer activity among three groups including Streptomycin, Streptomycin -G2 dendrimer, and control was measured in vitro. In vitro studies showed that G2 anionic linear-globular polyethylene-glycol-based dendrimer, which loaded on Streptomycin was able to significantly improve the treatment efficacy over clinical Streptomycin alone with respect to proliferation assay. Maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated to be $257{\mu}g/mL$ for streptomycin alone and $55{\mu}g/mL$ for Streptomycin -G2 dendrimer. In addition, Streptomycin -G2 dendrimer conjugate prevented the growth of MCF-7 cancerous cells in addition to enhance the number of apoptotic and necrotic cells as demonstrated by an annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate assay. Streptomycin -G2 dendrimer conjugate was able to increase Bcl-2/Bax ratio in a large scale compared with the control group and Streptomycin alone. Based on results a new drug formulation based nano-particulate was improved against S. aureus with sustained release and enhanced antibacterial activity as well as anticancer activity shown for functional cancer treatment with low side effects.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1444-1452
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• 2019

The conventional prophylactic vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV) efficiently prevent infection with high-risk HPV types, but they do not promote therapeutic effects against cervical cancer. Previously, we developed HPV16 E7-expressing Lactobacillus casei (L. casei-E7) as a therapeutic vaccine candidate for cervical cancer, which induces antitumor therapeutic effects in a TC-1 murine cancer model. To improve the therapeutic effect of L. casei-E7, we performed co-treatment with poly-gamma-glutamic acid (${\gamma}-PGA$), a safe and edible biomaterial naturally secreted by Bacillus subtilis. We investigated their synergistic effect to improve antitumor efficacy in a murine cancer model. The treatment with ${\gamma}-PGA$ did not show in vitro cytotoxicity against TC-1 tumor cells; however, an enhanced innate immune response including activation of dendritic cells was observed. Mice co-administered with ${\gamma}-PGA$ and L. casei-E7 showed significantly suppressed growth of TC-1 tumor cells and an increased survival rate in TC-1 mouse models compared to those of mice vaccinated with L. casei-E7 alone. The administration of ${\gamma}-PGA$ markedly enhanced the activation of natural killer (NK) cells but did not increase the E7-specific cytolytic activity of $CD8^+$ T lymphocytes in mice vaccinated with L. casei-E7. Overall, our results suggest that oral administration of ${\gamma}-PGA$ induces a synergistic antitumor effect in combination with L. casei-E7.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.893-903
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of Korean medical treatment for a headache (suspected CPSP) patient with a history of cerebral infarction. Methods: We treated the patient using Korean medical treatments (herbal medicines-Kamiseokyong-tang, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and chuna). The treatments were measured using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) for headache and post neck pain. General health status was evaluated using the European Quality of Life Five Dimensions (EQ-5d) Scale. Results: We observed improvements in the NRS, NDI, and EQ-5d scores after the treatments. Conclusions: This study suggests that Korean medicine may effectively treat headaches (suspected CPSP) with accompanying cerebral infarction.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.37-48
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate treatment trends on hyperopia of chinese traditional medicine. Methods : We searched papers using CNKI and Pubmed. The keyword used on searching was 'Hyperopia' combined with 'Chinese medicine', 'Acupuncture' and 'herbal medicine'. Searching duration was not specified. The search was conducted from January 2020 to July 2021, and the final selected papers were from 1983 to 2014. Results : Studies found in CNKI were 27 and 20 sutdies were excluded. Studies found in Pubmed were 57 and 57 studies were excluded. Finally 7 sutdies were selected and analyzed. Five studies of selected ones were case reports and two were review papers. Among 5 case reports, two of them used herbal medicine with pressing auricular acupoints with beans. Another one used electronic plum acupuncture only. Another one used acupuncture with electronic heat and pulsed current stimulation. The other one compared acupuncture alone and acupuncture combined with massage. All studies report high efficacy rates on treatments. Conclusions : According to this study we found the possibility of acupuncture and herbal medicine on hyperopia. We expect that further studies will be conducted and the results of them could be actively applied to clinical treatments.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.311-319
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• 2021

The use of aromatherapy for the reduction of anxiety levels during dental treatment procedures has been well established in the literature; however, there is limited evidence regarding its efficacy. The present meta-analysis is an attempt to assess the association between the use of aromatherapy and anxiety levels among dental patients. A comprehensive search was conducted across Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO host, Cochrane databases, and Google Scholar for studies evaluating aromatherapy and anxiety level among dental patients. PRISMA guidelines were followed for the meta-analysis. Randomized and cluster-randomized trials comparing aromatherapy with controls were included. The random-effects model was used to assess the mean differences in anxiety levels of patients visiting dental OPD. The significance value was set at P < 0.05. Six studies were identified that met the requirements for inclusion. Aromatherapy was significantly associated with reduction in patient anxiety levels during dental treatment (pooled mean difference: -3.36 [95% CI, -3.77 - -2.95, P = 0.00001). Low heterogeneity was noted between studies (I² = 1%, P = 0.41) analyzed in the meta-analysis. High certainty of the evidence was obtained from the association between the use of aromatherapy and dental anxiety. This meta-analysis suggests that aromatherapy is effective in reducing dental anxiety. When used judiciously, the results of this work should encourage the use of aromatherapy to reduce patient anxiety levels during dental procedures

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

This review of national and international randomized controlled trials of Salviae miltiorrhizae radix pharmacopuncture for lumbar herniated intervertebral discs was performed to assess its clinical efficacy. There were 5 online databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, NDSL, OASIS, and RISS) searched on June 1st, 2020. Studies were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were reviewed by risk of bias assessment. This review included 14 Chinese studies. The sample sizes ranged from 50 to 100. The numbers of treatments ranged from 20 to 30, with most patients receiving 20 treatments. The longest treatment periods were 10-15 and 15-20 days, of which each accounted for 29% of the studies. The most frequently used evaluation indices were the Japanese Orthopedic Association and the Visual Analog Scale scoring method. The most frequently used acupoints were EX18 and BL25, which accounted for 31% of the total number of acupoints. In 50% of the studies, the pharmacopuncture injection volume was 2 mL. Acupuncture treatment was the most common control group. Eleven studies reported that the intervention group had significantly improved symptoms. However, most of the included studies were of low quality.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.11-20
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• 2021

Objectives The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety of the Allium Fistulosum extract in children and its effectiveness in height growth. Methods This study is randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The participants are children between the 3rd and 25th percentiles in height, and between the ages of 5 and 12 years. They are randomly assigned to treatment group or control group. The treatment group will take 5 g (1 g as Allium Fistulosum extract) for 24 weeks, 1 time a day. The control group will take the 5 g (0 g as Allium Fistulosum extract) of placebo for 24 weeks, 1 time a day. The primary outcome is change in height, and the secondary outcomes are growth rate, height standard deviations, Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), IGF1-1/IGFBP-3 ratio, growth hormone, bone age, osteocalcin, and Z-score for growth. Results This protocol has been approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of Daejeon Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University (IRB No. DJDSKH-20-BM-15), and registered in the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) (Registry No. KCT0005981). Conclusions This study will provide clinical information about the effectiveness and safety of Allium Fistulosum extract in children for their growth.