• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2009

Objectives : Most of the mechanisms reported for antidepressant drugs are the enhancement of neurite outgrowth and neuronal survival in the rat hippocampus. Neural cell adhesion molecule 140(NCAM140) has been implicated as having a role in cell-cell adhesion, neurite outgrowth, and synaptic plasticity. In this report, we have performed to elucidate a correlation among chronic antidepressant treatments, NCAM140 expression, and activation of phosphorylated cyclicAMP responsive element binding protein(pCREB) which is a downstream molecule of NCAM140-mediated intracellular signaling pathway in the rat hippocampus. Methods : Fluoxetine(10mg/kg) was injected acutely(daily injection for 5days) or chronically(daily injection for 14days) in adult rats. RNA and protein were extracted from the rat hippocampus, respectively. Real-time RT-PCR was performed to analyze the expression pattern of NCAM140 gene and western blot analyses for the activation of the phosphorylation ratio of CREB. Results : Chronic fluoxetine treatments increased NCAM140 expression 1.3 times higher than control in rat hippocampus. pCREB immunoreactivity in the rat hippocampus with chronic fluoxetine treatment was increased 4.0 times higher than that of control. Conclusion : Chronic fluoxetine treatment increased NCAM140 expression and pCREB activity in the rat hippocampus. Our data suggest that NCAM140 and pCREB may play a role in the clinical efficacy of antidepressants promoting the neurite outgrowth and neuronal survival.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.98-98
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• 2003

${\beta}$-(1,3)-D-Glucans have been known to exhibit antitumor and antimicrobial activities. The presence of dectin-1,${\alpha}$, ${\beta}$-glucan receptor of dendritic cell, on macrophage has been controvertial. RT-PCR analysis led to the detection of dectin-1${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ in murine macrophage Raw264.7 cell line. Among the various organs of mouse, dectin-1${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ were detected in the thymus, lung, spleen, stomach and intestine. To analyze gene expression modulated by ${\beta}$-glucan treated murine Raw264.7 macrophage, total mRNA was applied to cDNA microarray to interrogate the expression of 7,000 known genes. cDNA chip analysis showed that ${\beta}$-glucan of P. osteatus increased gene expressions of immunomodulating genes, membrane antigenic proteins, chemokine ligands, complements, cytokines, various kinases, lectin associated genes and oncogenes in Raw 264.7 cell line. When treated with ${\beta}$-glucan of P. osteatus and LPS, induction of gene expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IFN-R1 was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Induction of TNF-R type II expression was confirmed by FACS analysis. IL-6 expression was abolished by EDTA in ${\beta}$-glucan and LPS treated Raw264.7 cell line, indicating that ${\beta}$-glucan binds to dectin-l in a Ca$\^$＋＋/ -dependent manner. To increase antitumor efficacy of ${\beta}$-glucan, ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) was co-treated with ${\beta}$-glucan in vivo and in vitro tests. IC$\sub$50/ values of GRh2 were 20 and 25 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ in SNU-1 and B16 melanoma F10 cell line, respectively. Co-treatment with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 showed synergistic antitumor activity with cisplatin and mitomycin C both in vitro and in vivo. Single or co-treatment with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 increased tumor bearing mouse life span. Co-treatment with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 showed more increased life span with mitomycin C than that with cisplatin. Antitumor activities were 67% and 72 % by co-injection with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 in the absence or presence of mitomycin C, respectively.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6129-6132
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• 2012

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of simultaneous accelerated radiation therapy (SMART) and concurrent weekly paclitaxel in the treatment of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Forty-one patients with pathologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated by SMART with concurrent weekly paclitaxel. Daily fraction doses of 2.5 Gy and 2.0 Gy were prescribed to the gross tumor volume (GTV) and clinical target volume (CTV) to a total dose of 70 Gy and 56 Gy, respectively. Paclitaxel of $45mg/m^2$ was administered concurrently with radiation therapy every week. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given four weeks after the completion of the radiotherapy (RT) if the tumor demonstrated only a partial response (PR). Results: All patients completed the radiotherapy (RT) course. Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 12 patients due to PR. The CR (complete remission) rate was 82.9% three months after RT. Thirty-nine (95.1%) patients completed the concurrent weekly chemotherapy with paclitaxel, and two patients skipped their sixth course. Seven patients had a 15% dosage reduction at the fifth and sixth course due to grade 3 mucositis. The median follow-up was 30 (range, 14-42) months. The three-year overall survival (OS), metastases-free survival (MFS), and local control rates were 77.0%, 64.4%, and 97.6%, respectively. No correlation between survival rate and T or N stage was observed. Grade 3 acute mucositis and xerostomia were present in 17.1% and 7.1%, respectively. Conclusion: SMART with concurrent weekly paclitaxel is a potentially effective and toxicity tolerable approach in the treatment of locally advanced NPC.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.796-805
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• 2016

Objective: To examine the effects of Gagam-Samryoungbeakchul-san (加減 蔘苓白朮散) on a premature ventricular contraction patient with dizziness and chest discomfort. Methods: A patient diagnosed with premature ventricular contraction was treated with herbal medicine and acupuncture. The period of admission was 15 days, and we measured the electrocardiogram before and after treatment. We evaluated the improvement in symptoms by Global Assessment (G/A), and checked the pulse rate by oximetry three times a day. We estimated the efficacy of treatment by analyzing the relationship between the average pulse rate and symptoms. Results: After Gagam-Samryoungbeakchul-san treatment and acupuncture therapy, the average pulse rate increased from 36.5 to 58. This increase in average pulse rate was accompanied by a reduction in dizziness of 40%, chest discomfort of 30%, and frequency of bigeminy in the electrocardiogram. Conclusions: This case report confirmed the effectiveness of Gagam-Samryoungbeakchul-san on premature ventricular contraction, but further study is warranted.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2015

Objectives : We retrospectively investigated the efficacy and tolerability of risperidone monotherapy in subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition, we did mixed effect model analysis of the effects of risperidone in patients with ASDs naturalistically treated in a routine clinical setting to determine whether the clinical effects were maintained and the side effects were tolerable. Methods : This retrospective study assessed children and adolescents with ASD, who were on risperidone monotherapy from July 2010 to July 2011 at the Child and Adolescent ASD Clinic at Seoul National Hospital. Outcome measures included the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) and the CGI-Improvement (CGI-I) scales along with other clinical indices: dosage, target symptoms, and side effects. Results : The mean dose of risperidone in 47 children and adolescents with ASD (40 males, 7 females; age range 5-19 years) who were on risperidone monotherapy was $1.6{\pm}0.8mg/day$, and the mean duration of the treatment period was $20.2{\pm}17.3months$. Aggressive behavior, stereotypic behavior, irritability, and self-injurious behavior were the most frequent target symptoms of risperidone. The most common side effects were weight gain followed by somnolence and extrapyramidal symptoms. In a mixed effects model analysis of CGI-I scores, the mean CGI-I score at the 1 month follow-up was significantly different from the mean CGI-I score of the 3-month follow-up (p=.046), and the CGI-I scores were equally maintained over 3 to 48 months [F(6, 28.9)=4.393, p=.003]. Of the 47 patients, 33 patients (70.2%) were identified as the response group, showing an end point CGI-I rating of 3 or under and having continued risperidone treatment for at least 6 months. The baseline CGI-S score showed significant association with clinical response to risperidone (p=.005), the mean baseline CGI-S was higher in the response group compared to the non-response group. Conclusion : In this study, clinical improvement of risperidone stabilized around 3 months and was equally maintained up to 48 months with tolerable side effects, supporting maintenance of risperidone treatment in children and adolescents with ASDs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5289-5296
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• 2015

Background: Despite the decreased incidence, gastric cancer is still a frequent cause of cancer related death. The 1st line 2 or 3 drugs regimen is still a debatable issue. HER2 targeted therapy has emerged as the standard of care, but it is unavailable in the Brazilian Public Health System. The end-point of this trial was overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic gastric cancer treated in a public university hospital in Brazil. The secondary end-points were efficacy and safety of regimens with 2 (F+P) or 3 (EOX) drugs to develop an institutional guideline to facilitate optimal treatments. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 1st line regimens were evaluated for OS and PFS stratified by age and ECOG using Cox regression. Results: 47 patients were treated over the last 3 years. In 1st line, 29 were treated with F+P (mean 59.3 years, 34.5% ECOG 2 and a mean of 5.69 cycles) and 16 with EOX (mean 47 years, 18.8% ECOG 2 and a mean of 5.44 cycles). The median OS was 13.8 months (95%CI 10.7-16.9). Response was evaluated in 40 cases and was 64.3% for EOX and 37.5% for F+P (p=0.25). The median PFS was 9.5 months for EOX and 5.6 months for F+P (HR 0.85, 95%CI 0.41-1.74). However, among patients with ECOG 2 mPFS was 3.70 vs 5.40 months, respectively (p=0.86). Regimens showed similar manageable adverse events. A total of 34 patients suffered progression and 14 received $2^{nd}$ line therapy. Diffuse histology (HR 1.89, 95%CI 1.22-2.88), achieving 2nd line (HR: 0.25, 95%CI 0.11-0.58) and treatment response (HR 0.23, 95%CI 0.12-0.47) were OS prognostic factors. Conclusions: Patients treated in our hospital had outcomes compatible with the literature. The regimen choice should be related to patient features. Second line treatment should be considered.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4583-4589
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• 2013

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of multimodality treatment of advanced paediatric hepatoblastoma (HB) and the factors affecting prognosis. Methods: A total of 35 children underwent multimodality treatments consisting of chemotherapy, surgery, interventional therapy, and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. The patients were followed up every month. Results: Serum AFP levels in 33 out of 35 patients in this study were significantly increased (P = 0.0002). According to the statistical scatter plot, the values of serum AFP on the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentages were 1,210, 1,210 and 28,318 ng/dl, respectively. Of the 35 cases, 21 were stage IV. 18 cases were treated with systemic chemotherapy before surgery, and 3 cases with locally interventional chemotherapy before surgery. Statistical analysis showed that the preferred interventional treatment affected prognosis, and that there was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.024). Some 33 patients completed the follow-up, of which 17 were in complete remission (CR), 5 were in partial remission (PR), 1 became disease progressive (DP), and 10 died. The remission and overall survival rates were 66.7% (22/33) and 69.7% (23/33), respectively. Patients with the mixed HB phenotypes had worse prognoses than the epithelial phenotype (P < 0.001), and patients in stage IV had a lower survival rate than those in stage III (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Multimodality treatment can effectively improve remission rate and prolong the survival of children with advanced HB. In addition, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a tumor marker of liver malignant tumors, HB pathological classification, and staging are highly useful in predicting prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3337-3343
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• 2013

This systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of bisphosphonates for prevention and treatment of osteopenia or osteoporosis in men with non-metastatic prostate cancer receiving androgendeprivation therapy. We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of bisphosphonates compared with placebo from Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ISI - Science Citation Index. Meta-analyses of prespecified outcomes (bone mineral density, fractures, and adverse events) were performed using Review Manager. Ten RCTs with a total patient population of 1,017 were identified. There was generally more improvement in bone mineral density of the lumbar spine for patients who received bisphosphonate treatment than placebo or other medical treatment at 12 months (WMD 6.02,95%CI 5.39 to 6.65). Similar effects were also observed for total hip, trochanter or femoral neck bone mineral density. However, there was no significant reduction in fractures. Fever and gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common adverse events (10.4% vs. 1.2%; 0.10% vs. 0.03%). Currently, our meta-analysis suggested that oral and intravenous bisphosphonates caused a rapid increase in spine and hip or femoral BMD in non-metastatic prostate cancer patients receiving androgen-deprivation therapy. Fever and gastrointestinal symptoms were common with the use of bisphosphonates. These short-term trials (maximum of 12 months) did not show fracture reduction. In future, more efficient performance of higher quality, more rigorous, large sample, long-term randomised controlled trials (>12 months) are needed where outcomes are detailed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2015

Objectives : The aim of this study is to determine whether Chinemys reevesii Gray pharmacopuncture is a clinically effective treatment for women with knee osteoarthritis. Methods : Female patients with knee osteoarthritis were recruited from May $1^{st}$, 2014 to April $15^{th}$, 2015 at the Department of Acupuncture & Moxibustion Medicine of Dong-Eui University Korean Medical Hospital. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups. 4.0 ml of Chinemys reevesii Gray pharmacopuncture was injected at acupuncture points of the experimental group(n = 24) twice a week for three weeks. The control group(n = 24) received 5 % dextrose injections in order to identically stimulate the same acupuncture points of $ST_{35}$, $ST_{34}$, $SP_9$, $SP_{10}$, $GB_{34}$, $LR_8$, $EX-LE_4$, and $EX-LE_2$. The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire(SF-MPQ), the Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(KWOMAC), and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions(EQ-5D) were recorded to evaluate treatment efficacy at first visit, after two weeks and four weeks from the initial visit. Results : 40 patients completed the trial. The experimental group showed more significant improvement than the control group in the scores of SF-MPQ, KWOMAC, and EQ-5D. However, there was no significant difference between groups in a few of the assessment scales. Conclusions : Chinemys reevesii Gray pharmacopuncture can be an effective treatment in control of pain, improvement in function and health-related quality of life for women with knee osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.121-136
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• 2016

Objectives : Despite various treatment for Shoulder-hand syndrome being presented, only a few studies that examine the direct efficacy of acupuncture exist. The aim of this study is to establish a base for further research by reviewing studies on acupuncture treatment for Shoulder-hand syndrome. Methods : Clinical studies involving the effects of acupuncture for Shoulder-hand syndrome, published on July 19th 2016, were obtained from Pubmed, RISS, OASIS, the Journal of Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Journal of Korean institute of pharmacopuncture, the Korean Journal of Acupuncture, NDSL, Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal, DBpia, and KISS. Selected studies were evaluated by the Jadad scale and FEAS. Results : Among a total of two hundred and fifteen articles, thirteen articles (RCT 9, SR 1, Meta analysis 1, CCT 1 article, Case series 1) that meet the criteria were selected. Among 13 articles, one article was published in Korea. And apart from this one article, twelve studies were published in China. All studies reported that the experimental group treated by acupuncture had significantly better effects compared to the control group. However, the overall quality assessment of the studies is low. Conclusion : Despite several limitations, various studies to prove limited yet effective acupuncture treatment on Shoulder-hand syndrome provides much significance. Subsequent studies conducted by the complementary systematic review of the studies and well-designed clinical trials using the methodological quality will be needed to more firmly validate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on Shoulder-hand syndrome.