• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.257-267
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• 2024

Objectives: Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder caused by dopamine neuron damage, leading to various motor and non-motor symptoms, including depression. While several clinical studies on Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) have addressed this issue, no comprehensive review has been conducted. This study aimed to summarize and analyze TKM treatments for depression associated with Parkinson's disease. Methods: This study reviewed research focused on treatment of Parkinson's-related depression, particularly examining traditional therapies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. Data on treatment methods were analyzed to compare approaches of control and experimental groups. Specific use of acupuncture points and other TKM treatments was analyzed. Results: Out of 57 studies, 17 involving 649 participants were selected. Various treatment methods were evaluated, primarily using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Studies predominantly focused on acupuncture targeting specific points (such as LI 4, GB 20, and ST 36) and the use of various herbal medicine combinations. Conclusions: Of the 17 studies, 13 focused on effects of acupuncture, suggesting that acupuncture might play a significant role in alleviating depression associated with Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the use of acupuncture points such as LI 4, GB 20, and ST 36 showed potential therapeutic effects. Additionally, 13 studies demonstrated that TKM could significantly alleviate depression, indicating the potential for an integrative approach combining Eastern and Western therapies. Herbal medicine and Qigong dance therapy also showed promising effects in improving depression.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.427-441
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• 2016

Objectives: This study investigated the aconitine contents analysis of Buja extracts (raw material of Buja, hot water extract of Buja, and hot water extract of Sambu-tang) and the single oral dose toxicity of Sambu-tang-R in six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats in order to compare the toxicity of Buja extracts.Methods: Aconitine content analysis is that Buja extracts were hold purity test. To detect single oral dose toxicity, six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups, a normal control group and a sambutang-R (2,000 mg/kg) group. For 14 days of treatment, clinical signs, body weight, clinical chemistry, necropsy, and histopathology were examined.Results: The aconitine contents of the Buja extracts were Buja-RH (0.1738%), Buja-RD (0.1746%), and Sambu-tang-R (0.0961%). There were no cases of death in either the control group or the experimental group. Nor was there any disorder to the clinical signs or any significant change in body weight in either group. There was no significant change of clinical chemistry or disorder of necropsy findings in either the control or the experimental group. And there was no difference in histopathological findings in comparing the control group with the experimental group.Conclusions: These results suggest that the aconitine content of the hot water extract of Buja was similar to the raw material of Buja, but the hot water extract of Sambu-tang had greatly decreased aconitine content. These results also suggest that a single oral lethal dose of Sambu-tang-R for Sprague-Dawley rats exceeds 2,000 mg/kg for both female and male rats.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a major public health concern and has been identified as a research priority. Clinical research evidence supports that the core cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for AD, including amyloid-β (Aβ42), total tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau (P-tau), reflect key elements of AD pathophysiology. Nevertheless, advances in the clinical identification of new indicators will be critical not only for the discovery of sensitive, specific, and reliable biomarkers of preclinical AD pathology, but also for the development of tests that facilitate the early detection and differential diagnosis of dementia and disease progression monitoring. The early detection of AD in its presymptomatic stages would represent a great opportunity for earlier therapeutic intervention. The chance of successful treatment would be increased since interventions would be performed before extensive synaptic damage and neuronal loss would have occurred. In this study, the importance of developing an early diagnostic method using cognitive decline biomarkers that can discriminate between normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD preclinical stages has been emphasized.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2022

Procalcitonin (PCT) can provide an experimental rationale and a diagnostic lead to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections. This study sought to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with high PCT levels, to improve clinical diagnosis, and to determine whether PCT levels were associated with the subsequent development of sepsis in the general population. This was a retrospective observational study conducted on outpatients (N=127) over a year. The general data and laboratory parameters studied were PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and complete blood count (CBC). The positive rates of CRP and white blood cells (WBCs) in the elevated PCT group were higher than those of the normal group (P<0.05); the specificity and sensitivity of the PCT levels were obviously higher than those of the CRP and WBC levels at diagnosis (P<0.05). The mean PCT levels in the low group were significantly higher than those in the high or moderate group (P<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation with CRP, total WBCs, and neutrophils (P<.001). The main finding of this study was the significant association between an elevated PCT level and CRP and WBC levels, signifying a high diagnostic value. This has important implications for the diagnosis of bacterial infections and therapeutic implications for the use of antibiotic treatment in specific patients.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.112-124
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• 2005

Background: PWV is determined by dividing the distance by the time taken for the pulses traveling between two measuring sites, used as a marker of arterial stiffness and an important indicator for cardiovascular disease. Methods: A PWV measurement system, which offers a non-invasive, simple method of measurement, and simultaneous recording of six signlas(ECG, PCG and four pulse waves from carotid, femoral, radial and dorsalis pedis arteries) was developed. Seventeen healthy subjects with a mean age of 33 years(22 to 52) without any cardiovascular disease were participated for the experiment. Two observers(A and B) performed two consecutive measurements from the same subject in a random order. For the evaluation of stability and accuracy of the PWV measurement system, reproducibility of PWV from between-observer were also evaluated. Results: PWV $values(Mean{\pm}SD)$ measured by A were $7.07{\pm}1.48m/s$, $8.43{\pm}1.14m/s$ , $8.09{\pm}0.98m/s$ for aorta, arm, and leg, respectively. The values obtained from B were $6.76{\pm}1.00m/s$, $7.97{\pm}0.80m/s$, and $7.97{\pm}0.72m/s$ for aorta, arm, and leg, respectively. Between-observer $differences(mean{\pm}SEM)$ from the aorta, arm and leg were $0.14{\pm}0.15m/s$, $0.18{\pm}0.10m/s$ and $0.07{\pm}0.10m/s$. Reproducibility coefficients(2SD) from the aorta, arm, and leg were 0.62m/s, 0.84m/s and 0.86m/s. Correlation coefficients were significantly higher in aortic PWV, 0.93, compared to the coefficients for arm and leg. Coefficient of variance which reflects the reproducibility of the system ranged from $4.4{\sim}5.8%$ in all regional PWV. , Conclusion: Reproducibility of PWV in the study shows that the developed system has reliable and reproducible characteristics. The PWV measurement system used for the study offers comfortable and simple operation and provides accurate analysis and results with high reproducibility. Results of the PWV measurement system could contribute to various clinical applications in the future.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.205-216
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• 2014

Objectives The purpose of this study is to help improve the management of traditional Korean medical(TKM) clinics and the policies for supporting them, by conducting a survey of the practitioners of TKM. Methods Stratified sampling was conducted based on regional location, and 700 samples were selected in a random manner from the membership list. The questionnaire was delivered and returned by mail. The survey was conducted between 20 July and 31 August 2010. A total of 177 questionnaires (recovery rate: 25.28%) were recovered and analyzed for the study. Results 1. The the survey indicate that the overall size of TKM clinics has fallen compared with previous survey, while the average number of beds per clinic has remained unchanged at 7.9. The sale of medicine as a proportion of total monthly sales has increased. 2. There has been no change in the composition of clinical staff as there are three nursing assistants. Although the average daily number of patients to clinics has remained at around 33.90 compared with ten years ago, the number of patients requiring seeking acupuncture treatment has increased while the number of those treated with medication has decreased. 3. Clinicians in TKM have indicated their preference for a binary system that separates TKM from western medicine (57.4%). The respondents do not favor the separation of dispensary from medical practice (81.5%), marks of origin for medicinal herbs (68.9%), disclosure of the prescriptions (67.2%), and the overseas expansion of Korean medical services (70.4%). However, they indicated that they are very much in favor of being granted the authority to employ and give orders to medical technicians (96.0%). 4. The respondents selected Korea as the country that maintains a proper academic system for traditional medicine (45.5%), and are not in favor of opening Korea's traditional medicine market under an Free Trade Agreement(FTA) with China (72.7%). Conclusion The overall status of the management of TKM clinics has declined compared with the preceding decade. There has been only a slight change in clinicians' opinion of the related policies and regulatory issues.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 1996

For the detection of Cwptospori,mum oocysts, fecal samples were collected from 201 calves which showed diarrhea. Among the 201 samples, 29 samples (14.4%) were positive for Cwptosporinium spry. by the DMSO-modified acid-fast stain (MAFS) , 23 samples (11.4%) were positive by commercial kit (Meridian Diagnostics, Cincinnati, Ohiol and 23 by the indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA )assay employing the monoclonal antibody (mAb C6). When tested by both IFA and MAFS, 20 fecal samples were positive for Cwptosporinium oocysts whereas 169 fecal samples were negative. If the MAFS is considered a standard method for oocyst detection, the IFA showed 69% of sensitivity and 98% of specificity. When tested by both IFA and commercial kit, 22 fecal samples were positive for Cwptospori,mum oocysts while 177 samples were negative. One sample tested by IFA was found to be false negative, when compared with the results by commercial kit. The sensitivity of IFA was calculated as high as 96%; the specificity as 99% and the predictive value was also 99%. In the present study, IFA employing the nAb C6 revealed that 23 samples (11.4%) were positive among the 201 calves showing diarrhea. Of 23 IFA positive samples, 4 samples (5%) showed cryptosporidial oocysts more than 105 OPG Therefore. it is concluded that the calves showing cryptosporidial oocysts more than 105 OPG in the feces were highly associated with clinical cryptosporidiosis.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.121-131
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• 2006

Background : As each human has a look in the face of oneself, he or she has a look of him or herself in the shape of the body also. And for the shape of the body which gives a big clue in diagnosis in musculoskeletal disorders. Therefor many means are used and developed for diagnosis through body shape or posture analysis for musculoskeletal disorders. X-ray, CT, MRI has been used for diagnosis through image in this way to tell about the inside of the human body. On the other side, moire topography was used for information about the exterior of the human body, but yet only minimal information such as the number of contour lines in each side was available. Therefor there were a few studies to use moire topography or other methods to get information about the surface of the human body in numeric values. The instrument used in this study which is a laser projection moire, is another trial to get numeric data about the surface of the human body. The instrument is composed of laser projector and a computer software to recompose and analyse the image data into depth, height, angle and length. Objectives : The study was focused on whether the instrument is reliable for clinic use, and to seek the proper environment and posture for the examination, and among the data the software provides, which items are more reliable and useful. Methods : For reproductivity and repeatability, 4 testers tested 2 persons. And to how if the body shape changes according to the posture and which posture gives the most reliable data, the test was performed in 6 different positions. Results : Result, the instrument showed sufficient repeatability and reproductivity for clinical use. And among the items the software provides, the length of the back, the angle of the back in the sagittal and coronal plane showed reliable results. And there was difference in the results according to the posture, and Therefor, in following studies using this instrument or similar type of posture analysing instruments, the length of the back, the angle of the back in the sagittal and coronal plane could be reliable item to use.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.104-120
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• 2006

Background : Pulse-respiration ratio has been used for estimating subject's status in oriental medicine. Pulse and respiration is strongly associated with autonomic nerve system. But there is no research about correlation between pulse-respiration ratio and autonomic nerve system. Objectives : We performed this study to know correlation between pulse-respiration ratio and HRV(heart rate variability) that shows autonomic nerve system status well and to clarify clinical meaning of pulse-respiration ratio. Methods : After subject's 10 minutes rest, we measured subject's ECG, respiration pattern and HRV. In this research, subject's number is 95(Male 50/Female 45). We calculated pulse-respiration ratio from ECG and respiration pattern. Then, we analyzed correlation between pulse-respiration ratio and HRV parameters in all subjects, 2 group divided by Wan-Maek(P-R ratio 4.28). We tried to compare HRV parameters among Wan-Maek, Sak-Maek and Ji-Maek group. Correlation analysis between pulse-respiration Ratio and Pulse rate, respiration rate is performed. Finally correlation analysis between Respiration and HRV parameters in all subjects, 2 group divided by Wan-Maek(4.28) is studied. Results : 1. Mean pulse-respiration is 4.10${\pm}$0.67, Mean pulse rate is 68.06${\pm}$7.82bpm, Mean respiration rate is 16.81${\pm}$2.72 times per minute in all subjects. 2. Correlation analysis between pulse-respiration ratio and HRV parameters of high pulse-respiration ratio group is not significant. But, in low pulse-respiration ratio group, HFnorm(correlation coefficient 0.306, p= 0.018), lnHF (0.308, p=0.002) is significantly correlated with pulse-respiration ratio. 3. Comparison of HRV parameters among Wan-Maek, Sak-Maek and Ji-Maek Group is not significant. 4. Pulse-respiration ratio is more affected by respiration rate(correlation coefficient-0.17, p=0.000) than pulse rate (correlation coefficient 0.396, p=0.000). 5. Correlation analysis between respiration rate and HRV parameters of high pulse-respiration ratio group is not significant. But, in low pulse-respiration ratio group, HFnorm (correlation coefficient -0.327, p=0.011), LF/HF(0.346, p=0.007), lnHF (-0.355, p=0.006) are significantly correlated with respiration rate. Conclusion : Pulse-respiration ratio and parasympathetic index has positive correlation. The closer Wan-Maek, The higher parasympathetic index in low pulse-respiration ratio group. Respiration rate is more related with pulse-respiration ratio than pulse rate. Respiration is negatively correlated with autonomic parameters. And the slower respiration, the higher parasympathetic index in low pulse-respiration ratio group.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.24-33
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was aimed to clarify the relationship between the tongue diagnosis of dampness-phlegm and hyperlipidemia in acute stroke patients. Methods : We analyzed the data of 1405 patients with acute stroke in 10 oriental medical hospitals from November 2006 to December 2008. We classified patients into two groups, dampness-phlegm and non dampness-phlegm by tongue diagnosis such as the white coating of the tongue, thick coating of the tongue, swollen tongue and teeth printed tongue which is oriental medical diagnosis. And We analyzed their characteristics with type of stroke and lipid blood level. Results : 1. There was no significant difference of stroke type between the dampness-phlegm tongue diagnosis group and the non dampness-phlegm tongue diagnosis group. 2. The ratio of SVO was higher in dampness-phlegm tongue diagnosis group (76.06%) than the non dampness-phlegm tongue diagnosis group (61.26%). 3. According to the blood test, the dampness-phlegm tongue diagnosis group showed higher in total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride than the control group. 4. Total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were significant higher in dampness-phlegm tongue diagnosis than the control group. Conclusion : According to the analysis, the relationship between the tongue diagnosis of dampness-phlegm and hyperlipidemia in acute stroke patients were more clarified. Based on these results, more prospective studies are to be done with more clinical data.