• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.265-270
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• 2017

Objectives : The present study aimed to examine the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture(EA) applied to the brook point of the Liver meridian in the rat model of inflammatory pain and to investigate involvement of endogenouse opioid in the EA-induced analgesia. Methods : Knee arthritis was induced by injection of $125{\mu}l$ of complete Freund's adjuvant into the knee joint cavity unilaterally. To examine the level of pain, weight bearing forces(WBFs) of affected limb was measured. EA treatment was given at the LR2, LI4 or non-acupoint on the contralateral limb with frequency of 2 Hz and intensity of 2 mA under gaseous anesthesia. Results : After induction of arthritis, rats subsequently showed a reduced stepping force of the affected hindlimb due to a painful knee. EA applied to the LR2 point on the contralateral hind limb produced a significant improvement of stepping force of the hind limb lasting for at least 2 h, and this effect was equivalent to that obtained by 5 mg/kg of oral indomethacin. The effect of EA was specific to the acupoint since it could not be mimicked by EA applied to the LI4 point or the arbitrary non-acupoint. The analgesic effect was blocked by pretreatment with naltrexone(10 mg/kg, i.p.). Conclusions : These results suggest that acupuncture applied to LR2, brook point of Liver meridian suppresses inflammatory pain in a rat model of knee arthritis and this effect seems to be mediated by endogenous opioid systems.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.159-165
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• 2013

The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Cinnamomum cassia Blume (CC) extract on the repair of damaged cartilage in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA) by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) and medial meniscus resection (MMx). Forty-eight rats were assigned to six groups (n = 8 per group): sham as negative control (NC), positive control (PC), diclofenac sodium (DS, 2 mg/kg), CC 25 mg/kg, CC 50 mg/kg and CC 100 mg/kg groups. Treatments were 12 weeks from 7 days after ACLT + MMx. Loss of cartilage and joint instability were significantly reduced in response to treatment with CC or DS compared to the PC (p < 0.05). CC significantly ameliorated cartilage degradation in a dose-dependent manner as assessed by histological findings (p < 0.01). A reduction in the severity of structural changes and a dose-dependent increase in Safranin-O staining intensity were observed in CC treatments, indicating that cartilage degradation was inhibited. Although DS did not affect the increase in active caspase-3 and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-induced apoptosis during the progression of OA, cells reactive to these apoptotic markers were decreased significantly by CC (p < 0.05). However, treatments with CC or DS did not influence the uptake of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine. The findings suggest that CC can exert a chondroprotective action on OA through anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.117-126
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• 2020

Total knee arthroplasty is performed widely in degenerative arthritis of the knee joint, and the frequency of use is increasing. Efforts should be made to achieve functional recovery, such as returning to daily life, and the recovery of strength and range of motion after surgery. The procedure should be approached from a range of perspectives, such as patient factors, surgical technique and rehabilitation. The patient's age, degree of obesity, sex, and strength of the quadriceps muscle can affect the functional recovery after surgery. In addition, the patient's mental state, such as expectation value and satisfaction, can also have an effect. For functional recovery, patient education, pain control, and strengthening of the quadriceps muscle can be performed prior to surgery. Postoperative physiotherapy, such as icing and compression, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy, neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy, low frequency low intensity magnetic field therapy, strengthening of quadriceps muscle, and range of motion exercise can also be applied. In recent years, hydrotherapy, which restores the strength and balance of the leg, is being performed increasingly. These treatments are not only performed shortly after surgery, but are also performed continuously. In addition, the surgeon should apply it appropriately considering the patient's condition, compliance, and social and psychological conditions.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.41-57
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• 2022

A workflow is presented to estimate the size of a representative elementary volume and 3-D hydraulic conductivity tensor based on fluid flow analysis for a discrete fracture network (DFN). A case study is considered for a Cretaceous granitic rock mass at Gijang in Busan, Korea. The intensity and size of joints were calibrated using the first invariant of the fracture tensor for the 2-D DFN of the study area. Effective hydraulic apertures were obtained by analyzing the results of field packer tests. The representative elementary volume of the 2-D DFN was determined to be 20 m square by investigating the variations in the directional hydraulic conductivity for blocks of different sizes. The directional hydraulic conductivities calculated from the 2-D DFN exhibited strong anisotropy related to the hydraulic behavior of the study area. The 3-D hydraulic conductivity tensor for the fractured rock mass of the study area was estimated from the directional block conductivities of the 2-D DFN blocks generated for various directions in 3-D. The orientations of the principal components of the 3-D hydraulic conductivity tensor were found to be identical to those of delineated joint sets in the study area.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.234-244
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• 2023

Tooth wear refers to the loss of dental hard tissue caused by various physiological and pathological causes, and excessive pathological wear can cause complications such as pathological changes in dimensions, occlusal disharmony, loss of function, and aesthetic problems. The cause of tooth wear can be caused by attrition, abrasion, corrosion and abfraction, and it is known to act in a multifactorial etiology in interocclusal activity. In patients with excessive pathological wear, it is important to determine whether or not the vertical dimension of occlusion is reduced, and complete oral rehabilitation should be achieved with the adaptation of the neuromuscular and temporomandibular joint through accurate diagnosis and analysis. The patient in this case was a 63-year-old male patient, who presented discomfort to cold beverage due to severe tooth wear. After analysis of the patient's vertical dimension of occlusion, a full mouth rehabilitation was performed with increasing vertical dimension of occlusion. The goal of treatment was to improve the occlusal plane with the equal-intensity contact of all teeth, harmonious anterior guidance and immediate disclusion of all posterior contacts. After rehabilitation, the patient was satisfied with function and esthetic appearance.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2024

Objectives: Frozen shoulder (FS) is one of the most challenging shoulder disorders for patients and clinicians. Its symptoms mainly include any combination of stiffness, nocturnal pain, and limitation of active and passive glenohumeral joint movement. Conventional treatment options for FS are physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, injection therapy, and arthroscopic capsular release, but adverse and limited effects continue to present problems. As a result, pharmacoacupuncture (PA) is getting attention as an alternative therapy for patients with FS. PA is a new form of acupuncture treatment in traditional Korean medicine (TKM) that is mainly used for musculoskeletal diseases. It has similarity and specificity compared to corticosteroid injection and hydrodilatation, making it a potential alternative injection therapy for FS. However, no systematic reviews investigating the utilization of PA for FS have been published. Therefore, this review aims to standardize the clinical use of PA for FS and validate its therapeutic effect. Methods: The protocol was registered in Prospero (CRD42023445708) on 18 July 2023. Until Aug. 31, 2023, seven electronic databases will be searched for randomized controlled trials of PA for FS. Authors will be contacted, and manual searches will also be performed. Two reviewers will independently screen and collect data from retrieved articles according to predefined criteria. The primary outcome will be pain intensity, and secondary outcomes will be effective rate, Constant-Murley Score, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, range of motion, quality of life, and adverse events. Bias and quality of the included trials will be assessed using the Cochrane handbook's risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Meta analyses will be conducted using Review Manager V.5.3 software. GRADE will be used to evaluate the level of evidence for each outcome. Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted following PRISMA statement. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: This review will provide scientific evidence to support health insurance policy as well as the standardization of PA in clinical practice.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the characteristics of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms and to determine the correspondence between TMD symptoms and clinical examination findings. Material and methods: A total of 218 patients (143 females and 75 males; age=$31.3{\pm}14.0$) were enrolled in this study who completed a questionnaire and underwent a clinical examination and radiographic assessment. Patients were asked about all the symptoms and complaints, including onset or duration, and locations of the symptoms. Clinical examination included amounts of mouth opening, palpable temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds, and tenderness to palpation of the TMJ and all masticatory muscles. Tenderness scores obtained from palpation of the masticatory system were summated to define the variables for further analysis. Results: Pain was the most frequently reported symptom (78.9%), followed by joint sounds (45.4%), and limitation in mouth opening (17.0%). Jaw pain comprised 91.9% of pain complaints. The subjective intensity of jaw pain was low to medium in most patients (93.7%), but it was poorly correlated with the sum of tenderness scores of the TMJ and masticatory muscles (Kendall tau = 0.084). In contrast, the side in which pain was reported by patients was well associated with the clinical examination results (pain of the right side, p < 0.001, and left side, p < 0.001). There was moderate agreement in TMJ sounds between the side identified by patients as symptomatic and clinical examination findings (kappa = 0.482). Finally, patients who complained of restricted mouth opening showed about a 10 mm less opening in all three measurements, compared to other patients (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The most frequent symptoms reported by TMD patients were jaw pain, TMJ sounds, and mouth opening limitation. The side of jaw pain, the side of TMJ sounds, and the presence of opening limitation were highly concordant between symptom reports and examination findings.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.5682-5688
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to maximize diagnositc usefulness with increasing signal to noise ratio(SNR) and contrast to noise ratio(CNR) by using a 1mmol/mL gadolinium contrast agent. From January 2012 to June 2013 fourty-seven patients were underwent the MRI scanning to investigate the contrast difference in gadolinium content. Twenty of the patients were injencted the commercial contrast agent containing 0.5mmol/mL gadolinium and the rest of them were injected the new contrast agent containing 1mmol/mL gadolinium called gadobutrol. We measured and evaluated each SNR and CNR of the hip joint space, iliopsoas muscle and femoral head. As a result, using the 1mmol/mL gadolinium contrast agent had the higher SNR results than using the 0.5mmol/mL agent(27% in the hip joint, 30.01% in the femoral head). Also CNR using the 1mmol/mL gadolinium agent was proved to be higher than that of using 0.5mmol/mL agent(28.31% in the ilopsoas muscle and 26.74% in the femoral head). Therefore, the contrast agent containing more gadolinium like 1mmol/mL used in this study is more effective to shorten T1 relaxation time, so it increases the signal intensity and CNR and furthermore maximizes diagnostic value. This study reports the usefulness of the 1mmol/mL contrast agent in the contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance hip arthrography for the first. Therefore, it can be considered to have an meaningful academic value as showing the method for increasing the diagnostic usefulness by using the 1mmol/mL contrast agent.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.771-785
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• 2021

This study was performed to provide detailed and comprehensive information on inflammation-related blood indicators, joint range of motion, pain scale, and psychological indicators by patient characteristics by performing a 12-week home-based exercise program for ankylosing spondylitis patients. For the purpose of this study, 10 patients with ankylosing spondylitis were selected by age (30s vs. 40s vs. 50s), gender (male vs. female), and duration (less than 5 years vs. 5 years or more). The home-based exercise program was a combination of aerobic exercise and Pilates-based resistance exercise, and was performed 4 times a week for 12 weeks at an intensity of 50-70% of maximal heart rate (MHR). As a result, after 12 weeks of home-based exercise intervention, the blood C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration of patients with ankylosing spondylitis decreased (-35.6%, p=.002), and the blood inflammation level was improved, and each joint (hip, lumbar, cervical) improved mobility (p<.05). In addition, the bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) was decreased by -67% (p=.001) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) was decreased by -64.8% (p=.001), stiffness and pain has been alleviated. In particular, as the degree of depression decreased by -65.5% (p=.001) and the degree of anxiety by -55.2% (p=.003), 12 weeks of home-based exercise improved not only physical changes but also psychological factors. On the other hand, there was no difference in exercise effect according to age, gender, and disease duration in ankylosing spondylitis patients (p>.05). These results suggest that the 12-week home-based exercise applied in this study can be an effective exercise program that can be universally used for ankylosing spondylitis patients regardless of patient characteristics.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2001

Purpose : Authors investigated the efficiency of preoperative MRI in suspicious glomus tumor and the clinical outcomes after marginal excision. Materials and Methods : In 10 cases of glomus tumors in the fingers, authors retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, including previous trauma, treatment history, preoperative symptoms, physical examination, plain radiography, MRI (9 cases), pathological findings and postoperative complications. Results : The patients had pain in 10 cases, tenderness in 9 cases, cold sensitivity in 3 cases and edema in one case. MRI showed low signal (3 cases) or iso-signal (5) intensity on T1 weighted image, high signal intensity (8) on T2 weighted image, and all the lesions were enhanced in gadolinium enhancement images. The exact locations of glomus tumors were median in 6 cases, lateral in 5, lateral fold in 2 and pulp in 3 in transverse section and nail bed in 5 cases and nail matrix in 5 in sagittal section. Marginal excision was performed by lateral approach in one case and transungual in 9 cases. Histologically, all 10 cases were composed of solid sheets of round cells interrupted by thin-walled blood vessels. Most of clinical symptoms were disappeared in all cases after operation. Nail deformity was found in one case, which was originated from nail matrix, however, there was no recurrence. Summary : Clinical symptom was the most impotant factor in diagnosis of glomus tumor in the fingers. However, preoperative MRIs were helpful in patients, who had obscure pain or prolonged clinical symptoms with suspicious glomus tumors. Preoperative MRI might be one of the most useful tools for establishing the exact diagnosis and detecting the location of glomus tumors, in spite of the relatively high expenses.