Objectives : Most meridians have each well point located at the distal end of fingers or toes, congruous with their meridian courses. Exceptively, ST45(Yeotae), stomach meridian(ST)'s final point, is located at the lateral side of the tip of the second toe, while the tip of the second toe was not mentioned in the course of ST. So, we studied the course of lower limb region of ST. Methods : Courses of ST in Categorized Collection of Literatures on Chinese Meridians and Collaterals(CCM) was examined. The literatures included in CCM was selected as study subjects to be studied if the meridian route was different from "Youngchu" or more detailed notes were attached. There are 3 branches in lower limb region of ST, we analyzed theories of scholars of all time about the 3 branches of ST. Results and Conclusions : Branch 1 descends along the lateral margin of the fibula to the dorsum of foot, entering into the medial side of the middle toe. Branch 2 leaves ST36 separately, terminating at the lateral side of the middle toe. Branch 3 leaves ST42 and descends to the end of the great toe. The medial side of the middle toe equate to the lateral side of the second toe, and it is connected to ST45. So branch 1 is the main stream of ST. Branch 3 drives to the great toe passing between first and second toe, it goes medial side of LR2.

Objectives : Electroacupuncture is a procedure in which pulses of weak electrical current are sent through acupuncture needles into acupuncture points in the skin. Since the 1970s, electroacupuncture has been widely used for treating various diseases including pain, inflammatory diseases and neurodegenerative diseases and electroacupuncture research has also been actively conducted in Korea. This study was designed to assess the tendencies and research performances in Korea. Methods : Articles referring to electroacupuncture in Korea were searched in Korean Studies Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, DBpia, Pubmed and Scopus, and assessed by distribution of document types, published articles, source institutes, journals, and subject categories. Results : Total 677 articles were included in this study. Among them, basic researches were 395, clinical researches were 210, reviews were 68 and others were 4. Kyung Hee university published the most articles, followed by Wonkwang univresity, Daejeon university and Pusan national university in Korean institutes. Journal of Acupuncture Research published the most articles, followed by Korean Journal of Acupuncture, Journal of Korean medicine rehabilitation and Journal of physiology & pathology in Korean medicine among journals. Animals were used in the most articles, followed by human, literatures and protocol in subject categories. The number of articles per year was related to the increase of research fund and the number per institution was related to the number of professors and researchers. Conclusions : In order to carry out better electroacupuncture researches, it is necessary to cultivate electroacupuncture researchers and increase in research funds.

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to explore patients' perceptions that deserve attention when designing core questions for a clinical practice guideline of Korean medicine(KM) for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Methods : Patients who had been admitted to Pusan National Korean Medicine Hospital from November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016 were invited to the survey. Patients were eligible if they were both clinically and radiologically confirmed as degenerative LSS. The structured questionnaire was distributed by mail and outpatient visits. Questions included types of experienced Korean/Western medical interventions for LSS, their perceived effectiveness on symptoms, the necessity for studies of KM for degenerative LSS, the types of KM interventions to be investigated and the types of outcome measures after treatments. Data were descriptively analysed. Results : Twenty of thirty-one invited participants responded to the questionnaire. Acupuncture and herbal medicine were the most frequently used KM interventions. Eighteen respondents reported that KM treatments were helpful for their improvement. Sixteen patients who mentioned that research on KM is needed chose acupuncture as the top priority(88%) among KM interventions. The most important outcomes in the view of nineteen respondents included functional recovery (68%) and pain relief (53%). Thirteen respondents (65%) replied that both short-term and long-term outcome were important for them. Conclusions : Our findings may have limited validity due to the small number of respondents and the potential selection and information bias. Further qualitative studies and large-scale surveys to comprehensively identify patients' views are warranted.

Objectives : This study was performed to examine the toxicity on the long term procedure of Aconitum ciliare Decaisne pharmacopuncture(ADP) solution. Methods : To evaluate the long term toxicity of 3 different repeated doses, 60, 150, and 300 mg/kg/day for 13 weeks were injected into BALB/c mice, respectively. The ADP solution was injected into near ST36 of the right leg and normal saline of the same volume was used for the vehicle control group. To evaluate the toxicity of 60, 150, and 300 mg/kg of repeated doses for 13 weeks, toxic symptoms, weight measurement, hematological test, blood biochemical test, visual examination and weight measurement of major organs, and histopathological test were conducted. Results : No significant changes in toxic symptoms, weight measurement, hematological test, blood biochemical test, visual examination and weight measurement of major organs, and histopathological test were observed in different doses of ADP solution treated groups compared to vehicle control group. Conclusions : As a result, repeated dose at a concentration of 300 mg/kg or less is considered to be not harmful for clinical treatment.

Objectives : In this study, we quantitatively evaluated the needle forces using needle insertion-measurement system and compared the needle sensation of each acupuncture practical model. Methods : After inserting acupuncture with a sensor to six models, a lifting-thrusting motion was implemented using the needle insertion-measurement system. The needle force was measured repeatedly, and the measurement was analyzed based on the modified Karnopp friction model for a comparison of friction coefficients. After the insertion, practitioners did lifting-thrusting manipulations. They quantified the similarity of needle sensation with VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). Results : When friction force and coefficients of friction in five different models were compared with a porcine shank model, all five models were significantly different from a porcine shank model, cotton and apple showing the closest frictional values to that of a porcine shank model. In the Cp and Cn values of cotton and in the Cp values of IM injection pad, there was no statistically significant difference. The similarity of the needle sensation between the porcine shank and five models was the highest in the apple, and overlapping papers was the lowest. Conclusions : This study quantitatively compared the physical forces in the practical model when implementing lifting-thrusting manipulations, using a needle insertion-measurement system. We suggest that a reproducible exercise model that reflects the characteristics of various human tissues, such as viscoelasticity or strength, needs to be further developed. This will contribute to establishing standardized acupuncture practice training.