• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.159-165
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• 2018

Objectives : This study was performed to review the efficacy of national and international randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating evidence on thread embedding therapy for knee osteoarthritis. Methods : Online databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, NDSL, OASIS, CNKI) were searched for studies where thread embedding therapy was performed for Knee Osteoarthritis from their inception to July 2018. Two researchers independently performed the search. Only RCTs were selected. Eligible studies were selected first by the abstract and the title and then included after full-texts were read. Risk of bias of the included studies were evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Data were narratively summarized. Results : There were 334 studies retrieved from the databases, resulting in analysis of 3 RCTs. There was an average of 1.5 treatment visits over a 7 day period and evaluation tool used was efficacy rate, with traditional acupuncture being the most common control used in the trials. Statistically significant improvement by thread embedding therapy was reported. None of the included RCTs reported on adverse reactions. The risk of bias of the included studies was generally unclear. Conclusion : The review suggests that thread embedding therapy can be effective in knee osteoarthritis. But there was a lack of detailed information about the treatment procedures, and the risk of bias was unclear. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence for thread embedding therapy for knee osteoarthritis.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.174-186
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• 2018

Objectives : The aim of this survey was to investigate the general characteristics of sports injury patients in Korean medical institutions by Korean Medicine Doctors (KMDs) and the treatment patterns of Korean medicine for ankle sprain which is one of the common sports injuries. Methods : An online survey was conducted on KMDs interested in sports injuries to assess their experience and perception of sports injuries including diagnosis, intervention, and treatment plan for ankle sprain. Results : A total of 276 KMDs participated in the survey. They answered that 12% (median, range 0~80%) of patients visiting a Korean medical institution had sports injuries. Sports injuries frequently occur in the ankle, back, shoulder, knee, and elbow and the most common sports injury was sprain/strain. Many participants were aware that sports injuries should be treated differently from other musculoskeletal diseases in general. They reported that confirmation of fracture, swelling, and tenderness was essential to diagnose ankle sprains. Acupuncture was the most commonly used treatment and reported to need 2 to 6 weeks of treatment period, depending on the severity. Conclusions : Based on the findings regarding treatment of sports injury patients by KMDs, this study would be utilized as basic information for pragmatic clinical research design related to sports medicine in the future.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.185-198
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among a group of community dwelling elderly. Methods: Two-hundred and twenty-nine elderly living in a community and diagnosed with MCI were recruited. Participants were evaluated with various instruments such as the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination for Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) and the Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K). Korean medicine treatment consisted of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and pharmacoacupuncture. The change in cognitive ability was assessed by using the MMSE-DS and the MoCA-K. Data were analyzed by SPSS/WIN 22.0 using the paired t-test, and the ANOVA. Results: The MMSE-DS and the MoCA-K score generally increased after six months of Korean medicine treatment and the differences in both instruments were statistically significant. Additionally, some consecutive participants maintained long-term cognitive improvement. When analyzed specifically by herbal medicine group based on syndrome differentiation and pharmacoacupuncture group, most showed improvement in the MMSE-DS and the MoCA-K but not all data were statistically significant. The satisfaction score was mostly high and most participants were willing to re-participate in the program. Conclusions: Korean medicine treatment may contribute to the improvement and prevention of cognitive decline in the elderly. However, further systematic research based on large scale sample data and standardized protocols is needed to uplift the welfare and mental health of the elderly.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.1-20
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of Korean Medicine Hospital Utilization (KMHU) on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and death in hypertensive patients taking antihypertensives. Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database, this study identified and diagnosed 68,457 hypertensive patients taking antihypertensives between 2003 and 2006. They were divided into KMHU and non-KMHU groups. The follow-up period ended with the diagnosis of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death. After propensity score matching (PSM), there were 18,242 patients each in the non-KMHU and KMHU groups. We calculated the incidence rate, hazard ratio (HR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) for MACE, myocardial infarction, stroke, and death in patients with hypertension using a stratified Cox proportional hazard model. In addition, secondary outcome analyses for stroke and cardiovascular mortality were performed. Results: After PSM, the HRs for MACE (HR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.81-0.87), all-cause mortality (HR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.72-0.79), and myocardial infarction (HR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.83-0.97) were significantly lower in the KMHU group than in the non-KMHU group. Moreover, the HRs for stroke-related mortality, haemorrhage and ischaemic stroke-related mortality, and ischaemic heart disease-related and circulatory system disease-related mortality were significantly lower in the KMHU group than in the non-KMHU group. Conclusions: On long-term follow-up observation, this study supported the effect of KMHU for managing hypertension and reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.162-170
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• 2019

Objectives : Increasing evidence suggests that parasympathetic vagus nerve activity plays a role in modulating acupuncture-induced anti-inflammatory reaction, but the function of sympathetic nerve is not known. Here, we investigated whether splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity was involved in the regulation of splenic expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA by electroacupuncture (EA) in LPS-injected animals. Methods : DiI was injected into the stomach or celiac ganglion (CG) for retrograde labeling of the target tissues. EA was given at ST36 and the electrical stimulation on the sciatic nerve in LPS-injected mice. c-Fos signals in the tissues were analyzed by immunofluorescence staining, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA was analyzed by real-time PCR. Results : Application of EA at ST36 or electrical stimulation on the sciatic nerve induced c-Fos expression in neurons of the spinal cord and celiac ganglion (CG). Then, the vagotomy reduced c-Fos levels in CG neurons but not in the spinal cord in animals given EA. Expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA which was induced in the spleen after LPS was significantly inhibited by EA, then the vagotomy elevated $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA level similar to that in LPS-injected animals. Splanchnectomy in animals given LPS and EA also increased $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA though it was less effective than vagotomy. Conclusions : Our data suggest that EA delivered to the spleen via the splanchnic sympathetic nerve may be involved in attenuating splenic inflammatory responses in LPS-injected animals.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.139-149
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• 2019

Objectives : A dermal needle is one of the therapeutic method by stimulating or tapping on the certain points of skin. Recently, roller or stamp-needle have been applied to various diseases in combination with microneedle technology. In this study, we analyzed the trend of roller and stamp-needle in Korean patent. Methods : Electronic search for Korean patent of roller or stamp needle was performed in Korea Intellectual Property Right Information Service database to April, 2019. Results : Sixty seven patents (51, roller-needle; 15, stamp-needle; 1, both types of needle) met the inclusion criteria. According to patent details, 34 of 67 patents were skin stimulation, 14 patents were intended to increase the efficiency of drug delivery through skin stimulation, 16 patents combined skin stimulation with technologies such as electrode or high frequency, and three patents applied both electrode or high frequency stimulation, and drug application as well as physical skin stimulation. Each of these patents aims to increase the efficiency of the needle manufacturing process (n=24), to facilitate the use of tools or to increase the efficiency of the technology (n=61), or to increase the technical skill of the needle itself (n=23). Conclusions : This study confirms that technological advances were being made by combining various types of stimuli to dermal needle and there have been attempts to expand the scope of drug delivery in terms of application of dermal needle. In the future, more research and development is needed in order to apply the dermal needle to modern technology.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.104-114
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review the effectiveness of fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis in comparison with manual acupuncture treatment. Methods : Through four foreign online databases (PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, and CNKI) and five domestic online databases (NDSL, RISS, KISS, OASIS, and KTKP), we searched for clinical studies that performed fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis until May 10, 2019. Only randomized controlled trials were selected and we assessed the risk of bias according to the Cochrane RoB criteria. This review examined the selected studies into first author, publication year, sample size, outcome measurements, results, acupoints, treatment time & period and so on. Results : A total of 7 RCTs were selected in this review and all were conducted in China. Treatment period of more than 4 weeks and treatment visits of 10 to 20 times were the most common. EX-LE4 and ST35 (=EX-LE5) acupoints were most frequently selected in treatment. Among the evaluation indexes, a total efficacy rate was used the most. Most of fire needling groups showed more significant results compared with the manual acupuncture groups statistically. Conclusions : All studies showed that fire needling treatments for knee osteoarthritis were more effective than manual acupuncture treatments statistically. Therefore, the results of this study could be utilized as a preliminary data for another clinical research on fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis. However, further well-designed randomized controlled trials will be needed to develop sufficient evidence about the effectiveness and safety of fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis in the future.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.115-126
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• 2019

Objectives : Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by low bone mass and increased bone fragility. It has become a major problem of senior citizens. The purpose of this study is to experiment the effect of water extract of Forsythiae Fructus (wFF) on osteoclast differentiation; and the other purpose is to examine the effect of wFF on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rat. Methods : To investigate the effect of wFF on osteoclast differentiation and activity, RAW 264.7 cells were used. The number of TRAP positive cell, TRAP activity, pit area, mRNA expression of makers (RANK, TRAP, CA II, CTK, MMP-9, NFATc1, c-Fos), protein expression of makers (NFATc1, c-Fos) were investigated. For in vivo study, 40 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were induced osteoporosis by ovariectomy (OVX) and then tested for anti-osteoporosis effect by administration of wFF. Results : wFF suppressed osteoclatogenesis, TRAP activity and pit area formation. Moreover, wFF decreased the expression of master differentiation factors (NFATc1, c-Fos) and also reduced the osteoclastogenesis-related markers (TRAP, CA II, CTK, MMP-9). These suggest that wFF inhibit osteoclasts differentiation and bone resorption. In the OVX rat model, wFF inhibited decreasing of BMD and trabecular area. Conclusions : Forsythiae Fructus should be effective for osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.93-103
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• 2019

Objectives : The aim of this study is to review the current trends in experimental studies on the acupuncture moxibustion treatment for visceral hypersensitivity. Methods : PubMed was searched for experimental studies about visceral hypersensitivity and acupuncture/moxibustion. Data were extracted and tabulated from the selected articles about experimental method, intervention, result and mechanism. Results : Total 23 articles were reviewed. Chronic visceral hypersensitivity animal model was applied in 17 studies (74%). Visceral hypersensitivity was measured by abdominal withdrawal reflex scoring or/and abdominal electromyogram. Acupoints like ST25, ST36, ST37, BL25, LI11, BL32 and PC6 were treated by electroacupuncture or moxibustion. All articles reported that electroacupuncture or moxibustion treatment is significantly effective in reducing visceral hypersensitivity. Treatment mechanisms were studied, related to mast cell, serotonin (5-HT) and receptor (5-HT3R and 5-HT4R), substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), c-fos positive cell, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), purinergic 2X (P2X)2, P2X3, P2X4, P2X7, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NR1 and NR2B), prokinectin (PK) 1 and PK2. Conclusions : Evidences on acupuncture/moxibustion treatment for visceral hypersensitivity in animal studies warrant more research on effective acupoins, electro-acupuncture methods and treatment durations.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.175-181
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• 2021

A 57-year-old female diagnosed with L5-S1 lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, suffering from severe pain despite taking tapentadol received combined Korean medicine treatment, including acupotomy, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herbal therapies for 53 days. To assess pain, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and lumbar range of motion (ROM) were checked daily from the day of admission. Moreover, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) were used to evaluate function and quality of life. After combined Korean medicine treatment, reabsorptioin of intervertebral disc was confirmed by radiological examination; pain reduced from NRS 5~7 to NRS 1~2; lumbar ROM in extention increased from 20° to 30°; and function and quality of life improved. The results suggest the possibility that a combined Korean medical treatment, including acupotomy, can be used as an alternative to opioids for pain management of lumbar vertebral disc herniation.