• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.306-313
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• 2015

Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the factors associated with initiation and continuation of breastfeeding among Korean women in relation to their employment status. Methods: Data were collected using a web-based self-administered questionnaire from 1,031 Korean mothers living in Seoul with babies younger than 24 months. Demographic characteristics, education on breastfeeding, rooming in, breastfeeding during hospital stay, and breastfeeding knowledge were examined. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with initiation and continuation at 1, 6 and 12 months according to mothers' employment status. Results: Breastfeeding initiation rates were similar regardless of mothers' employment status. Continuation rates decreased for both groups of mothers, but were significantly lower among employed mothers at all duration points. Unemployed mothers who were able to keep their babies in the same room during the hospital stay were more likely to initiate breastfeeding. The factor that was consistently associated with breastfeeding continuation for all duration points among unemployed mothers was whether the mother breastfed during the hospital stay. Higher knowledge scores and having an infant with atopic dermatitis were also associated with breastfeeding continuation at 6 months and 12 months, respectively for unemployed mothers, and receiving education on breastfeeding was associated with 12-month continuation for employed mothers. Conclusion: These results emphasize the significant roles of hospitals for breastfeeding initiation and continuation, with rooming-in, initial breastfeeding practice and education during hospital stay as important practices. In addition, for working mothers to continue their breastfeeding, significant support from the workplace is crucial.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.51-58
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• 2008

Objectives : Trimellitic anhydride (TMA), a sensitizer that induces occupational asthma and atopic dermatitis, is widely used industrially to make epoxy and alkyd resins, plasticizers, high temperature polymer, and surfactants. The aim of this study was to investigative the effects of aqueous extracts of Lonicera japonica Flower(LJFAE) on TMA-induced contact hypersensitivity (CHS) in Balb/c mice. Methods : The dried flowers of L. japonica were extracted with distilled water at $100^{\circ}C$ for 7 h. The extract was freeze-dried following filteration through 0.45 ${\mu}m$ filter. Mice were orally administrated with or without LJFE of a different doses(25-100 mg/kg) for 28 days. In the challenge period, mice were externally applied at difference doses of LJFAE one time per day 30 min before TMA treatment. We examined the effects of LJFAE on the the serum levels of IgE and prostagladin E2 (PGE2), the Thl/Th2 cytokine production of spleen cells, ear swelling responses, and the leukocyte infiltration induced by TMA. Results : The orally and externally administration of LJFAE dose-dependently reduced the serum levels of IgE and PGE2 production as well as ear swelling responses and leukocyte infiltration in TMA-induced Balb/c mice. Furthermore, the levels of Thl (TNF-${\alpha}$, IFN-${\gammer}$, IL-2)/Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13) cytokine production from spleen cells stimulated with anti-CD3 and CD28 mAbs was markedly suppressed by the orally and externally treatment with LJFAE in a concentration dependent manner. Conclusions : These results suggest that LJFAE suppresses the inflammatory mediators and regulates the Thl/Th2 cytokines. Therefore, these properties may contribute to the strong anti-CHS response effect of LJFAE.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.1095-1101
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• 2011

Scutellariae Radix has been used as a traditional medicine for anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic function. But most study methods were restricted to in vitro and in vivo. Therefore to perform for clinical trials further for a new natural drug development is necessary and this study will be used as a basis for it. The studies selected from domestic academic database included the following key words; '황금', '黃芩', 'skullcap', 'Scutellariae Radix', 'scutellaria baicalensis' and considered were those published from 1990 to July, 2011. All 1080 studies were found to include the keywords related to the study subjects either in their title of contents or abstracts. and 298 studies were finally selected as subjects for this study. 243 studies among 293 studies were published between 2000 to 2011. Classification was proceeded according to study subjects as followed; anti-Inflammatory effect and antiallergic and antihistamin effect(66), antibacterial and antivirus effect(61), antioxidant effect(51), neuronal cell apoptosis and neuronal cell protective effect(22), liver cell protective effect(20). According to method type of study, 194 studies practicing in vitro, 60 studies practicing in vivo, 37 studies practicing in both. and 5 studies on documentary records. Most study methods were restricted in vitro and in vivo. For developmenting of function of anti-inflammatory effect and antiallergic, antihistamin effect & atopic dermatitis effect, antibacterial and antivirus effect, antioxidant effect, case report on various fields and multicenter clinical trials is necessary.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.100-109
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• 2015

Controlling balance between T-helper type 1 (Th1) and T-helper type 2 (Th2) plays a pivotal role in maintaining the biological rhythm of Th1/Th2 and circumventing diseases caused by Th1/Th2 imbalance. Interleukin 4 (IL-4) is a Th2-type cytokine and often associated with hypersensitivity-related diseases such as atopic dermatitis and allergies when overexpressed. In this study, we have tried to elucidate the function of 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-3-acetyl-rac-glycerol (EC-18) as an essential modulator of Th1/Th2 balance. EC-18 has showed an inhibitory effect on the production of IL-4 in a dose-dependent manner. RT-PCR analysis has proved EC-18 affect the transcription of IL-4. By analyzing the phosphorylation status of Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6), which is a transcriptional activator of IL-4 expression, we discovered that EC-18 induced the decrease of STAT6 activity in several stimulated cell lines, which was also showed in STAT6 reporter analysis. Co-treatment of EC-18 significantly weakened atopy-like phenotypes in mice treated with an allergen. Collectively, our results suggest that EC-18 is a potent Th2 modulating factor by regulating the transcription of IL-4 via STAT6 modulation, and could be developed for immune-modulatory therapeutics.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.167-175
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• 2003

This study was conducted to investigate the actual state of the food allergy and food behavior in adults by using a questionnaire. The subjects of this study were consisted of 207 males and 355 females in Gyeongbuk area. The results are as follows: Among the respondents, 54.9% kept up with proper eating habits, 41.2% knew how much they would have to eat appropriately in a day, and women ate more milk and snacks than men in a day and men ate more meat than women. 58.3% of men and 46% of women were eating 3 meals a day. This finding indicated that women skipped the meal more than men. 77.2％ of the respondents skipped their breakfast, 13.5％ the lunch, and 9.3% the dinner. 48.5％ of men and 28.8% of women evacuated over 8 times a week(p<0.001). Eczema was the allergy symptom which broke out the most highly in both male and female; 25% of men and 29.9% of women. Atopic dermatitis and pollen allergy broke out similarly in both male and female. Allergic rhinitis occurred twice more in men than in women. Asthma broke out in men about three times more than in women. 36.3% of men and 46.5% of women visited a doctor when they had an allergic reaction. 40.9% of men and 40.7% of women believed that the allergy was caused mainly by the dust in the house and mites. The other factors, which caused the allergic reaction, were thought to be the specific food and the pollution from cars and factories by men and the specific food and others by women. 35.4% of men and 44.2% of women ate homemade food to prevent allergies.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.24-39
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• 2018

Objectives : The purpose of this survey is to examine Korean medical doctor's prescription status of Jaungo. Methods : The questionnaire was distributed via e-mail to Korean medical doctors who were registered in the association of Korean medicine from December 26th 2017 to February 5th 2018. We screened out respondents who didn't meet screening criteria. Results : Total 325 respondents completed answers, and the computerized data were analyzed. 74.7% of respondents were provided Jaungo from outside (extramural herbal dispensaries, pharmaceutical company). Almost all of the respondents (98.2%) were prescribing Jaungo in the form of ointment, and the cream container was the most commonly used container. In chief Indications of Jaungo were skin dryness (83.1%), pruritus (67.7%), burns (64.0%), and atopic dermatitis (60.9%). More than 60% of the respondents were prescribing Jaungo without additional herbs or additives. Most of patients were educated to apply Jaungo thinly to the affected area once or twice a day or frequently. Reason for dissatisfaction about Jaungo of patient were due to staining clothes (59.1%), offensive smell (44.0%), and poor texture (26.5%). Conclusions : Jaungo is a topical herbal agent frequently used in the Korean medicine. This is the first survey figure out current status of topical herbal agent in Korean medical doctors. The result of this study would contribute to progressing treatment method using topical herbal agent.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.171-180
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• 2018

Artemisia capillaris has been widely used as an alternative therapy for treating obesity and atopic dermatitis. It has been used as a hepatoprotactant. It is also used for ameliorating inflammatory reactions. Although there are several investigations on other Artemisia species, there is no systematic study describing the role of A. capillaris MeOH extract, its solvent soluble fractions, or derived anti-inflammatory principal components in regulating inflammatory conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to elucidate anti-inflammatory mechanisms of A. capillaris. Results revealed that MeOH extract of A. capillaris could decrease LPS-stimulated NO secretion. Of tested fractions, $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, and n-BuOH strongly inhibited NO release from RAW264.7 cells. Bioactive mediators derived from $CH_2Cl_2$ and n-BuOH fractions elicited potent anti-inflammatory actions and strikingly abrogated LPS-triggered NO accumulation in RAW264.7 cells. Of particular interest, capillin and isoscopoletin possessed the most potent NO suppressive effects. Western blot analysis validated the molecular mechanism of NO inhibition and showed that capillin and isoscopoletin significantly down-regulated iNOS and COX-2 protein expression. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that MeOH extract, $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, and n-BuOH fractions from A. capillaris and its derived lead candidates can potently suppress inflammatory responses in macrophages by hampering NO release and down-regulating iNOS and COX-2 signaling.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.267-274
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• 2005

Oxidant stress is a well-known pivotal parameter for the degenerative immune diseases including asthma, atopic dermatitis, and rhinitis. In order to screen for anti-asthma agents effectively, we first established the infrastructure of high throughput screening(HTS) for anti-oxidant agents from agricultural products and/or oriental medicine library extracted with water, methanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethyl acetate and juice, Using the screening system, we found that Chaenomelis langenariae, Rhus javanica L., Camellia sinensis, Helianthus annuus and Angelica utilis Makino had strong anti-oxidant activity. Moreover, Helianthus annuus, Rehmannia glutinosa Libo and Angelica utilis Makino have protection activities by treatment of an oxidant hydrogen peroxide. Together, these results suggest that screened agents could be potential agents against asthma, although the in vivo studies should be clearly tested.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.15-24
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• 2011

Background: Type I allergy is involved in allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis which are accompanied by an acute and chronic allergic inflammatory responses. Rehmannia glutinosa is a traditional medicine in the East Asian region. This study examined whether a Rehmannia Glutinosa pharmacopuncture solution (RGPS) had anti-allergic or anti-inflammatory effects in antigen-stimulated-RBL-2H3 cells. Methods: We determined the effect of RGPS on cell viability using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazolyl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. We also examined the effect of RGPS on the release of ${\beta}$-hexosaminidase and the secretion of IL-4 and TNF-${\alpha}$ using ELISA. In addition, we evaluated the effect of RGPS on the mRNA expression of various cytokines; IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-${\alpha}$ using RT-PCR. Furthermore, we assessed the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor (NF)-${\kappa}$B using Western blotting after RGPS treatment. Results: We found that RGPS ($10^{-4}$ to $10^{-1}$ dilution) did not cause any cytotoxicity. We observed significant inhibition of ${\beta}$-hexosaminidase release and suppression of the protein secretion of IL-4 and TNF-${\alpha}$ and mRNA expression of multiple cytokines in antigen-stimulated-RBL-2H3 cells after RGPS treatment. Additionally, RGPS suppressed not only the phosphorylation of MAPKs, but also the transcriptional activation of NF-${\kappa}$B in antigen-stimulated-RBL-2H3 cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that RGPS inhibits degranulation and expression of cytokines including IL-4 and TNF-${\alpha}$ via down-regulation of MAPKs and NF-${\kappa}$B activation in antigen-stimulated-RBL-2H3 cells. In conclusion, RGPS may have beneficial effects in the exerting anti-allergic or anti-inflammatory activities.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.178-183
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• 2018

Pruritus is the most prominent symptom of atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases. It is not easily improved and is a major factor that threatens the quality of life of patients and their families. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of HyungGae-Water, which was bath preparation made from Korean medicine herbs, for children and adolescents suffering pruritus. The participants were 50 boys and girls aged from 2 to 15 years old. The HyungGae-Water was used once a day for 6 weeks, and we were followed up three times every two weeks. Of 50 participants enrolled, 47 completed the study. The outcome variables were dermatology quality of life scales in children, pruritus VAS, and investigator global assessment (IGA). The results of the study show that the dermatology quality of life is significantly improved and the VAS of pruritus has meaningful changes. In the IGA, moderate or severe improvement was observed in 48.9% and slight improvement in 17%. There were seven suspected or less relevant adverse events using HyungGae-Water. The present results suggest that the HyungGae-Water has alleviating effect for the pruritus in children and adolescents.