• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.116-123
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• 2015

Objectives : The present study was designed to investigate effects and molecular mechanisms of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidzumi extracts(AMK) on the improvement of adipocyte dysfunction induced by TNF-${\alpha}$ in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We examined whether AMK could directly influence the inflammation and insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Methods : Potential roles of AMK in the lipolysis, production of inflammatory adipokines and ROS, expression and phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ protein, and expression of $PPAR{\gamma}$ and C/EBP${\alpha}$ were investigated in this study. Results : Our data demonstrated that TNF-${\alpha}$ significantly increased lipolysis, levels of MCP-1, IL-6, and ROS and phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ protein, while TNF-${\alpha}$ reduced the expression of $PPAR{\gamma}$ and C/EBP${\alpha}$ in adipocytes, suggesting that TNF-${\alpha}$ induced a condition with the occurrence of inflammation and insulin resistance. Those alterations induced by TNF-${\alpha}$ were prevented by the treatment of AMK. AMK down-regulated the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ protein and up-regulated the expression of $PPAR{\gamma}$ and C/EBP${\alpha}$ on TNF-${\alpha}$-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. Conclusions : Thus, our results indicate that AMK can be used to prevent from the TNF-${\alpha}$-induced adipocyte dysfunction through MAPK, $NF{\kappa}B$ and $PPAR{\gamma}$ pathways.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.124-129
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• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to understand truncus area conception to be explained in the pyobon and geungyul (Root-Stem and Origin-End relationships; PG) of meridian theory as to do the macro organic spatial conception in bio-mechanic system for human body. Methods : The extremity areas and truncus area to be explained in PG theories were classified spatially, and the reason was discussed that human body was classified as the extremities and truncus areas for the people of old times. It was considered the structural characteristics, exercise species and movement characteristics of truncus area in human body also. Results : The truncus area were made of cranium, vertebrae, sternum, ribs, clavicle, scapula, sacrum and the hipbone. It was the hollow structure and classified as cranial cavity, pleural cavity(thoracic cavity) and pelvic cavity. These cavities had mutually organic relationships, and because of cavity structures in the truncus and full structures in extremities would act in different direction about gravity with each other for movements. So it would be estimated that the old peoples had to need to separate the truncus and the extremities. Conclusions : In this study, the truncus area and the extremity areas in the PG of meridian theory could be recognized as the spatial conception of bio-mechanic system in human body. Although this study was the theoretical study not to be proven, it will be used to understand for the meridian theory as basic reference for spatial conception and bio-mechanic system.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2013

Objectives : LI11 has been known to suppress epileptic seizure. Using an mouse epilepsy model, we investigated whether acupuncture stimulation at LI11 can suppress kainic acid(KA)-induced epileptic seizure and apoptosis in the mouse hippocampus. Methods : Eight-week-old male C57/BL6 mice(20~25 g) were given acupuncture at LI11 or ST36 once a day for 3 days. After the last acupuncture stimulations, KA(30 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally and the degree of seizure was observed for 90 minutes. Twenty-four hours after KA administration, mice were sacrificed and the neural cell death, astrocyte activation and caspase-3 expression in their hippocampi were investigated. Results : Acupuncture stimulation at LI11 suppressed KA-induced epileptic seizure, neuronal cell death, astrocyte activation and caspase-3 expression. Conclusions : Acupuncture stimulation at LI11 decreases the KA-induced epileptic seizure and protects hippocampal cell death via regulating astrocyte activation and caspase-3 expression.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to determine whether electroacupuncture(EA) is effective in reducing pain on the severe ankle sprain classified as grade 3 in rats. Methods : The severe(grade 3) ankle sprain model was induced surgically by ankle ligament injury(the anterior talofibular, the calcaneofibular and the posterior talofibular) in the Sprague-Dawley rats(180~250 g). The effects of EA on weight bearing forces(WBR) of the affected foot were examined in a rat model of ankle sprain. EA was applied to either SI6, ST37, GB34, GB39 or GB42 acupoints by trains of electrical pulses(2 Hz, 1 ms pulse width, 2 mA intensity) for 15 min. Results : Cutting of the lateral ankle ligament complex produced the severe ankle sprain symptoms as grade 3. EA of the contralateral SI6 resulted in more analgesic effect than one of ipsilateral SI6 even though there was significant effect. EA of the ipsilateral GB34 and GB39 produced potent analgesic effects on the surgical ankle sprained pain behaviors. However, there were no significant analgesic effects in the contralateral GB34 and GB39 EA groups. In addition, both side of ST37 and GB42 did not result in analgesic effect on the surgical ankle sprained rat. Conclusions : The data suggest that EA induced analgesia shows point specificity on the severe ankle sprained pain model classified as grade 3.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2013

Objectives : The focus of the analysis was laid on changes in research pertaining to bee venom in regards to time progression. Methods : We collected 365 articles on Bee venom study result from OASIS system using the Keyword 'bee venom, apitoxin, apitherapy, bee sting'. We figured out number and percentage of theses according to year, study method, journal, subject. Results : Bee venom papers published in the journal of korean medicine from 1976. The classification of papers associated with bee venom, clinical studies outnumbered the other study types by a ratio of 1.3 to 1, followed by 138 for experimental papers, and 22 for literature studies. Proportion of Experimental Papers Classified According to the Theme, 16 for pain-killing, 14 papers concentrated on apoptosis anticancer, 13 for anti inflammatory, 11 for arthritis, and other disorders were followed. Type analysis of papers associated with bee venom in clinical trials, lumbar disorders comprised 38 out of 205 papers, 35 papers concentrated on upper limb disorders, 34 papers concentrated on systemic disease, followed by the effect on body. Conclusions : Bee venom is a treatment method based on the unique theory of Korean traditional medicine. Its effort and academical approach on bee venom are expected to receive positive evaluation through numerous research works.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose is to introduce the recent large-scale clinical researches for safety, efficacy and effectiveness of acupuncture in Germany. Results : In 2000, the German Federal Committee of Physicians and Health insurer proposed that large research initiatives on acupuncture, Acupuncture Model Projects(Modellvorhaben Akupunktur), could be conducted by health insurance companies for several pain that acupuncture is syndromes to justify the insurance-based reimbursement. Accordingly, 4 clinical researches were carried out; the Acupuncture Safety and Health economics studies(ASH), the Acupuncture Randomised Trial(ART), the Acupuncture in Routine Care studies(ARC), and the German Acupuncture trial(GERAC). Meanwhile, ASH is a prospective observational study for safety and costs. ART and GERAC are composed of RCTs for efficacy. ARC includes 6 pragmatic RCTs with additional non-randomized cohort study for effectiveness. We investigated the papers related to them and discussed about the outcomes. The researches showed that acupuncture is effective in practice for several chronic conditions such as migraine, tension-type headache, chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis of knee, dysmenorrhea, and allergic rhinitis. Based in part on them, the German health authorities decided that acupuncture would be included into routine reimbursement by social health insurance funds for chronic low back pain and chronic osteoarthritis of the knee in 2006. Conclusions : The German clinical researches may suggest the clues for establishing the evidence of acupuncture treatment.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of the present study was to examine statistical methods used in articles published on the Korean Journal of Acupuncture from 2007 through 2012. Methods : Statistical methods and statistical packages used in original articles applied with descriptive statistics or inferential statistics were organized. Results : Out of a total of 195 original articles, 18 articles used descriptive statistics only and 177 articles used inferential statistics. 142 articles used 12 types of statistical packages. SPSS was used most at 97 times(63.4%). The number of descriptive statistical methods used was a total of 417 and among them 193 were presented as tables(46.3%) and 224 were presented as graphs(53.7%). The number of inferential statistics applied was a total of 256 and analysis of variance was used most at 90 times(35.2%). The number of parametric statistical methods used was a total of 170(75.6%) and that of nonparametric statistical methods used was a total of 55(24.4%). Analysis of variance and two sample t-test were most employed in both clinical and non-clinical research. The number of multiple comparison methods applied was a total of 67 and the number of Scheffe methods among them was most at 26 times(37.7%). Conclusions : In the present study, statistical methods used in the journal over the last six years were examined. The result of this study is considered to be a basic material to be referred to when evaluating the quality of the medical journal.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of taping therapy on recovery of behavioral symptoms and neural excitability of the lumbar spinal cord in rat model for ankle sprain. Methods : Adult Sprague-Dawley rats was used and divided into 3 experimental groups: normal group(n=6), ankle sprain(n=6), and ankle sprain with taping treatment(n=6). In order to induce ankle sprain the right ankle joint was injured with 4~5 repetitive over-flexions and over-extensions manually. The severity of joint pain was evaluated by measuring foot weight bearing force ratio(FWBRF) of the hind limb and the injury-induced edema formation by diameter of the joint following ankle sprain. The changes of neural excitability in the lumbar spinal cord was tested by observation of cFos protein expression, a metabolic marker for neural excitation. Results : Severity of ankle injury induced in this experiment coincided with Grade 1 ankle sprain. Compared with ankle sprain group, ankle sprain＋taping showed a significant reductions of joint pain as well as of edema formation at the ankle joint following ankle sprain. There was significant upregulation of cFos-immunoreactive neurons in the lumbar spinal cord 24 hours after ankle sprain. In contrast, taping therapy resulted in significant inhibition of cFos-immunoreactive neurons in the lumbar spinal cord. Conclusions : Collectively, these results suggest that taping therapy may be an alternative therapeutic intervention for symptom recovery of the mild ankle sprain.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.8-36
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• 2017

Objectives : The aim of this study is to review the methodology of clinical trials conducted with the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment on functional dyspepsia. Methods : We searched four international databases and three Korean databases including English, Korean and Chinese, through March 2016 for randomized controlled trials(RCT) and non-randomized case-control trials(CCT) that evaluated the effects of the acupuncture and moxibustion on functional dyspepsia. We abstracted the designs of the trials and the method of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment according to the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture. Results : A total 117 papers were reviewed. The 106 studies were conducted in China. There were 111 RCTs(95%), and 6 CCTs(5%). Sixty eight studies(59%) were conducted with the manual acupuncture, 29 studies of electro-acupuncture(25%), 11 studies of moxibustion(9%), 5 studies of acupoints embedding therapy(4%), 4 studies of acupoint injection therapy(3%) were conducted. ST36, CV12, ST25 were most frequently used for acupoints to treat functional dyspepsia. In 59 studies(50%), western medication was used in the control group, and the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion were evaluated with the symptoms in most studies. Conclusions : These results suggest that it is necessary to develop more detailed reporting standards about acupuncture and moxibustion treatment method as the method of acupuncture and moxibustion is getting more diverse, and more objective tools are needed in evaluating functional dyspepsia.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2018

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture(EA) and radio-frequency warm needling(RFWN) stimulation in acupoint combination on ankle sprained pain in rats. Methods : The lateral ligaments of the Sprague-Dawley rats ankle were injured surgically resulting in sprain, of which was divided into EA, RFWN treatment groups and control group without treatment. The level of pain was measured through foot weight bearing force ratio followed by calculating pain relief. To stimulate proximal or distal area in ankle sprain, combination of proximal acupoints(GB34-GB39) and distal acupoints(GB39-GB42) from sprain area were applied, respectively, to either EA or RFWN stimulation. In addition, naltrexone or phentolamine was injected intraperitoneally before the stimulation to observe the pathway of analgesic effects. Results : In the proximal combination of GB34-GB39, EA and RFWN significantly increased pain relief compared to the control group (p<0.05). However, in distal combination with GB39-GB42, both EA and RFWN stimulation did not relieve pain due to ankle sprains. In the combination of GB34-GB39, the analgesia of EA was inhibited by blockade of the ${\alpha}$-adrenoceptor receptor. The analgesia of RFWN was inhibited by blockade of the ${\alpha}$-adrenoceptor receptor as well as ${\mu}$-opioid receptor. Conclusions : We observed that the proximal combination was effective in relieving pain when the treatment by acupoint combination was applied to the ankle sprain pain. Also, it was confirmed that this analgesia was also related to the pathways of ${\mu}$-opioid receptors and/or ${\alpha}$-adrenoceptors.