• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.768-773
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• 2002

Behcets disease is a systemic inflammatory disorder. The etiology and pathogenesis of Behcets disease has yet been fully elucidated but might involve immune dysfunction. Cytokines involved in the regulation of inflammatory reactions and immune responses may play a role in the pathogenesis of Behcets disease (BD). Onchungeum is an Oriental herbal medication, which has been successfully used in Korea for the treatment of BD. This report describes modulation effects of Onchungeum on cytokine production from phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of Behcets patients by ELISA. Onchungeum significantly inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. TNF-α and IL-1β, compared to absence of Onchungeum (by 52.3 1.4 % inhibition for TNF-α and 113.5 3.3 % for IL-1β, p < 0.001). Onchungeum also inhibited the production of IFN-γ, immunoregulatory Th1 cytokine, by 89.4 0.8 % (p < 0.001). The inhibitory effects of Onchungeum on cytokine production showed dose-dependent manner, and the pre-treatment of 1 mg/ml Onchungeum had better effects than immunosuppressive drug for treatment of BD, cyclosporin A. Our results suggest that Onchungeum treatment for Behcets disease patients may have pharmacologic activities and abilities of regulation of immune and inflammatory responses by cytokine modulation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.391-397
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• 2000

Background: Cardiac involvement of Behcets disease is very rate, however, the prognosis of Behcet disease depends on cardiovascular complications. In this article, we described surgical treatment of aortic insufficiency with Behcets disease. Material and Method: From March 1986 to February 1998, we operated on 10 patients of aortic insufficiency with Behcets disease. Male to female ratio was 8 to 2, and age ranged from 21 to 40 years(mean 32.8 years). There were 8 patients with evidence of Behcets disease and another 2 patients had some suspicious findings of Behcets disease(i.e., prosthetic value dehiscence, hypertrophied aortic wall). Adequate preoperative medical treatment for Behcets disease was done in 3 patients. Result: We performed 24 open heart surgeries in 10 patients. Redo value replacements using prosthetic valves were done in 4 patients. Among them, 2 patients were operated on for a second redo valve replacement and one of them operated on for a 4th and 5th operation because of recurrent paravalvular leakage. These 4 patients expired. 1 patient who had undergons tissue value replacement is alive. 1 patient who underwent Cabrol operation expired dut to rupture of graft anastomosis site. We used homografts in 3 patients. In 2 of them, we performed aortic root replacement and subcoronary valve replacement in another patient. The patient who underwent subcoronary valve insertion had remnant aortic insufficiency, so we are closely observing him. We also performed Ross operation in a 24 year old female who suffered severs aortic insufficiency and endocarditis after aortic valvuloplasty. 5 patients are alive and mean follow up duration is 49.0 months. Among them, we used homografts or sutografts in 4 patients. We could observe excellent clinical results in the patients who underwent aortic root replacement using homograft and they were treated medically for Behcets disease. Conclusion: We concluded that adequate preporative diagnosis, clinical suspicion, and periopertive medical treatment for Behcets disease are very important for the result of surgical management of aortic insufficiency with Behcets disease. The use of homograft or autograft was helpful for the healing of anastomosis site and we should carefully observe the long term follow up results.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2002

In our study, the several cytokines were determined in phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of Adamantiades-Behcets patients. Adamantiades-Behcets disease (ABD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder and might involve immune dysfunction. High levels of $TNF-\alpha,\;IL-1\beta$ and $IFN-{\gamma}$ indicate the activation of inflammatory reactions and immune system in ABD. Gami-Phedoc-San (GPS) is an Oriental herbal medication, which has been used in Korea for the treatment of ABD. GPS (1 mg/ ml) significantly inhibited the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, $TNF-\alpha\;and\;IL-1\beta$, compared to absence of GPS (by $50.5{\pm}1.9%$ inhibition for $TNF-\alpha$ and $106.9{\pm}16.8%$ for $IL-1\beta$). GPS also inhibited the production of $IFN-\gamma$, immunoregulatory Th1 cytokine, by $78.4{\pm}2.8%$. The inhibitory effects of GPS on cytokine secretion showed dose-dependent manner, and the pre-treatment of 1 mg/ml GPS had better effects than immunosuppressive drug for treatment of ABD, cyclosporin A. Our results suggest that GPS treatment for ABD patients might have pharmacological activity of immune and inflammatory responses through the cytokine modulation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.316-319
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• 1993

Although Behcet`s disease, characterized by oro-genital ulceration and ocular abnormalities, is rare and unfamiliar disease to thoracic surgeon, one must remember that it can cause serious complications on the vascular system such as thrombophlebitis,thrombotic obstuction and aneurysm.We report a case of multiple arterial aneurysms with Behcet`s disease. This 31 year-old female had five times surgical interventions during short period[19 months]. 6 aneurysms were developed in this case, 3 were spontaneous aneurysms, 2 were anastomotic aneurysms and 1 was false aneurysm due to arterial puncture.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.219-222
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• 1996

A 34-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of ascites, abdominal fullness. computed tomography and cavography revealed inferior vena cavil occlusion just above the hepatic vein and diagnosed as Budd-Chiari syndrome. conservative medical therapy failed to control the symptoms produced from both portal hypertension and versa caval stasis. Therefore, under extracorporeal circulation with moderate hypothermia and normal cardiac contraction, membranoto y and inferior vena casa venoplasty with Gore-tex (10mm) was performed. Postoperatively, physical examination revealed oral ulceration, subcutaneous thrombophlebitis, folliculitic lesions. uveitis And increased reactivity of the skin to needle punctures. 10 month later, superior vena ciiva obstruction symptom was found. Hehcet's disease was diagnosed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.92-96
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• 1997

The prognosis of Behfet's disease characterized by recurrent orogenltal ulcers and ocular and skin lesions depends upon the complications in the central nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract And the vascular system. Cardiac involvement, especially aortic regurgitation, is quite uncommon and hemodynamic instability is usually treated with ope heart surgery. But serious postoperative complications had been reported in many cases, which are prosthetic valve detachment, paravalvular leakage, conduction disturbance, and false aneurysm. Many efforts to prevent the complications have been made such as application of cryopreseved homograft. We have described an experience of root replacement with homograft in d 39 year-old male patient for prosthetic valve detachment because of Behfet's aorlitis with a review of the literatures regarding treatment, complication, and prognosis.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.63-74
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• 2009

Background and Purpose : Oncheongeum(溫淸飮) composed of Samultang(四物湯) and Hwangryunhaedoktang(黃連解毒湯) was mainly used for healing metrorrhagia in the Qing dynasty of China. At present, Oncheongeum is used for treating a broad spectrum of diseases such as skin disease, stomatitis, behcets disease, diabetes mellitus and, especially in Japan, atopic dermatitis. To our knowledge, however, neither the precise constituents and their effects of Oncheongeum nor the criteria for the prescription of Oncheongeum were defined. To address this issue, we searched and performed analysis of Korean, Chinese and Japanese articles reporting the clinical and experimental studies of Oncheongeum. Methods : We searched articles in the national assembly library of Korea by using keyword 'Oncheongeum' korean. Similarly, we did chinese articles in the CNKI and japanese ones in the CiNii, respectively. Results : We found 13 korean articles about Oncheongeum in the national assembly library, 34 chinese articles in the CNKI, and 23 japanese in the CiNii. The papers were divided into clinical and experimental articles. The clinical articles were mainly published from China and Japan, and their subjects were predominantly on skin diseases. Conclusions : There were a lot of case reports about Oncheongeum used in the clinical studies. In order to better understand the effects of Oncheongeum, systematic review of the studies seems essential. The efficacy of Oncheongeum reported in the clinical studies should be supported by experimental data. Not much were clinical reports in Korea, although we are expecting more to come. It is possible to not only analyse but compare Oncheongeum with other prescriptions used for atopic dermatitis. More comprehensive and comparative analysis of three countries' prescriptions might provide a way of how to standardize prescriptions, which leads oriental medicine to an evidence based medicine.