• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 1998

Osteoporosis is defined as a pathologic condition in which there occurs no change in the chemical composition of the bone, while bone resorption is abnormally increased. This compares with osteogenesis, which leads to a decrease in the amount of bone. Though many varieties of therapies have been tried, no fully effective method has been found. Korean red ginseng is an important variety of Korean ginsengs and many studies have been performed to investigate its effectiveness. But there has been no report on red ginseng's effects on osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical effects of Korean red ginseng on postmenopausal osteoporosis patients. The study was designed as a double-blind study. Group I consisted of 30 postmenopausal osteoporosis patients who were administered red ginseng extracts and 15 patients who were administered maltose capsules, were included in group II. The following results were obtained after one-year administration to both groups. 1. There were no significant differences in the degree of wedging, number of compression fractures in the vertebral body, trabeculations, and Cobb's angles between the experimental and control groups. 2. Even though bone mineral density increased in the lumbar spine, and decreased in the femur, there was no significant statistical difference. 3. The serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, phosphate, and alkaline phosphates showed no difference between the two groups regardless of treatment. 4. Urine Deoxy-pyridinoline (DPYD) decreased in the red ginseng group while it increased in the maltose group, but statistically there was no significant difference between the two groups. 5. The clinical presentations showed no significant differences using Visual Analog Scale. 6. The specific complications related with the long-term use of red ginseng did not occur in all patients. In conclusion, there were no statistically significant differences in clinical presentations, biochemical, and radiological studies between the red gins eng and maltose groups. No definite effectiveness of red ginseng on patients with osteoporosis was found.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.361-370
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• 2011

Objective: Speedy surgical orthodontics (SSO), an innovative orthodontic treatment, involves the application of orthopedic forces against temporary skeletal anchorage devices following perisegmental corticotomy to induce movement of specific dental segments. Herein, we report the biological effects of SSO on the teeth and periodontal structures. Methods: Five beagle dogs were divided into 2 groups and their 6 maxillary incisors were retracted $en$ $masse$ by applying 500 g orthopedic force against a single palatal mini-plate. Retraction was performed without and with perisegmental corticotomy in groups I and II, respectively. All animals were killed on the 70th day, and their periodontal structures were processed for histologic analyses and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The linear distance between the third maxillary incisor and canine was used as a benchmark to quantify the retraction amount. Results: Retraction was markedly faster and retraction amount greater in group II than in Group I. Surprisingly, Group II did not show any root resorption despite extensive retraction, while Group I showed prominent root surface irregularities. Similarly, SEM showed multiple resorption lacunae in Group I, but not in Group II. Conclusions: SSO is an effective and favorable orthodontic approach for major en masse retraction of the maxillary anterior teeth.