• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제34권3호
• /
• pp.13-21
• /
• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture treatment (AT) in the tendency of increase of the need for AT for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) worldwide and to investigate the advancements in AT research in Korea and the future directions of research on this topic. Methods : Until May 2017, the PubMed, Scopus, Medline, and four Korean databases were searched. The searched keywords were "Parkinson's disease", "Acupuncture", and "Intervention study". The intervention groups from all screened original studies were analyzed and the methods used to determine the effect of AT on PD were examined. Results : A total of 17 studies were grouped by country on the basis of the first author's position, of which 10 studies were conducted in China, four in the United States, two in Korea, and one in Brazil. The most common type of intervention was electroacupuncture (nine studies), followed by AT (six studies), and a combination of AT and bee venom AT (two studies). The most frequently used acupoints in AT were Baihui (GV20), Taichong (LR3), Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Yanglingquan (GB34). The most commonly used tool for evaluation of PD was the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III, which assesses motor functions. Conclusion : The screened studies reported that there were no adverse effects of AT on drug therapy, and AT reduced the dose of drugs used in PD treatment. Future studies on PD treatment with AT should use the acupoints GV20, LR3, ST36, SP6, and GB34, and the meridians Gallbladder meridian and Governor Vessel. Clinical studies on PD should use CONSORT or STRICTA to ensure the quality of national studies and allow the development of new tools for the assessment of the effect of AT on PD using the above criteria.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제18권1호
• /
• pp.61-66
• /
• 2014

Lung cancer is still the number one cause of death from cancer worldwide. The clinical effect of platinum-based chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer is constrained by the resistance to drug. To overcome chemo-resistance, various modified treatment including combination therapy has been used, but overall survival has not been improved yet. In this study, chemo-resistant lung cancer cells, A549/Cis and H460/Cis, were developed by long-term exposure of cells to cisplatin and the proliferative capability of these resistant cells was verified to be reduced. We found cytotoxic effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major catechin derived from green tea, on both the parental lung cancer cells, A549 and H460, and their cisplatin resistant cells, A549/Cis and H460/Cis. ELISA and Western blot analysis revealed that EGCG was able to increase interlukine-6 (IL-6) production per cell, whereas its downstream effector Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation was not changed by EGCG, indicating that IL-6/STAT3 axis is not the critical signaling to be inhibited by EGCG. We next found that EGCG suppresses the expression of both Axl and Tyro 3 receptor tyrosine kinases at mRNA and protein level, explaining the cytotoxic effect of EGCG on lung cancer cells, especially, regardless of cisplatin resistance. Taken together, these data suggest that EGCG impedes proliferation of lung cancer cells including their chemo-resistant variants through downregulation of Axl and Tyro 3 expression.

• 약학회지
• /
• 제59권3호
• /
• pp.127-134
• /
• 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation among age, symptoms and initial medication (IM), and the tolerance duration of IM in Korean people with Parkinson's disease (PD). We studied 60 patients with untreated early PD who were initially diagnosed in our hospital between Jun 2006 and Sep 2014. We collected data on sex, age at diagnosis, symptom duration until diagnosis, main motor symptoms, frequency and duration of IM through electronic medical records. We divided patients into groups depending on the number of drugs (MONO/COMBI) and whether to contain dopaminergic property (DOPA/NDOPA). We analyzed the correlation between age and symptoms in each two groups and calculated the mean tolerance duration of IM in each of the groups. The mean symptom duration until diagnosis was 12.2 months. The most frequent drug was levodopa formulations (80%) compared to dopamine agonists (58.3%). The number of patients in the COMBI group (63.3%) was more than that in the MONO group (36.7%). Half of the patients in the COMBI group were taking LDF+DA (50%). Except for tremor, no other symptom showed a significant correlation between with IM. The mean tolerance duration of IM was within 200 days. The mean duration for COMBI group (342.7 days) was longer than that for MONO group (209.8 days). Among regimens, the mean tolerance duration of DOPA group (293.3 days) was longer than for NDOPA group (251.4 days). There was no difference in survival curves between any of the two groups. We found that patients experienced symptoms for over a year in Korea. This indicates that diagnosis time is faster than reported in other previous studies. The longest tolerance duration among IM was for dopaminergic combination therapy. More research is needed to design the most appropriate treatment for PD in Korean patients.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제35권2호
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2018

Background: This study was performed to review the efficacy of national and international randomized controlled trials (RCT) investigating Chuna manipulative treatment for ankle sprains. Methods: Online databases (PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, CNKI, NDSL, OASIS), were searched for studies where Chuna treatment was performed for ankle sprains up to October 12th, 2017. Only RCT were selected that fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data were analyzed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: There were 676 studies retrieved from the databases, resulting in analysis of 24 RCT. There was an average of 7 treatment visits over a 7 day period and the most frequent evaluation tool used was efficacy rate, with drug therapy being the most common control used in the trials. In 15 RCT, several Chuna methods were used in combination, amongst which, the osteopathic technique was most common. Statistically significant improvement in evaluation indices was reported in 19 RCT, and in 3 RCT, statistically significant improvement was reported, but not for all indices. In the remaining 2 RCT, there were no significant differences in any of the evaluation indices. No adverse reactions were reported in any of the RCT, although it was unknown whether all the trial protocols indicated that adverse reactions should be monitored, and for this reason, the risk of bias was unclear. Conclusion: The review of 24 studies suggest that Chuna manipulative treatment for ankle sprains was effective in most cases, although, potential bias in these studies was difficult to evaluate.

• 한국임상약학회지
• /
• 제28권1호
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2018

Objective: Opioid analgesics, for postoperative pain management, are an indispensable group of medication; however, they also have a variety of adverse drug reactions (ADR). Multimodal methods, combining non-opioid analgesics with opioid analgesics, have been investigated to increase the effects of analgesics and reduce ADR with opioid-sparing effects. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with fentanyl alone, and PCA with fentanyl and intravenous (i.v.) propacetamol to determine the effects of pain control, cumulative opioid usage, and opioid ADR. Methods: The subjects were patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty at the Seoul Veterans hospital from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016. The study period was from postoperative day 0 (POD0) to day 3 (POD3), and the retrospective study was conducted using electronic medical records. Results: Pain severity was significantly low at POD1 (p = 0.017), POD2 (p = 0.003), and POD3 (p = 0.002) in the multimodal group. The fentanyl only group frequently reported both moderate and severe pain at a statistically significant level. This was consistent with the analysis of the pro re nata (PRN) intramuscular analgesia usage at the time of numerical rating scale (NRS) 4 and above. The opioid-sparing effect confirmed that the average opioid dose equivalent to i.v. morphine dose was 9.4 mg more than that used for the multimodal group in the fentanyl only group. The ADRs and length of stay between the two groups were not statistically different. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the combination therapy of fentanyl and i.v. propacetamol is superior to fentanyl monotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권14호
• /
• pp.5747-5751
• /
• 2014

Background: Coptisine, an isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Coptidis rhizoma, has many biological activities such as antidiabetic, antimicrobial and antiviral actions. However, whether coptisine exerts anti-cancer metastasis effects remains unknown. Materials and Methods: Effects of coptisine on highly metastatic human breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231 proliferation were evaluated by trypan blue assay and on cell adhesion, migration and invasion by gelatin adhesion, wound-healing and matrigel invasion chamber assays, respectively. Expression of two matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-9, MMP-2 and their specific inhibitors tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) were analyzed by RT-PCR. Results: Coptisine obviously inhibited adhesion to an ECM-coated substrate, wound healing migration, and invasion through the matrigel in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. RT-PCR revealed that coptisine reduced the expression of the ECM degradation-associated gene MMP-9 at the mRNA level, and the expression of TIMP-1 was upregulated in MDA-MB-231 cells, while the expression of MMP-2 and its specific inhibitor TIMP-2 was not affected. Conclusions: Taken together, our data showed that coptisine suppressed adhesion, migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in vitro, the down-regulation of MMP-9 in combination with the increase of TIMP-1 possibly contributing to the anti-metastatic function. Coptisine might be a potential drug candidate for breast cancer therapy.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제19권1호
• /
• pp.84-89
• /
• 2011

The present study was undertaken to determine whether combined treatment with prokinetic trimebutine and mosapride has a synergic effect on gastrointestinal motility and visceral pain associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction. To develop effective gastroprokinetic agents with greater potencies than trimebutine or mosapride for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract disease, a mixture of trimebutine and mosapride was designed and prepared. In the present study, treatment with trimebutine alone showed a dose-dependent effect on propelling movements of normal small and large intestine in mice, whereas mosapride effected only small intestine motility. Co-administration of trimebutine with mosapride, a well-established prokinetic drug, produced a synergistic influence on normal small intestine motility, but demonstrated an unclear effect on large intestine motility, with a slight tendency to reduce the propelling time. In a stress model, the small and large intestine motilities were significantly decreased. The reduction of intestine motility was restored to a normal level and the restoring effect was more pronounced in the combined treatment with trimebutine plus mosapride than treatment with trimebutine or mosapride alone. Furthermore, treatment with trimebutine plus mosapride significantly decreased acute visceral pain which was not controlled by trimebutine or mosapride alone. These data suggest that combination therapy with trimebutine plus mosapride has a synergic effect on small and large intestine motility and visceral pain control in gastrointestinal disorders.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• 제18권2호
• /
• pp.104-110
• /
• 2013

Presence of Helicobacter pylori is associated with an increased risk of developing upper gastrointestinal tract diseases. Antibiotic therapy and a combination of two or three drugs have been widely used to eradicate H. pylori infections. Due to antibiotic resistant drugs, new drug resources are needed such as plants which contain antibacterial compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of GutGard$^{TM}$ to inhibit H. pylori growth both in Mongolian gerbils and C57BL/6 mouse models. Male Mongolian gerbils were infected with the bacteria by intragastric inoculation ($2{\times}10^9$ CFU/gerbil) 3 times over 5 days and then orally treated once daily 6 times/week for 8 weeks with 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg GutGard$^{TM}$. After the final administration, biopsy samples of the gastric mucosa were assayed for bacterial identification via urease, catalase and ELISA assays as well as immunohistochemistry (IHC). In the Mongolian gerbil model, IHC and ELISA assays revealed that GutGard$^{TM}$ inhibited H. pylori colonization in gastric mucosa in a dose dependent manner. The anti-H. pylori effects of GutGard$^{TM}$ in H. pylori-infected C57BL/6 mice were also examined. We found that treatment with 25 mg/kg GutGard$^{TM}$ significantly reduced H. pylori colonization in mice gastric mucosa. Our results suggest that GutGard$^{TM}$ may be useful as an agent to prevent H. pylori infection.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제76권2호
• /
• pp.66-74
• /
• 2014

Background: The increasing number of outpatients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens has led to a new category of pneumonia, termed healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). We determined the differences in etiology and outcomes between patients with HCAP and those with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) to clarify the risk factors for HCAP mortality. Methods: A retrospective study comparing patients with HCAP and CAP at Jeju National University Hospital. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Results: A total of 483 patients (208 patients HCAP, 275 patients with CAP) were evaluated. Patients with HCAP were older than those with CAP (median, 74 years; interquartile range [IQR], 65-81 vs. median, 69 years; IQR, 52-78; p<0.0001). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the major pathogen in both groups, and MDR pathogens were isolated more frequently from patients with HCAP than with CAP (18.8% vs. 4.9%, p<0.0001). Initial pneumonia severity was greater in patients with HCAP than with CAP. The total 30-day mortality rate was 9.9% and was higher in patients with HCAP based on univariate analysis (16.3% vs. 5.1%; odds ratio (OR), 3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.90-6.99; p<0.0001). After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and initial severity, the association between HCAP and 30-day mortality became non-significant (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 0.94-4.18; p=0.167). Conclusion: HCAP was a common cause of hospital admissions and was associated with a high mortality rate. This increased mortality was related primarily to age and initial clinical vital signs, rather than combination antibiotic therapy or type of pneumonia.

• 한국식품과학회지
• /
• 제46권4호
• /
• pp.516-521
• /
• 2014

전립선암은 발병률이 높은 암종 중에 하나이다. 전립선 치료제인 flutamide는 androgen 수용체의 호르몬 치료제로서 내성효과에 대한 기본 메커니즘은 명확하지 않다. 본 연구에서는 flutamide에 의해 유도되는 호르몬 불응성 전립선 암세포 성장에서 포도 성분인 resveratrol의 억제효과를 조사하였다. 본 연구의 결과를 통해 호르몬 비의존적인 신호전달의 전환으로 유발되는 호르몬 불응성 전립선 암에서 resveratrol은 예방 및 항암효과에 기여할 것이라 판단된다.