• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.185-193
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• 2009

In the present study, ten herbal extracts, Citrus unshiu Markovich, root and stem of Berberis koreana, Morus alba, Dendrobium moniliforme, Aster gramineus, A. scabar, Alisma canaliculatum, Fallopia japonica and Origanum (O.) vulgare were determined to examine anti-mycoplasmal activity. Among them, O. vulgare extract (OVE) showed strong anti-mycoplasmal activity and was analyzed by gaschromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS). As the results, OVE was consisted of carvacrol (68.78%), o-cymene (9.80%), terpinene (7.61%) and thymol (4.03%) as main ingredients. To investigate inflammatory activity by intact pathogenic Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) at 30 $\mu$g/ml, we examined induced transcription of proinflammatory cytokines such as cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in RAW 264.7 cells. With the above results, we further investigated whether OVE could reduce inflammation induced by M. hyo at minimal inhibitory concentration. The result showed that 32 $\mu$g/ml of OVE inhibited nitric oxide production by 60%. This study also evaluated the combination of OVE with antibacterials against M. hyo for application. Based on these results, it could be concluded that M. hyo induces inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells and OVE protects this inflammation, indicating that OVE may be useful for industrial animals.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.610-615
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• 2011

Objectives : To observe the mitigating effects of a Traditional Korean Medicine treatment program, called Wheel Balanced Cancer Therapy (WBCT), with Adriamycin and 5-FU chemotherapy on a breast cancer patient. Methods : A 26 year old female patient diagnosed with stage IIb breast cancer was admitted to the East-West Cancer Center (EWCC) in February of 2010. She received Adriamycin and 5-FU from February 22nd, to July 20th, 2010 followed by WBCT consisting of herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion and physiotherapy for 5 months. Her symptoms were measured by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) and her quality of life was measured by Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). Results : WBCT significantly alleviated chemotherapy-induced nausea, oral dryness, and peripheral neuropathy. Quality of life also significantly improved. Conclusions : This case study potentiates WBCT's significant efficacy in aiding breast cancer patients suffering from Adriamycin plus 5-FU chemotherapy induced adverse effects.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.93-105
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• 2011

Objectives : This study aims to evaluate currently available clinical evidence for the use of acupuncture in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis in the context of Republic of Korea. Methods : Five Korean databases were searched for all clinical studies employing acupuncture for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. The exceptions were case reports and series involving less than 10 patients from their inception to September 2011. Only studies reported in Korean databases were searched. Results : Five retrospective audits among 22 initially identified studies were eligible for analysis in this review. There was no randomized controlled trial for this topic. The number of patients varied between 15 and 119 in each audit, and all the patients analyzed were inpatients. In all the included studies, acupuncture was conducted in combination with other concomitant treatments, including moxibustion, cupping, herbal remedies, acupoint injection, Chuna, and various physical therapies. All the included audits reported symptomatic and/or functional improvements compared to baseline. None of the included audits indicated whether any adverse events were reported. Conclusions : Current evidence for the use of acupuncture in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis in the context of South Korea is based solely on five retrospective audits that are very likely prone to a high risk of bias. Thus, further prospective and methodologically sound clinical trials to overcome this huge gap between clinical practice and the available evidence for the use of acupuncture in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis are needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3429-3436
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• 2013

Cervical cancer is a major health problem worldwide and is the most frequent cause of cancer in women in India. Early detection and affordable drugs with clinical efficacy have to go hand-in-hand in order to comprehensibly address this serious health challenge. Plant-based drugs with potent anticancer effects should add to the efforts to find a cheap drug with limited clinical side effects. Keeping this very purpose in mind, an attempt has been made in this review to explore the potential of plant extracts or constituents known to exhibit antitumorigenic activity or exert cytotoxic effect in human cervical carcinoma cells. Alkaloids such as those isolated from C. vincetoxicum and T. Tanakae, naucleaorals A and B, isolated from the roots of N. orientalis, (6aR)-normecambroline, isolated from the bark of N. dealbata appear promising in different human cervical carcinoma cells with the $IC_{50}$ of 4.0-8 ${\mu}g/mL$. However, other compounds such as rhinacanthone and neolignans isolated from different plants are not far behind and kill cervical cancer cells at a very low concentrations. Among plant extracts or its constituents that enhance the effect of known anticancer drugs, noni, derived from the plant M. citrifolia perhaps is the best candidate. The cytotoxic potency and apoptotic index of cisplatin was found to significantly enhanced in combination with noni in different human cervical carcinoma cells and it therefore holds significance as promising herbal-based anticancer agent. However, efficacy needs to be further investigated in various cervical cell lines and more importantly, in in vivo cervical cancer models for possible use as an alternative and safe anticancer drug.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.13-21
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• 2019

Objective : The purpose of this study is to report and observe effects of Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) on stage IV metastatic breast cancer patient. Method : A right breast cancer patient diagnosed with metastatic lesions on liver, lung, spleen, multiple bones and skin on right breast April 2013. The patient received Herceptin + Docetaxel + Zometa from May 2013 and started to receive TKM since July 2013 to decrease side effects of chemotherapy. From December 2013 to November 2014, she had received Herceptin 18 times more. The clinical outcomes were measured by computed tomography, laboratory findings including tumor markers (CEA, CA15-3), liver function test (AST, ALT), and numeric rating scales (NRS). Results : After 6 years of TKM treatment combined with standard chemotherapy, tumor size was partially decreased in lung, liver, right pleura and spleen. Levels of tumor markers also showed decrease. There were no severe adverse events induced by TKM based on National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (NCI-CTCAE) version 4.0. Conclusion : This case suggests that TKM combined with standard chemotherapy could be a promising method for treating metastatic stage IV breast cancer.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.488-493
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• 2011

Callus culture initiation of strawberry (Fragaria${\times}$ananassa Duch.) was investigated at different Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium strengths, types and concentrations of plant growth regulators, and incorporating a cold pretreatment period to determine the optimal nutritional and environmental conditions. No high quality callus was induced on MS media without auxin regardless of medium strength. When 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) was combined with indole acetic acid (IAA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), high quality callus were highly induced compared to medium supplemented with auxin alone. When $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ BA was combined with IAA, NAA, and 2,4-D, high quality callus induction was more effective than the medium supplemented with the other BA concentrations. The best combination of auxin and cytokinin for high quality callus induction was $1.0mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ NAA and $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ BA. Although the differences in callus induction were not significant, high quality callus induction at half strength MS medium was more effective than at full strength medium. When $30g{\cdot}L^{-1}$ sucrose was added to the half strength MS medium, the rate of high quality callus induction increased. The optimum cold pretreatment temperature and period for high quality callus induction were $4^{\circ}C$ and 72 h, respectively. Regeneration rate of high quality callus increased in MS medium supplemented with thidiazuron.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.15-22
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• 2013

Objective: Evaluations of the in-vitro anti-bacterial activities of aqueous extracts of Acacia catechu (L.F.)Willd, Castanea sativa, Ephedra sinica stapf and Shilajita mumiyo against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) are reasonable since these ethnomedicinal plants have been used in Persian folk medicine for treating skin diseases, venereal diseases, respiratory problems and nervous disorders for ages. Methods: The well diffusion method (KB testing) with a concentration of $250{\mu}g/disc$ was used for evaluating the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Maximum synergistic effects of different combinations of components were also observed. Results: A particular combination of Acacia catechu (L.F.) Willd, Castanea sativa, Ephedra sinica stapf and shilajita mumiyo extracts possesses an outstanding anti-bacterial activity. It's inhibiting effect on microorganisms is significant when compared to the control group (P<0.05). Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive microorganism. The highest anti-bacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia) or gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus mirabilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) was exerted by formula number 2 (table 1). Conclusion: The results reveal the presence of anti-bacterial activities of Acacia catechu, Castanea sativa husk, Ephedra sp. and Mumiyo against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Synergistic effects in a combined formula, especially in formula number 2 (ASLAN$^{(R)}$) can lead to potential sources of new antiseptic agents for treatment of acute or chronic skin ulcers. These results considering the significant anti-bacterial effect of the present formulation, support ethnopharmacological uses against diarrheal and venereal diseases and demonstrate use of these plants to treat infectious diseases.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.814-821
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• 2018

Thyroid cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea, and thyroidectomy is the first-line treatment. Hypoparathyroidism is a common complication of thyroidectomy and can cause symptoms such as numbness, spasm, and anxiety, but these issues have seldom been reported in the Korean medical literature. The present case was a 53-year-old thyroid cancer patient who complained of numbness caused by hypoparathyroidism, general weakness, fatigue, and postoperative pain after total thyroidectomy. The patient was treated with Korean medicine treatment, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping, and moxibustion, and her changes in clinical symptoms were measured with a numeric rating scale (NRS), the Karnofsky performance status scale (KPS), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). After treatment, her clinical symptoms were improved, leading to an improvement in her quality of life. Therefore, Korean medicine may be effective in the treatment of thyroid cancer patients who experience numbness caused by hypoparathyroidism, general weakness and fatigue after total thyroidectomy.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was performed to review the research trends in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in traditional Chinese medicine.Methods: We searched articles in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) using keywords, “ Posttraumatic stress disorder” , and “ PTSD” in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs and Combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Western Medicine field. We selected 16 studies after excluding non-clinical or unrelated studies.Results: Four pre-post comparison studies and 12 controlled clinical trials were performed in patients with PTSD in China. Herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion therapy were used for the treatment of PTSD. Most of the studies showed positive results, and they reported that the treatment groups had fewer side effects than the control group. However, the quality of these clinical studies was low.Conclusions: According to this study, TCM for PTSD would be an effective and safe intervention. Therefore, based on this study, more clinical research on the treatment of PTSD should be performed in Korean medicine in the near future.

• CELLMED
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.10.1-10.8
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• 2013

Cancer is one of the major dreaded diseases causing high mortality. Lung cancer is second in position of all cancer related deaths and mainly divided into two morphologic sub-types: small-cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is an aggressive neoplasm which hardly responds to any conventional chemotherapy. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) belongs to the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinase that is mainly over-expressed in NSCLC. EGFR is mainly involved in the pathogenesis and progression of different carcinoma. In vivo and in vitro studies suggest that EGFR and EGF like peptides are often over-expressed in human NSCLC and these proteins are able to induce cell transformation. The conventional therapies mostly inhibit the EGFR activity and expression level in human NSCLC with the use of some EGFR-inhibitors like HKI-272, EKB569, CL-387785 etc. and some synthetic chemotherapeutic drugs like erlotinib, gefitinib, plumbagin, docetaxel, cisplatin etc., alone or in combination of two or more drugs. These therapies selectively act by competitive inhibition of the binding of adenosine triphosphate to the tyrosine kinase domain of the EGFR, resulting in inhibition of the EGFR signaling pathway. But these chemotherapeutic drugs have some cytotoxic activities to the normal cells and have some adverse side-effects. Recent studies on some traditional alternative therapies including some herbal and plant extracts, active ingredients like curcumin, different homeopathic drugs, etc. can target EGFR-signalling in NSCLC with less toxic side-effects are being currently developed.