• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.200-213
• /
• 2001

Objectives : This study was purposed to investigate the Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Gold injection Aqua-acupuncture on the experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods : The experimental groups were divided into 4 groups : Control group (group injected with normal saline), J-NS (group injected with normal saline into bilateral Choksamni(ST36)), J-GS (group injected with Gold Injection into bilateral Choksamni(ST36)), and N-GS (injected with Gold Injection into the blank locus of the root of mouse tail). In addition, Diclofenac-Na as a comparative medicine is injected into bilateral Choksamni(ST36) and the blank locus of the root of mouse tail. So we measured the mice paw edema induced by Carrageenin and Dextran, the chronic rat paw edema induced by adjuvant, vascular permeability induced by Acetic acid in mice, the writhing syndrome induced by Acetic acid in mice, the heat-induced pain threshold in mice. Results : The following result have been obtained. 1. The mice paw edema induced by Carrageenin was significantly decreased in J-GS as compared with the control group. 2. The mice paw edema induced by Dextran was significantly decreased in J-GS and N-GS as compared with the control group. 3. The chronic rat paw edema induced by Adjuvant was significantly decreased in J-GS and N-GS as compared with the control group. Serum Iron content was significantly decreased in J-GS and N-GS as compared with the control group. But the effect on the Serum Copper contents has no significance statistically. 4. Vascular permeability induced by Acetic acid in mice was significantly decreased in J-GS and N-GS as compared with the control group. 5. The level of Acetic acid-induced Writhing syndrome and Heat-induced Pain Threshold in mice were all significantly decreased in J-GS and N-GS as compared with the control group. Conclusion : According to the result, gold injection aqua-acupuncture has significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on the experimental model of rheumatiod arthiritis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.453-462
• /
• 2020

Chronic joint pain due to loss of cartilage function, degradation of subchondral bone, and related conditions are common plights of an arthritis patient. Antioxidant compounds could solve the problems in arthritic condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-arthritic activity of D-carvone against complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats. D-carvone was orally administered for 25 days at the doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg against CFA-induced arthritic rats. Changes in body weight, paw swelling, organ index, hematological parameters, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, and histopathology were recorded. Oral treatment of D-carvone significantly improved the body weight, reduced the paw swelling, edema formation, and organ index in arthritic rats. The levels of white blood cells were reduced, red blood cells and hemoglobin levels were improved in D-carvone treated arthritic rats. Lipid peroxidation levels were lowered whereas enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were significantly elevated by D-carvone administration against arthritic rats. D-carvone significantly modulated inflammatory cytokine levels and improved the ankle joint pathology against CFA-induced arthritic inflammation. In conclusion, D-carvone proved significant anti-arthritic activity against CFA-induced arthritis in rats.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.102-108
• /
• 2018

Background: Nefopam is a non-opioid, non-steroidal analgesic drug with fewer adverse effects than narcotic analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and is widely used for postoperative pain control. Because nefopam sometimes causes side effects such as nausea, vomiting, somnolence, hyperhidrosis and injection-related pain, manufacturers are advised to infuse it slowly, over a duration of 15 minutes. Nevertheless, pain at the injection site is very common. Therefore, we investigated the effect of warmed carrier fluid on nefopam injection-induced pain. Methods: A total of 48 patients were randomly selected and allocated to either a control or a warming group. Warming was performed by diluting 40 mg of nefopam in 100 ml of normal saline heated to $31-32^{\circ}C$ using two fluid warmers. The control group was administered 40 mg of nefopam dissolved in 100 ml of normal saline stored at room temperature ($21-22^{\circ}C$) through the fluid warmers, but the fluid warmers were not activated. Results: The pain intensity was lower in the warming group than in the control group (P < 0.001). The pain severity and tolerance measurements also showed statistically significant differences between groups (P < 0.001). In the analysis of vital signs before and after the injection, the mean blood pressure after the injection differed significantly between the groups (P = 0.005), but the heart rate did not. The incidence of hypertension also showed a significant difference between groups (P = 0.017). Conclusions: Use of warmed carrier fluid for nefopam injection decreased injection-induced pain compared to mildly cool carrier fluid.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.201-208
• /
• 2019

Background: After tooth extraction, pain due to dry socket and pain in the adjacent tooth are common. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze pain in the adjacent tooth after surgical extraction of the mandibular third molar. Methods: Postoperative pain due to dry socket, pain in the adjacent tooth, and pain from other causes were present. Group A included patents with dry socket alone; group B included patients with pain in the adjacent tooth alone; and group C included patients with both. The duration of symptoms was recorded. In addition, the prognosis of pain was divided into the complete improvement, improvement, maintenance, deterioration, and complete deterioration groups. Results: A total of 312 mandibular third molars were extracted from 13, 60, and 10 patients in groups A, B, and C, respectively. The mean duration of symptoms was 5 days in group A and B and 15.2 days in group C. There were statistically significant differences in the duration of symptoms between groups A and C and groups B and C. Conclusion: Pain in the adjacent tooth after third molar extraction can be caused by inflammatory reactions and pressure on this tooth. The pain caused by pressure on the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone results from the cytokines released by osteoclasts, which are responsible for bone destruction. However, pain from periodontal ligament damage caused by excessive pressure may be misunderstood as pulpal pain. Unconscious parafunctional habits, such as clenching and bruxism, could also be associated with post-extraction pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.326-334
• /
• 2020

Background: In this study, we sought to evaluate whether systemic propentofylline (PPF) has antiallodynic effects in a rat model of postoperative pain, and to assess the mechanism involved. Methods: After plantar incision, rats were intraperitoneally injected with various doses of PPF to evaluate its antiallodynic effect. To investigate the involved mechanism, rats were intraperitoneally injected with yohimbine, dexmedetomidine, prazosin, naloxone, atropine or mecamylamine, following the incision of the rat hind paws, and then PPF was administered intraperitoneally. The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) was evaluated using von Frey filaments at various time points and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 were measured to determine the inflammatory response level. Results: MWT was significantly increased after intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg of PPF when compared with the control group. Injection of PPF and yohimbine, atropine or mecamylamine showed significant decreases in the MWT, while injection of PPF and dexmedetomidine showed a significant increase. Systemic administration of PPF inhibited the post-incisional increase in serum level of TNF-α and IL-1β. Conclusions: Systemic administration of PPF following surgery presented antiallodynic effects in a rat model of postoperative pain. The antiallodynic effects against mechanical allodynia could be mediated by α-adrenergic and cholinergic receptors.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.265-270
• /
• 2017

Objectives : The present study aimed to examine the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture(EA) applied to the brook point of the Liver meridian in the rat model of inflammatory pain and to investigate involvement of endogenouse opioid in the EA-induced analgesia. Methods : Knee arthritis was induced by injection of $125{\mu}l$ of complete Freund's adjuvant into the knee joint cavity unilaterally. To examine the level of pain, weight bearing forces(WBFs) of affected limb was measured. EA treatment was given at the LR2, LI4 or non-acupoint on the contralateral limb with frequency of 2 Hz and intensity of 2 mA under gaseous anesthesia. Results : After induction of arthritis, rats subsequently showed a reduced stepping force of the affected hindlimb due to a painful knee. EA applied to the LR2 point on the contralateral hind limb produced a significant improvement of stepping force of the hind limb lasting for at least 2 h, and this effect was equivalent to that obtained by 5 mg/kg of oral indomethacin. The effect of EA was specific to the acupoint since it could not be mimicked by EA applied to the LI4 point or the arbitrary non-acupoint. The analgesic effect was blocked by pretreatment with naltrexone(10 mg/kg, i.p.). Conclusions : These results suggest that acupuncture applied to LR2, brook point of Liver meridian suppresses inflammatory pain in a rat model of knee arthritis and this effect seems to be mediated by endogenous opioid systems.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.14-23
• /
• 2020

Objectives : We investigated the efficacy and safety of miniscalpel acupuncture (MA) treatment combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for chronic neck pain (CNP) in an assessor-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial to establish a basis for larger-scale randomized controlled studies on this subject. Methods : Participants (n=36) were recruited and randomly allocated to the MA group, NSAIDs and combined treatment group. The MA group received MA three times over three weeks. The NSAIDs group was administered orally with zaltoprofen 80mg t.i.d. over three weeks. The combined treatment group received MA and zaltoprofen in the same manner as MA and NSAIDs groups. The primary outcome was pain as assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the secondary outcomes were assessed using the Neck Disability index (NDI), EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D), and Patients' Global Impression of Change scale (PGIC). Assessments were made at week 0 (baseline), 1, 2, 3 (primary end point) during treatment and at week 7 (4 weeks after the end of treatment). Results : 35 participants completed the study. No serious adverse event occurred and blood test results were within normal limits. The improvement of VAS and NDI was significantly greater in combined and MA group than that in NSAIDs group (p<0.017). The combined group showed better outcomes in EQ-5D at visit 2 and 5, in PGIC at visit 4 than the NSAIDs group (p<0.017). No significant differences were found between combined and MA group. Conclusions : Our results suggest that both combined and MA group can be more effective in improving pain control than NSAIDs group. A large-scale clinical study is warranted to further clarify these findings.

• The Journal of Korea CHUNA Manual Medicine
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.111-123
• /
• 2002

Objectives : There have been many studies of the effect of Bee Venom therapy about arthritis, but no one study was reported about its whole functional mechanism to musculo-skeletal system. This study was designed to investigate the effect, Indication, and side effect of Bee Venom therapy on musculo-skeletal disease by literature review of articles. Results : The effects of Bee Venom therapy to musculo-skeletal system are divided to Anti_inflammatory effect and Anti-nociceptive effect. Anti_inflammatory effect is achieved through competitive chemotaxis, immuno-regulation, increasing of cortisol secretion by stimulating hypothalamus-pituitary gland-adrenal cortex axis. Anti-nociceptive effect is achieved by Anti-inflammatory mechanism and it works similar to anti-nociceptive effect of the acupuncture acting on central and peripheral nociceptive transduction system. The Bee Venom therapy could cause severe side effect, for example, hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis, injury to central nerve system and cardiovascular system, peripheral blood system, and renal dysfunction. Conclusions : With its Anti-inflammatory and Anti-nociceptive mechanism, Bee Venom therapy is considered that has good effects to autoimmune disease, chronic inflammation of various musculo-skeletal disease and various pain syndrome. But the clinician must be careful for its side effects.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.39-42
• /
• 2018

Background: Venipuncture pain is an uncomfortable suffering to the patient. It creates anxiety, fear and dissatisfaction. The ketoprofen transdermal patch is a proven treatment for musculoskeletal and arthritic pain. We planned this study to evaluate the efficacy of the ketoprofen patch to reduce venipuncture pain. Methods: Two hundred adult patients, aged 18-60 years, of either sex, ASA grade I or II, were enrolled. Presuming that therapy would decrease venipuncture pain by 30%, a power calculation with ${\alpha}=0.05$ and ${\beta}=0.80$ required enrollment of at least 24 patients into each group. However, 100 patients in each group were recruited. Group I (Control) received a placebo patch; Group II (Ketoprofen) received a 20 mg ketoprofen patch. A selected vein on the dorsum of the patient's non-dominant hand was cannulated with 18 g intravenous cannula 1 h after the application of the respective patch. Assessment of pain was done by a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0-10, where 0 depicts "no pain" and 10 is "the worst imaginable pain". The venipuncture site was assessed for the presence of skin erythema, swelling and rashes at 12 h, 24 h and at the time of decannulation. Results: Incidence of pain was 100% (94/94) in the control group as compared to 93% (85/91) in the ketoprofen group. The severity of the venipuncture pain was 6 (2) and 2 (2) for control and ketoprofen groups respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Application of a ketoprofen patch at the proposed site of venipuncture one hour before the attempt is effective and safe for attenuating venipuncture pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.246-252
• /
• 2014

Background: Neuropathic pain is generally defined as a chronic pain state resulting from peripheral and/or central nerve injury. There is a lack of effective treatment for neuropathic pain, which may possibly be related to poor understanding of pathological mechanisms at the molecular level. Curcumin, a therapeutic herbal extract, has shown to be effectively capable of reducing chronic pain induced by peripheral administration of inflammatory agents such as formalin. In this study, we aimed to show the effect of curcumin on pain behavior and serum COX-2 level in a Chronic Constriction Injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain. Methods: Wistar male rats (150-200 g, n = 8) were divided into three groups: CCI vehicle-treated, sham-operated, and CCI drug-treated group. Curcumin (12.5, 25, 50 mg/kg, IP) was injected 24 h before surgery and continued daily for 7 days post-surgery. Behavioral tests were performed once before and following the days 1, 3, 5, 7 after surgery. The serum COX-2 level was measured on day 7 after the surgery. Results: Curcumin (50 mg/kg) decreased mechanical and cold allodynia (P < 0.001) and produced a decline in serum COX-2 level (P < 0.001). Conclusions: A considerable decline in pain behavior and serum COX-2 levels was seen in rat following administration of curcumin in CCI model of neuropathic pain. High concentration of Curcumin was able to reduce the chronic neuropathic pain induced by CCI model and the serum level of COX-2.