• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2014

Atherosclerosis is a pathologic process occurring within the artery, in which many cell types, including T cell, macrophages, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells, interact, and cause chronic inflammation, in response to various inner- or outer-cellular stimuli. Atherosclerosis is characterized by a complex interaction of inflammation, lipid deposition, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, endothelial dysfunction, and extracellular matrix remodeling, which will result in the formation of an intimal plaque. Although the regulation and function of vascular smooth muscle cells are important in the progression of atherosclerosis, the roles of smooth muscle cells in regulating vascular inflammation are rarely focused upon, compared to those of endothelial cells or inflammatory cells. Therefore, in this review, we will discuss here how smooth muscle cells contribute or regulate the inflammatory reaction in the progression of atherosclerosis, especially in the context of the activation of various membrane receptors, and how they may regulate vascular inflammation.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.139-152
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• 2017

Objectives : This study reports the clinical effects of miniscalpel needle therapy in patients with carpal tunnel or tarsal tunnel syndrome. Methods : Three patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) or tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) (first case, patient with CTS and TTS; second case, patient with CTS; and third case, patient with TTS) were treated with miniscalpel needle (MSN) therapy and integrative Korean medical treatment. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS), Boston scale score, and AOFAS (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) ankle-hindfoot score were measured. Results : In general, outcome measures after treatment showed improvement in all cases. In the first case (CTS and TTS), scores on the NRS, NPS, and Boston scale decreased, and AOFAS ankle-hind foot scores increased. In addition, Tinel's sign showed improvement. In the second case (CTS), scores on the NRS, NPS, and Boston scale, and Tinel's sign, were decreased. In the third case (TTS), scores on the NRS and NPS, and Tinel's sign, showed improvement, and AOFAS ankle-hind foot scores were increased. Conclusion : These results suggest that MSN therapy has a meaningful clinical effect in CTS and TTS.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2009

Background & Objective: Regardless of types of cancer, cancer pain means the pain occurred by tumor itself, caused by complication or side effects during treatment and which is neither directly related to tumor nor treatment. This case was performed to relieve the cancer pain and study the effect of moxibustion to the cancer pain. Method: For 27 days, the patient was treated by moxibustion($MANINA^{(R)}$), acupuncture, herbal medicine and narcotic analgesics. We planned to maintain moxibustion on 8 points of Bladder meridian line(BL13, BL17, BL42, BL43) for 20 minutes. The improvement of the symptom was evaluated by BPI/VAS, and the amount of narcotic analgesics applied. Results: The BPI/VAS was declined and amount of applying narcotic analgesics was decreased. Conclusion: It is suggested that moxibustion on BL13, BL17, BL42, BL43 is useful to relief of cancer pain in left flank area.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2003.08a
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• pp.115.4-115
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• 2003

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2017

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to find out the difference motion of hip, knee and ankle joint during walking according to using walker on older people. Method : Korean older people of 34 subjects was participated in this study. Participants was measured joint motion on hip, knee and ankle joint during both conditions (walking with walker and without walker). The measured data were analyzed using independent t-test to investigate the difference of joint motion on the both condition. The statistical analyses were performed using Predictive Analytics Soft Ware (PASW) for windows(Ver. 19) and p-value less than .05 were considered significant for all cases. Result : The study showed that more joint motion on hip flexion and ankle pronation is increased by using walker. And hip extension, knee external rotation and ankle plantar flexion is decreased by using walker. Conclusion : This study suggest that using walker on older people was change the motion of the lower limb joint during walking. Therefore, It is necessary to develop a new walker that can reduce dependency and ensure stability on older people during walking.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2016

Purpose : This study determines the effect and sustainability of the trunk stability exercise program, specifically using the bridge exercise, by measuring Visual Analogue Scale(VAS), Menstrual Distress Questionaire(MDQ) and muscle strength in women university students complaining of low back pain. Methods : The trunk stability exercise program was progressed by 22 women university students, for 4 weeks, (3 times a week, 1 hour per session). At this time, low back pain happened at the period of menstruation and was measured using VAS, Dysmenorrhea using the MDQ tool and abdominal and back muscle strength using HUR. This study was evaluated 4 times (before and after the exercise program, after 4 weeks and 8 weeks) to investigate the effect of time variation after the exercise program. Results : The trends showed a decrease in VAS and MDQ and an increase in abdominal and back muscle strength. Therefore, these results were evaluated positively from a statistical perspective(p<.05). Conclusions : The trunk stability exercise results in a decreased VAS and MDQ, and increases the muscle strength in women university students who complained of low back pain form dysmenorrhea. Therefore, the low back pain from dysmenorrhea could have been avoided and quality of everyday life improved.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.75-82
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• 2018

Purpose : The present study tested the hypothesis that acupressure at Zusanli(ST36) would attenuate immobilization-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. Methods : The left hind limb was immobilized using casting tape (ST36 group, n=10), and the animals were then treated daily with a pressure needle at ST36. Ten untreated animals with hind limb immobilization and no treatment served as a control group (n=10). After 2 weeks of immobilization, The body weight changes of rats were evaluated and the morphologies of the right and left gastrocnemius muscles in both the ST36 and control groups were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) of gastrocnemius muscles were observed. Results : The acupressure at the accupoint of Zusanli conferred significant protection against reductions in left gastrocnemius muscle weights and average cross-sectional muscle areas in the ST36 group as compared with those in the control group. Moreover, the acupressure at the ST36 point significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) activity in the gastrocnemius muscles as compared with that in the control group. Conclusion : These results suggest that acupressure at the accupoint of Zusanli provides protection against immobilization-induced muscle atrophy by decreasing MDA activity in gastrocnemius muscles.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.125-138
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• 2024

Purpose: The aim of this study was to apply suboccipital muscle inhibition combined with neck muscle stabilization exercise to 20~30s IT industry employees who suffer from chronic non-specific neck pain. Methods: This study was designed as single-blind and randomized controlled trial. The study participants were 20~30s IT industry employees with chonic non-specific neck pain (VAS 3/10) who were divided into an experimental group (n= 20) subjected to suboccipital muscle inhibition with neck muscle stabilization exercise, and control group (n= 20); suboccipital muscle inhibition only. The intervention was applied three times per week for eight weeks. The neck pain·pressure pain threshold·range of motion, and disability index were measured at the 1st, 8th, and 10th week at follow up, then analyzed with an analysis of variance(ANOVA) using the SPSS program. Results: The total number of study participants was 37 (experimental group 19, mean age 34.6±5.3, control group 18, mean age 35.7±4.9). The comparison and analysis of change in VAS, the pressure pain threshold, and the range of motion except the extension (p>.05) revealed a statistically significant decrease between groups over eight weeks and follow up measurement (p<.01). Regarding the within the group differences, the right side of the neck pressure pain threshold showed a statistically significant decrease over eight weeks in the control group (p<.01). The right and left lateral flexion, and the right and left rotation were statistically significant for the experimental group over eight weeks and follow up measurement, but only the left lateral flexion (p<.05) for the control group over eight weeks. The neck disability index showed a slight decrease but this was not satistically significant for the between-grop or the within-group differences (p>.05). Conclusion: The intervention of suboccipital muscle inhibition and a neck muscle stabilization exercise are more beneficial for neck pain and the range of motion than the application of suboccipital muscle inhibition alone.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.26.1-26.9
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• 2020

Cereblon (CRBN), a negative modulator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), is highly expressed in the retina. We confirmed the expression of CRBN in ARPE-19 human retinal cells by Western blotting. We also demonstrated that CRBN knock-down (KD) could effectively downregulate IL-6 and MCP-1 protein and gene expression in LPS-stimulated ARPE-19 cells. Additionally, CRBN KD increased the phosphorylation of AMPK/acetylcoenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) and the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in ARPE-19 cells. Furthermore, CRBN KD significantly reduced LPS-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 and activation of NF-κB promoter activity. However, these processes could be inactivated by compound C (inhibitor of AMPK) and zinc protoporphyrin-1 (ZnPP-1; inhibitor of HO-1). In conclusion, compound C and ZnPP-1 can rescue LPS-induced levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and MCP-1) in CRBN KD ARPE-19 cells. Our data demonstrate that CRBN deficiency negatively regulates proinflammatory cytokines via the activation of AMPK/HO-1 in the retina.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.9-16
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to ascertain the effect of Micro-current on a pain, balance, of knee joint in the patients with degenerative arthritis. Method: The 30 subjects who had micro-current in this research and randomly assigned into two group, an experiment group and a control group. micro-current was applied to 15 subject in the experiment group after general physical therapy. experiment group was applies general therapies and micro-current stimulation. The measurement were analyzed by using SPSS(V.20). In order to compare the post to the amount of pre-changes and post-changes of each group, the paired t-test was used. The difference between the experiment group and the control group was analyzed by using the analysis of convariance. Results: The results of this study were as follows; 1) In VAS measures, the pain point was significantly decreased in both the experimental and the control group. 2) Mc Gill Pain Questionnaire(MPQ), the pain point was significantly decreased in both the experimental and the control group. 3) TUG measures, the second was significantly decreased in both the experimental and the control group. 4) Weight distribution measures, the authority was significantly decreased in both the experimental and the control group. Conclusion: The micro-current is considered a degenerative knee arthritis that can be presented as an effective physical therapy intervention.