• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2004

Background: Needle electromyography (EMG) and motor evoked potential (MEP) of the genioglossus (tongue) are difficult to perform in evaluations of the craniobulbar region in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Therefore, we investigated the yields of needle EMG and MEP recorded from the upper trapezius, since it receives innervation from the lower medulla and upper cervical cord. Methods: Needle EMG and MEP of the upper trapezius were obtained in 17 consecutive ALS patients. The needle EMG parameters recorded included abnormal spontaneous activity and motor unit action potential (MUAP) morphology. An upper motor neuron (UMN) lesion was presumed when either response to cortical stimulation was absent, or the central conduction time was delayed (>mean+2SD). Results: Of the five patients with bulbar-onset ALS, four had abnormalities in the upper trapezius and four in the tongue by needle EMG. In contrast, of the 12 patients with limb-onset ALS, 11 had abnormalities in the upper trapezius, and only five in the tongue. When MEP was performed, it was found that three of the five patients with bulbar symptoms and three of the six patients with isolated limb involvement had abnormal MEP findings. Conclusions: Electrophysiological studies of the upper trapezius are more sensitive those of the tongue in patients without bulbar symptoms. Thus, needle EMG and MEP of the upper trapezius are alternative tools for assessing bulbar and rostral neuraxial involvement in the diagnosis of ALS.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.291-297
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• 2018

The purpose of pilot clinical trial is to evaluate the efiicacy and safety of Needle-Embedding acupuncture therapy on TEWL(Transepidermal Water Loss) and Skin hydration. A total of 24 human who visited Dongshin Oriental Medical Center from December 1st, 2016 to July 31st, 2017 were included in the pilot clinical trial. Needle-Embedding acupuncture therapy performed at Gokji(LI11). We observed change of TEWL(Transepidermal Water Loss), Skin hydration before and after Needle-Embedding acupuncture therapy. In the primary endpoint, index of TEWL showed a statistically insignificant decline ($8.5{\pm}2.12{\rightarrow}7.8{\pm}1.53g/h/m^2$). Index of skin hydration showed a statistically significant result ($38.2{\pm}6.77{\rightarrow}36.8{\pm}6.64$). To evaluate the safety, Adverse events and Vital sign check were conducted and there were no problem. And when the physical response, self-awareness, skin system, musculoskeletal pain, and other abnormal responses were assessed 60 minutes and 24 hours and 7 days after Needle-Embedding acupuncture therapy at Gokji(LI11) for stability assessment, Adverse events disappeared during a pilot clinical trial. According to the above pilot clinical trial, it is suggested Needle-Embedding acupuncture therapy were effective for Skin moisturizing and safe.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.135-145
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• 2006

Objectives and Methods : Using the 2-channel DROS SQUID (Korea Research Institute of Standards of Science, 1999), the present study was carried out to record changes elicited in the auditory cortex by acupuncture stimulus on right TE5 (Waiguan) and GB43 (Xiaxi). Needle-retention stimulation of TE5 and GB43 were done for acquiring the brain activities changed by acupuncture. Acupoint TE5 and GB43 is known to be effective for the treatment of ear-related disease, such as deafness and tinnitus, and to be suspected to be related to the auditory cortex. Auditory evoked magnetic fields were recorded hem the left hemisphere of five subjects, in response to contralateral ear stimulation by irregularly spaced 170 msec long 1kHz tone busts (Korea Research Institute of Standards of Science) Results and Conclusions : The result as follows. The latency and amplitude of SQUID MEG responses at the human auditory cortex changed by needle-retention condition on TE5 were 4msec and 9.2 fT, respectively, which were slower and smaller than those of no-acupuncture condition. The latency and amplitude of SQUID MEG responses at the human auditory cortex changed by needle-retention condition on GB43 were 7.2 msec and 1.6 fT, respectively, which were slower and larger than those of no-acupuncture condition. The latency of SQUID MEG responses at the human auditory cortex changed by needle-retention condition on GB43 condition was slower than that of TE5 acupuncture condition.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.199-206
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• 2001

Background: The lumbar sympathetic ganglia are variable in both position and numbers. The aim of this study was to detect the appropriate lumbar vertebral level where the lumbar sympathetic ganglia primarily aggregate. Methods: Forty patients comprising of hyperhidrosis (26 cases), complex regional pain syndrome (10 cases), peripheral artery occlusion disease (3 cases) and postherpetic neuralgia (1 case) underwent lumbar sympathetic block. We randomly selected one of two (L2 or L3) levels and the L4 level. The position of the needle tip and distribution of dye was verified by injection of a mixture of radio-opaque dye (1.5 ml) and 4% lidocaine (1.5 ml) and subsequently confirmed by L-spine anteroposterior and a lateral view X-ray. We considered the response positive when the skin temperature increased more than $1^{\circ}C$ in 5 min. Results: In general, the positive response ratio was greater when the needle tip located at the L2 or L4 level vice L3 and when the drug was distributed on the lower half of the L4 body and in the L4/5 intervertebral disc space. In a right side block, the positive response ratio was greater when the drug was distributed on the lower half of the L4 body and in the L4/5 intervertebral disc space, although in a left side block there was no significant difference seen between the levels. The complications of the neurolytic block were alcohol neuritis (7.5%) and hypoesthesia (5%) on the L1 or L2 dermatome. Conclusions: The best effect with least chance of complication may be induced by spreading the drug on the lower half of the L4 body and/or into the L4/5 intervertebral disc space by placing the needle tip on the L4 body.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2021

To investigate the antioxidant activities of Pinus densiflora needle (Pinaceae), which is widely used as a traditional medicine in Korea, Caenorhabditis elegans model system was used. The n-butanol fraction of P. densiflora needle methanol extract showed the most potent DPPH radical scavenging and superoxide quenching activities in a dose-dependent manner. The n-butanol fraction was measured for the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and oxidative stress tolerance by using C. elegans with reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. In addition, to see that the regulation of the stress response gene is responsible for the increased stress tolerance of C. elegans treated by the butanol extract, SOD-3 expression was measured using a transgenic strain. As a result, the P. densiflora needle n-butanol fraction increased SOD and catalase activities, and decreased ROS accumulation, dose-dependently. Furthermore, the n-butanol fraction-treated CF1553 worm showed higher SOD-3::GFP intensity than the control.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.108-114
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• 2010

The injection nozzle of an electro-hydraulic injector is being opened and closed by movement of a injector's needle which is balanced by pressure at the nozzle seat and at the needle control chamber, at the opposite end of the needle. In this study, the effects of needle movement in a piezo-driven injector on unsteady cavitating flows behavior inside nozzle were investigated by cavitation numerical model based on the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. Aimed at simulating the 3-D two-phase flow behavior, the three dimensional geometry model along the central cross-section regarding of one injection hole with real design data of a piezo-driven diesel injector has been used to simulate the cavitating flows for injection time by at fully transient simulation with cavitation model. The cavitation model incorporates many of the fundamental physical processes assumed to take place in cavitating flows. The simulations performed were both fully transient and 'pseudo' steady state, even if under steady state boundary conditions. As this research results, we found that it could analyze the effect the pressure drop to the sudden acceleration of fuel, which is due to the fastest response of needle, on the degree of cavitation existed in piezo-driven injector nozzle.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1032-1038
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• 2005

Using the 2-channel DROS SQUID (Korea Research Institute of Standards of Science, 1999), the present study was carried out to record changes elicited in the auditory cortex by acupuncture stimulus (right GB43, Xiaxi). Needle-retention and manual needle-twitching stimulation of GB43 and SP1 were done for acquiring the brain activities changed by acupuncture. Acupoint GB43 is known to be effective for the treatment of ear-related disease, such as deafness and tinnitus, and to be suspected to be related to the auditory cortex. Auditory evoked magnetic fields were recorded from the left hemisphere of five or four subjects, in response to contralateral ear stimulation by irregularly spaced 170msec long 1kHz tone busts (Korea Research Institute of Standards of Science). The result as follows The latency and amplitude of SQUID MEG responses at the human auditory cortex changed by needle-retention condition on GB43 were 7.2msec and 1.617, respectively, which were slower and larger than those of no-acupuncture condition. The amplitude of SQUID MEG responses at the human auditory cortex changed by needle-twitching condition on GB43 was 13.517, which was larger than that of no-acupuncture condition. The change in SP1 following GB43 needle-twitching condition were not observed in latency. The amplitude changed by needle-twitching condition on SP1 was 12.2fT, which was not significant. These results suggested that auditory cortex can be affected by acupuncture stimulus, though not specific or significant because of small number of subjects.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.95-109
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• 2006

Objectives : There has been a considerable debate about how to best control for placebo effects in clinical trials of acupuncture. Recently several sham needles were developed and validated. This study aimed at summarising the validation studies of these needles and evaluating the outcomes of the randomised controlled trials (RCTs) using them. Methods : Computerised literature searches were performed using 'acupuncture' AND 'placebo OR sham' with a limitation of the results to RCTs in Medline via PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Only formally validated sham needle controlled studies were included. Data were extracted regarding study design, condition, sample size, credibility testing, intervention and outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed using a modified Jadad scale. Results : Three validated sham needles by Streitberger, Park, and Fink, were identified. Acupuncture's effectiveness for various conditions was tested using these needles in 12 RCTs. Real acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture for rotator cuff tendonitis and hypertension. No significant differences between real acupuncture and sham acupuncture emerged for chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, postoperative nausea and vomiting, menstrually related migraine, acute stroke rehabilitation, chronic/episodic tension-type headache, neutrophil respiratory burst in healthy volunteers, alcohol withdrawal symptoms and chronic poststroke leg spasticity. Conclusions : The new sham devices have been adequately validated and may be useful tools for investigating specific research question. In spite of the sham needle's limits, the results of RCTs using such devices tend to suggest that the clinical effects of acupuncture are largely due to a placebo response.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.123-132
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• 2010

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether self-fermented pine extract for 2 years (SFPE2) and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction from self-fermented pine needle extract may affect the contractility of the isolated aortic strips and blood pressure of normotensive rats. SFPE2 ($360-1440\;{\mu}g/mL$) significantly depressed both phenylephrine ($10\;{\mu}M$)- and high potassium (56 mM)-induced contractile responses of the isolated rat aortic strips in dose-dependent fashion. The EtOAc-fraction ($400\;{\mu}g/mL$) also inhibited both phenylephrine ($10\;{\mu}M$)- and high potassium (56 mM)-induced contractile responses. Also, in anesthetized normotensive rats, intravenous injection of the EtOAc fraction (1.0~10.0 mg/kg) dose-dependently elicited hypotensive responses. The EtOAc fractions (1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg/30 min) inhibited norepinehrine-induced pressor responses. Intravenous infusion of SFPE2 fraction (3.0 and 10.0 mg/kg/30 min) also inhibited norepinehrine-induced pressor responses in both anesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive rats. In conclusion, these results suggest that both SFPE2 and the EtOAc fraction cause vascular relaxation in the aortic strips isolated from normotensive rats and SHRs as well as vasodepressor responses. Based on these experimental data, it seems that SFPE2 or the EtOAc fraction possesses active antihypertensive components, which are available to prevent or treat hypertension in future.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.448-453
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• 2011

Pre-aging heat treatment after solution heat treatment (SHT) of Al-0.4 wt%Mg-1.2 wt%Si-0.1 wt%Mn alloy sheets for auto-bodies was carried out to investigate the effect of pre-aging and its conditions on the bake-hardening response. Mechanical properties were evaluated by a tensile and Vickers hardness test. Microstructural observation was also performed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). It was revealed that pre-aging treatments play a great role in the bake-hardening response. In addition, it was found that the sphere-shaped nanosized clusters that can directly transit to the needle-shaped ${\beta}$" phase during the paint-bake process, not being dissolved into the matrix, are formed at 343 K. The result, reveals that the dominant factor of the bake-hardening response is the pre-aging temperature rather than the pre-aging time.