• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.420-427
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• 2002

Partial nerve injury is the main cause of neuropathic pain disorders in humans. Acupuncture has long been used to relieve pain. It is known to relieve pain by controlling the activities of the autonomic nervous system. Although the mechanism of neuropathic pain and analgesic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) have been studied in a rat model system, its detailed mechanism at the molecular level remains unclear. To identify genes that might serve as either markers or explain these distinct biological functions, a cDNA microarray analysis was used to compare the expression of 8,400 genes among three sample groups. Messenger RNAs that were pooled from the spinal nerves of 7 normal. 7 neuropathic pain, and 7 EA treatment rat models were compared. Sixty-eight genes were differentially expressed more than 2-fold in the neuropathic rat model when compared to the normal, and restored to the normal expression level after the EA treatment. These genes are involved in a number of biological processes, including the signal transduction, gene expression, and nociceptive pathways. Confirmation of the differential gene expression was performed by a dot-blot analysis. Dot-blotting results showed that the opioid receptor sigma was among those genes. This indicates that opioid-signaling events are involved in neuropathic pain and the analgesic effects of EA. The potential application of these data include the identification and characterization of signaling pathways that are involved in the EA treatment, studies on the role of the opioid receptor in neuropathic pain, and further exploration on the role of selected identified genes in animal models.

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2018

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are a group of rare inherited metabolic disorders caused by specific lysosomal enzyme deficiencies leading to the sequential degradation of glycosaminoglycans, causing substrate accumulation in various cells and tissues and progressive multiple organ dysfunction. The rare disease medical care team at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taiwan has been dedicated to the study of MPSs for more than 20 years. Since 1999, more than 50 academic papers focusing on MPSs have been published in international medical journals. Topics of research include the following items regarding MPSs: incidence, natural history, clinical manifestations, gene mutation characteristics, cardiac function, bone mineral density, sleep studies, pulmonary function tests, hearing assessments, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, anesthetic experience, imaging analysis, special biochemical tests, laboratory diagnostics, global expert consensus conferences, prenatal diagnosis, new drug clinical trials, newborn screening, and treatment outcomes. Of these published academic research papers, more than half were cross-domain, cross-industry, and international studies with results in cooperation with experts from European, American and other Asian countries. A cross-specialty collaboration platform was established based on high-risk population screening criteria with the acronym "BECARE" (Bone and joints, Eyes, Cardiac and central nervous system, Abdomen and appearance, Respiratory system, and Ear, nose, and throat involvement). Through this platform, orthopedic surgeons, rheumatologists, ophthalmologists, cardiologists, rehabilitation physicians, gastroenterologists, otorhinolaryngologists, and medical geneticists have been educated with regards to awareness of suspected cases of MPSs patients to allow for a further confirmative diagnosis of MPSs. Because of the progressive nature of the disease, an early diagnosis and early multidisciplinary therapeutic interventions including surgery, rehabilitation programs, symptom-based treatments, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and enzyme replacement therapy, are very important.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2012

Purpose: This study aims to examine the power changes in eletrocenphalogram (EEG) detected from the tibialis anterior muscle, during repetitive contraction exercise in normal female adults. Methods: The subjects of this study were 24 normal adult females, with no musculoskeletal or nervous system disorders. The 24 female subjects were divided into two groups: 12 subjects comprised a voluntary stimulation training group, and the other 12 subjects comprised an electrical stimulation training group. A total of thirty contractions were made repetitively by each woman, with maximal voluntary contraction exercise for six seconds, and a resting time of three seconds. During the experiment, their EEG was measured at eight positions. The eight positions were Fpz, Fz, Cz, CPz, C3, C4, P3, and P4, in accordance with the international 10~20 system. Results: The relative alpha power and beta power showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. But the relative gamma power of the CPz, C3, C4, P3, and P4 areas showed statistically significant differences between the two groups (p<0.05). The relative theta power of the C4 area showed statistically significant differences between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings show that tibialis anterior muscle contraction by electrical stimulation and by voluntary repeated contraction differentially affected brain activation. In particular, the CPz, C3, C4, P3 positions of relative gamma power showed brain activation in voluntary contraction. The C4 position of relative theta power showed different brain activation between the two groups.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.73-87
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• 2022

Objectives We aimed to characterize the results obtained from Korean medical examinations and questionnaires on the quality of sleep. Methods The quality of sleep was measured using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index in 400 subjects. Afterwards, heart rate variability (HRV) measurements were done, along with the analyses for tongue color, teeth marks, and tongue coating through the tongue diagnosis system. A questionnaire about body's heat, cold and sweating conditions, and the perceived stress scale (PSS) were performed. Finally, correlations between all these indicators and the sleep quality were analyzed. Results As the quality of sleep decreased, the sympathetic nervous system was stimulated. The subjects who had the blue-purple colored tongue experienced decreased quality of sleep. The quality of sleep was also deteriorated in the subjects who usually feel cold and hot easily, sweat a lot, and feel a lot of discomfort. According to the PSS questionnaire, the higher the stress level is, the lower was the quality of sleep. Conclusions We obtained meaningful results by comprehensively analyzing the sleep quality, HRV, tongue diagnosis, heat and cold conditions, sweating, and stress conditions. In particular, the sleep quality had a significant correlation with the rest of the indicators.

• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

Persistent hiccups persist for more than 48 hours. Those can often occur in cancer patients after chemotherapy or high dose of corticosteroids. A 52-year-old male patient undergoing Non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC), recently suffered presistent hiccups and dyspnea. He was treated with herbal medicine for 56days and acupuncture for 9days. No side effects were observed during treatment. The severity of hiccups was measured in every hospital visit and psychometric symptoms were evaluated periodically through the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System(ESAS). The severity of hiccups and psychometric symptoms were alleviated and the effect persisted during the treatment. The patient took no other nervous system drugs in the end of the treatment. In conclusion, Korean medicine like Hyeongbangjihwang-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang can be effective for patients with persistent hiccups and dyspnea who cannot use alternative drugs or treatment because of other complications.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.67-76
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• 2015

Objectives The purpose of this review is to investigate the domestic and foreign studies of pediatric Chuna treatment and propose the directions of future studies and clinical applications. Methods We searched for the study at RISS, KISS, DBPIA, Pubmed, CNKI by keywords, '추나', 'Osteopathic', 'Chiropractic', 'Manipulation', '推拿', '導引', '按摩', After 2010. Results 1. Selected 3 domestic studies were categorized as 1 survey study and 2 case reports. Selected 41 foreign studies from Pubmed were categorized as 15 systemic reviews, 8 survey studies, 12 case reports and 6 control studies. Selected 82 foreign studies from CNKI were categorized as 10 systemic reviews, 22 case reports and 50 control studies. 2. 2 clinical domestic studies researched on idiopathic Scoliosis. The foreign clinical studies from Pubmed are 18 cases, and those studies were categorized into Premature baby care (3), Infant colic (2), ADHD (2), Congenital talipes equinovarus (1), Somatic dysfuntion (1), Nonsynostotic occipital plagiocephaly (1), Conversion disorder (1), Lower back pain (1), Chronic bilateral dorsal foot pain and stiffness (1), plantar fasciitis (1), Migraine headaches (1), Cyclic vomiting syndrome (1), Acute otitis media (1) and Cerebral palsy (1). The other 72 foreign clinical studies were from CNKI, and they studied 39 different diseases. Systematically, they studied about digestive diseases (25), respiratory diseases (20), fever (6), musculoskeletal diseases (5), nervous system diseases (5), dermatology diseases (2) and other disease states. The Chuna treatment was used in variety of studies. 3. 2 clinical domestic studies adopted techniques of Osteopathy Chuna. The foreign clinical studies from Pubmed adopted techniques of Osteopathic manipulation (10) and Chiropractic manipulation (8). The other foreign clinical studies from CNKI adopted techniques of Acupressure (69), Abdominal manipulation (23), Spinal manipulation (21), Thoracic manipulation (11), Traction manipulation (2), Muscular manipulation (2), Squeezing Sha manipulation (1), Spine correction (1), Joint manipulation (1) and Fascia manipulation (1). Conclusions In addition to musculoskeletal disorders, variety of pediatric diseases could be treated with Chuna treatment instead of acupuncture.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 1998

Cytologic evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) is an effective tool in diagnosing many disorders involving the central nervous system(CNS). CSF examination has been found to be of particular value in the diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma, lymphomatous or leukemic involvement of CNS and certain primary CNS tumors. As a survey of metastatic tumors to CSF and an evaluation of the preparation techniques increasing cellular yield in our laboratory, 713 CSF specimens examined between July 1995 and April 1997(1 year 10 months), were reviewed. There were 75 positive and 5 suspicious cases, the latter have had no evidence of tumors clinically. Primary tumors of 75 positive cases were classified as follows; 4(5.3%) as primary brain tumors, 40(53.3%) as secondary carcinomas, 13(17.3%) as leukemias, and 18 (24.0%) as lymphomas. The most common primary site of metastatic carcinomas was the lung in 17 cases(42.5%) followed by the stomach in 13(32.5%), breast in 8 (20.0%), and unknown primary in 2(5.0%). Four primary brain tumors were 3 cerebellar medulloblastomas and a supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). All 40 metastatic carcinomas were adenocarcinoma presented as single cells or cell clusters. Although signet ring cells were frequent in the cases of gastric primary cancers, no significant cytologic differences according to the primary site were observed. The cytologic features of leukemia and lymphoma were characterized by hypercellular smears presenting as individual atypical cells with increased N/C ratio, presence of nucleoli, and nuclear protrusions. In medulloblastomas and PNET, the principal cytologic findings were small undifferentiated cells arranged singly or in loose clusters with occasional rosettoid features. This study suggests that the CSF cytology is useful in the diagnosis of malignancy, especially metastatic extracranial tumors and the diagnostic accuracy can be improved by increasing cellular yield using cytocentrifuge.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2008

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have been shown to cause nervous system disorders through skin contact or respiration, and also cause foul odors even at low densities in most cases. Also, as a compound itself, VOCs are directly harmful to the environment and to the human body, and may participate in photochemical reactions in air to create secondary pollutants. In this study, HL-60 cells were treated with volatile organic compounds, including ethylbenzene and trichloroethylene, at a value of $IC_50$. Then, the in house-prepared Human HazChem arrayer was utilized in order to compare the gene expression between the two VOCs. After hybridization, 8 upregulated genes and 8 downregulated genes were discovered in the HazChem array. The upregulated genes were identified as SG15, TNFSF10, PRNP, ME1, NCOA4, SRXN1, TXNRD1, and XBP1. The downregulated genes were identified as MME, NRF1, PRARBP, CALCA, CRP, BAX, C7 or f40, and FGFR1. Such results were highly correlated with the quantitative RT-PCR results. The majority of the 16 genes were related with the characteristics of VOCs, including respiratory mechanism, apoptosis, and carcinogenesis-associated genes. Our data showed that our human HazChem array can be used to monitor hazardous materials via gene expression profiling.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.93-96
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• 2005

Neurofibromatosis type I is an autosomal dominant disorder with varied manifestations in bone, soft tissue, the nervous system and skin. This is characterized by cafe-au-lait spots, neurofibromas, Lisch nodules, optic glioma, bony displasia, and intertriginous freckling. One of the more serious aspect of the disease relates to the arterial involvement. Vascular changes in neurofibromatosis may occur in any arterial tree from the proximal aorta to the small arteries but these changes are most common in the renal arteries, aorta, celiac arteries and mesenteric arteries. Of the many complications observed in neurofibromatosis type I, cerebrovascular lesions may be the least appreciated. About 40 cases of neurofibromatosis type I associated with occlusive cerebrovascular disorders have been reported in the literature, but MRI and angiographic findings typical of moyamoya disease are rarely described. We experienced a case of moyamoya disease associated with neurofibromatosis type I in a 3-year-old girl who of complained gait disturbance and paraparesis and showed findings typical of moyamoya disease on MRI and carotid angiogram.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2020

Ischemic and traumatic brain injuries are the major acute central nervous system disorders that need to be adequately diagnosed and treated. To find biomarkers for these acute brain injuries, plasma levels of some specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs, i.e., lipoxin A4 [LXA4], resolvin [Rv] E1, RvE2, RvD1 and RvD2), CD59 and interleukin (IL)-6 were measured at 0, 6, 24, 72, and 168 h after global cerebral ischemic (GCI) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in rats. Plasma LXA4 levels tended to increase at 24 and 72 h after GCI. Plasma RvE1, RvE2, RvD1, and RvD2 levels showed a biphasic response to GCI; a significant decrease at 6 h with a return to the levels of the sham group at 24 h, and again a decrease at 72 h. Plasma CD59 levels increased at 6 and 24 h post-GCI, and returned to basal levels at 72 h post-GCI. For TBI, plasma LXA4 levels tended to decrease, while RvE1, RvE2, RvD1, and RvD2 showed barely significant changes. Plasma IL-6 levels were significantly increased after GCI and TBI, but with different time courses. These results show that plasma LXA4, RvE1, RvE2, RvD1, RvD2, and CD59 levels display differential responses to GCI and TBI, and need to be evaluated for their usefulness as biomarkers.