• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• 제21권6호
• /
• pp.565-574
• /
• 2021

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a severe form of pain that affects the daily activities of a patient. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy is an emerging option for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of TENS therapy as an adjunct to drug therapy for the treatment of TN. Methods: A total of 52 patients diagnosed with TN according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (version 3) were included. Each patient was randomized to either the TENS or placebo TENS groups. Intervention was given in continuous mode and 100-Hz frequency for 20 mins biweekly for 6 weeks. Parameters were measured at baseline, TENS completion and 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year of follow up. The parameters observed were mean carbamazepine dose, mean visual analog scale (VAS) score, mean present pain intensity (PPI) score, and functional outcome. Non-parametric analyses, one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test were applied for intragroup comparisons, while the Mann-Whitney U test and independent t-test were used for intergroup comparisons of variables. The chi-square test was applied to analyze categorical data. Results: Compared to the placebo TENS group, the mean dose of carbamazepine in the TENS group was significantly reduced at TENS completion, as well as at 6 months and 1 year follow up. Changes in mean VAS score, mean PPI score, and functional outcome did not show significant differences between the groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: TENS therapy does not lead to any changes in pain levels but it may reduce the mean dose of carbamazepine when used as an adjunct treatment in patients with TN.

• 생물치료정신의학
• /
• 제24권3호
• /
• pp.142-155
• /
• 2018

Insomnia in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT) has been underdiagnosed and undertreated. This study reviewed the frequency, characteristics, physical and psychological effects, and treatments of insomnia in HSCT patients to highlight clinical importance in this specialized population. Furthermore, the authors intended to suggest a model that would conceptualize insomnia in the context of HSCT. In the pre-transplant period, about half of patients with HSCT suffered from sleep disturbance. A substantial number of patients experienced distressing insomnia during the HSCT procedure and recovered to the level of the pre-transplant period. However, sleep disruption could be a chronic symptom in HSCT survivors and could negatively impact quality of control, cancer-related fatigue(CRF), immune function, and psychological distress. The 3P's model(Predisposing, Precipitating, Perpetuating) explains insomnia in cancer population and could be also relevant to HSCT patients with specific consideration of CRF, graft-versus-host diseases, specific properties of hematological disease, and protective isolated milieu. Effective treatment of insomnia in HSCT includes non-pharmacological(e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, environmental modification) and pharmacological interventions. The decision of pharmacological treatment should be based on the issue of safety due to high risk of potential drug-drug interactions. Screening, treatment, and further research of insomnia in HSCT patients using validated subjective and/or objective measures are warranted.

• 대한한의학회지
• /
• 제31권1호
• /
• pp.47-56
• /
• 2010

Objective: Many drug or non-drug therapies are reported to be effective in reducing the severity of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of color and pattern on the severity of ADHD in young ADHD patients. Method: We randomly assigned 30 children into two groups and had them participate in 15-minute block play sessions once in a week. The experimental group used blocks with green (3G, Munsell color system) circle patterns on them, while the control group played with plain white blocks. We also provided a set of playing cards with the corresponding patterns. This trial continued for 4 weeks and 29 children (96.7%) completed. The primary outcome measurement was the ADHD rating scale-IV and was evaluated on every visit. Results: After the trial, ADHD score decreased in both groups but not significantly ($34.4{\pm}8.0$ to $30.0{\pm}4.3$; $34.0{\pm}6.0$ to $30.3{\pm}3.2$). However, there were significant differences in 4 items of ADHD rating scale between the two groups. These consisted of 3 inattention (Q3, Q7, Q15) and 1 hyperactivity-impulsivity (Q12) items and the reduction between the first and final visits was significant (p=0.0240, p=0.0498, p=0.0237 and p=0.0012 respectively). Conclusion: Repeated exposure to a green circle pattern might not influence the total score of ADHD rating scale but reduced 3 inattention items and 1 hyperactivity-impulsivity significantly in children with ADHD. Proper visual stimuli are partially helpful for pediatric ADHD.

• 턱관절균형의학회지
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.12-20
• /
• 2020

Objectives: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a disease that occurs evenly in many social classes. Despite the long experience of drug treatment, the preference is low due to various side effects. The aim of this study was to discover herbal medicine resources through network pharmacology analysis predicted to be useful for Tourette syndrome. Methods: We used Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) to identify herbal medicines that can be used for TS by using network pharmacology research methods and to predict the mechanism of action. After evaluating compounds of each identified herb, molecular target proteins and mechanisms of action were analyzed, focusing on compounds that are likely to exhibit clinical activity in consideration of the pharmacokinetic parameters of these individual compounds. Results: Fifty nine ingredients such as atropine, veraguensin, and nuciferin among the compounds contained in 48 types of medicinal herbs such as Daturae Flos (洋金花), Salviae Radix (丹参), and Nelumbinis Plumula (蓮子心) act on the D(2) dopamine receptor, which is a protein involved in the development of TS. It has been found that atropine, veraguensin, and nuciferin are highly likely to exhibit activity by acting on the G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway. Conclusions: It can be used in conjunction with non-invasive treatment means such as FCST Yinyang Balancing Appliance with herbal therapy to bring about a significant therapeutic effect, and it will be possible to develop a treatment that can replace drug therapy used in Western medicine.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제29권5호
• /
• pp.536-544
• /
• 2021

5-amino salicylic acid (5-ASA) is a standard therapy for the treatment of mild to moderate forms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) whereas more severe forms involve the use of steroids and immunosuppressive drugs. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan that has shown epithelium protective effects in experimental colitis recently. In this study, both 5-ASA (30 mg/kg) and HA (15 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg) were administered rectally and investigated for their potential complementary therapeutic effects in moderate or severe murine colitis models. Intrarectal treatment of moderate and severe colitis with 5-ASA alone or HA alone at a dose of 30 mg/kg led to a significant decrease in clinical activity and histology scores, myeloperoxidase activity (MPO), TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in colitis mice compared to untreated animals. The combination of HA (30 mg/kg) and 5-ASA in severe colitis led to a significant improvement of colitis compared to 5-ASA alone. Combined rectal therapy with HA and 5-ASA could be a treatment alternative for severe cases of IBD as it was the only treatment tested that was not significantly different from the healthy control group. This study further underlines the benefit of searching for yet unexplored drug combinations that show therapeutic potential in IBD without the need of designing completely new drug entities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제16권16호
• /
• pp.6991-6996
• /
• 2015

In the past decade, the incidence and mortality rates of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) have been increasing worldwide. The relatively low responsiveness of CCA to conventional chemotherapy leads to poor overall survival. Recently, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL or Apo2L) has emerged as the most promising anti-cancer therapeutic agent since it is able to selectively induce apoptosis of tumor cells but not normal cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of TRAIL in CCA cell lines (M213, M214 and KKU100) compared with the immortal biliary cell line, MMNK1, either alone or in combination with a subtoxic dose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). We found that recombinant human TRAIL (rhTRAIL) was a potential agent which significantly inhibited cell proliferation and mediated caspase activities (caspases 8, 9 and 3/7) and apoptosis of CCA cells. The combined treatment of rhTRAIL and 5-FU effectively enhanced inhibition of CCA cell growth with a smaller effect on MMNK1. Our finding suggests TRAIL to be a novel anti-cancer therapeutic agent and advantage of its combination with a conventional chemotherapeutic drug for effective treatment of CCA.

• 대한두경부종양학회지
• /
• 제39권1호
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2023

Technological advancement in human genome analysis and ICT (information & communication technologies) brought 'precision medicine' into our clinical practice. Precision medicine is a novel medical approach that provides personalized treatments tailored to each individual by precisely segmenting patient populations, based on robust data including a person's genetic information, disease information, lifestyle information, etc. Precision medicine has a potential to be applied to treating a range of tumors, in addition to non-small cell lung cancer, in which precision oncology has been actively practiced. In this article, we are reviewing precision medicine in head and neck cancer (HNC) with focus on tumor agnostic biomarkers and treatments such as NTRK, MSI-H/dMMR, TMB-H and BRAF V600E, all of which were recently approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

• 대한정형도수물리치료학회지
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.93-97
• /
• 2009

Anatomy: Facet joint syndrome most often affects the lower back and neck and refers to pain that occurs in the facet joints, which are the connections between the vertebrae in the spine that enable the spine to bend and twist. Many physicians have believed that the usual lesion of facet syndrome was an anatomical impairments of facet joint itself.. Facet joint injection using local anesthetics is a reliable method for the diagnosis and treatment for facet syndrome. Etiology: One of many possible causes is imbalances that can occur in stress levels, hormone levels, and nutritional levels. These imbalances can adversely affect posture, which can lead to neck and back pain. The common disorder called facet syndrome exhibits lower back pain, with or without, radiating pain to buttock and thigh due to facet joint arthropathy. Pain in the facet joint is supposedly the secondary effect of narrowing of joint space by sustained muscle contracture around joints. Syndrome: Facet joint syndrome tends to produce pain or tenderness in the lower back that increases with twisting or arching the body, as well as pain that moves to the buttocks or the back of the thighs. Other symptoms include stiffness or difficulty standing up straight or getting out of a chair. Pain can be felt in other areas such as the shoulders or mid-back area. Treatment: Non-drug treatments include hot packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and therapeutic exercises. Stimulating blood flow using massage or a hot tub may also help. Alternative treatments include yoga and relaxation therapy. If your pain persists after trying these treatments, a surgical procedure called radiofrequency rhizotomy, which destroys the sensory nerves of the joint, may bring relief. Facet joint injection has been helpful in diagnosis and therapy for this facet syndrome. Radiofrequency thermocoagulation of medial branches is known to be an effective method of relieving pain caused by facet joint problems. We conclude that spasmolytic treatment of muscles connecting the two vertebral articular space would be better for treatment and diagnosis of facet syndrome rather than facet block with local anesthetic and steroid only.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권2호
• /
• pp.701-705
• /
• 2013

Polymorphisms in XPG are considered to contribute to the clinical outcome of patients receiving platinum drug chemotherapy. We aimed to investigate the role of five potential SNPs of XPG gene on the response to platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced Chinese NSCLC patients. A total of 451 patients with newly diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed primary NSCLC were consecutively collected. XPG rs2296147, rs4150261, rs17655, rs1047768 and rs2094258 were genotyped by the Taqman real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In our study, we found patients carrying rs1057768 TT genotype had a significantly lower treatment response when compared with the CC genotype (OR=0.38, 95% CI=0.18-0.78). Patients carrying rs1047768 TT genotype showed a significantly short median PFS (11.2 months) and OS (13.6 months) than CC genotype, and the hazard ratios (HR) for PFS and OS were 2.06 (1.01-4.50) and 2.29 (1.21-2.49), respectively. Moreover, we found a significant decreased risk of death from NSCLC among patients carrying the rs2296147 TT genotype when compared with the CC genotype, the HR (95% CI) for OS being 0.50 (0.27-0.95). In conclusion, our study found that polymorphisms in rs1047768 C/T and rs2296147 C/T are associated with response to platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC, and XPG polymorphisms could be predictive of prognosis.

• 대한임상독성학회지
• /
• 제11권1호
• /
• pp.23-27
• /
• 2013

Zoletil is a non-opioid, non-barbiturate animal anesthetic and proprietary combination of two drugs, a dissociative anesthetic drug, tiletamine, with the benzodiazepine anxiolytic drug, zolazepam. Zoletil has greater potency than ketamine. Zoletil is abused for recreational purposes, especially by people with easy access to medicine. However, in Korea, it is available over-the-counter. Here we report on a case of an 83-year-old woman who received injection of seven vials of "Zoletil 50" by her daughter and presented with an altered mental change. Her mental state was stupor and vital sign was hypotension, bradycardia. Her blood tests indicated metabolic and respiratory acidosis and hyperkalemia. She was treated with intravenous naloxone and flumazenil but was not responsive. She was admitted to the ICU and treated with supportive therapy. Her mental state showed transient recovery, however, her clinical manifestation worsened and she expired.