• International Journal of Contents
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.59-63
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• 2011

The aim of our study was to evaluate the immediate effects of an 830-nm Aluminium gallium arsenide (GaAlAs) laser, by examining the changes, in pressure-pain threshold (PPT) and tenderness at 3 kg of the myofascial trigger point (MTrP) of the upper trapezius muscle in visual display terminal (VDT) workers in comparison with placebo treatment. Thirty VDT workers (13 males, 17 females) with complaints of upper trapezius muscle were recruited. All participants were given either active GaAlAs laser (830 nm wavelength, 450 mW, 9 J at point) or placebo GaAlAs laser, according to the double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial. Both active and placebo low-level laser therapy (LLLT) treatments showed no significant effect on PPT and tenderness at 3 kg. These results suggest that a higher dosage may be necessary to produce immediate effects when applying LLLT to the MTrP of relatively large muscles such as the upper trapezius muscle.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.247-253
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• 2019

Background: Glutamate is implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine, a common neurological disorder. Therefore, glutamate receptor antagonists (GluRAs) have been suggested as a novel migraine treatment that are able to overcome the limitations of triptans. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of GluRAs for patients with migraine. Method: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Clinical Trial.gov databases were searched for randomized placebo-controlled trials of the efficacy of GluRAs for patients with migraine conducted up to August 2019. Two independent reviewers screened the literature according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and performed quality assessment and data extraction. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for the meta-analysis. Results: Three studies involving a total of 206 patients were included in the final analysis. Compared with placebo, GluRAs significantly improved the pain-free response at 2 hours (odds ratio [OR]=3.85, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]=1.63-9.09) and the 24-hour sustained pain freedom (OR=7.40; 95% CIs=2.36-23.20). The use of rescue medications with GluRAs was lower compared to that with placebo, but the difference was not significant (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.10-1.47). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed that GluRAs were more effective than placebo for patients with migraine.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2011

Background: Pregabalin has been shown to have analgesic effect in acute pain models. The primary objective was to examine the efficacy a single dose of pregabalin, would have on morphine consumption following lumbar discectomy. Methods: With ethical approval a randomized, placebo-controlled prospective trial was undertaken in 32 patients (ASA I-II, 18-65 years) with radicular low back pain for > 3 months undergoing elective lumbar discectomy. Patients received either oral pregabalin 300 mg (PG Group) or placebo (C Group) one hour before surgery. Pain intensity, the accumulative morphine consumption and adverse effects were recorded for 24 hours following surgery. Functional, psychological and quantitative sensory testing were also assessed. Results: Fourteen patients out of the 32 recruited were randomized to receive pregabalin. Morphine consumption was reduced (absolute difference of 42.3%) between groups with medium effect size. (Mann-Whitney; U =52.5, z-score= 2.84, P = 0.004, r = 0.14). This was not associated with a significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects between the two groups. The median pain intensity (VAS) on movement was not significantly different between groups. Conclusions: A single pre-operative dose of pregabalin (300 mg) did not result in a reduction in pain intensity compared to placebo in this patient cohort but the significant reduction in morphine consumption suggests that a fixed peri-operative dosing regime warrants investigation.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.524-529
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• 2005

Socheongryong-tang(SCRT) is widely used to treat the common cold. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of SCRT on Punghan type(風寒型) and Pungyeol type(風熱型) common cold. 98 registered students with commom colds of recent onset were randomized to the double blind, placebo-controlled study. SCRT extract in capsule, $5.4g(1.8g{\times}3cap)$, orally dissolved 3 times a day. The severity of illness was assessed by the physician, using a 5-point scale on start and finish. In Pungyeol type common cold, no statistically significant differences were detected between the SCRT and placebo groups for any of the measured outcomes. In Punghan type common cold, SCRT significantly reduced rhinorrhea (p=0.034) and nasal stuffiness (p=0.048) compared with placebo. This study shows that SCRT is effective in treating cold symptoms in Punghan type common cold. If patients with cold are able to be administered SCRT according to common cold type, the benefit would be expected to increase.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 1974

The Yellow needle crystal was isolated from Atractylis Rhizoma, having mp $124{\sim}126^{\circ}C$(decomp.), the chemical composition $C_{16}H_{21}N_{3}O_{6}$, and its m.w. 251. The pharmacological actions of this alkaloid were studied by various psycopharmacological experiments. 1) In order to see the effect of this Atractylis(=At.) alkaloid on gross general behaviors in mice, a behavioral analysis experiment was adapted. The occurrence number of sleep and lying in At. alkaloidal animals with the doses 10mg/kg or 20mg/kg was increased but the number of jumping, exploration, rearing and defecation was significantly decreased than those of placebo. 2) The effect of the At. alkaloid on unlearned emotional behaviors of mice was studied with an open-field method. The At. alkaloidal groups with the doses 20mg/kg or 30mg/kg showed less often the frequency of locomotion than that of placebo. 3) To know the effect of the At. alkaloid on the learning, a standard water maze experiment and conditioned avoidance response were conducted. As compared to placebo control, the aquisition rate of the maze learning in the alkaloidal mice with the dose of 10mg/kg or 20mg/kg was significantly impaired and the speed of swimming was also signficantly delayed. In the conditioned avoidance response, the extinction performances of the alkaloidal rats with doses of 20mg/kg or 30mg/kg did not differ significantly than that of placebo.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.244-251
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• 2020

Objective: Physical therapy techniques are required for patients with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), but the effects of treatment have not been compared. Therefore, effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and low level laser (LLL), which are most commonly used interventions, were compared. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Thirty-six participants with pain in the temporomandibular joint were enrolled, and 12 participants were randomly assigned to either the TENS group, LLL group, or placebo group. Each intervention was performed for a total of 6 sessions for 2 weeks. For the evaluation of the participants, the mouth opening (MO), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and stress were measured at three time periods: baseline, post-test, and follow-up at 2 weeks. Results: Significant interaction between groups according to each evaluation point was found only in PPT-masseter (p<0.05). The evaluation time point at which a significant difference appeared was at the post-test and follow-up at 2 weeks time periods. As a result of the post-test, the LLL group showed a significant improvement compared to the TENS group (p<0.05), and at 2 weeks follow-up, the TENS group showed a significant improvement compared to the placebo group (p<0.05). Conclusions: In this study, an experiment was conducted to compare the treatment effects when TENS, LLL, and placebo were given to patients with TMD. In addition, by quantitatively presenting the effect size of each treatment, this study suggests clinical use of TENS and LLL treatment for TMD.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.7-12
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• 2019

[Purpose] Eccentric exercise induces a decrease in vascular endothelial function. Curcumin, a major component of turmeric, has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are associated with vascular protective effects. The present study examined the effect of acute supplementation of curcumin on eccentric exercise-induced endothelial dysfunction in healthy young men. [Methods] Fourteen healthy sedentary young men (range, 21-29 years) were assigned to either the curcumin (n = 6) or placebo (n = 8) group. All subjects consumed either curcumin or placebo before exercise, and eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors was performed with their nondominant arm. Before and 60 min after exercise, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), as an indicator of endothelial function, was measured in the non-exercised arm. [Results] Brachial artery FMD significantly decreased following eccentric exercise (p < 0.05) in the placebo group, but acute supplementation with curcumin before exercise nullified this change. The change in FMD before and after eccentric exercise between the placebo and curcumin groups was significantly different (p < 0.05). [Conclusion] The present study found that acute curcumin supplementation could attenuate the decrease in endothelial function, as measured by FMD, following eccentric exercise in healthy young men.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2009

Houttuynia Cordata Thunb, well known as "E-Sung Cho" in Korea, has been used for the treatment of herpes simplex, chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps. Recently, some studies reported the antileukemic activity, anticancer activity, adjuvanticity, and antioxidant action of Houttuynia Cordata Thunb. In the present study, the anti-obesity activity of Houttuynia Cordata Thunb was investigated. Middle-aged women were examined over a period of 8 weeks (n=30). Participants were divided into four group: Houttuynia Cordata Thunb Exercise (HCE, n=7), Placebo Exercise (PE, n=8), Houttuynia Cordata Thunb Non Exercise (HCNE, n=8), and Placebo Non Exercise (PNE, n=7). Participants in Houttuynia Cordata Thunb groups were received 4.5 g Houttuynia Cordata Thunb and in placebo groups were received same dose of placebo thrice daily with meals. The result after 8 weeks demonstrated that HCE significant decreased visceral fat than PNE. Our present study provides the evidence that Houttuynia Cordata Thunb intake and exercise performance may reduce visceral fat and further studies with larger numbers of subjects are warranted to conclusively demonstrate effectiveness.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.542-549
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• 2011

Objectives : The present study was made to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Saengmaeg-san (生脈散) extract to treat xerostomia in stroke patients. Methods : The study design was a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Subjects were stroke patients with xerostomia. They were allocated to either the Saengmaeg-san (n=12) or placebo group (n=12). Saengmaeg-san extract or a placebo in similar opaque capsules was given three times a day for a week. The improvement of xerostomia was measured by the xerostomia-evaluating questionnaire, developed by the school of dentistry in Seoul National University, before baseline and one week later. Eleven of the Saengmaeg-san group and ten of the placebo group finished the trial and were analyzed. Paired samples t-test and Mann-Whitney test were applied to statistical analysis. Results : On three of the six questions, the Saengmaeg-san group improved significantly. On two of the six questions, the Saengmaeg-san group improved significantly more than the placebo group. On the other questions, the Saengmaeg-san group improved more than the placebo group, although significance was not reached. Conclusions : These results demonstrate that Saengmaeg-san extract is effective for treating xerostomia in stroke patients, and further studies should be conducted to provide more valuable information.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.197-206
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• 2004

Objective : This study was designed to find out whether NS(normal saline) is able to be constituted as an appropriate control group for HHT(Hwangryunhaedoktang herbal acupuncture) and HP(Homnis Placenta herbal acupuncture). Methods : NS and two herbal acupuncture were inserted into Quchi(LI 11) of the subjects. After 5 minutes the subjects completed a questionnaire rating the intensity of 21 kinds of acupuncture sensation; hurting, penetrating, sharp, aching, intense, spreading, radiating, tingling, pricking, stinging, pulling, heavy, dull, numb, electric, shocking, hot, burning, cool, pulsing, and throbbing. We compared the subjective acupuncture sensation between the two groups. Results : As for HHT seven items of the acupuncture sensation were significantly different from NS. In case of HP just two items were significantly different from NS. Conclusion : We found that NS may be able to be an placebo herbal acupuncture for HP. Further study is needed for the appropriate placebo herbal acupuncture.