• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.49-63
• /
• 2021

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the trend in treating fracture with acupuncture and to evaluate the quality of case reports. Methods All case reports of fractures treated with acupuncture were extracted from four Korean web databases. We classified these studies by five fracture sites and investigated frequently used meridian and acupoint, outcome measurements, treatment period. And we assessed the quality of the case reports by the STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines. Results A total of 33 case reports were included. The outcome measurements were divided into six categories, and the outcome measurements used in more than three studies showed improvement in patient symptoms. The mainly used meridians for each fracture site were as follows: chest and abdomen (GB, LR, CV), back (BL, GB), upper limb (LI, TE), lower Limb (GB, ST, BL, SP). The most commonly used acupoints for each fracture site were as follows: chest and abdomen (Ashi points, GB24, GB25, GB26, LR13, LR14, CV16, CV17, CV18, CV19), back (BL23, BL24, BL25, BL26, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL60, GB34), upper limb (LI4, LI10, LI11, TE3), lower limb (GB34, GB40). According to the STRICTA guidelines, more than 54.54% of the reports were found to be 'not reported' or 'not sufficient' in the following categories: 'response sought', 'description of participating acupuncturist', and 'number of needle insertions per subject per session'. Conclusions The meridians and acupuncture points frequently used for acupuncture treatment of fractures were near the fracture site. Future clinical studies involving acupuncture must be reported in accordance with the STRICTA guidelines to improve transparency and uniformity.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.417-427
• /
• 2021

Long-range communication in deep waters must overcome the low data rate due to limited bandwidth. This paper presents the performance of Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) system to increase the data rate. In MIMO system, communication performance is degraded by crosstalk between users and an adaptive passive Time Reversal Processing (TRP) is widely used to eliminate this. In October 2018, long-range underwater acoustic communication experiment was conducted in deep water (1,000 m ~) off the east of Pohang, South Korea. During the experiment, a vertical line array was utilized and communication signals modulated by binary phase shift keying and quadrature phase shift keying with a symbol rate of 512 sps were transmitted. To generate MIMO communication signals, received signals from ranges of 26 km and 30 km is synthesized. Compared to the conventional passive TRP, the adaptive passive TRP eliminates the crosstalk between users and achieves error-free performance with an increase of output signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, two users separated by 4 km in range achieves an aggregate data rate of 1,024 symbols/s.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.185-206
• /
• 2021

Objectives: The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of pharmacopuncture treatment for insomnia disorder to derive clinical evidence and recommendation grades. Methods: Studies that verified effects of pharmacopuncture on primary insomnia were included. Characteristics and quality of included studies were assessed using Risk of Bias (RoB). Results: A total of 25 studies were selected. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and effective rate were primarily used for outcome measurement. Vitamin B12 was the most used pharmacopuncture material. The most frequently used acupuncture point was Anmian (Ex-HN). The volume of the acupuncture solution ranged from 0.25 mL to 2 mL. Acupuncture treatment depth was 0.5 cm to 2 cm. In three studies, the procedure was performed at 16:00. Meta-analysis of studies revealed that the effective rate of the pharmacopuncture group was significantly higher than the group using sleeping pills group (RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.45, p=0.04, I²=69%). PSQI was decreased in the intervention group (MD=-2.19, 95% CI: -2.90 to -1.48, p<0.00001, I²=0%). Effective rates of pharmacopuncture and acupuncture groups were higher than that of the acupuncture group (RR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.17, p=0.0002, I²=0%). PSQI was decreased in the intervention group (MD=-1.87, 95% CI: -2.36 to -1.38, p<0.00001, I²=0%). Although the effectiveness rate of the pharmacopuncture group was not significantly higher than that of the acupuncture group (RR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.27, p=0.1, I²=9%), the PSQI was decreased in the pharmacopuncture group (MD=-2.10, 05% CI: -3.29 to -0.91, p=0.0005, I²=34%). The quality of clinical studies was poor. Conclusions: Based on results of this study, it is proper to use 0.5 to 2 mL of pharmacopuncture solution such as Danshen and Ciwujia with a depth of 0.5 to 2 cm at around 4 p.m. to treat insomnia disorder, focusing on Anmian (Ex-HN) and Sameumgyo (SP6).

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2020

Objectives : The objective of this survey was to examine students' perception of the clinical performance examination (CPX) in college of traditional Korean medicine using student standardized patients. Methods : College of traditional Korean medicine students who completed the first-semester clinical practice education were selected as the subjects, and they participated in a survey asking questions about the following matters: satisfaction with CPX, self-evaluation, difficulties experienced during the CPX course, level of prior knowledge of clinical practice education, and usefulness of and intimacy with Student Standardized Patients (SSP). Results : Satisfaction with CPX was calculated to be 4.10 (5 being the perfect score), and self-evaluation of CPX was calculated to be 4.12. The subjects chose physical examination as the most difficult item relating to CPX. 80.5% responded positively to the question relating to diverse experiences in practice education, and 52.8% responded positively to the question relating to prior knowledge of diverse standardized patients. 55.6% responded positively to the question relating to performance proficiency of SSP, 63.9% responded positively to the question relating to usefulness of SSP to prepare for CPX, and 69.4% responded positively to the question relating to usefulness of SSP in evaluating CPX, and 55.6% responded positively to the questions relating to intimacy with SSP. It was confirmed that there was a strong quantitative correlation between prior knowledge of clinical practice education and usefulness of SSP, and that there was a strong quantitative correlation between performance proficiency of SSP and usefulness of SSP. It was confirmed that there was a middle-level correlation between performance proficiency of SSP and intimacy with SSP, and that there was a middle-level quantitative correlation between intimacy with SSP and usefulness of SSP. Conclusions : It was confirmed that senior students enrolled in college of traditional Korean medicine were mostly satisfied with the clinical performance examination in college of traditional Korean medicine using SSP, and that usefulness of SSP had a quantitative correlation with prior knowledge of diverse clinical practice educations, performance proficiency of SSP, and intimacy with SSP.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.234-247
• /
• 2021

We used a heterozygous gene deletion library of fission yeasts comprising all essential and non-essential genes for a microarray screening of target genes of the antifungal terbinafine, which inhibits ergosterol synthesis via the Erg1 enzyme. We identified 14 heterozygous strains corresponding to 10 non-essential [7 ribosomal-protein (RP) coding genes, spt7, spt20, and elp2] and 4 essential genes (tif302, rpl2501, rpl31, and erg1). Expectedly, their erg1 mRNA and protein levels had decreased compared to the control strain SP286. When we studied the action mechanism of the non-essential target genes using cognate haploid deletion strains, knockout of SAGA-subunit genes caused a down-regulation in erg1 transcription compared to the control strain ED668. However, knockout of RP genes conferred no susceptibility to ergosterol-targeting antifungals. Surprisingly, the RP genes participated in the erg1 transcription as components of repressor complexes as observed in a comparison analysis of the experimental ratio of erg1 mRNA. To understand the action mechanism of the interaction between the drug and the novel essential target genes, we performed isobologram assays with terbinafine and econazole (or cycloheximide). Terbinafine susceptibility of the tif302 heterozygous strain was attributed to both decreased erg1 mRNA levels and inhibition of translation. Moreover, Tif302 was required for efficacy of both terbinafine and cycloheximide. Based on a molecular modeling analysis, terbinafine could directly bind to Tif302 in yeasts, suggesting Tif302 as a potential off-target of terbinafine. In conclusion, this genome-wide screening system can be harnessed for the identification and characterization of target genes under any condition of interest.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.107-124
• /
• 2022

Objectives This study aimed to identify optimal combinations of acupoints used to treat chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Methods We searched four international databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Databases [AMED], and China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI]) and five Korean databases (DBpia, Research Information Sharing Service [RISS], Korean Studies Information Service System [KISS], Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS], and KoreaMed) to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used acupuncture to treat CIPN. Network analysis was performed on the acupoints used in more than three included articles. We constructed a network by calculating the Jaccard similarity coefficient between acupoints and applied minimum spanning tree. Then, modularity analysis, degree centrality (Cd), and betweenness centrality (Cb) were used to analyze properties of the acupoints. Results A total of 25 articles were included. 24 acupoints were extracted from 25 articles. The combinations of acupoints having the highest Jaccard similarity coefficient were {EX-UE9, EX-LE10} and {ST36, SP6}. In the modularity analysis, acupoints were classified to six modules. ST40, EX-UE11, and KI6 had the highest Cd value while ST40, GB34 had the highest Cb value. Conclusions This study found the systematic framework of acupoint combinations used in CIPN studies. This study is expected to provide new perspectives of CIPN treatment to therapists. A RCT is in progress of using the network of this study as a guideline. If significant results are derived from the RCT, it will be possible to lay the groundwork to consider acupuncture for CIPN treatment.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.175-191
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the medical record of eight cases of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in a local Korean medicine clinic, in order to provide evidence on Korean medicine treatment of PCOS and to suggest the direction of future studies. Methods: The medical records of eight cases diagnosed with PCOS based on 2003 Rotterdam Criteria and whose total testosterone level was 0.53 ng/ml and over were retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcome was total testosterone level, and the secondary outcomes included luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, LH/FSH ratio, weight, last mentrual period (LMP), numerical rating scale (NRS) score of dysmenorrhea, and other associated symptoms pre- and post-treatment. Korean medicine treatment consists of the complex herbal prescription consisting of Yukmijihwang-tang, Baekho-tang, Daesiho-tang, and Gyejibokryeong-hwan, modified according to symptoms; acupuncture and electroacupuncture on 中脘 (CV12), 下脘 (CV10), 關元 (CV4), 石門 (CV5), 合谷 (LI4), 太衝 (LR3), 三陰交 (SP6), and 懸鍾 (GB39); and indirect moxibustion on 神闕 (CV8). Results: The average total testosterone level lowered statistically significantly after the treatment. The average FSH and LH levels lowered with insignificance, while the average LH/FSH ratio and weight lowered statistically significantly. During the treatment period of three to six months, every patient had the menstrual cycle shortened except for one case; and two cases with infertility problem succeeded in being pregnant. There was no adverse event. Conclusions: The Korean medicine treatment was found effective in treating PCOS, especially regarding hyperandrogenism, amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea, and infertility.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.356-361
• /
• 2022

Bacillus sp. is a useful strain for agriculture because it promotes plant growth and controls plant pathogens through a variety of mechanisms. In this study, we obtained a microbial preparation with a high number of viable cells by culturing newly isolated soil bacteria on an optimized medium. Subsequently, we applied this preparation to lettuce to enhance its growth and yield. First, B. amyloliquefaciens ISP-5 was isolated from soil. Next, optimization of culture medium was carried out using 5 L scale fermenters. When culturing B. amyloliquefaciens ISP-5 on this optimized medium, the number of viable cells was approximately 1000 times higher than that obtained from culturing on the commercial medium. Afterwards, the plant growth promotion properties of the ISP-5 strain were evaluated using lettuce as a test plant. Foliar spray treatment of lettuce was carried out by inoculating half the standard concentration suspension (0.5 × 10⁷ cfu/ml). As a result, leaf width increased by 8.6% and leaf length increased by 12.9% compared to the control group. Live weight also increased by 24.2% and dry weight by 23.9%. Considering the results from field test, B. amyloliquefaciens ISP-5 showed potential as a plant growth-promoting bacteria.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.61 no.4
• /
• pp.641-649
• /
• 2022

Leaf-rolling moths were collected from soybean fields and identified as Matsumuraeses falcana and Matsumuraeses phaseoli by comparison with laboratory-reared species based on the nucleotide sequence (658 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 subunit gene (COX1). Ten haplotypes with 0.15-0.46% genetic distance from each other in COX1 were found in 47 samples of M. falcana, in which haplotype A was dominant (approximately 70%). Only one type of COX1 was found in 30 samples of M. phaseoli, and its sequence showed 4.11-4.61% genetic distance from those of M. falcana. Amino acid sequences translated from COX1 were identical in all samples of both species, and they showed synonymous substitutions. Larvae of both species caused damage to soybean leaves and pods and co-occurred simultaneously in the field. The average density of M. falcana was 1.5 times higher than that of M. phaseoli. The results clearly indicate that soybean was the host plant for both species. In addition, Elodia flavipalpis (Diptera: Tachinidae) was found to be a larval parasitoid of Matsumuraeses sp. through identification of the COX1 gene.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.190-197
• /
• 2013

Three slime-forming lactic acid bacteria were isolated from traditional Korean fermented soy sauce and soybean paste and shown to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) in sucrose media. By isolating the strains, examining their morphological characteristics and determining their 16S rDNA sequences, N58-5 and K6-7 were identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides and N45- 10 as Leuconostoc citreum. The acid and bile tolerances of these three strains were investigated. Amongst the three lactic acid bacteria, Leuc. citreum N45-10 exhibited the highest viability ($10^5-10^6$ CFU/ml) in 0.05 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 0.3) for 2 h, in artificial gastric juice for 2 h and in 0.3%, 0.5% oxgall for 24h. Leuc. mesenteroides K6-7, N58-5 and Leuc. citreum N45- 10 were grown in sucrose liquid medium and 8.16 g/L, 3.65 g/L, 16.17 g/L of EPS was collected, respectively. The hydrolyzed EPS was analyzed by HPLC in order to determine the sugar composition of EPS. Leuc. mesenteroides K6-7 and N58-5 showed two peaks indicating glucose and fructose, thus they were determined to be hetero-type polysaccharides. Leuc. citreum N45-10 showed only the glucose polymer, indicating it to be a homo-type polysaccharide. In addition, all three lactic acid bacterial hemolysis did not demonstrate a clear zone in blood agar in the area surrounding a lactic acid bacteria colony.