• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.87-91
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• 2008

We induced the activation of melanocytes in the epidermis of C57BL/6 mice by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation and observed the effect of Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang (BZYQT) on the formation, and decrease of UVB-induced epidermal melanocytes. C57BL/6 mice were irradiated by UVB $80\;mJ/cm^2$ (0.5 mW/sec) daily for 7 days, and BZYQT was intraperitoneally or topically applied pre- or post-irradiation. For the estimation of change of epidermal melanocytes, light microscopic observation with dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) stain was performed. Split epidermal sheets prepared from the ear of untreated mice exhibited 11-16 melanocytes/$mm^2$, and one week after UV irradiation, the applied areas show an increased number of strongly DOPA-positive melanocytes with stout dendrites. But intraperitoneal or topical treatment with BZYQT before each irradiation interrupted UVB-induced pigmentation and resulted in a marked reduction in the number of epidermal melanocytes as compared to radiation control skin. The number and size of DOPA-positive epidermal melanocytes were also significantly decreased in intraperitoneally injected or topically applicated group after irradiation with BZYQT at 3rd and 6th weeks after irradiation. The present study suggests the BZYQT as inhibitor of UVB-induced pigmentation and depigmenting agent.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6347-6350
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• 2013

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a common complication of therapeutic immunosuppression after organ transplantation. Gene expression profile facilitates the identification of biological difference between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive and negative PTLDs. Previous studies mainly implemented variance/regression analysis without considering unaccounted array specific factors. The aim of this study is to investigate the gene expression difference between EBV positive and negative PTLDs through partial least squares (PLS) based analysis. With a microarray data set from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we performed PLS based analysis. We acquired 1188 differentially expressed genes. Pathway and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis identified significantly over-representation of dysregulated genes in immune response and cancer related biological processes. Network analysis identified three hub genes with degrees higher than 15, including CREBBP, ATXN1, and PML. Proteins encoded by CREBBP and PML have been reported to be interact with EBV before. Our findings shed light on expression distinction of EBV positive and negative PTLDs with the hope to offer theoretical support for future therapeutic study.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3741-3745
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• 2015

Background: A moderate dose of radiation is the recommended treatment for solitary plasmacytoma (SP), but there is controversy over the role of surgery. Our study aimed at comparing different treatment modalities in the management of SP. Materials and Methods: Data from 38 consecutive patients with solitary plasmacytoma, including 16 with bone plasmacytoma and 22 with extramedullary plasmacytoma, were retrospectively reviewed. 15 patients received radiotherapy alone; 11 received surgery alone, and 12 received both. The median radiation dose was 50Gy. All operations were performed as radical resections. Local progression-free survival (LPFS), multiple myeloma-free survival (MMFS), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated and outcomes of different therapies were compared. Results: The median follow-up time was 55 months. 5-year LPFS, MMFS, PFS and OS were 87.0%, 80.9%, 69.8% and 87.4%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed, compared with surgery alone, radiotherapy alone was associated with significantly higher 5-year LPFS (100% vs 69.3%, p=0.016), MMFS (100% vs 51.4%, p=0.006), PFS (100% vs 33.7%, p=0.0004) and OS (100% vs 70%, p=0.041). Conclusions: Radiotherapy alone can be considered as a more effective treatment for SP over surgery. Whether a combination of radiotherapy and surgery improves outcomes requires further study.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1799-1802
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• 2012

Objective: We aimed to analyze the association between excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency complementation group 1 (XRCC1) and ovarian cancer risk. Methods: We performed a hospital-based case-control study with 155 cases and 313 controls in China. All Chinese cases with newly diagnosed primary ovarian cancer between May 2005 to May 2010 in our hospital were invited to participate within 2 months of diagnosis. Controls were randomly selected from people who requested general health examinations in the same hospital during the same period. SNPs in EXCC1, ERCC1 C8092A and ERCC1 T19007C, were analyzed by PCR-RFLP method. Results: We observed a non-significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer among individuals with ERCC1 8092TT compared with those with the 8092CC genotype (adjusted OR=1.55, 95% CI%=0.74-2.97). Moreover, 19007TT genotype carriers also showed a non-significant increased risk of ovarian cancer over those with the 19007CC genotype (adjusted OR=1.78, 95% CI%=0.91-3.64). Conclusion: Our firstly investigation of links between polymorphisms in the ERCC1 gene and the risk of ovarian cancer in Chinese population demonstrated no significant association. Further large sample studies in Chinese populations are needed.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 2008

Background: Qigong is one energy-healing intervention used to prevent and cure ailments and to improve health through regular practice. Although Qigong-neither itself nor its postulated mechanism of action-are within the paradigm of modern Western medical science. effects on the human body could be possible. Objectives: This study aims to review the bibliography, biological responses and therapeutic effects of Qigong. In the process, this review grasp trends in this field of studies and direct further researches into the right direction. Method: The computerized Korean databases were searched from their respective inception up to January 2008. The search terms used were 'Qi', 'Qigong', 'Doin', 'training', 'bioenergy', 'life nurturing' and random or Korean language terms related to qigong. Several specialized journals were also manually searched for relevant articles. Result: Since the 1990s, Qigong papers in the Korean Literature have been increased. Clinical research studies are among the most control design study. Research subjects are less patient than the general public. The most common treatment disease was Musculo-skeletal disorder. Conclusions: The depth study for the each Qigong is needed. Specifically, I think it should be a clinical studies and qualified research methods for evaluation are needed.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.21-36
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• 2013

Jeol-sik, (festive seasons every 15 days based on sun cycle), refers to both Korean Traditional Festival food(jeol-sik), intertwined between months, and in-season meals(si-jeol-sik) in which the ingredients used are produced in each and one of the four season. Si-jeol-sik is a kind of recommendatory food, which is combined to seasonal changes. I found that ingredients in Si-jeol-sik of spring are helpful for strengthening one's life force. Moreover, the ingredients also reflects seasonal changes. The main ingredient of Si-jeol-sik in January(in lunar year) is rice. Rice is good for upgrading one's stomach qi(energy). Rice continues to be used in February. In addition, some greens are included in February Si-jeol-sik as to help defecation. In March, the ingredients become diverse and abundant. The main concern in the ingredients found in March is not limited to stomach qi. These changes of ingredients are in line with the concept of 'health maintenance', which is written in Huangdi Neijing. The writing teaches the wisdom of adaptation to nature. Si-jeol-sik's basic idea is maybe giving people some food, which includes useful elements to help them survive through a season or the next season. They can be also explained properly by the help of five flavours theory. According to Huangdi Neijing liver is main organ of spring. So liver is more important than other organs in spring. And the most efficient way for liver is supplying sweet or sour food. Interestingly, there are many sweet elements in Si-jeol-sik of spring.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2013

Our study is to review Chinese traditional medicine's journals about the diagnosis and treatment of spasmodic torticollis such as category, syndrome differentiation, acupoints of treatment, and herbal medicine. The journal search was performed using the search engine of China Academic Journal (CAJ) and China Doctor/Master's Dissertation (CDMD) in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from January 1982 to October 2012. Searching key words were the diverse combination of "spasmodic torticollis", "cervical dystonia", "Chinese traditonal medicine", "herbal medicine", "acupuncture", and "syndrome differentiation". The inclusion criteria was all kinds of journals including Chinese traditional medicine approach except for experiment study. The category, syndrome differentiation, acupoints of treatment, and herbal medicine from finally selected journals were extracted and summarized. The fourty-seven Chinese journals were selected finally. The category was divided into wind syndrome, trembling syndrome, convulsive syndrome, and convulsions. The syndrome differentiation was classified as internal stirring of liver wind, yin-blood depletion, invasion of external contraction, uncontrol of governor vessel, internal obstruction of phlegm turbidity, dual deficiency of qi and blood, and blood stasis due to qi stagnation. The combination of acupoints to unblock the meridian and dissipate binds and to tonify governor vessel and repel tremor was mainly used in acupuncture treatment. Galgun-tang or galgun-tanggami was primarily used and the others were the prescriptions to tonify liver and kidney, to calm convulsion, and to dispeling wind-phlegm. We suggests that spasmodic torticollis could be treated using Korean medicine's approach in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.37-47
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• 2008

Objectives The aim of the study was to investigate the difference between pattern identification of premenopausal(n=39) and climacteric(n=40) korean obese and overweight women using Syndrome Differentiation Questionaire. Methods 39 premenopausal obese women(BMI${\geq}25kg/m^2$) and 40 climacteric overweight and obese women(BMI${\geq}23kg/m^2$) were recruited from October 2007 to March 2008 in Seoul, Korea. Subjects who had other disease were rejected. Basic anthropometry and body composition were measured. Every subjects were given and filled out the Syndrome Differentiation Questionaire, and we analyzed that using Fisher's exact test. Results 1. Premenopausal women showed high frequency of food accumulation pattern(43.6%), but in climacteric women, liver qi depression pattern was frequent(57.5%, p=0.021). 2. In weighted Syndrome Differentiation Questionaire score, Premenopausal women showed high frequency of food accumulation pattern(43.6%), but in climacteric women, liver qi depression pattern was frequent(47.5%, p=0.004). 3. There were no correlation between anthropometry and scores of the each patterns. Conclusions In this study, we can find out that the dietary factors play major roles in obesity of premenopausal women and emotional factors in obese climacteric women in the view of oriental pattern identification diagnosis. But it seemed that there lacked of consideration that reflected the degree of obesity in this Syndrome Differentiation Questionaire.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.232-242
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to develop the Korean standard pattern identifications for stroke-III (KSPIS-III). KSPIS-III includes 4 major pattern identifications (PIs) and clinical indicators for each. Methods : To extract the indicators for 4 major PIs, we analyzed 1548 clinical data from 15 traditional Korean medicine hospitals. Patients got acute stroke within 30 days from onset. Two physicians independently checked 65 indicators and performed pattern diagnosis. If the PI were diagnosed the same, PI would be confirmed. First we built an assumption model that set up the relationship among pattern identifications. Second, we extracted the indicators for fire-heat pattern and qi deficiency pattern by comparison between excessive and deficiency group, heat and non-heat group. By comparing yin deficiency pattern and 3 other patterns respectively, we extracted the indicators for yin deficiency pattern. Dampness-phlegm pattern indicators were extracted by the same method. Results : After cross tabulation with 65 indicators on the basis of our assumption model, we finally extracted 19 indicators for fire-heat pattern, 11 for qi deficiency pattern, 7 for yin deficiency pattern, and 7 for dampness-phlegm pattern. Conclusions : KSPIS-III was more improved than KSPIS-II because it was based on more clinical data. Further study to establish the PI diagnostic model would be required for practical use in the clinical field.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2307-2312
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• 2015

Curcumol is a sesquiterpene originally isolated from curcuma rhizomes, a component of herbal remedies commonly used in oriental medicine. Its beneficial pharmacological activities have attract significant interest recently. In this study, anti-cancer activity of curcumol was examined with both in vitro and in vivo models. It was found that curcumol exhibited time- and concentration-dependent anti-proliferative effects in SPC-A-1 human lung adenocarcinoma cells with cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase while apoptosis-induction was also confirmed with flow cytometry and morphological analyses. Interestingly, curcumol did not display growth inhibition in MRC-5 human embryonic lung fibroblasts, suggesting the anti-proliferative effects of curcumol were specific to cancer cells. Anti-neoplastic effects of curcumol were also confirmed in tumor bearing mice. Curcumol (60 mg/ kg daily) significantly reduced tumor size without causing notable toxicity. In conclusion, curcumol appears a favorable anti-cancer candidate for further development.