• 한국전문물리치료학회지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.77-84
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• 2006

Although conservative management of congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) has been well documented, relatively little is known about the response to the treatment. The purposes of this case report were to describe the use of a therapeutic approach based on motor development in physical therapy intervention for an infant with CMT and to report the result of the treatment. The patient was a 20-day-old baby boy with left CMT presenting muscular mass in the left sternocleidomastoid muscle. The angle of the lateral head tilt was 20 degrees. The size of muscular mass was 5.3 mm in ultrasonography. Intervention included ultrasonic therapy, soft tissue massage, passive and active range of motion exercises, motor developmental therapy, and parent instruction. The procedures of motor developmental therapy and changes in the amount of lateral head tilt were documented using photography. The size of the mass was decreased to .3 mm before the 5-month follow-up. The patient also maintained a midline head position in the supine position and a midline head alignment during all functional activities. A therapeutic approach based on motor development is a beneficial method for reducing an asymmetrical head and neck position, and facilitating normal development as a component of physical therapy intervention.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.359-371
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to find out the effectiveness of the therapeutic sports massage(TSM) applied to the patients with delayed onset muscle soreness(DOMS) by measuring, assessing and analyzing the changes in intensity and unpleasantness of muscle pains before and after TSM. In the therapeutic sports massage program, such methods as effleurage, petrissage and deep transverse friction were selected as traditional massage treatments frequently used for muscles with pain and spasm. Effleurage and petrissage were applied for 20 minutes in total before and after deep transverse friction treatment. After TSM, the McGill pain questionnaire word list(MPQWL), verbal rating scale(VRS), visual analogue scale(VAS) were used to measure the degree of the pain on the patients. The major findings from this study are as follows; 1. The surveyed patients range from 15 to 63 in age, with highest numbers of 18(37.50%) registered in the twenties and next ones of 14(29.17%) in the thirties. Divided by sex, 27 are men and 21 are women totalling 48 with average age of 25.7. 2. There was significant decrease in the numerical values of VAS & VRS and MPQWL immediately after TSM(p<.05). There was also significant decrease in the numerical values of MPQWL, VRS and VAS after the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th TSM(p<.05). 3. There was significant decrease in the intensity and unpleasantness of pains after TSM(p<.05). 4. From the analysis into chronological changes in the intensity and unpleasantness of pains before and after TSM with ANOVA, it became evident that the longer the period of treatment was, the higher the pains decreases drastically, while significant difference was shown in the intensity and unpleasantness of pains(p<.05). Summed up, it can be generally concluded that TSM is an effective treatment to rid the patients with DOMS of pains safely and promptly.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제19권6호
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• pp.491-497
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• 2015

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability, which can decrease quality of life. In spite of numerous studies suggesting that Epigallocatechin-3- gallate (EGCG) has been used as a therapeutic agent for a broad range of disorders, the effect of EGCG on TBI remains unknown. In this study, a weight drop model was established to evaluate the therapeutic potential of EGCG on TBI. Rats were administered with 100 mg/kg EGCG or PBS intraperitoneally. At different times following trauma, rats were sacrificed for analysis. It was found that EGCG (100 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment significantly reduced brain water content and vascular permeability at 12, 24, 48, 72 hour after TBI. Real-time PCR results revealed that EGCG inhibited TBI-induced IL-$1{\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA expression. Importantly, CD68 mRNA expression decreasing in the brain suggested that EGCG inhibited microglia activation. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry results showed that administering of EGCG significantly inhibited the levels of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression. TBI-induced oxidative stress was remarkably impaired by EGCG treatment, which elevated the activities of SOD and GSH-PX. Conversely, EGCG significantly reduced the contents of MDA after TBI. In addition, EGCG decreased TBI-induced NADPH oxidase activation through inhibition of $p47^{phox}$ translocation from cytoplasm to plasma membrane. These data demonstrate that EGCG treatment may be an effective therapeutic strategy for TBI and the underlying mechanism involves inhibition of oxidative stress.

• 대한한의학방제학회지
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.1-18
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• 2003

Science of prescriptions is an important part in the education of Korean Oriental Medicine. In spite of that, there is less agreement on measures for improving the education quality of science of prescriptions. Science of prescriptions can be classified into generalities and particulars. This study sought to present contents that must be incorporated into Introduction to Science of Prescriptions to enhance the quality of education by examining both teaching materials being used in colleges of traditional Chinese medicine and those of Korean oriental medicine and the Introduction part of books related with science of prescriptions. And when this study was carried out, training Korean oriental medicine practitioners and researchers and educators of science of prescriptions was taken into account. It is judged that Introduction to Science of Prescriptions needs to be divided into seven chapters and that each chapter requires containing opinions of ancient doctors and references to lay the basis of learning and revised and practical contents in addition to traditional ones. Chapter One Introduction (Conception, History, Disciplinery, Study, How to Learn, Range of Study, How to Study, Academic Activities) Chapter Two Prescriptions and Selection of Treatment Based on the Differential Diagnosis Chapter Three Prescriptions and Therapeutic Methods (Eight Therapeutic Methods, Sixty Four Therapeutic Methods etc.) Chapter Four Classification of Prescriptions Chapter Five Designing and Modification of Prescriptions (Compatibility, Designing, Modification) Chapter Six Preparation Forms of the Prescriptions (Origin, Charicteristics) Chapter Seven Methods of Decocting and Taking Korean Oriental Herbal Medicines Appendix Tables of Apothecaries' Measures and Weights in Current and Ancient Times

• 생물정신의학
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.226-232
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• 2001

The pharmacotherapy of depression has reduced morbidity and improved outcome for many depressive patients. A wide range of classical and new antidepressants are available for their treatment. However, 30-40% of all patients do not respond sufficiently to the initial treatment and present adverse effects. Pharmacogenetics studies the genetic basis of an individual's ability to respond to pharmacotherapy. Recently, some reports on serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and their influence on the response to antidepressive therapy provide an interesting diagnostic tool in assessing the chances of response to antidepressants. We also investigated the relationship between serotonin transprter polymorphisms(5-HTTLPR) and the long-term effect of the antidepressant treatment. 128 depressive patients were enrolled into 2nd year study. The therapeutic response of each subset was not different at 8th, 16th week, but the subset with homozygote(l/l) of long variant showed a better therapeutic response to antidepressant than the heterozygote(l/s) of long and short variant, which showed a better therapeutic response than the subset with homozygote (s/s) of short variant at 1st year and 2nd year after the antidepressant treatment. This result shows that the serotonin transporter polymorphisms may be related to the long-term effect of antidepressant treatment. The potential for pharmacogenomics, the use of genetic information to guide pharmacotherapy and improve outcome by providing individualized treatment decisions, has gained increasing attention. pharmacogenomics will contribute to individualize drug choice by using genotype to predict positive clinical outcomes, adverse reactions, and levels of drug metabolism. Personalized medicine, the use of marker-assisted diagnosis and targeted therapies derived from an individual molecular profile, will impact the antidepressant therapy and this approach will replace the traditional trial-and-error practice of medicine.

• 대한방사성의약품학회지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.23-30
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• 2015

Radioisotopes emitting low-range highly ionizing radiation such as ${\beta}$-particles are of increasing significance in internal radiotherapy. Among the ${\beta}$-particle emitting radioisotopes, $^{67}Cu$ is an attractive radioisotope for various nuclear medicine applications due to its medium energy ${\beta}$-particle, gamma emissions, and 61.83-hour half-life, which can also be used with $^{64}Cu$ for PET imaging. The production and application of the ${\beta}$-emitting radioisotope $^{67}Cu$ for therapeutic radiopharmaceutical are outlined, and different production routes are discussed. A survey of copper chelators used for antibody labeling is provided. It has been produced via proton, alpha, neutron, and gamma irradiations followed by solvent extraction, ion exchange, electrodeposition. Clinical studies using $^{67}Cu$-labelled antibodies in lymphoma, colon carcinoma and bladder cancer patients are reviewed. Widespread use of this isotope for clinical studies and preliminary treatments has been limited by unreliable supplies, cost, and difficulty in obtaining therapeutic quantities.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제78권2호
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• pp.78-84
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• 2015

Background: Reports of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for second-line medications to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remain limited. Methods: A retrospective cohort from the Virginia state tuberculosis (TB) registry, 2009-2014, was analyzed for TDM usage in MDR-TB. Drug concentrations, measured at time of estimated peak ($C_{max}$), were compared to expected ranges. Results: Of 10 patients with MDR-TB, 8 (80%) had TDM for at least one drug (maximum 6 drugs). Second-line drugs tested were cycloserine in seven patients (mean $C_{2hr}$, $16.6{\pm}10.2{\mu}g/mL$; 4 [57%] below expected range); moxifloxacin in five (mean $C_{2hr}$, $3.2{\pm}1.5{\mu}g/mL$; 1 [20%] below); capreomycin in five (mean $C_{2hr}$, $21.5{\pm}14.0{\mu}g/mL$; 3 [60%] below); para-aminosalicylic acid in five (mean $C_{6hr}$, $65.0{\pm}29.1{\mu}g/mL$; all within or above); linezolid in three (mean $C_{2hr}$, $11.4{\pm}4.1{\mu}g/mL$, 1 [33%] below); amikacin in two (mean $C_{2hr}$, $35.3{\pm}3.7{\mu}g/mL$; 1 [50%] below); ethionamide in one ($C_{2hr}$, $1.49{\mu}g/mL$, within expected). Two patients died: a 38-year-old woman with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome and TB meningitis without TDM, and a 76-year-old man with fluoroquinolone-resistant (pre-extensively drug-resistant) pulmonary TB and low linezolid and capreomycin concentrations. Conclusion: Individual pharmacokinetic variability was common. A more standardized approach to TDM for MDR-TB may limit over-testing and maximize therapeutic gain.

• BMB Reports
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.44-58
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• 2021

Natural killer (NK) cells, key antitumor effectors of the innate immune system, are endowed with the unique ability to spontaneously eliminate cells undergoing a neoplastic transformation. Given their broad reactivity against diverse types of cancer and close association with cancer prognosis, NK cells have gained considerable attention as a promising therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. NK cell-based therapies have demonstrated favorable clinical efficacies in several hematological malignancies but limited success in solid tumors, thus highlighting the need to develop new therapeutic strategies to restore and optimize anti-tumor activity while preventing tumor immune escape. The current therapeutic modalities yielding encouraging results in clinical trials include the blockade of immune checkpoint receptors to overcome the immune-evasion mechanism used by tumors and the incorporation of tumor-directed chimeric antigen receptors to enhance NK cell anti-tumor specificity and activity. These observations, together with recent advances in the understanding of NK cell activation within the tumor microenvironment, will facilitate the optimal design of NK cell-based therapy against a broad range of cancers and, more desirably, refractory cancers.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.414-419
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• 2023

Background: The recurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in patients who have already undergone treatment with antiarrhythmic medication, catheter ablation, and the insertion of implantable cardioverter defibrillators is not uncommon. Recent studies have shown that bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation (BCSD) effectively treats VAs. However, only a limited number of studies have confirmed the safety of BCSD as a viable therapeutic option for VAs. Methods: This single-center study included 10 patients, who had a median age of 54 years (interquartile range [IQR], 45-65 years) and a median ejection fraction of 58.5% (IQR, 56.2%-60.8%), with VAs who underwent video-assisted BCSD. BCSD was executed as a single-stage surgery for 8 patients, while the remaining 2 patients initially underwent left cardiac sympathetic denervation followed by right cardiac sympathetic denervation. We evaluated postoperative complications, the duration of hospital stays, and VA-related symptoms before and after surgery. Results: The median hospital stay after surgery was 2 days (IQR, 2-3 days). The median surgical time for BCSD was 113 minutes (IQR, 104-126 minutes). No significant complications occurred during hospitalization or after discharge. During the median follow-up period of 13.5 months (IQR, 10.5-28.0 months) from surgery, no VA-related symptoms were observed in 70% of patients. Conclusion: The benefits of a short postoperative hospitalization and negligible complications make BCSD a safe, alternative therapeutic option for patients suffering from refractory VAs.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.162-169
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• 2024

Particulate matter (PM) constitutes a hazardous blend of organic and inorganic particles that poses health risks. Inhalation of fine airborne PM with a diameter of ≤ 2.5 ㎛ (PM_2.5) can lead to significant lung impairments. (+)-afzelechin (AZC), a natural compound sourced from Bergenia ligulata, boasts a range of attributes, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and cardiovascular effects. However, knowledge about the therapeutic potential of AZC for patients with PM_2.5-induced lung injuries remains limited. Thus, in this study, we investigated the protective attributes of AZC against lung damage caused by PM_2.5 exposure. AZC was administered to the mice 30 min after intratracheal instillation of PM_2.5. Various parameters, such as changes in lung tissue wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio, total protein/total cell ratio, lymphocyte counts, levels of inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), vascular permeability, and histology, were evaluated in mice exposed to PM_2.5. Data demonstrated that AZC mitigated lung damage, reduced W/D weight ratio, and curbed hyperpermeability induced by PM_2.5 exposure. Furthermore, AZC effectively lowered plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines produced by PM_2.5 exposure. It reduced the total protein concentration in BALF and successfully alleviated PM_2.5-induced lymphocytosis. Additionally, AZC substantially diminished the expression levels of Toll-like receptors 4 (TLR4), MyD88, and autophagy-related proteins LC3 II and Beclin 1. In contrast, it elevated the protein phosphorylation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Consequently, the anti-inflammatory attribute of AZC positions it as a promising therapeutic agent for mitigating PM_2.5-induced lung injuries by modulating the TLR4-MyD88 and mTOR-autophagy pathways.