• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.2 s.70
• /
• pp.205-212
• /
• 2007

Objectives : Combined treatment (CT) of oriental herbal medicine and prescribed drugs is now being increasingly used among cancer patients around the world. However, in Korea, clinical information on the frequency, efficacy and safety of CT among cancer patients has not yet been thoroughly reported. This study aimed to identify the status and adverse effects of CT for the management of cancer patients. Methods : A questionnaire and medical record survey by oriental medical doctors or physicians were performed at two oriental medical hospitals and one general hospital. Of the initial 400 in-patients, 368 participated in this survey, representing a response rate of 92.0%. Results : Among cancer patients in oriental medical hospitals, the proportion of CT was 45.9%. In contrast, the proportion of CT in the general hospital was only 0.6%. The proportion of CT among breast cancer patients (20) and gastric cancer patients (35) were 85.0% and 51.4%, respectively. The proportion of CT among cancer patients was high in younger, female or married patients groups. 10 respondents (11.1%) among 90 cancer patients experienced several adverse effects including nausea, fatigue, etc. Conclusions : This study suggests that many more patients in oriental medical hospitals than general hospitals use combined treatment of oriental herbal medicine and prescribed drugs for management of cancer. Therefore, medical professionals should provide comprehensive and up-to-date clinical information about potential benefits and risks of CT to cancer patients in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.177-185
• /
• 2017

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of a commercial vaccine stress-relieving agent (Anti VS-2 injection) to reduce the adverse effects of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination site in 120 pigs on two tested pig farms. The results showed that incidence of pig with abnormal meat, size of abnormal meat and weight of discarded abnormal meat are significantly decreased in Anti VS-2 injection-supplemented FMD vaccinated pig groups (n=60) compared to the non-supplemented FMD vaccinated pig groups (n=60) (P<0.05). And the average economic loss by discard of abnormal meat were estimated 99,382 won or 21,514 won in the non-supplemented FMD vaccinated groups or in the Anti VS-2 injection-supplemented FMD vaccinated groups, respectively, showing that the cost saving effect was 78% (77,869 won). In conclusion, it is expected to reduce the incidence and severity of abnormal meat in the FMD vaccinated pigs and to contribute not only to the reduced economic loss of pig farmers but also to the promotion of food hygiene when the Anti VS-2 injection is mixed with FMD vaccine.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.201-206
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Cassia acutifolia on the obesity and the glucose levels in a rat model of obesity and diabetes. Methods: By random selection, 36 Wistar male rats were divided in two control groups, the positive and the negative control groups, and into four experimental groups receiving different infusions of Cassia acutifolia in water ad libitum. Results: The results revealed a statistically significant anti-obesogenic effect (P = 0.02), although this was not considered clinically significant. Additionally, Cassia acutifolia lowered the glucose levels by 30 mg/dL to 90 mg/dL (P = 0.05). However, we observed adverse effects in the liver, a two-fold increase in transaminase levels (P = 0.002), and in the kidneys, decreased creatinine levels (P = 0.001), and these adverse effects had no viable explanation. Conclusion: Cassia acutifolia has anti-hyperglycemic effects in obese diabetic rats. However, Cassia acutifolia also has adverse effects, so it should not be administered to patients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.1 s.69
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2007

Background : There has been renewed interest in complementary alternative medicine around the world far a decade. On the other hand, the issue of safety of herbal medicine in Korea has been continuously questioned. Issues raised have included not only chemical residue or heavy metals caused by pollution, but also the toxicity of herbal medicine itself. Objectives : The purpose of this study was to review some herbal medicines subject to controversy of toxicity and figure out what kind of problems they evidence. Methods : In this review, PubMed was used to search medical journals. Keywords such as 'herb, or herbal medicine', 'safety, or adverse events, or adverse effect, or toxicity, or liver injury' were applied. Journals were selected by four inclusion criteria, as objectives should be human, researchers should be medical doctors, literature written in the English language, and types of journals should be meta-analysis or practice guideline or reviews. Finally, 9 cases from 60 journals were included in this review. Results : We reviewed 13 herbal medicines for controversy of toxicity such as ephedra(Mahuang), Arisolochia fangchi, Aristolochia manshuriensis, licorice, skullcap , germander, Syo-saiko-to(Xiao-chai-hu-tang), Chelidonium majus, mistletoe, Dictamnus dasycarpus and madder. Conclusions : It suggested that 'who it is prescribed for' is one of the most important factors to identify the causes of toxicity in herbal medicine and dietary supplements, under specific conditions in Korea.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.97-107
• /
• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to explore the antitumor mechanism and effects of tetrodotoxin through a literature review of experimental and clinical studies. Methods : Medical databases, including The Cochrane Library, Pubmed, NDSL, RISS4u and National Assembly Library, were searched for relevant articles published from January 1, 2000 to October 31, 2014 using the keywords 'tetrodotoxin', 'cancer' and 'tumor'. The results were classified into experimental studies(in vitro and in vivo) and clinical studies. Analysis of the results was conducted on several research areas including the mechanism, antitumor effect and adverse effects of tetrodotoxin(TTX). Results : A total of 34 experimental studies(32 in vitro and 2 in vivo) and 3 clinical studies were found in the search. Most of the experimental studies suggested blocking of voltage-gated sodium channels in metastasis of tumor cells as the main antitumor mechanism of TTX. The most common type of cancers mentioned in the experimental studies were prostate and breast cancer. All of the clinical studies were on the application of TTX on moderate to severe cancer-related pain. No adverse effects of TTX were reported in in vivo studies but mild to moderate adverse events were reported in clinical studies. Conclusions : The results show that tetrodotoxin, which is the main component of Tetraodontidae(commonly known as pufferfish) poison, could be clinically used for antitumor therapy. However, further studies should be conducted on its safety.

• Gut and Liver
• /
• v.12 no.6
• /
• pp.694-703
• /
• 2018

Background/Aims: Limited data exist comparing the safety and efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) monoinfected and HCV/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfected patients in the real-world clinic practice setting. Methods: All HCV monoinfected and HCV/HIV coinfected patients treated with DAAs between January 2014 and October 2017 in community clinic settings were retrospectively analyzed. Pretreatment baseline patient characteristics, treatment efficacy, factors affecting sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12) after treatment, and adverse reactions were compared between the groups. Results: A total of 327 patients were included in the study, of which 253 were HCV monoinfected, and 74 were HCV/HIV coinfected. There was a statistically significant difference observed in SVR12 when comparing HCV monoinfection and HCV/HIV coinfection (94% and 84%, respectively, p=0.005). However, there were no significant factors identified as a predictor of a reduced response. The most common adverse effect was fatigue (27%). No significant drug interaction was observed between DAA and antiretroviral therapy. None of the patients discontinued the treatment due to adverse events. Conclusions: In a real-world setting, DAA regimens have lower SVR12 in HCV/HIV coinfection than in HCV monoinfection. Further studies involving a higher number of HCV/HIV coinfected patients are needed to identify real predictors of a reduced response.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.983-989
• /
• 2019

Objective: Many types of delayed adverse reactions, such as long-term numbness, occur after injecting contrast medium, but few clinical studies have reported effective treatments for these reactions. We report that herbal medicine can have a positive clinical effect in patients who have experienced long-term numbness after contrast medium injection. Method: A patient who had felt numbness in her head and whole limbs presented at Semyung University Korean Medicine hospital. Her numbness had first started 2 days after injection of contrast medium, and she had felt it constantly for almost 2 years. After admission at the hospital, she took "modified Samul-tang" herbal medicine (120 cc three times per day) from 29 January 2019 to 2 February 2019. We measured her numbness using a numeric rating scale (NRS) on 29 January and 2 February and we compared both scores to determine the degree of favorable and clinical effects of herbal medicine. Result: The NRS score for numbness was 5 for her head and limbs on the first day (29 January), but after 4 days (2 February), the NRS score decreased to 0 for her head and both arms and hands, and it decreased from 5 to 2 for both her legs and feet. Conclusion: Korean herbal medicine can have positive clinical effects on treating adverse reactions due to injection of contrast medium.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.69-79
• /
• 2021

Objectives : In clinical practice, there are many cases of co-administration of herbal medicine and synthetic drugs. This study tried to identify whether the combined administration of herbal medicine and synthetic drugs including amoxicillin increases Helcicobacter pylori eradication rate compared to the single administration of synthetic drugs or the combined administration of synthetic drugs and placebo herbal medicine through systematic review. Methods : Relevant randomized controlled trials were searched in PubMED database. The risk of biases was assessed through the Cochrane Risk of Bias criteria. Three reviewers were extracted the characteristics and outcomes of each study. Meta-analysis of eradication rate and adverse event was conducted. Results : Four RCTs were selected. In meta-analysis, the combination of herbal medicine and synthetic drugs showed eradication effect, but it was not statistically significant (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.17 to 1.24; p=0.13; I²=56%) than administration of synthetic medicine alone. Combination of herbal medicine and synthetic medicine did not increased the incidence of adverse event(OR 1.07; 95% CI 0.72 to 1.59; p=0.68, I²=0%) compared to single administration of synthetic medicine. Conclusion : Although no significant difference was observed between the two groups in the eradication rate and the incidence rate of adverse events, it was difficult to draw a clear conclusion due to the heterogeneity between studies and the low quality of reporting. A number of studies that have overcome these limitations in the future will lead to definite conclusions.

• Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.505-507
• /
• 2018

Clozapine may be associated with cardiovascular adverse effects including QTc prolongation and, more rarely, with myocarditis and pericarditis. Although rare, these latter cardiovascular adverse effects may be life-threatening and must be immediately recognized and treated. Several cases of clozapine related-pericarditis have been described and often it has a subtle and insidious onset with symptoms that may be often misdiagnosed with psychiatric manifestations (e.g. anxiety, panic or somatization) leading to a delayed correct diagnosis with potential fatal consequences. In the present report we describe the case of a 27-year-old girl with schizoaffective disorder taking long acting aripiprazole and valproate who developed a sudden onset clozapine-related pericarditis during titration phase that resolved with immediate clozapine discontinuation and indomethacin administration. We underline the importance of an early diagnosis of clozapine-related pericarditis and the need to have monitoring protocols to prevent this potentially fatal adverse effect especially when polypharmacy is administered to patients taking clozapine.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study was aimed to report a patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer treated with modified Bangam-tang and Gunchil-dan in conjunction with gemcitabine. There were better survival-related outcomes compared to gemcitabine alone. Methods: The patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer received gemcitabine as palliative chemotherapy since June 2016 concurrent with modified Bangam-tang and Gunchil-dan since October 2016 to October 2017. To evaluate the effect of treatment, tumor markers (carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)), Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1, and overall survival were checked. Adverse events were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0. Results: After 12 months with the combination treatment, levels of CA19-9 were decreased from 8747 to 265.7 ng/ml and CEA from 42.2 to 6.5 U/ml. Clinical partial response state was shown until May 2, 2017 and stable disease state was maintained from August 4, 2017. In March 2018, the patient got an operation including pancreatectomy and diagnosed with no evidence of disease state in September, 2018. In conclusion, it showed the overall survival of 29 months from June, 2016 to November, 2018. Serious adverse events were not identified. Conclusions: This study suggested that combined treatment with modified Bangam-tang and Gunchil-dan may show better outcome in patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer than gemcitabine alone.