• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.440-450
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• 2004

Objectives: Uwhangchungsim-won(UC) has been used in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions including stroke, hypertension, arterosclerosis, autonomic imbalance, and mental instability, in Korean traditional hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DC on cerebral hemodynamics and to determine the appropriate dosage. Methods: We studied changes in hyperventilation-induced cerebrovascular reactivity and mean blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral arteries(MCAs) were studied by means of transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Changes in mean blood pressure, pulse rate and expiratory CO2(PECO2) were observed using Cardiocap TM/5. Six healthy young volunteers who were administrated with full doses of DC for group A, and half doses for group B. Six other healthy subjects comprised the control group. The evaluation was performed during basal condition, and repeated at 20, 40, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after administration. Results: Increases of cerebrovascular reactivity and mean blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery in group A were significantly different compared with group B and the control group (p<0.1). Mean blood pressure, pulse rate and expiratory CO2 did not change during the observation and were not different among these three groups. We observed that in cerebrovascular reactivity induced hyperventilation, group A was most effective at 40 minutes after administration, and its effectiveness lasted for 120 minutes. Conclusions: This study provides evidence for UC, in full doses, as an agent for dilation of the cerebral arteriols to increase hyperventilation-induced cerebrovascular reactivity as a consequence of faster recovery of blood flow velocity.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.657-665
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• 2008

Objectives : The objective of this study was to assess the effect of acupuncture applied at the ST36 point on blood pressure and endothelial dependent vasodilation in hypertensive patients. Methods : 24 hypertensive patients were recruited and randomized to a study group (12 subjects) or a control group (12 subjects). Both groups took FMD (endothelial-dependant, flow-mediated dilation) measurement and then acupuncture needles were inserted at ST36 for the study group. In the control group, they took sham acupuncture as a control. FMD was rechecked after 10-min acupuncture treatment. Blood pressure was measured before and after acupuncture treatment. Results : FMD increased significantly in the study group after acupuncture (9.5${\pm}$2.0% to 11.1${\pm}$2.2%), but not in the control group. In both groups, there were no changes in blood pressure and heart rate. Conclusions : Acupuncture on ST36 appears to improve endothelial dysfunction of hypertensive patients and this might result from inducing activation of endothelium-derived nitric oxide.

• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2012

Object : This is a study of ischemic stroke patients designed for comparison Combination therapy of western medical treatment and oriental medical treatment. and western medical treatments alone. Methods : 45 patients were diagnosed by Br-MRI scan as having suffered ischemic stroke. They had entered Kyung-Hee Medical hospital within ten days of attack, between March 2011 and October 2012. Patients were divided into two groups; a group treated with Combination therapy of western medical treatment and oriental medical treatment and other group treated with Western medical treatments. Scandinavian stroke scale and Motricity Index score was checked at admission, 2 weeks or 3 weeks later to assess neurologic improvement and motor function recovery. Results : Comparing the Scandinavian stroke scale and Motricity Index score between baseline and 2 or 3 weeks later, the combination therapy group and western medical treatment group had improved but there was no significance. Conclusions : Combination therapy have more beneficial effect on acute stage of stroke.

• 한국유가공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.1-12
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• 2005

Chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, are the leading cause of death and disability in Korea since 1970 due to lifestyle change introduced by urbanization & industrialization. The type of cancer and cardiovascular diseases changes as lifestyle becomes westernized. These diseases account for 4 of every 10 deaths and affect the quality of lift of Koreans. Although chronic diseases are among the most common and costly healthy problems, they are also preventable. Adopting healthy behaviors such as quitting smoking, being physically active, eating right with moderate alcohol drinking, and maintaining healthy weight can prevent or control the effect of these diseases.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.371-379
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• 2016

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE), a major mode of extracellular calcium entry, plays roles in a variety of cell activities. Accumulating evidence indicates that the intracellular calcium ion concentration and calcium signaling are critical for the responses induced by oxidative stress. The present study was designed to investigate the potential effect of SOCE inhibition on $H_2O_2$-induced apoptosis in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are the predominant cells involved in endothelial repair. The results showed that $H_2O_2$-induced EPC apoptosis was reversed by SOCE inhibition induced either using the SOCE antagonist ML-9 or via silencing of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), a component of SOCE. Furthermore, SOCE inhibition repressed the increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and ameliorated the mitochondrial dysfunction caused by $H_2O_2$. Our findings provide evidence that SOCE inhibition exerts a protective effect on EPCs in response to oxidative stress induced by $H_2O_2$ and may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy against vascular endothelial injury.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.198-204
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the mortality of heart disease (HD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), and cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) through an age-period-cohort (APC) analysis. Methods: We used data on mortality due to cardiovascular disease from 1995 to 2018 in Japan, as determined by Vital Statistics. Age groups from 0 years to 99 years were defined by 5-year increments, and cohorts were defined for each age group of each year with a 1-year shift. We used Bayesian APC analysis to decompose the changes in the diseases' mortality rates into age, period, and cohort effects. Results: The period effects for all diseases decreased during the analyzed periods for both men and women. The cohort effects for men increased substantially in cohorts born from around 1940 to the 1970s for all types of cardiovascular diseases. The cohort effects of HD decreased in the cohorts born in the 1970s or later for both men and women. Regarding IHD and CeVD, either a non-increase or decrease of cohort effects was confirmed for cohorts born in the 1970s or later for men, but the effects for women showed a continuously increasing trend in the cohorts born in the 1960s or later. Conclusions: The cohort effects for IHD and CeVD showed increasing trends in younger generations of women. This suggests that preventive approaches against cardiovascular diseases are needed, particularly for women.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.380-386
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• 2003

Patients with neurogenic bladder undergo morphometric and functional changes of their bladder and urethra. As a result, voiding symptoms such as frequency, nocturia, urgency and incontinence appear. We experienced two cases of the urinary incontinence treated with Samboo-tang(Sanfu-tang). In the point of Differentiation of Syndrome, two cases were diagnosed as Deficiency Syndrome of Yang of the kidneys. After Samboo-tang(Sanfu-tang) administration, the frequency of the urinary incontinence were decreased and the accompanied symptoms also improved. So, we report two cases with a brief view of related literatures.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.265-275
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• 2006

Objectives : Electrical acupoint stimulation(EAS) has been used to treat motor dysfunction of stroke patients with reportedly effective results. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the EAS with different frequencies in treating motor dysfunction of ischemic stroke patients. Methods : The subject of this study were forty-two ischemic stroke patients with motor dysfunction in Kyunghee oriental medicine hospital who were hospitalized for one week to one month from onset. They were treated with 2Hz or 120Hz EAS for two weeks, and motor evoked potentials(MEP) were measured before and after EAS treatment. To compare the effect of 2Hz EAS with 120Hz, the number of patients who showed MEP responses after two weeks among those who had no previous response was checked. Also measured were latency, central motor conduction time(CMCT), amplitude of MEP before and after EAS treatment. Results : After two weeks of treatment, 4 out of 15 patients(27%) in the 2Hz EAS group and lout of 19 patients(5%) in the 120Hz group showed potential responses. Yet there was no significant difference between the two groups. When MEP data of the affected side between the 2Hz group and the 120Hz group was compared, the former showed more significant improvement than the latter in latency, CMCT and amplitude(P=0.040, 0.019,0.021). When the proportion of the affected side and unaffected side in MEP data was examined, the 2Hz group showed improvement on only latency and CMCT with significant differences(P=0.040, 0.014). Conclusions : These results show that EAS with low frequency is more helpful for motor recovery after ischemic stroke than that with high frequency. This suggests that low frequency EAS activates the central motor conduction system better than high frequency EAS.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.3 s.67
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• pp.38-50
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• 2006

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Korean ginseng (KG), Korean red ginseng (KRG) and fermented Korean red ginseng (FKRG) extracts on cerebral hemodynamics and to compare distinction of each extract. Methods: Ten healthy male volunteers $(26.0{\pm}1.8yrs)$ participated in the study according to double-blind and cross-over protocols. Each volunteer was blindly administered 500mg of KG, KRG, FKRG extract or placebo (Dextrin). Blinded researchers measured changes of hyperventilation-induced cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), mean blood flow velocity (MBFV) of middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) and corrected blood flow velocity at $P_{ETCO2}=40mmHg$ (CV40) using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (DWL Co., Germany). Researchers also observed changes of mean blood pressure (MBP), pulse rate (PR) and expiratory $CO_2$ using S/5 Collector (Datex-Ohmeda Co., Finland). The evaluation was performed at basal condition, and repeated at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hours after administration. Results: MBFV and CV40 in the KRG group tended to rise at I hour after administration, while those of the FKRG group tended to rise at 2 hours after administration. CVR increased significantly after 1 hour in the KRG group (p=0.009) and after 2 hours in the FKRG group (p=0.035), respectively. The KG group showed increasing tendency at 4 hours after administration. No group showed significant difference from the placebo in changes of MBP and PR. Conclusions: It is suggested that KG, KRG and FKRG extracts have effects of enhancing CVR and thus of increasing cerebral blood flow in human subjects.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2021

Globally, cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the leading causes of the non-communicable disease burden. Overlapping symptoms such as breathing difficulty and fatigue, with a lack of awareness about COPD among physicians, are key reasons for under-diagnosis and resulting sub-optimal care relative to COPD. Much has been published in the past on the pathogenesis and implications of cardiovascular comorbidities in COPD. However, a comprehensive review of the prevalence and impact of COPD management in commonly encountered cardiac diseases is lacking. The purpose of this study was to summarize the current knowledge regarding the prevalence of COPD in heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and atrial fibrillation. We also discuss the real-life clinical presentation and practical implications of managing COPD in cardiac diseases. We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar for studies published 1981-May 2020 reporting the prevalence of COPD in the three specified cardiac diseases. COPD has high prevalence in heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic heart disease. Despite this, COPD remains under-diagnosed and under-managed in the majority of patients with cardiac diseases. The clinical implications of the diagnosis of COPD in cardiac disease includes the recognition of hyperinflation (a treatable trait), implementation of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) prevention strategies, and reducing the risk of overuse of diuretics. The pharmacological agents for the management of COPD have shown a beneficial effect on cardiac functions and mortality. The appropriate management of COPD improves the cardiovascular outcomes by reducing hyperinflation and preventing AECOPD, thus reducing the risk of mortality, improving exercise tolerance, and quality of life.