• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.39-45
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• 2013

Objectives: Buxus Microphylla var. Koreana Nakai Extract (BMKNE) is used as a folk remedy for malaria and veneral disease. In the present study, we investigated the effects of BMKNE in the growth and the survival of AGS cells, the most common human gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines. Methods: The AGS cells were treated with varying concentrations of BMKNE. Analyses of the sub G1 peak, the caspase-3 and -9 activities, and the mitochondrial depolarization were conducted to determine whether AGS cell death occured by apoptosis. Also, to identify the role of transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) 7 channels in AGS cell growth and survival, we used human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells overexpressed with TRPM7 channels. Results: Experimental results showed that the sub G1 peak, the caspase-3 and -9 activities, and the mitochondrial depolarization were increased. Therefore, BMKNE was found to induce the apoptosis of these cells, and this apoptosis was inhibited by SB203580 (a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor), and by a c-jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) II inhibitor. Furthermore, BMKNE inhibited TRPM7 currents and TRPM7 channel over-expressions in HEK 293 cells, exacerbating BMKNE-induced cell death. Conclusions: These findings indicate that BMKNE inhibits the growth and the survival of gastric cancer cells due to a blockade of the TRPM7 channel's activity and MAPK signaling. Therefore, BMKNE is a potential drug for treatment of gastric cancer, and both the TRPM7 channel and MAPK signaling may play an important role in survival in gastric cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.75-85
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• 2012

Massage therapy, which is a Seondosul treatment that was prevalent during the time of Goguryeo, has been propagated throughout the general regions of Jeolla and Chungcheong-do with Iksan and Namwon as the center by the residents of Goguryeo who moved down south. In particular, the fact that this therapy was used importantly in the limited boundaries of the general regions of Jeolla and Chungcheong-do has become a factor that enabled preservation of large amount of old formats of the early stage Seondosul treatment. Seondosul that has been passed down the generation continued to function as a folklore remedy in the form of traditional massage therapy that is suitable for the humanistic natural environment of Korea. That is, treatment methods for generalized diseases in households have been used continuously from the ancient society to the modern society in Korea.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.75-82
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the oriental treatment on Irritant Dermatitis Caused by Wood Vinegar on Pustulosis Palmaris et Plantaris. Methods : After using Wood Vinegar, a patient suffers from erythema, pruritus, pain, desquamation of skin and degeneration of Pustulosis Palmaris et Plantaris. The patient was admitted to Dunsan oriental hospital for 15 days and took an oriental(venesection, herbal-medicine, and vapor treatment) treatment. To evaluate the results of this treatment, the improvement of symptoms(vesicles, pruritus, pain) was identified by patient's subjective expression and in lesion-symptom improvement. Results : The symptoms caused by Wood vinegar on both palms and soles were improved but the desquamation of skin remained. Conclusions : This study shows that the oriental medical treatment effects on the irritant dermatitis caused by Wood Vinegar. Also, the public should be aware of indiscreetly-used, natural herbal products as a folk remedy.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.635-644
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• 2001

This study was carried out to investigate the intake patterns of health food according to the kind of disease of the elderly aged over 60 years living in the Chuncheon area. This study was conducted by using a questionnaire from December 1999 to the March 2000. The data was analyzed using a SPSS program. The results were summarized as follows : The poorer the self- perceived health condition, the lower the level of activity of daily living(ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living(IADL) were the higher. the frequency score of health food intake. The incidence of disease, such as arthritis(44.7%), hypertension(18.8%), digestive diseases(17.1%), diabetes(10.5%) were found to be higher. than other chronic diseases among the elderly. The frequency score of health food intake was not significantly different according to self-perceived health status, disease status, or the level of ADL and IADl.. The must important source of information for health food intake was the recommendation of friends and relatives(68.7%). Twenty eight point two percent of the elderly considered health foods to be effective, however 8.3% of the elderly considered them to be ineffective. The elderly with chronic diseases had taken health floods in the descending order of neuralgia-arthritis, hypertension, digestive disease, diabetes. The elderly with digestive diseases, diabetes, renal disease, neuralgia- arthritis and respiratory disease were inclined to habitually take health floods once or twice per year. Intake of Korean traditional folk food was as high as intake of registered health food and Chinese tonic medicine. The most frequently taken health food was tonic medicine, which is fo11owed by pumpkin, ginseng products, herbal tea formula with black goat, deer antler and Kye-so-ju. Intakes of health food such as tonic medicine, blood of the deer, royal jelly, aloe were found to be higher among the elderly with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and digestive disease. However, intakes of ginseng products, deer antler, pumpkin, herbal tea formula with black goat and Kye-so-ju were found to be higher among the healthy elderly. The elderly with neuralgia-arthritis had taken sixteen kinds of health foods. From these results, a wide consumer education program should be developed to convince people of the importance of well-balanced diet and to choose proper health foods according to the elderly's health conditions. Also, comprehensive and scientific research into Korean traditional folk foods are needed for the correct use.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2009

Bile juice prevents deposition of cholesterol in the blood vessel, digests fat, and absorbs fatty acid and vitamins, and it plays a great role on metabolism. Recently, emotional stimulus and mentally over-depression cause a person to come to illness, and westernization of way of life makes more patients with cholelithiasis, resulting into without bile secretion after cholelithotomy. Ageing, and gastrectomy and kidney transplantation are also the causes of more cholelithiasis occurrences. To solve these medical problems, we studied how Fel Sus Scrofa, which is not different from human bile juice, was used in the traditional Korean medicine. We I researched flavor, property, efficacy of Fel Sus Scrofa and how it was used by folk medicine, and we studied the usage examples of Fel Sus Scrofa in Sanghanlon and Dongeuibogam. The property of Sus Scrofa is bitter and cold. Its efficacy is to deposit glycogen. So it is known that it has been widely used, with many edible forms, without any humoral loss, for the inflammatory disease from various fever, problems of urine and feces, cutaneous disease, pulmonary disease, opthalmopathy, fever, thirst from diabetes, hepatocystic duct disorder. Fel Sus Scrofa can be used internally and externally to prevent humoral loss, and to control cutaneous disease among various pediatric disorder full of fever. And as we have in mind that it also can be used to treat patients with cholestasis after cholecystectomy, it is expected that post study of it must be done.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1284-1290
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• 2002

Scrophularia buergeriana Miquel (Scrophulariaceae) has been used as an anti-inflammatory drug in the folk medicine recipe and been proved its anti-inflammatory effect in the oriental medicine. Since nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion (O/sub 2//sup -/) are ones of the major inflammatory parameters, we studied the effect of aqueous extracts of Scrophularia buergeriana (SB) on NO and O/sub 2//sup -/ production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. NO, O/sub 2//sup -/production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) level were significantly reduced in LPS-activated macrophages by SB compared to those without. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) indicated that SB blocked the activation of NF-kB, which was considered to be a potential transcription factor for the iNOS expression. SB also blocked degradation of IkBα. Furthermore, IkB kinase alpha (IKKα), which phosphorylates serine residues of IkB directly, is inhibited by SB. These results suggest that SB could exert its anti-inflammatory actions by suppressing the activation of NF-kB through inhibition of IKK activity.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.27-34
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• 2010

Recently, lots of internet service companies provide on-line health diagnosis systems. But general persons not having expert knowledge are difficult to use, because most of the health diagnosis systems present prescriptions or dietetic treatments for diseases based on western medicine. In this paper, a self health diagnosis system of oriental medicine coinciding with physical characteristics of Korean using fuzzy ART algorithm, is proposed. In the proposed system, three high rank of diseases having high similarity values are derived by comparing symptoms presented by a user with learned symptoms of specific diseases based on treatment records using neural networks. And also the proposed system shows overall symptoms and folk remedies for the three high rank of diseases. Database on diseases and symptoms is built by several oriental medicine books and then verified by a medical specialist of oriental medicine. The proposed self health diagnosis system of oriental medicine showed better performance than conventional health diagnosis systems by means of learning diseases and symptoms using treatment records.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1 s.61
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• pp.26-36
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• 2005

Objective : Many traditional herbal remedies exhibit several beneficial effects including anti-inflammation. Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Sieb (EA), known as Gui jun woo in Korea, has long been used in folk medicine to regulate Qi (bodily energy) and blood circulation, relieve pain, eliminate stagnant blood, and treat dysmenorrhea in oriental countries. The exact mechanism of the anti-inflammatory action of Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Sieb (EA), however, has not been determined. Methods: Since there is increasing evidence that nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, this study was undertaken to address whether the methanol (MeOH) extract and its fractions of the bark of EA could modulate the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in thioglycollate-elicited murine peritoneal macrophages and murine macrophage cell line, RA W264.7 cells. Results: Stimulation of the peritoneal macrophages and RAW264.7 cells with $interferon-\gamma\;(IFN-\gamma)$ and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in increased production of NO in the medium. However, the butanol (BuOH) fraction of the MeOH extract of EA barks showed marked inhibition of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of NO synthesis was reflected in the decreased amount of iNOS protein, as determined by Western blotting. The BuOH fraction did not affect the viability of RA W264.7 cells, as assessed by methylthiazol-2-yl-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay; rather, it reduced endogenous NO-induced apoptotic cell death via inhibition of NO synthesis in RAW264.7 cells. On the other hand, the MeOH and BuOH fraction showed no inhibitory effect on the synthesis of NO by RAW264.7 cells, when iNOS was already expressed by the stimulation with $IFN-\gamma$ and LPS. Conclusion: Collectively, these results demonstrate that the MeOH and BuOH fraction inhibits NO synthesis by inhibition of the induction of iNOS in murine macrophages.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.109-121
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• 1991

To investigate the period prevalence rate and therapeutic practic for low back pain (LBP) in the adult population of rural area, a personal interview was conducted for 2.024 persons or 20-59 years old in Seohu Myon, Andong County, Kyungpook Province between 1st and 20th of April, 1991. The period prevalence rate (l February 1990-31 January 1991) of LBP for 1,106 adults who were interviewed was $47.9\%$. The age adjusted period prevalence rate for males was $43.7\%$ and that for females was $52.3\%$ and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.005). Clinical course of th LBP was acute in $14.1\%$ of males and $9.0\%$ of females, recurrent in $57.0\%$ and $55.2\%$, and chronic in $28.9\%$ and $35.8\%$, respectively. Common causes of the LBP were insidious on set with aging without known cause$(48.1\%)$, heavy work $(15.1\%)$, and trauma $(11.3\%)$. Due to LBP $12.5\%$ of the patients were not able to stand or walk for more than an hour and $2.5\%$ were bed-ridden or unable to carry out daily routine. To have the LBP diagnosed $10.2\%$ of the patients utilized a oriental medical clinic or hospital, $31.3\%$ visited a clinic or hospital, and $56.6\%$ hat not utilized any medical facility. Main reason for not having the LBP diagnosed was that the LBP was tolerable. The most popular therapeutic method that the LBP patients chose at the first was drug and physical therapy. Herb medicine was most commonly used when the first therapeutic method was not effective and the acupuncture was the most popular choice of therapy when the second therapeutic method failed. Folk medicine was utilized in $15.5\%$ of the LBP patients and it included 36 regimens such as tincture of motherwort (Leonurus sibiricus), boiled chicken with liquor, etc. It was revealed by this survey that the LBP is a serious health problem in the rural area and many of the LBP patients do not utilize a clinic or hospital but take non-scientific folk remedy. To prevent the economic waste and side effects of the folk remedy, public health education is needed for tile rational therapy of LBP.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.31-40
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• 2014

Objectives Trachelospermi caulis, known as Nak-Suk-Deung in Korea, is the dried leafy stem of Trachelospermum asiaticum var. intermedium Nakai, and climbing stems and branches of Trachelospermum sdisyivum var, intermedium nakai or Apocyanaceae. Trachelospermi caulis has antipyretic and analgesic activity. It has traditionally been used as a folk remedy in Korea for the treatment of various infla mMatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Effects of Trachelospermum caulis extract on SNP-induced infla mMatory responses in rabbit HIG-82 synovial membrane cells. Methods Anti-infla mMatory effects of the extract of Trachelospermum caulis were investigated using rabbit HIG-82 synovial membrane cells. For this study, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, western blot analysis, PGE2 i mMunoassay, and NO detection were conducted. Results The aqueous extract of Trachelospermum caulis exerted cytotoxicity and suppressed PGE2 synthesis and NO production in rabbit HIG-82 synovial membrane cells. The aqueous extract of Trachelospermum caulis also inhibited the SNP-induced expressions of COX-2, iNOS, and TNF-$\alpha$ in rabbit HIG-82 synovial membrane cells. Conclusions These results showed that the extract of Trachelospermum caulis exerts the anti-infla mMatory effect by suppressing COX-2, iNOS, and TNF-$\alpha$ expressions in the synovial membrane cells.