• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.539-545
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• 2016

Nafamostat mesilate (NM), a synthetic serine protease inhibitor, has anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties. The intracellular mediator and external anti-inflammatory external signal in the vascular wall have been reported to protect endothelial cells, in part due to nitric oxide (NO) production. This study was designed to examine whether NM exhibit endothelium dependent vascular relaxation through Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation and generation of NO. NM enhanced Akt/eNOS phosphorylation and NO production in a dose- and time-dependent manner in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and aorta tissues obtained from rats treated with various concentrations of NM. NM concomitantly decreased arginase activity, which could increase the available arginine substrate for NO production. Moreover, we investigated whether NM increased NO bioavailability and decreased aortic relaxation response to an eNOS inhibitor in the aorta. These results suggest that NM increases NO generation via the Akt/eNOS signaling pathway, leading to endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation. Therefore, the vasorelaxing action of NM may contribute to the regulation of cardiovascular function.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.69-90
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• 2021

Purpose : This study explores unmet medical services within a region for patients admitted to a single medical institution in one region and was to analyze the importance and satisfaction of hospital selection attributes. Through this, we tried to solve the unmet medical needs of patients and provide useful basic data in terms of hospital management in the region. Methods : It were collected to a total of 250 questionnaires for patients admitted to the regional integrative medical hospital. However, 232 samples were used for the final analysis, excluding 18 copies not reported in good faith. For the analysis, first, demographic frequency analysis of inpatients and inpatients was performed, and second, characteristics of patients, including frequent disease receiving treatment, were analyzed. Next, descriptive statistics analysis was conducted on unmet medical service intentions. In terms of hospital selection attribute, the items of continuity maintenance (I quadrant), priority visibility (II quadrant), low priority (III quadrant), and excessive effort (IV quadrant) were derived using the IPA (importance-performance analysis) matrix technique. Results : The derived results were classified by item and area. In the priority administration area, it was the reputation and recognition of medical institutions and the service area of medical institutions. In the case of items, there were 6 items including the importance of surgery and medical expenses, and diet at hospitalization. 1) Conclusion : Thus a result of this study, resources are efficiently allocated to priority correction areas with high importance but low satisfaction and circulatory medical treatment is performed in the departments required by patients who use medical care and, various methods, such as preparing a policy to support medical expenses, should be sought.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.666-674
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• 2022

Background: Ginsenosides and their metabolites have antidepressant-like effects, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We previously identified 14-3-3 ζ as one of the target proteins of 20 (S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), a fully deglycosylated ginsenoside metabolite. Methods: Corticosterone (CORT) was administered repeatedly to induce the depression model, and PPD was given concurrently. The tail suspension test (TST) and the forced swimming test (FST) were used for behavioral evaluation. All mice were sacrificed. Golgi-cox staining, GSK 3β activity assay, and Western blot analysis were performed. In vitro, the kinetic binding analysis with the Biolayer Interferometry (BLI) was used to determine the molecular interactions. Results: TST and FST both revealed that PPD reversed CORT-induced behavioral deficits. PPD also ameliorated the CORT-induced expression alterations of hippocampal Ser9 phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (p-Ser9 GSK 3β), Ser133 phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (p-Ser133 CREB), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Moreover, PPD attenuated the CORT-induced increase in GSK 3β activity and decrease in dendritic spine density in the hippocampus. In vitro, 14-3-3 ζ protein specifically bound to p-Ser9 GSK 3β polypeptide. PPD promoted the binding and subsequently decreased GSK 3β activity. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the antidepressant-like effects of PPD on the CORT-induced mouse depression model and indicated a possible target-based mechanism. The combination of PPD with the 14-3-3 ζ protein may promote the binding of 14-3-3 ζ to p-GSK 3β (Ser9) and enhance the inhibition of Ser9 phosphorylation on GSK 3β kinase activity, thereby activating the plasticity-related CREBeBDNF signaling pathway.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.75-85
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• 2018

Objectives: This is a long-term survival case report about glioblastoma treated with western medicine and traditional Korean medicine. 28 year-old man diagnosed glioblastoma in 2003 went through 2 year's chemotherapy first. After emergency brain surgery he took acupuncture and Korean herbal medication including Dohongsamul-tang and Boan-Manyeongdan in addition to conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy for 3 years. Since May 2008, he was exclusively treated with traditional Korean medicine except taking antiplatelets only for 9 years. Though he has sequelae of tumor necrosis such as facial palsy and hemiparesis, he has survived without recurrence more than 14 years. We suggest that integrative approach including traditional Korean medicine can be a meaningful treatment option for malignant brain tumor. Further studies with more cases should be performed to establish proper treatment protocol of integrative medicine for brain tumor.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2023

A 53-year-old woman with right shoulder pain after falling down presented at our outpatient department after conventional treatment that had little effect. She was treated with integrative Korean Medicine treatment as an outpatient from February 2, 2022 to July 4, 2022. Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings, the patient was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff tear. With 39 treatment sessions, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score decreased and showed improvement in assessment. On May 6, MRI was retaken to show restoration of the supraspinatus tendon tear. The patient felt almost no pain on July 4, declaring the end of treatment. This successful case suggests that integrative Korean Medicine treatment might be an attractive alternative for severe rotator cuff tears.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.578-584
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• 2023

Objectives: This is a five-year survival and complete response (CR) report on rectal cancer treated with western medicine and Korean traditional medicine. Method: A 25-year-old woman diagnosed with rectal cancer visited ⃝⃝ Korean traditional medicine hospital after neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation therapy, chemotherapy, and low anterior resection with regional lymph node dissection. She was treated with Korean traditional medicine, including acupuncture, abdominal moxibustion, wild ginseng pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine, which was based on integrated medicine therapy (IMT), from January 2018 to February 2022. The tumor size was measured by scanning with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and positron-emission tomography/CT. Adverse events were evaluated using laboratory conclusion and National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. Result: During four years of treatment, IMT maintained safety. The patient finally reached five-year survival without any recurrence or complication (CR) on March 11, 2022. Conclusion: We suggest that an integrative approach including Korean traditional medicine can be a meaningful treatment option for rectal cancer. Further studies should be performed to establish the proper treatment protocol of integrative medicine for rectal cancer.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.26-46
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• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to present the clinical guidelines and traditional Korean medicines for gastric cancer.Results: Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer in Korea. Recent studies have reported that applying integrative Oriental and Western medicine can suppress the tumor, improve the survival, the immune system, and the quality of life in gastric cancer. However, there still is no unified protocol for gastric cancer treatment, which produces difficulty in clinical applications. In Korea, a “Synopsis on the Clinical Practice Guidelines of Gastric Cancer” was published by the Korean Journal of Gastroenterology in 2014. In China, Oriental medicine clinical practice guidelines were published for the first time in 2014. The present author proposed “Clinical Practice Guidelines of Korean Medicine for Gastric Cancer” in 2014, but there is a need for more advanced guidelines with reference to the aforementioned Oriental and Western guidelines. This study will be helpful for understanding and building systems for integrative gastric cancer treatment.Conclusions: Further studies on integrative gastric cancer treatment are needed to improve the survival of gastric cancer patients and build the clinical practice guidelines for gastric cancer.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2022

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is common in elderly people and severe CSM patients are recommended to receive surgery. However, in some cases, surgery may fail to improve the patients' symptoms. An 80-year-old man diagnosed with CSM complained of right hemiplegia and right arm and leg pain with the presence of a Foley catheter, despite treatment with laminectomy and laminoplasty. Acupuncture, bee venom pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine were administered for 129 days. As a result, manual muscle testing (MMT) and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) improved, the pain in his right arm and leg decreased, and he was able to urinate by himself. This case report implies that integrative Korean medicine (IKM) can be an option for patients suffering from muscular weakness resulting from myelopathy.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.177-182
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• 2018

Background: Breast cancer is a treatable disease, but some women reject conventional treatment in favor of unproven "alternative therapies," which may have serious implications for their survival. Therefore, a process is needed to lead them to more appropriate treatment choices. Case presentation: Here, we present the case of a 51-year-old Korean female diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (stage IIB, T2N1M0) in Nov. 2015. She refused a standard surgical resection together with chemotherapy and opted instead for moxibustion by nonmedical personnel. Consequently, her preference for alternative therapy without conventional treatment exacerbated her disease. Just a little over a year later, integrative cancer treatment, including chemotherapy based on histological founding, and complementary treatment, comprised of acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine, were administered for 5 months. Finally, she successfully underwent modified radical mastectomy showing a pathological complete response. She received only adjuvant chemotherapy without any alternative medicine afterwards, and she maintained a good status without recurrence. Conclusion: In the case of breast cancer patients who are resistant to surgery and chemotherapy, integrative therapy considering adverse effects from conventional treatment should be preferred to bitter opposition to alternative medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.49-60
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• 2023

Objectives: To explore the impacts of home-based integrative Korean medicine program, on pain, quality of life (QOL), and satisfaction among elderly female residents with mobility impairment in rural areas during the period from August 2021 to November 2022. Methods: Five participants with mobility impairment in rural area were selected from Health Department of Public Health Center. We conducted an investigation into the variations in NRS (Numerical Rating Scale) scores, changes in quality of life (QOL), and levels of satisfaction resulting from a combination of acupuncture, counseling, and the provision of medical supplies. Results: Participants reported improvements in Overall pain and Quality of life. Satisfaction levels reported high. Conclusions: Home-based integrative Korean medicine program showed possibility of improvements for the elderly women with mobility impairment in rural areas in terms of pain, quality of life. In pursuit of improved management, it is advisable to contemplate the adoption of a fresh treatment approach.