• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.26 no.2 s.62
• /
• pp.166-175
• /
• 2005

Objecitve: To present criteria for acupuncture standardization, which will improve the quality of acupuncture and secure safety, through studies of the biocompatibility of acupuncture needles. Methods: Acupuncture needles distributed in Korea were studied. Acute poisonous tests and pyrogenicity materials tests were executed to study the biocompatibility of acupuncture needles. Results & Conclusions: All 3 brands of acupuncture needles commonly distributed in Korea were found suitable for medical use, through acute poisonous tests and pyrogenicity materials tests. However, the medical instrument standards of the Korea Food and Drug Administration for acupuncture lack criteria concerning acute poisonous tests and pyrogenicity materials tests. The criteria for these tests should be standardized in order to secure the biocompatibility of acupuncture needles.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.72-79
• /
• 1994

To analyze terpene components, the essentail oil were extracted with steam distillation method from normal needle, damaged needle and pinecone of Pinus densiflora. The extracted essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results were summarized as follows; 1. Normal needles involve 43 kinds of terpene components, but damaged needles contained only 29 kinds. The most abundant components of normal and damaged needles were respectable ${\alpha}$-pinene and caryophyllene oxide. ${\alpha}$-pinene content in normal meedles amounted to 15.99 percents and caryophyllene oxide in damaged was 8.15 percents. 2. Pinecone showed 23 kinds of terpene components and among them the most abundant component was ${\beta}$-phellandrene, of which content showed 19.31 percents. 3. In normal needles, excluding ${\alpha}$-pinene, the contents of 8 kinds of other monoterpenes, reached to 48 percents of the total terpenes, 4. In damaged needles, excluding ${\alpha}$-pinene, the contents of 4 kinds of other monoterpenes, reached to 11 percents of the total terpenes. 5. In pinecone, excluding camphene, the contents of 6 kinds of other monoterpenes, reached to 58 percents of the total terpenes.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.317-325
• /
• 2008

P. glehnii, an evergreen conifer found in northern areas, is known as a cold-resistant species. In this experiment, we measured the water content, PSⅡ efficiency, chlorophyll fluorescence, pigments of the xanthophyll-cycle and activity of enzymes of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle during cold acclimation and at subsequent low-temperature conditions to examine the importance of acclimation to cold tolerance. P. glehnii showed a decrease in PSⅡ efficiency (especially in Fv) during cold acclimation and at subsequent low temperatures. However, cold-acclimated needles showed higher PSⅡ efficiency at low temperatures than nonacclimated needles. In addition, 0-YON (first-year needles) showed an increase in $\beta$-carotene and lutein, while 1-YON (one-year-old needles) immediately developed an antioxidant mechanism in the ascorbate-gluthathione cycle as soon as they were exposed to low temperature and both 0-YON and 1-YON showed increased zeaxanthin and de-epoxidation ratios at continuous low temperature. Based on our results, we suggest that P. glehnii maintain PSⅡ efficiency at low temperature by effectively protecting the photosynthetic apparatus from photo-damage by rapid induction of an antioxidant mechanism in 1-YON and dissipation of excess energy by $\beta$-carotene and lutein in 0-YON.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.151-158
• /
• 2013

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the depositional characteristics of pine needles, pine tree bark, moss, and soil, which are used as a passive air sampler (PAS) of atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Methods: All four media were sampled from the same site. PCB concentrations were analyzed by GC/MSD, and the lipid contents were measured using the gravimetric method. Results: The total PCB concentration (IUPAC No. 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180) was the highest in soil (227.97 pg/g dry), followed by pine needles (71.36 pg/g dry), pine tree bark (44.58 pg/g dry), then moss (21.91 pg/g dry). Pine needles contained the highest lipid contents (21.31 mg/g dry), whereas soil (10.01 mg/g dry), pine tree bark (4.85 mg/g dry), and moss (1.92 mg/g dry) contained less. The concentration of lower-chlorinated PCBs was relatively high in pine needles, pine tree bark and moss, but not in soil. The PCB concentrations were proportional to their lipid contents in pine needles, pine tree bark and moss, but a different trend was revealed in soil. Conclusions: The PCBs concentrations in the media were affected by various factors including atmospheric PCB concentrations, lipid contents, and depositional pathways. However, each of these factors had a varying influence depending on the type of medium.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.95-105
• /
• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to examine the preparing methods of the traditional acupuncture needle and to interpret the electromagnetic meaning intervened in them. Methods : The overall manufacturing processes of the acupuncture needles in ancient books were surveyed. And the facts that special functional activities were carried out in common in the preparing processes were detected. The reproduction tests for the detected former functional activities were followed. Results : According to the ancient medical books, the traditional acupuncture needles were treated with the magnet through the preparing processes. The reproduction tests provided the fact that the ferromagnetic iron needles treated with the magnet were enhanced their magnetisms. And major techniques of the ancient supplementation and draining can be interpreted as magnetic or induced electromagnetic actions. Conclusions : Considering the electromagnetic characteristics of human body, the magnet treated ferromagnetic iron needles of ancient era and magnetic or induced electromagnetic interpretable manipulation techniques are the historical evidences of magnetic activities of acupuncture. So modern acupuncture therapy should be understood, studied, and reinterpreted as an electromagnetic viewpoint.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.149-162
• /
• 2004

Quality assurance with high safety profile is one of the most critical issues to medical device manufacturing. In general, this issue was not paid proper attention with respect to acupuncture needle and its related devices. Acupuncture needles are manufactured through various standards ranging from purely hand-made, partially hand-made and partially machine-made, to fully machine-made mainly in China, Korea, and Japan. There is a large difference in quality between needles from different manufacturers. In order to provide a standard manufacturing guideline, it seems necessary to make a Korean Industrial standard (KS). The authors review this topic from an historical view point, investigate the current situation of the standardization of acupuncture needles in other developed countries, and inspect the general procedure to establish a KS in Korea in order to suggest a KS for acupuncture needles.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.206-210
• /
• 2014

Phytochemical constituents were isolated from Pinus koraiensis needles by open column chromatography. The structures isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of P. koraiensis needles were elucidated as afzelin (1) and quercitrin (2) on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including $^1H$-NMR and MS. The amounts of afzelin (1) and quercitrin (2) in genus Pinus were determined by HPLC/UV analysis. Afzelin (1) and quercitrin (2) contents were highest in P. thunbergii needles. Because P. thunbergii needles contain high amounts of afzelin (1) and quercitrin (2), they have promising potential as new additives to natural medicinal products, health supplements, and beverages.

• Fibers and Polymers
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.129-134
• /
• 2003

We have shown in Part I [1] of this study that medical needle-stick injuries are causing serious health problems to healthcare personnel and other professionals that require the attention of healthcare and textile researchers to develop new protective systems. Responding to such need, a needle force measurement device that is capable of measuring dynamic forces experienced by medical needles during needle penetration through protective articles was developed and described in part I. This paper reports the results of evaluation of protective woven fabrics from high performance fibers and standard and bifid medical needles using the force measurement system. The woven fabrics varied in cover factor, number of layers, and orientation angle. Standard and bifid needles with different gap widths were used to evaluate the resistance of the fabric to needle penetration.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.216-223
• /
• 2012

Objectives : Electroacupuncture is widely used because of its diverse curative influence. However, its electrical safety is not guaranteed when applied on the human body. Therefore, in this study, we did research on the corrosiveness of electroacupuncture when applied on the body fluid. Methods : We did research using acupuncture needles which were made of STS304 or STS316 and which were coated or not coated in silicone. They were 0.25 mm in diameter and 40 mm in length. We immersed them to the depth of about 1cm in Hank's Solution and gave a stimulus in 120 Hz for 60 minutes. Then, we measured the pH of Hank's solution and mass of needles and observed their shape. Results : Acupuncture needles which were made of STS304 corroded more easily than those which were made of STS316 when they were applied on the human body. Acupuncture needles which were coated in silicone corroded much more easily than those which were not coated in silicone when they were applied on the body fluid. Conclusions : In this study, we did research on the corrosiveness of electroacupuncture when it is applied on the body fluid using several acupuncture needles. We made a conclusion that when acupuncture needles were applied on the body fluid, the coated one made of STS304 corrodes more easily than the uncoated one made of STS316. We hope that additional further researches on the effect of the corrosiveness of an acupuncture needle will be carried out.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.49-60
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Pine needles were used as a passive air sampler (PAS) of atmospheric persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This study was performed to investigate concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) deposited on pine needles near a waste incinerator and PCDD/Fs source contributions using principal component analysis (PCA). Methods: Two-year-old pine needles were sampled at 11 points with respect to distance and wind direction from the incinerator. PCDD/Fs deposited on pine needles were analyzed with HRGC/HRMS. The source contribution of PCA was calculated with SPSS. Results: The average concentration of PCDD/Fs deposited on pine needle was 0.79 (0.27-1.76) pg TEQ/g dry, PCDDs with 0.24 (0.01-0.95) pg TEQ/g dry and PCDFs with 0.56 (0.27-0.82) pg TEQ/g dry, respectively. The average concentration fraction of PCDDs was 29.7%, that of PCDFs was 70.3%, and PCDFs were more prevalent than PCDDs. The contributions of PCDD/Fs sources were estimated as incineration at 58.3% and automobiles at 28.4%. However, a relation and regulation between PCDD/Fs concentrations deposited on pine needles and distance from incinerator or wind direction was not shown. Conclusion: It was concluded that atmospheric PCDD/Fs concentrations near an industrial complex with a waste incinerator were affected by multiple sources. However, PCDD/Fs concentrations were lower than in other inland cities with the exception of background area.