• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.53-66
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• 2009

Objective : Acupuncture has been widely used throughout the world for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (knee OA). This study investigated whether acupuncture, particularly Sa-am acupuncture, could be effective in relieving pain and improving the symptoms of knee OA. Method : This study was conducted as a prospective, randomized, controlled, and patient- and investigator-blinded clinical trial. Forty volunteers with knee OA participated in the study. All participants were screened through an inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty four participants completed the clinical trial. In total, forty subjects were randomly selected to receive Sa-am acupuncture. Eight sessions of acupuncture were given at the contralateral side of the problematic knee for 4 weeks. Korean translation of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (KWOMAC) scores were measured twice: at the beginning and end of the clinical trial period. Both the Patient Global Assessment and physical health scores based on the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey were also used to measure the results. Results : Compared to the pre-trial scores, the Sa-am acupuncture group (n=34) showed a significant decrease in KWOMAC total scores according to a paired t-test. The Sa-am acupuncture group also showed significant improvement in the Patient Global Assessment when compared to the pre-trial. Conclusions : Sa-am acupuncture for knee OA resulted in an improved KWOMAC total score. This was mostly driven by the function component score that was greatly affected by acupuncture. However, further studies with expanded designs are needed to solidify this finding with scientific rigor.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2006

This study was carried out to confirm the arguments that the role of the parents in sampling blood specimens from their children should be increased to reduce the anxiety and fear of children. The support and confidence of the parents, the reaction of the children and the subsequent action by phlebotomists should help to make an efficient sampling process for children. We randomly selected 50 children and their parents and had them fill out questionnaires before and after phlebotomy. The results were: 1. Detailed explanation by parents made children more active in sampling; 2. Higher confidence levels made parents more active in supporting children and relieving them from pain; 3. Confidence levels were higher in male children than in female children; 4. The confidence levels of parents were higher in parents of children with experience of multiple samplings and the highest level of confidence was observed in parents of children aged 61 to 120 months; 5. Only children showed the highest reaction level and very negative reactions; 6. The reaction of the phlebotomist was positive with children in good moods and negative with ones in bad moods. These results could serve as a basic tool in coping with children in phlebotomy.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.29-44
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• 2023

Objectives : This study was planned to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness and possible underlying mechanism of TPE (Tetrapanax papyrifer stem(inner part of the stem Extract) and AQE (Akebiae quinata stem Extract) on osteoarthritis. Methods : Osteoarthritis models were induced through intra-articular injection of MIA (monosodium iodoacetate) 50 μL with 80 mg/ml in rats. Excluding the normal group, Osteoarthritis-induced rats were divided into 4 groups (Control, INDO, TPE, AQE). The drug concentrations were indomethacin 5 mg/kg, TPE 200 mg/kg, and AQE 200 mg/kg, and were orally administered once a day for a couple of weeks. After drug supplementation, the effects of TPE and AQE were measured with serum diagnosis, western blotting, and histopathological staining. Results : It was found that the DPPH and ABTS free radical erasure ability of AQE was better than that of TPE. AQE administration improved rear limb overload and it led to relieving pain. Both PTE and AQE significantly reduced the expression of inflammatory mediators COX-2, iNOS, and inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and IL-6 by inhibiting the phosphorylation of IκBα and deactivating the pathway of NF-κBp65. On the other hand, TNF-α was significantly reduced only by administration of AQE. In addition, histopathological analysis showed that the administration of AQE compared to PTE suppressed cartilage degeneration and effectively suppressed damage to proteoglycan, a component of ECM. Conclusion : Reviewing these experimental results, TPE and AQE possessed the effect of delaying the progress of osteoarthritis and protecting cartilage. In addition, the results of this study show that AQE has a better cartilage protection effect than TPE.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.346-352
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• 2013

The study was aimed to investigate the influence of diode laser on osteoarthritis (OA) of stifle joint induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). Sixty 10-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. Right stifle joint was operated to create ACLT or sham. There were five study groups: control, Sham, ACLT, ACLT + Laser irradiation (ACLT+L) and ACLT + meloxicam administration (ACLT+M). Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) was applied at the operated stifle joint twice a week using an 808-nm indium-gallium-arsenide (InGaAs) diode laser during 8-week experimental period. Radiographical, gross morphological and histopathological findings were examined at 2, 4 and 8 weeks post-surgery. Radiography, CBC and chemistry tests showed no significant difference between groups. ACLT+L group showed remarkable cartilage damages compared with sham group morphologically and histopathologically at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. ACLT+M group also had more cartilage damages compared with sham group. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) showed limitation to prevent progression of OA in the rat anterior cruciate ligament transection models; on the contrary it accelerated cartilage damage. It is assumed that the aggravating results of LLLT in this study might be due to excessive unstable movement of stifle joint from the pain-relieving effect of LLLT, rather than direct damaging effect of irradiation since LLLT did not affect cell viability.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.331-343
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• 2001

Advances in medical procedures and utilization of medication have resulted in expanding aged population, which leads to increased aged patients with salivary hypofunction and its associated symptoms in dental clinic. The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical characteristics of patients with dry mouth and its correlation with their salivary flow rate. Forty dry mouth patients (7 males, 33 females, mean age 42.0 years) whose flow rate of unstimulated whole saliva was less than 0.15 ml/min were included and their gender- and age-matched controls (7 males, 33 females, mean age 42.9 years) who did not report any complaints, suggestive of salivary gland dysfunction and had the flow rate of greater than 0.20 ml/min were included for comparison. The salivary flow rate was measured in both unstimulated and stimulated conditions. Dry mouth-related clinical information including history, dry mouth associated symptoms, exacerbating and relieving factors, drugs, systemic diseases, and family history was investigated using questionnaires. The differences in distribution of patients and control subjects to each question and their relation to the salivary flow rate were analyzed and we came to following conclusions. 1. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of patients and controls to the following questions: the period and frequency of suffering from dry mouth; severity of dry feeling during a meal; severity of discomfort during swallowing; necessity of sipping liquids during swallowing dry foods, severity of discomfort in usual life due to dry feeling; self-assessment of residual salivary volume; taking medications. 2. The patients had more stress-related medical histories including indigestion, insomnia, and gastritis compared with controls. The patients took many kinds of medications to control their systemic diseases. 3. There were statistically significant differences in the salivary flow rate between different groups of patients to following questions: severity of dry feeling during a meal; severity of discomfort during swallowing; necessity of sipping liquids during swallowing dry foods. The difference was more significant in the case of stimulated salivary flow rate rather than unstimulated one. 4. The salivary flow rate of patients taking medications was significantly less than that of patients who did not take medications. The difference was more significant in the case of stimulated salivary flow rate rather than unstimulated one.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.532-539
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• 2014

Peripheral neuropathy induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and antiretroviral therapy is not only difficult to distinguish in clinical practice, but also difficult to relieve the pain symptoms by analgesics because of the severity of the disease at the later stage. Hence, to explore the mechanisms of HIV-related neuropathy and find new therapeutic options are particularly important for relieving neuropathic pain symptoms of the patients. In the present study, primary cultured embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were used to determine the neurotoxic effects of HIV-gp120 protein and/or antiretroviral drug dideoxycytidine (ddC) and the therapeutic actions of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on gp120- or ddC-induced neurotoxicity. DRG neurons were exposed to gp120 (500 pmol/L), ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), respectively, for 72 hours. The results showed that gp120 and/or ddC caused neurotoxicity of primary cultured DRG neurons. Interestingly, the severity of neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and ddC was different in different subpopulation of DRG neurons. gp120 mainly affected large diameter DRG neurons (> $25{\mu}m$), whereas ddC mainly affected small diameter DRG neurons (${\leq}25{\mu}m$). IGF-1 could reverse the neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and/or ddC on small, but not large, DRG neurons. These data provide new insights in elucidating the pathogenesis of HIV infection- or antiretroviral therapy-related peripheral neuropathy and facilitating the development of novel treatment strategies.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.25-46
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• 2019

This pilot study involved a single session of song-based music therapy to relieve the anxiety of intensive care unit (ICU) caregivers. Six caregivers of ICU patients participated in the intervention session individually. During the initial stage of the intervention, the participants' current emotional states were identified. Then they listened to familiar songs and playing a tone chime, which was intended to help them relax their body and reduce their psychological resistance. During singing experiences as an essential part of the intervention, the participants discussed the lyrics of songs in an attempt to find the meaning related to them. Also, they sang the songs with a live accompaniment in which their emotional states were reflected with changes in musical elements (e.g., tempo, dynamics, rhythm, or chords). In the final stage, they identified personal application to their everyday lives. To analyze the results, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a visual analog scale on emotional states were completed by participants before and after the session, and participants' verbal responses during the session were also recorded. According to the results, STAI anxiety scores significantly declined following the session. Also, they showed significant increases in positive emotions and significant decreases in negative emotions. This suggests that short-term music therapy can be an effective intervention for relieving the psychological distress of ICU caregivers.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.1255-1264
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to report the effect of Korean medicine on a patient with non-small cell lung cancer with pleural metastasis who had been treated with afatinib. Method: A 61-year old female patient with non-small cell lung cancer with pleural metastasis was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicines, including Yijung-tang, Haengso-tang, Samchulkunbi-tang, Paeamju-bang (Feiai zhu fang), to control various symptoms caused by afatinib. The degree of pain was assessed by a numeric rating scale (NRS) and the quality of life was determined with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the EORTC 13-item lung cancer-specific module (EORTC LC-13). Results: After receiving acupuncture and herbal medicines, the patient showed improvement in her back and chest pain, according to the NRS score. Similarly, the Korean medicinal treatments significantly relieved her nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hemoptysis, and alopecia. However, the EORTC QLQ-C30 assessment suggested that Korean medicinal treatments did not significantly improve the global health status of this patient. Conclusion: Korean medicine could be useful in relieving some of the symptoms occurring after conventional afatinib treatments.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.433-446
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sociopsychological factors which might influence the course of the temporomandibular disorders and to develop models for prediction of treatment outcome related to pain, dysfunction and sound. For this study, 268 patients with temporomandibular disorders were selected from the patients presented to department of Oral Medicine, Wonkwang university dental hospital. Chief complaints of these subjects were largely grouped into three categories such as pain, dysfunction and sound, and 10 cm visual analogue scale(VAS) was used to record the state of the three complaints every visit and Treatment Index(VAS TI) was calculated from VAS. All the forty-two items obtained from clinical examination or questionnaire were statistically processed with $SPSS^{(R)}$ windows. The results of this study were as follows: 1. The items showed a difference between male and female subjects were maximum mouth opening, palpation score, jaw jerk during mandibular movement, and sleep disturbance. Among questionnaires such as SRRS, HAD scale and PSQI, the HAD scales showed the most highly significant correlation with the each scale item of the SCL-90R. 2. Among the groups classified by VAS TI, the group with the lowest VAS TI showed the highest VAS score in the start of treatment but showed the lowest score in the end of treatment, without respect to the type of chief complaint. From these results, it is assumed that the active treatment duration for the subjects with lower VAS score in the first visit would be longer than the subjects with higher score with the somewhat poor treatment outcome. 3. With regard to all the three complaints, the items showing significant effect in the model for prediction of treatment outcome were from questionnaire, except one item, maximum mouth opening, which suggest that the sociopsychological factors would be strongly related to development and progress of the symptoms.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.146-177
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• 1995

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the teeth and Zhang-Fu(臟腑), dental diseases, and the hygiene of the mouth through the literature of oriental medicine. First, the relatonship between the teeth and Zhang-Fu is reviewed as follows: The teeth are influenced by Shen(腎) because they are the end of bone and Biao(標) of Shen. Gingiva is related to Wei(胃) and Da-Chang(大腸) because it is passed by Yangming-Channel(陽明經). The growth and nutrition of teeth depends on Shen. The pathological condition of Shen causes the gingival atrophy, the loose of teeth, dedentition due to aging, withering of teeth, and tartar: whereas the pathological condition of Wei and Da-Chang causes toothache, gingivitis, inflamed gums, bad breath, and gingival hemorrhage. Second, the causes and therapies of dental diseases through the literature can be summarized as follows: The major causes of toothache are the pathogenic condition of wind-heat and wind-cold, the heat syndrome of Wei, the damp-heat of intestine, flaring-up of fire of deficiency type, rotten tooth, etc... The principal causes of dedentition and the shaking and loose of teeth are the deficiency of Shen, and the rest of causes are the damp-heat of Yangming. Gingival atrophy is caused by the deficiency of Shen, whereas the gingival hemorrhage comes from the factors in the pathogenic factor of wind-heat of Yangming-Channel, the heat syndrome of stomach, and the deficiency of Shen. The causes of grinding of teeth during sleeping are stomach-heat, and the delayed dentition and the withering result from the deficiency of Shen-Jing.(腎精) The principal therapies of toothache are removing wind and heat, clearing away heat and prompting diuresis, clearing away the stomach-heat, replenishing vital essence to tonify the Shen, relieving superficial syndrome by wind-cold, and alleviating pain by destroying parasites. For the prescription of the principal therapies, there are Xijio Dihuang Tang, Jiajian Ganlu Yin, Qufeng Wan, Qingwei San, Tiaowei Chenggi Tang Shengong Wan, Liangge San Qingwei Tang Yunu Jian, Liuwei Dihuang Wan Zuogui Yin Bawei Wan Wanshao Dan, Xixin San Badou Wan Gianghuo Fuzi Tang, Jiuzi Tang Badou Wan, etc... The therapies of dedentition and the shaking and loose of teeth are replenishing vital essence to tonify the Shen, and warming and recuperating the Shen-Yang: as the prescription, there are Liuwei Dihuang Wana Zuogui Yin, and Bawei Wan Anshen Wan Wanshao Dan Yougui Wan etc... The therapies of gingival hemorrhage are clearing away the stomach-heat, replenishing vital essence to tonify the Shen, warming and recuperating the Shen-Yang(腎陽), and moisturing and purging intence heat with the prescription of Tiaowei Chenggi Tang Xijiao Dihuang Tang, Liuwei Dihuang Wan Zuogui Yin, Bawei Wan Anshen Wan, and Yunu Jian. The therapy of gingival atrophy is replenishing vital essence to tonify the Shen in the prescription of Liuwei Wan Bawei Wan Ziyin Dabu Wan. The therapies of grinding of teeth during sleeping are clearing away the stomach-heat and purging intense heat, and invigorating the spleen through eliminating dampness in the prescription of Qingwei San, Wumei Wan, etc... The therapy of delaed dentition is replenishing vital essence to tonify the Shen with the prescription of Liuwei Wan Buyin Jian, etc... Third, clinical treatment reports of dental diseases are reviewed as follows: The toothache due to stomach-heat was treated by medical herbs like Gypsum, Natrir Sulfas, Rehmanniae, Schizonepetal Herba, Menthae Folium, Cimicifugae Rhizoma, and Scrophulariae Radix. The therapies of toothache due to flaring-up of fire in deficiency type from deficiency of Shen provided with replenishment of vital essence to tonify the Shen and clean ministerial fire, and the prescription was the kind of Liuwei Wan, which worked very well. The therapy of dedentition and loose of teeth due to deficiency of Shen was done to stablize the teeth as tonifing the Shen with the prescription of Guchi Wan. The rate of imrovement was over 90%. The destruction of periodontal tissue due to periodonititis was cured of dispelling wind, reducing heat, and alleviating pain, It was improved by taking Zizhi Xingiong Tang, Guchi Xiaotong San, Yunii Jian, and Qingwei San about 3-7 days, and the rate of improvement was over 80%. Fourth, the prevention and regimens are reviewed as follows: As a physical and breathing exercise of the teeth, tapping teeth which stimulates the circulation of Qi(氣) and Xue(血) had been used. The tapping time of 14, 17, 36, etc... has been reported, and it should be applied based on the body condition. The medical herbs for gargling and brushing teeth have been used. Specifically, Cimicifugae Rhizoma, Gypsum, Gypsum Fibrosum, and Indigo pulrelrata Lereis have been used to reduce heat, Coptidis Rhizama and Yang Jinggu to eliminate damp-heat, Amomi Semen, Cyperi Rhizoma, Flos Caryophylli, Asari Radix, Piperis Longi Fructus, Santali Albae Lignum, Meliae Fructus, Moschus, Aquillaiae Lignum, and Borneol to promote the circulation of Qi and to relieve pain, Ligustici Radix, Angelice Radix, Rhizoma Nardostachydis, Tribuli Semen to relieve superficial syndrome by means of diaphiresis, and Cnidii Rhizoma, Angelicae sinensis Radix, and Olibanum to promote blood circulation to stop pain.