• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4835-4838
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• 2013

Background: We compared treatment completion rates and safety of docetaxel and cyclophosphamide sixcycle therapy (TC6) with docetaxel followed by 5FU, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (T-FEC) therapy in Japanese patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer. Materials and Methods: We administered TC6 q3w or T-FEC q3w to HER2-negative breast cancer patients. The primary endpoint of this trial was toxicity. As second endpoints, the treatment completion rate and relative dose intensity were evaluated. Results: The TC6 and T-FEC group consisted of 22 and 21 patients, respectively. Concerning hematological toxicity, grade 3 or higher adverse reactions included neutropenia and febrile neutropenia. As non-hematological adverse events, exanthema and peripheral neuropathy were frequently reported in the TC6 group, whereas more patients of the T-FEC group reported nausea and vomiting. In TC6, the treatment completion rate was 86.4% and the relative dose intensity of docetaxel was 93.2%. In T-FEC, the values were 95.2% and 98.9%, respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest that TC6 is tolerable in Japanese, and that this regimen can also be performed in outpatient clinics. However, with the TC6 regimen, the compliance was slightly lower than with the T-FEC regimen, and supportive therapy needs to be managed appropriately.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.311-321
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• 2016

Chronic or acute alcohol abuse often leads to liver injury associated with alcoholic hepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. In addition to the liver, alcohol abuse also induces a variety of other tissue injuries including pancreatitis, cardiomyopathy, neurotoxicity and muscle loss. Chronic skeletal muscle myopathy, independent of peripheral neuropathy, is well recognised in alcoholic patients. Several mechanisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of alcoholic myopathy. Ethanol is a potent inhibitor of muscle protein synthesis. Gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles are Type II fiber-predominant and usually considered representative of the musculature as a whole. Whereas, soleus muscle is Type I fiber predominant. Shihosogan-san is a traditional Korean medicine that is widely employed to treat indigestion and liver diseases. Muscle diseases are often related to liver diseases and conditions. We therefore tested the hypothesis that treatment with Shihosogan-san could ameliorate the ethanol-induced changes in muscle protein synthesis. Young male Sprague-Dawley rats were orally given 25% ethanol (5ml/kg, body weight) daily with Ethanol for 28 days. Normal group was similarly administrated with saline. In Shihosogan-san treated group, rats were orally administrated Shihosogan-san extract, and rats of EtOH group were given with the vehicle only. After 4 week, the morphology of gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. For comparative purposes, liver function was also investigated. The muscles from rats of EtOH group displayed a significant reduction in average cross section area compared to Normal group. Shihosogan-san treated group had increased fiber compared to the EtOH group. Moreover, Shihosogan-san treated group compared with EtOH group showed significantly decreased pro-apoptotic BAX expression and increased anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression. In conclusion, Shihosogan-san extract showed ameliorating effects on chronic alcohol toxicity in skeletal muscle.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.199-211
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• 2003

Objective : This is clinical report about the Wei syndrome(?證)-patient diagnosed as Guillian-Barre syndrome. Guillain-Barre syndrome(GBS), what is called acute inflammatory polyneuritis, is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks parts of peripheral nervous system. GBS is subclassified into acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy(AIDP), acute motor or motor-sensory axonal neuropathy(AMAN, AMSAN), and the other variants. The cause and mechanism of this syndrome are unknown yet. The typical Guillain-Barre syndrome could be diagnosed by the patient's syndroms and physical exams as the rapid onset of weakness, paralysis and loss of reflexes. The analysis of CSF and electrical test of nerve and muscle function can be performed to confirm the diagnosis. Most of the cases usually occur shortly after a viral infection. Method & Result : This is the clinical report about the one patient daignosed as Guillain-Barre syndrome. The patient, 9-year-old girl had the hemiparesis after upper respiratory infection. We characterized her as Wei syndrom(?證). The patient was treated by acupunture, indirect moxibustion, herb medication(通竅湯 加味方, 四物湯合檳蘇散 加味方) and had significant improvement in the Wei syndrome(?證). Conclusion : We report that we had good effects of oriental medical treatment on Guillain-Barre syndrome.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.270-279
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• 2020

Objective: The aim of this study was to propose revision of the occupational exposure limit(OEL) for 1-Bromopropane(1-BP) following a review of the appropriateness of the standard in light of increasing epidemiological data and handling risk. Materials and Methods: The results of toxicity and epidemiologic investigations for 1-BP and agencies' OELs were compared and reviewed through a literature review. In order to investigate the status of 1-BP handling in South Korea, data from work environment actual condition survey results and work environment measurement results were used. Results: The toxicity of 1-BP, such as central nervous system(CNS) damage, peripheral neuropathy, hematological adverse effects, and developmental and reproductive toxicity(male and female) has been reported. ACGIH recommends 0.1 ppm as a TLV-TWA value, but the OEL of South Korea stands at 25 ppm, which is 250 times higher than the TLV-TWA. Although 1-BP is a specially managed substance under the Industrial Safety and Health Law, the currently applied OEL cannot be said to be a safe level based on the results of epidemiological studies to date. In a work environment measurement in 2017, the total number of samples was 626, which were derived from 78 industries, and the average concentration was 1.173 ppm(standard deviation 2.88). Conclusions: To protect the health of workers handling 1-BP, estimated to be 780 in South Korea, it is necessary to strengthen the OEL(TWA) to a level of 0.3 ppm(lower than the 0.34 ppm with known toxic effects), which is believed to be safe as a result of epidemiological investigation. "Skin" notation should be recommended.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.258-264
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• 2001

A 26-year-old man with a one-year history of asthma and sinusitis presented with bilateral pleural effusions, patch basilar infiltrates on a chest x-ray and a pericardial effusion on an echocardiogram. The peripheral blood showed marked eosinophilia. An obstructive pattern was also observed during the pulmonary fuction test, which was responsive to bronchodilator inhalation. Nerve conduction studies showed right sural neuropathy. Thoracentesis yielded an acidotic exudative effusion with low glucose, low $C_3$ and eosinophilia. An open lung biopsy revealed an eosinophilic interstitial pneumonitis associated with a necrotizing eosinophilic vasculitis, and granulomatous inflammation foci. In the literature, pleural effusions were reported in 29 percent of Churg-Strauss patients, but the number of effusions was low and their characteristics have not been well described. This report describes the characteristic findings of pleural fluid and its histologic features in a case of classical Churg-Strauss syndrome.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2014

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common work-related peripheral neuropathy. In addition to grip force and repetitive hand exertions, wrist posture (hyperextension and hyperflexion) may be a risk factor for CTS among workers. However, findings of studies evaluating the relationship between wrist posture and CTS are inconsistent. The purpose of this paper was to conduct a meta-analysis of existing studies to evaluate the evidence of the relationship between wrist posture at work and risk of CTS. Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to identify relevant studies published between 1980 and 2012. The following search terms were used: "work related", "carpal tunnel syndrome", "wrist posture", and "epidemiology". The studies defined wrist posture as the deviation of the wrist in extension or flexion from a neutral wrist posture. Relative risk (RR) of individual studies for postural risk was pooled to evaluate the overall risk of wrist posture on CTS. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. All were cross-sectional or case-control designs and relied on self-report or observer's estimates for wrist posture assessment. The pooled RR of work-related CTS increased with increasing hours of exposure to wrist deviation or extension/flexion [RR = 2.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.646-2.43; p < 0.01: Shore-adjusted 95% CI: 1.32-2.97]. Conclusion: We found evidence that prolonged exposure to non-neutral wrist postures is associated with a twofold increased risk for CTS compared with low hours of exposure to non-neutral wrist postures. Workplace interventions to prevent CTS should incorporate training and engineering interventions that reduce sustained non-neutral wrist postures.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2012

Background: Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain due to disorder in the peripheral or central nervous system with different pathophysiological mechanisms. Current treatments are not effective. Analgesic drugs combined can reduce pain intensity and side effects. Here, we studied the analgesic effect of nimesulide, nefopam, and morphine with different mechanisms of action alone and in combination with other drugs in chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain. Methods: Male Wistar rats (n = 8) weighing 150-200 g were divided into 3 different groups: 1- Saline-treated CCI group, 2- Saline-treated sham group, and 3- Drug-treated CCI groups. Nimesulide (1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg), nefopam (10, 20, and 30 mg/kg), and morphine (1, 3, and 5 mg/kg) were injected 30 minutes before surgery and continued daily to day 14 post-ligation. In the combination strategy, a nonanalgesic dose of drugs was used in combination such as nefopam + morphine, nefopam + nimesulide, and nimesulide + morphine. Von Frey filaments for mechanical allodynia and acetone test for cold allodynia were, respectively, used as pain behavioral tests. Experiments were performed on day 0 (before surgery) and days 1, 3, 5, 7,10, and 14 post injury. Results: Nefopam (30 mg/kg) and nimesulide (5 mg/kg) blocked mechanical and thermal allodynia; the analgesic effects of morphine (5 mg/kg) lasted for 7 days. Allodynia was completely inhibited in combination with nonanalgesic doses of nefopam (10 mg/kg), nimesulide (1.25 mg/kg), and morphine (3 mg/kg). Conclusions: It seems that analgesic drugs used in combination, could effectively reduce pain behavior with reduced adverse effects.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.657-666
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• 2017

Paclitaxel, a chemotherapeutic drug, induces severe peripheral neuropathy. Gabapentin (GBT) is a first line agent used to treat neuropathic pain, and its effect is mediated by spinal noradrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors. Electro-acupuncture (EA) is used for treating various types of pain via its action through spinal opioidergic and noradrenergic receptors. Here, we investigated whether combined treatment of these two agents could exert a synergistic effect on paclitaxel-induced cold and mechanical allodynia, which were assessed by the acetone drop test and von Frey filament assay, respectively. Significant signs of allodynia were observed after four paclitaxel injections (a cumulative dose of 8 mg/kg, i.p.). GBT (3, 30, and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) or EA (ST36, Zusanli) alone produced dose-dependent anti-allodynic effects. The medium and highest doses of GBT (30 and 100 mg/kg) provided a strong analgesic effect, but they induced motor dysfunction in Rota-rod tests. On the contrary, the lowest dose of GBT (3 mg/kg) did not induce motor weakness, but it provided a brief analgesic effect. The combination of the lowest dose of GBT and EA resulted in a greater and longer effect, without inducing motor dysfunction. This effect on mechanical allodynia was blocked by spinal opioidergic (naloxone, $20{\mu}g$), or noradrenergic (idazoxan, $10{\mu}g$) receptor antagonist, whereas on cold allodynia, only opioidergic receptor antagonist blocked the effect. In conclusion, the combination of the lowest dose of GBT and EA has a robust and enduring analgesic action against paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain, and it should be considered as an alternative treatment method.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.411-414
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• 2004

Isoniazid is a first-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. A variety of adverse reactions of isoniazid have been reported. These include hepatitis, peripheral neuropathy, skin rashes, neurologic disturbances and hematologic alterations. Among these, acute pancreatitis due to isoniazid is very rare. We report a case of acute pancreatitis due to isoniazid confirmed by rechallenge test with review of some literatures.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1185-1190
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• 2011

The lower limb somatosensory deficit observed among peripheral neuropathy patients is partially related to the decline in their balance ability. In general, balance ability has been examined by measuring the postural response (i.e., action). However, body motion is induced by integrated multisensory cues (i.e., motion perception). In this study, we hypothesized that the reduced lower limb somatosensation might also lower motion perception. We induced lower limb sensory deficits through ischemia and then measured the cutaneous sensory sensitivity and directional motion perception. The sensory deficit was successfully induced, and it also lowered the motion perception. However, the center of pressure (COP) variation did not significantly change under the sensory deficit. This result implies that measuring motion perception could enable the detection of precursors of sensory deficits.