• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.279-284
• /
• 2020

The theory of "eccentric diseases are generally due to phlegm (怪病多屬痰)" means that phlegm is a major cause for intractable diseases including cerebrovascular accident, depression, insanity, and shock from strange things or evil sprint. It has been a key foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of phlegm in traditional Korean medicine. However, the origin of the theory is not clear and controversial. In this study, we critically reviewed the origin and developing process of the theory in the viewpoints of philology and pathology in Korean medicine. Wang Yin-Jun (王隱 君) did not claim that eccentric diseases are generally due to phlegm in Taidingyangshengzhu-lun (泰定養生主論). The miscitation by following medical literature caused the misunderstanding in the meaning of Taidingyangshengzhu-lun, that phlegm can cause variable symptoms and signs. In the Ming dynasty, some poor medical doctors had tended to diagnose any difficult case as phlegm syndrome and to use Kuntan-huan (滾痰丸) as a standard herbal formula for treating phlegm syndrome. However, the tendency to categorize delicate cases easily to phlegm syndrome is not desirable. Besides, the tendency to use Kuntan-huan as a basic formula for the phlegm syndrome might cause diverse and severe adverse effects. Thus, we cannot accept the theory of eccentric diseases is generally due to phlegm without a doubt. In conclusion, this theory might be a valuable aphorism in terms of considering the possibility of the secondary pathologic factors including phlegm and blood stasis which should be considered first in case of intractable diseases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.20-26
• /
• 2016

Prunellae Spica, the herbaceous plant in the genus Prunella, is a traditional herbal medicine and has been reported to have diuretic, anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant effects. However, the mechanism of its action was not clearly identified. In the present study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effect of Prunellae Spica extract (PSE) against the damage of mitochondria and death in hepatocyte induced by oxidative stress. Treatment of arachidonic acid (AA)+iron significantly induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in the hepatocytes. However, PSE protected cells and inhibited apoptosis by altering the protein levels such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and pro-caspase 3. Moreover, AA+iron induced reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunction, and Both of them were inhibited by PSE treatment. PSE markedly activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an important regulator in cell survival. Furthermore, this activation by PSE was mediated with liver kinase B1, a major upstream kinase that phosphorylates Thr 172 of AMPKα, and this activation was associated with its cell protection, as assessed by an experiment of a chemical inhibitor. In conclusion, this study demonstrate that PSE protects hepatocytes against oxidative stress as mediated with activation of LKB1-dependent AMPK pathway.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.1108-1112
• /
• 2011

Voice can be widely used to classify the four constitution types and to recognize one's health condition from extracting meaningful features as physical quantity in traditional Korean medicine or Western medicine. In this paper, we proposed the method to update the standard operating procedure (SOP) to acquire and record voices for extracting stable vocal features since they are sensitive to the variation of a subject's utterance. At first, we obtained pitch frequencies from vowels and the sentence and intensity form the sentence as features with voices acquired under subjects' utterance conditions and then the deviation ratios of features from median values according to the utterance conditions were obtained and the condition to minimize the ratio was selected as a new SOP. As a result, we decided the SOP for a subject to utter vowels with the length of 2s~1s and sentences with over 2s interval between them after practice, in consideration of the deviation and qualitative requirements. Stable voice features obtained from updated SOP produce accurate diagnosis, which will be developed and simplified for using in the u-Healthcare system of personalized medicine.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.353-361
• /
• 2007

This study searched the medical thought of Cheon Sun Eui (全循義). The relavance of his writings with the modern Korean Traditional Medicine, the science of food and nutrition, and the living science. His medical philosophy which was expressed in SikRyoChanYo(食療贊要), SanGaYoGok(山家要錄), ChimGuTaeKIlPeonJip(鍼灸澤日編集), etc., was investigated. The purpose of SikRyoChanYo(食療贊要) was to describe the food therapeutics before using drugs for treatment of diseases and stress the prevention of illness using foods. Second, he mentioned the science of breeding of plants and the method of food storage in his writing, SanGaYoGok(山家要錄). In this writings, the method of preparing and processing foods, storage of foods, fermentation of foods, the science of breeding of plants, etc., was mentioned. So, he could be called as a scientist. Also, he stressed the importance of food in maintaining health and curing illness in this book. Third, he wrote the good and bad luck of time and the day of getting away from the bad luck when the acupuncture and moxibustion was performed. In ChimGuTaeKIlPeonJip(鍼灸澤日編集), he reflected together the energy changes of nature and body in performing therapeutics.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.137-147
• /
• 2020

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with intestinal immune imbalance and inflammatory response. Because dehydrolovastatin (DLVT), a derivative of lovastatin, has been recently shown to inhibit inflammation and relieve immune arthritis induced by chemical stimuli, we studied its effect and possible mechanism on UC induced by dextran sulfate sodium. The BALB/c mice were classified into six groups: normal control group, model group, DLVT high dose group, DLVT low dose group, salazosulfapyridine (SASP) group and lovastatin (LVT) group. The disease activity indices of UC and pathological changes were investigated. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in colon tissue and inflammatory factors such as IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, and TNF-α in the serum were analyzed by ELISA, while the expression of NF-κB p65 protein in colon tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot. DLVT relieved the disease activity indices and pathological damage of the UC mice. Furthermore, DLVT significantly decreased MPO activity and improved the imbalance of inflammatory cytokines through inhibiting the expression of NF-κB p65. Meanwhile, the positive drug of SASP has a similar effect to DLVT, but the effect of DLVT in both decreasing IL-17, TNF-α, and increasing IL-10 was significantly stronger than that of SASP. These results suggest that DLVT may ameliorates the symptoms of UC.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.107-110
• /
• 2009

In Sasang constitutional medicine, both disease susceptibility and drug response are considered to be related to the characteristics of an individual's physiology and psychology: a theory which is central to traditional Korean medicine. Based on such observable characteristics, Sasang constitutional medicine classifies people into four constitutional types. Genetic studies of Sasang constitution would help reveal the inheritance patterns and models of the typological traits and, moreover, help with traditional medical diagnosis and treatment. To investigate the heritable aspect of Sasang constitution, we collected various pedigrees from South Korea. The study population has 101 pedigrees composed of 593 individuals. The determination of the Sasang constitution type of each individual was performed by doctors who diagnose the Sasang constitutional type of individuals as part of their professional practice. We calculated estimates of familial correlation and heritability. Parent-Offspring pairs showed the strongest familial correlation of Sasang constitutional type, with the correlation values of 0.21 and 0.28, followed by sibling pairs with the value ranging between 0.14 and 0.25. From the heritability analysis conducted with the Variance-Component method, the heritability of TE (Tae-Eum) type, SY (So-Yang) type, and SE (So-Eum) type were 55%, 41%, and 47%, respectively. This pattern of heritability was consistent with different set of analyses, which suggest the robustness of our result. Our result clearly shows that the Sasang constitution type is heritable, and further genetic analysis based on our result will shed light on the biological mechanism of Sasang constitution.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.458-466
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study was to review the research on treating depression in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) over the last 5 years to set the foundation for further studies. We searched for and analyzed articles about depression in CNKI(China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from January 2010 to December 2014. The results were as follows : The most frequently used diagnostic criteria was CCMD-3(The Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders-3), and the most used evaluation criteria was HAMD(Hamilton Depression Rating Scale). Prescription of decoction of medical herbs was most frequently used as a therapeutic method. Acupuncture, traditional Chinese psychotherapy, and music therapy were also used for some studies. The most frequent TCM Syndrome Differentiation Type was stagnation of liver-QI. For decoction of Chinese herbs, Soyo-san(Xiaoyao-san) and Sihosogan-san(Chaihushugan-san) were most often prescribed, and Bupleuri Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Curcumae Radix, Poria cocos wolf, Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba were mainly used for medical herbs. BaekHoi(GV20) and Yindang(Ex-HN3) were often used as acupuncture sites. Post-Stroke Depression was the most common case of intercurrent or secondary depression. According to the Jadad Quality Assessment Scale, the quality of the reports was not high as most of the reports had a score of 3 or below. Most systematic reviews on depression were conducted by Chinese researchers. The problem with Clinical research on depression, according to those reviews, was that there were no standardized criteria for the diagnosis and treatment and the trials were usually not randomized nor controlled. We found out there are various clinical methods for treating depression in TCM, and hope that this research could provide the preliminary data for designing and conducting clinical trials for depression.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.27-36
• /
• 2017

Angelicae Gigantis Radix (AGR, Angelica gigas) has been used for a long time as a traditional folk medicine in Korea and oriental countries. Decursinol angelate (DCA) is structurally isomeric decursin, one of the major components of AGR. This study was performed to confirm whether DCA augments pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors via the activation of $GABA_A$-ergic systems in animals. Oral administration of DCA (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg) markedly suppressed spontaneous locomotor activity. DCA also prolonged sleeping time, and decreased the sleep latency by pentobarbital (42 mg/kg), in a dose-dependent manner, similar to muscimol, both at the hypnotic (42 mg/kg) and sub-hypnotic (28 mg/kg) dosages. Especially, DCA increased the number of sleeping animals in the sub-hypnotic dosage. DCA (50 mg/kg, p.o.) itself modulated sleep architectures; DCA reduced the counts of sleep/wake cycles. At the same time, DCA increased total sleep time, but not non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In the molecular experiments. DCA (0.001, 0.01 and $0.1{\mu}g/ml$) increased intracellular Cl- influx level in hypothalamic primary cultured neuronal cells of rats. In addition, DCA increased the protein expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase ($GAD_{65/67}$) and $GABA_A$ receptors subtypes. Taken together, these results suggest that DCA potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors through the activation of $GABA_A$-ergic systems, and can be useful in the treatment of insomnia.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.453-462
• /
• 2020

Chronic joint pain due to loss of cartilage function, degradation of subchondral bone, and related conditions are common plights of an arthritis patient. Antioxidant compounds could solve the problems in arthritic condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-arthritic activity of D-carvone against complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats. D-carvone was orally administered for 25 days at the doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg against CFA-induced arthritic rats. Changes in body weight, paw swelling, organ index, hematological parameters, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, and histopathology were recorded. Oral treatment of D-carvone significantly improved the body weight, reduced the paw swelling, edema formation, and organ index in arthritic rats. The levels of white blood cells were reduced, red blood cells and hemoglobin levels were improved in D-carvone treated arthritic rats. Lipid peroxidation levels were lowered whereas enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were significantly elevated by D-carvone administration against arthritic rats. D-carvone significantly modulated inflammatory cytokine levels and improved the ankle joint pathology against CFA-induced arthritic inflammation. In conclusion, D-carvone proved significant anti-arthritic activity against CFA-induced arthritis in rats.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.207-217
• /
• 1997

The oriental medicine based on the traditional Chinese medicine has developed characteristically according to the history and racial character respectively; China, Korea and Japan. Japan, among these nations, has accepted western medicine earlier than other nations and has tried to compare western and oriental medicine and combine them. In Japanese traditional medicine, it is characteristic that the old medical classics focusing on Sanghannon (傷寒論) and Geumgyeyoryak(金?要略) has developed The recent tendencies of clinical medicine and researches in Korean oriental medicine are mostly about the study of oriental medicine in view of western medicine and the combination of western and oriental medical treatment like Japan. But the study on the Japanese oriental medicine hasn't so far been tried before in Korea. From now on, we should not overlook that a more interest on Japanese oriental medicine will be very useful. Therefore we have surveyed the background of its origin and the process of development of the theory of ${\ulcorner}$Qi, Blood and Body Fluids${\lrcorner}$. What we wish to show in this paper is to provide a source for the basic understanding by explaining a fundamental theory of physiology and pathology of Japanese oriental medicine. Concepts of ${\ulcorner}$Qi, Blood and Body Fluids${\lrcorner}$ suggested by Nangai Yoshimashi in 1792 is the way of thinking that the circulation of 3 factors- ${\ulcorner}$Qi, Blood and Body Fluids${\lrcorner}$ nourish human body. Among these 3 factors, if Qi does not function smoothly, it causes the condition of a disease like Qi-deficiency, imbalance of Qi-distribution or Qi-depression and stasis; in Blood's case, deficiency of Blood and Blood stasis; and as for Body Fluids, stasis of Body Fluids. In the recent trend of study, there's a try to combining the western and oriental medicine, Qi is considered as psychoneurotic system, Blood as circulatory and endocrinologic system and Body Fluids as immunologic system.