• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.311-321
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• 2019

In this paper, we try to define and classify the concepts of Convergent Research of Korean-Western Medicine (CRKWM) to clarify the goals of research. In addition, some suggestions that are necessary to promote the CRKWM were made. The results are as follows. First, the CRKWM should be used as a concept that refers to 'interdisciplinary research' jointly conducted by experts in both Korean and Western medicines beyond their own fields. Second, True CRKWM is an "eclectic combination of East-West" that combines the advantages of traditional Korean medicine and western medicine to create a new field; it is necessary to redefine the concept of 'Integrative medicine', which is used in different context by the traditional Korean medicine and western fields in Korea, as an "eclectic combination of East-West" type. Third, In order to promote the CRKWM, it is necessary to convert the current dual medical system of relativism to one of pluralism. Forth, In order for CRKWM to be promoted, methodologies, theories, and models that become the backbones of convergence should be developed. As of now, systems medicine and network science are the best fit. Fifthly, In order to promote convergent clinical research, the development of Korean-Western diagnostic model that integrates the pathologies of Western medicine and symptoms of Korean medicine is urgent. Lastly, Mutual understanding between Korean and Western medicine fields should be preceded in order for CRKWM to be stimulated.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.29-42
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• 2010

1. Objective: Gastric Stuffiness (心下痞證) in the Soeumin Taeeum symptomatology (少陰人 太陰病) in Sasang Constitutional Medicine shows an interesting evolutionary process. Originally found in the texts of Sanghanlun (傷寒論), the perspectives regarding the symptoms of Gastric Stuffiness were expanded by many medical scholars and Lee Jema. To comprehend the Jema's concept of Taeeum symptomatology and utilize his prescription clinically, it deserves to study on the Gastric Stuffiness in Donguisuseowon (東醫壽世保元). 2. Methods: Many texts including Sanghanlun (傷寒論) and Dongeuibogam (東醫寶鑑) were reviewed in order to track the evolutionary process concerning the symptoms of Gastric Stuffiness. Also, Lee Jema's works including the different versions of Donguisuseowon (東醫壽世保元) were reviewed to examine the development of Lee's concepts regarding the Gastric Stuffiness in the Soeumin Taeeum symptomatology. 3. Results and Conclusions: 1) Most of the previous concepts on Gastric Stuffiness were generally similar to those found in Sanghanlun, especially in that they addressed Yang deficiency of the middle triple energizeer as the central pathogenic process. 2) Lee Jema's views on the epigastric discomfort in the Soeumin Taeeum symptomatology evoloved over time and culminated in the finalized pathology and therapeutics appearing in his last work, the Shinchuk version of Donguisuseowon (東醫壽世保元). 3) 4 kinds of prescription which invented by Lee Jema to treat the Gastric Stuffiness in the Soeumin Taeeum symptomatology can be matched to the prescription of Sanghanlun respectively. However through evolutionary process of Jema's prescriptions, the indication of them expanded: not only to treat Gastric Stuffiness but to diverse symptoms of Soeumin.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.468-473
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• 2004

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin characterized by epidermal hyperplasia, dermal angiogenesis, infiltration of activated T cells, and increased cytokine levels, and affects 1-3% of the world-wide population. Although many immunological and clinical reports indicate a role for the immune system in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, puzzling questions about psoriasis remain unsolved. During the several decade, immunosuppressor and PUVA treatment are ubiquitously used to psoriasis therapy. But recently, to promote terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, block either NK-Tcell or T-cell activation, and interrupting the angiogenic switch represent another therapeutic opportunity in psoriasis. To keep face with immunological therapy, the needs of newly designed prescription on the psoriasis treatments were demanded. With the object of understand the psoriasis from an orient medical point of view, patients were administrated the GY during several weeks. We investigated the changes of gene expression in involved and uninvolved skin samples during the oriental remedy. Microarray data showed several important results. First, Gene expression profiling is similar to each patient. Second, precursor proteins that organize cornified envelops are decreased at the end of remedy. But genes which related to apoptosis, G-protein signalling, and lipid metabolism are increased. Third, 68.5% of clustering genes localized on the psoriasis susceptibility locus. In our results indicated that GY influence on the keratinocytes hyperproliferation by regulating the gene, which located on the psoriasis susceptibility locus.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.362-366
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• 2013

We are building an Korean Medicine ontology and disassembling indication terms of medicinal materials and formulas. When we disassemble these terms, an expert can disagree about another expert's result, so participants have to consider another opinion and verify each other concurrently. To achieve this, we have developed a web-based tool that support users in refining terms, disassembling them into the minimum meaning efficiently. With this tool, plural participants refer to each other and make use of this as a verification method. This would have enabled participants to achieve consensus. Due to the nature of the traditional Korean Medicine knowledge which have rich implications and is complicated,E there would be a various result of refinement, disassembly, analysis and another processing. This tool assists users in minimizing the differences and maintaining objectivity by agreement. We have refined and analyzed 4,756 terms from materials and formulas indication in Korean Medicine ontology using this tool. And we concluded that disassembled data increases the percentage of linkage between diseases and medicinal treatments and established an infrastructure for the extensible knowledge.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.146-156
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• 2001

Objectrve : To research the trends of the study related to aging process, and to establish the direction of the study on aging process. Method : We reviewed the journal and essay about the aging process which are published as well in Korea as in foreign country. Results : 1. The study on the Oriental Medicine field can be classfied with the fourth. first, the study of single herb medication's effect on the aging process. second, the study of multiple herb medication's effect on the aging process. third, the study of herb-acupuncture solution's effect on the aging process. fourth, journal review. We find the fact that the study on the Oriental Medicine is concerned with pathology of deficiency syndrome of the kidneys, retention of phlegm and fluid, blood stasis. 2. On the Western Medicine field, mechanism and pathology of aging pracess primarily has been studied. The mechanism of aging process is classified with 'Wear and tear theory' and 'Genome-based theory'. Among the mechanism of aging process, 'Free radical theory' is the most important. Additionally 'Senescence-Accelerated Mouse' has been studied. 3. We review the journal published in foreign country and its subject was the following: first, moxibustion combined with acu-area skin allograft therapy for the aging was effective, second, the traditional chinese medicine bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang in mice have anti-aging effect. third, the overview Preventive geriatrics of Traditional chinese medicine. 4. We researched anti-aging effect study in the journal of the Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and we found a few journal of Herb-acupuncture solution's anti-aging effect. Hereafter, it is necessory that we will study about relationship between acupuncture-moxibustion therpy and anti-aging effect using Senescence-Accelerated Mouse.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.306-313
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• 2012

Herbal medicines are medicinal products containing a single or a mixture of two or more different herbal substances or herbal preparations as active principles. Recently, much attention has been paid to developing various kinds of fermented herbal extracts, a new type of traditional herbal medicine in the field of Korean traditional medicine. The fermentation of medicinal herbs is intended to exert a favorable influence on bioestability, bioavaliablilty and pharmacological activity of herbal extract in the gastrointestinal tract as well as intensifying the nutritional and pharmacological aspects of the medicinal herbs. The purpose of this study was to investigate biological activities of fermented Rehmanniae Radix by lactic acid bacteria at $30^{\circ}C$ for 3 days in comparison with those for Rehmanniae Radix The fermented Rehmanniae Radix exhibited different chemical profile to Rehmanniae Radix generated with HPLC, indicating production of new ingredients during fermentation. Rehmanniae Radix served as good nutritional sources for the growth of lactic acid bacteria showing increased number of bacteria during fermentation. Toxic effect of the fermented Rehmanniae Radix to cells were not seen judged by the MTT assay. The fermented Rehmanniae Radix exhibited better antioxidant effect than non-fermented Rehmanniae Radix analyzed by a SOD-likely assay. Both hypoglycemic and hypotensive effects of the fermented Rehmanniae Radix were also detected and better than those for Rehmanniae Radix in showing dose-dependent inhibitory effects on alpha-glucosidase and ACE, respectively. In conclusion, fermented Rehmanniae Radix appears to have more biological activities than non-feremented Rehmanniae Radix showing not only antioxidant effect but also cardiovascular protection.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.765-771
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• 2009

The medical informatics for clustering Sasang types with collected clinical data is important for the personalized medicine, but it has not been thoroughly studied yet. The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of neural network data mining algorithm for traditional Korean medicine. We used Kohonen neural network, the Self-Organizing Map (SOM), for the analysis of biomedical information following data pre-processing and calculated the validity index as percentage correctly predicted and type-specific sensitivity. We can extract 12 data fields from 30 after data pre-processing with correlation analysis and latent functional relationship analysis. The profile of Myers-Briggs Type Inidcator and Bio-Impedance Analysis data which are clustered with SOM was similar to that of original measurements. The percentage correctly predicted was 56%, and sensitivity for So-Yang, Tae-Eum and So-Eum type were 56%, 48%, and 61%, respectively. This study showed that the neural network algorithm for clustering Sasang types based on clinical data is useful for the sasang type diagnostic test itself. We discussed the importance of data pre-processing and clustering algorithm for the validity of medical devices in traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.40-46
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• 2016

Many medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of edema, jaundice, and gonorrhea in traditional Oriental medicine. This screening study was designed to search the positive inotropic effects of herbal extracts in beating rabbit atria. Aquarius extracts of twenty six herbs were examined in atrial mechanical dynamics such as pulse pressure and stroke volume and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), one of the main hormones involved in the regulation of the body fluid and blood pressure homeostasis in perfused beating rabbit atria. Sophora flavescens Ait., Rheum officinale Baill., Acorus gramineus Sol., Chelidonium majus L., Pulsatilla koreana Nakai., Reynoutria japonica Houtt., Euphorbia lathyris L., Pyrrosia lingua (Thunb.) Farwell, Poncirus trifoliata Rafin., Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge, Kochia scoparia Schrad. significantly increased stroke volume and pulse pressure. However, those herbal extracts were not induced ANP secretion. We clarified the eleven herbal extracts for the positive inotropic effect independent of ANP secretion in beating rabbit atria. Thus these results provide a beneficial data for the treatment of the impairment of body fluid and blood pressure in traditional Oriental medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.53-60
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• 2017

Objectives: Beakdugu-tang (BDGT) consists of three medicinal herbs, and this prescription has long been used in treatment of various digestant problem in Korea. In this study, we designed to clarify mechanisms by which Korean traditional digestive medicine, BDGT, may exert anti-hepatic steatosis effects via improved insulin resistance cell model in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and monocyte (THP-1). Materials and methods: The preparation of BDGT and constituents were extracted with 70% ethanol. HepG2 and THP-1 were treated with different concentrations of BDGT and constituents in the presence and absence of stimulants such as free fatty acids (FFAs) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), respectively. Results: The BDGT and its constituents inhibited the FFAs-stimulated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. Ethanol extracts of Amomum cardamomum (ACE) improved the ox-LDL induced insulin resistance in THP-1 cells. Also, treatment of monocytic cells with ACE increased anti-hepatic steatosis related gene levels including ABCA, ABCG and SR-B1. Conclusion: The results suggest that the ethanol extract of BDGT and its constituents potently inhibit the FFAs- and ox-LDL induced liver steatosis via improved insulin resistance.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.438-444
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• 2011

Dojuk-San is known to be effective for treating a urinary diseases and stomatitis. However, its effects on the bone marrow-derived mast cell(BMMC) mediated allergy and inflammation mechanism remain unknown. In this study, the biological effects of Dojuk-San ethanol extract(DJS) were evaluated while focusing on its effects on the allergic mediator in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate(PMA) plus calcium ionophore A23187(A23187)-stimulated BMMCs. An investigation was also conducted to determine its effects on the production of several allergic mediators including interleukin-6(IL-6), prostaglandin D2($PGD_2$), leukotrieneC4(LTC4) and ${\beta}$-Hexosaminidase(${\beta}$-Hex). The results revealed that DJS inhibited the PMA plus A23187 induced production of IL-6, PGD2, LTC4 and ${\beta}$-Hex. Taken together, these findings indicate that DJS has the potential using in the treatment of allergy.