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Biomedical subjects

Hyejung Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Hyejung Lee.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Individual differences of acupuncture analgesia in humans using cDNA microarray.

A large amount of evidence suggests that acupuncture stimulation enhances the experimental pain threshold in various animal models. Acupuncture analgesia is mediated by the endogenous opioid system, and the analgesic response to acupuncture shows individual variation. This study identified and characterized the genes that differ between high responders (HR) and low responders (LR) on acupuncture stimulation, using a cDNA microarray. Fifteen participants were stimulated at the LI 4 acupuncture point, and the finger withdrawal latency (FWL) test was performed to classify the HR and LR groups. Total RNA was then extracted from blood samples from each group and used as a template to synthesize cDNA. The cDNA was applied to Code Link UniSet Human 20K microarray chips. The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) was also analyzed as a measure of psychological variation. The FWL was significantly elevated in the HR group after acupuncture stimulation, whereas there was little increase in the LR group. The ratio of HR to LR subjects was 9:6. We found that 353 and 22 genes were up- and downregulated, respectively, in the HR group. However, the SCL-90-R profiles did not differ significantly between the two groups. These results suggest that the individual variation in acupuncture analgesia, verified by measuring the FWL in the HR and LR groups, resulted from genetic inheritance rather than differences in the psychological environment.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗
PubMed2006

A comparison between directional and proportional methods in locating acupuncture points using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in Korean women.

The cun measurement system, an essential and convenient method for locating acupoints, has been widely used in the practice of acupuncture. However, the traditional cun measurement methods have been criticized for their lack of reliability. In addition, new technology has become available to measure the soft tissue and bone mass independently. The present study was conducted in order to determine if one cun, measured by the directional method, is consistent with proportional methods and to investigate whether both methods can be used to locate acupoints. The lengths of bone from several parts of the body in 47 Korean women were measured using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. The lengths of each part of the body were compared with 3 cun measured by proportional methods, and the width of all four fingers measured at the level of the proximal inter-phalangeal joint used in the directional method. The results showed that one cun measured by the directional method was significantly different from one cun by proportional methods. The directional method is likely less dependable in locating acupoints than the proportional method.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2005

The effect of acupuncture on anxiety and neuropeptide Y expression in the basolateral amygdala of maternally separated rats.

Recent studies have suggested that maternally deprived rats exhibit anxiogenic-like behavior when exposed to stress in later life. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is involved in the regulation of various physiological functions such as the expression of anxiety. Female Wistar rat pups were separated from their mothers for 3h daily from postnatal days 3 (P3) to 14 (P14). Acupuncture groups were treated with acupuncture at Shenmen (HT7) or Zusanli (ST36) on alternate days from P50 to P62. Their anxiety-like behavior was evaluated using an elevated plus-maze at P62, and then NPY immunohistochemistry in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) was performed. Rats exposed to maternal separation (MS) were less likely to explore the open arms of the plus-maze compared to control rats that were not exposed to MS. Among maternally separated groups, the percentage of time spent in the open arms was significantly increased in the HT7 acupuncture group, but not the ST36 acupuncture group, compared to MS group. In accordance with this behavior, the numbers of NPY-immunoreactive cells in the BLA were lower in the MS group compared to the control group. Among maternally separated groups, the numbers of NPY-immunoreactive cells in the BLA were significantly higher in the HT7 acupuncture group, but not higher in the ST36 acupuncture group, compared to MS group. These findings suggest that acupuncture treatment might reduce anxiety-like behavior in adult rats following maternal separation by modulating the NPY system in the amygdala.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2005

Deqi sensation between the acupuncture-experienced and the naïve: a Korean study II.

Previous experience of acupuncture is believed to affect people's expectation of future treatments. Therefore, subjects who have had acupuncture are generally excluded from sham-controlled acupuncture clinical trials. However, this assumption has not been proven, but just accepted because of the lack of evidence to the contrary. To investigate the difference in frequency and intensity of acupuncture sensation between subjects who have had acupuncture and those who have not, 36 acupuncture-experienced subjects were invited to take part in the study. After informed consent was obtained, participants were asked to complete the acupuncture sensation scale (ASS) according to what they expected needling to feel like. The needling was done at the left Hegu (LI 4) point and consisted of insertion, stimulation for 30 seconds and removal. After needling, the subjects were asked to complete the same ASS according to what they actually experienced. Adverse events were monitored. The frequency of each sensation expected and experienced, as well as acupuncture sensation scores were compared. More than 60% of the subjects expected to feel sensations of penetrating (87.6% to 100%), aching (71.2% to 95.5%), tingling (87.6% to 100%), pricking (79.7% to 99.2%) and throbbing (64.2% to 91.4%). In fact, the subjects experienced sharp (60.9% to 89.1%), intense (60.9% to 89.1%), radiating (71.2% to 95.5%) and heavy (74.8% to 97.4%) sensations just as much. The subjects expected more hurting (p = 0.001), tingling (p < 0.001), pricking (p = 0.010), stinging (p = 0.012), burning (p = 0.001) and pulsing (p = 0.009) than they experienced, while more heaviness (p = 0.011) was experienced than expected. The same outcome measures were also compared between experienced and naive groups. Apart from the fact that the acupuncture-experienced participants expected to feel pricking (p = 0.030) and stinging (p = 0.002), and experienced hurting (p = 0.022) and stinging (p = 0.028) significantly less than those who had not had acupuncture before, there was no significant difference between first time and experienced subjects. The results indicate that previous experience does not affect the people's expectation and does not hinder people from experiencing Deqi. In addition, a constellation of Deqi-related acupuncture-specific sensations is more than just a general pain intensity dimension, which requires a biochemical and physiological exploration.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2002

Does Deqi (needle sensation) exist?

The mechanism, by which acupuncture works is not yet clear, therefore there is no unequivocal consensus about styles and sensations of needling. To enhance the scientific base of acupuncture, needling somehow should be objectified. The term Deqi is understood to represent all or at least the main form of phenomena to acupuncture stimulation. The characteristics of Deqi, however, have always been based on a translation of original Chinese description. Hoping to find a clue to develop sham (placebo) method for subject blinding, we investigated which sensations are frequently expected and experienced, and whether or not these expectations and experiences of sensations are similar in naive subjects. The acupuncture sensation scale developed by Vincent et al. (1989) was translated into Korean. Thirty-eight healthy acupuncture naïve female volunteers (mean age 29.1, range 25-39) were asked to complete the sensation scale of acupuncture according to what they expected needling to feel like before needling. Needling was done on left Hegu (LI4) point in the hand and consisted of insertion, stimulation for 30 seconds, and removal. Directly after needling, the subjects were asked to complete the same sensation scale according to what they experienced. The subjects expected to feel hurting, penetrating, sharp, tingling, pricking and stinging, and actually experienced aching, spreading, radiating, pricking and stinging more than 60% of the time. Comparison between expectation and experience, the subjects expected more penetrating, tingling, pricking and burning than they experienced, and on the contrary experienced more aching, pulling, heavy, dull, electric and throbbing than they expected. Traditionally described sensations of Deqi are something beyond just a general pain dimension in the Korean population. Further study involving acupuncture experienced subjects or subjects from other cultures need to confirm this finding. Moreover, sham acupuncture should be studied.

Acupuncture↗
PubMed2002

Acupuncture stimulation of the vision-related acupoint (Bl-67) increases c-Fos expression in the visual cortex of binocularly deprived rat pups.

Our previous study with functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated that acupuncture stimulation of the vision-related acupoint, B1-67, activates the visual cortex of the human brain. As a further study on the effect of B1-67 acupuncture stimulation on the visual cortex, we examined c-Fos expression in binocularly deprived rat pups. Binocular deprivation significantly reduced the number of c-Fos-positive cells in the primary visual cortex, compared with that of normal control rat pups. Interestingly, acupuncture stimulation of B1-67 resulted in a significant increase in the number of c-Fos-positive cells in the primary visual cortex, while acupuncture stimulation of other acupoints less important for visual function had no significant effect on c-Fos expression in the primary visual cortex. The results suggest the possibility of vision-related acupoint (B1-67) having an influence over the activity of the primary visual cortex.

Acupuncture Points↗