Previous studies have been reported on the properties of moxa and the effect it has on the self defense mechanism of the body. To study the characteristics of acupoints, the study this time is from the point of whether there are any differences in biological responses if the same stimuli (5mg/body and 15mg/body of moxa) are applied to different acupoints. The acupoints chosen were KIMON, which is the therapeutic acupoint of liver, and DAIO, which is the spleen meridian acupoint located on the same vertical line and which has no effect on the liver. Male ddy mice (6 weeks old) were used as experimental animals. A comparison of the clinical biochemical values of serum 1, 3, 6 and 24 hours after application was conducted. The amount of invasion on body function from each moxibustion stimulus through the strength and progress of biological response was studied. Increases in serum Amylase, LDH, CK, GOT, and GPT in the DAIO group were obtained as compared to that of the KIMON group. There was also a decrease in serum CHE in the DAIO group as compared to that of the KIMON group. It was suggested that there were difference in biological responses between different application points, even with the application of the same stimuli.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the usefulness of metformin as an oral hypoglycemic agent has been re-evaluated, while secondary failure of long-term treatment with sulfonylurea (SU) has become a serious problem. In this study, the usefulness of combination therapy with metformin was evaluated in patient with non-obese type 2 diabetes mellitus showing secondary failure of treatment with SU.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty non-obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus showed HbA_1c levels of 7% or over despite more than 5 years of treatment with SU. Metformin was administered to these patients at a dose of 500 mg/day for 3 months in combination with SU, and glycemic control was compared before and after combination therapy.
RESULTS: After combination therapy, the mean plasma glucose level obtained 2 hours postprandial was significantly decreased by 20.0% (216±41.7 mg/dl vs. 172.0±47.7 mg/dl, p<0.001) . In addition, the mean HbA_1c level was significantly decreased by 8.8% (8.0±0.8% vs. 7.3±0.8%, p<0.001) . However, the mean IRI level, the mean body mass index, and mean plasma lipid levels did not significantly change after combination therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that combination therapy with metformin is useful for improving blood glucose levels without enhancing insulin secretion in patients with non-obese type 2 diabetes mellitus who showed secondary failure of treatment with SU. However, further studies are needed to confirm whether this combination therapy will contribute to delaying the introduction of insulin therapy.

The establishment of experimental peripheral neuropathy and effect of moxibustion on it have been studied using male S. D. rats. To determine the condition of experimental peripheral neuropathy, rats were fed on the solution of acrylamide in the concentration of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500p.p.m. The body weight decreased dependently on its concentration and the behavior in rats was also detriorated. Especially, ataxia, hindlimb weakness and muscle wasting in rats were remarkably observed.
The effect of moxibustion has been studied on the rats which fed on the 400p.p.m. acrylamide solution. The method of moxibustion is followes; 25mg of moxa was divided into 10 cones and they were treated by each 5 cones on right and left B-18, B-25 and G-34, respectively. The treatment of moxibustion was 6 times in 3 ones a week for 13 days.
As a results, after 12-13 days, moxibustion treated rats showed to improve the deterioration of behavior and muscle wasting induced by acrylamide. Especially, B-25 treated rats showed the improvement of weight in anterior tibial, gastrocnemius and soleus muscle. On the other hand, steadiness on slope was decreased by acrylamide feeding and decrease of the steadiness was not improved by the treatment of moxibustion.
It is suggested that the sutable stimulation of moxibustion improved the deterioration of behavior and muscle waste on the acrylamide induced peripheral neuropathy in rats.

Morphological changes of sciatic and tivial nerves have been observed microscopically and cholinesterase activities of anterior tibial, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles have been examined by the biochemical determination and histochemical method. 25mg of moxa/body (3 times a week, x6) were treated on the acupuncture point, B-18, B-25 and G-34 in acrylamide neuropathy rats.
After 400p.p.m. acrylamide treatment, the degeneration of peripheral nerves with myelin ovoids and foldes, and shrunken myelinated axons were observed. These lesions were advanced in the tibial nerve than in the sciatic nerve. In B-25 and B-18 moxibustion rats, good results were obtained to decrease myelin degeneration in peripheral nerves, but the lesions were advanced in G-34 rats than in acrylamide ones.
In the acrylamide rats, no change of muscle cholinesterase activity was found except the increase in the enzyme activity in the homogenate of anterior tibial muscle. In the gastrocnemius muscle of moxibustion treated rats, the microsomal fraction which contained much more sarcoplasmic reticulum showed high cholinesterse activity. And the activity per muscle protein showed various changes.
It showed that the stimulation of moxibustion had a mild effect to recover the experimental peripheral neuropathy induced by 400p.p.m. acrylamide because of morphological changes of sciatic and tibial nerves and weight of skeletal muscles.

Objective: Information on medicines brought to hospital by inpatients is essential to optimize drug use and patient safety.  However, the actual situation and usefulness of identifying such medicines on the emergent admission of patients remain to be clarified.  The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of identifying the medicines patients bring to the hospital on emergent admission.
Methods: We compared the source of information on identifying medicines between two groups of patient: emergent admissions (N=276) and elective admissions (N=50), and also investigated intervention by pharmacists regarding the medicines patients had brought with them.
Results: Regarding the source of information to identify the medicines, the rate of utilizing medicine notebooks on emergent admission was significantly lower than on elective admission, and the rate of inquiring with community pharmacies on emergent admission was significantly higher than on elective admission.  The frequencies of intervention by pharmacists in the two groups were similar, and, therefore, the usefulness of identifying the medicines patients brought was noted regardless of the admission course.
Conclusion: Identifying the medicines patients bring to the hospital might be useful on emergent admission.  Hospital pharmacists should promote an increase in the medicine notebook utilization rate and reinforce cooperation with community pharmacies.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the performance of 2-dimensional (2D) imaging with microscopy coils in delineating teeth and periodontal tissues compared with conventional 3-dimensional (3D) imaging on a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit. Materials and Methods: Twelve healthy participants (4 men and 8 women; mean age: 25.6 years; range: 20-52years) with no dental symptoms were included. The left mandibular first molars and surrounding periodontal tissueswere examined using the following 2 sequences: 2D proton density-weighted (PDw) images and 3D enhanced T1 high-resolution isotropic volume excitation (eTHRIVE) images. Two-dimensional MRI images were taken using a 3 T MRI unit and a 47 mm microscopy coil, while 3D MRI imaging used a 3 T MRI unit and head-neck coil.Oral radiologists assessed dental and periodontal structures using a 4-point Likert scale. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was determined using the weighted kappa coefficient. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare 2D-PDw and 3D-eTHRIVE images. Results: Qualitative analysis showed significantly better visualization scores for 2D-PDw imaging than for 3D-eTHRIVE imaging (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). 2D-PDw images provided improved visibility of the tooth, root dental pulp, periodontal ligament, lamina dura, coronal dental pulp, gingiva, and nutrient tract. Inter-observer reliability ranged from moderate agreement to almost perfect agreement, and intra-observer agreement was in a similar range. Conclusion Two-dimensional-PDw images acquired using a 3 T MRI unit and microscopy coil effectively visualized nearly all aspects of teeth and periodontal tissues.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the performance of 2-dimensional (2D) imaging with microscopy coils in delineating teeth and periodontal tissues compared with conventional 3-dimensional (3D) imaging on a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit. Materials and Methods: Twelve healthy participants (4 men and 8 women; mean age: 25.6 years; range: 20-52years) with no dental symptoms were included. The left mandibular first molars and surrounding periodontal tissueswere examined using the following 2 sequences: 2D proton density-weighted (PDw) images and 3D enhanced T1 high-resolution isotropic volume excitation (eTHRIVE) images. Two-dimensional MRI images were taken using a 3 T MRI unit and a 47 mm microscopy coil, while 3D MRI imaging used a 3 T MRI unit and head-neck coil.Oral radiologists assessed dental and periodontal structures using a 4-point Likert scale. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was determined using the weighted kappa coefficient. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare 2D-PDw and 3D-eTHRIVE images. Results: Qualitative analysis showed significantly better visualization scores for 2D-PDw imaging than for 3D-eTHRIVE imaging (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). 2D-PDw images provided improved visibility of the tooth, root dental pulp, periodontal ligament, lamina dura, coronal dental pulp, gingiva, and nutrient tract. Inter-observer reliability ranged from moderate agreement to almost perfect agreement, and intra-observer agreement was in a similar range. Conclusion Two-dimensional-PDw images acquired using a 3 T MRI unit and microscopy coil effectively visualized nearly all aspects of teeth and periodontal tissues.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the performance of 2-dimensional (2D) imaging with microscopy coils in delineating teeth and periodontal tissues compared with conventional 3-dimensional (3D) imaging on a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit. Materials and Methods: Twelve healthy participants (4 men and 8 women; mean age: 25.6 years; range: 20-52years) with no dental symptoms were included. The left mandibular first molars and surrounding periodontal tissueswere examined using the following 2 sequences: 2D proton density-weighted (PDw) images and 3D enhanced T1 high-resolution isotropic volume excitation (eTHRIVE) images. Two-dimensional MRI images were taken using a 3 T MRI unit and a 47 mm microscopy coil, while 3D MRI imaging used a 3 T MRI unit and head-neck coil.Oral radiologists assessed dental and periodontal structures using a 4-point Likert scale. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was determined using the weighted kappa coefficient. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare 2D-PDw and 3D-eTHRIVE images. Results: Qualitative analysis showed significantly better visualization scores for 2D-PDw imaging than for 3D-eTHRIVE imaging (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). 2D-PDw images provided improved visibility of the tooth, root dental pulp, periodontal ligament, lamina dura, coronal dental pulp, gingiva, and nutrient tract. Inter-observer reliability ranged from moderate agreement to almost perfect agreement, and intra-observer agreement was in a similar range. Conclusion Two-dimensional-PDw images acquired using a 3 T MRI unit and microscopy coil effectively visualized nearly all aspects of teeth and periodontal tissues.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the performance of 2-dimensional (2D) imaging with microscopy coils in delineating teeth and periodontal tissues compared with conventional 3-dimensional (3D) imaging on a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit. Materials and Methods: Twelve healthy participants (4 men and 8 women; mean age: 25.6 years; range: 20-52years) with no dental symptoms were included. The left mandibular first molars and surrounding periodontal tissueswere examined using the following 2 sequences: 2D proton density-weighted (PDw) images and 3D enhanced T1 high-resolution isotropic volume excitation (eTHRIVE) images. Two-dimensional MRI images were taken using a 3 T MRI unit and a 47 mm microscopy coil, while 3D MRI imaging used a 3 T MRI unit and head-neck coil.Oral radiologists assessed dental and periodontal structures using a 4-point Likert scale. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was determined using the weighted kappa coefficient. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare 2D-PDw and 3D-eTHRIVE images. Results: Qualitative analysis showed significantly better visualization scores for 2D-PDw imaging than for 3D-eTHRIVE imaging (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). 2D-PDw images provided improved visibility of the tooth, root dental pulp, periodontal ligament, lamina dura, coronal dental pulp, gingiva, and nutrient tract. Inter-observer reliability ranged from moderate agreement to almost perfect agreement, and intra-observer agreement was in a similar range. Conclusion Two-dimensional-PDw images acquired using a 3 T MRI unit and microscopy coil effectively visualized nearly all aspects of teeth and periodontal tissues.