The intestine is an organ involved with absorbing, processing, and transporting food into the body. However, if one were to assess the immunological portion of the intestine and compare it with better-known immunologically functioning organs such as the spleen, the intestine would be found to be the largest such organ and the extent of its immunologic function would be found to be equally proportionate. The mucosal surface of the intestine has the ability to respond to effector cells capable of protecting the host from potentially harmful organisms or local antigens. When there is increased intestinal permeability (Leaky gut syndrome), pathogenic bacteria and its products, toxins, antigens, chemicals and incompletely digested food penetrate the intestinal epithelium and are transported throughout the body. They activate the immune system and effect the pathophysiology of acute and chronic inflammatory disease and autoimmune disease. Therefore, by a better understanding of the importance of gut barrier function and the pathophysiology of gut related immunologic disease, we can make helpful suggestions for achieving optimal intestinal health.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Bacteria ; Complement System Proteins ; Immune System ; Immune System Diseases ; Intestinal Mucosa ; Intestines ; Permeability ; Spleen

Nutrition is essential for our health. Various foods we take everyday are essential to live. Nutrients interact within and between all relevant biological, social and environmental systems. Because of the lack of evidence we don't realize that nutritional problems are critical. But, nutrition is a very critical for treatment and prevention of diseases. So, there is huge interest in the area of nutrition and health, including nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. Especially, the importance of micro-nutrients is revealed in many aspects of health, especially in chronic diseases. Diabetes Mellitus is an example. Depletion and unbalanced micro-nutrients can create very severe illnesses, so an integrative approach on nutrition is very important.
Chronic Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Integrative Medicine ; Nutrigenomics

Acupuncture is an important portion of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine and has been applied widely, but understanding of acupuncture is not complete, a steady progress has been made in recent years with modernized techniques. The controversies of acupuncture should be defined through scientific evidence. There are a lot of problems for application of acupuncture in practice and research, such as, in the diagnosis, therapy and evaluation of acupuncture. We need standardized tools and scientific methods for diagnosis and treatment. It is an essential key to refine the effect of acupuncture and to prove the mechanisms. We should have basic concepts of acupuncture and apply it objectively for promotion of health and prevention of illness and treatment of disease as mentioned in Medical Acupuncture. Korean Hand Acupuncture Therapy (KHT) has many advantages for this purpose. It was found and developed in 1971 and since has been widely used in the world. KHT is easy to learn and to practice without side effect. The important concept of health in KHT is defined as the harmonized state of cerebral circulation which consists of anterior and posterior circulation. Disease and dysfunction result from imbalance of the anterior and posterior circulation. We present the basic concept of KHT and some studies to prove the mechanism of acupuncture using thermograph, transcranial Doppler and fMRI. We need a standard research protocol of acupuncture. KHT can be a good candidate for this purpose. KHT fulfills the requirements such as role, theory, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation and study.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Complementary Therapies ; Hand ; Health Promotion ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Mind-body medicine (MBM) is a field of medicine concerned with the ways that the mind and emotions influence the body and physical health. It may be more accurate to think of mind/body as a single entity, with the health of one part necessarily influencing that of the other. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines MBM techniques (MBT) as interventions that use a variety of techniques designed to facilitate the mind's capacity to affect bodily functions and symptoms. MBT offers patients with greater control in their treatment, cheaper alternatives, effective options for managing chronic conditions, and methods for maintaining wellness. Mind-body approaches include guided imagery, meditation, hypnosis, and movement therapies such as dance, tai chi, chi gong, and yoga as well as music and chanting. Such approaches are as old as traditional oriental healing systems and as widespread as seen in Chinese, Indian, and East Asians. Modern Western medicine is now beginning to give MBTs recognition in its importance as well as efficacy. This article reviews the medical literatures on the techniques that have been studied the most: relaxation therapy, meditation, hypnosis, cognitive-behavioral therapy guided imagery, and biofeedback.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biofeedback, Psychology ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Imagery (Psychotherapy) ; Integrative Medicine ; Meditation ; Mind-Body Therapies ; Music ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Relaxation Therapy ; Singing ; Tai Ji ; Yoga

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a diagnosis, treatment and prevention which complements mainstream medicine by contributing to a common whole, satisfying a demand met by orthodox medicine. One of the most widely used classification structures, developed by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, divides CAM modalities into five categories: 1) Alternative medical systems, 2) Biologically based treatments, 3) Mind-body interventions, 4) Manipulative and body-based methods, 5) Energy therapies. But the effectiveness of the most CAM is not proven scientifically. The Federation of State Medical Boards developed model guidelines for the use of CAM in medical practice. The guidelines focus on encouraging the medical community to adopt consistent standards, ensuring the public health and safety by facilitating the proper and effective use of both conventional and CAM treatments. The integration of scientifically proven CAM into orthodox medicine is growing up and important in medicine. This kind of medicine is called "integrative medicine", which is a new paradigm in medicine.
Complement System Proteins ; Complementary Therapies ; Integrative Medicine ; Public Health

Molecular imaging, in particular, positron emission tomography(PET) has brought an additional dimension to management for patients with cancer. It may lead to a change in staging and treatment management. In radiotherapy, the PET or PET-CT has a crucial role in treatment planning and patient management, specifically, its use in disease staging, patient selection, treatment planning and evaluation. The purpose of radiotherapy is radical or palliative depending on the staging of tumor; thus, PET(-CT) may actually change the course of disease. The methodological and technological aspects of PET(-CT) in radiotherapy are discussed, focusing on the problem of target volume definition and tumor motion with respect to imaging and dose delivery. In addition, tissue hypoxia is an important factor in radiotherapy as a resistance factor in treatment; thus, we mention the concept of hypoxia-directed therapy.
Anoxia ; Electrons* ; Humans ; Molecular Imaging ; Patient Selection ; Radiotherapy

FDG PET is a functional and metabolic imaging modality to detect lesions with altered glycolytic activity. Conventional imaging modalities, such as CT or MRI, provide tissue information based on anatomical and physiological changes. In most cases of malignant lymphoma, malignant cells have up-regulated glycolytic activity and increased uptake of FDG, an analogue of glucose. FDG PET can detect change in FDG uptake in lesions of malignant lymphoma and may be advantageous to differentiate malignant lesions from other non-malignant tissues over the conventional methods. For these reasons, FDG PET has become popular as a new imaging modality to diagnose many kinds of malignant tumors. FDG PET has a major impact on management of patients with malignant lymphoma in the differentiation of malignant lesions, monitoring the therapeutic response, and identifying the non-responders who could benefit from a different therapeutic strategy. At present, FDG PET appears to be one of the promising imaging modalities in the management of patients with ymphoma.
Glucose ; Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The utility of positron emission tomography (PET) in gynecologic malignancy has increased rapidly in recent years. This review examines publications in this area. PET scans in gynecologic malignancy are mostly performed using F-18 FDG. It is valuable in primary staging of untreated advanced cervical cancer, for post-treatment unexplained tumor marker elevation, and restaging of potentially curable recurrent cervical cancer. However, its value in early-stage cervical cancer is limited. In ovarian cancer, sequential imaging predicts response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and survival. It is also very useful when increases in CA 125 or CT/MRI defined recurrence is noted, but biopsy deemed infeasible. The role of PET or PET/CT has evolved from a iagnostic tool into a potential indicator of response to treatment and prognosis. Evaluating PET or PET/CT using clinical impact is an attractive new endpoint.
Biopsy ; Drug Therapy ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Imaging approach for early diagnosis, accurate staging, and the evaluation of treatment response has been consisted of anatomical and functional imaging methods. The anatomical image usually depends on high spatial resolution to distinguish morphological difference from normal anatomy, but altered anatomy is not a specific finding for malignancy. Moreover, it frequently needs other imaging modalities for systemic evaluation of disease. The functional image has been used for research and clinical purpose to overcome these shortcomings of the anatomical image, and the importance of functional evaluation of tumors is widely accepted by the introduction of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Most of the PET systems at present are supplied as PET/CT combining functional and anatomical images, altogether. Especially for hepatobiliary tumors, showing a low sensitivity by PET alone, PET/CT will play an important role in determining TNM stage, deciding treatment modality, and evaluating treatment response. In addition, PET/CT as the most advanced molecular image technique has further growing potentials such as the development of a faster PET system, various new PET tracers, etc, which will contribute to improving patient survival and the quality of life.
Bile Duct Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Early Diagnosis ; Electrons* ; Humans ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Positron-Emission Tomography* ; Quality of Life

In breast cancer, FDG PET is more accurate than conventional imaging methods for detecting distant metastases or local recurrences, and enables early ssessment of treatment response in patients undergoing primary chemotherapy. Though FDG PET has limited sensitivity in detecting tumor of small size, well differentiated tumor or lobar carcinoma, and regional lymph node metastasis, FDG PET is useful in cases with obscure MR images and axillary lymph node metastasis in locally advanced breast cancer. To minimize the side effects and cost of chemotherapy, imaging methods are required to monitor theresponse to chemotherapy, early and accurately. FDG PET is the appropriate method for this purpose. We reviewed the role of FDG-PET in diagnosis and initial staging of breast cancer, monitoring response to chemotherapy, and identifying metastatic and recurrent disease.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence