Earticle

This study investigated the medicinal plants grown in three botanic gardens in Eastern Korea: the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum, Seoraksan Botanical Garden, and Key-chungsan Botanical Garden. A total of 220 taxa of medicinal plants were identified (128 in the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum, 63 in Seoraksan Botanical Garden, and 73 in Key-chungsan Botanical Garden). The research focused on the plant's traditional medicine name, medicinal parts, and indications, with references cited. The highest number of taxa belonged to the Rosaceae family (27 taxa), followed by Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, and Asparagaceae. By providing medicinal information alongside general botanical data, botanic gardens can broaden visitor engagement, extending their societal contribution and raising public awareness about plant preservation and utilization.

The purpose of this review is to analyze the clinical study trends on Korean medicine treatment for Sjogren’s syndrome. We conducted a search for studies of Sjogren’s syndrome treated with Korean medicine across 4 web databases. As a result, 7 case report studies were selected and analyzed. The most frequently used treatment was herbal medicine, and the most frequently prescribed medicinal herbs were Liriopis Tuber and Glycyrrhizae Radix. The VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) and ESSPRI (the European League Against Rheumatism Sjogren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index) were the most commonly used evaluation tools for measuring outcomes. All the studies included in this review reported that Korean medicine treatment was effective for treating symptoms of Sjogren’s syndrome. Further clinical studies are needed to establish a high level of evidence for Korean medicine treatment for Sjogren’s syndrome.

Crocins are a group of water-soluble carotenoids that are either monoglycosyl, diglycosyl, or triglycosyl polyene esters of crocetin and are abundant in both Crocus (Crocus sativus L.) and Gardeniae Fructus (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis). Several crocins have been identified in these two herbs, known as crocins 1-5; their structures are similar, with the differences lying in their glycosyl types and quantities. Recent papers and PubChem databases reveal compounds with the same chemical name but different types of sugars bound to the crocetin aglycone. In this paper, we compare and analyze the names and chemical structure characteristics of crocins defined in research papers and the PubChem database. Future studies on crocins should refer to these characteristics for identification and utilization.

This study aimed to develop report services for postpartum management using person-generated health data (PGHD). We analyzed the structure and visualized-results of the postpartum report and derived new symptom items for postpartum PGHD. The postpartum report is structured into five categories: daily records, postpartum recovery condition 1, postpartum recovery condition 2, postpartum symptom record check, and daily emotions. Based on the report's composition and visualized results, we organized the list of symptoms collected in the postpartum section of the Korean Medicine Personal Health Record (KM PHR). This organization was done according to PGHD items, categorized by category and item-specific scoring formulas. The postpartum report is displayed as the first screen after logged into the KM PHR. Through this report, healthcare providers can quickly assess various postpartum conditions during KM consultations, offering a comprehensive view of the patient's symptoms. Monitoring postpartum health is crucial for both mothers and newborns. Utilizing the postpartum report allows for comprehensive monitoring of users' postpartum health management information, enhancing healthcare management's effectiveness. Healthcare professionals can also use the analysis of indicators as reference data for diagnosis and prescription decisions.

This study reviewed considerations during the conduct of prospective registry studies in Korean Medicinal Practice Based Research Network (PBRN). We reviewed the recent four prospective registry studies with Korean Medicine Doctors (KMDs) in primary clinics. The findings were categorized into planning, execution, management, and completion stages. In planning stage, research purpose, outcome selection, recruitment, and identification of KMDs’ needs should be considered. In execution stage, consent and case report form, measurement cycle, and education should be considered. In the management stage, monitoring, co-researchers management, and incentives should be considered. Even at the completion stage, researchers should consider how to give benefits to KMDs. The major challenges included how to raise enthusiasm among KMDs toward research, education of KMDs, and communication with monitoring agent. From the considerations from the conduct of prospective registry studies in PBRN, future studies may become more accessible to KMDs, and participation and compliance to studies would be increased.

In August 2020, South Korea underwent significant legal amendments. These changes affected key statutes governing personal data protection, including the Personal Information Protection Act, Credit Information Act, and the Act on Information and Communications Network. In response to these changes, government agencies have provided guidelines to facilitate data utilization while maintaining personal information protection. This paper delves into the intricate challenges of data sharing and utilization, addressing issues related to pseudonymization and the approval process, as well as managing diverse datasets and assessing the privacy risks associated with data post-pseudonymization. The proposed solution is the KMBIG system. This system dynamically adjusts pseudonymization conditions and levels, and modularizes pseudonym processing. KMBIG offers a framework to quantify the safety, personal identification risk, utility, and K-anonymity of pseudonymized data, thereby supporting the data evaluation committee's review process. The KMBIG system is designed to enhance efficient data management in sectors such as healthcare. It aims to improve data utility while ensuring the protection of personal information.

The increasing application of network pharmacological analysis offers a novel perspective for understanding the complex interactions between herbal compounds and their multiple protein targets. However, despite the importance of these analyses, the influence of high-frequency, multi-target compounds on network pharmacological analysis is not clear. This study investigates the impact of these prevalent multi-target compounds on network pharmacological analysis. To this end, we conducted a case study focusing on the analysis of the inflammation response, utilizing enrichment analysis results derived from the TCMSP database. We confirmed that compounds such as Kaempferol and Quercetin, which are part of various herbal medicines, may be highly relevant to inflammatory responses, as indicated by the enrichment test results. Our research suggests that the network pharmacological results of traditional medicine, utilizing public data, can be influenced by compounds with high-frequency, multi-target characteristics.

In this study, our objective was to identify differences between mulching and non-mulching practices, as well as among various mulching materials, that could potentially impact the reduction in Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baillon production, despite a consistent increase in average income, cultivation area, and demand. Our goal was to provide foundational data for the development of cultivation techniques. We conducted research using four materials: non-mulching, rice straw, black PE film, and warm cover. We investigated and analyzed various factors including S. chinensis growth, chlorophyll content, chemical composition of plants and soil, as well as soil temperature and moisture content. As a result, we found that S. chinensis growth, chlorophyll content, soil temperature, and moisture content were most favorable in the group treated with black PE film. The soil chemical composition was lowest in the untreated group. The installation of mulching has been effective in promoting growth and increasing the yield of S. chinensis . Among the mulching materials used by farmers, black PE film was observed to be relatively more effective.

Chelidonii Herba, derived from Chelidonium majus L. var. asiaticum (H.Hara) Ohwi (Papaveraceae Juss.), is a crucial herbal medicine in East Asian countries. This study aimed to analyze and describe the epidermal cell patterns of leaves, petals, pericarp, and seeds of C. majus var. asiaticum using light and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The leaves of the studied species were hypostomatic, with simple multicellular non-glandular trichomes exclusively found on the abaxial surface. Petals exhibited undulate anticlinal cell walls and slightly convex, smooth periclinal cell walls in the apical and medial regions, whereas straight and almost flat cell walls were observed in the basal region. Stomata-like structures were present in both the exocarp and endocarp. The seeds displayed a reniform shape with a reticulate surface and an elaiosome. These findings have the potential to facilitate the accurate identification of authentic herbal medicines. Furthermore, the characteristics examined through SEM could contribute to future taxonomic studies within the genus Chelidonium and the Papaveraceae family.