Earticle

Herbal medicine formula (HMF), a crucial treatment method in Korean medicine (KM), is increasingly being addressed in high-quality scientific journals, showing rapid growth both qualitatively and quantitatively. However, much valuable knowledge remains unstructured within a vast number of published papers. Recently, various studies have been conducted to extract knowledge from these unstructured papers by applying deep learning-based natural language processing (NLP) technologies. The levels of evidence, which indicate how reliable a particular study's findings are for making clinical decisions, play a crucial role in practicing evidence-based medicine. However, manually assessing the quality of research and determining its clinical applicability in the rapidly increasing number of papers related to HMF requires significant time and effort. Therefore, in this study, we aim to develop an algorithm to automatically determine the level of evidence of papers related to HMF by applying NLP methods. We constructed a corpus for AI training and testing. First, we selected 740 papers related to HMF and diseases randomly from PubMed using an HMF dictionary and a disease terminology dictionary. Experts in KM annotated the evidence levels to build the corpus. The distribution of evidence levels in the corpus was identified as follows: In-vivo Studies (61.22%), Randomized Control Trials (8.65%), and In-vitro Studies (7.84%). We fine-tuned BERT-based models with the built corpus to create a model that determines the evidence levels of a given paper. By evaluating the performance of four fine-tuned models, we found that SciBERT demonstrated the best performance with 94.59% (micro-F1), 89.11% (macro-F1), and 94.38% (weighted-F1).

Objective: The leaves, fruits, and calyx of persimmon have been used as food ingredients, dietary supplements, and herbal medicines. In the Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia, Kaki Calyx is described solely as the calyx of Diospyros kaki L.f. According to the Korean Food Standards Codex, the fruits and leaves of D. kaki or D. lotus , and fruits of D. virginiana or D. malabarica , are permitted for use as food ingredients and dietary supplements. However, the leaves and calyx of D. lotus have been frequently adulterated as authentic herbal medicine and resources for dietary supplements. To develop a reliable genetic identification method to distinguish these Diospyros species, we analyzed universal DNA barcode sequences. Methods: To obtain the matK and rbcL sequences of Diospyros species, PCR amplification and sequencing were carried out for D. kaki and D. lotus , and GenBank data were analyzed for D. virginiana and D. malabarica . To identify species-specific nucleotide sequences, the entire matK and rbcL DNA barcode sequences were comparatively analyzed using ClustalW. Results: We identified several species-specific marker nucleotide sequences unique to each Diospyros species, enabling their distinct identification. Additionally, we confirmed the species identification ability of DNA barcode sequences using raw materials distributed in the markets. These results indicate that the mat K and rbc L sequences provide useful genetic information to identify Diospyros species. Conclusions: We successfully developed distinct molecular markers useful for Diospyros species, allowing their differentiation based on two universal DNA barcode sequences. Therefore, the matK and rbcL sequences are significant as valuable tools for authenticating Diospyros species, including Kaki Calyx.

A traditional medicine, Potentillae Chinensis Herba, the herbs of Potentilla chinensis Ser., has long been used to treat various inflammations and colds. This study aimed to provide information for herbal medicine discrimination by observing and describing the micromorphological structure of P. chinensis using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Two types of long and short conical strigose were sparsely distributed on the adaxial surface of the leaves. Conical strigose and floccose villi were densely distributed on the abaxial surface as a whole. In particular, the strigose of 200 ㎛ or more, and 500 ㎛ more were distributed in the main vein of the both surfaces and around them, respectively. Two types of long and short conical strigose were also distributed in the petiole and the outer side of the sepal. Partially long trichomes at the base and margins were observed on the inner side of the sepal. The type of the petal's epidermal cells appeared as tabular rugose on the outside and conical papillose on the inside. The achene, is reniform and ovoid in shape, the colliculate ornamentation, and their epidermal cells were irregularly arranged in pentagonal or hexagonal shapes. The obtained results secure primary data on the micromorphological structure of P. chinensis for future systematic works and provide information of Potentillae Chinensis Herba for accurate authentication.

This study aimed to systematically analyze the utilization of Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) in South Korea through a review of relevant research studies. In December 2022, a comprehensive search was conducted to identify pertinent studies. Two researchers meticulously reviewed and selected studies that met the inclusion criteria. Key information, including publication year, journal details, data sources, statistical methods, research models, research subjects, and survey items, was extracted for further analysis. A total of 76 quantitative studies were selected and analyzed. Commonly employed statistical methods included crosstabulation, regression analysis, t-tests, and analysis of variance. The frequency of TKM usage was the most commonly assessed survey item, followed by variables related to satisfaction, cost, and the interaction between Western and Oriental medicine. Upon synthesizing studies that conducted multivariate regression analyses, gender, age, income, and education level were identified as major demographic factors influencing variables related to the use of TKM. Notably, the outcomes of investigations into factors influencing TKM usage within specific population groups are expected to provide valuable reference data for future policy decisions regarding TKM.

This study aims to evaluate electronic medical records (EMRs) and explore effective methods for conducting patient interviews using a medical support system with a questioning assistant function. Additionally, it assesses students' satisfaction with the EMRs, the perceived usefulness in conducting patient interviews, the system's effectiveness as a practice tool, and its potential for future clinical use. In the study, students were divided into doctor and patient groups, provided with standardized patient information, and asked to perform their respective roles. Initially, students practiced questioning using only their existing knowledge without additional tools, and then repeated the exercise using the EMR system. Survey results indicated high satisfaction with the system as a practical educational tool and its potential for clinical application, though lower satisfaction was noted regarding the system's usability and its assistance in the questioning process. In conclusion, this study confirms that students are highly satisfied with the questioning practice sessions using this program, and future user-centered design improvements could further enhance its effectiveness as both an educational tool and a resource for clinical practice.

The purpose of this study is to predict regions suitable for the growth of Lilium cernuum and analyze changes in the distribution of these areas under climate change. This study employed two statistical models from species distribution modeling, namely Generalized Additive Models (GAM) and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), as well as two machine learning models, Random Forest (RF) and Maximum Entropy Algorithm (MaxEnt). To minimize uncertainties inherent in statistical models, an ensemble model was applied to integrate and address these variabilities. The prediction of potential habitats for Lilium cernuum demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with AUC values exceeding 0.9 across all four models. MaxEnt achieved the highest AUC value (0.983, sd = 0.007), while GAM recorded the lowest (0.903, sd = 0.048). The results revealed that areas with a very high probability of Lilium cernuum distribution are currently concentrated along the Baekdudaegan mountain range, extending from Jirisan National Park in South Korea to the Hamgyeongnam-do region in North Korea, primarily in high-altitude forested areas. By 2070, under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, potential habitats are projected to shift to the Primorskiy region in Russia. These findings suggest that with ongoing climate change, the current potential habitat of Lilium cernuum , primarily located along the Baekdudaegan range on the Korean Peninsula, is expected to contract significantly by 2070, with a concomitant northward migration toward the Central Sikhote-Alin mountain range in the Primorskiy region of Russia, favoring high-altitude forested zones.

This study aims to identify and document the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants traded in the Hamyang traditional market of Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Data were collected through interviews, informal meetings, and observations using semi-structured questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with 13 informants, and the data were quantitatively analyzed using use value (UV), informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and network analysis (NA). A total of 68 medicinal plant species, belonging to 63 genera and 39 families, were reported. The most frequently cited families were Araliaceae (15 mentions) and Rhamnaceae (14 mentions). The most commonly used plant parts were roots (38.51%), followed by stems (24.14%). The most common mode of preparation was decoction (35.00%). The highest value of the informant consensus factor (ICF) was observed for liver complaints (0.71), while the lowest values were recorded for birth-related disorders, skin diseases and disorders, and cuts and wounds (each 0.00). In the study, fidelity levels (FL) ranged from 12.5% to 100%, and use values (UV) ranged from 0.08 to 0.62. In the network analysis, the most significant medicinal plants were Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus (Rupr. & Maxim.) S.Y.Hu and Berchemia berchemiaefolia (Makino) Koidz., while the most significant disease was gastrointestinal disorder. The results of this study provide basic data for the conservation of traditional knowledge and medicinal plants, support further research for the development of new drugs, and contribute to the revitalization of the local economy.

This study investigated the effects of Phlomis umbrosa on genes regulated by DNA methylation in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA). An integrative analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression profiling of Phlomis umbrosa extract (PUE) identified 26 genes from 43 differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed that Vav2, Cyfip2, Rac1, Rhoh, Col5a1, and Col14a1 formed a network. Among these genes, some were found to be associated with collagen chain trimerization, a process essential for the formation of the functional structure of collagen, a key component of articular cartilage. Our results identify candidate genes regulated by DNA methylation in OA through a multi-omics analysis of PUE and provide insights into their functions. Future studies are required to elucidate the roles of these genes in OA pathophysiology and to experimentally validate their effects.