No abstract

This study aimed to compare the effects of Zusanli and nonacupoint electroacupuncture stimulation on ultrasonographic gastric emptying and vital signs in eight healthy participants. Gastric emptying and its rate of change were analyzed to search for correlation with physical characteristics such as body mass index (BMI), sternocostal angle, and abdominal wall thickness. Methods: Eight healthy participants with no gastrointestinal disorders were enrolled in this study. Each participant went through three abdominal sonographies for gastric emptying assessment. At the second and third visits, participants received Zusanli and nonacupoint electroacupuncture stimulation in a random order. During the study period, we examined the BMI, sternocostal angle, and abdominal wall thickness of all participants. Vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature) were also examined before and after the electroacupuncture stimulation. Results: Electroacupuncture stimulation at Zusanli significantly improved gastric emptying when compared to nonacupoint stimulation. Gastric emptying showed a positive correlation with BMI, sternocostal angle, and abdominal wall thickness, but this correlation was statistically insignificant. The improvement rate of gastric emptying by Zusanli electroacupuncture stimulation showed a positive correlation with BMI and sternocostal angle and a negative correlation with abdominal wall thickness. However, such results were also statistically insignificant. Among vital signs, only heart rate showed a significant decrease according to Zusanli electroacupuncture stimulation. Conclusions: A significant effect of Zusanli electroacupuncture was confirmed through ultrasonographic gastric emptying in healthy participants.

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate characteristics of digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) and quantitative evaluations in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Methods:We reviewed the clinical records of 38 patients with BMS who visited the Oral Diseases Clinic of Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital from March 1st, 2018 to June 30th, 2018. The subjects were evaluated with digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) and for heart rate variability (HRV), unstimulated salivary flow rate (USFR), and the proportion of coated tongue.Results: Most patients showed higher temperatures on the central part of the tongue (T2) than on the middle of the forehead (T1). The patients tended to have a high Low frequency/High frequency (LF/HF) ratio. Statistically significant negative correlations were noted between the age of patients and the temperature of T1 and T2. Statistically significant negative correlations were also observed between the LF/HF ratio and 'T1-T2' values. Conclusions:This study suggests that DITI and HRV are useful for the validation of patients with BMS. Correlations between the result values suggest that sympathetic function acceleration is related to temperature distribution and, ultimately, to symptoms.

Hypoglossal nerve palsy is an uncommon neurologic disorder. We report a 67-year-old Korean male with tongue paralysis due to hypoglossal nerve palsy. He had complaints associated only with tongue paralysis and was treated with herbal medicine and electric acupuncture for 12 days. We evaluated his tongue paralysis severity by a numeric rating scale (NRS) and the angle of tongue deviation. After 12 days of treatment, the NRS score showed improvement of his complaints, and the angle of tongue deviation was decreased. Korean medicine could therefore be an effective treatment choice for hypoglossal nerve palsy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients showing fissured tongue (FT) with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Methods: We reviewed the clinical records of 16 FT patients with BMS who visited the Oral Diseases Clinic of Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital from March 1, 2017 to February 28, 2018. The subjects were graded by FT classification and compared with each group on a numeral rating scale (NRS) of tongue pain, proportion of coated tongue, unstimulated salivary flow rate (USFR), Ryodoraku, and heart rate variability (HRV) results. Results: FT grade had no significant correlation with NRS of tongue pain and USFR. FT grade had a substantially significant positive correlation with BMI and LF/HF ratio in HRV. FT grade had a substantially significant negative correlation with proportion of coated tongue. The most frequent accompanying symptoms were xerostomia and insomnia. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that FT has no correlation with tongue pain in BMS. Rather, FT seems to correlate with sympathetic function acceleration.