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With the last page of the calendar, we almost have arrived at the end of the year. I hope you leave all the worries behind with the past and greet the new year of 2016 with happiness and joy.

KIOM went the extra mile for the fruitful results for globalization of Korean medicine as well as research and development on Korean medicine this year.

Especially, we had valuable chances to share academic information and knowledge by hosting various international events, such as the 10th International Congress of Complementary Medicine Research (ICCMR 2015), the Korean medicine training program, 'Modernization of Traditional Medicine', etc.

We have also accomplished several academic cooperation such as joint research, symposium, and human resource exchange with renowned institutions in the U.S. and China. The Korean medicine books published by KIOM in foreign languages (English, Russian, Spanish, etc.) were distributed to the world for education of students and experts.

In addition, KIOM has been successfully redesignated as the WHO collaborating center for traditional medicine.

On behalf of the KIOM members, I would like to express my great appreciation for your continued interest and support. I wish you the best luck in your days to come and have a wonderful holiday!

President Lee Hyejung

Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine

Herbal treatment of thrombosis blocking blood vessels

The research team headed by Dr. Ma Jin Yeul at the KM Application Center in KIOM developed E20, the new materials based on herbal extracts, which reduces the generation of thrombosis by up to 92% and W197-C1, which reduces activation of platelet involved in blood coagulation by around 54.5%.

According to WHO, the No.1 cause of deaths around the world in 2012 was cardiovascular diseases, which are the main reasons for sudden deaths.

In animal testing, the research team divided rats into the test group and the control group, giving the test group oral administration of herbal extract (E20) once daily for five days while leaving the control group without any treatment.

Then both groups were administered with an inducer of platelet coagulation on the blood samples, and the result revealed that the blood platelet coagulation in the test group administered with E20 was suppressed by up to around 92% compared to the control group.

Next, the research team inflicted wounds on the external surface of carotid artery of each member of the test group and the control group. It was found that the time taken until the generation of thrombosis within the carotid artery was 2.2 times longer in the test group administered with E20 than in the control group.

As a result, it was proven that E20 suppresses generation of thrombosis by preventing blood platelet coagulation.

The research team also found out that in-vitro administration of another herbal extract (W197-C1) reduced activation of the receptor within platelet by around 54.5%, suppressing the binding between the receptor and collagen.

This means that W197-C1 suppresses activation of the receptor within platelet and inhibits blood coagulation by reducing the activation of platelet coagulation.

The technologies on the new materials were transferred to the Korea Bio Medical Science Institute at an advance royalty of 1.2 hundred million KRW(running royalty: 3% of net sales).

At present, surgical treatments and medications are combined to treat thrombosis, but continuous medication is required due to high recurrence rate after surgical treatment.

However, existing antithrombotic drugs involve side effects such as systematic hemorrhage and gastrointestinal diseases, and the development of a safe and effective antithrombotic drug is highly needed.

In this connection, the technology transfer of these new materials to a domestic company and their imminent commercialization are welcome news to Korean patients suffering from conditions related to thrombosis.

Principal Researcher Ma Jin Yeul, who headed the research, commented, "The new materials were developed using medicinal herbs whose safety had already been proven, and it will not take long until their commercialization because their antithrombotic effects have been proven through our tests. I believe that they will create high added values and contribute to promoting creative economy in the antithrombotic drug market."

Cause of fibromyalgia, often mistaken as a fake illness, discovered

We often see people who claim that they feel sore all over their bodies. Dr. Kim Ji-eun at the Clinical Research Division in KIOM found out the cause of fibromyalgia, a diseases that makes people feel sore all over their bodies, through brain imaging.

Dr. Kim newly discovered that there is a difference between the neural connections of a normal person and those of a patient with fibromyalgia using functional MRI (fMRI) in a joint research with the research team led by Prof. Vitaly Napadow of the Harvard Medical School.

The research team compared and analyzed the functional brain connectivity of 14 adults not suffering from pains (normal group) and 35 patients of fibromyalgia (test group) through fMRI.

The research team first analyzed primary somatosensory cortex, a part of the brain that senses pain when it occurs in the human body and primarily processes relevant information within the brain.

Although in the normal group, the connectivity between primary somatosensory cortices decreases when a pain is incurred from the outside, in the case of a patient of fibromyalgia, the overall connectivity between primary somatosensory cortices appear to significantly drop even in the resting state.

The cause of the appearance of the specific functional brain connectivity - that occurs under pain for normal people- among patients of fibromyalgia in the resting state is interpreted to be the chronic pantalgia, a main symptom of fibromyalgia.

Next, the research team inflicted muscle pain, a key pain felt by patients of fibromyalgia, on the test group and analyzed pain consciousness as well as anterior insular cortex, a part of the brain that processes the emotional realm of pain.

The result showed that functional connectivity between primary somatosensory cortex and anterior insular cortex increased significantly.

In addition, the functional connectivity between primary somatosensory cortex and anterior insular cortex appeared to grow in patients of fibromyalgia with more severe pains and deeper fear of them.

The research is the outcome of a previous study for the joint international research on the treatment effects of acupuncture by Dr. Kim and Dr. Napadow's research team of the Harvard Medical School.

The research result was published in the May issue of 'Arthritis and Rheumatism' (impact factor: 7.764), one of the most prestigious SCI(E)-level international journal in the field of rheumatism based in the U.S.

Dr. Kim said, "Fibromyalgia is known to occur among 2% to 4% of the Korean population. It is expected that a method for treatment of fibromyalgia will be developed by normalizing the altered functional brain connectivity of patients with fibromyalgia based on the research results."

Development of substance for cosmetics based on medicinal herbs

'Cosmeceutical' is a word newly coined by combining cosmetics and pharmaceutical, meaning cosmetics with enhanced professional treatment effect due to the addition of medically proven substances, and it is currently drawing heated interest in the cosmetics industry.

A research team led by Dr. Chae Sung Wook at KM Convergence Research Division in KIOM developed a herbal-based substance that inhibits skin inflammation more effectively than those currently in the market. The technology on the substance was transferred at an advance royalty of 1.7 hundred million KRW, and is likely to create high added values in the cosmeceutical market.

In the cell experiment, Dr. Chae's team observed the skin aging of subjects after dividing them into the no-treatment control group and the test group, and then further dividing the test group into the UV-treated group whose skin aging was induced and the sample-administered group whose members were treated with the test sample after the UV treatment.

The test results showed that the expression of IL-1b and IL-8, genes that induce inflammations related to skin aging, was inhibited in the sample-administered group compared to the UV-treated group by 96% and 60%, respectively.

Also, the substance was seen to reduce the expression of MMP (Matrix Metalloproteinases), a collagenase that accelerates aging by degrading collagen, by 96% and increase the expression of TIMP (tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease), which generates new collagen, by around 300%.

Skin aging progresses when MMP, which helps degrade collagen, is activated, expediting protein degradation and leading to chronic skin damage.

The new substance has been confirmed to improve skin aging by inhibiting the expression of genes inducing inflammation and an enzyme related to skin aging, while increasing an enzyme that generates new collagen.

In addition, the research team has proven the safety of the substance through a skin safety test at Dermapro, an organization that evaluates safety and efficacy of cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. The human skin primary irritation test conducted at Dermapro revealed that there were no side effects.

In the Korean cosmetics market, which is estimated to reach 12.6 trillion won, cosmeceuticals are currently considered to take up just 3% to 4%, compared to the U.S. market where cosmeceuticals have about 20% of the market share. Thus, it is seen that the cosmeceutical market has a high growth potential.

The technology on the new substance was transferred to Hansol Bio at an advance royalty of 1.7 hundred million KRW (running royalty: 3.3% of net sales), and it is expected to create high added values in the cosmeceutical market in the future.

Principal Researcher Chae said, "Due to the growth potential of the cosmeceutical market, not only cosmetics companies but also pharmaceutical companies are rushing into the market. The new substance, which has been confirmed to improve skin health, is expected to create added values in both domestic and foreign cosmeceutical markets by way of commercialization."

A New technology for measurement of gene expression developed

Principal Researcher Jeong Sangkyun of the Mibyeong Research Center in KIOM and his team developed a breakthrough technology for the measurement of gene expression, which allows accurate comparison between various materials (transcriptomes) expressed by different genes.

Genetic information in DNA is shown through the process of gene expression, and the difference in the amounts of gene expression results in not only external features such as height and facial looks but also differences related to diseases including normal cells and cancer cells.

Therefore, accurate measurement of and comparison between gene expressions are key parts in the molecular-level understanding of diverse biological phenomena including illnesses.

Conventional technologies for measuring gene expression (Microarray, RNAseq) are excellent for comparing the expression amounts of the same gene among different samples, but are limited in and thus, inappropriate for comparing different genes in one sample.

The technology developed by Dr. Jeong is based on the principle of calculating and comparing the amounts of expression of genes according to the relative amounts of these genes compared to the genome of a closely-related species as a reference material.

In the experiment, Dr. Jeong used the genome of an orangutan, a species closely related to human, as the reference material. In the orangutan's genome, base sequence corresponding to that of the human genome exists in the same ratio.

* Base sequence means the sequence of bases constituting genes, based on which biological features such as height and skin color are determined.

For example, to measure and compare the amounts of expression of human base sequences A, B and C, an orangutan's genome (including A', B' and C') is combined and amplified with human genome as a reference material.

If the numbers of base sequences after the amplification are 2 (A'), 1 (B'), 4 (C'), 2 (A), 2 (B) and 2 (C), we can see that the amount of expression of human genes (A:B:C) is 2:4:1 by adjusting the amounts of the orangutan's base sequences A', B' and C' to the same value of 4 and calculating the expression amount of human genes.

The technology turned out to yield high accuracy (less than 5% error range) and reproducibility (above 95%). As the accuracy in comparing the amounts of expression of different genes leads to high applicability, the technology is considered to open a new possibility in the study of genome in the future.

The research team will use the technology to understand the features of the expression of specific gene clusters related to Mibyeong (Subhealth in Korean Medicine. )

The result of the research was published in the July issue of the online version of 'Scientific Reports' (impact factor: 5.578), a sister journal of 'Nature.'

Principal Researcher Jeong commented, "The technology, which enables comparative analysis of the expression amounts of different genes, can be used in various ways in the field of healthcare by evaluating people's health, diagnosing diseases, predicting prognosis, etc."

Palmiwon shows outstanding effects on dyslipidemia in menopausal transition period

Dr. Ko Byoung Seob's team at KM Convergence Research Division in KIOM has scientifically proven the effects of Palmiwon, a prescription used in Korean Medicine, on the improvement of dyslipidemia related to menopause and published the research result in an SCI-level international journal.

In the animal test, Palmiwon was discovered to increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol in serum lipid by 47.5% and decrease triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol by 57.6% and 30.1%, respectively, thereby improving atherogenic index by about 56.3%.

* Triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol enhance the risks of heart attack and stroke, whereas high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol reduces these risks.

Female hormone deficiency during menopause leads to menopausal syndrome over a long period, causing relatively mild symptoms such as facial blushing, muscle pain, arthralgia and dyslipidemia as well as life-threatening symptoms including osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis.

Notably, many menopausal women are known to suffer from dyslipidemia. In this case, the risks of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, in which the blood vessels become narrow due to the buildup of cholesterol, increase, requiring the effective prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases caused by dyslipidemia during menopause.

* Dyslipidemia refers to the condition in which the levels of total blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride have increased or the level of HDL cholesterol has decreased, and it enhances the risks of obesity and diabetes as well as cardiovascular diseases including arteriosclerosis and myocardiac infarction.

Dr. Ko Byoung Dr. Ko's team induced menopause in rats by excising ovaries and caused dyslipidemia using high-fat, high-cholesterol diet.

The test rats with dyslipidemia were divided into two groups, including the test group that received oral dosage of Palmiwon daily for eight weeks and the control group that did not. The two groups were observed with a focus on the degree of improvement in dyslipidemia and atherogenic index.

The test results showed that the levels of TG and LDL cholesterol concentration dropped by 57.6% and 30.1%, respectively, while the concentration of HDL cholesterol increased by 47.5%.

In addition, the team analyzed the atherogenic index, which indicates the risk of arteriosclerosis, and the lumen diameter/carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) based on the effects.

The atherogenic index appeared to have improved in the test group administered with Palmiwon by 56.3% and the lumen diameter/CIMT improved 32.2% compared to the control group.

The research confirmed the effects of Palmiwon on dyslipidemia including the improvement in the atherogenic index, providing scientific basis of the efficacy of the Korean medical prescription.

The research result was published in 'Menopause' (impact factor: 3.361), a journal of the North American Menopause Society.

Principal Researcher Ko said, "The efficacy of Palmiwon has been scientifically proven, and it can be used as clinical basis for the prevention and treatment of arteriosclerosis in menopausal women in Korean traditional medical clinics and hospitals. We will continue to prove the efficacy of Korean traditional prescriptions and establish their scientific basis, while contributing to the health of the elderly in the age of centenarians."

Administering acupuncture while looking into the skin

A device that enables doctors of Korean Medicine to carry out acupuncture while looking at the acupuncure points in the skin is being developed by applying modern ultrasound technology to acupuncture, one of the key treatment skills of Korean Medicine.

It is expected that the development of the device will make acupuncture therapy more accurate and safer, thereby enhancing people's confidence in traditional herbal medicine.

KIOM started the development of ultrasound device that shows images of acupuncture points at the time of acupuncture administration.

When the device is developed, doctors of Korean medicine may refer to the real-time ultrasound images showing the conditions of inner skin while carrying out acupuncture therapy based on their experiences. This will facilitate safer and more accurate administration of acupuncture.

According to the Results of the 3rd Survey on the Usage of Healthcare Services in Korean Medicine and Consumption of Herbal Medicine published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in March, the therapy most frequently used by users of healthcare services in Korean Medicine was acupuncture therapy, taking up more than half (59.2%) of total therapies in Korean medicine.

Acupuncture therapy is used widely to treat internal and orthopedic diseases, but it is necessary to take caution in the case of some meridian points with risks of damage to internal organs or high concentration of nerves and blood vessels.

Thus, to deal with this problem, Principal Researcher Jeon Young Ju and Senior Researcher Lee Sanghun of the KM Fundamental Research Division embarked on the research for the development of ultrasound image device that can be used to assist doctors of Korean medicine in providing acupuncture therapy.

The device helps doctors of Korean medicine to carry out acupuncture therapy while observing various anatomical structures under the skin through ultrasound images and considering information that the images offer.

For example, Gyeonjeonghyeol acupuncture point often used in treating shoulder conditions involves the risk of pneumothorax due to different lung locations among different people, and it may be difficult to administer acupuncture deeply into Gyeonuhyeol acupuncture point between shoulder joints because of the different shapes of joints.

In these cases, usage of the device can enable doctors to observe the location of relevant organs or joints through ultrasound images and carry out more accurate and safer acupuncture therapy.

The development of the device is expected to improve the effects of acupuncture treatment and enhance people's confidence in acupuncture.

Senior Researcher Lee commented, "We will focus on meridian points with high usage of ultrasound images and reflect the opinions of experts from relevant academic circles and clinical fields in developing the device. We will try hard to make it widely applicable not only in clinical practices in Korean medicine but also in academic circles, etc."

Principal Researcher Jeon said, "The emphasis will be given on solving technical difficulties such as increasing the resolution of ultrasound images to identify acupuncture needles thinner than injection needles. We will strive to make it commercial as early as possible by developing the test product in 2017 and conducting clinical tests."

English version of literature on Korean medicine
for use as university textbooks in the U.S.

Three books on Korean medicine published in English by KIOM will be used as university textbooks in the Dongguk University Los Angeles (DULA) in U.S., where they are expected to contribute to enhancing awareness on Korean medicine.

The three books are 'How To Read Donguibogam Easily', 'Sasang Constitutional Medicine' and 'New Compilation of Four Constitutional Medicine.'

KIOM published the 'How To Read Donguibogam Easily' in 2009, the English version of 'Sasang Constitutional Medicine' in 2010 and the English version of 'New Compilation of Four Constitutional Medicine' in 2011.

'How To Read Donguibogam Easily' covers stories on the life and achievements of Heo Jun, the author of Donguibogam, the historic background and publication process of the literature, and contents of the literature including Naegyeong-pyeon (internal medicine), Oehyeong-pyeon (external medicine), Japbyeong-pyeon (miscellaneous diseases), Tangaek-pyeon (remedies) and Chimgu-pyeon (acupuncture).

'New Compilation of Four Constitutional Medicine.' deals with the introduction on Sasang constitutional medicine and Dr. Lee Je-ma, its founder, how to distinguish different consitutional types, utilization of Sasang constitutional medicine in daily life, etc., and is anticipated to facilitate understanding of the medical field among people unfamiliar with it.

'New Compilation of Four Constitutional Medicine' is an English translation of 'Donguisasangsinpyeon', which provides an excerpt of contents readily applicable to clinical usage from Donguisusebowon, a book written by Won Deok-pil, a medical scientist during the Joseon Dynasty, as well as actual prescriptions used in those days to help optimize clinical usage.

The utilization of these books as textbooks was realized at the request of Dongguk University, whose U.S. campus in Los Angeles had been suffering from lack of English content materials in offering English programs related to Korean medicine.

Commenting on the event, President Lee Hyejung of KIOM said, "Utilization of the English introduction on Donguibogam, a book representing Korean medicine, and English versions of books on Sasang constitutional medicine, a medical field distinctively Korean, as textbooks in the U.S. is expected to help enhance understanding of Korean medicine and contribute to its expansion in the U.S. market in the long run."

In addition to the three books published in English, KIOM is engaged in developing various foreign-langue contents for the globalization of Korean medicine such as books for introduction to Korean medicine in English, Spanish and Russian as well as English translation of and English application program for Donguibogam.

Korean Medicine is Spreading in Eurasia

An introduction to Korean medicine in Russian is being used as an educational material for the Korean medicine course in a training program for Uzbek healthcare providers.

At present, Korean medicine is advancing actively in Uzbekistan with the Korea-Uzbekistan Friendship Hospital of Korean Medicine being operated and doctors of Korean medicine being allowed to engage in medical practices in the country under the mutual agreement for cooperation in healthcare.

In Uzbekistan, healthcare providers are obliged to receive medical retraining. Traditional medicine courses are included in the curriculum, and they have mostly been carried out by doctors of Chinese medicine.

Recently, as part of the ODA program in Korean medicine sponsored by the Bureau of Traditional Korean Medicine at the Ministry of Health and Welfare and organized by the Industrial-Academic Cooperation Group of Sangji University as well as the Society of Preventive Korean Medicine, a course on Korean medicine was being offered in the Uzbek medical retraining program five days a week from October 12 to 30, using the introduction to Korean medicine in Russian published by KIOM.

KIOM's introduction to Korean medicine consists of five chapters including the characteristics of Korean medicine, medical service system, theories of Korean medicine, treatment methods as well as outstanding figures in Korean medicine and important old books of medicine.

More specifically, it presents the history of Korean medicine, theories on yin and yang, five viscera and six entrails, acupuncture points and meridian system, etc. and various treatment methods such as acupuncture, moxibustion, qigong, chuna, etc.

Notably, explanation on Sasang constitutional medicine, which does not exist in Chinese or Japanese medicine, makes Korean Medicine stand out from those in other East Asian countries.

In July, three English books on Korean medicine published by KIOM started to be used as textbooks in DULA in the U.S., and in 2012, the Mongolian translation of standard meridian point locations by KIOM was distributed and began to be used in Mongolia. Therefore, books published by KIOM are seen as doing their role as essential assets for the globalization of Korean Medicine.

Outstanding wisdom of Korean ancestors conveyed in the U.S.

'Introduction to Traditional Korean Medicine', 'Donguibogam', 'How to read Donguibogam easily', 'Compilation of Formulas and Medicinals (Bangyakhappyeon)' and 'New Compilation of Four Constitutional Medicine (Donguisasangsinpyeon)' published in English have been donated to an education institution in Korean medicine located in the U.S. to be utilized as educational materials for training experts in traditional medicine.

KIOM held a donation ceremony of five English books on Korean Medicine at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) in Manhattan, New York in the U.S. on November 18, as part of the project for the globalization of Korean Medicine led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

PCOM was founded in 1986 and has been training experts in oriental medicine in three campuses in New York, San Diego, and Chicago through diversified programs on acupuncture, oriental medicine, massage, nursing, etc.

The five English books donated to PCOM are 'Introduction to Traditional Korean Medicine', 'Donguibogam', 'How to read Donguibogam easily', 'Compilation of Formulas and Medicinals (Bangyakhappyeon)' and 'New Compilation of Four Constitutional Medicine (Donguisasangsinpyeon)', which were translated and compiled by KIOM.

'Integrative Medicine Research (IMR)', an international journal published by KIOM, was also delivered to PCOM along with these books, to present students of the institution with an opportunity to look at the newest research trends in the field of traditional medicine.

Director Malcolm Youngren of PCOM's New York Campus said, "We will display the donated books of Korean Medicine at the library and use them as educational materials for traditional medical practices including acupuncture and moxibustion."

KIOM President Lee Hyejung commented, "We have been striving to build the infrastructure for the globalization of Korean Medicine by publishing various books on Korean medicine in a number of different languages such as English, Spanish, and Russian, as well as developing an English application for Donguibogam. The donation of English books on Korean Medicine to an education institution in the U.S. will help promote the excellence of the medical field abroad."

KIOM is carrying out various programs in relation to the project for globalization of Korean Medicine, including the Donguibogam Academy, a special overseas lecture program on Korean Medicine jointly organized by Pusan University, which has already been held 13 times last year in Japan and is being held five times in the U.S. this year.

Dr. Shin Hyeun-kyoo received a distinguished paper prize

Would it okay to have both Korean herbal medicine and Western medicine when you catch a cold? A research paper conceived based on the question commonly asked by the general public has been selected as a distinguished science and technology paper at the 2015 Korea Science and Technology Annual Meeting.

Principal Researcher Shin Hyeun-kyoo, the director of K-herb Research Center at KIOM, received the 25^th Prize for Distinguished Science and Technology Research Paper at the 2015 Korea Science and Technology Annual Meeting held by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies on July 2.

The Prize for Distinguished Science and Technology Research Paper is awarded to winners of different fields selected by the federation among those recommended by more than 380 Korean academic institutions and societies in the fields of science and technology each year.

The prize-winning paper titled 'Effects of Korean traditional herbal formula for common cold on the activities of human CYP450 isozymes'was published in 'The Journal of Korean Medicine' in 2014.

* CYP450 (CYP) refers to enzymes involved in the discharge of drugs from the body, such as CYP3A4, CYP2E1, CYP2D6, CYP1A2 and CYP2C19.

Under the present health care system, patients often visit both Korean and Western medical institutions and take prescribed drugs from both institutions.

Most cold preparations include acetaminophen (drug for reducing fever and pain) known to be mostly discharged from the body through the drug metabolism process but to remain in the body in small quantity and transform into a toxic substance that causes liver damage through such enzymes as CYP3A4, CYP2E1, CYP2D6 and CYP1A2, which are related to drug metabolism in the human body.

Meanwhile, Dr. Shin's research team confirmed the effect of frequently-used Korean herbal prescriptions mainly used for the treatment of cold (Galgeun-tang, Gumiganghwal-tang, Insampaedoksan, Samsoeum, Socheongnyong-tang, Sosiho-tang) on the enzyme activities in the drug metabolism of the human body.

The study showed that Galgeun-tang suppressed the activation of CYP2E1, Gumiganghwal-tang suppressed CYP2D6 and Samsoeum and Sosiho-tang suppressed the activation of CYP2C19, whereas Insampaedoksan and Socheongnyong-tang did not have a significant impact on the activation of the four enzymes related to acetaminophen such as CYP3A4, CYP2E1, CYP2D6 and CYP1A2.

Based on the results of the study, it is expected that the combined intake of acetaminophen in cold preparations and Galgeun-tang can undermine the generation of toxic substance from acetaminophen through Galgeun-tang's suppression of the activation of CYP2E1. Likewise, Gugigalhwang-tang is also expected to suppress the activation of CYP2D6.

However, intake of Samsoeum or Sosiho-tang suppressing activation of CYP2C19, or that of Insampaedoksan or Socheongnyong-tang without any significant impact on the activation of the four enzymes, along with acetaminophen is expected not to influence the generation of toxic substance from acetaminophen.

The results indicate that Korean herbal medicine and Western medicine can influence each other in drug metabolism in the body, and thus can suppress the generation of toxic substance, have no significant impact on or can sometimes even facilitate generation of toxic substance. In this regard, patients need to take caution in taking both Korean and Western medicines and to get a professional advice.

Dr. Shin said, "Through the ongoing research on the effects of 50 frequently-used Korean herbal prescriptions on drug metabolizing enzymes, we will contribute to predicting risks in combined usage of Korean and Western medicine and to improving treatment effects."

Dr. Kim Jong-yeol receives Silver Prize at the IP Competition

Principal Researcher Kim Jong-yeol of the KM Fundamental Research Division of KIOM was awarded the Silver Prize at the Intellectual Property Competition in the US-Korea Conference on Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship for his technologies related to pulse diagnosis system.

The US-Korea Conference on Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship (UKC) is an academic conference in science and technology held to promote technological cooperation between Korea and the U.S., and this year's UKC was held in Atlanta, the U.S. from July 29 to August 1.

The UKC Intellectual Property (IP) Competition is one of the main programs of the UKC Forum where technologies with the most outstanding economic and technological values are selected among those whose patents have been registered or applied for overseas.

Dr. Kim won the Silver Prize for technologies related to pulse diagnosis system including the arm-fastening device for pulse diagnosis, pulse sensor, pulse pressurization device comprising these devices and manufacturing method of pulse sensor at the IP Competition in the UKC 2015 from among 24 leading technologies from government-funded research institutes.

He said, "The prize is an outcome of the recognition that KIOM's source technologies related to pulse diagnosis system can have competitive edge in the global traditional medical diagnosis market. I will concentrate on putting the technologies into commercial use in the future and contribute to the promotion of Korean Medicine industry."

The Guide for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Korean Medicine

Principal Researcher Lee Myeong Soo and his team of KIOM has developed the Guide for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Korean Medicine.

Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) refers to guidelines systematically developed to support the decision making by clinical doctors and patients in specific conditions.

In countries where advanced medical practices are carried out, such as the U.S., U.K. and Canada, a lot of efforts are being made for the development of CPG under the recognition of its utility and values, and similar attempts have been made in the domestic medical circles for the development and expansion of CPG.

According to the list of CPG registered in the Korean Medical Guideline Information Center (www.guideline.or.kr) and the Korean Guideline Clearinghouse (www.cpg.or.kr) in 2014, there are about 60 kinds of CPG already developed in the Korean medical circles.

In the field of Korean Medicine, 16 kinds of CPG have been developed up to the present. However, the lack of standardization among them can lead to confusion in utilizing them in the clinical sites.

The new guide was developed by Dr. Lee's team to facilitate development of high-quality CPG based on the experience and knowhow accumulated by the team when it developed its CPG in Korean Medicine on frequent diseases in 2013.

The guide, published in Korean, consists of four parts including the introduction and usage tips, development tools for CPG in Korean Medicine, guide checklist for developing CPG in Korean Medicine and terms related to CPG.

The first part on the introduction and usage tips presents specific goals of developing the guide as well as its composition and contents.

The second part on the development tools of CPG shows the development methodology, overview of diseases, recommendations, etc.

The third part presents the checklist that developers can refer to see whether their new guidelines includes all necessary contents, and the last part offers terms commonly used in CPG and their definitions.

The new Guide for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Korean Medicine is expected to enable development of high-quality CPG in Korean medicine that offer effective diagnosis and treatment methods based on accurate and systematic analysis.

In addition, it is anticipated that the guide will improve understanding of evidence-based medicine in the Korean medical circles, contributing to the development of the field, and accelerate provision of more systematic Korean healthcare services to the public.

Korean Medicine and Nutrition

Korea is in the middle of a food-show fever right now, which has increased people's interest in healthy diets and eating habits. In step with this trend, a book series on modern nutritional science seen from the perspective of Korean Medicine has been published in Korean.

Notably, the series offers easy daily diets used in Korean and Western medicine for patients of high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, etc., and is expected to provide a health guide for contemporary people.

Principal Researcher Ko Byoung Seob, Director of the KM Convergence Research Division at KIOM, published 'Korean Medicine and Nutrition', a book series that examines modern nutritional science and clinical nutrition from the perspective of Korean Medicine and facilitates application of healthy diets to daily life.

'Korean Medicine and Nutrition'was written by Dr. Ko who has compiled materials on Korean Medicine and modern nutritional science that he accumulated for 12 years after starting a small group study in 2003.

The book series, which attempted at a new convergence through the encounter and communication between the two fields, consists of two books.

The first book comprising eight chapters describes the perspective of Korean Medicine on nutrition as well as the similarities and differences between the perspectives of traditional medicine and modern nutritional science.

The second book consisting of three chapters deals with how to apply Korean Medicine to nutritional diets and the comparison of diets in Korean and Western medicine for patients of various diseases.

It is expected that 'Korean Medicine and Nutrition'will help promote healthy living of the public through daily application as well as an opportunity for those majoring in nutritional science and Korean Medicine to examine modern nutritional science and clinical nutrition from the perspective of traditional medicine.

Thank you, KM! Thank you, Korea!

KIOM conducted 'Modernization of Traditional Medicine,'a training program on Korean Medicine, for healthcare specialists from around the world from September 3^rd to 21^st.

'Modernization of Traditional Medicine'is a part of the official development assistance (ODA) program carried out by KIOM under the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

This year, the program was attended by 16 healthcare specialists working in government ministries, national health and medical institutions, medical schools, hospitals, etc. from eight countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, Mongol, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The participants got an overview of Korean medicine and healthcare through the lectures by various experts from KIOM, the National Assembly Secretariat, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Kyung Hee University College of Oriental Medicine, Pusan National University Graduate School of Korean Medicine, Hanyang University Graduate School of Public Policy, Dongyang University Dept. of Public Health and Medical Administration, etc.

The participants also visited Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University, Jasaeng Hospital of Korean Medicine, Korea Ginseng Factory, Traditional Herbal Market, the Association of Korean Medicine, Korea Pharmacopuncture Institute, Okcheon Herb Medicine Resource Center affiliated with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Heojun Museum, Sancheong Korean Medicine Museum, etc. to get a better understanding of the history of Korean medicine, relevant institutional systems, status of clinical practices, current conditions of the distribution of medicinal herbs, and so on.

'Modernization of Traditional Medicine,'which has been held for 15 years since it was initiated in 2001, is a leading ODA program for developing countries in the field of healthcare in Korea. A total of 242 persons from 43 countries have participated in the program as of the latest count.

Among this year's participants, Torbuiga Yaka IV from Ghana said, "Before taking part in the training program, I was agonizing over the present problems of traditional medicine in Ghana. Through the training, I was able analyze the problems and develop concrete action plans to solve them."He also added, "After I go back, I will strive for the development of traditional medicine in Ghana, based on my experience of the program."

Sulekha Gardiye Punchihewa, a Sri Lankan participant, commented, "I had a valuable experience during the training, enhancing my understanding of Korean medicine and Korean treatment skills. I would like to contribute to the development of and closer cooperation between Ayurveda, Sri Lanka's traditional medicine, and traditional medicine in other countries including Korean medicine."

Delegates of the Coordination Committee of Korea-China Cooperation
on Traditional Medicine visited KIOM

Chinese delegates of the Coordination Committee of Korea-China Cooperation on Traditional Medicine, including those from the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, visited KIOM on September 22^nd.

The coordinating committee is an interministerial consultative body in healthcare established in 1995 between the two countries to seek possible joint contribution to globalization of traditional medicine and promotion of health through mutual cooperation. Since then, a total of 13 meetings have been held alternately in China and Korea.

The 14^th coordinating committee meeting was held in Seoul on September 21, and attended by experts from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and KIOM in Korea and their counterparts from the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, etc.

The Chinese delegates of the coordinating committee consisted of Deputy Director Yan Shujiang from the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Zhu Haidong, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation in the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Qiu Deliang, Deputy Director of Jilin Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Fan Jiping, Vice President of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences; and Luo Zhengyang from the Planning and Finance Division in the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The Chinese delegation visited KIOM on September 22^nd after the 14^th coordinating committee meeting and discussed future possibilities for expanding joint research in traditional medicine with President Lee Hyejung and other officials at the institute.

During the visit, the experts from the two countries agreed on building systematic foundation for continued mutual cooperation in research by setting up a joint research promotion committee.

The two parties plan to discuss common fields of interest such as infectious diseases, traditional drug resources and clinical practice guidelines, develop joint research tasks based on the discussion and carry out research cooperation in the future.

A seminar on the treatment of infectious diseases and
infertility based on Korean Medicine

KIOM held a seminar commemorating its 21^st anniversary on the theme of 'Korean Medical Approach for Treatment of Infectious Diseases and Infertility'on October 7.

Recently, infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Ebola virus, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), have become key issues throughout the world. With a WHO report recognizing the effect of a treatment method based on Chinese traditional medicine introduced by the Chinese government during the SARS epidemic in 2003, the efficacy of traditional medical treatment on infectious diseases is drawing keen attention.

Also, as late marriages and childbirth by older mothers are becoming more common due to changed attitude on marriage, childbirth, and child rearing, the problem of infertility is continuously becoming more serious. In relation to this, people are getting more interested in the treatment of infertility based on Korean Medicine, and a lot of research is being carried out in relevant areas.

In the seminar commemorating KIOM's 21^st anniversary, discussion on diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and infertility based on Korean Medicine was made as well as an overview of current research trends and a search for the future direction of research on these issues.

The seminar was jointly organized by KIOM, the Association of Korean Medicine and the Society of Korean Medicine, and was sponsored by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Research Council of Science and Technology.

The seminar was held in two sessions, each on infectious diseases and infertility.

During the session on infectious diseases, presentation was made on such issues as 'New Threats of Infectious Diseases and Response Measures'by Director Seong Won-geun of the Center of Infectious Diseases in the National Research Institute of Health affiliated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 'Infectious Diseases and Korean Medicine'by Prof. Jeong Seung-gi of Kyung Hee University; 'A New Look at Infectious Diseases from the Perspective of Korean Medicine'by Honorary President Choi Hwan-young of the Association of Korean Medicine; and 'A Study on the Anti-viral Effect of KIOM-C Based on Natural Medicinal Herbs'by Principal Researcher Cho Won-kyung of KIOM.

In the session on infertility, Senior Researcher Hwang Na-mi from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs talked about 'Current Status of and Management Strategy for Infertility in the Age of Low Fertility'; Prof. Kim Dong-il from Dongguk University on 'Current Conditions of Infertility Treatment and Search for Future Strategy for Building Clinical Grounds'; Prof. Choi Chang-min from Wonkwang University on 'Basic Survey for Developing Diagnostic Criteria in Korean Medicine'; Prof. Hwang Deok-sang from Kyung Hee University on 'Analysis of Research Trends in Treatment of Infertility in Korean Medicine'; and Senior Researcher Yoo Su-seong from KIOM on 'Integrative Treatment of Infertility Combining Korean Traditional and Western Medicine.'

Through the discussion held after these sessions, presenters and participants shared opinions on the future directions of research on infectious diseases and infertility as well as possible research cooperation.

Experts in development of CPG invited to a KIOM symposium

KIOM invited experts on CPG development from around the world and held the International Symposium of Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline in Traditional Medicine at the institute on October 27.

Clinical practice guideline refers to a guideline systematically developed to support the decision-making of clinical doctors and patients in specific conditions.

Recently, the evidence-based medicine (EBM) is drawing attention in the field of medicine throughout the world, and the discussion on the development of CPG for application of EBM to clinical sites is actively being made.

In Korea, the development of CPG is limited to several diseases, and its development in the field of Korean Medicine is a pressing issue.

KIOM has held the symposium since 2012 to gather ideas from Korean and foreign experts on CPG and to share opinions on the current status and future direction of research related to CPG.

In the symposium, experts in integrative medicine from both Korea and foreign countries such as China -which won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- as well as Japan and Norway participated to share their opinions on the newest research in the field.

Dr. Robbert van Haselen from the International Institute for Integrated Medicine in the U.K. delivered the keynote speech on 'Gap between research and practice.'

In the first session chaired by Prof. Nicola Robinson from London South Bank University, presentations were made by Prof. Jianping Liu from Centre for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, and School of Basic Medical Science at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, on the 'Evidence Base for Recommendation in TCM and Western Medicine Guidelines for 18 diseases'and Prof. Terje Alraek from UiT The Artic University of Norway on 'Exploration of the risk of bias against acupuncture implicit in sham acupuncture trials: impact on systematic reviews and clinical practical guideline(CPG) development groups and CPG recommendations about acupuncture;'Prof. Stephen J. Birch from the Norwegian School of Health Sciences, Institute of Acupuncture, Kristiania University College in Norway talked 'Update of positive recommendation for the use of acupuncture treatment.'

In the second session, which was held in the afternoon under the chairmanship of Prof. Jianping Liu, a presentation was given by Prof. Nicola Robinson on 'Is research evidence important for clinical guideline?;'Prof. Masayo Kojima of the Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Japan on 'Findings from comprehensive survey of living conditions in Japan: Using observational study in CPG development for traditional medicine'and Prof. Zhou Li from Dongzhimen Hospital Affiliated to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine on 'The survey of the knowledge of prevention and treatment of TCM against NCDs in Beijing North Dongcheng District Community Residents.'

In the third session chaired by Prof. Stephen J Birch, presentations were made by Senior Researcher Lee Ju-ah from the KM Fundamental Research Division in KIOM on 'Preferred reporting items for development of clinical practice guideline in Korean Medicine;'Prof. Shin Byung-cheul from Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital on 'Development of evidence based Korean medicine clinical practice guideline for lumbar herniated intervertebral disc and shoulder pain'and Principal Researcher Lee Myeong Soo from the Clinical Research Division of KIOM on 'Overview of project of development of evidence based clinical practice guideline in Korean medicine (2012-2015).'

The symposium, which offers an opportunity to hear about the methods of CPG development and relevant knowhow from domestic and foreign experts in CPG, would contribute to the development of high-quality CPG in Korean Medicine.

Integrative Medicine Research (IMR)

Integrative Medicine Research (IMR) an international journal published by KIOM on the theme of integrative medicine, was selected as a candidate for the National Research Foundation of Korea's list of academic journals. The selection is considered to indicate its recognition as a distinguished academic journal and its establishment as a leading English journal on Korean medicine.

Since the first issue of IMR was published in December 2012, KIOM has brought out 11 issues of the quarterly journal.

The number of downloads of IMR papers on Science Direct has steadily increased from 24 in 2012 to 3,025 in 2013 and 8,235 in 2014.

At present, researchers from around the world including Korea, Asian countries such as China, India, and Iran, North American countries including the U.S. and Canada, European countries such as the U.K., Denmark, France, and Portugal as well as Australia have contributed their papers to IMR.

There are 47 members working on the evaluation of papers, etc. on the editorial board of IMR, whose nationalities are widely distributed around the world. Among them, 24 are from Korea, nine are from Asian countries such as China and Japan, seven are from Europe, four are from North America and three are from Oceania.

The publication rate of papers in IMR is 65.1%, while the rejection rate is 34.9%.

The number of SCI(E)-level journals in integrative and complementary medicine around the world is 24 at present and is rising. There is no SCI-level international journal in Korean medicine published in Korea.

KIOM President Lee Hyejung noted, "With the selection of IMR as a candidate for the National Research Foundation of Korea's list of academic journals, we plan to focus our efforts on developing the journal into an SCI-level international journal. KIOM will continue to promote the academic excellence of the research in Korean Medicine and contribute to improving the international competitiveness of Korean medicine."

Papers published in IMR can be viewed and downloaded from its homepage (www.imr-journal.com/) as well as academic search systems including Korea Citation Index, Google Scholar, Science Direct.

* Article Submission for IMR Vol.5 No.2

IMR Vol.5 No.2, which will be published in June, 2016, is the special issue with the theme of 'Multidisciplinary study of Sasang Constitutional Medicine'. The theme of the article should be related to psychology, society, media, culture, sports, literature, art, music, philosophy, biology, etc. of Sasang Constitutional Medicine. The article can be submitted through the IMR website (http://ees.elsevier.com/imr) by 15^th January, 2016. Please contact IMR staff through email (imr@kiom.re.kr) for more information.

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