Epidemiology of burns caused by moxibustion in Korea.

INTRODUCTION: Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese treatment that uses dried Artemisia argyi, is a common cause of burns treated in Korean hospitals. We aimed to examine the characteristics of moxibustion-induced burns. METHODS: This retrospective study examined the records of 59 patients who were treated for moxibustion-induced burns (April 2014-October 2015). All patients completed a questionnaire regarding their general characteristics and moxibustion use. RESULTS: The patients included 16 men and 43 women (average age: 49.1 years, 68 burn sites). Superficial second-degree burns were present at 21 sites, deep second- or third-degree burns at 44 sites, and unknown burns at 3 sites. The most common sites were the lower extremities, abdomen, and upper extremities. The most common practitioners were the patients (27/59, 45.7%) and Oriental medicine practitioners (23/59, 38.9%). The most common locations were the patient's home, Oriental medicine clinic, and moxibustion clinic. The most common reason for moxibustion was pain. Only the burn site was significantly associated with burn depth, and non-abdominal sites were 9.37-fold more likely to involve deep burns (vs. abdominal sites). CONCLUSION: Korean patients routinely undergo moxibustion, and care must be taken when using moxibustion at non-abdominal sites, due to the risk of deep burns.

Phellinus baumii ethyl acetate extract alleviated collagen type II induced arthritis in DBA/1 mice.

Mushrooms have a long history of dietary benefits in Asia due to their health-promoting effects. Phellinus baumii, a wild mushroom, has been reported to have anti-platelet, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and free radical scavenging activities. However, its anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) property remains poorly understood. Hence, we investigated the protective effect of Phellinus baumii ethyl acetate extract (PBEAE) against bovine collagen type II induced arthritis (CIA) in DBA/1 mice. PBEAE (50 and 150 mg/kg) reduced the CIA score and leukocyte count in draining lymph nodes (DLNs) and inflamed joints. PBEAE also attenuated the expressions of CD3⁺ (T cells), CD19⁺ (B cells), CD4⁺ (T-helper), CD8⁺ (T-cytotoxic), MHC class II/CD11c⁺ (antigen-presenting cells), double positives (B220⁺/CD23⁺ and CD3⁺/CD69⁺: early lymphocyte activation markers) and CD4⁺/CD25⁺ (activated T-helper) leukocyte subpopulations in DLNs. Likewise, CD3⁺ and Gr-1⁺CD11b⁺ (neutrophil) counts in inflamed joints were also decreased. Furthermore, PBEAE reduced the serum levels of anti-collagen type immunoglobulin G, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6. Taken together, PBEAE impaired cellular recruitment to the inflamed joint and alleviated CIA, and thus could be considered as a potential agent against rheumatoid arthritis.

Phellinus baumii ethyl acetate extract inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced iNOS, COX-2, and proinflammatory cytokine expression in RAW264.7 cells.

Mushrooms are valuable sources of biologically active compounds possessing anticancer, antiplatelet, and anti-inflammatory properties. Phellinus baumii is a mushroom used in folk medicine for a variety of human diseases. However, its potential anti-inflammatory effect has remained unclear. Therefore, we studied the effect of P. baumii ethyl acetate extract (PBEAE) on inflammatory mediator and proinflammatory cytokine protein and/or mRNA expression levels using the nitric oxide (NO) assay, enzyme immunoassay (EIA), western blot, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage like RAW264.7 cells. PBEAE markedly inhibited NO generation and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) synthesis in a concentration-dependent pattern without any cytotoxic effect at the concentration range used. PBEAE also suppressed inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression. In addition, LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 mRNA expression levels were dose-dependently inhibited by PBEAE pretreatment. Furthermore, PBEAE attenuated the mRNA expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines, specifically interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), in a concentration-dependent fashion. Our study suggests that P. baumii might exhibit anti-inflammatory properties by downregulating proinflammatory mediators. Thus, further study on compounds isolated from PBEAE is warranted to investigate the associated molecular mechanisms and identify the potential therapeutic targets.