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With the advance of modern radiation therapy technique, radiation dose conformation and dose distribution have improved dramatically. However, the progress does not completely fulfill the goal of cancer treatment such as improved local control or survival. The discordances with the clinical results are from the biophysical nature of photon, which is the main source of radiation therapy in current field, with the lower linear energy transfer to the target. As part of a natural progression, there recently has been a resurgence of interest in particle therapy, specifically using heavy charged particles, because these kinds of radiations serve theoretical advantages in both biological and physical aspects. The Korean government is to set up a heavy charged particle facility in Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences. This review introduces some of the elementary physics of the various particles for the sake of Korean radiation oncologists' interest.

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Objectives: This study conducted a survey research to characterize traffic accident(TA) patients seeking Korean medicine treatment and to analyze the symptom improvement and satisfaction scores. Methods: A survey was conducted in 122 outpatients, who visited OO University Korean Hospital due to TA-associated symptoms from November, 2017 to May, 2018. The questionnaire included information on patient demographic characteristics, accident circumstance details, pain levels, reason for treatment selection, treatment methods, treatment purpose, symptom improvement and satisfaction. All statistical analyses were performed using Windows SPSS version 20.0 Results: The characteristics of traffic accident patients using Korean medical institution were usually accidents that occurred while driving slowly, and minor injuries like a sprain. The most important consideration in choosing Korean medical institution was its past experience. The biggest reason for switching treatment from Western medicine to Korean medicine was for diverse treatments. Satisfaction with Korean medicine was measured between very satisfaction and satisfaction. Patients showed the highest satisfaction with acupuncture, followed by pharmacopuncture and chuna manual therapy. Most treatments were measured between very satisfaction and satisfaction. After treatment, 95.90 percent of the patients said they would recommend Korean treatment. Conclusions: Although this study has limitations as research in survey format, we intended to analyze determining factors for the use of Korean medicine treatment through satisfaction, symptom improvement, and Numeric rating scale (NRS) change.

Green chicory (Cichorium intybus) leaf is consumed worldwide that has tremendous bio-functional activities. This study was designed to elucidate the bio-functional activities of the green chicory leaf extract (CLE). Trolox equivalent antioxidant activities were carried out against DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging and ferric reducing activities. CLE showed remarkable hepatoprotective activity against oxidative damages and reactive oxygen species reducing effect in RAW 264.7 and Hep G2 cells. The anti-inflammatory effects performed on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and primary spleen cells. In RAW 264.7 cells, Chicory leaf extract significantly restored the iNOS, COX-2, IL-6, TNF-α and other pro-inflammatory cytokines in mRNA expression. Meanwhile, it restored NF-κB (P-65) and MAPK pathways activation in immunoblot assay dose-dependently and repressed the P-65 translocation in the nucleus. Moreover, it showed notable anti-proliferative activities and downregulated NF-κB (P-65) and MAPK activation in LPS-stimulated splenocytes. Our findings suggest that CLE could be used as a natural anti-inflammatory agent. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Bioconversion can enhance the functionality of efficacy. We made bioconversion material with black rice (Oryza sativa L.) and blueberry (Vaccinium crymbosum L.), using Lactobacillus plantarum (call BB). In this study, BB investigated anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects through immune system control. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of BB in the presence and absence of LPS (Lipopolysaccharide). In the presence of LPS, the bioconversion material inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production from LPS in macrophages, inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), phosphorylation of mitogenactivated protein kinases (such as JNK, ERK and p-38) and reduced the secretion of cytokines Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6). In the absence of LPS, BB exhibited an effect that was opposite of LPS stimulation. These data show that the effect was lower than that of LPS. In conclusion, BB suggested that anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects through the regulation of the immune system are multi-efficacy materials.

N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E) accumulation in the retina is a prominent marker of retinal degenerative diseases. Blue light exposure is considered as an important factor contributing to dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Eggplant and its constituents have been shown to confer health benefits, but their therapeutic effects on dry AMD remain incompletely understood. In this study, we showed that an extract of Solanum melongena L. (EPX) protected A2E-laden ARPE-19 cells against blue light-induced cell death via attenuating reactive oxygen species. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that blue light modulated the expression of genes associated with stress response, inflammation, and cell death, and EPX suppressed the inflammatory pathway induced by blue light in A2E-laden ARPE-19 cells by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B and transcription of pro-inflammatory genes (CXCL8 and IL1B). The degradation of intracellular A2E was considered the major mechanism underlying the protective effect of EPX. Moreover, chlorogenic acid isolated from EPX exerted protective effects against blue light-induced cell damage in A2E-laden ARPE-19 cells. In vivo, EPX administration in BALB/c mice reduced the fundus damage and degeneration of the retinal layer in a blue light-induced retinal damage model. Collectively, our findings suggest the potential role of Solanum melongena L. extract for AMD treatment.