Researcher's Ethics
Journal of Pharmacopuncture Ethical Approval
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Article 1. Research Ethics Rules for Authors
Section.1.1. No Copying, Forging and Falsification
(1) Authors should not falsely claim that they have conducted research when they have not. Other researchers' academic achievements can be used for reference, including the original sources. Presenting other researchers' research as your own constitutes plagiarism. (2) Faking research data, manipulating research procedures, changing and deleting arbitrarily are banned as there could affect the research outcomes. Section.1.2. Publication Contribution
(1) Authors are recognized for their own research and assume responsibility for the contents of their papers. (2) Authors and papers should be listed based on their contributions to the research. Being in certain positions cannot be counted as co-authors, first authors, or corresponding authors. Not recognizing any contributions in any forms is not justified. When the levels of contributions are not big, gratitude comes in the form of a footnote or a preface. Section.1.3. Previous Publication or Duplicate Submission
- The Editor assumes that all authors listed in a manuscript have agreed with the following policy of Journal of Pharmacopuncture and are responsible for the whole content on submission of manuscripts. Authors should not submit articles previously published or in press or under review. Submitting the same papers to other similar journals is not allowed. Using parts of previously published papers for publication requires consents from the publishers.
- If a new author is added or an author is deleted after the submission, the corresponding author is responsible to ensure that the authors concerned are aware of and agree with the changes. Journal of Pharmacopuncture has no responsibility for such changes.
Section.1.4. Citation and Reference
(1) Use of academic data should be clearly stated, and its sources should be disclosed in the paper unless it is shared knowledge. Information obtained through personal discussion can be used with consent from the provider of the information. (2) When using other people's papers for reference or opinion, the details can be written in a footnote, indicating which part of the research is cited from other people's papers and showing the authors' own ideas, arguments and interpretations. Section.1.5. Authorship
- Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, and/or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; 3) final approval of the version to be published; and 4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Every author should meet all of these four conditions. After the initial submission of a manuscript, any changes whatsoever in authorship (adding author(s), deleting author(s), or re-arranging the order of authors) must be explained by a letter to the editor from the authors concerned. This letter must be signed by all authors of the paper. Copyright assignment must also be completed by every author.
(1) Corresponding author and first author: Journal of Pharmacopuncture does not allow multiple corresponding authors for one article. Only one author should correspond with the editorial office and readers for one article. Journal of Pharmacopuncture does accept notice of equal contribution for the first author when the study was clearly performed by co-first authors. (2) Correction of authorship after publication: Journal of Pharmacopuncture does not correct authorship after publication unless a mistake has been made by the editorial staff. Authorship may be changed before publication but after submission when an authorship correction is requested by all of the authors involved with the manuscript. Section.1.6. Human Rights in Experiments
- For research on humans, the study protocol must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB approval number should be provided (e.g. Approval No. 2019013). In addition, informed consent must be obtained from all subjects at the time they are enrolled. Editorial Board and Reviewer is able to reject manuscripts for concerning of ethical or human welfare.
Section.1.7. Animal Rights in Experiments
- For animal experimentation, the procedures used and the care of animals should be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of one of the authors' institution(s), and the approval number should be provided (e.g. Approval No. 2019011). Additionaly, pathogens involving research requiring a high degree of biosafety should pass the review of a relevant committee (e.g., an Institutional Biosafety Committee). Editorial Board and Reviewer is able to reject manuscripts for concerning of ethical or human welfare.
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Article.2. Research Ethics Rules for Editorial Board Members
Section.2.1. Roles
- The Editorial Board members assume the responsibility for deciding whether to publish submitted papers. They need to respect the authors' individualities.
Section.2.2. No Bias
- All submissions should be treated equally and evaluated fairly based on the quality of the manuscripts and by the rules. No special treatment is given for authors' gender, age, affiliation, or personal connection.
Section.2.3. Review
- The Editorial Board members should commission reviewers who are well knowledgeable in their areas with good judgment. Persons with personal ties to the authors should not be recommended as reviewers. Reviewers who are hostile towards authors should not be considered as reviewers. When review results are significantly different from reviewer to reviewer, the Editorial Board can seek advice from outside experts with deep knowledge of the field for a final decision.
Section.2.4. Confidentiality Disclosure
- Until the final decision of acceptance is made, no information about the authors or the manuscript can be released.
Section.2.5. Duty for Report
- If any complaints are made about the review of a manuscript to the Editorial Board, it should be reported to the Ethics Board immediately.
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Article.3. Research Ethics Rules for Reviewers
Section.3.1. Review Period and Decline of Review
- Reviewers are required to evaluate papers commissioned by the Editorial Board within a certain period of time set for review. They need to inform the Editorial Board of the review results. If the reviewer thinks he or she will not be able to serve as a reviewer for some reasons, he or she should notify the Editorial Board of his or her inability to do the review.
Section.3.2. No bias
- Reviewers are required to review manuscripts fairly and objectively. They also should not allow any personal beliefs or personal ties to disrupt the review process. Rejecting manuscripts because they are against personal beliefs or interpretations without properly presenting sensible reasons is not acceptable. Reviewing without thoroughly reading the manuscripts is also not acceptable.
Section.3.3. Notification
- Reviewers should notify the Editorial Board when they find that papers they are reviewing have been published in other journals or are under review. Also, any problems concerning the papers should be addressed to the Editorial Board.
Section.3.4. Making Reviewers' Comments
- Reviewers should respect the authors' individualities. While expressing opinions on manuscripts in an evaluation form, the reviewers need to explain why the paper needs corrections. Reviewers' comments should be expressed positively. Belittling or insulting authors is not allowed.
Section.3.5. Confidentiality Disclosure
- Information on assigned papers should be kept confidential by reviewers. Showing the papers to or consulting with someone else is not desirable unless the reviewers are seeking advice for review. Citing any passages in whole or part from the manuscript before publication is not allowed.
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Article.4. Standards of Ethics and Guidelines
- It is committed to adhering to the standards and guidelines set out by the COPE. The following are useful links for authors, reviewers and editors (COPE, COPE Flow Charts, International Standards for Editors and Authors).
- COPE https://publicationethics.org/
- COPE Flow Charts https://publicationethics.org/guidance/
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Flowcharts International Standards for Editors and Authors
https://publicationethics.org/resources/resources-andfurtherreading/international-standards-editors-and-authors
Journal Info

Editorial Office
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Original Article2021-06-30
Quality Control of Pharmacopuncture: A Comparative Study of Good Manufacturing Practice and External Herbal Dispensary Standards
Ji-Eun Han1, Minjung Park2, Tteul-E-Bom An3, Jong-Hyun Park4, Danny Oh5, Kyeong Han Kim6*, Soo-Hyun Sung1*J Pharmacopuncture 2021; 24(2): 59-67 https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2021.24.2.59Abstract : Objectives: We aimed to compare the external herbal dispensary (EHD) evaluation criteria for pharmacopuncture and the Korea Good Manufacturing Practice (KGMP) sterile medicine standards to contribute to the establishment of quality control criteria for pharmacopuncture.Methods: We obtained the KGMP standards from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the pharmacopuncture certification criteria from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea. The EHD evaluation items were classified into three categories: facilities, quality control, and validation. The evaluation items were compared with the KGMP sterile medicine criteria to determine their conformance with each other, followed by a discussion among the committee of six experts and their consensus to suggest the items to complement the EHD evaluation criteria.Results: Among the KGMP sterile medicine criteria, 44 were related to the management of the facilities, and 32 pharmacopuncture evaluation items corresponded to these KGMP items (66.7%). Fifty-eight KGMP criteria were related to quality management, and 42 pharmacopuncture evaluation items corresponded to these KGMP items (72.4%). Twenty-five KGMP sterile medicine criteria were related to validation, and 11 pharmacopuncture evaluation items corresponded to these KGMP items (44.0%). Sixteen items under the pharmacopuncture EHD criteria corresponded to the KGMP sterile medicine criteria based on the consent of the experts. Among these, 4 were related to facility management, 6 were related to quality control, and 6 were related to validation.Conclusion: For the safety and quality control of pharmacopuncture, there is a need to select the criteria for the mandatory items among the proposed pharmacopuncture-EHD criteria laws and systems to ensure that the pharmacopuncture materials are produced under the pharmacopuncture-EHD in compliance with the relevant requirements. More studies are needed to secure the safety level of pharmacopuncture materials corresponding to that of conventional medicine.
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Case Report2023-03-31
Suggested Integrative Approach for Hand Abscess with Cupping Therapy: a case study
Emad Ahmed Fathy Hussein1*, Shahira Hassan Ibrahim Negm1, Tabish Ishaq Shaikh2, Ahmed Helmy Saleh3J Pharmacopuncture 2023; 26(1): 94-98 https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2023.26.1.94Abstract : A forty-three-year-old male patient was diagnosed with an acute abscess in the dorsum of the right hand. On the 5th day of conventional pharmacological therapy the patient was still suffering, and was referred to the Outpatient department (OPD) to evacuate and drain the abscess and treat the edema around the area with Hijama (wet cupping therapy, WCT). The hand abscess was successfully cured within a week using an integrative approach of wet cupping therapy together with conventional drug therapy.
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Systematic Review2021-12-31
Effect of Manual Acupuncture for Mild-to-Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review
Jeong Ho Huh1†, Hye In Jeong2†, Kyeong Han Kim3,4*J Pharmacopuncture 2021; 24(4): 153-164 https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2021.24.4.153Abstract : Objectives: Despite the low cost and high accessibility of manual acupuncture (MA) treatments for the carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), this intervention has not been uniformly evaluated in systematic reviews (SR), and no SR has evaluated MA monotherapy for CTS. This review was conducted to summarize the findings and undertake a quality assessment of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture treatment methods for mild-tomoderate CTS to identify clinical evidence for the use of MA in CTS.Methods: We searched five databases for articles on relevant RCTs that were published until June 2021 without imposing specific restrictions, such as age or sex, on CTS patients. RCTs that evaluated MA were included without any restriction on comparator interventions. Measurement tools for evaluating pain reduction and functional improvement or for evaluating efficacy using electrophysiological indicators were included as outcome measures.Results: We included seven RCTs, of which three studies reported both post-treatment improvement effects and statistical significance using p-values for all outcomes. Five studies reported statistically significant intergroup differences (p-values for all outcomes) in posttreatment improvement. None of the studies reported severe adverse effects of MA. In all of the RCTs, the reporting rates of the 2c, 2a, and 6a items of STRICTA 2010 were 14%, 29%, and 29%, respectively. PC7 (Daereung) was used to treat CTS in all of the included studies.Conclusion: MA can be used for CTS treatment without serious adverse effects. PC7 was the most commonly used acupoint. In order to ensure objective and reliable reporting, accurate standardization of acupuncture treatment methods acupoint terms should be undertaken in future RCTs.
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Systematic Review2021-06-30
Effect of Complementary Medicine on Pain Relief and Wound Healing after Cesarean Section: A Systematic Review
Azin Niazi1, Maryam Moradi2*, Vahid Reza Askari3, Neda Sharifi4J Pharmacopuncture 2021; 24(2): 41-53 https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2021.24.2.41Abstract : Objectives: Cesarean sections are one of the common surgical procedures around the world. Management of cesarean section side effects, including pain, hematoma, delayed wound healing, is of particular importance in maintaining maternal health and ability to care for the baby. The tendency to use complementary medicine strategies is on the rise because of the easy treatment with low side effects. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the efficacy and safety of clinical trials performed in Iran and worldwide on the effect of complementary medicine on pain relief and wound healing after cesarean section.Methods: PRISMA checklist was followed to prepare the report of this systematic review. The search process was carried out on databases on databases of Magiran, SID, Iran Medex, Scopus, Pub Med, Science direct, Medline and Cochrane library using keywords of cesarean, pain, wound healing, Herbal medicine, acupressure, massage, complementary medicine and their Persian equivalent and all possible combinations, from inception until February 2020. We used the Jadad scale to assess the quality of the searched articles. According to the Jadad scale, the articles with a score of at least 3 were included in the study.Results: Finally, 28 clinical trials (with a sample size of 3,245) scored at least 3 on the Jadad scale were included into the analysis. This article reviewed 13 articles on medicinal herbs, 4 articles on massage, 1 article on reflexology, 2 articles on acupressure.Conclusion: According to the present review, the use of medicinal herbs was the most common method of complementary medicine in pain relief and wound healing after cesarean section.
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Review Article2021-09-30
Literature Review on Korean Medicine Treatment for Alopecia
Seul Woo Leem1†, Min Kyeong Kim1†, Seo Lim Ko1, Hye In Jeong2, Kyeong Han Kim3,4*J Pharmacopuncture 2021; 24(3): 93-106 https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2021.24.3.93Abstract : This study aimed to analyze the use of Korean medicine treatments for alopecia in among clinical studies. We identified and analyzed 22 studies from Korean databases; Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), Science ON, Korean Studies Information Service System (KISS), and Research Information Sharing Service (RISS) and international database; PubMed. We analyzed the Korean medical treatment in each case and determined the tendency to use each intervention. We analyzed 1,464 patients from 22 selected studies. Herbal medicine, acupuncture, external medicine or products, pharmacopuncture, and phototherapy were used for alopecia treatment. The herbal medicines mainly used to treat alopecia were Gagam Cheongyoung-tang, Gagam Hwajung-hwan, and Yukmijihwang-tang·hwan. The acupoints primarily used were GV20, EX-HN1, GB5, KI3, PC6, ST36, GV22, and A-shi. The most commonly used pharmacopuncture therapies were Hwangryunhaedoktang (HH), Carthami Fructus (CF), Bee Venom (BV), and Hominis placenta (HP). The Korean medical treatment for alopecia improved the condition of patients. However, seven studies reported the occurrence of side effects such as pruritus, dazed, drowsiness, headache, pain, and diarrhea. This study shows the potential of Korean medicine for the treatment of alopecia. Further studies with a large sample size and long-term follow-up are warranted to establish the primary treatment guidelines and objective out-come measures for alopecia.
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Original Article2021-06-30
Regulatory Effect of Cannabidiol (CBD) on Decreased β-Catenin Expression in Alopecia Models by Testosterone and PMA Treatment in Dermal Papilla Cells
Yoon-Jong Park1, Jae-Min Ryu1, Han-Heom Na1,2, Hyun-Suk Jung2,3, Bokhye Kim2, Jin-Sung Park4, Byung-Soo Ahn4,5, Keun-Cheol Kim1,2*J Pharmacopuncture 2021; 24(2): 68-75 https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2021.24.2.68Abstract : Objectives: The hair follicle is composed of more than 20 kinds of cells, and mesoderm derived dermal papilla cells and keratinocytes cooperatively contribute hair growth via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. We are to investigate β-catenin expression and regulatory mechanism by CBD in alopecia hair tissues and dermal papilla cells. Methods: We performed structural and anatomical analyses on alopecia patients derived hair tissues using microscopes. Pharmacological effect of CBD was evaluated by β-catenin expression using RT-PCR and immunostaining experiment. Results: Morphological deformation and loss of cell numbers in hair shaft were observed in alopecia hair tissues. IHC experiment showed that loss of β-catenin expression was shown in inner shaft of the alopecia hair tissues, indicating that β-catenin expression is a key regulatory function during alopecia progression. Consistently, β-catenin expression was decreased in testosterone or PMA treated dermal papilla cells, suggesting that those treatments are referred as a model on molecular mechanism of alopecia using dermal papilla cells. RT-PCR and immunostaining experiments showed that β-catenin expression was decreased in RNA level, as well as decreased β-catenin protein might be resulted from ubiquitination. However, CBD treatment has no changes in gene expression including β-catenin, but the decreased β-catenin expression by testosterone or PMA was restored by CBD pretreatment, suggesting that potential regulatory effect on alopecia induction of testosterone and PMA. Conclusion: CBD might have a modulating function on alopecia caused by hormonal or excess of signaling pathway, and be a promising application for on alopecia treatment.
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