Challenge of Innovative Technology: How to Improve Efficiency of Korean Medicine?

Advancement in science inevitably brings about the development of medicine. With the state-of-the-art technology , Western medicine continuously innovates. Nevertheless, there are still global health issues to be resolved, that is,tive arthritis, and cancer. Additionally, new emerging infectious diseases such as E. bola, MERS, and bird flu as well as antibiotic resistant infections have become a threat to humans. Thus, not less than other traditional and integrative medicines, Korean Medicine (KM) is also challenged to innovatively cope with modern health issues. In 2014, the National Health Insurance of Korea covered 55% of total cost which patients (over 13 millions) paid for medical services provided by KM facilities including hospitals and clinics. More detailed, accurate, and valuable data regarding KM (including clinical and basic study) are needed not only to deal efficiently with modern health issues but also to bring about the innovation of KM services. To improve efficiency and accuracy in KM, modern technology and bioscience are indispensable. The innovation of practice and evolvement in KM help people overcome diseases and live healthily. Our special issue, which had opened for 6 months in the second half of 2015, focused on challenge of innovative technology: how to improve efficiency of KM. An article by D.-H. Kim et al. described that they took the TEM images of a cross section of the primo vessel (PV) inside a lymph vessel; the TEM study reveals the loosely distributed collagen fibers with plenty of empty spaces and the lumens with the endothelial nuclei; it turns out to be very similar to the ultrastructure of the PVs observed on the surfaces of internal organs; it also shows how compactly the PV is surrounded with lymphocytes. J.-H. Kim et al. reported that the identification of Atracty-lodes rhizomes samples, authenticated by their morphological features as Atractylodes japonica Koidz. (Changchul and Baekchul), Atractylodes chinensis Koidz., and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., is confirmed as Atractylodes japonica, Atractylodes chinensis, and Atractylodes macrocephala by internal transcribed spacer sequencing; the results from chemometric analyses show that the chemical components of the crude drugs from Atractylodes japonica are significantly different from those from Atractylodes macrocephala but are similar to those from Atractylodes chinensis according to the results from chemometric analyses; the categorization by age of Atractylodes japonica as Changchul or Baekchul is not recommended. The results indicate that Atractylodes japonica should be categorized as " Changchul " and should not be further categorized by age. …