• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2020

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) for the treatment of cancerous upper abdominal pain in a tertiary university hospital in Korea. Methods: At the tertiary university hospital in Korea, electronic medical records of cancer patients who underwent CPN and died in the hospital from November 2009 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The total number of subjects was 51. The 17 patients were from the Department of Gastroenterology (33.0%), followed by 11 patients from the Department of Hemato-oncology (21.6%), 11 patients from the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (21.6%), 9 patients from the Department of General Surgery (17.6%). The diagnosis was pancreatic cancer in 15 patients (29.4%), stomach cancer in 8 patients (15.7%), hepatobiliary cancer in 20 patients (39.2%), colon cancer in 1 patient (2.0%), esophageal cancer in 2 patient (3.9%) and intra-abdominal metastasis in 5 patients (9.8%). The mean survival time after the surgery was 66.4±55.0 days. The pain intensity before and 1 week after the procedure significantly decreased, but the amounts of opioids consumed before and 1 week after the procedure were not statistically significant. Side effects occurred after the procedure including temporary localized pain in 24 patients (47.0%), hypotension in 12 (23.5%), and diarrhea in 6 (11.8%). Conclusion: CPN is an effective and safe procedure for reducing upper abdominal pain caused by cancer, and it is necessary to perform CPN within the appropriate time by establishing a system of interdepartmental cooperation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.158-164
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• 2012

Inhibiting the bioactivities of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) results in significant inhibition of neovessel formation during tumor angiogenesis. To investigate the potential effect of phloroglucinol as an EPC inhibitor, we performed several in vitro functional assays using $CD34^+$ cells isolated from human umbilical cord blood (HUCB). Although a high treatment dose of phloroglucinol did not show any cell toxicity, it specifically induced the cell death of EPCs under serum free conditions through apoptosis. In the EPC colony-forming assay (EPC-CFA), we observed a significant decreased in the small EPC-CFUs for the phloroglucinol group, implying that phloroglucinol inhibited the early stage of EPC commitment. In addition, in the in vitro expansion assay using $CD34^+$ cells, treatment with phloroglucinol was shown to inhibit endothelial lineage commitment, as demonstrated by the decrease in endothelial surface markers of EPCs including $CD34^+$, $CD34^+/CD133^+$, $CD34^+/CD31^+$ and $CD34^+/CXCR4^+$. This is the first report to demonstrate that phloroglucinol can inhibit the functional bioactivities of EPCs, indicating that phloroglucinol may be used as an EPC inhibitor in the development of biosafe anti-tumor drugs that target tumor angiogenesis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.104-111
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• 2012

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases which degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) during embryogenesis, wound healing, and tissue remodeling. Dysregulation of MMP activity is also associated with various pathological inflammatory conditions. In this study, we examined the expression pattern of MMPs during PMA-induced differentiation of THP-1 monocytic cells into macrophages. We found that MMP1, MMP8, MMP3, MMP10, MMP12, MMP19, MMP9, and MMP7 were upregulated during differentiation whereas MMP2 remained unchanged. Expression of MMPs increased in a time-dependent manner; MMP1, MMP8, MMP3, MMP10, and MMP12 increased beginning at 60 hr post PMA treatment whereas MMP19, MMP9, and MMP7 increased beginning at 24 hr post PMA treatment. To identify signal transduction pathways involved in PMA-induced upregulation of MMPs, we treated PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells with specific inhibitors for PKC, MEK1, NF-${\kappa}B$, PI3K, p38 MAPK and PLC. We found that inhibition of the MEK1 pathway blocked PMA-induced upregulation of all MMPs to varying degrees except for MMP-2. In addition, expression of select MMPs was inhibited by PI3K, p38 MAPK and PLC inhibitors. In conclusion, we show that of the MMPs examined, most MMPs were up-regulated during differentiation of monocyte into macrophage via the MEK1 pathway. These results provide basic information for studying MMPs expression during macrophage differentiation.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.41-55
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• 2010

Objective : This study is designed to present the direction and the necessity of education on the biomedical ethics the establish desirable ethical view of paramedic students by understanding on the consciousness of students of department of emergency medical technology on biomedical ethics on euthanasia. Method : Data were collected from on 335 students of department of emergency medical technology in 4-year-college located in districts of Chungcheong-do, from March 4 to April 22, 2010. The questionnaire consisted of total 29 items, i.e., 11 items of general characteristics, 11 items of characteristics related to biomedical ethics and 7 items of consciousness on euthanasia. Result : In general characteristics, the first grade showed the most dense distribution of 37.3%, the second grade was 20.0%, the third grade was 20.9% and the fourth grade was 21.8%. In the consciousness of biomedical ethics on euthanasia, the third and the fourth grades showed a higher ratio(${\chi}^2$ = 136.327, p= .000), in comparison with the first and the second grades, the higher year they were, the higher degree of consciousness they had. The consciousness on each item of euthanasia showed significant differences in grade (F = 8.203, p= .000), experience of clinical practice or none (t = 3.731, p= .000), experience of biomedical ethics education or none (t = 1.997, p = .047) and degree of consciousness on DNR (F = 8.240, p = .000) regarding 'CPR shall not be required in any cases if a patient wants DNR', in experience of biomedical ethics education or none (t = 2.452, p= .015) and degree of consciousness on DNR (F = 2.725, p = .044) regarding if a patient refuses all treatments, the patient's opinion shall be respected', and in degree of consciousness on DNR (F = 2.858, p = . 037) regarding 'after determination of DNR, if the family wants a positive treatment, it shall follow the family's request'. Conclusion : It seemed that the differences in consciousness according to grade and experience of clinical practice were influenced by experiences to treat patients in personally. Moreover, it showed that the higher grade they are, the more experience of education they have, the experiences of education had influences on the consciousness. Development of educational programs is required in order to supply accurate knowledge on biomedical ethics for euthanasia to lower-grade students the to let them establish ethical views properly, and in order to correct wrong knowledge and to establish ethical views while supplying knowledge on biomedical ethics for euthanasia to higher-grade students.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.107-113
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• 2008

In this study, we have investigated the effect of panaxatriol (PT) on phosphoinositides (PIS) breakdown and $Ca^{2+}$-elevation in thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Thrombin (5U/ml), a potent platelet agonist which activates phospholipase $C_{\beta}$ via protease activated receptor (PAR), hydrolyzed PIS in platelet membrane. The phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate $(PIP_2)$ was hydrolyzed after 10 sec of the thrombin-stimulation, and both the phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) were brokendown after 30 sec of the thrombin-stimulation. However, PT inhibited the thrombin-stimulated hydrolysis of $PIP_2$, PIP, and PI. On the other hand, thrombin increased the level of phosphatidic acid (PA) which is phosphorylated from diacylglycerol (DG) generated by PIS-hydrolysis. However, Pr inhibited the thrombin-increased PA level non-significantly. Thrombin increased cytosolic free $Ca^{2+}([Ca^{2+}])_i$) up to 72% as compared with control $(30.8{\pm}0.9 nM)$ in intact platelet. However, PT (100 ${\mu}g/ml$) inhibited the thrombin-elevated $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ to 100%. These results suggest that PT may have a beneficial effect on platelet aggregation-mediated thrombotic disease by inhibiting thrombin-induced platelet aggregation via suppression of the $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ level and PIS breakdown.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.296-301
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• 2015

Explant culture condition of dorsal root ganglion have been used to investigate the pathophysiology of peripheral nerve injury, while applying for the various clinical symptom such as trauma, pressure, and stretch. However, explant culture is usually contaminated by mitotic cells, which may observed as a newly divided cells including fibroblast or glia. The mitotic cells could be able to interrupt and change the cell signaling that make it difficult to avoid detrimental effects during the experiments. To eliminate mitotic cells, anti-mitotic reagents like mixture of uridine and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine or cytosine arabinoside were added to the cultures on the following day, but there is no research that investigate viability of anti-mitotic reagent in dorsal root ganglion explant culture. In this study, we investigate inhibition effect of cytosine arabinoside to mitotic cells in dorsal root ganglion explant culture. Also we visualized and analyzed anti-mitotic effect and toxicity of cytosine arabinoside in various concentration condition. This dorsal root ganglion explant culture condition can be applied to research that effect and mechanism of various stimulation and chemical application which affect peripheral nerve regeneration.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.7
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• pp.445-450
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• 2019

TTYH2 is a calcium-activated, inwardly rectifying anion channel that has been shown to be related to renal cancer and colon cancer. Based on the topological prediction, TTYH2 protein has five transmembrane domains with the extracellular N-terminus and the cytoplasmic C-terminus. In the present study, we identified a vesicle transport protein, ${\beta}$-COP, as a novel specific binding partner of TTYH2 by yeast two-hybrid screening using a human brain cDNA library with the C-terminal region of TTYH2 (TTYH2-C) as a bait. Using in vitro and in vivo binding assays, we confirmed the protein-protein interactions between TTYH2 and ${\beta}$-COP. We also found that the surface expression and activity of TTYH2 were decreased by co-expression with ${\beta}$-COP in the heterologous expression system. In addition, ${\beta}$-COP associated with TTYH2 in a native condition at a human colon cancer cell line, LoVo cells. The over-expression of ${\beta}$-COP in the LoVo cells led to a dramatic decrease in the surface expression and activity of endogenous TTYH2. Collectively, these data suggested that ${\beta}$-COP plays a critical role in the trafficking of the TTYH2 channel to the plasma membrane.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.11-25
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• 2023

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), chromosome 4 open-reading frame 47 (C4orf47) has not been so far investigated for its prognostic value or association with infiltrating immune cells. We performed bioinformatics analysis on HCC data and analyzed the data using online databases such as TIMER, UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, LinkedOmics, and GEPIA2. We found that C4orf47 expression in HCC was higher compared to normal tissues. High C4orf47 expression was associated with a worse prognosis in HCC. The correlation between C4orf47 and infiltrating immune cells is positively associated with CD4+T cells, B cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells in HCC. Moreover, high C4orf47 expression was correlated with a poor prognosis of infiltrating immune cells. Analysis of C4orf47 gene co-expression networks revealed that 12501 genes were positively correlated with C4orf47, whereas 7200 genes were negatively correlated. The positively related genes of C4orf47 are associated with a high hazard ratio in different types of cancer, including HCC. Regarding the biological functions of C4orf47 gene, it mainly regulates RNA metabolic process, DNA replication, and cell cycle. The C4orf47 gene may play a prognostic role by regulating the global transcriptome process in HCC. Our findings demonstrate that high C4orf47 expression correlates with poor prognosis and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in HCC. We suggest that C4orf47 is a novel prognostic biomarker and potential immune therapeutic target for HCC.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.260-275
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• 2022

Sterile alpha motif (SAM) domains bind to various proteins, lipids, and RNAs. However, these domains have not yet been analyzed as prognostic biomarkers. In this study, SAM domain containing 13 (SAMD13), a member of the SAM domain, was evaluated to identify a novel prognostic biomarker in various human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, we identified a correlation between SAMD13 expression and immune cell infiltration in HCC. We performed bioinformatics analysis using online databases, such as Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, LinkedOmics, and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis2. SAMD13 expression in HCC samples was significantly higher than that in normal liver tissue; additionally, SAMD13 was higher in primary tumors, various stages of cancer and grades of tumor, and status of nodal metastasis. Higher SAMD13 expression was also associated with poorer prognosis. SAMD13 expression positively correlated with CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, B cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. In the analysis of SAMD13 co-expression networks, positively related genes of SAMD13 were associated with a high hazard ratio in different types of cancer, including HCC. In biological function of SAMD13, SAMD13 mainly include spliceosome, ribosome biogenesis in eukaryote, ribosome, etc. These results suggest that SAMD13 may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for HCC diagnosis and provide novel insights into tumor immunology in HCC.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.1833-1834
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• 2010