• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.73-84
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• 1998

This study was carried out to investigate on the serum chemistry and the DNA ploidy changes in carcinogenesis of the rat liver and kidney. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. Group I was non-treated control. Group II was given initiators (2,2'-dihydroxy- di-N-propylnitrosamine, 0.1% in drinking water(d.w.) for 1 week and N-ethyl-N-hydroxy-ethylnitrosamine; 0.15% in d.w. for 1 week) and promoters (3'methyl-cholanthrene; 3'MC, l0mg/kg, intraperitoneally(i.p.) twice a week and DL-serine; 0.05% in d.w. for 5 weeks, from 3 to 8 weeks). All examinations were performed at 12 and 20 weeks RBC, HGBCp＜0.05) and PCVCp＜0.01) significantly decreased in Group II at 20 weeks. Activities of ALT, AST(p＜0.05) and GGT(p＜0.01) were significantly increased in Group II at 20 weeks. Flow cytometric analysis showed hepatocyte nuclei from normal livers were predominantly tetraploid(66~67%) and then diploid(28~30%). Most of hepatocyte nuclei from carcinogen-treated rats were diploid (52~68%) and less were tetraploid(28~42%). Neoplastic liver nodules and hepatocellular carcinoma contained almost exclusively diploid nuclei. Renal cell nuclei from normal kidney were predominantly diploid(88~93%), those from carcinogen-treated rats had an abnormal DNA-content peak(aneuploidy, 6-7%), near the tetraploidy area. These results suggest that diploidy may be an effective screening marker of the liver carcinogenesis. Aneuploidy may be an useful marker in assessment of the experimental renal carcinogenesis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.11 s.268
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• pp.810-814
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• 2006

Background: Tumors of the heart are uncommon. The aim of this study is to review our clinical experience and outcome of surgical treatment of cardiac neoplasm. Material and Method: From March 1990 to December 2005, 35 patients(14 males and 21 females) with mean age of 52.4 years underwent surgical treatment of cardiac neoplasm. The clinical and pathologic data were analyzed retrospectively. Surgical treatment consisted in complete resection of the tumor in all cases but 1 patient who was left ventricular fibroma received biopsy only. Result: Thirty cases were benign and five cases were malignant tumor. Benign tumors were myxoma(29 cases) and fibroma(1 case). Five malignant tumors were osteosarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell cancer, yolk sac tumor, and unclassified myxoid spindle cell type sarcoma. There were no operative mortality in benign cases and twenty seven cases of myxoma were followed up for 8 months to 15 years without recurrence. But four patients of malignant tumor were expired within six months after operation. Conclusion: Left atrial myxomas are most common benign neoplasm. Surgical treatment is effective for the benign cardiac tumors but prognosis is poor in patients with malignant cardiac tumors.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Although Angelica keiskei (AK) has widely been utilized for the purpose of general health improvement among Asian, its functionality and mechanism of action. The aim of this study was to determine the protective effect of ethanol extract of AK (AK-Ex) on acute hepatotoxicity induced by acetaminophen (AAP) in HepG2 human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cells and HepaRG human hepatic progenitor cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: AK-Ex was prepared HepG2 and HepaRG cells were cultured with various concentrations and 30 mM AAP. The protective effects of AK-Ex against AAP-induced hepatotoxicity in HepG2 and HepaRG cells were evaluated using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, flow cytometry, and Western blotting. RESULTS: AK-Ex, when administered prior to AAP, increased cell growth and decreased leakage of LDH in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 and HepaRG cells against AAP-induced hepatotoxicity. AK-Ex increased the level of Bcl-2 and decreased the levels of Bax, Bok and Bik decreased the permeability of the mitochondrial membrane in HepG2 cells intoxicated with AAP. AK-Ex decreased the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and the activation of caspase-9, -7, and -3. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that AK-Ex downregulates apoptosis via intrinsic and extrinsic pathways against AAP-induced hepatotoxicity. We suggest that AK could be a useful preventive agent against AAP-induced apoptosis in hepatocytes.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2012

Tyrosinemia type I is an autosomal recessive inborn error of tyrosine metabolism that caused a mutation. Clinical symptoms include progressive liver damage with liver failure, coagulopathy, hypophosphataemic rickets, renal tubular dysfunction and a high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. If left untreated, the affected infants may die from liver failure within the first year of life. PharmacoloIcal therapy with 2-(2-nitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC) has offered an effective therapeutic option in addition to dietary restriction of tyrosine and phenylalanine. As prognosis of tyrosinemia type I is improving with early diagnosis and early treatments, it meets the criteria for a condition that would benefit from newborn screening. We report a case of tyrosinemia type I diagnosed by newborn screening and successive biochemical analysis of plasma and urine, treated by dietary restriction and NTBC.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.149-154
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• 2011

Objectives : Myocardial infarction is caused by heart cell death in a region where coronary arteries supplying blood to the region are occluded. In the present study, we determined whether ethanol extract of Cortex fraxini (HY5053) could attenuate heart injury by inhibiting apoptosis. Methods : Improvement of survival of HepG2 cells, a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, and reduction of apoptosis under hypoxic conditions (3% $O_2$) were assessed by trypan blue staining and DNA fragmentation assay, respectively. To assess the impact of HY5053 on the heart injury, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 1 day of the left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion. HY5053 was given by intraperitoneal injection (200 mg/kg) 1 hr prior to the occlusion. Subsequently, the heart were harvested, excised into 4 slices, and the slices were stained with 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride. Finally, the extent of heart injury represented as ischemic index (%) was assessed. Results : Addition of HY5053 (400 ${\mu}g$/mL) into the culture medium for 1 day under ischemic conditions improved the cell survival by 50%, compared with control (0 ${\mu}g$/mL), consequently delayed apoptosis in 6 hr difference. Also, HY5053 (200 mg/kg) reduced the ischemic index by 44%, compared with control (0 mg/kg). Conclusions : These findings suggested that HY5053 attenuated myocardial infarction by inhibiting apoptosis. Thus, Cortex fraxini could be developed as a novel cardioprotectant to complement a currently available treatment, coronary angioplasty.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

Objective : This study is purposed to report 2 cases of cancer patient whose symptoms related to radiation pneumonitis had been controlled with Saengmaek-san treatment. Methods : A 56-year-old female rectal cancer patient was prescribed with Saengmaek-san due to the symptoms which had developed 4 weeks after the completion of her radiotherapy session in both lungs. Her chief complaints were shortness of breath, dry cough and fatigue. Another case, 53-year-old male patient with hepatocellular carcinoma, had also developed symptoms of fatigue, weight loss and dry cough after his radiotherapy session in left upper lung zone. Radiological changes of both patients' chest X-ray suggested radiation pneumonitis. Results : Symptoms of the female patient were improved, especially shortness of breath, after Saengmaek-san treatment, without any aggravation in her chest X-ray result. However, infiltrative opacity in the left upper lung zone of the male patient was aggravated despite the improvement of his clinical symptoms. His remaining symptoms and radiological change were effectively controlled after steroid therapy. Conclusion : Seangmaek-san may be considered as a potential treatment for symptoms related to radiation pneumonitis with proper monitoring.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.1336-1344
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• 2017

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. With recent identification of HBV receptor, inhibition of virus entry has become a promising concept in the development of new antiviral drugs. To date, 10 HBV genotypes (A-J) have been defined. We previously generated two murine anti-preS1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), KR359 and KR127, that recognize amino acids (aa) 19-26 and 37-45, respectively, in the receptor binding site (aa 13-58, genotype C). Each mAb exhibited virus neutralizing activity in vitro, and a humanized version of KR127 effectively neutralized HBV infection in chimpanzees. In the present study, we constructed a humanized version (HzKR359-1) of KR359 whose antigen binding activity is 4.4-fold higher than that of KR359, as assessed by competitive ELISA, and produced recombinant preS1 antigens (aa 1-60) of different genotypes to investigate the binding capacities of HzKR359-1 and a humanized version (HzKR127-3.2) of KR127 to the 10 HBV genotypes. The results indicate that HzKR359-1 can bind to five genotypes (A, B, C, H, and J), and HzKR127-3.2 can also bind to five genotypes (A, C, D, G, and I). The combination of these two antibodies can bind to eight genotypes (A-D, G-J), and to genotype C additively. Considering that genotypes A-D are common, whereas genotypes E and F are occasionally represented in small patient population, the combination of these two antibodies might block the entry of most virus genotypes and thus broadly neutralize HBV infection.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2011

Ischemic stroke constitutes about 80% of all stroke incidences. It is characterized by brain cell death in a region where cerebral arteries supplying blood are occluded. Under these ischemic conditions, apoptosis is responsible for the cell death, at least in part. Goat's-beard (Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus) is a perennial plant that grows naturally in the alpine regions of Korea. In the present study, we first determined whether water extract of goat's-beard (HY1646) and some of its fractions prepared by partitioning with organic solvents could improve the viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) cultured under hypoxic condition by blocking apoptotic pathways. Based on the in vitro findings, we subsequently investigated whether HY1646 and the ethyl acetate fraction (EA) selected from cell culture-based screening could attenuate brain injury in a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of ischemia (2 hr), followed by 22 hours of reperfusion. The cell number was sustained close to that initially plated in the presence of HY1646 even after 24 hr of cell culture under hypoxic condition (3% $O_2$), at which time the cell number reached almost zero in the absence of HY1646. This improvement in cell viability was attributed to the delay in apoptosis, identified by the formation of DNA ladder in gel electrophoresis. Of fractions soluble in hexane, ethyl acetate (EA) and butanol, EA was chosen for the animal experiments because EA demonstrated the best cell viability at the lowest concentration (10 ${\mu}g$/mL). HY1646 (200 mg/kg) and EA (10 and 20 mg/kg) significantly reduced infarct size, an index of brain injury, by 16.6, 40.0 and 61.0%, respectively, as assessed by 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining. The findings suggest that prophylactic intake of goat's beard might be beneficial for preventing ischemic stroke.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2011

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fi fth most common malignancy in the world and complicates liver cirrhosis related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in many cases. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of Korean red ginseng extract (KGE) in patients with chronic liver diseases. Thirty male and female patients with HCC and another thirty with liver cirrhosis were included. Each category was divided into two groups; the first was used as control group, and received medical therapy only and the second group received the medical therapy supplemented with KGE capsules. The treated group with HCC received three KGE capsules/day (900 mg) while the treated group with HCV received two KGE capsules/day (600 mg) for 11 weeks along with their medical therapy. All patients were subjected to clinical examination and laboratory investigations, including liver function tests (at baseline, after 6 weeks of treatment and at the end of the study) and abdominal ultrasonography. Patients showing focal hepatic lesions were subjected to triphasic spiral abdominal computerized tomography and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). HCV RNA was determined quantitatively by Roche for patients in the HCV group. Results showed that the medical therapy alone failed to normalize the liver enzymes or decrease the virus concentration. KGE administration induced a significant improvement in liver function tests, decreased the tumor marker (AFP) levels, and decreased the viral titers in HCV patients. Thus, KGE demonstrated powerful therapeutic effects against HCV and liver cancer.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to evaluate children who underwent hepatic resection for primary malignant hepatic tumor in the period from January 1994 to December 2001. A total of 8 patients, seven with hepatoblastoma (HB) and one with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), were studied. One HCC was resectable at the initial diagnosis, but five cases of unresectable HB received two cycles of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) before operation. One patient with an unresectable HB with bone marrow metastasis was operated after one cycle of TACE and one cycle of systemic chemotherapy based on CCG-823F protocol. Another unresectable HB patient received systemic chemotherapy instead of TACE before operation. Postoperative chemotherapy was administered to all of the patients after complete surgical resection on CCG-823F protocol. All 6 patients who underwent TACE and neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed marked reduction in tumor volume and a clear outline of the lesion. Major complication was not noticed. Mean alpha-fetoprotein (${\alpha}$-FP) level at diagnosis, after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and after postoperative chemotherapy was 9,818 (42-35,350), 664, and 10.1 ng/mL, respectively. Half life of the ${\alpha}$-FP after complete resection was 5.1 days (3.0-8.7 days). Median follow up period was 57.1 months (10-97 months) and all the patients are alive with NED. In conclusion, preoperative chemotherapy, especially TACE, is effective, safe, and useful to treat initially unresectable hepatoblastoma, and serial level of the serum ${\alpha}$-FP is a useful tumor marker for diagnosis and monitoring therapeutic responses.