• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.375-384
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• 2021

Objective: This study was designed to analyze the clinical features of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients who attended a Korean medicine hospital and the treatment effects through retrospective chart reviews. Methods: The medical records of 82 outpatients who had been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and visited the Allergy, Immune, and Respiratory System Department of Kyung Hee Korean Medicine Hospital from 8 January 2015 to 8 January 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. To assess the treatment outcomes, we used the FVC (Forced Vital Capacity), DLCO (Diffusing capacity of the Lung for CO), 6-minute walk test, and HRCT (High Resolution Computed Tomography). Results: The study group consisted of 28 females and 54 males. The median age of the patients was 67.98±11.44 years. The chief complaints were cough (n=51) and dyspnea (n=49). Other frequent symptoms were general weakness (n=8), weight loss (n=4), and a fever (n=2). A total of 77 (93.90%) patients were prescribed Korean herbal medicine, and 52 (63.41%) patients were treated with acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping therapy, ICT, or pharmacopuncture. After treatments, FVC, DLCO, the 6-minute walk test, and HRCT were maintained or worsened slightly. Conclusions: This study presented the characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients treated by Korean medical therapies, and further studies of Korean medical treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients would be valuable.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.551-561
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• 2021

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancers, such as papillary and follicular cancers, have a favorable prognosis. However, poorly differentiated thyroid cancers, such as medullary, squamous and anaplastic advanced thyroid cancers, are very aggressive and insensitive to radioiodine treatment. Thus, novel therapies that attenuate metastasis are urgently needed. We found that both PDGFC and PDGFRA are predominantly expressed in thyroid cancers and that the survival rate is significantly lower in patients with high PDGFRA expression. This finding indicates the important role of PDGF/PDGFR signaling in thyroid cancer development. Next, we established a SW579 squamous thyroid cancer cell line with 95.6% PDGFRA gene insertion and deletions (indels) through CRISPR/Cas9. Protein and invasion analysis showed a dramatic loss in EMT marker expression and metastatic ability. Furthermore, xenograft tumors derived from PDGFRA geneedited SW579 cells exhibited a minor decrease in tumor growth. However, distant lung metastasis was completely abolished upon PDGFRA gene editing, implying that PDGFRA could be an effective target to inhibit distant metastasis in advanced thyroid cancers. To translate this finding to the clinic, we used the most relevant multikinase inhibitor, imatinib, to inhibit PDGFRA signaling. The results showed that imatinib significantly suppressed cell growth, induced cell cycle arrest and cell death in SW579 cells. Our developed noninvasive apoptosis detection sensor (NIADS) indicated that imatinib induced cell apoptosis through caspase-3 activation. In conclusion, we believe that developing a specific and selective targeted therapy for PDGFRA would effectively suppress PDGFRA-mediated cancer aggressiveness in advanced thyroid cancers.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.97-107
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• 2023

Aristolochic acid (AA), extracted from Aristolochiaceae plants, plays an essential role in traditional herbal medicines and is used for different diseases. However, AA has been found to be nephrotoxic and is known to cause aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). AA-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome in AAN with a high morbidity that manifests mitochondrial damage as a key part of its pathological progression. Melatonin primarily serves as a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant. However, its mitochondrial protective role in AA-induced AKI is barely reported. In this study, mice were administrated 2.5 mg/kg AA to induce AKI. Melatonin reduced the increase in Upro and Scr and attenuated the necrosis and atrophy of renal proximal tubules in mice exposed to AA. Melatonin suppressed ROS generation, MDA levels and iNOS expression and increased SOD activities in vivo and in vitro. Intriguingly, the in vivo study revealed that melatonin decreased mitochondrial fragmentation in renal proximal tubular cells and increased ATP levels in kidney tissues in response to AA. In vitro, melatonin restored the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in NRK-52E and HK-2 cells and led to an elevation in ATP levels. Confocal immunofluorescence data showed that puncta containing Mito-tracker and GFP-LC3A/B were reduced, thereby impeding the mitophagy of tubular epithelial cells. Furthermore, melatonin decreased LC3A/B-II expression and increased p62 expression. The apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells induced by AA was decreased. Therefore, our findings revealed that melatonin could prevent AA-induced AKI by attenuating mitochondrial damage, which may provide a potential therapeutic method for renal AA toxicity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.199-209
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• 2023

Background: Due to the interrupted blood supply in cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS), ischemic and hypoxia results in neuronal depolarization, insufficient NAD+, excessive levels of ROS, mitochondrial damages, and energy metabolism disorders, which triggers the ischemic cascades. Currently, improvement of mitochondrial functions and energy metabolism is as a vital therapeutic target and clinical strategy. Hence, it is greatly crucial to look for neuroprotective natural agents with mitochondria protection actions and explore the mediated targets for treating CIS. In the previous study, notoginseng leaf triterpenes (PNGL) from Panax notoginseng stems and leaves was demonstrated to have neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the potential mechanisms have been not completely elaborate. Methods: The model of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) was adopted to verify the neuroprotective effects and potential pharmacology mechanisms of PNGL in vivo. Antioxidant markers were evaluated by kit detection. Mitochondrial function was evaluated by ATP content measurement, ATPase, NAD and NADH kits. And the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and pathological staining (H&E and Nissl) were used to detect cerebral morphological changes and mitochondrial structural damages. Western blotting, ELISA and immunofluorescence assay were utilized to explore the mitochondrial protection effects and its related mechanisms in vivo. Results: In vivo, treatment with PNGL markedly reduced excessive oxidative stress, inhibited mitochondrial injury, alleviated energy metabolism dysfunction, decreased neuronal loss and apoptosis, and thus notedly raised neuronal survival under ischemia and hypoxia. Meanwhile, PNGL significantly increased the expression of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) in the ischemic regions, and regulated its related downstream SIRT1/2/3-MnSOD/PGC-1α pathways. Conclusion: The study finds that the mitochondrial protective effects of PNGL are associated with the NAMPT-SIRT1/2/3-MnSOD/PGC-1α signal pathways. PNGL, as a novel candidate drug, has great application prospects for preventing and treating ischemic stroke.

• 한국치위생학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.219-226
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• 2023

연구목적: 이 연구는 대황 추출물이 골수 유래 대식세포(BMM)에서 파골세포 분화에 미치는 영향을 조사하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 파골 세포는 골 재흡수 및 재형성에 중요한 역할을 하며, 파골 세포의 조절 장애는 다양한 골 관련 질환을 유발할 수 있다. 잠재적인 항염증 특성을 가진 약용 식물인 대황은 뼈 대사를 조절하는 것으로 제안되었다. 연구방법: 생후 5주령의 C57BL/6 마우스의 대퇴골과 경골에서 BMM을 분리하고 M-CSF(mouse macrophage colony-stimulating factor) 존재하에 3일간 배양한 후 M-CSF와 파골 세포 분화를 유도하기 위한 핵 인자-κB 리간드(RANKL)의 활성화제를 처리하였다. 연구결과: 대황 추출물로 처리하면 BMM에서 파골 세포 분화가 현저하게 억제되었다. 또한 대황 추출물은 파골세포 형성에 필수적인 유전자인 TRAP(tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) 및 CTSK(cathepsin K)의 mRNA 발현을 억제하였다. 또한 파골세포 분화에 중요한 전사 인자인 활성화된 T 세포 c1(NFATc1)의 핵 인자의 RANKL 유도 발현을 억제하였다. 결론: 이러한 결과는 대황 추출물이 BMMs에서 파골 세포 형성에 억제 효과가 있음을 나타낸다. 따라서 대황 추출물은 비정상적인 파골 세포 활동과 관련된 뼈 관련 질환의 치료를 위한 유망한 치료제이다. 잠재적인 임상 적용을 완전히 이해하기 위해서는 메커니즘에 대한 추가 연구와 탐색이 필요하다.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.113-127
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• 2023

Background: Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) may aid in understanding the link between painmodulating brain regions and the descending pain modulatory system (DPMS) in fibromyalgia (FM). This study investigated whether the differences in rs-FC of the primary somatosensory cortex in responders and non-responders to the conditioned pain modulation test (CPM-test) are related to pain, sleep quality, central sensitization, and the impact of FM on quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 33 females with FM. rs-FC was assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Change in the numerical pain scale during the CPM-test assessed the DPMS function. Subjects were classified either as non-responders (i.e., DPMS dysfunction, n = 13) or responders (n = 20) to CPM-test. A generalized linear model (GLM) and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed to check the accuracy of the rs-FC to differentiate each group. Results: Non-responders showed a decreased rs-FC between the left somatosensory cortex (S1) and the periaqueductal gray (PAG) (P < 0.001). The GLM analysis revealed that the S1-PAG rs-FC in the left-brain hemisphere was positively correlated with a central sensitization symptom and negatively correlated with sleep quality and pain scores. ROC curve analysis showed that left S1-PAG rs-FC offers a sensitivity and specificity of 85% or higher (area under the curve, 0.78, 95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.94) to discriminate who does/does not respond to the CPM-test. Conclusions: These results support using the rs-FC patterns in the left S1-PAG as a marker for predicting CPM-test response, which may aid in treatment individualization in FM patients.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.395-404
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• 2024

Background: Ginsenoside Rg₁ (Rg₁) is one of the main active components in Chinese medicines, Panax ginseng and Panax notoginseng. Research has shown that Rg₁ has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, including anti-myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, anti-apoptosis, and promotion of myocardial angiogenesis, suggesting it a potential cardiovascular agent. However, the protective mechanism involved is still not fully understood. Methods: Based on network pharmacology, ligand-based protein docking, proteomics, Western blot, protein recombination and spectroscopic analysis (UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra) techniques, potential targets and pathways for Rg₁ against myocardial ischemia (MI) were screened and explored. Results: An important target set containing 19 proteins was constructed. Two target proteins with more favorable binding activity for Rg₁ against MI were further identified by molecular docking, including mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) and adenosine kinase (ADK). Meanwhile, Rg₁ intervention on H9c2 cells injured by H₂O₂ showed an inhibitory oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. The inhibition of Rg₁ on MAPK1 and OXPHOS pathway was confirmed by Western blot assay. By protein recombination and spectroscopic analysis, the binding reaction between ADK and Rg₁ was also evaluated. Conclusion: Rg₁ can effectively alleviate cardiomyocytes oxidative stress injury via targeting MAPK1 and ADK, and inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. The present study provides scientific basis for the clinical application of the natural active ingredient, Rg₁, and also gives rise to a methodological reference to the searching of action targets and pathways of other natural active ingredients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제80권2호
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• pp.169-178
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• 2017

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of our new video-assisted asthma education program on patients' knowledge regarding asthma and asthma control. Methods: Adult asthmatics who were diagnosed by primary care physicians and followed for at least 1 year were educated via smart devices and pamphlets. The education sessions were carried out three times at 2-week intervals. Each education period lasted at most 5 minutes. The effectiveness was then evaluated using questionnaires and an asthma control test (ACT). Results: The study enrolled 144 patients (mean age, $56.7{\pm}16.7years$). Half of the patients had not been taught how to use their inhalers. After participating in the education program, the participants' understanding of asthma improved significantly across all six items of a questionnaire assessing their general knowledge of asthma. The proportion of patients who made errors while manipulating their inhalers was reduced to less than 10%. The ACT score increased from $16.6{\pm}4.6$ to $20.0{\pm}3.9$ (p<0.001). The number of asthmatics whose ACT score was at least 20 increased from 45 (33.3%) to 93 (65.3%) (p<0.001). The magnitude of improvement in the ACT score did not differ between patients who received an education session at least three times within 1 year and those who had not. The majority of patients agreed to the need for an education program (95.8%) and showed a willingness to pay an additional cost for the education (81.9%). Conclusion: This study indicated that our newly developed education program would become an effective component of asthma management in primary care clinics.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제34권5호
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• pp.410-417
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• 2000

목적: 현재 유방암 치료제로서 임상실험 제 2단계에 들어간 idoxifene은 항에스트로겐 의약품으로서 기존의 tamoxifen보다도 많은 장점을 가지고 있는 것으로 연구결과 밝혀졌다. 또한 방사성 동위원소 $[^{123}I]$를 표지한 $[^{123}I]$idoxifene은 SPECT을 이용한 유방암세포를 영상화하여 조기에 진단할 수 있는 진단시약으로서 널리 각광 받고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 idoxifene의 전구체를 합성하고 $[^{123}I]$를 표지하여 세포 내 섭취론 관찰하였다. 대상 및 방법: $[^{123}I]$idoxifene을 위한 전구체는 McCague가 연구 발표한 자료를 바탕으로 (2-chloroethoxy)benzene과 2-phenylbutanoic acid를 출발물질로 하여 합성하였다. 표지는 $[^{123}I]$를 사용하였으며 분리는 Silica Sep-Pak을 사용하였으며 세포 내 섭취실험은 에스트로겐 리셉터를 가진 MCF-7과 대조군으로서 에스트로겐 리셉터가 없는 MDA-MB-468을 이용하였다. 결과 및 결론: Idoxifene의 전구체인 4-stannylated 화합물의 합성수율은 약 30%이었으며, $[^{123}I]$ 표지는 60분 경과에서 $90{\sim}92%$로 최대의 표지수율을 보였으며 방사화학적 순도는 98%이상이었다. 또한 세포 내 섭취실험에서 실험군과 대조군 사이에 섭취비율은 180분에서 1.7:1로 나타나 idoxifence은 항에스트로겐 효과가 아주 높은 것으로 판명되었다. 이를 바탕으로 배양세포와 동물모델을 이용한 추가적인 실험이 필요하며, 유방암 환자에게도 임상이용이 기대된다.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.514-521
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• 2007

교감신경차단은 지배영역에 대한 혈류를 증가시킨다. 이러한 이유로, 교감신경차단은 신경학적 질병이나 뇌질환 등에 시술되어 왔다. 그러나, 개에서 앞쪽목신경절 차단에 의한 뇌혈류의 조절은 잘 알려져 있지 않으며 뇌 순환의 변화와 뇌파의 변화에 대한 상관관계는 아직까지 개에서 잘 정의되어 있지 않다. 그래서, 우리는 뇌파의 변화는 개에서 앞쪽목신경절 차단에 의한 뇌혈류의 변화에 영향을 받을 수 있을 거라는 가설을 검증하였다. 25두의 비글견을 3개의 군으로 나누었다. I군(LCCGB, n=10)은 1% lidocaine을 이용하여 좌측 앞쪽목신경절을 차단하였다. II군(L, n=10)은 1% lidocaine을 좌 우측 두힘살근 내에 주입하였다. III군(N/SCCGB, n=5, 대조군)은 좌측 앞쪽목신경절을 생리식염수를 이용하여 차단하였다. 95% SEF와 MF에서는 대조군과 LCCGB군에서 통계적 차이가 없었다. 상대적 주파수 영역에서는 $\delta$ 주파수는 5-25분 사이에 감소하였으며, $\alpha$ 주파수는 같은 시간 동안 증가 하였다(p<0.05). 그러나, $\theta$ 주파수와 $\beta$ 주파수는 같은 시간대 대조군에 비해 유의한 변화를 보이지 않았다(p<0.05). 이러한 결과는 좌측 앞쪽목신경절 차단은 뇌혈류의 변화를 유발하지 못하며 그 자체의 효과는 불확실 하다는 것을 제시한다.