• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) is one of the four subtypes of gastric carcinoma (GC), as defined by the novel classification recently proposed by The Cancer Genome Atlas. EBVaGC has several clinicopathological features such as longer survival and higher frequency of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) and carcinoma with Crohn's disease-like lymphoid reaction that distinguish it from EBV-negative GC. The intensity and pattern of host cellular immune response in GC have been found to significantly correlate with the prognosis of patients with GC, suggesting that immune reaction and tumor microenvironment have critical roles in the progression of GC, and in particular, EBVaGC. Here, we reviewed the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying prominent immune reactions in patients with EBVaGC. In EBVaGC, deregulation of the expression of immune response-related genes promotes marked intra-or peritumoral immune cell infiltration. The expression of programmed death receptor-ligand 1 is known to be increased in EBVaGC, and therefore, it has been proposed as a favorable prognostic factor for patients with EBVaGC, albeit some data supporting this claim are controversial. Overall, the underlying mechanisms and clinical significance of the host cellular immune response in patients with EBVaGC have not been thoroughly elucidated. Therefore, further research is necessary to better understand the role of tumor microenvironment in EBVaGC.

• Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.614-627
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• 2018

Background/Aims Although functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) are common in children, the accurate pathogenesis of FAPDs is not known yet. Micro-inflammation, particularly tissue eosinophilia of gastrointestinal (GI) tract, has been suggested as the pathophysiology observed in several GI disorders. We aimed to evaluate eosinophilic infiltration throughout the entire GI tract in children with FAPDs, compared to those with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and to normal reference values. Methods We included 56 children with FAPDs, 52 children with Crohn's disease, and 23 children with ulcerative colitis. All subjects underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopic and colonoscopic examination with biopsies. Tissue eosinophil counts were assessed in 10 regions throughout the GI tract. Results Eosinophil counts of the gastric antrum, duodenum, terminal ileum, cecum, and ascending colon were significantly higher in children with FAPDs compared to normal reference values. Eosinophil counts of the stomach and the entire colon were observed to be significantly higher in children with IBD than in those with FAPDs. Even after selecting macroscopically uninvolved GI segments on endoscopy in children with IBD, eosinophil counts of the gastric body, cecum, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and the rectum were also significantly higher in children with IBD than those with FAPDs. Conclusions Significantly high eosinophil counts of the stomach and colon were observed in the order of IBD, followed by FAPDs, and normal controls, regardless of endoscopically detected macroscopic IBD lesions in children. This suggests some contribution of GI tract eosinophils in the intrinsic pathogenesis of FAPDs in children.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.448-461
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• 2013

Inflammatory bowel disease, known as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is an unexplained disease characterized by chronic inflammation that repeats a cycle of relapse, improvement, and complications. The cause of inflammatory bowel disease is not clearly known, but it is predicted that a complex of various factors precipitate its occurrence. In particular, inflammatory mediators, such as cytokine, induce an increase in cell-mediated inflammatory responses. Focal tissue damage then occurs in the intestinal mucosa because of the weakening of the immune-modulating functions of cotton. Immune and inflammatory responses do not decrease appropriately but continue until they lead to chronic inflammation. Current research has focused on the cytokine genes, which have important roles in these inflammatory responses. Cytokine is a glycoprotein that is produced mostly in activated immune cells. It connects the activation, multiplication, and differentiation between immune cells, which causes focal tissue damage and inflammatory response. Moreover, butyrate, which originates in dietary fiber and plays an important role in the structure and function of the intestinal area, shows control functions in the intestinal immune system by decreasing the proinflammatory cytokine and increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokine. Therefore, this research investigated the molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effects of butyrate to comprehend the cytokine controlling abilities of butyrate in the immune cells. Butyrate is expected to have potential in new treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel disease.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.80-84
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• 2014

Intractable ulcerating enterocolitis is an uncommon inflammatory bowel disease syndrome of neonatal onset first described in 1991. Intractable ulcerating enterocolitis usually presents in the neonate with a mouth ulceration and the subsequent development of perianal disease and colitis. In this case report, an infant, 18 days from birth, with ulcerative lesion on hard palate for systemic differential diagnosis about oral lesion is referred from the department depiatrics. At that time, there is no abnormality, except oral lesion-like Aphthous ulcer. The patient was discharged from pediatrics, but returned to the hospital 3weeks later with blood diarrhea. As a result of endoscopy, there were large ulcerating lesions and the patient was diagnosed intractable ulcerating enterocolitis. Early recognition of Intractable ulcerating enterocolitis appears to be beneficial because colectomy, as opposed to immunosuppression, appears to be effective in controlling disease symptoms and progression. Most of the infants who were affected intractable ulcerating enterocolitis were normal at birth and oral manifestation appeared earlier than others. So, it is very meaningful for dentists to know about Intractable ulcerating enterocolitis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.3-10
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, involves chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Previously, Sasa quelpaertensis leaves have been shown to mediate anti-inflammation and anti-cancer effects, although it remains unclear whether Sasa leaves are able to attenuate inflammation-related intestinal diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Sasa quelpaertensis leaf extract (SQE) using an in vitro co-culture model of the intestinal epithelial environment. MATERIALS/METHODS: An in vitro co-culture system was established that consisted of intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce inflammation. RESULTS: Treatment with SQE significantly suppressed the secretion of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), IL-6, and IL-$1{\beta}$ in co-cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ were down-regulated in response to inhibition of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation by SQE. Compared with two bioactive compounds that have previously been identified in SQE, tricin and P-coumaric acid, SQE exhibited the most effective anti-inflammatory properties. CONCLUSIONS: SQE exhibited intestinal anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting various inflammatory mediators mediated through nuclear transcription factor kappa-B (NF-kB) activation. Thus, SQE has the potential to ameliorate inflammation-related diseases, including IBD, by limiting excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1800-1805
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• 2018

Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronically relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) constitute barrier surfaces and play a critical role in maintaining gut health. Dysregulated immune responses and destruction of IECs disrupt intestinal balance. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) is the most widely used chemical for inducing colitis in animals, and its treatment induces colonic inflammation, acute diarrhea, and shortening of the intestine, with clinical and histological similarity to human UC. Current treatments for this inflammatory disorder have poor tolerability and insufficient therapeutic efficacy, and thus, alternative therapeutic approaches are required. Recently, dietary supplements with probiotics have emerged as promising interventions by alleviating disturbances in the indigenous microflora in UC. Thus, we hypothesized that the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain BB12 could protect against the development of colitis in a DSS-induced mouse model of UC. In the present study, oral administration of BB12 markedly ameliorated DSS-induced colitis, accompanied by reduced tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$-mediated IEC apoptosis. These findings indicate that the probiotic strain BB12 can alleviate DSS-induced colitis and suggest a novel mechanism of communication between probiotic microorganisms and intestinal epithelia, which increases intestinal cell survival by modulating pro-apoptotic cytokine expression.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.264-269
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• 2003

5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is an active ingredient of therapeutic agents used for Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis. Because it is absorbed rapidly and extensively in the upper intestine, delivery of the agent specifically to the colon is necessary. We selected taurine as a colon-specific promoiety and designed 5-aminosalicyltaurine (5-ASA-Tau) as a new colon-specific prodrug of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). It was expected that introduction of taurine would restrict the absorption of the prodrug and show additive effect to the anti-inflammatory action of 5-ASA after hydrolysis. 5-ASA-Tau was prepared in good yield by a simple synthetic route. The apparent partition coefficient of 5-ASA-Tau in 1-octanol/pH 6.8 phosphate buffer or $CHCl_3$/pH 6.8 phosphate buffer was 0.10 or 0.18, respectively, at $37^{\circ}C$. To determine the chemical and biochemical stability in the upper intestinal environment, 5-ASA-Tau was incubated in pH 1.2 and 6.8 buffer solutions, and with the homogenates of tissue and contents of stomach or small intestine of rats at $37^{\circ}C$. 5-ASA was not detected from any of the incubation medium with no change in the concentration of 5-ASA-Tau. On incubation of 5-ASA-Tau with the cecal and colonic contents of rats, the fraction of the dose released as 5-ASA was 45% and 20%, respectively, in 8 h. Considering low partition coefficient and stability in the upper intestine, 5-ASA-Tau might be nonabsorbable and stable in the upper intestine. After oral administration, it would be delivered to the colon in intact form and release 5-ASA and taurine. These results suggested 5-ASA-Tau as a promising colon-specific prodrug of 5-ASA.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.38C no.9
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• pp.802-812
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• 2013

Recently, Capsule Endoscope(CE) system is receiving great attention as a innovative convergence technology that allows doctors to examine the digestive tract of a human body in the minimum invasive way. Once patients swallow the vitamin pill-sized capsule, doctors can detect disease such as blood-based abnormalities, polyps, ulcers, and Crohn's disease through the image information delivered by wireless or human body communication module in CE. Although CE is really a innovative technology, it still suffers from some drawbacks in terms of correct diagnosis of lesion and analysis required time. Due to the massive images approximately 60~120 thousand frames taken by miniature camera in the CE, doctors spend too much time examining the images and analyzing the lesions. Therefore, to lighten the burden of doctors, software tools for fast diagnosis and medical image processing techniques for correct diagnosis of lesion are essential in CE system. In this paper, we investigate the latest trends of diagnosis tools and image processing techniques based on major makers of CE systems, which are hardly known to the general public.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.5-11
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• 1998

5-Aminosalicyl-L-aspartic acid (5-ASA-Asp) and 5-aminosalicyl-L-glutamic acid (5-ASA-Glu) were synthesized as new colon-specific prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), their apparent partition coefficients, and the extent of conversion in the homogenates of tissue and contents of various G.I. Tract segments of rats were evaluated. These prodrugs were stable in the homogenate of tissue and contents of stomach, proximal small intestine (PSI) or distal small intestine (DSI). Release of 5-ASA from 5-ASA-Asp after incubation with the cecal and colonic contents for 8hrs at $37^{\circ}C$ was 18%, and 8%, respectively. No significant conversion of prodrug was observed in the cecal and colonic contents of rats pretreated with kanamycin sulfate, which indicated that microbial enzymes were responsible for the cleavage of these prodrugs.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.305-312
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• 2023

Objective: Chronic enteropathy associated with SLCO2A1 gene (CEAS) is a recently recognized disease. We aimed to evaluate the enterographic findings of CEAS. Materials and Methods: Altogether, 14 patients with CEAS were confirmed based on known SLCO2A1 mutations. They were registered in a multicenter Korean registry between July 2018 and July 2021. Nine of the patients (37.2 ± 13 years; all female) who underwent surgery-naïve-state computed tomography enterography (CTE) or magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) were identified. Two experienced radiologists reviewed 25 and 2 sets of CTE and MRE examinations, respectively, regarding the small bowel findings. Results: In initial evaluation, eight patients showed a total of 37 areas with mural abnormalities in the ileum on CTE, including 1-4 segments in six and > 10 segments in two patients. One patient showed unremarkable CTE. The involved segments were 10-85 mm (median, 20 mm) in length, 3-14 mm (median, 7 mm) in mural thickness, circumferential in 86.5% (32/37), and showed stratified enhancement in the enteric and portal phases in 91.9% (34/37) and 81.8% (9/11), respectively. Perienteric infiltration and prominent vasa recta were noted in 2.7% (1/37) and 13.5% (5/37), respectively. Bowel strictures were identified in six patients (66.7%), with a maximum upstream diameter of 31-48 mm. Two patients underwent surgery for strictures immediately after the initial enterography. Follow-up CTE and MRE in the remaining patients showed minimal-to-mild changes in the extent and thickness of the mural involvement for 17-138 months (median, 47.5 months) after initial enterography. Two patients required surgery for bowel stricture at 19 and 38 months of follow-up, respectively. Conclusion: CEAS of the small bowel typically manifested on enterography in varying numbers and lengths of abnormal ileal segments that showed circumferential mural thickening with layered enhancement without perienteric abnormalities. The lesions caused bowel strictures that required surgery in some patients.