• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

Kidney disease is becoming a global public health issue. Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have serious adverse health outcomes. However, there is no effective therapy to treat these diseases. Lactoferrin (LF), a multi-functional glycoprotein, is protective against various pathophysiological conditions in various disease models. LF shows protective effects against AKI and CKD. LF reduces markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and kidney fibrosis, and induces autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis in the kidney. Although there are no clinical trials of LF to treat kidney disease, several clinical trials and studies on LF-based drug development are ongoing. In this review, we discussed the possible kidney protective mechanisms of LF, as well as the pharmacological and therapeutic advances. The evidence suggests that LF may become a potent pharmacological agent to treat kidney diseases.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.81-88
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• 2022

Objectives The purpose of this case study is to report the improvement of hand foot and mouth disease after using Galgeunhaegi-tang Methods A Taeumin patient suffering from painful hand foot and mouth disease was treated with herb medicine Galgeunhaegi-tang, acupuncture and cupping therapy. Rhei radix et rhizoma was added or removed from herb medicine according to patient's stool condition. Severity of pain and general symptom was measured using Numerical Rating Scale(NRS), and the picture of patient's hand and foot was taken. Results & Conclusions After taking Galgeunhaegi-tang, symptoms including pain, rash, blisters, and general conditions improved as patient's stool condition improved from constipation to normal. In conclusion, this case report shows that Galgeunhaegi-tang can be effective to Taeumin hand foot and mouth disease patients.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 1990

The prevalence of low serum urea nitrogen concentrations (< 6mg/dL) in our patient population was 3.8% (452 per 11,911 determinations), representing 372 individual cases. Of these, 323 of the patients charts were located, reviewed, and classified into disease groups. Malignant tumor was found in 25.1% of the 323 patients, the remaining patients without malignant tumor had various clinical conditions; pregnancy (19.5%), infectious diseases (12.1%), trauma (10.2%), cerebrovascular accident (62%), hepatopathy (5.3%), and miscellaneous conditions (21.6%). The prevalence in female and young aged patients under 5 years was considered due to the lower reference range in these groups than in that of female adult groups, and moreover pregnancy is another superimposing factor in the former group. In regards to the causes of this condition, our study corresponded well to the textbook cited etiology of the low serum nitrogen concentration, although malnutrition and hepatopathy were inverted in their incidental order. We postulated, through the present study, that the low serum urea nitrogen concentration is not pathognomonic findings to suggest specific disease or conditions, but rather to reflect patient's general conditions such as hydration, nutrition, or administration of certain drugs.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.103-116
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• 2012

Objectives: The aim of this study is to differentiate women from men on breast diseases. Methods: We have searched antique books, texts and references of oriental obstetric & gynecology and checked into present conditions of oriental medicine hospitals in republic of Korea. Results: In physiological, pathological and epidemiological viewpoint of both oriental and western medicine, it was accepted that women were different with men on breast disease. Among references published in the Journal of Oriental Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1987, the number of references concerned breast disease was fifty divided into 29 original articles(58%) in types and 26 breast cancer(52%), 13 postpartum lactation(26%) in categorizations. and woman's breast disease and cancer taken charge on oriental obstetrics and gynecology in oriental medicine hospitals were 25(86%) and 19(66%) respectively. Conclusions: We could not realize that woman's breast disease already were accepted woman's particularity in various aspects until conducting our study. Accordingly, it is suggested that more researches would be conducted on the needs of female patients with breast disease through questionnaire or research and on the association reproductive factor and breast disease of women.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.557-565
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the factors influencing the quality of life among the patients with Crohn's disease. Method: Data were collected from 97 Crohn's disease patients between September 17 and October 20 in 2009. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS program. Results: There were significant differences in the participants' quality of life depending on their age, economic status, pain, diarrhea, weight loss, Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI), and use of medications such as antidiarrhotica, steroid, and analgesics. The results also showed the correlations between the participants' qualities of life and thier pain, CDAI, anxiety, depression, perceived health condition, and of body image. Finally, the factors affecting the quality of life in patients with Crohn's disease included anxiety, perceived health state, pain, and CDAI. The explanatory power of these factors was 79.5%. Conclusion: The results imply that controlling the patients' pain and providing emotional support for anxiety reduction are crucial. In a similar vein, tailored nursing interventions considering individual patients' conditions are believed to help the patients positively perceive their disease. A future research, can conduct further investigations of these factors from more diverse perspectives, which is expected to promote more effective nursing strategies for Crohn's disease patients.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 2022

Rice blast is the most destructive disease threatening stable rice production in rice-growing areas. Cultivation of disease-resistant rice cultivars is the most effective way to control rice blast disease. However, the rice blast resistance is easy to breakdown within years by blast fungus that continually changes to adapt to new cultivars. Therefore, it is important to continuously monitor the incidence of rice blast disease and race differentiation of rice blast fungus in fields. In 2020, a severe rice blast disease occurred nationwide in Korea. We evaluated the incidence of rice blast disease in Yeoju and compared the weather conditions at the periods of rice blast disease in 2019 and 2020. We investigated the races and avirulence genes of rice blast isolates in Yeoju to identify race diversity and genetic characteristics of the isolates. This study will provide empirical support for rice blast control and the breeding of blast-resistant rice cultivars.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2023

Rare diseases, even though defined as fewer than 20,000 in South Korea, with over 8,000 rare Mendelian disorders having been identified, they collectively impact 6-8% of the global population. Many of the rare diseases pose significant challenges to patients, patients' families, and the healthcare system. The diagnostic journey for rare disease patients is often lengthy and arduous, hampered by the genetic diversity and phenotypic complexity of these conditions. With the advent of next-generation sequencing technology and clinical implementation of exome sequencing (ES) and genome sequencing (GS), the diagnostic rate for rare diseases is 25-50% depending on the disease category. It is also allowing more rapid new gene-disease association discovery and equipping us to practice precision medicine by offering tailored medical management plans, early intervention, family planning options. However, a substantial number of patients remain undiagnosed, and it could be due to several factors. Some may not have genetic disorders. Some may have disease-causing variants that are not detectable or interpretable by ES and GS. It's also possible that some patient might have a disease-causing variant in a gene that hasn't yet been linked to a disease. For patients who remain undiagnosed, reanalysis of existing data has shown promises in providing new molecular diagnoses achieved by new gene-disease associations, new variant discovery, and variant reclassification, leading to a 5-10% increase in the diagnostic rate. More advanced approach such as long-read sequencing, transcriptome sequencing and integration of multi-omics data may provide potential values in uncovering elusive genetic causes.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2012

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the oral health conditions of Autism Spectrum Disease (ASD) and cerebral palsy(CP) patients visiting the Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital from January 2003 to december 2010. Methods: This study analyzed the data (patient's chart and radiograph) of fifty-eight ASD patients and fifty-seven CP patients. The oral health conditions of patients were surveyed by DMFT (dmft) and periodontal condition at the first visit. The performed dental procedure, behavior management methods and follow-up check were analyzed. Results: The average age of patients having ASD and CP was 12 year 2 month (ASD; 11 year 9 month and CP; 12 year 4 month). Within the limit of this study, the rate of dental caries was higher in CP patients than autism patients. Both of diseases showed the periodontal problem. Autistic patients showed more difficult management problems according to the rate of general anesthesia experiences. Conclusions: This article would contribute for dental practitioners to provide appropriate and specialized treatment to ASD patients and CP patients.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.1241-1255
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• 2021

This study was carried out to explore a non-chemical strategy for enhancing productivity by employing some antagonistic rhizobacteria. One hundred eighteen bacterial isolates were obtained from the rhizospheric zone of various crop fields of Gangwon-do, Korea, and screened for antifungal activity against Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae) in lettuce crop under in vitro and in vivo conditions. In broth-based dual culture assay, fourteen bacterial isolates showed significant inhibition of mycelial growth of F. oxysporium f. sp. lactucae. All of the antagonistic isolates were further characterized for the antagonistic traits under in vitro conditions. The isolates were identified on the basis of biochemical characteristics and confirmed at their species level by 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. Arthrobacter sulfonivorans, Bacillus siamensis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Pseudomonas proteolytica, four Paenibacillus peoriae strains, and Bacillus subtilis were identified from the biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The isolates EN21 and EN23 showed significant decrease in disease severity on lettuce compared to infected control and other bacterial treatments under greenhouse conditions. Two bacterial isolates, EN4 and EN21, were evaluated to assess their disease reduction and growth promotion in lettuce in field conditions. The consortium of EN4 and EN21 showed significant enhancement of growth on lettuce by suppressing disease caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae respectively. This study clearly indicates that the promising isolates, EN4 (P. proteolytica) and EN21 (Bacillus siamensis), can be commercialized and used as biofertilizer and/or biopesticide for sustainable crop production.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2023

Purpose: This article was to collect data on the safety of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in children with underlying medical conditions. Methods: We constructed a prospective cohort of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years who had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Patients diagnosed with and treated for chronic kidney disease, autoimmune disease, or other chronic conditions at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital were recruited from June to December 2022. A mobile survey questionnaire was sent to their guardians. The presence of adverse events on the day (day 0), 3 weeks (day 21), and 6 months (day 180) after the 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine was recorded by the guardians. Results: A total of 73 children participated. The median age was 14 years, and 64.4% of the patients were male. On the day of immunization, 65.8% of the patients reported at least one adverse event. Pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, arthralgia, and myalgia were the most common symptoms. The prevalence of adverse events decreased over time (65.8% on day 0, 27.4% between days 0 and 21, and 24.6% between days 21 and 180). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection after the 1st dose occurred in 17 patients (23.3%) and one of the patients (5.88%) was hospitalized due to infection. Conclusions: Adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination were generally mild in children and adolescents with underlying medical conditions. Our findings provide evidence for the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in the vulnerable pediatric population.