• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.87-90
• /
• 2012

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the most common cancer in northeastern Thailand. At present, effective diagnosis of CCA either in humans or animals is not available. Monitoring the development and progression of CCA in animal models is essential for research and development of new promising chemotherapeutics. Ultrasonography has been widely used for screening of bile duct obstruction in CCA patients. In this study, we preliminarily investigated the applicability of ultrasonography to monitor the development and progression of CCA in Syrian golden hamsters (n=8) induced by Opisthorchis viverrini (OV)/dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) administration. Ultrasonography and histopathological examination of hamsters was performed at week 0, 20, 24 and 28 of OV infection or at the start of water/Tween-80 administration to controls. The ultrasonographic images of liver parenchyma and gallbladders of OV/DMN-induced CCA hamsters showed sediments in gallbladder, thickening of gallbladder wall, and hypoechogenicity of liver parenchyma cells. The ultrasonographic images of liver tissues were found to correlate well with histopathological examination. Although ultrasonography does not directly detect the occurrence of CCA, it reflects the thickening of bile ducts and abnormality of liver tissues. It may be applied as a reliable tool for monitoring the development and progression of CCA in animal models in research and development of new promising chemotherapeutics for CCA.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.123-131
• /
• 2023

Breast cancer continues to pose a substantial worldwide health challenge, thereby requiring the development of innovative strategies to discover new therapeutic interventions. Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT-3) has been identified as a significant factor in the development of several types of cancer, including breast cancer. This is primarily attributed to its diverse functions in promoting tumour formation and conferring resistance to therapeutic interventions. This study presents an in silico drug repositioning approach that focuses on identifying specific inhibitors of STAT-3 for the purpose of treating breast cancer. We initially examined the structural and functional attributes of STAT-3, thereby elucidating its crucial involvement in cellular signalling cascades. A comprehensive virtual screening was performed on a diverse collection of drugs that have been approved by the FDA from zinc15 database. Various computational techniques, including molecular docking, cross docking, and cDFT analysis, were utilised in order to prioritise potential candidates. This prioritisation was based on their predicted binding energies and outer molecular orbital reactivity. The findings of our study have unveiled a Dihydroergotamine and Paritaprevir that have been approved by the FDA and exhibit considerable promise as selective inhibitors of STAT-3. In conclusion, the utilisation of our in silico drug repositioning approach presents a prompt and economically efficient method for the identification of potential compounds that warrant subsequent experimental validation as selective STAT-3 inhibitors in the context of breast cancer. The present study highlights the considerable potential of employing computational strategies to expedite the drug discovery process. Moreover, it provides valuable insights into novel avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions in the context of breast cancer treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.64 no.9
• /
• pp.480-488
• /
• 2021

Background: An adequate large-scale pediatric cohort based on nationwide administrative data is lacking in Korea. Purpose: This study established the National Investigation of Birth Cohort in Korea study 2008 (NICKs-2008) based on data from a nationwide population-based health screening program and data on healthcare utilization for children. Methods: The NICKs-2008 study consisted of the Korean National Health Insurance System (NHIS) and the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children (NHSPIC) databases comprising children born in 2008 (n=469,248) and 2009 (n=448,459) in the Republic of Korea. The NHIS database contains data on age, sex, residential area, income, healthcare utilization (International Classification of Diseases10 codes, procedure codes, and drug classification codes), and healthcare providers. The NHSPIC consists of 7 screening rounds. These screening sessions comprised physical examination, developmental screening (rounds 2-7), a general health questionnaire, and age-specific anticipatory guidance. Results: During the 10-year follow-up, 2,718 children (0.3%) died, including more boys than girls (hazard ratio, 1.145; P<0.001). A total of 848,048 children participated in at least 1 of the 7 rounds of the NHSPIC, while 96,046 participated in all 7 screening programs. A total of 823 infants (0.1%) weighed less than 1,000 g, 3,177 (0.4%) weighed 1,000-1,499 g, 37,166 (4.4%) weighed 1,500-2,499 g, 773,081 (91.4%) weighed 2,500-4,000 g, and 32,016 (5.1%) weighed over 4,000 g. There were 23,404 premature babies (5.5%) in 2008 compared to 23,368 (5.6%) in 2009. The developmental screening test indicated appropriate development in 95%-98% of children, follow-up requirements for 1%-4% of children, and recommendations for further evaluation for 1% of children. Conclusion: The NICKs-2008, which integrates data from the NHIS and NHSPIC databases, can be used to analyze disease onset prior to hospitalization based on information such as lifestyle, eating habits, and risk factors.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.305-335
• /
• 2005

This paper is a result from validation study for SPDA(A Screening Scale For Potential Drug-use Adolescents) created in 2003 and newly developed during 2004. SPDA aims to screen adolescents in their early stage of drug-use and to help practitioners make a preventive approach for the adolescents. 4307 junior and senior high school students were selected as primary research subjects by stratified and quota sampling methods. 305 adolescents on probation were also selected as a comparison group and asked to answer the same questionnaire. Reliability for SPDA recorded 0.914, which proved to be better than previous year's (0.898). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to test construct validity proved that SPDA could be divided into 7 factors and that each factor structure of SPDA could be a proper measurement model with high level of fitness and factor loadings. Discriminant analysis to test predictive validity confirmed that SPDA could classify the adolescents excellently by the frequency of drug-use, with hit ratio of 86.6 percent(78.8% and 87.4% for junior and senior high school students respectively). For concurrent validity test, Hare Home Self-Esteem Scale, Hare School Self-Esteem, Zuckerman-Kuhlman Sensation-seeking Scale were employed to find correlation with SPDA and all the three scales had significant Pearson correlation coefficients with SPDA. Known-groups validity test indicated that SPDA had an adequate power to classify out adolescents on probation from those in schooling, with a hit ratio of 71.8 percent. Cut-off point to detect adolescents with high risk of substance use was 77, which indicated approximately T score, 55 (0.5 SD), satisfying sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency criteria.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.252-257
• /
• 2017

In this study, the physicochemical properties of irradiated (gamma-ray and electron-beam) soybeans with different processing (dry and powder) and origins (Korea, China, and USA) were investigated and compared. The results of photostimulated luminescence (PSL) screening indicated that all non-irradiated soybeans showed photon counts (PCs) ${\leq}700$, while all irradiated soybeans showed positive values-gamma-ray 5,815-39,591 count/min; electron beam 5,791-60,055 count/min. The results of thermoluminescence (TL) analysis of all irradiated soybeans indicated that the $TL_1$ glow curves exhibited maximum peaks at 150-250. TL ratio of irradiated samples was ${\geq}0.1$; therefore, the clear identification of irradiated samples was guaranteed by analysis of the $TL_1$ curve shape and TL ratios. The results of electron spin resonance (ESR) signal of 3 irradiated and dried soybeans showed two side peaks mutually spaced at 6.0 mT (cellulose radical). Non-specific signal was detected for all irradiated soybean powders; hence, ESR analysis could not be performed.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.109-117
• /
• 2020

An edutainment system aims to help learners to recognize problems effectively, grasp and classify important information needed to solve the problems and convey the contents of what they have learned. Edutainment contents can be usefully applied to education and training in the both scientific and industrial areas. Our present work proposes an edutainment system that can be applied to a drug discovery process including virtual screening by using intuitive multi-modal interfaces. In this system, a stereoscopic monitor is used to make three-dimensional (3D) macro-molecular images, with supporting multi-modal interfaces to manipulate 3D models of molecular structures effectively. In this paper, our system can easily solve a docking simulation function, which is one of important virtual drug screening methods, by applying gaming factors. The level-up concept is implemented to realize a bio-game approach, in which the gaming factor depends on number of objects and users. The quality of the proposed system is evaluated with performance comparison in terms of a finishing time of a drug docking process to screen new inhibitors against target proteins of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in an e-drug discovery process.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.80-84
• /
• 2001

The human papillomavirus E7 protein can form a specific complex with a retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene product (p105-Rb) that results in the release of the E2F transcription factor, which is critical for the growth-deregulation and transforming properties of the viral E7 oncoprotein. In an attempt to apply interaction between the E7 oncoprotein and a target cellular protein Rb for an in vitro screening system for drugs against human papillomavirus infection, we primarily investigated the E7Rb binding through a pull down assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pull down assay showed that both glutathione S-transferase-tagged E7 and His-tagged E7 immobilized on resins specifically produced complexes with bacterially expressed Rb in a dose-dependent manner, as determined by immunoblot analyses. This result coincided with that of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which is a useful system for the mass screening of potential drugs. Taken together, this screening system (based on the interaction between E7 and Rb) can be a promising system in the development of drugs against cervical cancers caused by human papillomavirus infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.8
• /
• pp.1441-1448
• /
• 2017

Antibacterial compounds are widely used in the treatment of human and animal diseases. The overuse of antibiotics has led to a rapid rise in the prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria, making the development of new antibacterial compounds essential. This study focused on developing a fast and easy method for identifying marine bacteria that produce antibiotic compounds. Eight randomly selected marine target bacterial species (Agrococcus terreus, Bacillus algicola, Mesoflavibacter zeaxanthinifaciens, Pseudoalteromonas flavipulchra, P. peptidolytica, P. piscicida, P. rubra, and Zunongwangia atlantica) were tested for production of antibacterial compounds against four strains of test bacteria (B. cereus, B. subtilis, Halomonas smyrnensis, and Vibrio alginolyticus). Colony picking was used as the primary screening method. Clear zones were observed around colonies of P. flavipulchra, P. peptidolytica, P. piscicida, and P. rubra tested against B. cereus, B. subtilis, and H. smyrnensis. The efficiency of colony scraping and broth culture methods for antimicrobial compound extraction was also compared using a disk diffusion assay. P. peptidolytica, P. piscicida, and P. rubra showed antagonistic activity against H. smyrnensis, B. cereus, and B. subtilis, respectively, only in the colony scraping method. Our results show that colony picking and colony scraping are effective, quick, and easy methods of screening for antibacterial compound-producing bacteria.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.947-952
• /
• 2007

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a pathogen responsible for 2-3 million deaths every year worldwide. The emergence of drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has increased the need to identify new antituberculosis targets. Acetohydroxy acid synthase, (AHAS, EC 2.2.1.6), an enzyme involved in branched-chain amino acid synthesis, has recently been identified as a potential anti-tuberculosis target. To assist in the search for new inhibitors and “receptor-based” design of effective inhibitors of tubercular AHAS (TbAHAS), we constructed four different structural models of TbAHAS and used one of the models as a target for virtual screening of potential inhibitors. The quality of each model was assessed stereochemically by PROCHECK and found to be reliable. Up to 89% of the amino acid residues in the structural models were located in the most favored regions of the Ramachandran plot, which indicates that the conformation of each residue in the models is good. In the models, residues at the herbicide-binding site were highly conserved across 39 AHAS sequences. The binding mode of TbAHAS with a sulfonylurea herbicide was characterized by 32 hydrophobic interactions, the majority of which were contributed by residue Trp516. The model based on the highest resolution X-ray structure of yeast AHAS was used as the target for virtual screening of a chemical database containing 8300 molecules with a heterocyclic ring. We developed a short list of molecules that were predicted to bind with high scores to TbAHAS in a conformation similar to that of sulfonylurea derivatives. Five sulfonylurea herbicides that were calculated to efficiently bind TbAHAS were experimentally verified and found to inhibit enzyme activity at micromolar concentrations. The data suggest that this time-saving and costeffective computational approach can be used to discover new TbAHAS inhibitors. The list of chemicals studied in this work is supplied to facilitate independent experimental verification of the computational approach.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.10
• /
• pp.1262-1274
• /
• 2022

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a complex and refractor type of cancer with global prevalence. Several barriers remain in CCA diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Therefore, exploring more biomarkers and therapeutic drugs for CCA management is necessary. CCA gene expression data was downloaded from the TCGA and GEO databases. KEGG enrichment, GO analysis, and protein-protein interaction network were used for hub gene identification. miRNA were predicted using Targetscan and validated according to several GEO databases. The relative RNA and miRNA expression levels and prognostic information were obtained from the GEPIA. The candidate drug was screened using pharmacophore-based virtual screening and validated by molecular modeling and through several in vitro studies. 301 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out. Complement and coagulation cascades-related genes (including AHSG, F2, TTR, and KNG1), and cell cycle-related genes (including CDK1, CCNB1, and KIAA0101) were considered as the hub genes in CCA progression. AHSG, F2, TTR, and KNG1 were found to be significantly decreased and the eight predicted miRNA targeting AHSG, F2, and TTR were increased in CCA patients. CDK1, CCNB1, and KIAA0101 were found to be significantly abundant in CCA patients. In addition, Molport-003-703-800, which is a compound that is derived from pharmacophores-based virtual screening, could directly bind to CDK1 and exhibited anti-tumor activity in cholangiocarcinoma cells. AHSG, F2, TTR, and KNG1 could be novel biomarkers for CCA. Molport-003-703-800 targets CDK1 and work as potential cell cycle inhibitors, thereby having potential for consideration for new chemotherapeutics for CCA.