• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7825-7829
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• 2015

Background: Egypt has the highest prevalence of HCV infection in the world (~14.7%). Around 10-15% of HCV-infected persons will advance to cirrhosis within the first 20 years. The incidence of HCC is expected to grow in the next two decades, largely due to HCV related cirrhosis, and detection of HCC at an early stage is critical for a favorable clinical outcome. No simple reliable non-invasive marker has been available till now. B2M, a non-glycosylated polypeptide composed of 99 amino acids, is one of the components of HLA class I molecules on the surfaces of all nucleated cells. It has been reported that the level of serum B2M is elevated in patients with chronic hepatitis C and HCV-related HCC when compared to HCV-negative patients or healthy donors. Determining the clinical utility of serum B2M as a marker for disease progression in Egyptian patients with HCV related chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma was the aim of the present study. Materials and Methods: In this analytical cross sectional study 92 participants were included in 4 equal groups: Group (1) non cirrhotic chronic HCV; Group (2) HCV related liver cirrhosis; Group (3) HCC on top of HCV,; and Group (4) healthy controls. History taking, clinical examination, routine labs and abdominal ultrasound were conducted for all patients, PCR and Metavir scores for group (1) patients, and triphasic CT abdomen and AFP for Group (3) patients. B2M levels were measured in serum with a fully-automated IMX system. Results: The mean serum B2M level of Group (1) was $4.25{\pm}1.48{\mu}g/ml$., Group (2) was $7.48{\pm}3.04$, Group (3) was $6.62{\pm}2.49$ and Group (4) was $1.62{\pm}0.63$. Serum B2M levels were significantly higher in diseased than control group (p<0.01) being significantly higher in cirrhosis ($7.48{\pm}3.04$) and HCC groups ($6.62{\pm}2.49$) than the HCV group ($4.25{\pm}1.48$) (p<0.01). There was a significant correlation between B2M Level and ALK, total and direct bilirubin and INR (p<0.05), and a significant inverse correlation between B2M level and albumin, total proteins, HB andWBCS values (p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between B2M level and viral load or Metavir score, largest tumour size or AFP (p>0.05). The best B2M cut-off for HCV diagnosis was 2.6 with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 97% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%. The best B2M cut-off for HCC diagnosis was 4.55 which yielded sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive values of 74%, 62%, 39.5, 87.8% respectively (p-value <0.01) while best cut-off for cirrhosis was 4.9, with sensitivity 74 % and specificity 74%.The sensitivity for HCC diagnosis increased upon B2M and AFP combined estimation to 91%, specificity to 79%, NPV to 95% and accuracy to 83%. Conclusions: Serum B2M level is elevated in HCV related chronic liver diseases and may be used as a marker for HCV disease progression towards cirrhosis and carcinoma.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.587-594
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• 2013

The hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects from Wa-song (Orostachys japonicus) extracts with mixtures of medicinal herbs (such as Baekbokyung, Changchul and Sa-in) were evaluated in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to five groups; normal, diabetic control (D-control), a group fed a medicinal herbs mixture (D-MH), and a group fed composites of O. japonicus with mixtures of medicinal herbs (1:1, D-MHOA and 3:1, D-MHOB). All were fed on their diet for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, the body weight of all experimental groups increased compared to the diabetic control group, with the D-MHOB group having a significantly higher increase. Fasting glucose levels in all experimental groups (compared to the D-control group) significantly decreased after 2 weeks, but between 2~3 weeks, the levels in the D-MH group were similar to the D-MHOA group. After 4 weeks, the fasting glucose level of the D-MHOB group was the lowest compared to the other groups. In a test of oral glucose tolerance, blood glucose levels were highest 60 minutes after feeding glucose; however this level improved significantly in the groups fed an experimental diet compared to the D-control group. Glycosylated hemoglobin levels were 1.9 times higher in the D-control group than the normal (3.9%), but levels in the experimental groups were significantly decreased in D-MHOA and D-MHOB groups compared to the D-MH group. In the high amounts of O. japonicus to medicinal herbs mixture, total lipids and cholesterol significantly decreased in the serum, while HDL-C levels increased. GPT activity was significantly lower in the D-MHOB group compared to the other groups. Lipid peroxide levels decreased in the D-MHOA and D-MHOB groups compared to the D-MH group. Antioxidant activity was higher depending on the dose of O. japonicus. Overall, O. japonicus exhibited effective hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic actions enhanced by a combination of medicinal herbs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.1398-1406
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of web-based nutrition counseling on nutrient intake and blood glucose in type ll diabetic Patients. Forty type II diabetic patients, twenty one of them were diabetic patients without complication (Ncx-DM) and nineteen of them were diabetic patients with complication (Cx-DM), participated in a web-based nutrition counseling program. At the first nutrition counseling, the patients were counselled through interview and then follow up nutrition counseling was accomplished four times during eight weeks through tile web-based internet program. Various markers of disease risk including anthropometric indices, nutrient intake and blood glucose were measured before and after the nutrition counseling. After the nutrition counseling, body mass index and waist circumference decreased in both group but did not change significantly. Fasting blood glucose significantly decreased from 153.9 mg/dL to 139.0 mg/dL (p<0.05) in NCX-DM and from 178.2 mg/dL to 128.5 mg/dL (p<0.01) in Cx-DM after the nutrition counseling. Glycosylated hemoglobin level decreased from $9.3\%$ to $8,7\%$ in Ncx-DM and significantly decreased from $9.7\%$ to $7.8\%$ (p<0.01) in Cx-DM after the nutrition counseling. In addition, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol level significantly decreased in both group (P<0,05) after the nutrition counseling. Energy intake decreased significantly in Ncx-DM (P<0.05) and Cx-DM (p<0.01). Although the nutrient intake did not change significantly, the nutrient intake was improved after the nutrition counseling. Therefore, this study shows that the web-based nutrition counseling is effective in improving energy and nutrient intake and influences positively in blood glucose and serum lipids of the patients. In addition, these results indicate that the internet presents us with potential as a new medium for nutrition counseling in informationized society.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.333-341
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the hypolgycemic activity of water extract of fermented yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) leaves tea (Yacon LWE) in high-fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Male ICR mice were fed with a HFD (37% calories from fat) for 4 weeks prior to intraperitoneal injection with STZ (100 mg/kg body weight). Diabetic mice were supplemented with two doses of Yacon LWE (0.16% and 0.8%, wt/wt) for 6 weeks. The supplementation of high-dose Yacon LWE significantly lowered blood glucose levels and plasma ALT and AST activities compared with the control group. High-dose Yacon LWE also improved the insulin tolerance without any changes in plasma and pancreatic insulin concentrations in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice. Yacon LWE supplementation increased the insulin staining of pancreatic $\beta$-cells in a dose-dependent manner. Both 0.16% and 0.8% of Yacon LWE significantly elevated plasma leptin concentration, hepatic glucokinase activity and glucokinase/glucose-6-phosphatase ratio compared with the control group. However, glycosylated hemoglobin concentration was not different among the groups. These results suggest that high-dose Yacon LWE lowers the blood glucose level partly by enhancing insulin sensitivity and hepatic glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic mice.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.391-397
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• 2009

Carnosine is a dipeptide ($\beta$-alanyl-L-histidine) found in mammalian brain, eye, olfactory bulb and skeletal muscle at high concentrations. Its biological functions include antioxidant and anti-glycation activities. The objectives of this study were to investigate anti-diabetic effects of carnosine as determined by blood glucose levels in glucose tolerance test (GTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT), insulin level and serum biochemical and lipid levels in male C57BL/6J db/db mice. There were five experimental groups including normal (C57BL/6J), control (vehicle), and three groups of carnosine at doses of 6, 30, and 150 mg/kg b.w. Carnosine was orally administered to the diabetic mice everyday for 8 weeks. There was no significant difference in body weight changes in carnosine-treated groups compared to the control. The treatments of carnosine significantly decreased the blood glucose level in the diabetic mice compared with the control (p < 0.05) after 5 weeks. The treatments of carnosine also significantly decreased the blood glucose levels in GTT and ITT and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), compared with the control (p < 0.05). Carnosine at the dose of 6 mg/kg significantly decreased the serum insulin level compared to the control (p < 0.05). Carnosine significantly increased total proteins but significantly decreased lactate dehydrogenase and blood urea nitrogen compared with the control (p < 0.05). Carnosine also significantly decreased glucose, LDL, and triglyceride in the serum of diabetic mice compared to the control (p < 0.05). These results suggest that carnosine has a hypoglycermic effect resulting from reduction of glucose and lipid levels and that high carnosine-containing diets or drugs may give a benefit for controlling diabetes mellitus in humans.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2010

Liver regeneration is a result of highly coordinated proliferation of hepatocytes and nonparenchymal liver cells. Partial hepatectomy (PH) is the most often used stimulus to study liver regeneration because, compared with other methods that use hepatic toxins, it is not associated with the tissue injury and inflammation, and the initiation of the regenerative stimulus is precisely defined. Granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which is a cytokine able to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells, was first identified as the most potent mitogen for bone marrow. Particularly, rrhGM-CSF, which is highly glycosylated and sustained longer than any other types of GM-CSF in the blood circulation, was specifically produced from rice cell culture. In this experiment, effects of rrhGM-CSF administration were evaluated in the regenerating liver after 78% PH of rats. Morphological changes induced by PH were characterized by destroyed hepatocyte plate around the central vein and enlarged nuclear cytoplasmic ratio and increased hepatocytes with two nuclei. And then, proliferation of liver cells (parenchymal and nonparenchymal) and rearrangement of plates and lobules seemed to be carried out during liver regeneration. These alterations in the experimental group preceded those of the control. Since proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is known to be a nuclear protein maximally elevated in the S phase of proliferating cells, the protein was used as a marker of liver regeneration after PH in rats. PCNA levels by western blot analysis and immunohistology were compared between the two groups. PCNA protein expression of two groups at 12 hr and 24 hr after injury showed similar pattern. The protein expression showed the peak at 3 days in both groups, however, the protein level of the experimental group was higher than that of the control. On immunohistochemical observations, the reaction product of PCNA was localized at the nuclei of proliferating cells and the positive reaction in experimental group at 3 days was clearly stronger than that in control group. The results by Western blotting and immunohistology for PCNA showed similar pattern in terms of the protein levels. In conclusion, rrhGM-CSF administration during liver regeneration after 78% PH accelerated breakdown and restoration of the hepatic plate and expression of PCNA. These results suggest that rrhGM-CSF might play an important role during liver regeneration in rats.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.432-442
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• 2013

In this study, we examined the biological activity and synergistic effects of an extract powder of 1% and 3%, each fresh (FGP) and black garlic (BGP) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Blood glucose content was significantly lower in FGP and BGP groups than control group. Glycosylated Hb was significantly higher in streptozotocin induced diabetic control group than normal group, but significantly lower in FGP and BGP groups. Total cholesterol content of the FGP and BGP groups were lower than control group, but not shown the significant difference between garlic fed groups. HDL-cholesterol concentrations of the FGP and BGP fed groups were significantly higher than control group, except of 1% BGP group. LDL and VLDL-cholesterol contents were significantly lower in 3% FGP group, and the same tendency atherogenic index and cardiac risk factor. GOT, GPT, and ${\gamma}$-GTP activity of serum were lower in FGP and BGP fed groups than control group. Glycogen contents in liver significantly higher than control group, and has not significantly difference between normal group. TBARS content was no significantly difference in the liver and serum, but in the kidney, 3% FPG and BGP fed groups were significantly lower than other experimental group. DPPH radical scavenging activity of liver has not significant difference among experimental groups, but activity was higher garlic extract powder fed groups in serum and kidney. These results indicate that dietary supplements of fresh and black garlic extract powder was contributed to lower of blood glucose, loss prevention of glycogen in liver and improve of lipid metabolism.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.141-150
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• 2014

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of nutrition education on blood glucose in type 2 diabetic patients with low income. There were 50 (27 male and 23 female) study subjects with type 2 diabetes under national medical support, and the monthly income in most of them was less than 500,000 won. Anthropometric measurement, biochemical blood indices, food intake, dietary habits, and nutrition knowledge of the subjects were investigated before nutrition education. Nutrition education was conducted 6 times within 12 weeks. After nutrition education, the glycosylated hemoglobin was significantly decreased (male: $8.4{\pm}1.6%$ to $8.0{\pm}1.7%$, female: $8.3{\pm}1.6%$ to $8.0{\pm}1.3%$) and the total cholesterol was also significantly decreased in both groups. The group of female resulted in a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose ($169.7{\pm}28.2$ mg/dL to $152.8{\pm}22.0$ mg/dL) and triglyceride ($177.8{\pm}56.3$ mg/dL to $162.3{\pm}36.1$ mg/dL), but the group of male did not show a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose and triglyceride. Nutritional knowledge and dietary habit scores of the subjects were significantly improved after nutrition education. The results demonstrate that nutrition education for type 2 diabetic patients with low income are effective in improving their blood glucose.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.117-127
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• 2002

Backgroud : MUC1 mucin is a heavily glycosylated large glycoprotein and is expressed aberrantly in carcinoma. CD44 is polymorphic family of cell surface glycoproteins participating in cell-cell adhesion and modulation of the cell-matrix interaction. MUC1 mucin and CD44 expression have been implicated in a tumor invasion and metastasis in certain malignancies. In this study, the expression of MUC1 and the standard form of CD44 (CD44s) was examined in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods : Immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies including MUC1 glycoprotein and CD44s was performed on 80 NSCLC surgical specimens. The association between MUC1 and CD44s expression and the histological type and tumor stage was investigated. Results : Depolarized MUC1 expression in more than 10% of cancer cells was found in 12 (27.9%) out of 43 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and 12 (32.4%) out of 37 adenocarcinomas (ACs). It was not associated with the tumor histological type and the TNM-stage in SCCs. Depolarized MUC1 expression correlated with the N-stage in ACs (p=0.036). CD44s was expressed in 36 (83.7%) out of 43 SCCs and 14 (37.8%) out of 37 ACs. Reduced CD44s expression correlated with the N-stage (p=0.031) and the TNM-stage (p=0.006) in SCCs. Conclusions : Depolarized MUC1 expression was related to the nodal stage in NSCLC adenocarcinoma. Reduced CD44s expression was related to nodal involvement and the TNM-stage in squamous cell carcinoma. This suggests that MUC1 and CD44s expression in NSCLC might play important roles in tumor progression and cap be used as prognostic variables.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 2004

Background : Mucus hypersecretion in the patients with airway diseases represents poor prognosis as well as discomfort. However, there is no known therapy for its effective control. One important component of mucus is mucin, a glycosylated protein, which endows mucus with viscosity. We studied whether a proteinase has a role in mucin secretion and if so, which. Methods : (1) Inhibition of mucin secretion Group-specific proteinase inhibitors were tested to evaluate whether a proteinase belonging to a group of proteinases plays a role in mucin secretion. Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride(PMSF, a serine proteinase inhibitor), E-64(a cysteine proteinase inhibitor), Pepstatin(an aspartic proteinase inhibitor) and 1, 10-Phenanthroline(a metalloproteinase inhibitor) were treated into the Calu-3 cell line for 24 hours. The enzyme linked immunoabsorbant assay(ELISA) for MUC5AC was performed to evaluate the amount of mucin secretion and to compare with a control. (2) Stimulation of mucin secretion Matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9), MMP-12 and TACE(TNF-alpha converting enzyme), which are known to be related with airway diseases, were used to be treated into Calu-3 for 24 hours. ELISA for MUC5AC was performed to evaluate the amount of mucin secretion and to compare with the controls. Results : (1) PMSF($10^{-4}M$), E-64($10^{-4}M$), Pepstatin($10^{-6}M$) and 1, 10-Phenanthroline($10^{-4}M$) reduced the MUC5AC secretion by $1{\pm}4.9%$(mean${\pm}$standard deviation; P=1.0 compared with the control), $-6{\pm}3.9%$(P=0.34), $-13{\pm}9.7%$(P=0.34) and $41{\pm}8.2%$(P=0.03), respectively. (2) The amounts of MUC5AC secretion stimulated by MMP-9(250ng/ml), MMP-12(100ng/ml) and TACE(200ng/ml) were $103{\pm}6%$(P=0.39), $102{\pm}8%$(P=1.0) and $107{\pm}13%$(P=0.39), respectively, compared with the controls. Conclusion : Metalloproteinase(s) is (are) suggested to play a role in mucin secretion. It appears that metalloproteinases, other than MMP-9, MMP-12 or TACE, affect the mucin secretion in this in vitro model.