• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.63-71
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• 2020

Purpose: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic disease that may lead to cirrhosis. The immunopathogenesis of AIH is not fully understood and it mainly involves T-cell mediated mechanism. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that promotes T cell response and its polymorphism may serve as a severity marker of AIH. No previous study has considered investigating MIF polymorphism in children with AIH. Methods: Forty-two children with definite diagnosis of AIH were enrolled along with 100 age and sex matched controls. All participants were tested for polymorphism at -173GC (rs755622) of MIF gene. All patients received the standard protocol of steroid plus azathioprine to achieve remission. Liver biopsy was performed at time of diagnosis for all patients and only 18 of them underwent a second biopsy after treatment. Results: No statistically significant differences in the frequency of the genotypes GG and GC or in allele distribution were found in both patient and control groups (p=0.590, 0.640 respectively). Initial alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels at the time of presentation was significantly higher in the GC group than GG group (p=0.020). GC genotype significantly correlated with disease relapse (r=0.41, p=0.007). Regression of necroinflammation and the fibrosis score in the second liver biopsy was statistically significant in the GG group (p<0.0001, p=0.010 respectively). Conclusion: MIF -173GC polymorphism is associated with clinically significant markers of pediatric AIH, including increased initial serum ALT levels, may help predict necroinflammatory/fibrosis regression effectively, following immunosuppressive treatment.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.117-123
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• 2008

Dermatomyositis is characterized by progressive, symmetric, proximal muscle weakness and a nonsuppurative inflammatory myopathy of unknown etiology involving predominantly skeletal muscles. It is also characterized by typical skin lesions. Interstitial lung disease has a poor prognosis when it is associated with dermatomyositis. Organizing pneumonia is a disease in which granulation tissue fills the lumina of terminal and respiratory bronchioles and extends into the distal airspaces. The cryptogenic nature of the process is appreciated in that organizing pneumonia patterns of injury can be seen in secondary forms of the disease (secondary organizing pneumonia). Organizing pneumonia has been reported to occur in 5~10% in dermatomyositis-polymyositis patients. Anti-histidyl tRNA synthetase antibody (anti-Jo-1) is a predictive disease marker that is reported to occur in up to 70% of patients. We describe a 49-year-old male dermatomyositis patient who presented with organizing pneumonia and was found to have negative anti-Jo-1 antibody.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.3875-3879
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• 2015

Background: The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple index of systemic inflammatory response, and has been shown to be a prognostic indicator in some types of cancer. Inflammation has been implicated in the initiation and progression of thyroid cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of NLR with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and different benign thyroid pathologies like multinodular goiter (MNG) and lymphocytic thyroiditis (LT). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the neutrophil, lymphocyte counts and NLR calculated from these parameters of 232 patients with histologically confirmed as multinodular goiter (group MNG) (n=70), lymphocytic thyroiditis (group LT) (n=97), LT with PTC (group LT-PTC) (n=25) and PTC (group PTC) (n=40). The optimal cut-off value for NLR was determined. Results: NLR level was significantly higher in groups LT-PTC and PTC as compared to groups MNG and LT (p<0.05). NLR of LT subgroups according to TSH levels were not different (p>0.05). When we grouped the patients as benign and malignant according to PTC presence, the optimum NLR cut-off point obtained from ROC analysis was 1.91 (sensitivity 89.0% and specificity 54.5%). Conclusions: Since NLR was significantly elevated in group LT-PTC and group PTC, NLR value may give an opinion as a potential marker in differentiation of benign and malign thyroid disorders. For this purpose a cut-off value of 1.91 for NLR may be accepted.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권17호
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• pp.7513-7516
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• 2015

Background: Pyogenic granuloma is a common non-neoplastic connective tissue proliferation. ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 are vascular adhesion molecules and CD34 is a marker for evaluation of angiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to compare the immunohistochemical expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 & CD34 in oral pyogenic granuloma and normal gingiva. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on thirty five formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded samples of gingival pyogenic granuloma. Also we used thirty five paraffined blocks of normal gingiva as control group which were taken from crown lengthening surgery. We employed immunohistochemistry staining for our prepared microscopic slides using monoclonal mouse anti-human antibodies against ICAM-1 (CD54), VCAM-1 (CD106) and CD34. Slides were examined under light microscope and then the mean amount of stained vessels also known as microvascular density (MVD) in highly vascularized areas (hot spots) was measured. Paired t-test and repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare the difference between quantitative variables and Chi-square test for qualitative variables in different groups. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to compare relations between quantitative variables. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean of MVD for ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and CD34 was significantly higher in pyogenic granuloma than normal gingiva (p<0.001 & p<0.001 & p<0.001, respectively). Expression of CD34 in pyogenic granuloma was significantly higher than ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 (P<0.001). Besides, expression of ICAM-1 in normal gingiva, was significantly lower than two other markers (p<0.001). Conclusions: Regarding the results, it seems that ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and CD34 are useful biomarkers in evaluation of vascular and inflammatory lesions such as gingival pyogenic granuloma and the results indicate the role of these biomarkers in pathogenesis of oral pyogenic granuloma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권15호
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• pp.6375-6379
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate inflammation parameters and assess the utility of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a simple and readily available predictor for clinical disease activity in patients with nenign prostate hyperplasia BPH. We also aimed to investigate the relationship between inflammatory parameters with ${\alpha}$-blocker therapy response, and evaluate the potential association between NLR and the progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Materials and Methods: We examined 320 consecutive patients (July 2013-December 2013) admitted to our outpatient clinic with symptoms of the lower urinary tract at Bozok University. The mean age was 60 (range, 51-75) years. Complete blood count (CBC), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed. Correlations between PSA, CRP, ESR, prostate volume, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPPS), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), and NLR were assessed statistically. Patients were divided into two groups: high and low risk of progression. Results: NLR was positively correlated with IPSS (p=0.001, r=0.265), PSA (p=0.001, r=0.194), and negatively correlated with Qmax (p<0.001, r=-0.236). High-risk patients a had a higher NLR compared with low-risk patients, based on IPSS (p<0.001), PSA (p=0.013), and Qmax (p<0.001); however, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age (p>0.05), and prostate volume (p>0.05). Conclusions: NLR can predict BPH progression. We propose that increased inflammation is negatively associated with clinical status in BPH patients and suggest that NLR can give information along with LUTS severity which may be used as a readikly accessible marker for patient follow-up.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.257-263
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• 2010

Visnagin (4-methoxy-7-methyl-5H-furo[3,2-g][1]-benzopyran-5-one), which is an active principle extracted from the fruits of Ammi visnaga, has been used as a treatment for low blood-pressure and blocked blood vessel contraction by inhibition of calcium influx into blood cells. However, the neuroprotective effect of visnagin was not clearly known until now. Thus, we investigated whether visnagin has a neuroprotective effect against kainic acid (KA)-induced neuronal cell death. In the cresyl violet staining, pre-treatment or post-treatment visnagin (100 mg/kg, p.o. or i.p.) showed a neuroprotective effect on KA ($0.1{\mu}g$) toxicity. KA-induced gliosis and proinflammatory marker (IL-$1{\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, and COX-2) inductions were also suppressed by visnagin administration. These results suggest that visnagin has a neuroprotective effect in terms of suppressing KA-induced pathogenesis in the brain, and that these neuroprotective effects are associated with its anti-inflammatory effects.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.54-59
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• 2013

In this study, we investigated the effect of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major component of green tea catechins from green tea leaves, on activities of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and thromboxane synthase (TXAS), thromboxane $A_2$ ($TXA_2$) production associated microsomal enzymes. EGCG inhibited COX-1 activity to 96.9%, and TXAS activity to 20% in platelet microsomal fraction having cytochrome c reductase (an endoplasmic reticulum marker enzyme) activity and expressing COX-1 (70 kDa) and TXAS (58 kDa) proteins. The inhibitory ratio of COX-1 to TXAS by EGCG was 4.8. These results mean that EGCG has a stronger selectivity in COX-1 inhibition than TXAS inhibition. In special, a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug aspirin, a COX-1 inhibitor, inhibited COX-1 activity by 11.3% at the same concentration ($50{\mu}M$) as EGCG that inhibited COX-1 activity to 96.9% as compared with that of control. This suggests that EGCG has a stronger effect than that of aspirin on inhibition of COX-1 activity. Accordingly, we demonstrate that EGCG might be used as a crucial tool for a strong negative regulator of COX-1/$TXA_2$ signaling pathway to inhibit thrombotic disease-associated platelet aggregation.

• 생약학회지
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.137-146
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• 2012

Dipsaci Radix (Dipsacaceae) has been used as a tonic, an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-complement agents in traditional herbal medicine for the therapy of low back pain, knee pain, rheumatic arthritis, traumatic hematoma, and bone fractures. A high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric method (HPLC-ESI-MS) was developed for the simultaneous quantitation method of the five compounds from the herbal drug: asperosaponin VI and asperosaponin XII (terpene glycosides), sweroside, loganin and dipsacus A(iridoid glycosides). HPLC separation of the analytes was achieved on a C18 column ($150{\times}2.0$ mm i.d., 5 ${\mu}m$) using the aqueous methanol containing 5 mM ammonium acetate with gradient flow of the mobile phase. Detection of the analytes was performed by positive ion electrospray ionization, and selected ion monitoring was used for data acquisition using m/z corresponding molecular adduct ion, $[M+NH_4]^+$ and $[M+H]^+$. Calibration graphs showed good linearity ($r^2$=0.9997) over the wide range of the analytes; intra- and inter-day precisions (RSD, %) were within 9.1% and the accuracy between 94.0-111.0%. Recoveries of the analytes through the assay procedure were in the range of 93.7-110.8%. Analytical results of the herbal drugs of Dipsaci Radix (17 samples) show wide distribution of the five marker compounds and clear difference of the species from Phlomidis Radix (4 samples). The developed method would provide a practical guide for the quality control of the herbal drug.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제39권10호
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• pp.734-741
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• 2016

Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has a role in inducing emergency hematopoiesis upon exposure to inflammatory stimuli. Although GM-CSF generated murine bone marrow derived cells have been widely used as macrophages or dendritic cells in research, the exact characteristics of each cell population have not yet been defined. Here we discriminated GM-CSF grown bone marrow derived macrophages (GM-BMMs) from dendritic cells (GM-BMDCs) in several criteria. After C57BL/6J mice bone marrow cell culture for 7 days with GM-CSF supplementation, two main populations were observed in the attached cells based on MHCII and F4/80 marker expressions. GM-BMMs had $MHCII^{low}F4/80^{high}$ as well as $CD11c^+CD11b^{high}CD80^-CD64^+MerTK^+$ phenotypes. In contrast, GM-BMDCs had $MHCII^{high}F4/80^{low}$ and $CD11c^{high}CD8{\alpha}^-CD11b^+CD80^+CD64^-MerTK^{low}$ phenotypes. Interestingly, the GM-BMM population increased but GM-BMDCs decreased in a GM-CSF dose-dependent manner. Functionally, GM-BMMs showed extremely high phagocytic abilities and produced higher IL-10 upon LPS stimulation. GM-BMDCs, however, could not phagocytose as well, but were efficient at producing $TNF{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-12p70 and IL-6 as well as inducing T cell proliferation. Finally, whole transcriptome analysis revealed that GM-BMMs and GM-BMDCs are overlap with in vivo resident macrophages and dendritic cells, respectively. Taken together, our study shows the heterogeneicity of GM-CSF derived cell populations, and specifically characterizes GM-CSF derived macrophages compared to dendritic cells.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.55-63
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• 2004

The hepatotherapeutic effect of the extract of Lycii fructus has been studied in rats against $CCl_4$ induced liver toxicity. The rats were orally treated with $CCl_4$ (corn oil/$CCl_4$ 1:1, $1m{\ell}/kg$) and then $CCl_4$ ($0.5m{\ell}/kg$) administered four times for 2 weeks. The extracts of L. fructus have been administered every day for 2 weeks after the last $CCl_4$ injection. The experimental groups consisted of negative control (G1), positive control ($CCl_4$ alone; G2), extract of L. fructus (50 mg/kg; G3, 100 mg/kg; G4, 200 mg/kg; G5), respectively. There was a significant decrement to G2 on the serum level of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in G5. Also, the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, and phosphatidylcholine hydroperxidase, a marker of lipid peroxidation, in the liver were decreased significantly G5 and G4 compared with G2. Although, catalase or superoxide dismutase, antioxidant enzyme, in the liver were decreased significantly too, it would not be a good sign for the liver. In histopathological findings, such a hepatocellular vacuolar degeneration, lobular restructure, cellular infiltration, necrosis, and so on were shown severely in G2. However, G4 and G5 was shown a mild cytoplasmic vacuolation and inflammatory cell. In conclusion, as a protection against cell damage, lipid peroxidation and serum level, it suggested that the extract of Lycii fructus would have been a therapeutic effect of liver injury directly.