• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2323-2326
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• 2015

It is urgently necessary to be aware of the distribution and risk areas of liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, for proper allocation of prevention and control measures. This study aimed to investigate the human behavior, and environmental factors influencing the distribution in Surin Province of Thailand, and to build a model using stepwise multiple regression analysis with a geographic information system (GIS) on environment and climate data. The relationship between the human behavior, attitudes (<50%; $X_{111}$), environmental factors like population density ($148-169pop/km^2$; $X_{73}$), and land use as wetland ($X_{64}$), were correlated with the liver fluke disease distribution at 0.000, 0.034, and 0.006 levels, respectively. Multiple regression analysis, by equations OV= -0.599 + 0.005(population density ($148-169pop/km^2$); $X_{73}$) + 0.040 (human attitude (<50%); $X_{111}$) +0.022 (land used (wetland; X64), was used to predict the distribution of liver fluke. OV is the patients of liver fluke infection, R Square= 0.878, and, Adjust R Square= 0.849. By GIS analysis, we found Si Narong, Sangkha, Phanom Dong Rak, Mueang Surin, Non Narai, Samrong Thap, Chumphon Buri, and Rattanaburi to have the highest distributions in Surin province. In conclusion, the combination of GIS and statistical analysis can help simulate the spatial distribution and risk areas of liver fluke, and thus may be an important tool for future planning of prevention and control measures.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2007

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of oriental medical obesity therapy on obese patient with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. We supposed to treat patient 21 years old that had non-alcoholic fatty liver with oriental medical obesity therapy. Methods The patient was treated from the 19th of July to the 22th of August for obesity treatment. And the patient had intensive care through admission treatment from the 19th of July to the 30th of July. Herbal medicine, low calorie and low cholesterol diet, electrolipolysis, auricular acupuncture, aerobic exercise was done during the treatment period. Results His body weight decreased from 107.10㎏ to 98.85㎏. The BMI decreased from 36.2㎏/$m^2$ to 34.5㎏/$m^2$. Abdominal visceral fat tissue decreased from 190.80$cm^2$ to 145.05$cm^2$. AST was decreased from 113 to 45. ALT was decreased from 145 to 40. r-GT was decreased from 123 to 51. Oriental obesity therapy could be effective to treat obese patient with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Conclusions The obese patient with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease had improved liver function after oriental obesity treatment.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.184-190
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aims to report the clinical efficacy of Korean medical treatment of a patient with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease accompanied by obesity and dyslipidemia. Methods: A 52-year-old man with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, and dyslipidemia was treated with Saenggangunbi-tang extract from November 3, 2021 to January 8, 2022. During the treatment period, the patient also undertook exercise and maintained a hypocaloric diet to reduce body weight. Changes were observed in the patient's symptoms, laboratory findings, such as liver enzymes and lipid profiles, and bioelectrical impedance analyzer results. Results: After taking Saenggangunbi-tang extract for approximately two months, with concomitant adjustments to exercise and diet, the serum levels of liver enzymes and triglyceride were decreased and the patient's body weight, body mass index, hepatic steatosis index, and visceral fat area were also reduced. In addition, symptoms including fatigue and dyspepsia improved. Conclusion: This study suggests that Saenggangunbi-tang extract with exercise and a regulated diet could be a helpful treatment strategy for managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with metabolic disorders.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.264-269
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• 2013

Silymarin has been introduced fairly recently as a hepatoprotective agent. But its mechanisms of action still have not been well established. The aim of this study was to make alcoholic fatty liver model of rats in a short time and investigate silymarin's protective effects and possible mechanisms on alcoholic fatty liver for rats. The model of rat's alcoholic fatty liver was induced by intragastric infusion of ethanol and high-fat diet for six weeks. Histopathological changes were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE). The activities of alanine transarninase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the levels of total bilirubin (TBIL), total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in serum were detected with routine laboratory methods using an autoanalyzer. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver homogenates were measured by spectrophotometry. The TG content in liver tissue was determined by spectrophotometry. The expression of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the liver were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Silymarin effectively protected liver from alcohol-induced injury as evidenced by improving histological damage situation, reducing ALT and AST activities and TBIL level in serum, increasing SOD and GPx activities and decreasing MDA content in liver homogenates and reducing TG content in liver tissue. Additionally, silymarin markedly downregulated the expression of NF-${\kappa}B$ p65, ICAM-1 and IL-6 in liver tissue. In conclusion, Silymarin could protect against the liver injury caused by ethanol administration. The effect may be related to alleviating lipid peroxidation and inhibiting the expression of NF-${\kappa}B$.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2011

Objectives : Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is known to be increasing and becoming a health-related issue worldwide. This study aimed to analyze its prevalence and characterize NAFLD. Methods : NAFLD-related papers were surveyed via PubMed and in Korean medical journals, and then the prevalence and pathology were reviewed. Results : The prevalence of NAFLD in the general population is around 10~30% worldwide. The prevalence of NAFLD in Korea is estimated as 15~30%, which is higher than in China and Japan. The most important etiological-factors of NAFLD include central obesity resulting from excessive calorie intake and less physical activity, which lead to adiponectin hypoactivity and insulin resistance. The Oriental medicine view point of NAFLD pathology is phlegm-dampness by dysfunction of free flow in liver. Conclusions : This study provided an overview of the prevalence and pathology of NAFLD, and can support the development of a strategy for traditional Korean medicine-based prevention or treatment of NAFLD.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.547-555
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• 2001

Objectives: Obesity is regarded as the aggregation of needless risk factors, for instance, cardiovascular disease, joint disease, induce cancer. We studied on interrelation between abnormal liver function and obesity. Methods: We analyzed liver function, T.Cholesterol, Triglyceride before and after lose weight treatment. The collateral condition is over 6 weeks period on obesity treatment, no liver injury and no complicated another disease on personal past history and found out abnormal impression on biochemical liver function blood test. Results: The improvement rate of LFT, compare with before treatment is 10.6% in T.Bilirubin, 11.1% in ALP, 21% in AST, 38% in ALT, 37.3% in r-GTP, 9.2% in LDH and decreased 2.7% in T.Protein, increased 2.3% in Albumin. Hyperlipidemia is 19.4% in T.Cholesterol, 42.5% in Triglyceride. Conclusions: LFT and Hyperlipidemia of abnormal liver function patients, caused by obesity, is improved to normal limit in proportion to reduce patient's weight.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.196-201
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• 2016

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare inherited disorder caused by defective nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase enzyme and characterized by recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. Although liver abscess is a common manifestation of CGD, its management in CGD patients is not well-defined. In addition, the generalized guidelines for treating liver abscesses do not necessarily apply to CGD patients. Corticosteroids are commonly used to control granulomatous complications, such as inflammatory gastrointestinal and genitourinary lesions, in patients with CGD, Corticosteroids have also been used in combination with antimicrobials to treat refractory infections in patients with CGD. Because corticosteroids are capable of suppressing symptomatic inflammation, all potential infections must be adequately controlled prior to corticosteroid initiation. We report 3 typical CGD cases with liver abscesses refractory to conventional treatments that were successfully treated with the concomitant use of corticosteroid and antimicrobials. It remains unclear whether corticosteroid therapy is required for liver abscesses in CGD refractory to conventional treatments. However, based on our observations, use of corticosteroids in combination with optimal antimicrobials should be considered for refractory liver abscesses in CGD.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.465-475
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• 2023

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) for predicting hepatic fibrosis and native liver outcomes in patients with biliary atresia. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 33 consecutive patients with biliary atresia (median age, 8 weeks [interquartile range, 6-10 weeks]; male:female ratio, 15:18) from Severance Children's Hospital between May 2019 and February 2022. Preoperative (within 1 week from surgery) and immediate postoperative (on postoperative days [PODs] 3, 5, and 7) ultrasonographic findings were obtained and analyzed, including the SWE of the liver and spleen. Hepatic fibrosis, according to the METAVIR score at the time of Kasai portoenterostomy and native liver outcomes during postsurgical follow-up, were compared and correlated with imaging and laboratory findings. Poor outcomes were defined as intractable cholangitis or liver transplantation. The diagnostic performance of SWE in predicting METAVIR F3-F4 and poor hepatic outcomes was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Results: All patients were analyzed without exclusion. Perioperative advanced hepatic fibrosis (F3-F4) was associated with older age and higher preoperative direct bilirubin and SWE values in the liver and spleen. Preoperative liver SWE showed a ROC area of 0.806 and 63.6% (7/11) sensitivity and 86.4% (19/22) specificity at a cutoff of 17.5 kPa for diagnosing F3-F4. The poor outcome group included five patients with intractable cholangitis and three undergoing liver transplantation who showed high postoperative liver SWE values. Liver SWE on PODs 3-7 showed ROC areas of 0.783-0.891 for predicting poor outcomes, and a cutoff value of 10.3 kPa for SWE on POD 3 had 100% (8/8) sensitivity and 73.9% (17/23) specificity. Conclusion: Preoperative liver SWE can predict advanced hepatic fibrosis, and immediate postoperative liver SWE can predict poor native liver outcomes in patients with biliary atresia.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.4
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• pp.84-101
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• 1995

The periodic health examination have been shown the important role on early detection, early treatment and prevention of disease. Until now, there have been many studies that showed the effectiveness of the periodic health examination on the early detection and early treatment of disease to some extent. But there are few studies about primary prevention before health problem arise. In this case-control study, 29 newly detected hypertensive cases, 31 liver disease cases and 65 controls which are all available for 6-year data in the periodic health examination of a occupational field were compared to investigate the significant increase trend of health status between the groups. The results will be used for the occupational health nurses to provide appropriate primary prevention to the employees. The hypertensive and liver disease cases were divided observation-needed group and treatment-needed group. The data on systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, Body Mass Index and Broca Index in hypertensive cases and SGOT, SGPT, Body Mass Index and Broca Index in liver disease cases were analyzed by t-test and ANOVA. The specific findings are summarized as follows. 1. In the comparison between the hypertensive cases and controls, SBP and DBP of the observation-needed group and the treatment-needed group were significantly higher than the data of the controls for past 6 years. It was 2-3 years ago showing increase over 140/90mmHg of blood pressure in the hypertensive cases before they are categorized as hypertensive cases. In the observation-needed group and the treatment-needed group, the trend of the blood pressure for 6 years were significantly higher than the one of the controls. 2. In the comparison between the liver disease cases and controls, SGOT and SGPT of the observation-needed group and the treatment-needed group were significantly higher than the data of the controls for past 6 years. It was 2 years ago showing increase within upper normal limit of SGOT and 5 years ago of SGPT in the liver disease cases before they are categorized as liver disease cases. In the observation-needed group and the treatment-needed group, the trend of the liver enzyme for 6 years were significantly higher than the one of the controls. With these results, the author proposed that intervention for the primary prevention such as continuous follow-up, health education and weight control to the population who has over 140/90mmHg of blood pressure and upper normal limit of AST and ALT.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1068-1075
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• 2017

Objectives: This report describes the case of a patient suffering alcoholic liver disease with lower limb weakness, which was improved by Korean medical treatments. Methods: For relieving symptoms, Korean medical treatments, including acupuncture, moxibustion, and herb medication, were performed. To evaluate the effects of the treatments, a liver function test (LFT), the Hughes grading scale, and weight were used. Results: After treatments for 29 days, symptoms were improved, and the LFT value was decreased. Conclusions: This report suggests that Korean medical treatments may be one solution for alcoholic liver disease.