• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 1990

In order to study the effect on liver diseases, Saenggan-tang has been applied to 26 patients of chronic hepatitis, 9 patients of liver cirrhosis, 5 patients of acute hepatitis, 8 patients of alcoholic liver diseases, 1 patient of hepatoma total 49 patients visiting the first internal medicine department of the hospital of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University. The Saenggan-tang was taken every 4 weeks (ecept acute hepatitis every 2 weeks). 1. Saenggan-tang had decrease on activity of SGOTF SGPT, with the passage of time, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, showing statistically significant effect. 2. Saenggan-tang revealed sharp decrease on levels of total bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase no showing significance in relation to a few cases 3. Serum protein total and albumin levels were in normal limit before or after Saenggan-tang treatment 4. Triglyceride level was lowered remarkably after Saenggan-tang treatment, showing significance in alcoholic liver disease group whereas no significance in chornic hepatitis Judging from above results, it is proved that Saenggan-tang has curative effect of liver diseases such as acute, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, alcobolic liver diseases and so on.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1236-1243
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• 1998

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional status of protein and lipids in the patients with alcoholic liver disease, to find an effective way of dietary management for patients with alcoholic liver disease and to obtain the materials for nutritional education for alcoholics. The subjects consist of 80 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis(ALC) and 12 patients with alcoholic fatty liver(AFL). The control group included 57 alcoholics without liver disease(A), 32 patients with viral liver cir rhosis(VLC) and 194 normal(NL). Biochemical evaluation of nutritional status was performed by ana lyzing the profiles of protein and lipids in blood samples. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The frequency of subjects below the normal range of serum total protein was 26.3% in ALC, 16.7% in AFL and 3.5% in A. Serum albumin was lower in 41.3% of ALC. 2) The alcoholics without liver disease showed significantly higher level of serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than the other groups. The alcoholic subjects had lower HDL cholesterol than normal subjects. Overall, the protein and lipids status of the alcoholic subjects in this study was evaluated to be very poor on the basis of biochemical assessments. The results suggest that alcohol abuse and poor dietary intake could cause malnutrition. An extensive nutritional education should be emphasized for the alcohol consuming population. High quality of protein and other dietary intakes from early stage of the disease may be effective in nutritional therapy for the patient with alcoholic liver disease.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.35 no.3 s.138
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• pp.229-232
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• 2004

Chronical intake of alcohol can cause alcoholic fatty liver. Fatty liver is caused by fat infiltration: the state of high rate of fat in liver cells and by losing the balance between the synthesis and the secretion of fatty acid. It could be developed into liver necrosis and cirrhosis. Ka-Mi-Chung-Gan-Tang (KMCGT) is a decoction used for fatty liver as oriental medicines in China. The prescription is composed of Ginseng Radix, Bupleuri Radix, Scutellariae Radix, Pinelliae Tuber, Artemisiae capillaris Herba, Gardeniae Fructus, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zizyphi Fructus and Glycyrrhizae Radix etc. We have induced alcoholic fatty liver by ethanol administration (6 g/kg, single dose/day, for a week) on rats and observed changes of triglyceride, cholesterol and lipid peroxidation in liver tissues of them. Also we checked the activities of GOT and GPT in blood of rats. KMCGT inhibited significantly the increase of triglyceride, cholesterol, lipid peroxidation level and effectively the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA).

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.22.1-22.15
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• 2023

Alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) is caused by chronic alcohol overconsumption and might be linked to dysregulated immune responses in the gut-liver axis. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on levels and functions of innate lymphocytes including mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, NKT cells, and NK (NK) cells in ALC patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the levels and function of these cells, evaluate their clinical relevance, and explore their immunologic roles in the pathogenesis of ALC. Peripheral blood samples from ALC patients (n = 31) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 31) were collected. MAIT cells, NKT cells, NK cells, cytokines, CD69, PD-1, and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) levels were measured by flow cytometry. Percentages and numbers of circulating MAIT cells, NKT cells, and NK cells were significantly reduced in ALC patients than in HCs. MAIT cell exhibited increased production of IL-17 and expression levels of CD69, PD-1, and LAG-3. NKT cells displayed decreased production of IFN-γ and IL-4. NK cells showed elevated CD69 expression. Absolute MAIT cell levels were positively correlated with lymphocyte count but negatively correlated with C-reactive protein. In addition, NKT cell levels were negatively correlated with hemoglobin levels. Furthermore, log-transformed absolute MAIT cell levels were negatively correlated with the Age, Bilirubin, INR, and Creatinine score. This study demonstrates that circulating MAIT cells, NKT cells, and NK cells are numerically deficient in ALC patients, and the degree of cytokine production and activation status also changed. Besides, some of their deficiencies are related to several clinical parameters. These findings provide important information about immune responses of ALC patients.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2005

It is well known that intaking alcohol chronically and heavily causes many formsof physical systemic distress including serious chronic alcoholic liver disease such as alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis and hepatoma. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is known as a specific marker in detecting and monitoring alcohol associated disease. Weanalyzed various alcohol-associated parameters to evaluate the clinical usefulness of CDT. The first patient group consisted of fifty patients, who had been diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease from January 2003 to June 2004 at Chungnam National University Hospital. The second group consisted of 12 patients with non-alcoholic liver disease. The third group consisted of 19 teetotalerswho had visited the hospital for the purpose of routine healthcare checks. Various hepatic parameters such as CDT, $\small{\Gamma}$-GT (gamma-glutamyl transferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) were compared in the three groups. CDT and AST increased in direct proportion to the amount and duration of alcohol consumption with high significance, but $\small{\Gamma}$-GT and ALT showed arbitrary patterns with no statistical significance. The sensitivities of CDT, $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT were 74 %, 96 %, 68 % and 58 %, respectively and the specificities were 95 %, 74 %, 68 % and 79 % in order respectively. The correlation study of CDT with $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT showed a very low value of correlation coefficients, implying that CDT could be taken as an independent parameter in evaluating alcohol liver disease compared to $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT. This present study suggested that CDT coud be one of the most useful parameters in reflecting the amount and duration of alcohol consumption as well as being another independent parameter in assessing and following up patients with alcoholic liver disease. Moreover we recommend it is the best method of measuring both CDT and $\small{\Gamma}$-GT in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.50
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• pp.299.1-299.13
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• 2018

Background: Sarcopenia is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with liver cirrhosis. However, it is not known whether the rate of skeletal muscle depletion is also associated with a poor prognosis. We investigated the prognostic impact of the rate of skeletal muscle depletion in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: We included retrospectively all patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent both multiple computed tomography scans and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurements. Results: A total of 131 patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled. The mean age of the patients was 53.7 years and alcoholic liver disease was the most common cause (61.8%). Sixty-four patients (48.9%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. The median changes in skeletal muscle area per year (${\Delta}SMA/y$) were -0.89%. During a median follow-up period of 46.2 months (range, 3.4-87.6), 45 patients (34.4%) died. In multivariate analyses, age, Child-Pugh score, HVPG, presence of sarcopenia and ${\Delta}SMA/y$ were independently associated with mortality. Cumulative mortality was significantly higher in patients with ${\Delta}SMA/y$ < -2.4% than those with ${\Delta}SMA/y{\geq}-2.4%$ (log-rank test, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Both the presence and rate of change of sarcopenia are independently associated with long-term mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.157-163
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• 2022

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which encompasses alcoholic steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although the economic and health impacts of ALD are clear, few advances have been made in its prevention or treatment. We recently demonstrated that the insect-derived antimicrobial peptide CopA3 exerts anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities in various cell systems, including neuronal cells and colonic epithelial cells. Here, we tested whether CopA3 inhibits ethanol-induced liver injury in mice. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with ethanol only or ethanol plus CopA3 for 24 h and then liver injury and inflammatory responses were measured. Ethanol enhanced the production of proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, interferon (IFN)-γ, and IL-10. It also induced hepatocyte apoptosis and ballooning degeneration in hepatocytes. Notably, all these effects were eliminated or significantly reduced by CopA3 treatment. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that CopA3 ameliorates ethanol-induced liver cell damage and inflammation, suggesting the therapeutic potential of CopA3 for treating ethanol-induced liver injury.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.167-172
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• 2022

Obesity is known as the most common risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Weight loss is needed to prevent liver function damage from progressing to non-alcoholic hepatosteatosis (NASH) and NASH-related liver cirrhosis. The purpose of this study was to observe the recovery of liver function in obese patients with liver dysfunction through traditional Korean obesity treatment. Body weight, liver function levels and renal function levels were examined by prescribing traditional Korean medicine in obese patients with mild elevation of liver function test. Blood tests were conducted at intervals of one month, and it was observed that liver function recovered to the normal range in three patients.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.358-366
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• 2012

Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules leading to loss of liver function. Liver Cirrhosis is most commonly caused by alcoholism, hepatitis B and C, and fatty liver disease, but has many other possible causes. Some cases are idiopathic disease from unknown cause. Abdomen of liver Computed tomography(CT) is one of the primary imaging procedures for evaluating liver disease such as liver cirrhosis, Alcoholic liver disease(ALD), cancer, and interval changes because it is economical and easy to use. The purpose of this study is to detect technique for computer-aided diagnosis(CAD) to identify liver cirrhosis in abdomen CT. We experimented on the principal components analysis(PCA) algorithm in the other method and suggested texture information analysis(TIA). Forty clinical cases involving a total of 634 CT sectional images were used in this study. Liver cirrhosis was detected by PCA method(detection rate of 35%), and by TIA methods(detection rate of 100%-AGI, TM, MU, EN). Our present results show that our method can be regarded as a technique for CAD systems to detect liver cirrhosis in CT liver images.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2009

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is characterized by a defect in arterial oxygenation that's induced by pulmonary vascular dilatation in the setting of liver disease. Some studies have shown the relationship between the presence of the HPS and the severity of liver disease, but there are only rare cases of HPS inpatient with Child-Pugh class A liver cirrhosis. We report here on a case of a 58 years-old male who suffered from progressive dyspnea for the previous few years. He was diagnosed with alcoholic liver cirrhosis 5 years previously. There was no significant abnormality on the chest radiograph and transthoracic echocardiography, but the arterial blood gas analysis revealed severe hypoxemia. Contrast-enhanced transesophageal echocardiograpy with agitated saline demonstrated a delayed appearance of microbubbles in the left cardiac chambers. Thus, he was finally diagnosed with HPS. This case suggests that we should consider HPS when a patient with compensated liver cirrhosis has unexplained dyspnea.