• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.95-97
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• 2000

A 17 kDa protein from Clonorchis sinensis adults was purified by a procedure including Sephacryl S-200 HR gel filtration and Q-Sepharose anion exchange chromatography. The protein was proved to be a cysteine protease as it showed hydrolytic activity toward Cbz-Phe-Arg-AMC in the presence of dithiothreitol and was inhibited by specific inhibitors such as iodoacetic acid or trans epoxy-succinly-L-leucyl-amido(4 guanidino) butane. The polyclonal antibody raised against the protein reacted to 17 kDa proteins of trematodes such as Paragonimuf westermani, Fasciola hepatica, Opisthorchis viverrini, Gymnophalloides seoi, and Metagonimus yokogawai. The antibody recognized the 17 kDa and 16 kDa cysteine proteases purified from C. sinensis, P. westemani, and G. seoi as well. These results suggest that the 17 kDa protein may be a cysteine protease commonly present in trematodes.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.822-825
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• 2000

Lymphocytic infundibuloneurohypophysitis is a rare inflammatory disorder, which may be caused by autoimmune response, affecting the infundibulum and the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The authors present a 15-year-old man with central diabetes insipidus, whose sellar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a focal thickening of the infundibulum and loss of high signal of the normal neurohypophysis on T1-weighted images. The histopathological diagnosis was lymphocytic infundibuloneurohypophysitis. When a patient presents with central diabetes insipidus and infundibular thickening on brain MRI, this entity should be included in the differential diagnosis though it is very rare. The significance of this entity in treatment is that it is basically not a surgical one, and surgery is needed only for tissue diagnosis. Symptomatic treatment and observation make it regress spontaneously.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.425-426
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• 2009

The present study investigated the infection status of Paragonimus westermani metacercariae in freshwater crabs (n = 363) and crayfish (n = 31) from October 2007 to October 2008 using the crush method. All of the freshwater crabs, Eriocheir japonicus, were negative for P. westermani metacercariae while 10 (32.3%) of the 31 examined crayfish were positive. The 10 positive crayfish were caught in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, and there were 8-59 (mean 28.4) metacrcariae per infected crayfish. These results suggest that P. westermani metacerariae are still transmitted by crayfish enzootically in southern Korea, and that freshwater crabs may transmit metacercariae only on rare occasions.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.122-134
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• 2001

Background : Some chemotherapeutic drugs induce NF-${\kappa}B$ activation by degrading the $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ protein in cancer cells which contributes to anticancer drug resistance. We hypothesized that inhibiting $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation would block NF-${\kappa}B$ activation and result in increased tumor cell mortality in response to chemotherapy. Methods : The "superrepressor" form of the NF-${\kappa}B$ inhibitor was transferred by an adenoviral vector (Ad-$I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$-SR) to the human lung cancer cell lines (NCI H157 and NCI H460). With a MIT assay, the level of sensitization to cisplatin and paclitaxel were measured. To confirm the mechanism, an EMSA and Annexin V assay were performed. Results : EMSA showed that $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$-SR effectively blocked the NF-${\kappa}B$ activation induced by cisplatin. Transduction with Ad-$I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$-SR resulted in an increased sensitivity of the lung cancer cell lines to cisplatin and paclitaxel by a factor of 2~3 in terms of $IC_{50}$. Annexin-V analysis suggests that this increment in chemosensitivity to cisplatin probably occurs through the induction of apoptosis. Conclusion : The blockade of chemotherapeutics induced NF-${\kappa}B$ activation by inducing Ad-$I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$-SR, increased apoptosis and increasing the chemosensitivity of the lung cancer cell lines tested, subsequently. Gene transfer of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$-SR appears to be a new therapeutic strategy of chemosensitization in lung cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.3
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• pp.265-269
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• 2017

Background: The first line of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs are the most effective standard of drugs for TB. However, the use of these drugs is associated with hepatotoxicity. Silymarin has protective effects against hepatotoxicity of anti-TB drugs in animal models. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of silymarin on hepatotoxicity caused by anti-TB drugs. Methods: This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study. Patients were eligible if they were 20 years of age or order and started the first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. Eligible patients were randomized for receiving silymarin or a placebo for the first 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who showed elevated serum liver enzymes more than 3 times the upper normal limit (UNL) or total bilirubin (TBil) > $2{\times}UNL$ within the first 8 weeks of anti-TB treatment. Results: We enrolled a total of 121 patients who silymarin or a placebo to start their anti-TB treatment, for the first 8 weeks. The proportions of elevated serum liver enzymes more than 3 times of UNL at week 2, week 4, and week 8 did not show any significant difference between the silymarin and placebo groups, at 0% versus 3.6% (p>0.999); 4.4% versus 3.6% (p>0.999); and 8.7% versus 10.8% (p=0.630), respectively. However, patients with TBil >$2{\times}UNL$ at week 8 were significantly low in the silymarin group (0% versus 8.7%, p=0.043). Conclusion: Our findings did not show silymarin had any significant preventive effect on the hepatotoxicity of anti-TB drugs.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.324-325
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• 2000

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.473-477
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• 2014

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare malignant tumor. Herein, we report the case of a 52-year-old male patient who had postprandial abdominal distension and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. The abdominal computed tomography (CT) angiogram showed an IVC mass extending from the infrahepatic to the suprarenal inferior vena cava. The radiologic findings were suggestive of an IVC leiomyosarcoma. Surgical resection and reconstruction with a cryopreserved homograft were performed. The follow-up abdominal CT angiogram revealed the patient to be disease-free 6 months after surgery with patency of the IVC and renal vein.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.125-130
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• 2014

Objective : This study was conducted to elucidate neuroprotective effect of carnosine in early stage of stroke. Methods : Early stage of rodent stroke model and neuroblastoma chemical hypoxia model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion and antimycin A. Neuroprotective effect of carnosine was investigated with 100, 250, and 500 mg of carnosine treatment. And antioxidant expression was analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot in brain and blood. Results : Intraperitoneal injection of 500 mg carnosine induced significant decrease of infarct volume and expansion of penumbra (p<0.05). The expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed significant increase than in saline group in blood and brain (p<0.05). In the analysis of chemical hypoxia, carnosine induced increase of neuronal cell viability and decrease of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Conclusion : Carnosine has neuroprotective property which was related to antioxidant capacity in early stage of stroke. And, the oxidative stress should be considered one of major factor in early ischemic stroke.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.291-297
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• 2019

Bowel ischemia is a life-threatening surgical emergency. We report a case of rapidly progressive bowel necrosis in a previously healthy child without proven mechanical small bowel obstruction. The definite diagnosis was established at the time of an exploratory operation. Of note, imaging studies and even a laparotomy did not reveal any evidence of acute appendicitis or mechanical obstruction such as intussusception or Meckel's diverticulum. During hospitalization, since we could not rule out surgical abdomen after inconclusive image findings, we closely followed the patient and repeated physical examinations carefully. Eventually surgical exploration was performed based on changes in clinical condition, which proved to be the right decision for the patient. We propose that in children with suspected strangulation of small bowel obstruction, especially when imaging findings do not provide a conclusive diagnosis, the timely exploratory surgical approach ought to be chosen based on carefully observed clinical findings and other evaluations.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.105-107
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• 2019

Acute ophthalmoparesis that includes the oculomotor, trochlear, or abducens nerve may occur as an initial presentation of Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). The symptoms of MFS or variant forms of Guillain-Barre syndrome are pathogenically related to anti-GQ1b antibodies. We report a case of a 36-year-old man with unilateral isolated abducens nerve palsy associated with anti-GM1 antibody. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of unilateral isolated abducens nerve palsy with positivity for anti-GM1 immunoglobulin M antibody.