• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.225-241
• /
• 2018

Taurine is an abundant, ${\beta}-amino$ acid with diverse cytoprotective activity. In some species, taurine is an essential nutrient but in man it is considered a semi-essential nutrient, although cells lacking taurine show major pathology. These findings have spurred interest in the potential use of taurine as a therapeutic agent. The discovery that taurine is an effective therapy against congestive heart failure led to the study of taurine as a therapeutic agent against other disease conditions. Today, taurine has been approved for the treatment of congestive heart failure in Japan and shows promise in the treatment of several other diseases. The present review summarizes studies supporting a role of taurine in the treatment of diseases of muscle, the central nervous system, and the cardiovascular system. In addition, taurine is extremely effective in the treatment of the mitochondrial disease, mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), and offers a new approach for the treatment of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, and inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis. The review also addresses the functions of taurine (regulation of antioxidation, energy metabolism, gene expression, ER stress, neuromodulation, quality control and calcium homeostasis) underlying these therapeutic actions.

• Biomaterials Research
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.235-248
• /
• 2018

Background: Injectable hydrogels have been extensively researched for the use as scaffolds or as carriers of therapeutic agents such as drugs, cells, proteins, and bioactive molecules in the treatment of diseases and cancers and the repair and regeneration of tissues. It is because they have the injectability with minimal invasiveness and usability for irregularly shaped sites, in addition to typical advantages of conventional hydrogels such as biocompatibility, permeability to oxygen and nutrient, properties similar to the characteristics of the native extracellular matrix, and porous structure allowing therapeutic agents to be loaded. Main body: In this article, recent studies of injectable hydrogel systems applicable for therapeutic agent delivery, disease/cancer therapy, and tissue engineering have reviewed in terms of the various factors physically and chemically contributing to sol-gel transition via which gels have been formed. The various factors are as follows: several different non-covalent interactions resulting in physical crosslinking (the electrostatic interactions (e.g., the ionic and hydrogen bonds), hydrophobic interactions, ${\pi}$-interactions, and van der Waals forces), in-situ chemical reactions inducing chemical crosslinking (the Diels Alder click reactions, Michael reactions, Schiff base reactions, or enzyme-or photo-mediated reactions), and external stimuli (temperatures, pHs, lights, electric/magnetic fields, ultrasounds, or biomolecular species (e.g., enzyme)). Finally, their applications with accompanying therapeutic agents and notable properties used were reviewed as well. Conclusion: Injectable hydrogels, of which network morphology and properties could be tuned, have shown to control the load and release of therapeutic agents, consequently producing significant therapeutic efficacy. Accordingly, they are believed to be successful and promising biomaterials as scaffolds and carriers of therapeutic agents for disease and cancer therapy and tissue engineering.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.16
• /
• pp.6991-6996
• /
• 2015

In the past decade, the incidence and mortality rates of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) have been increasing worldwide. The relatively low responsiveness of CCA to conventional chemotherapy leads to poor overall survival. Recently, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL or Apo2L) has emerged as the most promising anti-cancer therapeutic agent since it is able to selectively induce apoptosis of tumor cells but not normal cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of TRAIL in CCA cell lines (M213, M214 and KKU100) compared with the immortal biliary cell line, MMNK1, either alone or in combination with a subtoxic dose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). We found that recombinant human TRAIL (rhTRAIL) was a potential agent which significantly inhibited cell proliferation and mediated caspase activities (caspases 8, 9 and 3/7) and apoptosis of CCA cells. The combined treatment of rhTRAIL and 5-FU effectively enhanced inhibition of CCA cell growth with a smaller effect on MMNK1. Our finding suggests TRAIL to be a novel anti-cancer therapeutic agent and advantage of its combination with a conventional chemotherapeutic drug for effective treatment of CCA.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.28 no.1E
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2009

Primary radiation force on ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) in a propagating and standing acoustic field was explored. A specific ultrasound contrast agent $Albunex^{(R)}$ and $Optison^{(R)}$ were chosen for simulation. The model was developed based on a shelled bubble model proposed by Church. The numerical simulation suggests that bubble translational motion is more significant in therapeutic ultrasound due to higher intensity and long pulse duration. Even a single cycle of a propagating wave of 4 MPa at 1 MHz can cause a bubble translational motion of greater than $1{\mu}m$ which is approximately one tenth of capillary. Hence, UCA characteristics can be significantly changed in therapeutic ultrasound without rapid bubble collapses.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.139-150
• /
• 2022

Theranostics, a composite word of therapy and diagnosis, is known as personalized medicine and the concept of diagnosis and treatment at the same time. In nuclear medicine, it means performing both therapeutic and diagnostic radioisotope therapy using the same target molecule. The increased production and utilization of ⁶⁴Cu opens a new era of theranostics. The studies introduced here have shown that ⁶⁴CuCl₂ and various compounds or biomolecules labeled with ⁶⁴Cu are unique radiopharmaceuticals with physiological properties suitable for use as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. So far, these two abilities have been described only for radioactive iodine. Although ⁶⁴Cu has complex chemical properties compared to other PET radioisotopes such as ⁶⁸Ga, it has an appropriate half-life and enables high-quality PET images similar to ¹⁸F, which is an advantage in terms of diagnosis. In addition, since it also has therapeutic properties through the release of β^- particles and Auger electrons by electron capture, radiopharmaceuticals using ⁶⁴Cu stand for innovative radiopharmaceuticals for theranostic purposes. Therefore, based on the initial results obtained using ⁶⁴Cu as a therapeutic agent, it is expected that additional research on the application of ⁶⁴Cu will lead to a new era in the theranostics field.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.71-78
• /
• 1979

Since the introduction of aspirin as a therapeutic agent in 1899, there have been numerous attempts at the improvement of its therapeutic value through molecular modification. These endeavors have centered mainly around the following two approaches : (a) improvement of the potency by introduction of a suitable group or groups on the benzene ring; and (b) modification of the carboxylic acid group, which is thought to be an immediate cause of the irritant effect.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.314-315
• /
• 2013

• Journal of KSNVE
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.743-759
• /
• 2000

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.409-417
• /
• 2020

Background: It is well known that the distribution of therapeutic materials is very complex. However, it is not easy to demonstrate the concrete problems caused by distribution channels empirically. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the price of therapeutic materials according to the type of purchasing agency and the way in which medical institutions purchase therapeutic materials. Methods: This study compared the claimed prices and the maximum allowable prices for the items of therapeutic material used for general spinal surgery. Results: Ilsan Hospital, which purchased directly without a purchasing agent, had the lowest claimed prices, followed by a large professional purchasing agency, a foundation-related purchasing agency, and a general purchasing agency. In addition, the difference between the claimed prices and the maximum allowable prices according to the purchase type was larger in the expensive treatment materials, and in the case of the lower price treatment materials, it tended to converge to the maximum allowable prices. Conclusion: National health insurance spending for therapeutic materials are to be affected by the distribution channels of them. We proposed several ideas to rationalize the expenditure such as classification of therapeutic materials on the basis of price or other criteria.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.41-48
• /
• 1999

This review focused on the pharmacological treatment of alcoholism, especially alcoholism-related mental disorder. The pharmacological agent for alcoholism can be divided into the following categories : anticraving agent, aversive agent, agent to treat acute alcohol withdrawal, agent to diminish drinking by treating associated psychiatric pathology, agent to induce sobriety in intoxicated individuals. Following trends are included in new trends of pharmacological treatment of alcoholism. What are precise conditions amenable to pharmacological intervention? ; How can psychosocial and behavioral intervention be integrated with pharmacotherapy to enhance treatment outcome? ; Is the concept of "matching" specific pharmacotherapy treatment to different aspect of alcoholism more efficacious than a more generalized medicational approach to treatment? One of the most important factors for alcoholics treatment is good and proper therapeutic relationship with patients and setting up individually specialized treatment program is also important.